A cDNA sequence of Arnebia euchroma AP2/ERF named AeAP2/ERF was cloned by in silico cloning in this study, using ACX71873 sequence from Lithospermum erythrorhizon as the probe sequence. Some characters of the AP2/ERF gene and encoded protein sequences were predicted and analyzed by the bioinformatics methods, including general physical and chemical properties, hydrophobieity, signal peptide, secondary structure, localization sites in cells. Results showed that the 876 bp long gene included a 1 077 bp ORF and encoding 205 amino acid. The AeAP2/ERF protein had no signal peptide, it was a hydrophilic proteins located in nucleus. The function of the AP2/ERF protein was mainly involved with metabolism controlling and signal transduction.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Base Sequence ; Boraginaceae ; classification ; genetics ; Cloning, Molecular ; Computational Biology ; Computer Simulation ; Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Phylogeny ; Plant Proteins ; genetics ; Protein Structure, Secondary ; Protein Structure, Tertiary ; Transcription Factors ; chemistry ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo explore an optimal anesthesia method with less impact on hemodynamics and electrocardiogram (ECG) of old patients with coronary artery disease (CHD) during abdominal operation.

METHODSThe 133 CHD patients waiting for abdominal operation were randomly divided into continuous epidural anesthesia (EA) group, general anesthesia group (GA) and combined spinal-epidural anesthesia (CSEA) group. Continuous monitoring was carried out during operation and mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), oxygen saturation (SaO2), abnormal ECG were measured respectively at different time for comparison and the differences of the above hemodynamic parameters and abnormal ECG features were compared among the 3 groups.

RESULTSAt the 15 min and 30 min point after anesthesia, SaO2 in GA group was significantly increased compared to that in the EA group (P < 0.05). At 15 min, 30 min and 60 min point after anesthesia, MAP in CSEA group was significantly increased compared to that in the EA group (P < 0.05). At 30 min point after anesthesia, HR in CSEA group was increased significantly compared to the EA group (P < 0.05). At 15 min and 30 min point after anesthesia, SaO2 in the CSEA group was increased significantly compare to the EA group (P < 0.05). Compared with preanesthesia (T0) in EA group, MAP, HR and SaO2 decreased significantly at 15, 30 and 60 min after anesthesia (P < 0.05). The fluctuation of the three parameters in GA and CSEA groups were relatively small (P > 0.05). As well as the comparison of abnormal ECG among the 3 groups was concerned, the incidence of ST-T changes in GA and CSEA groups were significantly lower than that in EA group at the time of 15 min, 30 min and 60 min after anesthesia and at the time of surgery termination (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). The incidence of arrhythmia in GA and CSEA groups were significantly lower than that in EA group at the time of 15 min, 30 min and 60 min after anesthesia (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). Compared with T0 in the same group, the incidences of ST-T changes and arrhythmia in GA or CSEA group at the time of 15, 30 and 60 min after anesthesia and at the time of surgery termination were significantly lower than that before anesthesia (P < 0.05, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONGA and CSEA have less impact on hemodynamics and have smaller incidence of abnormal ECG of old CHD patients with abdominal operation.

Aged ; Anesthesia ; methods ; Coronary Disease ; physiopathology ; Electrocardiography ; Female ; Hemodynamics ; drug effects ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Perioperative Period

Aged ; Coronary Disease ; epidemiology ; Humans ; Myocardial Infarction ; epidemiology ; Perioperative Period

Objective To explore the relationship between receptor of advanced glycaton end products(RAGE)gene Gly82Ser polymorphism and patients with transient ischemia attack(TIA).Methods The Gly82Ser gene at the position of RAGE gene exon 3 was identified by a polymerase chain reaction- restriction fragment length polymorphism(PCR-RFLP)method in 70 cases of TIA & Diabetes(DM), 60 of simply TIA and 66 healthy control subjects.Results The genotypes of RAGE gene Gly82Ser identified were GG, GS and SS.The frequencies of RAGE gene Gly82Ser GS heterozygous genotype of TIA & DM and control were respectively 62.9% and 43.9%, significantly higher in TIA & DM patients than in control subjects(OR 2.036, 95% CI 1.021--4.062, P=0.042), however no significant difference was found between simply TIA and control(53.3% vs 43.9%, OR 1.299,95% CI O.644--2.618, P=0.465). Significant difference of the frequency of S allele was found neither between TIA & control and control(being 34.3% and 26.5%, respectively, OR 1.446,95% CI 0.859--2.434, P=0.164), nor between simple TIA and control(28.3% vs 26.5%, OR 1.096,95%CI 0.630--1.907, P=0.746).Conclusions RAGE gene Gly82Ser GS heterozygous genotype may be associated with TIA & DM patients.RAGE gene Gly82Ser polymorphism is a risky factor for TIA & DM patients, but not for TIA patients.

Objective To investigate the effect of 4-hydroxytamoxifen on the expression of pituitary tumor transforming gene (PTTG) in GH3 prolactinoma cells. Methods RT-PCR and Western blotting were employed to detect the expressions of PTTG mRNA and protein in human GH3 prolaetinoma cells. Different concentrations of estradiol (E2) or 4-hydroxytamoxifen (OHTam) were addedl into the hormone-depleted medium, and the viable cell number and expression levels of PTTG mRNA and protein were measured. Results The growth of OH3 prolaetinoma cells was significantly inhibited in hormone-depleted medium. E2 at a concentration of 1×10<'-8> mol/L obviously promoted the cell growth, the effect of which was inhibited by the application of OHTam (1×10<'-6> mol/L) to cause slowed cell growth. The expressions of PTTG at both the mRNA and protein levels were detected in detected in untreated GH3 prolactinoma cells, and OHTam at the concentration of 1×10<'-6> mol/L significantly inhibited their expressions. Conclusion The growth of GH3 cells is estrogen-dependant and can be inhibited by estrogen antagonist OHTam, which also results in reduced expression of PTTG gene in the cells.

OBJECTIVETo study the hypoglycemic effect of the extract of B. polyandra (SHG).

METHODThe diabetic mice were induced by alloxan in ICR mice. The blood glucose concentration was measured by glucose oxidase method. The serum insulin level was determined by 125I-insulin radioimmunoassay kit. The hypoglycemic effect was evaluated by the levels of both fasting and no-fasting blood glucose. The effect on serum insulin level was estimated by the values of the blood insulin and the changes of the blood glucose induced by the glucose intraperitoneal injection. The effect on the glucose absorption was investigated by the oral sucrose or starch tolerance test.

RESULTBoth of the fasting and no-fasting blood glucose levels were decreased significantly by the treatment of 20 or 30 g raw materials crude drug x kg (-1) SHG orally for 7-10 d in ICR mice or in alloxan diabetic mice. In the oral sucrose tolerance test or oral starch tolerance test, the administration of SHG reduced significantly the peak value of the blood glucose and the area under the blood glucose-time curve (AUC) in normal or alloxan diabetic mice, respectively. These effects of SHG were similar to those of acarbose, a kind of alpha-glucosidase inhibitors. In the oral glucose tolerance test in normal and alloxan diabetic mice, SHG decreased both the blood glucose peak and the AUC induced by the glucose loading. But in the intraperitoneal injection glucose tolerance test the levels of insulin in both SHG and control mice were similar, however, the changes of the blood glucose level after the glucose-loading for 30 min in SHG mice was much lower than that in control mice.

CONCLUSIONWith the treatment of SHG, the fasting and no-fasting blood glucose concentrations were decreased and the glucose tolerance improved significantly in both normal and alloxan diabetic mice, and the inhibition of a-glucosidase might be one of its major mechanisms.

Administration, Oral ; Alloxan ; Animals ; Area Under Curve ; Blood Glucose ; analysis ; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental ; blood ; chemically induced ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Glucose ; administration & dosage ; pharmacokinetics ; Glucose Tolerance Test ; Hypoglycemic Agents ; administration & dosage ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Injections, Intraperitoneal ; Insulin ; blood ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred ICR ; Phytotherapy ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Random Allocation ; alpha-Glucosidases ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo study the correlation of homocysteine (Hcy) in plasma with nitric oxide synthetase (NOS) and endogenous carbon monoxide (CO) in the penile corpus cavernosum of type 2 diabetic rats.

