OBJECTIVETo investigate the relationship between 2 polymorphic loci (G-894T and T-786C) of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) gene and sporadic intracranial aneurysms.

METHODSTwo eNOS gene polymorphisms at G-894T and T-786C were genotyped using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. The genotype and allele frequencies were calculated for the patients and the control group and the association between the gene polymorphisms and the size of aneurysms was analyzed.

RESULTSSignificant differences were found in the genotype distribution for eNOS G-894T polymorphism between the patient and control groups. The GG genotype was associated with a higher risk of intracranial aneurysm than GT+TT genotype (OR:1.897, 95%CI: 1.023-3.519, P=0.04). The patients with intracranial aneurysms had a significantly higher eNOS T-786C C allele frequency than the control group. The C allele was associated with a higher risk of intracranial aneurysm than T allele (OR: 2.116, 95%CI: 1.073-4.151, P=0.030). No significant association was found between the eNOS polymorphisms and the size of aneurysms.

CONCLUSIONeNOS gene may be involved in the occurrence and development of intracranial aneurysms.

Alleles ; Gene Frequency ; Genotype ; Humans ; Intracranial Aneurysm ; genetics ; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III ; genetics ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length

OBJECTIVETo investigate the expression of cathepsin D in ovary of patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).

METHODSWestern blot was performed to detect the expression of cathepsin D and immunohistochemistry was used to detect the protein distribution in ovarian tissue.

RESULTSemi-quantity values of cathepsin D expression in PCOS and control group were 2.06 +/- 0.39 and 4.76 +/- 1.43 (P<0.05), respectively. Immunostaining for cathepsin D was obvious in both follicles and stromal cells, and the strongest immunostaining was seen in granulosa cells of follicles. Immunochemical study showed the protein was mainly located on the cytoplasm and cell membrane.

CONCLUSIONCathepsin D expression is down-regulated in ovaries of PCOS patients, which may provide a clue for the abnormality of follicle development in PCOS.

Adult ; Blotting, Western ; Cathepsin D ; biosynthesis ; Down-Regulation ; Female ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Ovary ; enzymology ; pathology ; Polycystic Ovary Syndrome ; enzymology

OBJECTIVETo investigate the relationship between the 3 polymorphic loci of endothelin receptor type A (EDNRA) gene and intracranial aneurysms.

METHODSThree EDNRA gene polymorphisms (rs5335, rs6842241, and rs6841581) were genotyped using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. The genotype and allele frequencies were calculated in the patients and the control group to analyze the association between the gene and the size of aneurysms.

RESULTSNo significant difference was found in the distribution of the EDNRA gene genotypes or allele frequencies between the patients and the control subjects. Only GG genotype of rs6841581 was found to significantly correlate with the size of aneurysms.

CONCLUSIONEDNRA gene rs6841581 has significant associations with the size of intracranial aneurysms, indicating a possible role of EDNRA in the genetic mechanisms of intracranial aneurysms and subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Adult ; Aged ; Case-Control Studies ; Female ; Gene Frequency ; Genotype ; Humans ; Intracranial Aneurysm ; genetics ; pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Receptor, Endothelin A ; genetics

We report a case of intractable circulatory failure event in a hypertensive patient during laparoscopy hepatectomy and analyze the diagnosis and treatment by multidisciplinary physicians. This case suggests that both surgeons and anesthesiologists should give attention to oral angiotensin II receptor antagonist during the preoperative period to avoid refractory hypotension. In addition, the use of EV1000 hemodynamic monitoring system in intensive care provides more convenience for clinical liquid management.

Objective To investigate the relationship between multi‐dimensional myocardial strain and global cardiac function in different stages of cardiac dysfunction in spontaneously hypertensive rats ( SHR ) by two‐dimensional strain echocardiography . MethodsAccording to cardiac function measurements ,SHR of 28 to 102 weeks were divided into 3 groups :Normal group[ Group A , normal left ventricular ejection fraction( LVEF) and left ventricular end‐diastolic pressure( LVEDP) , n ＝13] ,diastolic dysfunction group ( Group B , normal LVEF but increased LVEDP , n ＝24) ,and systolic dysfunction group ( Group C ,decreased LVEF and increased LVEDP , n ＝ 17 ) ,with WKY rats at similar weeks of age as controls ( group a , n ＝ 7 ;group b , n ＝ 12 ; and group c , n ＝ 16 ) . Morphological parameters of left ventricular were measured by echocardiography . Using EchoPac workstation ,systolic peak longitudinal strain ,circumferential and radial strain were calculated at the left ventricular middle levels . Extracellular collagen content was observed histologically . Results Left atrial dimension increased in group B and larger in group C ,and dilated left ventricular and thickened wall were only found in group C .Systolic peak longitudinal strain of group B was significantly lower than group A and group a ( all P ＜ 0 .05 ) ,and deteriorated in group C( P ＜ 0 .05 ) ,while systolic peak circumferential and radial strain and LVEF were only significantly decreased in group C ( all P＜ 0 .05 ) ,w hile there was no significant difference between Group A and Group B( all P ＞0 .05) . Collagen content in endocardial and mid‐layer myocardium increased in group B and C , and increased epicardial collagen occurred in group C . Systolic peak longitudinal strain , circumferential and radial strain were correlated positively with LVEF( r ＝0 .65 ,0 .80 ,0 .80 ,all P ＜0 .01) . Conclusions In SHR ,systolic peak longitudinal strain obtained by echocardiography is decreased in the period of diastolic dysfunction ,w hile the damage of systolic peak circumferential and radial strain leads to the systolic dysfunction .

OBJECTIVETo establish two double-antigen sandwich ELISA systems to detect anti-Afmp1cr and Afmp2cr antibodies of Aspergillus fumigatus.

METHODSRecombinant Afmp1cr and Afmp2cr proteins of A.fumigatus expressed in Pichia pastoris were obtained. Double-antigen sandwich ELISA systems for detecting specific anti-Afmp1cr and anti-Afmp2cr antibodies were developed after chessboard titrating to determine the appropriate concentrations of the recombinant proteins and HRP-labeled proteins. The sensitivity of the assay was evaluated using serum samples of rabbits immunized with Afmp1cr and Afmp2cr. The specificity of the assay was evaluated by detecting serum samples from healthy donors and patients with other pathogenic fungal and baterial infections. The performance of the two ELISA kits was furthered evaluated using serum samples from patients with suspected Aspergillus infection.

RESULTSThe established ELISA kits were capable of detecting anti-Afmp1cr and anti-Afmp2cr antibodies in immunized rabbit serum at the maximum dilutions of 800 and 3200, respectively. No cross-reactivity was observed in detecting serum from patients with other pathogenic fungal or bactetial infections. Both of the two kits yielded positive results in sera from two established Aspergillus-infected cases and a suspected case.

CONCLUSIONSTwo antibody-capture ELISA kits were developed for the laboratory diagnosis of A.fumigatus infection and can be potentially useful in the clinical diagnosis of Aspergillosis infections.

Animals ; Antibodies, Fungal ; isolation & purification ; Antigens, Fungal ; Aspergillosis ; diagnosis ; Aspergillus fumigatus ; Cross Reactions ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Humans ; Pichia ; Rabbits ; Recombinant Proteins ; Sensitivity and Specificity

OBJECTIVETo screen molecular markers in early breast cancer and establish gene subtyping-based diagnostic criteria for predicting the prognosis of early breast cancers.

METHODSTumor tissue specimens were obtained from 8 patients with early breast cancer for analysis of the differentially expressed genes using Agilent custom 8×15 000 chips in combination with the prognostic data of the patients. Another 42 tumor tissue specimens were used to validate the differential genes by real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR.

RESULTSGene microarray analysis identified 132 differentially expressed genes between the patients with favorable and poor prognosis, and 44 of these genes were significantly up-regulated (by over two folds) and 88 down-regulated in patients with poor prognoses.

CONCLUSIONThe gene expression profiles differ in early breast cancer tissues of the same pathological type but with different clinical stages and prognoses, and CD44, MKI67, NTRK2, Nek2, C16orf60, TOP2A, ANCCA, and RRM2 genes can be used as the prognostic markers for early breast cancer.

Adult ; Aged ; Biomarkers, Tumor ; analysis ; genetics ; Breast Neoplasms ; genetics ; pathology ; Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast ; genetics ; pathology ; Female ; Gene Expression Profiling ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis ; Prognosis

Actins ; metabolism ; Animals ; Brain ; cytology ; metabolism ; Cell Culture Techniques ; methods ; Cells, Cultured ; Immunohistochemistry ; Pericytes ; cytology ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Receptor, Platelet-Derived Growth Factor beta ; metabolism ; Staining and Labeling

BACKGROUNDThere have been no mortality/morbidity endpoint studies with losartan in Chinese heart failure patients. The objective was to evaluate the effects of high-dose vs. low-dose losartan on clinical outcomes in Chinese subjects with heart failure.

METHODSThis study was a post hoc analysis of the Heart failure Endpoint evaluation of Angiotensin II Antagonist losartan (HEAAL) trial (n = 545). Chinese adults with symptomatic heart failure (New York Heart Association (NYHA) II-IV) intolerant of treatment with angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors were randomized to losartan 150 mg or 50 mg daily. The primary endpoint was the composite event rate of all-cause death or hospitalization for heart failure. Safety and tolerability were assessed.

RESULTSMedian follow-up was 4.8 years. Baseline characteristics were generally similar to the overall HEAAL cohort. Overall, 120 (44.1%) subjects in the losartan 150 mg group and 137 (50.2%) subjects in the losartan 50 mg group died (any cause) or were hospitalized for heart failure (hazard ratio (OR) 0.807, 95%CI 0.631 - 1.031). There were no notable differences between treatment groups in the proportion of subjects with adverse experiences.

CONCLUSIONThe results of this post hoc analysis in Chinese subjects, although not powered to show significance, were generally consistent with the main study results, which demonstrated a significantly reduced risk of all cause death or hospitalization for heart failure with daily losartan 150 mg vs. losartan 50 mg in subjects with symptomatic heart failure and intolerance to ACE inhibitors, supporting the use of the higher dose for optimum clinical benefit.

Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor Blockers ; therapeutic use ; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors ; therapeutic use ; Double-Blind Method ; Female ; Heart Failure ; drug therapy ; Humans ; Losartan ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Male ; Middle Aged

OBJECTIVETo study the effect of thioridazine on the proliferation and apoptosis of human colorectal cancer SW480 cells.

METHODSSW480 cells were treated with different concentrations of thioridazine, and MTT assay was used to evaluate the cell inhibition rate. Hoechst 33342 staining was performed to demonstrate the cell morphology changes. Flow cytometry was used to determine the cell apoptosis and cell cycle changes. RT-qPCR was used to detect PDCD4, c-MYC, BCL2, CCND1, CASPASE3, PARP1, CDK4 and EIF4A mRNA expressions, and Western blotting was employed to assay AKT, p-AKT, and PDCD4 protein expression levels.

RESULTSMTT results showed that thioridazine inhibits the proliferation of SW480 cells. SW480 cells treated with thioridazine presented with such typical features of apoptosis of karyopyknosis, chromatin condensation and nuclear fragmentation. Flow cytometry showed that thioridazine was a cell cycle-specific drug and caused cell cycle arrest at G(1)/G(0) phase and an increased cell apoptosis rate. Thioridazine treatment of the cells resulted in up-regulated PDCD4 mRNA expression and down-regulated mRNA expressions of CCND1, CDK4, c-MYC, BCL2, CASPASE3, PARP1 and EIF4A, increased PDCD4 protein expression and reduced p-AKT protein expression.

CONCLUSIONThioridazine inhibits the proliferation and induces apoptosis of SW480 cells by up-regulating PDCD4 and inhibiting PI3K/Akt pathway.

Apoptosis ; Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins ; metabolism ; Cell Cycle Checkpoints ; Cell Line, Tumor ; drug effects ; Cell Proliferation ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; pathology ; Down-Regulation ; Humans ; RNA-Binding Proteins ; metabolism ; Signal Transduction ; drug effects ; Thioridazine ; pharmacology