AIM:To compare the synthesis efficiency of n3 and n6 very long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid ( VLC-PUFA ) by overexpressing ELOVL4 protein, providing guidance for treating Stargardt-like macular dystrophy (STGD3).
METHODS:To establish recombinant adenovirus with the ELOVL4 protein and green fluorescent protein, transferred into cultured PC12 cells. The cells were divided into 3 groups: PC12, PC12 + Ad- GFP and PC12 + Ad-ELOVL4, former two groups serve as controls. ELOVL4 gene expression was quantified by qRT-PCRs. ELOVL4 protein was analyzed by Western - Blot ( WB ) . The transduced cells were treated with both EPA and AA (1:1). After 48h of incubation, cells were collected, total lipids extracted and fatty acid methyl esters prepared and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry ( GC-MS) .
RESULTS:When supplemented together, 20:5n3 (EPA) and 20:4n6 ( AA) were efficiently taken up at almost the same amounts in the PC12 cells regardless of ELOVL4 expression. The ELOVL4-expressing cells elongated both EPA and AA to a series of n3 and n6 VLC-PUFAs. From 20:5n3/EPA, 34:5n3 and 36:5n3 account for 0. 71% and 1.6%, respectively. From 20:4n6/DHA, 34:4n6 and 36:4n6 were only 0. 46% and 0. 61%, respectively. The total relative mol% of n3 VLC-PUFAs synthesized from EPA was almost two times that of n6 VLC-PUFAs synthesized from AA.
CONCLUSION: ELOVL4 protein preferentially elongates n3 PUFA to VLC - PUFAs over n6 PUFA. Dietary supplementation of appropriate n3/n6 PUFAs may provide STGD3 patients with some therapeutic benefits.

Acupuncture Therapy ; Alcoholics ; Alcoholism ; prevention & control ; therapy ; Humans

tralateral parietal lobe. Conclusions CIMT can improve the patients' upper-limb function effectively. The constraint-induced movement of the affected arm during CIMT appears to induce cortical reorganization and compensation as measured by fMRL

AIM: To understand the relationship between pentanucleotide repeat(PNR) polymorphism of the apolipoprotein(a) gene and lipoprotein natures of normal Han population. METHODS: The serum levels of TG, TC, LDL-C,HDL-C, apo AI, apo B and Lp(a) were measured and the polymorphism of the apo(a) PNR was studied by using PCR-SSCP in 153 random normal individuals in Hubei Han population respectively. RESULTS: The relative frequencies of apo(a) PNR allele were significantly different from western population. The apo(a) gene which copy number of PNR is 5 was associated with high Lp(a) levels. No marked differences in the levels of TG, TC,LDL-C, HDL-C, apo AI and apo B were found among the various genotype groups of apo(a) PNR in Hubei Han. CONCLUSION: The data of lipids and PNR polymorphism of the apo(a) gene from healthy Hubei Han were obtained. The apo(a) allele with 5(TTTTA)-repeats may be related to high serum Lp(a) levels in the Hubei Han population.

Objective To investigate the effects of [Gly14]-Humanin(HNG) on SOD, MDA, GSH and cell apopto?sis in a rat model of secondary brain injury. Methods One hundred thirty-five adult and healthy male rats were random?ly divided into 3 groups: sham model group (n=45), vehicle control group (n=45) and HNG group (n=45). Secondary brain injury was induced in the vehicle control and HNG groups using improved Feeney method. Vehicle control received abdominal injections of Sodium Chloride Injection (2 ml/kg) whereas the HNG group received abdominal injections of HNG (2 μL/kg) immediately and 24 h after injury. Each group was divided into three subgroups (n=15 rats per each group) by sacrificed time including 1 h, 3 d, and 7 d after injury. The expression levels of SOD, MDA and GSH of the brain tissue were analyzed and the cell apoptosis was examined using TUNEL method after brain contusion. Results MDA and cell apoptosis around the lesion started to increased at 1h, reached a peak at 3d and then gradually subsided but still remained a higher level at 7 d than 1 h. HNG significantly attenuated brain injury-induced increase in MDA and apopto?sis at all time points (P<0.05). By contrast, SOD started to decrease at 1h, reached the lowest point at 3 d and then gradu? ally recovered but still remained a lower level at 7 d than 1 h. HNG significantly mitigated brain injury-induced increase in MDA and apoptosis at all time points (P<0.05). The time course of GSH expression followed a pattern similar to that of MDA. MDA expression was strongly positive correlated with the number of cell apoptosis (r=0.720, P<0.05), strongly neg?ative correlated with the level of SOD and GSH(r=-0.702, P<0.05;r=-0.674, P<0.05). Conclusions After brain injury, HNG inhibits oxidative stress levels and reduces apoptosis, thereby mitigating secondary brain injury.

OBJECTIVE:To observe the clinical efficacy of Hepatocyte growth-promoting factors(PHGF) combined with Wuji baifeng pills for liver cirrhosis. METHODS:A total of 97 patients with liver cirrhosis were randomly assigned to either control group(n=32,conventional therapy) or treatment group(n=65,PHGF plus Wuji baifeng pills in addition to routine treatment).The course of treatment was 3 months for both groups. Clinical data including cardinal symptoms and signs,hepatic function,blood clotting function,hepatic fibrosis parameters,the inner-diameter of the portal vein and splenic vein(PVD,SVD),spleen thickness(SPT) measured by the color Doppler ultrasonography were monitored before and after treatment. RESULTS:After treatment,the symptoms and signs of the treatment group had better improvement than in the control group,with a markedly higher total effective rate than in the control group(84.62% vs.59.38%,P

Objective To investigate the evidence of cortical reorganization in stroke hemiplegia treated with constraint-induced movement therapy(CIMT)by fMRI.Methods Five patients with chronic stroke were evaluated with the Action Research Arm Test(ARAT).The functional MRI(fMRI)was performed on a 3.0-T MRI with echo-planar imaging.The subjects were required to finish the finger-tapping task and undergo fMRI before and after CIMT.A block design was used for the inspection.Results After CIMT,the function of upper limb(sick side)of patients improved significantly assessed by ARAT(P<0.001),and cortical reorganization was found on fMRI.Conclusion CIMT can improve motor function of upper limb of chronic stroke patients with hemiplegia and induce cortical reorganization as measured by fMRI.

OBJECTIVETo determine the exact location of the opening of the ejaculatory duct in men and provide some basic anatomical evidence for seminal vesiculoscopy and the treatment of ejaculatory duct obstruction.

METHODSWe performed ureterocystoscopy for 21 male patients aged 26 - 47 years with hematuria (n = 12), hematospermia (n = 2), glandular cystitis (n = 6), and anejaculation after radical resection of rectal carcinoma (n = 1), and meanwhile, with the consent of the patients, massaged the prostate and ejaculatory duct and observed the outlet of the expelled fluid. Under the microscope, we described the fluid samples with sperm as the expulsion from the ejaculatory duct.

RESULTSUreterocystoscopy showed that the exact anatomical sites of the expulsion of prostatic fluid and semen in the patients were the side and lower side of the prostatic utricle opening above the verumontanum and the ventral side of the verumontanum. Quantities of sperm were found in the expulsion fluid of 13 of the patients, and no expulsion, including semen, was seen from the prostatic utricle opening.

CONCLUSIONAnatomically, the ejaculatory duct openings of males are located at the two sides of the verumontanum adjacent to the opening of the prostatic utricle, rather than in the prostatic utricle above the verumontanum.

Adult ; Cystoscopes ; Ejaculation ; physiology ; Ejaculatory Ducts ; anatomy & histology ; physiology ; Endoscopy ; instrumentation ; methods ; Hematuria ; Hemospermia ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Postoperative Complications ; Prostate ; anatomy & histology ; physiology ; Rectal Neoplasms ; surgery ; Semen ; secretion ; Spermatozoa

Professor LIN Lin's clinical experiences of comprehensive internal and external therapy for asthma was summarized in the paper. According to professor LIN Lin's experiences, asthma was differentiated as cold, heat, wind, stasis and deficiency pattern/syndrome in clinic. Asthma of cold type was treated with Xiao qinglong Decoction and Sanzi Yangqin Decoction combined with cupping, moxibustion, acupuncture and Bian stone therapy. Asthma of heat type was treated with Dingchuan Decoction combined with acupuncture, scraping therapy and moving cupping. Asthma of wind type was treated with Masu Erchen Decoction combined with acupuncture and cupping. Asthma of stasis type was treated with Xue fu Zhuyu Decoction combined with acupuncture, tapping manipulation, moving cupping and Bian stone therapy. Asthma of deficiency type was treated with Buzhong Yiqi Decoction, Shenge Shenqi Pill combined with warming needling therapy, acupoint injection and Bian stone therapy. A medical case was enclosed to explain the diagnosis and treatment idea "seeking the root cause of the disease in treatment" and "strengthening the antipathogenic qi to eliminate pathogenic factors" in the comprehensive internal and external therapy.
Acupuncture Therapy ; Aged ; Asthma ; drug therapy ; therapy ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Male

Background and purpose:Due to the lack of cost-effective pre-treatment predictors for advanced cervical squamous cell carcinomas treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT), both baseline circulating CD4+CD25+CD127Low/- regulatory T cell (Treg) count and serum squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC-Ag) level were measured for this feasibility study. Methods: Peripheral blood samples were collected from 44 patients with stageⅡB-ⅣA cervical squamous carcinomas before CCRT. Flow cytometry immunophenotyping and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were used for circulating CD4+CD25+CD127Low/-Treg count and serum SCC-Ag level testing,respectively. Clinical and pathological characteristics were retrospectively reviewed to analyze the predictive value of the 2 indexes. Results:The baseline circulating CD4+CD25+CD127Low/-Treg count was lower in the patient group with positive treatment response than in the group with negative response [(8.78±2.80)%vs (10.95±2.56)%, P<0.05], and the serum SCC-Ag level showed no signiifcant difference between the 2 groups. No correlation was detected between these 2 markers (Spearman’rho=-0.093, P=0.540). Determined by plotting receiver operating characteristic curves, the best cut-off points were 9.76%for circulating CD4+CD25+CD127Low/-Treg count and 9.50 ng/mL for serum SCC-Ag level, respectively. Univariate analysis showed that pretherapeutic circulating CD4+CD25+CD127Low/-Treg count (OR=1.901, 95%CI:1.112-3.219, P=0.017), but not serum SCC-Ag level (OR=0.998, 95%CI:0.001-4.253, P=0.897), was predictive of clinical response to CCRT. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis revealed that pre-treatment CD4+CD25+CD127Low/-Treg count was an independent predictor for clinical response to CCRT (OR=3.115, 95%CI:1.253-7.742, P=0.014). Conclusion:Pretherapeutic circulating CD4+CD25+CD127Low/-Treg count is a feasible method to predict clinical response to CCRT in patients with advanced cervical squamous cell carcinomas.