To further uncover the scientific significance and molecular mechanism of the Chinese herbs with pungent hot or warm natures, endogenous and exogenous expression systems were established by isolation of dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons and transfection of HEK293 cells with TRPV1 channel gene separately. On this basis, the regulation action of capsaicin, one main ingredient from chili pepper, on TRPV1 channel was further explored by using confocal microscope. Besides, the three-sites one-unit technique and method were constructed based on the brown adipose tissue (BAT), anal and tail skin temperatures. Then the effect of capsaicin on mouse energy metabolism was evaluated. Both endogenous and exogenous TRPV1 channel could be activated and this action could be specifically blocked by the TRPV1 channel inhibitor capsazepine. Simultaneously, the mice's core body temperature and BAT temperature fall down and then go up, accompanied by the increase of temperature of the mice's tail skin. Promotion of the energy metabolism by activation of TRPV1 channel might be the common way for the pungent-hot (warm) herbs to demonstrate their natures.
Adipose Tissue, Brown ; drug effects ; physiology ; Animals ; Capsaicin ; analogs & derivatives ; pharmacology ; Energy Metabolism ; Ganglia, Spinal ; cytology ; HEK293 Cells ; Humans ; Mice ; Neurons ; drug effects ; physiology ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; TRPV Cation Channels ; physiology ; Temperature ; Thermogenesis

Aged ; Bone Plates ; Female ; Femur ; pathology ; physiopathology ; surgery ; transplantation ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Recovery of Function ; Reoperation ; Transplantation, Homologous ; Treatment Outcome

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Coal Mining ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; complications ; microbiology ; Male ; Methicillin Resistance ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Middle Aged ; Pneumoconiosis ; complications ; microbiology ; Staphylococcus aureus ; drug effects ; isolation & purification

Objective To retrospectivel y analyze the abdominal CT findings and pathological results of the chronic schist osomiasis so as to improve the diagnostic accuracy of the disease. M ethods The plain abdominal CT scanning was performed in 103 cases an d enhanced CT scanning in 81 cases. The pathological specimen which was consist ent with the section of CT scan was obtained in each cases. Results On CT scanning, liver cirrhosis was seen in 84 cases, various calci fication in liver in 71 cases, liver cancer in 12 cases, enlargement of sple en in 78 cases, calcification in spleen in 13 cases, wall-thickening in colon i n 27 cases, calcification in colon in 31 cases, and colon cancer in 9 cases. Pa thological examination revealed various fibrosis and formation of pseudolobule. The eggs and calcification could be seen in pseudolobule and septa, colonic sub mucosa, and regional lymph nodes. Fibrous hyperplasia in colonic wall and hyper plasia in mucous membrane were obvious. Fibrous hyperplasia and calcification w ere seen in spleen, but the eggs were not found. Conclusion The liver and colon are the major organs affected by chronic schistosomias is in abdomen, and the CT findings are obvious too. The pathological features o f spleen are accompanied with liver cirrhosis. CT is the important imaging meth od in diagnosing chronic schistosomiasis and pathological changes.

