Objective To investigate the relationship between the expression of β-glucuronidase mRNA in hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)tissue and the clinicopathologic factors.Methods The expressions of β-glucuronidase mRNA in 25 samples of HCC tissue and 10 samples of normal hepatic tissue were detected by RT-PCR,and the relationship between β-glucurenidase mRNA in HCC tissue and clinicopathologic factors was analyzed.Results The expression of β-glucuronidase mRNA in HCC tissue was not influenced by the age of patient,tumor size and alpha-fetoprotein level.The expression of β-glueuronidase mRNA in patients with portal vein tumor thrombus or lymph node metastasis Was significantly higher than those without(t=7.857,9.341,P＜0.05).Conclusions The expression of β-glucuronidase mRNA is closely related to the existence of portal vein tumor thrombus and lymph node metastasis.β-glucuronidase may play a role in the invasion and metastasis of HCC.

Objective To ob se rve the effects of danazol on hypothalamus-pituitary-gonad axises and expressi ons of hypothalamic GnRH and pituitary GnRH receptor mRNA in female rats. Methods Female rats at 5 days of age were given a sin gle subcutaneous injection of 300 ?g danazol to induce true precocious puberty. Animals were divided into 3 groups: normal control, model group and vehicle gro up. The day of vaginal opening from 25 days of age was monitored, and the establ ishment of first estrus cycle from the day of vaginal opening was investigated b y examination of vaginal smears. The weights of body, pituitary, adrenal, uterus and ovary were measured to identify the developmental status of main organs. Th e expressions of hypothalamic GnRH and pituitary GnRH receptor mRNA were assayed by semi-quantitative RT-PCR. Results Female rats treated with danazol significantly (P

OBJECTIVETo systematically review the clinical efficacy of acupuncture on the patients with low back pain (LBP).

METHODSRandomized controlled trials (RCTs) about pure acupuncture therapy versus other treatments in treating LBP were electronically searched in PubMed, CBM, EMbase, The Cochrane Library, CNKI, VIP and Wanfang Data from January 2004 to May 2014. The observed index on the results were the changed scores of VAS, ODI, JOA and RMDQ. Two reviewers independently screened the literatures according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, as well as the extracted data, and assessed the methodological quality. The results of Meta-analysis was conducted by RevMan 5.2 software.

RESULTSTen RCTs involved 751 patients were finally included. The results of Meta-analysis indicated that the role of pure acupuncture group in improving the VAS score was better than that of the control group, and the combined effect size was RR = -.32, 95% CI (-1.41, -1.22); Z=27.28, P<0.00001; the role of pure acupuncture group in improving the ODI score was better than that of the control group, and the combined effect size was RR = -5.07, 95% CI (-7.50, -2.65); Z=4.10, P<0.0001; the role of pure acupuncture group on improved JOA score was better than that of the control group and the combined effect size was RR=2.83, 95% CI (2.02, 3.63), Z=6.90, P<0.00001. The role of pure acupuncture group in improving the RMDQ score was better than that of the control group, and the combined effect size was RR = -2.80, 95% CI (-3.49, -2.11), Z=7.95, P<0.00001.

CONCLUSIONThe result of meta-analysis demonstrates that pure acupuncture may have a favorable effect on self-reported pain and functional limitations in LBP patients.

Acupuncture Therapy ; Humans ; Low Back Pain ; therapy ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVETo investigate whole blood viscosity changes at different time points in rats model with lumbar vertebrae semidislocation, study Shi's theroy of qi and blood and "Gucuofeng and Jinchucao" [symbols: see text], also reveal pathological physiology characteristics of spinal disorder.

METHODSThirty-six SPF male rats weighted 350 to 450 g were randomly divided into rotatory fixation group (RF group), simple fixation group (SF group) and Sham group (Sham group), 12 rats in each group. Exterior vertebrae implanted through L4-L6 segments of lumbar vertebrae in RF and SF group were connected fixed device. In RF group, L5 spinous process were rotated to right, and caused L5 spinous process was non collinear with L4 and L6; in SF group, external fixed device were simple connected without rotation. At 1, 4, 8 and 12 weeks after fixation, whole blood viscosity changes were tested.

RESULTSAt 4 and 8 weeks after fixation, high (150/s), medium (60/s) and lower (10/s) shear rate in RF and SF group were higher than that of Sham group (P<0.05). At 1 and 12 weeks, there was no sigificant differences among three groups in whole blood viscosity (P>0.05).

CONCLUSION"Gucuofeng and Jinchucao" [symbols: see text] vertebrae could raise whole blood viscosity, increase degree of bloos stasis and induce or aggravate spinal disorder in further.

Animals ; Blood Viscosity ; Disease Models, Animal ; Joint Dislocations ; surgery ; Lumbar Vertebrae ; injuries ; surgery ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Time Factors

OBJECTIVETo detect the effects of lumbar vertebrae Gucuofeng on the substance P content of hypothalamus and dorsal root ganglia in rat models.

