Melatonin is a bioactive substance primarily secreted by the pineal gland.Increasing evidences indicate that melatonin is effective in reducing breast cancer development.Melatonin exerts its anticarcinogenic actions through a variety of mechanisms.Melatonin suppresses estrogen receptor gene,modulates several estrogen dependent signal transductions,inhibits cell proliferation and impairs the metastatic capacity and so on.It has been suggested that enhanced endogenous melatonin secretion or melatonin treatment is beneficial for breast cancer patients.This review describes the mechanisms of melatonin on breast cancer and its possible application.

Objective:To establish a determination method for syringin, ferulic acid and salvianolic acid B in Huoluo Xiaotong tabletsbyHPLC.Methods:ThecolumnwasKromasilC18(150mm×4.6mm,5 μm),themobilephasewasmethanol-0.2% phos-phoric acid solution with gradient elution at the flow rate of 1. 0 ml·min-1 , the detection wavelengths were 265nm for Sgnigin, 321nm for Ferulic acid and 286nm for Salvianolic acid B. The column temperature was 25℃. Results: Syringin, ferulic acid and salvianolic acid B showed good linear relationship within the range of 64. 500-1. 032 × 103 , 7. 525-120. 400, 65. 250-1. 044 × 103 μg·ml-1 with the average recovery of 100. 75%, 99. 56% and 99. 75%, respectively. Conclusion:The method is simple, accurate and rapid.

Malignant lymphoma is a common malignancy. From the perspective of the traditional Chinese medi-cine (TCM), the etiology and pathogenesis of malignant lymphoma are related to dampness, phlegm, toxicity, stasis and deficiency. Basic TCM principles for lymphoma syndrome differentiation and treatment are to strengthen the body resistance and eliminate pathogenic factors. Eliminating dampness, dissolving phlegm, detoxification, dissolv-ing stasis and strengthening body resistance are the principal TCM therapeutic methods for lymphoma treatment. Contemporary TCM physicians have developed Yi-Hua decoction, Zi-Niu powder, Ke-Liu capsule, Wu's Xiao-Liu powder and other herbal formulas, and 37 patents based on Chinese herbs and or herbal components. The effective mechanisms of TCM treatment for lymphoma are involved in inhibiting proliferation, inducing apoptosis, inhibiting angiogenesis, and regulating immune function. There is a great need to study anti-cancer herbs for lymphoma treat-ment.

Objective To study the effect of arsenic trioxide(As 2O 3) combin ed w ith radiation on the killing of ovarian cancer cells. Methods Using MTT and FCM to detect the cytotoxic and apoptosis at different As 2O 3 concentrations combined with 2 an d 8 ?Gy radiation on ovarian cancer cells(SKOV-3). Radiation survival curves were det ermined by cloning assay with 5?mol/L As 2O 3 combined with 2, 3, 4, 6, 8 and 12?Gy radiation. Curve was used to evaluate the effect of cell killing. Results ⑴ Inhibition of cell proliferation seemed more dependent on the increase of As 2O 3 concentration, ⑵Cell survival rate was lower in the combination of As 2O 3 an d r adiation than As 2O 3 alone, ⑶The apoptosis ratio was increased in 2?Gy and As 2O 3 with increase in As 2O 3 concentration, ⑷D q , D 2 value was decr eased in t he combined As 2O 3 and radiation than radiation only (D q: 1.44 vs 2.78, D 0: 0.85 vs 1.30, SF 2: 0.42 vs 0.87), with radiation enhancement ratio of 1.53 and 2.0 7 according to D 0 value and SF 2. Conclusions Arsenic trioxide is able to enhanc e radiation effect obviously ,especially at lower radiation dose.

Objective To evaluate the MR cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) diagnosis for cholangitis caused by clonorchis sinensis. Methods Fifty-four cases with cholangitis caused by clonorchis sinensis were examined by MRCP (3D FASE-Heavy T 2WI sequence). The results of MRCP were compared with that of ERCP, laparoscopy, and pathology. Results The diagnostic accuracy for the cause of the disease was 88.9%. Main findings on MRCP included slight dilation of the intra-hepatic biliary duct ( n =46), small cystiform dilation of peripheral biliary ending ( n =43), extra-hepatic biliary dilations ( n =15) and strictures ( n =19), and low signal intensity filling defect in the common bile duct and gallbladder ( n =6). Conclusion MRCP of biliary tree images can be obtained with 3D FASE Heavy T 2WI sequence in considerable details. The characteristic of the cholangitis caused by clonorchis sinensis on MRCP was the slight dilation or stricture of extensive intra-hepatic biliary duct, combined with small cystiform dilation of peripheral biliary ending. MRCP was an ideal technique in diagnosing the disease.

Raltitrexed is a specific inhibitor of thymidylate synthase (TS),which has significant antitumor activity.Overseas and domestic researches show that raltitrexed can be widely applied in clinical treatment for colorectal cancer patients because it is effective,well-tolerated and convenient.

Rheumatoid arthritis(RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus(SLE) are autoimmune disorders.The incidence and morbidity of coronary artery disease are much higher in patients with RA and SLE than in the general population.Traditional cardiovascular risk factors do not fully explain the excessive cardiovascular events.Some new factors,such as high cysteine,insulin resistance,metabolic syndrome and inflammation,may play an important role in the development of atherosclerosis.Inflammatory response,endothelial damage and autoantibodies may be associated with the pathogenic mechanism.This review provides an overview of atherosclerosis in RA and SLE.

Cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells are T lymphocytes which have natural killer cell activity and antitumor activity.It is found that CIK cells play an important role in killing tumor cells by secreting cytotoxic granules and cytokines,activating NKG2D receptor and regulating oncogene expression.CIK cells can not only kill the tumor cells,but also can improve immune system and the quality of life of patients.A large number of studies have shown that CIK treatment is a new mode of cancer treatment without obvious adverse reactions and can be widely applied in clinical treatment.

Objective To study and evaluate the therapeutic safety and effect of frequency-doubled-double-pulse laser(FREDDY)lithotripsy for treating upper urinary calculi combined with acute renal failure.Methods The clinical data of 32 cases treated by frequency-doubled-double-pulse laser(FREDDY)lithotripsy were retrospectively analyzed.Results After the operation the serum BUN and Cr levels in the patients got close or returned to normal and the free rate of the stones was up to 90.6%(29/32).Conclusions The ureteroscopic frequency-doubled-double-pulse laser(FREDDY)lithotripsy has the advantage of safety,high efficiency and less trauma for treating the upper urinary tract obstruction combined with acute renal failure.It can also deal with the bilateral ureteral stones at one time.It can be the first choice when the condition is proper.

Objective To study whether ultrasound combined with microbubbles induces suppress invasion in androgen-independent prostate cancer cells PC-3 and to identify the probable mechanism.Methods Ultrasound with a frequency of 21 kHz and intensity of 46 mW/cm2 in continuous wave mode was used.Ultrasound combined with microbubbles (200 μl SonoVue) was used to treat androgen-independent human prostate cancer PC-3 cells for 30 seconds.PC-3 cells were divided into three groups:control group,ultrasound group and ultrasound combined with microbubbles group.Twelve hours after treatment,cell growth curve we drawn,and transwell chamber model was used to do cell invasion experiments in vitro.Real-time PCR was used to measure the expression matrix metalloproteinase-2 and matrix metalloproteinase-9 messenger ribonucleic acid.Results Twelve hours after treatment,cell growth was not significant difference among three groups (P ＞ 0.05).Twelve hours after treatment,ultrasound combined with microbubbles could significantly inhibit the invasion of human prostate cancer cells (P ＜0.05).Treatment with ultrasound combined with microbubbles down-regulated the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-2 and matrix metalloproteinase-9 messenger ribonucleic acid.Conclusions Ultrasound combined with microbubbles inhibited the invasion in human androgen-independent prostate cancer cells through down-regulation of matrix metalloproteinase-2 and matrix metalloproteinase-9.