The disruption of the intracellular Ca(2+) homeostasis has been reported to be one of the mechanisms of beta-amyloid (Abeta) neurotoxicity in Alzheimeros disease (AD). Abeta(31-35), a small active fragment of Abeta, is believed to possess the similar biological activities of full-length Abeta molecule. Humanin (HN) is a recently identified peptide that suppresses neuronal death initiated by AD-related insults. The present study was to investigate the effects of HN on Abeta(31-35)-induced elevation of [Ca(2+)](i) in cultured cortical neurons by real-time fluorescence imaging technique using the Ca(2+)-sensitive dye, Fura-2/AM. The elevation of [Ca(2+)](i) was observed in cultured neurons exposed to Abeta(31-35) (25 mumol/L) (F340/F380: 1 042.56+/- 83.54, compared with control group: 804.73+/- 48.230, P<0.05, n=10). Pretreatment of HN (10 mumol/L) for 10 min significantly decreased the elevation of [Ca(2+)](i) induced by Abeta(31-35) (25 mumol/L) (F340/F380: 918.788+/- 50.73, compared with Abeta(31-35) group, P<0.05, n=10). When neurons were treated with HN and Abeta(31-35) simultaneously, HN (10 mumol/L) could not change the elevation of [Ca(2+)](i) induced by Abeta(31-35) (F340/F380: 1 036.68+/- 88.96, compared with Abeta(31-35) group, P>0.05, n=10), while HN (20 mumol/L) diminished the elevation of [Ca(2+)](i) induced by Abeta(31-35) (25 mumol/L) significantly (F340/F380: 898.56+/- 76.46, compared with Abeta(31-35) group, P<0.05, n=10). The findings imply that: (1) the disruption of the calcium homeostasis induced by Abeta(31-35) is possibly the basis of the neurotoxicity of Abeta(31-35) in cultured cortical neurons; (2) HN suppresses the elevation of [Ca(2+)](i) induced by Abeta(31-35) in a dose- and time-dependent manner.
Amyloid beta-Peptides ; pharmacology ; Calcium ; metabolism ; Cell Death ; Cells, Cultured ; Homeostasis ; Humans ; Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins ; pharmacology ; Neurons ; drug effects ; Peptide Fragments ; pharmacology

Objective To evaluate the quality of the portal images acquired by computed radiography(CR)system and conventional screen-film system,respectively.Methods imaging plates (IP)and X-ray films of a home-devised lead phantom with a leakage of 6.45% were acquired,and modulation transfer function(MTF)curves of the both images were measured using edge method.Portal images of 40 nasopharyngeal cancer patients were acquired by IP and screen-film system respectively.Two doctors with similar experience evaluated the damage degree of petrosa] bone,the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve of CR images and general images were drawn according to two doctors evaluation results.Results The identification frequency of CR system and screen-film system were 1.159 and 0.806 Lp/mm respectively.For doctor one,the area under ROC curve of CR images and general images were 0.802 and 0.742 respectively.For doctor two,the area under ROC curve of CR images and general images were 0.751 and 0.600 respectively.The MTF curve and ROC curve of CR are both better than those of screen-film system.Conclusion The image quality of CR portal imaging is much better than that of screen-film system.The utility of CR in linear accelerator for portal imaging is promising in clinic.

The present study aimed to investigate the effects of humanin (HN) on primary cortical neuronal apoptosis induced by Abeta31-35, and explore the potential mechanisms. Cultured cortical neurons were pretreated with different concentrations of HN (5, 10, 20 micromol/L) for different time period (0, 8 and 16 h) respectively, and then exposed to Abeta31-35 (25 micromol/L) for additional 24 h and the neuronal apoptosis was examined by morphological analysis, flow cytometric assays and TUNEL staining. Caspase activities were measured using a spectrophotometer. Bax expression was measured by Western blot. The results were as follows. (1) Pretreatment with HN (20 micromol/L) for 16 h significantly prevented Abeta31-35-induced apoptosis in cortical neurons; (2) HN significantly decreased Abeta31-35-induced elevation of caspase-3 and -9 activities; (3) HN suppressed Abeta31-35-induced translocation of Bax from the cytosol to mitochondria, but had no effect on overall Bax expression. In conclusions, HN attenuated Abeta31-35-induced cortical neuronal apoptosis by blocking intrinsic caspase-dependent apoptotic pathways.
Amyloid beta-Peptides ; antagonists & inhibitors ; toxicity ; Animals ; Animals, Newborn ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Caspase 3 ; metabolism ; Caspase 9 ; metabolism ; Cells, Cultured ; Cerebral Cortex ; cytology ; pathology ; Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins ; pharmacology ; Neurons ; cytology ; pathology ; Neuroprotective Agents ; pharmacology ; Peptide Fragments ; antagonists & inhibitors ; toxicity ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

