Flavonoid naringin is widely distributed in various types of plants and is an important component of herbal Drynaria. In previous studies, Drynaria has been demonstrated to have inhibitory effects on inflammatory responses and bone destruction and exert anabolic effects on bone, has been widely used in the clinical treatment. Naringin, was in the stage of experimental yet. The experimental results have confirmed that naringin suppressed inflammation including arthritis by lowering the expression of inflammatory cytokines, and the mechanism can be explained as reducing the expression of NF-κB. Naringin has been shown to increase osteoblast proliferation by increasing the expression of BMP-2, inhibit osteoclast activity by reducing the expression of RANKL. In animal experimental, naringin was useful for osteoporosis, and the mechanisms are in-depth studies. Research in the field of traditional Chinese medicine and orthopedics, naringin as a explicit material structure in the components of Drynaria, has been concerned about the experimental studies, it is not only prosperity the development of traditional Chinese medicine research,but also ready for clinical studies anti-inflammatory and bone effects of naringin in the future.
Animals ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents ; pharmacology ; Bone and Bones ; drug effects ; Flavanones ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Osteoblasts ; drug effects ; Osteoclasts ; drug effects ; Osteoporosis ; drug therapy ; Polypodiaceae ; chemistry

Objective To study the impact of preprocedure intravenous urography (IVU) on the extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy(ESWL) for proximal ureteral stones.Methods One hundred patients with solitary radiopaque proximal ureteral stones on plain radiographs and no severe hydronephrosis on ultrasonographic examination were allocated randomly to two treatment groups.IVU group (n=50) had IVU before the start of ESWL,whereas patients in control group (n=50) underwent ESWL without IVU.Postop- erative success,the stone-free rates and complications were evaluated in both groups. Results Seven patients in IVU group were excluded from the study. The success rate [95.3%(41/43) in IVU group vs 94.0% (47/50) in control group],stone-free rate [83.7% (36/43)vs 86.0% (43/50)] and complication rate[27.9% (12/43 ) vs 26.0% (13/50)]were similar in two groups (P＞0.05).Conclusions It is not necessary to obtain an IVU for patients who have solitary radiopaque proximal ureteral calculi on plain radiographs with no severe hydronephrosis on uhrasonographie examination before scheduling them for ESWL,thus minimizing the cost,avoiding exposure to contrast medium,and reducing radiation exposure.

Objective To study the value of MR diffusion tensor imaging(DTI) in the staging of chronic kidney disease(CKD).Method MR diffusion tensor imaging was used on 26 CKD patients.All patients were diagnosed as CKD according to the criteria of clinical diagnostic.All MR images achieved diagnostic requirements.Diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid(99mTc-DTPA) renal dynamic imaging was used to determine the unilateral renal function.CKD patients were determined as mildly renal impairment group and moderately to severely renal impairment group based on the glomerular filtration rate(GFR).Twenty healthy volunteers underwent DTI at the same time.The cortical and medullary ADC value and FA value were measured in all subjects who underwent conventional MRI and DTI.The paired Student's t test was used to compare the cortico-medullary difference of the mean ADC and FA values in all subjects.The oneway analysis of variance(ANOVA) was carried out to assess the difference among the medullary and cortical diffusion parameters(ADC,FA) of all the three groups,and LSD was used to assess multiple comparisons.The correlation of GFR and ADC value of the patients,and FA value of the patients were tested by Pearson correlation analysis.Results The cortical and medullary ADC values of 46 subjects were(2.25±0.25) × 10-3 and(2.10±0.20) × 10-3 mm2/s respectively,FA of them were(3.48±0.61) and(4.27±0.75) respectively(t =6.754,10.043 respectively; P＜0.01).The cortical ADC values of volunteers,mild renal impairment group,severely renal impairment group were(2.25±0.22) ×10-3,(2.31±0.19) ×103,(2.18±0.32) ×10-3mm2/s respectively.The medullary ADC value of the three groups were(2.09±0.19) × 10-3,(2.17±0.17) × 10-3,(2.06±0.24) × 10-3mm2/s respectively(F=0.968,0.882 respectively; P＞0.05).The cortical FA values of the three groups were 3.85± 0.47,3.18±0.62,3.20±0.52 respectively.The medullary FA of the three groups were 4.92±0.38,3.93±0.57,3.62 ± 0.53(F=8.725,33.705 respectively; P＜0.01).There was no correlation between cortical ADC,medullary ADC,cortical FA of the patients and GFR [(30.14±15.79) ml· min-1 · 1.73 m-2](r =0.243,0.197,0.196 respectively; P＞0.05).There was a positive correlation between medullary FA of the patients and GFR (r=0.556,P=0.003).Conclusion FA value has certain value in evaluating CKD early diagnosis and renal function.