Background:Glioblastoma is one of the most common malignant brain tumors.Conventional clinical treatment of glioblastoma is not sufficient,and the molecular mechanism underlying the initiation and development of this disease remains unclear.Our study aimed to explore the expression and function of miR-873a-5p in glioblastoma and related molecular mechanism.Methods:We analyzed the most dysregulated microRNAs from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and examined the expression of miR-873-5p in 20 glioblastoma tissues compared with ten normal brain tissues collected in the Zhejiang Tongde Hospital.We then overexpressed or inhibited miR-873-5p expression in U87 glioblastoma cell lines and analyzed the phenotype using the cell counting kit-8 assay,wound healing assay,and apoptosis.In addition,we predicted upstream and downstream genes of miR-873-5p in glioblastoma using bioinformatics analysis and tested our hypothesis in U87 cells using the luciferase reporter gene assay and Western blotting assay.The differences between two groups were analyzed by Student's t test.The Kruskal-Wallis test was used for the comparison of multiple groups.A P ＜ 0.05 was considered to be significant.Results:The miR-873-5p was downregulated in glioblastoma tissues compared with that in normal brain tissues (normal vs.tumor,0.762 ± 0.231 vs.0.378 ± 0.114,t =4.540,P ＜ 0.01).Overexpression of miR-873-5p inhibited cell growth (t =6.095,P ＜ 0.01) and migration (t=3.142,P ＜ 0.01) and promoted cell apoptosis (t=4.861,P ＜ 0.01),while inhibition of miR-873-5p had the opposite effect.Mechanistically,the long non-coding RNA HOTAIRM1 was found to act as a sponge of miR-873-5p to activate ZEB2 expression in U87 cells.Conclusions:We uncovered a novel HOTAIRM1/miR-873-5p/ZEB2 axis in glioblastoma cells,providing new insight into glioblastoma progression and a theoretical basis for the treatment of glioblastoma.

Objective:To observe the clinical efficacy of herb-insulated moxibustion on the Governor Vessel in dog days of summer for postpartum pantalgia. Methods:A total of 64 patients with postpartum pantalgia were randomized into an observation group and a control group,with 32 cases in each group.Both groups were treated with herb-insulated moxibustion on the Governor Vessel.The control group was treated in non-dog days,and the observation group was treated in dog days of summer.Both groups were treated with moxibustion once every 3 d,3 times as one course of treatment,for a total of 3 courses.The range and degree of pain were evaluated by the 45-region body surface area score and visual analog scale(VAS)score before treatment,after treatment,1 month after treatment,and around the Winter Solstice.The revised fibromyalgia impact questionnaire(FIQR)was used to evaluate the quality of life of the patients.The clinical efficacy was compared between the two groups after treatment. Results:During the trial,there were 2 dropout cases in the observation group,and 2 cases were eliminated from the control group.After treatment,the total effective rate in the observation group was 93.3%,which was higher than 76.6%in the control group(P<0.05).Compared with before treatment,the number of pain sites and pain areas of the patients in both groups decreased after treatment,1 month after treatment,and around the Winter Solstice(P<0.05),and the FIQR score decreased(P<0.05).The score of each item in the observation group was lower than that in the control group(P<0.05).Compared with before treatment,the VAS score in the observation group decreased after treatment,1 month after treatment,and around the Winter Solstice(P<0.01),and was lower than that in the control group at the same time point(P<0.05). Conclusion:Herb-insulated moxibustion on the Governor Vessel can improve the range and degree of pain in patients with postpartum pantalgia and improve their quality of life.The total efficacy of the moxibustion performed in dog days is superior to that in non-dog days,and the effect lasts longer.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the absorption mechanism of genistein self-microemulsifying system in rat intestines.

METHODThe concentrations of phenol red and genistein by in situ perfusion in rats were determined by UV and HPLC, respectively. The effects of drug concentrations, pH, various intestinal segments and P-glycoprotein (P-gp) inhibitor verapamil on the absorption had been studied.

RESULTThe absorption rate constant (Ka) of genistein had no significant difference at concentrations of 0.05-0.5 mg x mL(-1) and pH of 5.4-7.8 in perfusion. It was Ka of jejunum > ileum > duodenum > colon. The absorption of genistein in jejunum had significant difference (P < 0.05) compared with other parts of intestines. Ka was increased obviously when verapamil was coper-fused with genistein (P < 0. 05).

CONCLUSIONThe absorption of genistein self-microemulsifying system is a first order process with passive diffusion mechanism related to P-gp efflux. It can be absorbed at all segments of rat intestine, and the jejunum is the best absorption segment, pH had no special effect on the absorption of genistein self-microemulsifying system in rat intestine.

ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Sub-Family B ; antagonists & inhibitors ; Animals ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Emulsions ; Genistein ; analysis ; metabolism ; pharmacokinetics ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Intestinal Absorption ; drug effects ; Intestines ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Male ; Organ Specificity ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Temperature ; Verapamil ; pharmacology

OBJECTIVETo assess the association of the A260G and A386G single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) of the DAZL gene with male infertility in the Chinese population of Zhejiang Province.

METHODSWe collected the peripheral blood samples from 317 idiopathic infertile males with azoospermia or oligozoospermia and 246 normal fertile men, and genotyped the polymorphic loci of the A260G and A386G polymorphisms of the DAZL gene using the SNaPshot technique.

RESULTSThe DAZL gene A260G was found genetically polymorphic in the Chinese population of Zhejiang Province, with the gene frequencies and their distribution consistent to the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The frequencies of the AA, AG and GG genotypes of the A260G polymorphism were 92.3%, 7.3%, and 0.4% respectively in the normal controls and 94.3%, 5.7%, and 0% in the infertile patients, with no statistically significant differences between the two groups (P = 0.43, OR = 0.78, 95% CI 0.413-1.46). Heterozygosis (AG) of A386G was found in 1 of the control males but not in the infertile patients, while homozygosis (GG) of A386G was not observed in either group (P = 0.259, OR = 0.698, 59% CI: 0.374-1.306).

CONCLUSIONA260G and A386G SNPs of the DAZL gene are not associated with spermatogenic failure and neither represents a molecular marker for the genetic diagnosis of male infertility in the Chinese population of Zhejiang Province.

Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Azoospermia ; genetics ; China ; Gene Frequency ; Genetic Markers ; Genotype ; Humans ; Infertility, Male ; genetics ; Male ; Oligospermia ; genetics ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; RNA-Binding Proteins ; genetics

Objective To explore the features of patients with acute leukemia (AL) in Hematology Department of Shenzhen Hospital affliated to Beijing University during the past six years. Methods The data of the 1056 acute leukemia dignosed in our department between 2002-2007 were collected and analyzed retrospectively. Results The male patients was predominant (male/female ratio was 1.78). The number of patients with acute myeloid leukemia(AML) was higher than that of patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) (AML/ALL ratio was 1.85). Most of the AML patients were young adult (65 %) and elderly ALL patients were very rare(1.33 %). AL cases were tended to increase gradually by year. The ratio of treatment-related AL in Shenzhen was lower than that reported literature in other countries. The major cause of the treatment-related AL were chemotherapy/radiotherapy and psoriasis treated with bimolane. Conclusion Some of the features of AL patients in China were further confirmed and some new features were also found in this study. These changes should be demonstrated by the next national epidemiology survey of leukemia.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the myocardial electrophysiological effect and its underlying mechanisms of atorvastatin (Ator) on isolated rat hearts injured by ischemia/reperfusion (I/R).

METHODSIsolated SD rat hearts were mounted on Langendorff system, and a local I/R was induced by ligation (30 min) and release (15 min) of the left anterior descending artery. During the reperfusion period, the effect of Ator on diastolic excitation threshold (DET), effective refractory period (ERP) and ventricular fibrillation threshold (VFT) on rat heart were measured.

RESULTCompared with the control group, medium concentration of Ator prolonged the ERP in normal rat hearts; low, medium and high concentration of Ator significantly inhibited the decrease of DET, ERP and VFT induced by I/R. However, pretreatment with L-NAME cancelled these cardiac electrophysiological effects of Ator.

CONCLUSIONAtor reduced electrophysiological alteration induced by I/R in isolated rat hearts, which may be mediated by activating nitric oxide pathway to enhance the myocardial electrophysiological stability.

Animals ; Atorvastatin Calcium ; Electrophysiological Phenomena ; Heart ; drug effects ; physiopathology ; Heptanoic Acids ; pharmacology ; In Vitro Techniques ; Myocardial Reperfusion Injury ; metabolism ; physiopathology ; Myocardium ; metabolism ; Nitric Oxide ; metabolism ; Pyrroles ; pharmacology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley