Background Thyroid associated ophthalmopathy (TAO) is an autoimmune disease.Current research on the pathogenesis focuses on common autoantigen.Insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-1R) is necessary for the function of IGF-1,also IGF-1 plays an important role in signaling pathway of thyroid stimulating hormone receptor (TSHR).Objective This study was to investigate the effects of IGF-1 on the proliferation,expression of IGF-1R and TSHR on cultured orbital fibroblasts (OFs) derived from TAO.Methods Human orbital tissue was obtained from 17 TAO patients who received orbital adipectomy and 4 normal controls who received cosmetic surgery in West China Hospital from March 2016 to June 2016.OFs were cultured by explant culture with DMEM/F12 containing 5％ fetal bovine serum and identified by immunochemistry.The OFs were treated with different concentrations of IGF-1.IGF-1 at different concentrations (0,50,100,125 μg/L) was added into the medium,respectively,and the proliferation of the cells (absorbancy) was detected by MTS.The percentages of IGF-1R and TSHR expressions in the cells were assayed by flow cytometry.Results Cultured cells appeared to be spindle-like in shape and grew well with abundant cytoplasm.The characteristics of the cells derived from TAO patients were consistant with normal ones.The cells showed the positive response for vimentin and absent respose for desmin,S-100,myoglobin and cytokeratin.The proliferative values of OFs were gradually elevated with the increase of IGF-I dose in both TAO group and normal group (Fgroup =219.639,P＜0.001;F ion =17.752,P＜0.001) with the optimal effects in 100 μg/L IGF-1.The expression levels of IGF-1R in the OFs were (0.009 1 ±0.008 7)％,(0.095 3±0.023 3) ％,(0.083 7±0.022 7) ％ and (0.070 9 ± 0.024 1) ％ in the TAO group,and those in the normal group were (0.0023± 0.0006)％,(0.0093±0.0012)％,(0.0073±0.0015)％ and (0.0083±0.0012)％ after treatment of 50,100,125 μg/L IGF-1.The expression levels of IGF-1 R were significantly higher after treatment of 50,100 and 125 μtg/L IGF-1 than those treatment of 0 μg/L IGF-1 in both TAO group and normal group,and the expression levels of IGF-1R in the OFs were significantly increased in the TAO group compared with the normal group (all at P＜0.05).No statistical difference was seen in the TSHR expression between the TAO group and normal group after treatment of 0,50,100 and 125 μg/L IGF-1 (Fgroup =0.133,P ＞ 0.05;F ion =0.004,P ＞ 0.05).Conclusions IGF-1 can promote the proliferation of OFs and up-regulate the expression of IGF-1R in OFs.However,IGF-1 dose not play a regulating effect on the expression of TSHR in OFs.

Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)is one of the most common malignancies worldwide.Due to the difficulty of diagnosis in the early stage of HCC, most HCCs are diagnosed in intermediate-advanced stage.Moreover, the high invasion, metastasis and recurrence rate of HCC result in the high mortality of HCC.MicroRNAs(miRNAs) are a class of highly conserved, endogenous, small, non-coding ,single stranded RNA with the length of 22 nucleotides.There are plentiful of miRNAs in liver.MiRNAs not only can regulate the growth and development of liver, but also are closely related to the formation of HCC.In the process of HCC formation, miRNAs could function as oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes to regulate multiple biological processes related to HCC, including cell differentiation,proliferation,tumorigenesis,angiogenesis,invasion,and metastasis.With the intensive study of molecular mechanisms of miRNAs in the process of HCC formation, increasingly studies have revealed that miRNAs could become sensitive biomarkers and effective therapeutic targets for HCC.

AIM and METHODS: To observe the effects of glucose-free and Mg 2+ -free in the extracellular fluid on the changes of [Ca 2+ ] i in the cerebro-cortical neurons damaged by 1 mmol/L glutamate using laser confocal scanning microscope. RESULTS: Both frequency and amplitude of neuronal calcium oscillation induced by glutamate were lowered in glucose-free and Mg 2+ -free buffers. The basic [Ca 2+ ] i concentration was lowered in the former case , but it was elevated in the latter case. CONCLUSION: Mg 2+ -free aggravates [Ca 2+ ] i overload induced by 1 mmol/L glutamate ,under certain conditions the glucose-free might resist damage role of glutamate and Mg 2+ -free.

