The effect of Lycii Cortex on the PCOS rat model and the mechanism of action were investigated in the present study. The PCOS rat model was induced with Poretsky methods. Then the rats were randomly divided into four groups: the model group, melbine group (0.45 g x kg(-1)), low (2.5 g x kg(-1) and high (10 g x kg(-1)) dosage group of Lycii Cortex. The animals were orally administrated with the drugs for 14 days. In addition, another control group was added in this study. The rats were weighted before and after drug treatment. After 14 days treatment, oestrous cycle of rats were detected; blood serum was separated to determine T and FINS and rat's uteri were isolated. The mRNA and protein (total and phosphorylated) expressions of PI3K and PKB in uteri were measured with Real-time RT-PCR and Western blot, respectively. Compared with the control rats, the body weight gain and serum level of T and FINS were significantly increased. While, the mRNA and protein (phosphorylated) levels of PI3K and PKB were markedly decreased in PCOS group. Lycii Cortex treatment significantly decreased the body weight gain and serum level of T and FINS in a dose-dependant manner. It also markedly increased the mRNA and protein (phosphorylated) expressions of PI3K and PKB. Meanwhile, the melbine treatment also showed the curative effect. Lycii Cortex can relieve the symptoms of PCOS and the mechanism might be related to PI3K/PKB pathway.
Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; Female ; Humans ; Lycium ; chemistry ; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases ; genetics ; metabolism ; Phosphorylation ; drug effects ; Polycystic Ovary Syndrome ; drug therapy ; enzymology ; genetics ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt ; genetics ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Signal Transduction ; drug effects

BACKGROUND: Sonography is believed by many scholars to be sensitive for the detection of hepatic arterial thrombosis and stenosis, but it is difficult to show the anastomotic vascular stenosis. MR angiography is better than sonography in the display of vascular anatomy and the diagnosis of various vascular complications after liver transplantation.OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the role of MR angiography (MRA) in the display of vascular anatomy and the diagnosis of various vascular complications after liver transplantation.DESIGN: Contrast trial observation.SETTING: Medical Imaging Center of Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University.PARTICIPANTS: Eleven adult male patients had undergone liver transplantations at Nanfang Hospital of Southern Medical University between January 2004 and December 2006. They ranged in age from 40 to 58 years, average 49 yeas. Original causes of liver failure in the study group included cirrhosis (n =9) and primal hepatic carcinoma (n =2) diagnosed by pathohistological methods. And 9 cases had undergone orthotopic liver transplantations while 2 cases with piggy-back liver transplantation.METHODS: Eleven consecutive adult patients underwent MR imaging examinations after orthotopic liver transplantation using a breath-hold 2D True Fast Imaging with Stead-state Precession and Fast Low Angle Shot. MR triphasic contrast-enhanced 3D imaging was also performed. Enhancement scan: A final gadolinium-enhanced axial and coronal T1WI spin-echo sequence with spectral fat saturation was performed after completion of the MRA. The vascular diameter stenosis was calculated according to S (S=[(D-d)/D]×100%) by ECST method, d as the inner diameter of the most obvious stenosis while D as normal diameter. Degree of stenosis: normal as S 0-30%, mild stenosis as S 31%-50%, moderate stenosis as S 51%-85%, and severe stenosis as S 86%-100%. Then the imaging findings after liver transplantation were analyzed. Meanwhile the sonography was performed.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: ① MR Image analysis of vascular anatomy and vascular complications after liver transplantation.②Normal findings after liver transplantation by using sonography.RESULTS: All 11 patients were involved in the result analysis.①MRA: The anastomosis of hepatic artery, portal vein and inferior vena cava were smooth in 3 cases. The high signal intensity was seen around portal vein at T2WI in 1 case with a shorter interval after transplantation and persisted 3 weeks. In 1 case, the caliber of the donor portion was smaller than the recipient portion. Among other 8 cases, hepatic artery complication included hepatic artery winding in 2 cases and aneurysm formation of donor's hepatic artery in 2 cases, but the twig of the hepatic artery was normal. Mild Portal vein stenosis at the anastomosis was found in 2 cases, caused by the different calibers of the donor portion from the recipient portion, but the inter-hepatic branches of the portal vein were normal. Clubbed dilatation of hepatic veins end-brush was depicted in 2 cases whose inferior vena cava at the anastomosis was not stenosis. Inferior vena cava thrombosis was found in 1 case. The thrombus displayed the low signal intensity in the high signal intensity of inferior vena cava. By follow-up examination, the degree of clubbed dilatation of hepatic veins end-brush reduced after half a year and inferior vena cava thrombosis disappeared by treatment. ②Sonography: By ultrasound examination, 1 case who had hepatic artery winding combining to aneurysm formation of donor's hepatic artery was discovered just hepatic artery winding. In 2cases that had mild portal vein stenosis at the anastomosis, 1 case was diagnosed normal while the other was not affirmed. The clubbed dilatation of hepatic veins end-brush was not depicted. The others were same as MRI diagnosis.CONCLUSION: Dynamic enhanced 3D MRA imaging can provide a comprehensive assessment of vascular anatomy in most recipients of liver transplants, and is an accurate and quick method to diagnose the vascular complication after liver transplantation.