OBJECTIVETo investigate the brain functional laterality in motor areas during motor execution systematically.

METHODSFunctional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was employed combined with right hand sequential finger movement task to investigate brain activation pattern and laterality in 8 right-handed subjects. 3dDeconvolve program of AFNI was used to estimate the hemodynamic response function and to generate activation maps. Then the laterality index (LI) was calculated and tested statistically.

RESULTAll motor areas including the areas which were previously considered to be engage in movement preparation only were activated in movement execution. In the activation map, it appeared left lateralization in cerebra and right lateralization in cerebella. After further statistical test, it was found that in primary motor area (M1), supplementary motor area (SMA) and posterior parietal cortex (PPC), there were left lateralization. While in premotor cortex (PMC), cingulate gyrus and basal ganglia (BG), the lateralization tendency was not obvious. The activation in cerebella is characterized with right lateralization.

CONCLUSIONThough there are tiny differences among subjects, most of the motor areas appear lateralized activation. Past studies only observed laterality in several motor areas. It may be due to the difficulty of the task or the experimental design.

Adult ; Brain ; physiology ; Female ; Functional Laterality ; physiology ; Humans ; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Motor Cortex ; physiology

Objective:To investigate the indications and effects of arthroscopic all-inside reconstruction in the treatment of isolated posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) injury.Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed on 47 patients with isolated PCL injury, who underwent arthroscopic all-inside reconstruction in the Third Medical Center of the PLA General Hospital from January 2016 to January 2020. There were 39 males and 8 females, aged 27.14±7.70 years old (range 16-40 years old). The preoperative kneeling-position stress X-ray showed that the degree of tibial posterior displacement was 8-10 mm, which was a complete and isolated Grade II PCL injury. The tibial and femoral tunnels were created through posterior-medial, anteromedial, and anterolateral portals, while the lateral portal to the medial femoral condyle was enlarged to position the tibial tunnel and protect the anterior cruciate ligament. The autologous graft tendon was pulled through the femoral and tibial tunnels secured with an adjustable loop plate. The efficacy was evaluated by evaluating and comparing preoperative and postoperative Lachman test, posterior drawer test, knee range of motion and relaxation, pain visual analogue scale (VAS) and Lysholm score.Results:43 patients were followed up for 35.21±3.88 months (range 12-40 months). The symptoms of knee instability all improved after surgery. At the follow-up of 1 year after surgery, 41 (95%) and 40 (93%) patients showed normal or I-degree laxity in Lachman test and posterior drawer test, respectively. The active range of motion and passive flexion of the knee joint were increased to 90°-110° and 110°-130°, respectively. The Lysholm score was 86.44±4.08 at the first year of follow-up and 90.12±3.33 at the last follow-up with significant difference compared with pre-operations ( P<0.05). The VAS score was 2.07±0.94 at the first year of follow-up and 1.28±0.83 at the last follow-up with significant difference compared with pre-operations ( P<0.05). The Lysholm score and VAS were 90.12±3.33 and 1.28±0.83, which were significantly improved compared to 1-year-follow-up ( P<0.05). Conclusion:Routine kneeling stress X-rays can evaluate the degree of tibial posterior displacement in isolated PCL injuries. With tibial posterior displacement equal to or greater than 10 mm, surgical reconstruction was required. All-inside reconstruction of isolated PCL injury was a safe and minimally invasive surgery to improve symptoms and restore knee functions.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the silencing effect of gene encoding peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) on the expression of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) by constructing vectors for RNA interference in RAW264.7 cells.

