AIM:To study the inhibitory effect and its mechanisms of the extract of Oratosquilla oratoria (EOS) on the activity of telomerase in human nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell line CNE-2Z. METHODS:MTT assay was used to determine the effect of different doses of EOS on the proliferation of CNE -2Z cells. The activity of telomerase was analyzed by TRAP-ELISA. The mRNA expression of hTERT was determined by RT-PCR,and the protein expression of c-Myc was detected by Western blotting. RESULTS:EOS inhibited the proliferation of CNE-2Z cells in a dose-dependent manner (P

Objective To compare the clinical efficacy of acupuncture and medicine for the treatment of chronic pharyngitis. Methods Sixty chronic pharyngitis patients were randomized into treatment group and control group, 30 cases in each group. The treatment group was treated with acupuncture mainly on acupoints of Zhaohai(KI6), Lieque(L7), Tiantu(CV22) , Lianquan(CV23), Tianrong(SI17) , Hegu(LI), Yuji (LU10) for nourishing yin to reduce fire and clearing throat. The supplementary acupoints were selected according to the symptoms and physical signs. Acupuncture was performed once a day and 6 times a week. The control group received western medical therapy including pharyngeal application with 1% iodine glycerin preparation and oral use of Cydiodine tablets, 3 times per day. Four weeks constituted one treatment course and the treatment for the two groups covered 2 courses. After treatment, the therapeutic effect was evaluated. The scores of the signs and s ymptoms as well as scores of chronic pharyngitis syndrome discomfort rating questionnaire(CPSDQ) evaluated by visual anal og scale(VAS) were observed. Results (1) The overall effective rate of the treatment group was 93.3%, higher than that of the control group(73.3%), and the inter-group difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). (2) After treatment, scores of the signs and symptoms and VAS for CPSDQ scores in the two groups were reduced as compared with those before treatment(all P<0.05 or P<0.01 ) .The improvement of the scores in the treatment group was superior to that in the control group(all P<0.05 or P<0.01).(3) During the treatment , needling-induced mild pain and bleeding occurred in the treatment group. No acupuncture syncope, stuck needles or allergic and toxic-side effect was shown in the two groups. Conclusion Acupuncture therapy can obviously relieve the symptoms, signs and discomfort in the patients with chronic pharyngitis, and the curative effect is superior to the drugs.

PURPOSE: This study was designed to identify the possible mechanism of insensitivity of DU145 prostate cancer cells to the transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta1-mediated growth inhibition. MATERIALS AND METHODS: DU145 cells were treated with 4, 40, 100 pM TGF-beta1 for 3, 6, 9 days. Initially we performed the growth assay. After that, we analysed the change of cell cycle using fluorescence flow cytometry. At each time point, Western blot analysis with cell pellets was performed to investigate the change of expressions of epidermal growth factor(EGF), TGF-alpha, EGF receptor(EGFR) and TGF receptorII(TbetaR-II) proteins. RESULTS: The growth rate of TGF-beta1-treated cells was initially suppressed, but over time returned to control level. Flow cytometric analysis revealed that TGF-beta1-treated cells showed an increase in apoptotic/G1 phases, and concurrent decrease in S, G2/M phases until 6days. On day 9, however, TGF-beta1-treated cells showed a persistent increase of apoptotic unclei in spite of recovery of apoptotic/G1, S and G2/M phases. Western blot analysis showed that the intensity of EGF or TGF-alpha band decreased in dose-sependent manner on day 6. However, the intensity of each band increased up to the control level on day 9. the expression of EGFR or TbetaR-II protein did not change after treatment of TGF-beta1. CONCLUSIONS: these results suggest that EGF and TGF-alpha sould mediate in part the escape fron the inhibitory effect of TGF-beta1 in DU145 cells.
Blotting, Western ; Cell Cycle ; Epidermal Growth Factor* ; Flow Cytometry ; Fluorescence ; Prostate* ; Prostatic Neoplasms* ; Transforming Growth Factor alpha ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1 ; Transforming Growth Factors ; United Nations

OBJECTIVETo compare the differences in the clinical efficacy on Alzheimer's disease between acupuncture and medicine.

METHODSOne hundred and forty-one patients were randomized into an acupuncture group (72 cases) and a medicine group (69 cases). In the acupuncture group, the needling technique for benefiting qi, promoting blood circulation, regulating mind and improving intelligence was used at Shenting (GV 24), Baihui (GV 20), Fengchi (GB 20), Wangu (GB 12), Danzhong (CV 17), Zhangwan (CV 12), Qihai (CV 6), Xuehai (SP 10) and Zusanli (ST 36). The supplementary acupoints were selected according to the symptoms and physical signs. Acupuncture was given once a day and 6 treatments were required for a week. In the medicine group, the choline sterase inhibitor, donepezil (aricept) was prescribed for oral administration, 1 tablet (5 mg) each time, once every night. Four weeks later, the dose was increased to 2 tablets (10 mg) each time. In the two groups, the treatment of 4 weeks made one session and 4 sessions were required. The changes of scores before and after treatment in the minimum mental state examination (MMSE), the activity of daily living scale (ADL), Alzheimer's disease assessment scale-cognition (ADAS-cog) and the digit span (DS) were observed.

RESULTSAfter treatment, scores of MMSE and DS were increased as compared with those before treatment (both P < 0.05) and scores of ADL and ADAS-cog were reduced as compared with those before treatment. The score differences in MMSE, ADL, ADAS-cog and DS before and after treatment were significant in the two groups (all P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONThe needling technique for benefiting qi, promoting blood circulation, regulating mind and improving intelligence significantly improves the overall function, cognition and activity of daily life in the patients of Alzheimer's disease and the efficacy is better than donepezil.

Activities of Daily Living ; Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Alzheimer Disease ; psychology ; therapy ; Cognition ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Treatment Outcome

The meridians belong to zang-fu organs inside and connect with the extremities outside. They keep information exchange among different tissues and make various organs of the human body as an organic whole. If the meridians are blocked and the information exchange makes mistake, the body will produce pathologic changes. Because the location of the blocked part is difficult to identify, in this paper it is explained that selection of distal acupoints is the best way to dredge the nodes of disease, and the theoretical basis is closely related with the theories of "the root cause and symptoms of a disease", "Genjie", and "Jing, Xing, Shu, Jing, He", and also implies the thought of "to cure a disease must treat the root of the disease".
Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Meridians

Objective To evaluate the effect of propofol (PPF) on stress response and lung injury in rats with traumatic brain injury (TBI).Methods A total of 36 SD rats were randomly (random number)divided into sham group,intralipid group,TBI group,PPF1 h group,PPF 2 h group,PPF 6 h group (n =6 in each group).Fluid percussion brain injury models were used.By intraperitoneal injection,intralipid was administered in intralipid group after sham operations,while propofol 100 mg · kg-1 was given to rats in PPF1 h group,PPF 2 h group and PPF 6 h group 1,2,6 hours following injury,respectively.Nerve motor function were scored at different intervals,serum concentrations of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH),cortisol (COR) and norepinephrine (NE) were measured 12 h after injury.Seventy-two hours later,all rats were sacrificed and brains were harvested for TTC staining,and lungs taken were stained with HE staining for observation under light microscope and electron microscopy.Results Compared with sham and intralipid group,nerve motor function scores were significantly decreased,and serum concentrations of ACTH,COR and NE were increased significantly in rats after injury.Compared with TBI group,the above biomarkers were improved significantly after propofol injection.There were no significant differences in above biomarkersbetweenPPF 1 hand PPF 2 h group (t=-0.816,t=-0.208,t=0.582,P＞0.05).The differences in COR and NE concentrations between PPF 2 h and PPF 6 h group were statistically significant (t =3.018,P =0.013;t =3.662,P =0.004).Light microscopy demonstrated abundant inflammatory cell infiltration and massive thickening of the alveolar walls,Electron microscopy showed Type Ⅱ lung epithelial cell swelling,vacuolar degeneration,osmiophilic lamellar corpuscle emptying in cytoplasm,microvilli protrusions decreases in some cytoplasm in TBI group,and pathological damage was improved significantly in PPF 2 h group.Conclusions Propofol may inhibit stress and protect the lung tissue from damage in TBI rats.

The fluoroscopy-guided fine needle aspiration biopsy has been gaining widespread acceptance as a rapid and effective method to make a pre-operative diagnosis of mediastinal tumors including thymoma, malignant lymphoma, and metastatic carcinoma. Although thymoma is a most common tumor of the superior mediastinum, most cytopathologists are not experted in cytologic diagnosis of this tumor because of limited experience. In order to define the diagnostic cytologic features of thymoma, we have retrospectively reviewed imprinting smears and corresponding tissue sections from four cases of this tumor. All cases revealed an apparent biphasic pattern of epithelial cell clusters and lymphocytes with occasional branching capillary fronds extending from three dimensional epithelial cell clusters. Epithelial cell clusters predominated in one case and lymphocytes in two cases. Mixed epithelial cell and lymphocyte type represented in one of four cases. In the lymphocyte predominant type, the presence of epithelial cell clusters and small mature lymphocytes are helpful features to differentiate from a malignent lymphoma.
Biopsy ; Biopsy, Fine-Needle ; Capillaries ; Diagnosis ; Epithelial Cells ; Lymphocytes ; Lymphoma ; Mediastinum ; Retrospective Studies ; Thymoma*

No abstract available.
Cell Line* ; Humans* ; Interferon-gamma* ; Matrix Metalloproteinases* ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha* ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms* ; Urinary Bladder*

No abstract available.
Cell Line* ; Humans* ; Interferon-gamma* ; Matrix Metalloproteinases* ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha* ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms* ; Urinary Bladder*