Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung ; metabolism ; pathology ; Cell Membrane ; metabolism ; Cell Nucleus ; metabolism ; Cytoplasm ; metabolism ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Signal Transduction ; TCF Transcription Factors ; metabolism ; Transcription Factor 7-Like 2 Protein ; Wnt Proteins ; physiology ; beta Catenin ; metabolism

Objective To investigate the methods and clinical significance of breast cancer treated with photodynamic.Methods From June to December in 2005,photodynamic therapy was used in 12 cases confirmed intramammary lymph node metastasis before operation and 15 cases confirmed chest wall recur- rences by means of lymph node imaging.Results The intramammary lymph node metastasis whose diameter between 0.5～1.0cm measured by lymph node imaging preoperatively completely disappeared when rechecked 3 months postoperatively.Chest wall recurrence regions of breast cancer whose diameter less than 1.0 cm completely remitted.Conclusion Photodynamic therapy is helpful to eliminate the intramammary lymph node metastasis and to cure the postoperative chest wall recurrence of breast cancer.

OBJECTIVETo investigate whether cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1) haplotype is associated, with aspirin resistance.

METHODSThe participants were 431 old Chinese Han patients with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases who took aspirin. The 59 patients with aspirin resistance (AR) by light transmittance aggregation acted as the cases; the 372 aspirin-sensitive patients were the controls. The relationships between AR and 6 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in COX-1 gene. rs1888943 (8759C/T), rs1330344 (1676A/G), rs3842787 (exon2, 50C/T, p.Pro17Leu), rs5787 (exon 4, 323G/A, p. ARg108Gln), rs5789 (exon7, 709C/A, p. Leu237Met) and rs5794 (exonl0, 1330G/A, p.Va1481Ile) were investigated by the USA Sequenom high-throughput single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) genotyping systems.

RESULTSIn this case-control trial, the frequency of mutant CGCGCC-haplotype in case was 0.48 (57/118) and in control was 0.39 (286/742), which was significantly higher than that of the control group (P < or = 0.05).

CONCLUSIONCOX-1 haplotype is associated with aspirin resistance in old Chinese Han patients with cardio-cerebrovascular diseases, mutant CGCGCC-haplotype carriers of COX-1 has a significant significantly increased risk of AR.

Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; genetics ; Aspirin ; pharmacology ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; genetics ; Case-Control Studies ; Cerebrovascular Disorders ; genetics ; Cyclooxygenase 1 ; genetics ; Drug Resistance ; genetics ; Female ; Genotype ; Haplotypes ; Humans ; Male ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of propofol combined with indomethacin on the contractile function of isolated human pulmonary arteries.

METHODSHuman pulmonary artery preparations were obtained from patients undergoing surgery for lung carcinoma. The intrapulmonary arteries were dissected and cut into rings under microscope for treatment with propofol or propofol combined with indomethacin. In each group, the rings were divided into endothelium-intact and endothelium-denuded groups and mounted in a Multi Myograph system. In propofol group, the rings were preconstricted by U46619 to induce a sustained contraction, and propofol (10-300 mmol/L) was then applied cumulatively. In the combined treatment group, the rings were pretreated with indomethacin (100 µmol/L) for 30 min before application of U46619 to induce sustained contraction, and propofol (10-300 µmol/L) was added cumulatively after the tension became stable.

RESULTSPropofol (10-100 µmol/L) induced constrictions at low concentrations and caused relaxations at higher concentrations (100-300 µmol/L) in the pulmonary artery rings with prior U46619-induced contraction. Propofol caused stronger constrictions in endothelium-intact rings [EC=4.525∓0.37, Emax=(30.44∓2.92)%] than in endothelium-denuded rings [EC=4.699∓0.12, Emax=(31.19∓5.10)%, P<0.05]. Pretreatment of the rings with indomethacin abolished constrictions, and the relaxation was more obvious in endothelium-intact group [pD=3.713∓0.11, Emax=(98.72∓0.34)%] than in endothelium- denuded group [pD=3.54∓0.03, Emax=(94.56∓0.53)%, P<0.05].