METHODSThe pSUPER-EGFP vectors were used to transcribe functional small interfering RNA (siRNA). Four pairs of oligonucleotides (64 nt) targeting PPARgamma gene were inserted into the downstream of the H1 promotor, with their veracity confirmed by double digestion and sequencing. Western blotting and immunofluorescence assay were used to examine the silencing effect of PPARgamma gene in RAW264.7 cells. Meanwhile, the TNFalphalevel was determined by Sandwich ELISA.

RESULTSCompared with other recombinant pSUPER-EGFP vectors (R-pSUPER.EGFP), R-pSUPER.EGFP2 induced the best silencing effect on the expression of PPARgamma in RAW264.7 cells, which played an obvious inhibitory role in down-regulating the TNFalphaexpression after the curcumin and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation.

CONCLUSIONSPPARgamma-pSUPER-EGFP inducing a silencing effect on the expression of PPARgamma can efficiently play a negative role in controlling the inflammatory responses of RAW264.7 cells.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of interferon regulatory factors (IRFs) on neointimal formation after vascular injury in the mouse, and its possible mechanism.

METHODSVascular injury was induced by polyethylene cuff placement around the left femoral artery of IRF-1-deficient mice and C57BL/6J mice. The mRNA expressions of IRF-1, IRF-2, angiotensin II type 2 (AT2) receptor, interleukin-1 beta converting enzyme (ICE), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) were detected by RT-PCR and immunohistochemical staining.

RESULTSNeointimal formation after vascular injury was significantly greater in IRF-1-deficient mice than that in C57BL/6J mice (P<0.05). In contrast, TUNEL-positive nuclei to total nuclei in the neointima and media in vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) in the injured artery significantly attenuated in IRF-1-deficient mice compared to C57BL/6J mice (P<0.05). The expressions of AT2 receptor as well as pro-apoptotic genes such as ICE and iNOS in C57BL/6J mice were up-regulated in response to vascular injury, but this upregulation was attenuated in IRF-1-deficient mice.

CONCLUSIONSOur results suggest that IRF-1 induces VSMC apoptosis and inhibits neointimal formation after vascular injury at least partly due to the upregulation of AT2 receptor, ICE and iNOS expressions. These results indicate that IRF-1 exerts an inhibitory effect on neointimal formation through the induction of apoptosis in VSMCs.

Animals ; Apoptosis ; physiology ; Caspase 1 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Femoral Artery ; anatomy & histology ; pathology ; Interferon Regulatory Factor-1 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Interferon Regulatory Factor-2 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Mice, Knockout ; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular ; cytology ; metabolism ; pathology ; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II ; genetics ; metabolism ; Platelet Endothelial Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Receptor, Angiotensin, Type 2 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Tunica Intima ; pathology ; physiology

BACKGROUNDHepatitis B virus infection is closely related to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is overexpressed in HCC and considered to play a role in hepatic carcinogenesis. In this study, we analyzed the polymorphism of COX-2 promoter -899G/C in healthy controls, chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients, liver cirrhosis patients, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients, to investigate the relationship between COX-2 -899G/C polymorphism and the risk for hepatitis B-related liver cancer in a Chinese population from Gansu province.

METHODSPatients were divided into four groups: 300 patients with CHB, 300 patients with liver cirrhosis, 300 patients with HCC, and 300 healthy controls. The polymorphism of COX-2 -899G/C was detected by PCR-TaqMan probes. The results were analyzed by SPSS 17.0.

RESULTSThe COX-2 -899G/C genotypes were GG, GC, and CC. Frequencies in CHB were 87.00%, 12.67%, 0.33%; in liver cirrhosis were 85.33%, 14.00%, 0.67%; in HCC were 77.00%, 21.67%, 1.33%; and in healthy controls were 90.67%, 9.00%, 0.33%, respectively. COX-2 -899C carriers may have an increased risk for hepatitis B-related liver cancer. Compared with the frequency of GG genotype, there were significant differences in the frequency of GC genotype between HCC and healthy control groups (OR = 2.835, 95%CI: 1.751 - 4.589); HCC and CHB groups (OR = 1.933, 95%CI: 1.248 - 2.994); and HCC and liver cirrhosis groups (OR = 1.175, 95%CI: 1.119 - 2.628). Stratification analyses showed that COX-2 -899C allele carriers with a drinking history are more susceptible to develop HCC.

CONCLUSIONCOX-2 -899C genotype may increase the susceptibility of individuals to hepatitis B-related liver cancer in Gansu province, China.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; etiology ; genetics ; Cyclooxygenase 2 ; genetics ; Female ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Hepatitis B ; etiology ; genetics ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; etiology ; genetics ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; genetics ; Promoter Regions, Genetic ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the accuracy of sentinel lymph node mapping(SLM) in patients with rectal cancer by single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT-CT) lymphoscintigraphy and carbon nanoparticles suspension injection.

METHODSTwelve patients with clinical T(1-2)N(0)M(0) rectal cancer were selected and locally injected with technetium-(99m)sulfur-colloid and carbon nanoparticles suspension by endoscope one day before surgery, followed by SPECT-CT scanning 1, 3 and 5 hours later. Radioactive isotope(RI) uptake of each sentinel node(SN) basin with location preoperatively determined by SPECT-CT was postoperatively calculated using gamma probe. Nodes with the highest RI uptake, the number of which was also pre-determined by SPECT-CT, was defined as SNs. Immunohistochemical cytokeratin staining was performed for all the SNs and non-SNs.

RESULTSThe rate of sentinel node detection was 91.7%(11/12) with at least one SN(1-3) per patient. Ten cases showed metastasis-negative in SNs as well as all the resected regional nodes by immunohistochemical cytokeratin staining. Only one patient had positive nodes in both SN and non-SNs. The accuracy of SLM was 100%.

CONCLUSIONSPECT-CT lymphoscintigraphy and carbon nanoparticles suspension injection can effectively detect the anatomic location and number of sentinel nodes, and improve the accuracy of SLM for rectal cancer.

Adult ; Aged ; Carbon ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nanostructures ; Rectal Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy ; methods ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon ; methods ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; methods

Objective To determine the efficacy ofantiepileptic drugs (AEDs) on prevention of epilepsy after craniocerebral injury. Methods Related articles searched from the databases such as PubMed, Ovid, Springer, VP and CNKI were collected and strictly evaluated; 21 articles were finally selected. Whether pretreatment with AEDs played its role in epilepsy appeared in the early/late stages was discussed with Meta-analysis; the influences of different craniocerebral injury types (resulting from trauma or surgery) on the efficacy of anti-epilepsy prophylaxis, and the mortality rate of the patients performed pretreatment were analyzed with Meta-analysis. Results Pretreatment withAEDs could significantly improve the results (OR=0.66, Z=4.31, P=0.000); pretreatment with AEDs obviously decreased the rate of epilepsy appeared in the early stage (OR=0.48, Z=3.980, P=0.000), but did not statistically decrease the rate of epilepsy appeared in the late stage (OR=1.05, Z=0.310, P=0.760);pretreatment with diphenylhydantoin (OR=0.53) was more effective on epilepsy appeared in the early stage than pretreatment with carbamazepine (OR=0.40). Pretreatment with AEDs was all-effective considering different craniocerebral injury types resulting from trauma (OR=0.48) and surgery (OR=0.69). No significant differences were noted on the mortality rate of patients performed pretreatment and without pretreatment (OR=0.82, Z=0.920, P=0.360). Conclusion The inception rate of epilepsy can be decreased remarkably after anti-epilepsy prophylaxis with AEDs in patients after craniocerebral injury,and diphenylhydantoin has a better effect for epilepsy appeared in the early stage. No reasonable differences between various kinds of AEDs on epilepsy appeared in the late stage are noted. Pretreatment with AEDs enjoys a good result in both post-traumatic brain injury and craniotomy. Pretreatment can not affect the mortality rate of the patients.