Objective To study the correlation between the diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) measurements and glomerular filtration rate (GFR), Katafuchi scores in IgA nephropathy. Methods Thirty-five patients with IgA nephropathy (IgAN group) and twenty healthy volunteers (control group) were enrolled in this study. All of the subjects underwent bilateral renal DWI measurements with 3.0T MRI scanner. The values of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of renal cortex and medulla were measured. GFR of IgAN group was detected with 99Tcm-DTPA scintigraphy. Based on the Lee classification and the Katafuchi score system, the pathological grading was carried out in patients of IgAN group. The ADC values were compared between control group and different grades of IgAN group. The correlations between ADC and GFR values were analysed in defferent groups. The correlations between ADC values and Katafuchi scores were analysed in IgAN group. Results The renal cortical ADC values were significantly higher than medulla ADC values in both control group and IgAN group (P < 0.05). There were statistically significant differences in renal cortical ADC values and medulla ADC values between control group and IgAN subgroups (P<0.05). But there was no significant difference in renal cortical ADC value between IgANⅠgroup and control group (P>0.05). There was a positive correlation between the renal cortical and medulla ADC values and the GFR values in IgAN group (P<0.01). Negative correlation was found between the renal cortical and
medulla ADC values and the Katafuchi scores in IgAN group (P<0.05). Conclusion The diffusion-weighted imaging can reflect the physiological functions of kidney. It was feasible for application DWI in IgA nephropathy, which can be used for assessing the renal filtration function and the pathological damage. However, DWI measurement is not sensitive to early renal disease.

OBJECTIVETo assess the influence of mimic cardiac rate on hydrodynamics of different mechanical prosthetic cardiac valves.

METHODSUS-made CarboMedics bileaflet valve, China-made Jiuling bileaflet valve and C-L tilting disc valve were tested via a pulsatile flow simulator in the aortic position. Testing conditions were set at mimic cardiac rates of 55 bpm, 75 bpm, 100 bpm with a constant mimic cardiac output of 4 L/min. The mean pressure differences (deltaP), leakage volumes (L(E)V) and closing volumes (C(L)V) across each valve, and effective orifice areas (EOA) were analyzed.

RESULTSWithin physiological range, deltaP, L(E)V, and C(L)V decreased as mimic cardiac rate increased, with a large extent of variance. EOA increased along with an increase in mimic cardiac rate. It was a different response in terms of cardiac rate alteration for different types of mechanical prosthetic cardiac valves.

CONCLUSIONMimic cardiac rate change affects hydrodynamics of mechanical prosthetic cardiac valves. Within physiological range, the hydrodynamic of prosthetic bileaflet valve is better than that of tilting disc valve.

Biomechanical Phenomena ; Cardiac Output ; Cardiac Volume ; Heart Rate ; Heart Valve Prosthesis ; Hemodynamics ; In Vitro Techniques ; Prosthesis Design ; Pulsatile Flow

OBJECTIVETo investigate the expression of proline-rich tyrosine kinase-2 (Pyk2) in human primary colorectal carcinoma (CRC) and it's prognostic significance.

METHODSThe expression of Pyk2 was retrospectively examined with immunohistochemistry (IHC) in 108 tissues of primary CRC. The correlation of Pyk2 expression to prognosis and relevant clinical factors were analyzed.

RESULTSThe rate of Pyk2 low-expression in CRC was 56.5% (61/108). The expression of Pyk2 correlated significantly to the histological grade (P < 0.05) and the TNM stage (P < 0.05), while no correlation between Pyk2 expression and age, tumor size (P > 0.05). Patients with Pyk2 over-expression had significantly higher 5-year survival rate (66.0%) than those with Pyk2 low-expression (31.4%). Pyk2 expression, together with carcinoma histologic grade and TNM stage were prognostic factors to CRC on the multivariate analysis.

CONCLUSIONSPyk2 expression can be a prognostic factor to the CRC patients together with other predictors.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; enzymology ; pathology ; Female ; Focal Adhesion Kinase 2 ; metabolism ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prognosis

This study was to investigate the protective effects of puerarin on myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (MI/R) injury and the underlying mechanism. The MI/R-model was established by ligating the left anterior descending artery (LAD) for 60 min followed by 24 h reperfusion, puerarin (10, 30, and 100 mg·kg^-1) was orally administered 20 min before reperfusion. Cardiac function, myocardial infarct index, cardiac damage markers, inflammatory cytokines, and apoptosis index were measured to evaluate the protective effects of puerarin on MI/R injury. The activation of Nod-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome and Toll like receptor 4 (TLR4)/myeloid differentiation factor 88 (Myd88)/nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) pathway were determined by Western blot. All animal experimental procedures were approved by the ethics committee of the Institute of Materia Medica, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. The results showed that puerarin could significantly improve cardiac function, reduce myocardial infarct size, decease the levels of lactic dehydrogenase (LDH), aspartate transaminase (AST), creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB), and cardiac troponin T (cTnT) and suppress cardiomyocyte apoptosis. Meanwhile, puerarin could notably decrease the levels of inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). Western blot analysis revealed that puerarin could downregulate the expression of TLR4, Myd88, NLRP3, apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD (ASC), cleaved-caspase 1, cleaved-gasdermin-D (GSDMD), IL-1β, and IL-18, as well as the phosphorylation levels of inhibitor of NF-κB α (IκBα), IκB kinase β (IKKβ), and NF-κB. These findings demonstrated that puerarin could alleviate MI/R injury by suppressing NLRP3 inflammasome activation, possibly via TLR4/Myd88/NF-κB pathway.

Objective To evaluate contrast-enhanced fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) imaging in the detection of leptomeningeal lesions.Methods Seventeen patients with a variety of leptomeningeal lesions were analyzed.The MRI protocol included un-enhanced and contrast-enhanced FLAIR images and contrast-enhanced T_1WI,Comparisons between contrast-enhanced FLAIR images and T_1WI and between un-enhanced and contrast-enhanced FLAIR images were made to determine which sequence better depicted the lesions.Results Leptomeningeal lesions showed as either diffusely or locally abnormal hyper-intensity along sulci or cistern on three sequences.Comparison between contrast-enhanced FLAIR and T_1WI showed that only contrast-enhanced FLAIR revealed the abnormalities in 7,both revealed the abnormalities but the former was superior in 2 ,and both were conspicuous in 7. In 1 patient of tuberculous meningitis,diffuse abnormalities of sulci were shown only on contrast-enhanced FLAIR, abnormalities of cisterns were shown on both sequences but the former was superior.Comparison between un- enhanced and contrast-enhanced FLAIR showed that only contrast-enhanced FLAIR revealed the abnormalities in 9,both revealed the abnormalities but the former was superior in 3,and both were conspicuous in 4. In 1 patient of tuberculous meningitis,abnormalities of cisterns were shown only on contrast-enhanced FLAIR,diffuseabnormalities of sulci were shown on both sequences but the former was superior.Conclusions Contrast-enhanced FLAIR images were superior to un-enhanced FLAIR images and contrast-enhanced T_1WI in the detection of leptomeningeal lesions. Contrast-enhanced FLAIR images are helpful and should be considered when findings on un-enhanced FLAIR images and/or contrast-enhanced T,WI are inconclusive.

OBJECTIVETo study the influence of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on the permeability of rat brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs) and possible molecular mechanism.

METHODSMonolayers of primary rat BMECs were separated and cultured, and then treated with (LPS group) or without LPS (control group). The barrier integrity was measured by transendothelial electrical resistance (TEER) assay. The degrees of RhoA activation were determined by Pull-down assay. The expression levels of p115RhoGEF, zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1), occludin and claudin-5 proteins were detected by Western blot analysis.

RESULTSThe average TEER values of rat BMECs in the LPS group were 108.3±4.2 Ω•cm2 and 85.4±2.5 Ω•cm2 respectively 3 and 12 hrs after LPS treatment, which were significantly lower than that in the control group (159.0±8.6 Ω•cm2). Compared with the control group, the activity of RhoA started to increase 5 minutes after LPS treatment, and the expression of p115RhoGEF protein started to increase 1 hr after LPS treatment and the cellular protein levels of ZO-1, occludin and claudin-5 decreased significantly 3 hrs after LPS treatment in the LPS group (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONSLPS may activate the p115RhoGEF/RhoA pathway and decrease protein expression of ZO-1, occludin and claudin-5, resulting in an increased permeability of rat BMECs.

Animals ; Brain ; blood supply ; Capillary Permeability ; drug effects ; Electric Impedance ; Endothelial Cells ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors ; analysis ; Lipopolysaccharides ; pharmacology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Rho Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors ; Tight Junctions ; chemistry ; rhoA GTP-Binding Protein ; analysis

OBJECTIVETo investigate the constitution of abnormal spermatozoa from patients with sex chromosome anomalies.

METHODSTriple color fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was used to determine the sex chromosome constitution of spermatozoa from three patients with sex chromosome anomalies (case 1:46,XY/47,XXY, case 2:45,XO/46,X,Yqh-, case 3:47,XXY). The preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) was performed to case 2.

RESULTSAn increased ratio (2.05 vs 1) of X-bearing to Y-bearing spermatozoa was only observed in case 2, who also had an increased incidence of total abnormal spermatozoa (29.71%). An increased incidence of total abnormal spermatozoa (4.91%) was also observed in case 3. Among the constitution of abnormal spermatozoa, case 2 had the increased proportions of XY18 disomy, O18 monosomy and XO monosomy, while case 3 had an increase proportion of XY18 disomy (1.87%). PGD was performed to case 2 and one embryo with XX1818 was selected for implanting.

CONCLUSIONUsing FISH to detect the sperm sex chromosomes in patients with sex chromosome anomalies can provide the useful information to evaluate the risk of sex chromosome anomalies in preimplantation embryos.

Adult ; Chromosomes, Human, X ; genetics ; Chromosomes, Human, Y ; genetics ; Female ; Humans ; In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence ; Male ; Preimplantation Diagnosis ; methods ; Sex Chromosome Aberrations ; Spermatozoa ; metabolism