CONCLUSIONPropofol induces constriction at low concentrations and relaxation at high concentrations in human intrapulmonary arteries with U46619-induced contraction. Indomethacin abolishes the constriction induced by propofol in isolated intrapulmonary arteries, suggesting that propofol potentiates U46619-mediated pulmonary vasoconstriction by promoting the concomitant production of prostaglandin by cyclooxygenase in pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells, and the mechanism for its relaxation effect may partly depend on the endothelium.

OBJECTIVETo study the effects of exogenous ER beta on the growth of breast cancer MCF-7 cells under different treatment.

METHODSAn eukaryotic expression vector containing 1.6 kb of human entire coding sequence of ER beta (pCDNA3-ER beta) was transfected into human breast cancer MCF-7 cells using lipofectamine 2000. The biological activity of ER beta was detected with the luciferase reporter containing estrogen responsive element (ERE) and the expression of ER beta protein by Western blot. The growth properties of MCF-7, pCDNA 3-transfected MCF-7 and pCDNA 3-ER beta-transfected MCF-7 cells under different treatment, including E2 (17beta-estradiol) and 4-OHT (4-hydroxytamoxifen), were observed.

RESULTSA stronger activation of the reporter by ER beta in the presence of E2 was observed in the pCDNA 3-ER beta-transfected MCF-7 cells than in the pCDNA 3-transfected MCF-7 and in MCF-7 cells. Western blot analysis showed that the protein level of ER beta in the pCDNA 3-ER beta-transfected MCF-7 cells was markedly increased. Exogenous ER beta expression did not change the growth properties and the morphology of MCF-7 cells under normal condition. The pCDNA 3-ER beta-transfected MCF-7 cells proliferated at the same rate as naive cells in the presence of 4-OHT, whereas a strong inhibition of the proliferation of the pCDNA 3-ER beta-transfected MCF-7 cells in the presence of E2 was observed.

CONCLUSIONExogenous ER beta expression does not increase the resistance to 4-OHT, and a strong inhibition of the proliferation may occur in the presence of E2.

Breast Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Estradiol ; pharmacology ; Estrogen Antagonists ; pharmacology ; Estrogen Receptor beta ; genetics ; metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Tamoxifen ; analogs & derivatives ; pharmacology ; Transfection

2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid ; analogs & derivatives ; toxicity ; Animals ; Epididymis ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Female ; HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Herbicides ; toxicity ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Spermatozoa ; drug effects ; growth & development ; metabolism

To explore the new method of discriminating Astragali Radix and Hedysari Radix by using PCR amplification of specific alleles, 30 samples of the different Astragali Radix materials and 28 samples of Hedysari Radix were collected. The total DNA of all samples were extracted, trnL-trnF sequence from Astragali Radix and Hedysari Radix was amplified by PCR and sequenced unidirectionally. These sequences were aligned by using Clustul W. Primer was designed and the PCR reaction systems including annealing temperature, dNTP, etc were optimized. All samples were amplified by PCR with specific primer, DNA from Astragali Radix would be amplified 136 bp, whereas PCR products from all of Hedysari Radix were 323 bp. This method can detect 10% of intentional Hedysari Radix DNA into Astragali Radix. PCR amplification of alleles can be used to identify Astragali Radix and Hedysari Radix successfully and is an efficient molecular marker for authentication of Astragali Radix and Hedysari Radix.
Alleles ; Astragalus Plant ; classification ; genetics ; DNA Barcoding, Taxonomic ; DNA, Plant ; genetics ; Polymerase Chain Reaction