AIM: The purpose of the present study was to detect intracellular Ca 2+ changes in living brain slices during focal cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) and reveal the role of intracellular Ca 2+ in the cerebral I/R injury. METHODS: The model of focal cerebral I/R was established in rats by reversible inserting a nylon thread, and dynamic change of intracellular Ca 2+ in brain slices was determined using laser confocal imaging system. RESULTS: ① Ca 2+ gradually enhanced with increase in ischemic time in cortex and striatum. ②At 1 h ischemia/ 10 min reperfusion, Ca 2+ increased significantly in striatum, but Ca 2+ decreased at 3 h reperfusion compared with 10 min reperfusion. ③ Ca 2+ markedly enhanced at 6 h ischemia compared with 1 h ischemia, and after 3 h reperfusion Ca 2+ decreased, but was still higher than that in sham-operation group. ④The striatum is more sensitive than cortex to ischemia/reperfusion. CONCLUSION: Ca 2+ overload in the area of cortex and striatum may play an important role in cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury in rats.

At present, zebrafish has played an increasingly important role in models for human development and diseases and several areas of life sciences.As a newly laboratory animal resource, standardization research has become the technical bottleneck to be solved and an inevitable trend.In this review, we summarized the research history and character-istics of zebrafish and the status of quality standardization.We also discussed the main problem facing by the standardiza-tion research of zebrafish as a newly laboratory animal.We hope that the data can provide useful reference for the develop-ment of zebrafish quality standardization research.

Objective To establish a gata4 gene knockout zebrafish model of congenital heart disease, and construct transcription activator-like effector nuclease ( TALEN) vectors targeting gata4 gene.Method We construct TALEN vectors targeting zabrafish gata4 gene using unit assembly method and the in vitro-transcribed TALEN mRNAs were microinjected into one-cell stage zebrafish embryos.The efficiency of TALEN was identified by injected embryos, and mutations of zebrafish were screened and confirmed the different types through PCR and enzyme digestion.Results We successfully constructed correct targeting vectors by enzyme digestion and sequencing, and the gene knockout efficiency was 35.18%.We screened the mutant zebrafish and confirmed different types of gata4 gene mutations.Conclusions A gata4 knockout zebrafish model is successfully established, it can provide a good animal model for further research of congenital heart diseases.

AIM To study the effects of Biejiajian Pills (Colla Carapacis Trionycis,Asini Corii Colla,Nidus Vespae,etc.) on NF-κB,p65,p50 and IκB in NF-κB signaling pathway and target gene expression in HSC-T6 cells of rats.METHODS HSC-T6 cells were cultured with Biejiajian Pills drug serum for 24 hours,the expressions of p65,p50,VEGF and TIMP-1 mRNA were determined by qPCR;the expression of p65 was measured by immunofluorescence;the expressions of IκBα,IκBβ and α-SMA were determined by Western blot.RESULTS The Biejiajian Pills middle-,high-dose and positive control groups showed significantly lower expressions of p65,VEGF and TIMP-1 mRNA as compared with the blank control group and negative control group,the expressions of p50 mRNA among various groups showed no significant differences.But immunofluorescence showed that the expression of p65 in cytoplasm was decreased.Meanwhile,Biejiajian Pills showed significantly higher IκBα protein expression and obvious down-regulation of α-SMA expression in a dose-dependent manner,but had no significant influence on the expression of IκBβ.CONCLUSION Biejiajian Pills' therapeutic effects on hepatic fibrosis may be related to influencing NF-κB signaling pathway and inhibiting the expression of down-stream target gene.

Objective To investigate the inhibitory effect of Lycium barbarum polysaccharide ( LBP) on the tumor growth and metastasis in MMTV?PyMT mouse model of breast cancer. Methods The population of MMTV?PyMT trans?genic mice was expanded and identified. 8?week old MMTV?PyMT?positive female mice were randomly divided into LBP group and control group, 8 mice in each group. The mice of LBP group were given LBP treatment (50 mg/kg, i. p. ), and the control group was given normal saline in the same volume, once every 2 days for 4 weeks. The tumor size was measured every two days. The mice were killed at 4 weeks after treatment, the lungs were removed and fixed in Bouin′s solution to observe the number of metastatic nodules, and tumor tissues were used for immunohistochemical examination of tumor cell proliferation and vascular density. Results The tumor formation rate was 100% in the MMTV?PyMT?positive mice. The tumor weight of LBP group was 4?208 ± 0?4463 g, significantly lower than the 6?477g ± 0?3724 g in the control group (P<0?005). The number of pulmonary nodules of the LBP group was 12 ± 1?155, significantly less than that of the control group (20 ± 2?745) (P<0?05). The immunohistochemical examination using Ki67 and CD31 staining showed that tumor cell proliferation and microvessel density of the LBP group were significantly less than the NS group. Conclusions LBP inhibits breast cancer growth and metastasis through the inhibitory effect on tumor growth and metastasis, inhibition of tumor cell proliferation and angiogenesis in MMTV?PyMT mice. These mice can be used as an ideal model for studies on antitu?mor drug development for the treatment of breast cancer lung metastasis.