Objective To analyse the frequeney and pattern of lymph node metastasis in bilateral papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC), and establish the optimal surgical strategy for patients. Methods From March 2006 to August 2008, 58 bilateral PTMC patients received surgical treatment and the tumour characteristics, the frequency and pattern of lymph node metastasis and surgical management of these patients were retrospectively analysed. Results Forty-four patients received total thyroideetomy and 14 patients received near-totsl thyroideetomy, 47 patients received central compartment (level VI ) dissection and cervical level Ⅱ,Ⅲ, IV node exploration by internal jugular vein exposure,10 patients received level Ⅵdissection and unilateral cervical dissection and 1 patient received bilateral cervical dissection. The mean tumor diameter was (6.28 + 2.23) mm and 26 patients (44.8%) had node involvement, 88.5%(23/26) pa-tients had only level Ⅵ node involvement. Only 1 patient had node involvement in the jugular chain without level Ⅵ node involvement, 2 patients with level Ⅵ node involvement were associated with another cervical compartment nodes involvement. Conclusions Bilateral PTMC has high incidence of lymph node metasta-sis. The cervical level Ⅵ is the most common site of node involvement for bilateral PTMC and the surgical strategy for bilateral PTMC should include the cervical level Ⅵ dissection routinely.

At present,the medical profession generally acknowledged the best way to treat osteosarcoma is gene therapy,which includes tumor suppressor gene therapy,antisense gene therapy,suicide gene therapy,immune gene therapy,combined gene therapy,etc.But no matter what kind of gene therapy is that the gene must have a safe carrier.Gene therapy has made a breakthrough in osteosarcoma recently.On the basis of widespread use,we should emphasize the importance of gene vectors.

Objective To investigate the aberrant methylation and expression of growth arrest and DNA-damage-in-ducible 45 gamma (GADD45G) gene in gastric cardia adenocarcinoma (GCA). Methods Bisulfite conversion-methylation specific polymerase chain reaction method (BS-MSP) and immunohistochemistry method were used respectively to detect the methylation status and protein expression of GADD45G in 138 GCA tumor tissues and corresponding normal tissues. Re-sults The methylation status of GADD45G distal promoter (region 1) was not detected in GCA tumor tissues and corre-sponding normal tissues. For GADD45G region 2 and region 3, the BS-MSP results of region 3 were identical to that of re-gion 2. The methylation frequency of proximal promoter and exon 1 in GADD45G island 2 (region 2 and region 3) in GCA tu-mor tissues (49.3%, 68/138) was significantly increased compared to that in corresponding normal tissues (0, P＜0.01). The methylation status of this two sites in tumor tissues was associated with TNM stage of tumors (P＜0.05). The protein expres-sion of GADD45G in tumor tissues was significantly decreased than that in corresponding normal tissues (P ＜ 0.05),and threre was a significant negative correlation with methylation status of GADD45G proximal promoter and exon 1 (rs=-0.398). Conclusion The decreased expression of GADD45G by hypermethylation of proximal promoter exon 1 of the gene may play an important role in gastric cardia adenocarcinoma.

Objective To introduce the techniques and clinical application of coronary arterial calcification measurements by using the multi-slice CT (MSCT). Methods The recent literature on the coronary artery calcium scoring with MSCT were reviewed. The data acquisition, image reconstruction, quantification methods in assessment of calcium and usefulness of calcium scoring in coronary artery disease were investigated. Results MSCT with nearly isotropic volumetric imaging data, subsecond rotation and retrospective electrocardiographic gating could provide better input data for quantification of coronary arterial calcium volume. Conclusion MSCT allows more precise and repeated measurement of coronary arterial calcification with low interexamination variability.

