BACKGROUND: Nerve growth factor (NGF) plays a regulatory effect on survival, growth, differentiation, and egeneration of neurons. OBJECTIVE: To verify the therapy effects and the expression of Fos protein with different dose of NGF on the spinal cord of rats with neuropathic pain.DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING: The randomized controlled animal experiment was performed at the Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital.MATERIALS: A total of 72 male, health, adult, Wistar rats, weighing 180-200 g, were randomly divided into 4 groups, namely,model group and NGF with 4, 8, 16 Ijg groups, with 18 animals in each group.METHODS: All rats were prepared sciatic nerve chronic constriction injury models. Rats were intraperitoneal injected NGF with 4,8, 16 μg/(kg·d) in the experimental groups.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: ① Behavioral observation and mechanical pain threshold testing was performed prior to and at days 1,2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 14 after operation. ②Six of rats in each group were sacrificed at days 2, 7, and 14 after operation, and the expression of Fos protein in the spinal cord were assayed with the immunohistochemicat methods and image analysis.RESULTS: In the model group, rats raised and licked feet spontaneously after operatiOn, and the mechanical pain threshold was decreased from the 3rd day, and reached the lowest at day 14. However, in the NGF groups, rat exhibited no pontaneous pain,without subnormal period of mechanical pain threshold. The mechanical pain threshold in rats of the model group as significant different to the other groups at days 10 and 14 after operation (P < 0.05). The mechanical pain threshold in rats of all groups increased, but which of 16 μg NGF group was lower than the other groups on the first day after operation (P < 0.01 ) and lower than that of the 4 μg NGF group at 2 days after operation (P < 0.05). The expression of Fos protein in the spinal cord of the model group was increased than that of the other groups after operation (P < 0.01 ). The expression of Fos protein in the spinal cord of the 16 μg NGF group was less than that of model and 4 μg NGF groups at day 2 after operation (P < 0.01 ).CONCLUSION: NGF has therapeutical effect on neuropathic pain of rats, especially with large dosage. The mechanisms may be inhibiting the expression of Fos protein in the spinal cord of rats.

Objective Macrophages are important innate immune cells,and are also the main target cells of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.Macrophages express many kinds of Toll like receptors.TLR2 is a structural component of macrophages in the identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.Activation of TLR2 signaling pathway can activate cell signal transduction,induce specific gene expression and secretion of cytokines.Immune function decline in old people and the function of macrophages was also changed.In this article,The role of immunity mediated by TLR2 in macrophages against tuberculosis in the elderly is reviewed.

Uveitic macular edema (UME) is a major reason of permanent visual loss. Early treatment is essential for achieving a good visual outcome, but some patients are resistant or nonresponsive to the treatment, which is called refractory UME (RUME). Intravitreous injection of glucocorticoids can improve the intraocular drug concentration and avoid systemic side effects. Immunosuppressive agents have a certain role in improving RUME by inhibiting immune cells through a variety of ways. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, carbonic anhydrase inhibitors and new biological agents also can improve RUME outcome, but their effectiveness and safety need to be confirmed by large scale randomized clinical trials. Vitrectomy can improve RUME outcome but whether peeling of internal limiting membrane is necessary or not is still controversial. Peeling the inner limiting membrane can eliminate the potential incentive for macular edema and remove the barrier. But the process of stripping may injury the retinal neurepithelium. To eliminate edema and protect the visual function, we should analysis the causes of RUME and treat it individually.

Lead compound optimization plays an important role in new drug discovery and development. The strategies for changing metabolic pathways can modulate pharmacokinetic properties, prolong the half life, improve metabolism stability and bioavailability of lead compounds. The strategies for changing metabolic pathways and improving metabolism stability are reviewed. These methods include blocking metabolic site, reduing lipophilicity, changing ring size, bioisosterism, and prodrug.

OBJECTIVE: To comprehensively analyze the feasibility of neural differentiation from human umbilical cord blood cells and the transplantation in treating rats with hypoxic-ischemic brain injury. DATA SOURCES: A computer-based online search of Pubmed was undertaken for articles about neural differentiation from human umbilical cord blood cells in the treatment of rats with hypoxic-ischemic brain injury via transplantation published in English between January 2000 and December 2005 by using the keywords of "mesenchymal stem cells, umbilical cord blood, transplantation". Meanwhile, we searched the Wanfang database for related Chinese literature published between January 2002 and December 2005 with the same key words in Chinese. STUDY SELECTION: The articles about neural differentiation from human umbilical cord blood cells and transplantation in treating rats with hypoxic-ischemic brain injury were arranged to select those with strong points. As to those in the same field, the articles published recently or in authorized journals were included. DATA EXTRACTION: Totally 37 articles were collected, of which 31 ones were accorded the criteria and 6 were excluded. DATA SYNTHESIS: Many studies showed that mesenchymal stem cells with strong plasticity could be isolated from umbilical cord blood. Also, mesenchymal stem cells from umbilical cord blood have many merits: ①It is primitive with inferior antigenicity and few primary cells with toxicity, so the incidence rate of graft versus host disease is low, and the adverse effect is slighter; moreover, the blood has strong differentiated ability, can express stably exogenous target gene in vivo and in vitro. ②With widespread source, large quantity, easy to collect, prepare and store, not involving in the problem of society, ethics and law and so on. Therefore, mesenchymal stem cells can be used as a new source to treat central nervous system disease. CONCLUSION: Though mesenchymal stem cells have wide application prospect, the research on the transplantation in treating nervous system disease is emerging and vacant in many areas, so we need to do further study to provide a new channel for treating central nervous system disease.

Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; surgery ; Perioperative Care

Animals ; Dogs ; Duodenum ; physiology ; Male ; Myoelectric Complex, Migrating ; physiology ; Sphincter of Oddi ; physiology

OBJECTIVETo search for an optimal protocol and freezing conditions for the cryopreservation of microamount round spermatids of the mouse.

METHODSWe compared the survival rates of frozen-thawed microamount round spermatids of the mouse achieved by vitrification or standard slow freezing with different concentrations of glycerol (5, 7, or 9%) and different lengths of equilibrium time (0, 15, 30, 45, or 60 min).

RESULTSUnder the conditions of 7% glycerol and 30 min equilibrium, both vitrification and standard slow freezing achieved high survival rates of spermatids, and the former obtained an even higher rate than the latter ([72.9 ± 15.4]% vs [58.2 ± 17.7]%, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONA high rate of frozen-thawed microamount round spermatids of the mouse can be achieved by vitrification under the conditions of 7% glycerol and 30 min equilibrium.

Animals ; Cell Survival ; Cryopreservation ; methods ; Cryoprotective Agents ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; Glycerol ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; Male ; Mice ; Spermatids ; Time Factors ; Vitrification ; drug effects

AIM:To evaluate the efficacy and safety of methazolamide in treating refractory uveitic macular edema.METHODS: Retrospective self-controlled study was designed.A total of 15 patients (20 eyes) with refractory uveitic macular edema which used methazolamide as adjuvant therapy were enrolled in Shanghai First People`s Hospital from January 2015 to June 2016.The changes of central macular thickness (CMT) and best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) were observed at baseline and 2, 4, 8wk after treatment.We also focused on the incidence of complications and relapse.RESULTS: The CMT was 445.95±154.10μm, 338.83±138.34μm, 251.50±40.20μm, 244.90±35.68μm at baseline, 2, 4 and 8wk after treatment, respectively.The differences among them were statistically significant (F=15.467, P<0.05).The BCVA (log MAR) were 0.40±0.17, 0.28±0.21, 0.19±0.20, 0.18±0.21 at baseline, 2, 4 and 8wk respectively, with a significant difference among them (F=5.208, P<0.05).When the cumulative dose reached to 700mg and 1400mg, no one had methazolamide-related complications;and when it came to 2800mg, 5 patients (33%) had methazolamide-related complication.After the withdrawal of methazolamide 1wk, 1 and 3mo, 3 patients (20%), 5 patients (33%) and 8 patients (53%) relapsed, respectively.CONCLUSION: Methazolamide is beneficial in improving macular edema and vision in 4wk.When the cumulative dose is more than 1400mg, we need pay attention to the complications.After discontinuing methazolamide for 1wk, macular edema relapsed in some patients, and more than half of patients recurred after 3mo.So the patients should be followed closely in 3mo after withdrawal of methazolamide.

Amyloid beta-Peptides ; toxicity ; Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Estradiol ; pharmacology ; PC12 Cells ; Peptide Fragments ; toxicity ; Rats