METHODSA hundred and twenty SPF level SD male rats with the weight of 350 to 450 g were randomly divided into rotary fixation group (RF group), simple fixation group (SF group) and sham-operation group (Sham group). The external link fixation system was implanted into the L4-L6 of rats in RF group and SF group; and in RF group, that the L5 spinous process was rotated to the right resulted in L4, L5, L6 spinous process not collinear; in SF group, the external link fixation system was simply implanted and not rotated. The rats of Sham group were not implanted the external link fixation system and only open and suture. The substance P content of hypothalamus and dorsal root ganglia were detected at 1, 4, 8, 12 weeks after operation.

RESULTSSubstance P content of hypothalamus in RF group and SF group was lower than Sham group at 1, 4, 8 weeks after operation (P<0.05). Substance P content of dorsal root ganglia was higher than Sham group at 1, 4, 8, 12 weeks after operation (P<0.05). There was no significant differences in the substance P content of hypothalamus among three groups at 12 weeks after operation (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONLumbar vertebrae Gucuofeng can inhibit the analgesic activity of substance P in hypothalamus and promote the synthesis and transmission of substance P in dorsal root ganglia, so as to cause or aggravate the pain.

Animals ; Disease Models, Animal ; Ganglia, Spinal ; chemistry ; Hypothalamus ; chemistry ; Joint Dislocations ; metabolism ; Lumbar Vertebrae ; injuries ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Substance P ; analysis ; physiology

The aim of this study was to explore the mechanisms underlying effect of arsenic trioxide (As2O3) on myeloma cell line U266 in vitro. The viability and apoptosis of U266 cells were observed by MTT assay, flow cytometry and DNA agarose gel electrophoresis. The expression of hTERT mRNA was assessed by RT-PCR analysis. The variation of procaspase-3, bcl-2 and hTERT protein expression were detected by Western blot. The results indicated that the As2O3 could inhibit the growth of U266 cells significantly and the concentration of 50% growth inhibition (IC50) was 2 micromol/L. After treatment with 2.5 micromol/L As2O3 at 24, 48 and 72 hours, a dose- and time-dependent apoptosis of U266 cells could be observed. After treating U266 cells with 2 micromol/L As2O3 at different time points, a time-dependent reduction of procaspase-3, hTERT mRNA and protein was found without any change of bcl-2 expression. It is concluded that the As2O3 can change the mitochondrial transmembrane potential, initiating the mitochondial apoptosis pathway, leading in turn to caspase-3 activation, and inducing the apoptosis of U266 cells. These findings suggest that the reduction of hTERT plays a critical role in the apoptosis of U266 cells induced by As2O3.
Antineoplastic Agents ; pharmacology ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Arsenicals ; pharmacology ; Caspase 3 ; metabolism ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Humans ; Multiple Myeloma ; pathology ; Oxides ; pharmacology ; RNA, Messenger ; metabolism ; Telomerase ; metabolism

Objective To observe the activities of serum peroxidase capacity,and lipid peroxidation of children from Kaschin-Beck disease (KBD) areas of Xinghai county in Qinhai province,and to explore the relationship between antioxidant capacity and KBD.Methods Sixty four KBD and forty six health subjects without KBD were chosen from KBD endemic areas,which included primary schools of Tangnaihai,Xialujuan and Qushian of Xinghai county in Qinghai province,and fifty nine age-matched healthy control subjects without KBD were from a non-KBD endemic area,Nanfan primary school of Chang'an county in Shaanxi province.Twenty patients with KBD and twenty control subjects from KBD areas and non-KBD area were extracted by simple random sampling method.2,3-DAN fluorescence technique was used to test the hair and blood selenium.The biochemical techniques were used to test the indicators of oxidative stress including malondialdehyde(MDA),antioxidant enzyme activities,total antioxidant capacity(T-AOC),serum superoxide dismutase(SOD),catalase(CAT) and glutathione peroxidase(GSHPx).ResultsAll patients with KBD had significantly lower serum GSH-Px activities[ (59.53 ± 25.23)kU/L] and selenium levels in hair[ (67.64 ± 17.28)μg/L] and blood[(36.27 ± 13.29)μg/L],respectively,than that of control subjects from KBD areas [ ( 91.88 ± 22.99 ) kU/L,( 153.32 ± 24.31 ) μg/L,( 63.06 ± 13.66) μg/L ] and nonKBD areas[ ( 122.68 ± 41.74)kU/L,(242.35 ± 38.56)μg/L,(98.93 ± 17.18)μg/L,all P ＜ 0.05].Serum MDA levels in KBD patients[ (4.64 ± 1.11 )μmol/L] were significantly higher than that in control subjects from KBD [(3.31 ± 1.22)μmol/L] and non-KBD areas[ (3.43 ± 1.29)μmol/L,all P ＜ 0.05].On the other hand,T-AOC,SOD and CAT activities were significantly higher in both KBD[(19.80 ± 6.64),(55.80 ± 8.14),(16.45 ± 5.61 ) kU/L] and control subjects[ (21.71 ± 8.82),(57.45 ± 6.96),(15.63 ± 9.18)kU/L] from KBD areas than that of control subjects from non-KBD area[ (13.56 ± 5.38),(42.79 ± 8.10),(6.05 ± 2.71 )kU/L,all P ＜ 0.05 ].Hair selenium levels,blood selenium levels and GSH-Px activity of control subjects from KBD areas were,respectively,significantly lower than that in control subjects from non-KBD area(all P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions These findings strongly confirm the evidence that KBD patients are susceptible to oxidative stress.The results also show the increase in antioxidant enzymes,which could probably be due to adaptive response to pro-oxidant in KBD state.Hence,there seems to be an imbalance between oxidant and antioxidant systems in KBD patients.

Objective To investigate the variance of cost-effectiveness when treat acute myocardial infaretion of different severe extents with different pattern.Methods Acute myocardial infarction patients were selected from emergency eommand center of Guangzhou from October 2003 to December 2005.These patients wew assigned by the center to First-Class Hospitals at Grade 3 and First-class Hospital at Grade 2,and were followed up after 6 months after post-discharge.Cost in hospital and mortality in hospital were registered.The health of all patients were quantificated using SF-36.According to the assigned hospitals,the patients were divided into single infarction group and complex infarction group.Cost in hospital,mortality in hospital,short-term quality of life were compared between the them.Results Compared with and First-Class Hospital at Grade 2 (101 cases),the single infarction patients in First-Class Hospitals at Grade 3 had higber costs in hospital (P=0.016),better society function,affection role,mental health and health status (P

Objective To establish the imatinib (STI-571)-resistant subline in vitro and investigate its biological characteristics. Methods Human glioblastoma multiform drug-resistant cell line (named U251AR) was established in vitro by successively increasing the concentration of imatinib in a cell culture medium. The 50％ inhibitory dose (IC50) values and the resistance indexes ([IC50U251/STI-571]/[IC50 U251]) for other chemotherapeutic agents were evaluated using cell counting kit-8 assays. Expressions of acquired multidrug resistance P-glycoprotein (MDR 1, ABCB 1; MDR3, ABCB4),breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP, ABCG2) and multidrug resistance-associated protein 1 (MRP1,ABCC1) were detected by QRT-PCR. Flow cytometry was employed to detect the protein expression of ABCG2. Results The U251AR was developed after culture for 12 months and similar morphologies of U251 and U251/STI-571 cells were determined. The resistance coefficient of U251AR cells to imatinib was 20.41 times more than that of the parent cells, and U251AR cells showed cross-resistance to many anti-tumor agents (P＜0.05). The resistance coefficients of U251AR cell line to doxorubicin and cisplatin were 5.06 and 10.28 times, respectively, more than those of U251 cells (P＜0.05). QRT-PCR indicated that the mRNA levels of MDR1, MRP1, BCRPandABCB4 (P-g4) in the U251/STI571 resistant cells were significantly higher than those in the U251 cells (P＜0.05). The protein expression of ABCG2 in U251AR cell line was significantly increased as compared with that in the parent cells (P＜0.05).Conclusion We have successfully established multidrug resistant cell line U251AR, and the drug resistance of U251/STI571 is associated with over-expressions of ABCC1, ABCB1, ABCB4, and ABCG2 mRNA, and ABCG2 protein.

OBJECTIVETo probe the mechanism of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) for nourishing Yin and purging Fire on the expressions of gonadotropin-release hormone (GnRH) and its mRNA expression in hypothalamus and GnRH receptor mRNA in pituitary in danazol induced precocious puberty model rats.

METHODSRats were divided into the normal group, the model group, the blank control group and the CHM group. Rats, except that in the normal group, were subcutaneously administered danazol 300 micrograms at 5 days of age individually and CHM was fed to rats in the CHM group from 15 days of age, in the meantime, normal saline was fed to rats in the blank control group. Expression of GnRH in hypothalamus was observed by immunohistochemical method and expressions of GnRH mRNA in hypothalamus and GnRH receptor mRNA in pituitary were determined by RT-PCR.

RESULTSCompared with rats in the normal groups, the vaginal opening and the onset of first estrus were ahead of time, the number of GnRH immunoreactive positive cells decreased and the expressions of GnRH mRNA in hypothalamus and GnRH receptor mRNA in pituitary up-regulated in the model rats and blank control rats. Compared with the model and the blank control groups, in CHM group, all the above-mentioned abnormally changed parameters improved significantly after treatment.

CONCLUSIONCHM for nourishing Yin and purging Fire may inhibit the abnormal hyperfunction of hypothalamus-pituitary-ovary axis in precocious puberty rat induced by danazol via reducing the synthesis and release of GnRH, and lowering the responsibility of pituitary cells to GnRH. This may be the primary mechanism of CHM in effectively treating the true precocious puberty.

Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Female ; Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System ; metabolism ; Puberty, Precocious ; metabolism ; RNA, Messenger ; biosynthesis ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Receptors, LHRH ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Yin Deficiency ; metabolism