Objective: To discuss the correlation between myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) and hepatic trans-planted tumor and to explore new ways to inhibit the development of hepatic cancer. Methods: We established the animal models with H_(22) hepatic carcinoma cells transplanted to the anterior right limb. Then the MDSCs morphology was observed with confocal microscopy and the proportion of MDSCs in blood and spleen was measured with flow cytometry. The 36 mice were divided into three groups: the control group, the low-dose group (2mg/kg) and the high-dose group (4mg/kg). Then As_2O_3 was injected twice a week to the mice before repeating the aforementioned measures. The direct effects of As_2O_3 on MDSCs cultured with H_(22)-ascites supernatant was observed. Results: At 25 days after transplantion, the tumor weight was increased to 5.67g, and the proportion of MDSCs in blood and spleen was increased to 20.46% and 9.50%, re-spectively. There was a positive correlation between hepatic transplanted tumor and MDSCs in blood and spleen and the relative factors were 0.95 and 0.96, respectively (t=-5.270 and 5.939, P<0.05). With the effect of As_2O_3, the proportion of MD-SCs in blood in low-dose group and high-dose group was 11.31% and 10.00% at 28 days after treatment, lower than that in the control group (t=3.193 and 5.486, P<0.05), and there was also a statistical difference between the high-dose group and low-dose group (t=3.066, P<0.05). The proportion of MDSCs in the spleen in low-dose group and high-dose group was 10.90% and 9.04% at 28 days, lower than that in the control group (t=3.586.and 5.279, P<0.05), but there was no statistical difference between the high-dose group and low-dose group (1=1.298, P>0.05). In vitro, the proportion of MDSCs in nutrient fluid was increased to 12.67% at 12 days after treatment with H_(22)-ascites supematant, and was decreased to 7.44% at 18 days after treatment with As_2O_3. Conclusion: The proportion of MDSCs in H_(22) tumor-bearing mice is increased because of tu-mor development. There is a positive correlation between MDSCs and hepatic transplanted tumor. As_2O_3 can decrease MD-SCs and inhibit tumor growth.

OBJECTIVETo assess the atherogenicity of lipoprotein(a), the effect of the heterogeneity of lysine binding of apolipoprotein(a) [apo(a)], a plasminogen-like glycoprotein component on the proliferation of human arterial smooth muscle cells (SMCs).

METHODSBoth wild type (wt) Trp72 and mutant (mut) Trp72-->Arg forms of apo(a) kringle IV-10 were expressed by employing a GST-gene fusion system into E. coli. The proliferation of SMCs was determined by flow cytometry and MTT colorimetry. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) assay was used to detect the active form of transforming growth factor beta(1) (TGF-beta(1)).

RESULTSApo(a) wt-kringle IV-10 that has lysine binding properties possessed a growth-stimulating activity to SMCs on a dose-dependence manner by stimulating cells in the G(1)/G(0) phase of cell cycle to S and G(2)/M phase, and reduced significantly the amounts of endogenous active TGF-beta(1) in culture when compared with the control medium and the GST group (2.4 +/- 0.5 vs 8.6 +/- 1.6 and 9.1 +/- 1.7 ng/ml, P < 0.01). The growth-stimulating effect of apo(a) mut-kringle IV-10 deficient in lysine binding was negligible.

CONCLUSIONSApo(a) induces SMCs growth by inhibiting the activation of latent TGF-beta(1), an activity that may involve the ability of apo(a) kringle IV-10 to bind lysine. The mitogenic effect of apo(a) wt-kringle IV-10 on SMCs might play an active role in the atherogenic function of lipoprotein(a).

Apolipoproteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Apoprotein(a) ; Cell Division ; physiology ; Humans ; In Vitro Techniques ; Kringles ; genetics ; Lipoprotein(a) ; genetics ; metabolism ; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular ; cytology ; Transforming Growth Factor beta ; metabolism