BACKGROUND: Opportunistic infection of Candida albicans (C. albicans) has become a serious problem in immunocompromised patients. The study aimed to explore the mechanism of enterogenous infection of C. albicans in immunocompromised rats under severe acute pancreatitis (SAP). METHODS: Sprague Dawley (SD) rats (n=100) were randomly assigned into 5 groups as the following: blank group, cyclophosphamide+ceftriaxone+SAP group, cyclophosphamide+ceftriaxone group, cyclophosphamide+SAP group, and cyclophosphamide group. The rats were sacrificed at 5 and 10 days, and their jejunum, colon, mesenteric lymph nodes, pancreas, intestinal content, and blood were quickly collected to detect C. albicans. A region of the 25S rRNA gene was chosen and amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to differentiate C. albicans genotypes. The amplified products were further sequenced and compared to judge their homology. RESULTS: Compared with the Cyclophosphamide group, the combination of immunosuppressants and broad-spectrum antibiotics significantly increased the colonization of C. albicans in intestine in 5 and 10 days. Pure SAP stress did not increase the opportunistic infection of C. albicans. The PCR products of C. albicans isolates all belonged to the genotype A family, and sequence alignment showed that the amplified fragments were homologous. CONCLUSION: The damage of immune system and broad-spectrum antimicrobial agents are important risk factors for opportunistic fungal infection. Intestinal tract is an important source for genotype-A C. albicans to translocate and invade into bloodstream.

OBJECTIVETo explore the prevalence and associated factors of anxiety and depression symptoms in hospitalized Chinese patients with coronary artery disease (CAD).

METHODSFrom June 2007 to May 2009, 1083 hospitalized patients with confirmed coronary artery disease were recruited in this study. The ZUNG Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and the ZUNG Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) were used for the psychological assessment. Economic status, living condition and the environment of both living and working places were evaluated by epidemiological questionnaires.

RESULTSThe prevalence of pure anxiety, pure depression symptoms and the combination of anxiety and depression symptoms were 7.9%, 28.3% and 14.3% respectively. Incidence of anxiety and depression symptoms was significantly higher in female patients compared with in male patients (P = 0.003, 0.012 respectively) and in aged patients than in middle-aged patients (P = 0.001). The elderly, less than 9 years of education and poor sleep quality increased the risk of anxiety symptom with ORs of 1.63 (95%CI: 1.21 - 2.21), 1.54 (95%CI: 1.15 - 2.07) and 1.62 (95%CI: 1.34 - 1.96), respectively, while workplace noise, history of chronic disease and poor sleep quality increased the risk of depression symptom with ORs of 1.52 (95%CI: 1.18 - 1.98), 1.36 (95%CI: 1.06 - 1.75) and 1.27 (95%CI: 1.08 - 1.50), respectively. Female (OR = 1.91, 95%CI: 1.22-2.98), aged patient (OR = 1.84, 95%CI: 1.23 - 2.76), workplace noise (OR = 1.61, 95%CI: 1.07 - 2.42), history of chronic disease (OR = 1.84, 95%CI: 1.24 - 2.71) and poor sleep quality (OR = 1.73, 95%CI: 1.35 - 2.21) were significantly correlated with the combined incidence of anxiety and depression symptoms.

CONCLUSIONAround half of the Chinese hospitalized CAD patients were complicated with various degrees of anxiety and/or depression symptoms. Female and aged patients were at higher risk for anxiety and depression symptoms. Sleep quality, workplace noise, years of education and history of chronic disease were independent risk factors for anxiety or depression symptoms.

Aged ; Anxiety ; epidemiology ; Coronary Artery Disease ; epidemiology ; psychology ; Depressive Disorder ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Inpatients ; psychology ; Male ; Prevalence

A total of 7 Cronobacter strains were isolated from 703 fecal samples collected in Jinan from June 13 to December 30, 2011, with the positive rate of Cronobacter spp. being 1.0% (95% confidence interval 0.6%-1.4%). Three Cronobacter sakazakii stains were isolated from 157 fecal samples of healthy neonates (95% confidence interval 0.4%-5.5%). This number was slightly higher than that isolated from 273 fecal samples of healthy adults, in which 1 strain of C. sakazakii and 1 strain of Cronobacter malonaticus were isolated, and that from 173 fecal samples of adults with acute diarrhea, in which 1 strain of C. sakazakii and 1 strain of C. malonaticus were isolated, but the differences were not statistically significant (P>0.05). The Cronobacter isolates were all from different genetic sources. It should be noted that Cronobacter carriage may cause infection under certain conditions, especially in neonates.
Bacterial Typing Techniques ; Cronobacter ; Cronobacter sakazakii ; Food Microbiology ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn