OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of Shengqing Capsule (SQC), a compound of traditional Chinese herbal medicine, on biochemical parameters in C57BL/6J mice with cholesterol gallstone. METHODS: Thirty-eight C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into normal control group (n=10), untreated group (n=15) and SQC group (n=13). Cholesterol gallstone was induced in mice of the latter two groups by feeding high cholesterol diet. Mice in the SQC group were intragastricly administered SQC 0.22 g/(kg.d). After 8-week treatment, animals were sacrificed and sampled to calculate the incidences of stone formation. The contents of serum cholesterols and Ca(2+), and the malonaldehyde (MDA) content and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in liver tissues were detected. RESULTS: The incidences of stone formation were 73.33% in untreated group, 0% in normal control group, and 23.08% in the SQC group. And the INCIDENCE in untreated group was significantly higher than those in the normal control group and the SQC group (P<0.01). Contents of serum total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in the SQC group were lower than that in the untreated group (P<0.01), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) in the SQC group was higher than that in the untreated group (P<0.01). SQC could increase the SOD activity and decrease the MDA content in liver tissues, showing significant differences as compared with those in the untreated group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: SQC can decrease the incidence of stone formation and improve the biochemical parameters, which may be one of the mechanisms in the treatment and prevention of cholesterol gallstone disease.

OBJECTIVETo explore the protective mechanisms of sevoflurane against acute lung injury (ALI) induced by one-lung ventilation (OLV) in view of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX2) and 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX) pathways.

METHODEighteen healthy Japanese white rabbits were randomized into sham-operated group (S group), OLV group (O group) and OLV + sevoflurane group (OS group). COX2 and 5-LOX protein and mRNA expressions in the lungs were detected by Western blotting and real-time PCR, respectively. Prostaglandin I2 (PGI2), thromboxane A2 (TXA2) and leukotrienes B2 (LTB2) in the lung tissues were quantified with ELISA. Histological scores and lung wet/dry weight (W/D) ratios were determined for lung injury assessment.

RESULTSCOX2 and 5-LOX protein and mRNA expressions and the contents of LTB2, TXA2 and PGI2 in the lungs, lung W/D ratio and histological scores were significantly higher while PGI2/TXA2 ratio was significantly lower in O group and OS group than in S group (P<0.05). Compared with those in O group, COX2 and 5-LOX expressions, pulmonary contents of LTB2, TXA2 and PGI2, and lung W/D ratio all decreased significantly but PGI2/TXA2 ratio was significantly elevated in OS group (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONOLV may activate COX2 and 5-LOX pathways to result in increased production of arachidonic acid metabolites. Sevoflurane protects against OLV-induced ALI probably by reducing AA metabolites and regulating PGI2/TXA2 ratio through inhibitions of COX2 and 5-LOX pathways.

Acute Lung Injury ; etiology ; metabolism ; Animals ; Arachidonate 5-Lipoxygenase ; metabolism ; Cyclooxygenase 2 ; metabolism ; Lung ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Methyl Ethers ; adverse effects ; One-Lung Ventilation ; adverse effects ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; Rabbits

OBJECTIVETo investigate the changes in methylation levels of the promoters of the tumor suppressor gene Wilms' tumor gene on the X-chromosome (WTX) and its possible role in gastric cancer.

METHODSWTX promoter methylation levels were detected in 20 pairs of specimens of gastric cancer and matched normal tissues and in 3 gastric cancer cell lines (MGC803, SCG7901, and BGC823) using the Sequenom MassARRAY quantitative analysis system. The gastric cancer cell line BGC823 was treated with 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5-aza-dC) for demethylation and the changes in the level of WTX promoter methylation were investigated.

RESULTSWTX promoter methylation levels were very low and showed no significant differences among normal gastric tissues, gastric cancer tissues and the 3 gastric cancer cell lines. In BGC823 cells, treatment with 5-aza-dC did not obviously affect the promoter methylation levels of WTX.

CONCLUSIONHigh methylation levels of WTX promoters are rare in gastric cancer.

Cell Line, Tumor ; Chromosomes, Human, X ; DNA Methylation ; Genes, Wilms Tumor ; Humans ; Promoter Regions, Genetic ; Stomach Neoplasms ; genetics ; metabolism

Differentiated thyroid cancer usually has a good prognosis;however,recurrence occurs in 5％to 20％of patients after initial treatment,which causes physiopsychological and financial burdens for the patients.In the meantime,it complicates the treatment decision-making for clinicians.Different from initial treatment,the management of recurrent thyroid cancer should take comprehensive consideration of factors such as risks and benefits.Surgery is considered to be the first choice of treatment while radioactive iodine therapy is recommended for radioiodine-avid recurrent disease.Smaller lesions can be managed with active surveillance temporarily,and thermal ablation should only be applied to patients not suitable for additional surgery.In contrast,external beam radiotherapy and systemic therapies are considered only after all therapy options have been exhausted.

To quantify the transcriptional activity of NF-κB and to screen drugs related to the regulation of NF-κB activation, we constructed a recombinant plasmid through deleting the original CMV promoter of retrovirus vector pQCXIP and inserting the NF-κB enhancer and NanoLuc luciferase sequence into the vector. Then, using the recombinant plasmid we constructed a cell line in which the expression of NanoLuc luciferase (NLuc) was regulated by NF-κB. The inserted sequences were verified by restriction endonuclease digestion and sequencing. Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), an NF-κB activator, acted on the constructed NLuc cell line and leaded to the specific luciferase reaction. The luciferase reaction showed a fine time and dose dependence to the TNF-α stimulation, indicating the successful construction of the NF-κB regulated NLuc-expressing cell line. Besides, the NF-κB inhibitor, triptolide, reduced the expression of NLuc in a dose-dependent way. The constructed reporter system in this study could be applied in the quantification of the NF-κB transcriptional activity and in the NF-κB regulation-related drug screening.