Objective To describe the MRI features and pathologic findings of biliary cystadenocarcinoma(BCAC)and to assess the diagnostic value of MRI in those tumors.Methods Five cases of BCAC were collected.All cases were proved by pathology.Non-enhanced and multiphase-enhanced MRI were performed in all cases.MRCP were performed in two cases.The MRI features of the five cases were reviewed retrospectively and correlated with pathologic findings.Results Histological evidence demonstrated five cases of BCAC.Four cases were solitary,whereas the other case was multifocal.All cases were solid and cystic lesions.Two cases were unilocular,whereas the other three cases were multilocular. Multiple mural nodules and irregular thickening cystic walls were presented in all cases.The cystic parts of the lesions were homogeneous in signal intensity and showed no enhancement after contrast administration in the five BCAC.Septa were present in three BCAC with multilocular cyst.On MRCP the bile duct dilatation was found in two BCAC.Conclusion MRI can reveal the characteristic findings of BCAC and accurate preoperative diagnosis can be made.

Objective: To establish a multiplex PCR-microarray method for detecting important enteropahogens.Methods: Uniplex and multiplex PCR were performed to obtain the best primer sets for identifying the target bacteria at species and multi-species level.Fluorescent dyes were mixed into PCR reaction to determine whether it can affect the efficiency of amplification.To improve the efficiency of microarray,a 35 pairs primer-labeling system was optimized based on the hybridization results to find the best combination to avoid false negative results.Results: Specific PCR products were all obtained using species-specific primer sets.More preferential amplification may happen when more primer pairs were added to the reaction.The hybridization results showed a positive association between the efficiency of multiplex-PCR and signal intensity.Conventional PCR yielded more products than fluorescent dyes labeled PCR.Thirty-five primers were divided into three different combinations to label target respectively,hybridization results showed a high specificity.Conclusion: Mixing fluorescent dyes into PCR may reduce the efficiency of amplification and hybridization,but may have no effect on the analysis of hybridization results.The hybridization efficiency of microarray depends on the amplification efficiency of multiplex PCR.For microarray target labeling,three primer sets could be used to avoid negative hybridization led by preferential amplification of multiplex-PCR.It indicates that the multiplex PCR-microarray method is an attractive diagnosis tool for the high-throughput identification of enteropathogenic organisms especially for multiple causative agents and epidemiological investigations.

ObjectiveTo examine the prognostic value of 99mTC-MIBI single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) in patients with suspected or diagnosed coronary artery disease (CAD).Methods116 patients with suspected or diagnosed CAD were examined with 99m TC-MIBI SPECT exercise and rest myocardial imagings, and followed by investigation of cardiac events.Results Follow-up information was complete in 106 patients. Over an average follow-up of 25±8 months, cardiac events occurred in 11 patients. Univariate analyses showed that age, old myocardial infarction, exercise peak heart rate, the change in heart rate from rest to exercise peak, exercise peak systolic blood pressure, the change in systolic blood pressure from rest to exercise peak, abnormal myocardial imaging, the number of myocardial perfusion defect and ischemic volume rate (IVR) were the effective predictors of subsequent cardiac events. Multivariate stepwise Logistic regression analyses revealed that the size of IVR was the only variable with independent predictive value for occurrence of subsequent cardiac events. IVR more than 25% was associated with a significantly increased frequency of subsequent cardiac events (relative risk ratio was 5.9, P<0.005). IVR less than 25% or even normal myocardial perfusion imaging was associated with a very low-risk of cardiac event and a very good prognosis.Conclusion 99mTC-MIBI SPECT myocardial imaging is the most effective noninvasive technique that predicted the occurrence of cardiac event in patients with suspected or diagnosed CAD. According to the size of IVR, high-risk and low-risk patients can be effectively identified.

Asialoglycoprotein receptor (ASGPR) is highly expressed on the surface of parenchymal liver cells. It can specifically recognize and bind to desialylated glycoproteins which contain terminal galactose or N-acetylgalactosamine residues, and endocytosed by clathrin-mediated endocytosis, transported and then degraded in lysosome. Based on this character, ASGPR mediated liver-targeted drug delivery is likely to increase drug distribution, reduce potential side effects and lower dose. This article reviewed the expression, structure, ligand binding and endocytosis of ASGPR, and summarized the design and optimization of ASGPR ligands and the release strategies. Finally, we put forward some expects about the clinical drug development for ASGPR.