METHODSThis study included 40 male Wistar rats, 10 as controls (Group A) and the other 30 as diabetes mellitus (DM) models. Four weeks after the model establishment, the model rats were divided into a DM group (Group B, n = 10), an insulin treated group (Group C, n = 10), and a folic acid and vitamin B12 treated group (Group D, n = 10). All the rats were injected with apomorphine and observed for penile erection at 8 and 12 weeks, and the levels of total plasma Hcy (tHcy), NOS and CO in the penile corpus cavernosum were measured at 12 weeks.

RESULTSCompared with Group A, the level of tHcy was significantly increased, while NOS and CO activities in the penile cavernous tis-sue and erectile function remarkably decreased in Group B (P < 0.01). The incidence rate of high Hcy was 55% in the DM rats. In comparison, the level of tHcy was obviously decreased, and the NOS activity and erectile function markedly increased in Groups C and D (P < 0.01). The Hcy level showed a significant negative correlation with NOS activity (rA = -0.89, rB = -0.76, rc = -0.91, rD = -0.91) and CO content (TA = -0.82, r, = -0.77, rc = -0.93, rD = -0.81).

CONCLUSIONHigh plasma Hcy can decrease NOS and CO activities in the penile corpus cavernosum, and consequently induce erectile dysfunction in DM rats, while insulin, folic acid and vitamin B12 can improve their penile erectile function by increasing NOS and CO activities.

Animals ; Carbon Monoxide ; metabolism ; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental ; blood ; physiopathology ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; blood ; physiopathology ; Folic Acid ; pharmacology ; Homocysteine ; blood ; Insulin ; pharmacology ; Male ; Nitric Oxide Synthase ; metabolism ; Penis ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Vitamin B 12 ; pharmacology

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the clinical efficacy of implanted biliary metallic stents in the management of malignant obstructive jaundice (MOJ).

METHODSPercutaneous transhepatic cholangiography and stent insertion were performed in 241 consecutive patients to treat malignant biliary obstruction between December 1998 and February 2009. The study end point was patient death. All patients were followed-up until death or until February 2010. The therapeutic efficacy was determined by statistical analysis of life span and pre- and post-operative laboratory indices.

RESULTSAll 241 patients were successfully stented. The level of bilirubin descended obviously within four weeks of implantation (P less than 0.05), and the early mortality rate was 4.56% (11/241). Two-hundred-and-two patients were followed-up (range: 8-193 weeks post-transplantation) and showed a median survival of 43.55 weeks. The survival rates at 13, 26, 39 and 52 weeks post-transplantation were 87%, 66%, 56%, and 41%, respectively. The stent patency rates at 13, 26, 39 and 52 weeks post-transplantation were 70%, 46%, 36% and 24%, respectively; the mean stent patency was 27.57 weeks. Cox regression analysis identified the strong predictors of improved survival as an initial bilirubin level of less than 221 mumol/L (P = 0.01) and a stent-induced bilirubin reduction of more than 50% (P = 0.002).

CONCLUSIONTranshepatic metallic biliary stenting is a safe and effective therapeutic intervention for malignant biliary obstruction. Significant periods of survival and palliation of jaundice can be achieved with this method. Hyperbilirubinemia and a stent-induced bilirubin reduction of less than 50% are independent predictive factors for the survival of MOJ patients.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Biliary Tract Surgical Procedures ; Bilirubin ; metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Jaundice, Obstructive ; surgery ; Male ; Metals ; Middle Aged ; Stents ; Survival Rate ; Treatment Outcome

This study was aimed to investigate the quantity and subtypes of dendritic cells (DC) in patients with immune related pancytopenia (IRP) and to explore the role of DC in pathogenesis of IRP. The quantity of plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDC, Lin(-)HLA-DR(+) CD123(+) cells) and myeloid dendritic cells (mDC, Lin(-)HLA-DR(+) CD11c(+)cells) in peripheral blood of 65 patients with IRP (37 new diagnosed and 28 remitted) and 17 healthy controls were analyzed by flow cytometry. The results indicated that the ratio of pDC in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMNC) was (0.91 ± 064)% in new diagnosed group, which was significantly higher than that in remission group (0.39 ± 0.11)% and control group (0.29 ± 0.13)% (P < 0.01), while this ratio of pDC in remission group was higher than that in control group (P < 0.05). The ratio of mDC in PBMNC was (0.21 ± 0.20)% in new diagnosed group and (0.34 ± 0.21)% in remission group respectively, there was no statistical difference as compared with control group (0.29 ± 0.09)% (P > 0.05). The ratio of pDC to mDC in new diagnosed group was 6.75 ± 7.11, which was significantly higher than that in remission group (1.55 ± 0.93) and control group (1.07 ± 0.43, P < 0.01), there was no statistical difference between the ratio of remission group and control group (P > 0.05). The ratio of pDC in PBMNC of IRP group negatively correlated to ratio of Th1/Th2 (r = -0.347, P < 0.05), and positively correlated to the ratio of auto-antibody on membrane of BMMNC (r = 0.606, P < 0.05) and to the quantity of CD5(+)B cells (r = 0.709, P < 0.05), while it negatively correlated to the levels of hemoglobin (r = -0.381, P < 0.01) and platelets (r = -0.343, P < 0.01). The ratio of mDC in PBMNC positively correlated to the ratio of Th1/Th2 (r = 0.595, P < 0.05) and the level of hemoglobin (r = 0.292, P < 0.05). The ratio of pDC/mDC negatively correlated to ratio of Th1/Th2 (r = -0.395, P < 0.05), it positively correlated to the level of antibody on membrane of BMMNC (r = 0.421, P < 0.05) and the quantity of CD5(+)B cells (r = 0.423, P < 0.05), while it negatively correlated to the levels of hemoglobin (r = -0.304, P < 0.05) and platelets (r = -0.287, P < 0.05). It is concluded that the quantity of pDC in peripheral blood of IRP patients increases, which may be related to the immunopathogenesis of IRP.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Blood Cell Count ; Case-Control Studies ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Dendritic Cells ; cytology ; immunology ; Female ; Flow Cytometry ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pancytopenia ; blood ; immunology ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo investigate the function of dendritic cells (DC) of patients with immune related pancytopenia (IRP) and explore the role of DC in IRP.

METHODSThe expression of CD80 and CD86 on myeloid DC (mDC, Lin-HLA-DR(+) CD11c(+) cells) and plasmacytoid DC (pDC, Lin-HLA-DR(+) CD123(+) cells) of 65 IRP (37 untreated and 28 remitted) patients and 17 healthy controls were analyzed by flow cytometry.

RESULTSThe expression of CD86 on pDC was (82.47 ± 13.17)% in untreated group and (60.08 ± 14.29)% in remission group, which were significantly higher than that of controls (47.95 ± 18.59)% (P < 0.05), while the expression in untreated group was higher than that of remission group (P < 0.05). The expression of CD80 on pDC was (6.31 ± 4.49)% in untreated group, which was significantly higher than that of remitted patients (3.09 ± 2.93)% and controls (2.33 ± 2.25)% (P < 0.05). The expression of CD86 on mDC was (97.06 ± 4.82)% in untreated group and (91.35 ± 12.20)% in control group, while the expression in untreated group was higher than that of control group (P < 0.05). The expression of CD80 on mDC was (6.20 ± 5.44)% in untreated group and (3.97 ± 3.24)% in remission group, which were significantly higher than that of controls (1.86 ± 1.73)% (P < 0.05). The expression of CD86 on pDC was negatively correlated to Th1/Th2 (r = -0.733, P < 0.05), it was positively correlated to the antibody on membrane of BMMNC (r = 0.283, P < 0.05) and the quantity of CD5(+)B cells (r = 0.436, P < 0.05), while it was negatively correlated to the level of hemoglobin, platelets and white blood cells (r = -0.539, P < 0.05; r = -0.519, P < 0.05; r = -0.567, P < 0.05, respectively). The expression of CD80 on pDC was negatively correlated to the level of hemoglobin and platelets (r = -0.431, P < 0.05; r = -0.464, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe function of pDC in PB of IRP were strengthened, which was relevant to the immunopathogenesis of IRP.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Autoimmune Diseases ; complications ; B7-1 Antigen ; metabolism ; B7-2 Antigen ; metabolism ; Case-Control Studies ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Dendritic Cells ; metabolism ; Female ; Flow Cytometry ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pancytopenia ; blood ; etiology ; pathology ; Young Adult