Objective: To study the anti inflammatory, antipyretic and analgetic actions of Kangleifengshi capsules. Methods: The anti inflammatory action was observed by adjuvant arthritis and other inflammatory models. The antipyretic action was surveyed by pyretic rat induced by yeast. The analgetic effect was tested by sprain mice. Results: The experiments proved that the capsule has significant preventing and treating effects on rat adjuvant arthritis, strong inhibition on many kinds of inflammatory models, antipyretic action on pyretic rat induced by yeast and notable angalgetic action on sprain mice induced by acetic acid. Conclusion: Kangleifengshi Capsules has better anti inflammatory, antipyretic and analgetic effects.

Objective: To explore the effect of different amounts of branches on medicinal quality of T. chinense. Methods: Wild T. chinense taken from Jurong, Guli, and Maoshan was used as experimental materials. T. Chinense was divided into five levels according to the number of branches. The first level has 1-3 branches, 4-6 branches as second. The third level has 7-9 branches, 10-20 branches as fourth, and the fifth level has 20 or more branches. Quality of T. chinense was measured by growth indicators and effective components. Results: The quality of T. chinense in different levels was significantly different. The difference of dry weight of T. chinense could be up to 25 times, fifth level was 5.710 6 g, but the first level was only 0.224 5 g. The content of effective components and branch number were negatively correlated, flavonoids and kaempferol contents of T. chinense in level 1 were significantly higher than those in other levels which were 4.02% and 3.38 mg/g. In different branches levels of T. chinense, there was a significant positive correlation between flavonoids and kaempferol contents, but there was a significant negative correlation between kaempferol content and root crude of T. chinense. Conclusion: The number of T. chinense branches has a great impact on its quality, the more branches, the higher yield, and the lower content of active ingredient.

In order to explore reasonable artificial cultivation pattern of Thesium chinense, the biological characteristics and nutrients change in the process of winter dormancy of T. chinense was studied. The phenological period of T. chinense was observed by using fixed-point notation and the starch grains changes were determined dynamically by PAS-vanadium iron hematoxylin staixjing method. Soluble sugar and starch content were measured by anthrone-sulfuric acid method and amylase activity was determined by DN'S method. The results showed that the normal life cycle of T. chinense was two years. T. chinense was growing by seed in the first year, but growing by the root neck bud in the second year. During the process of dormancy, starch and soluble sugar could mutual transformation in different periods. T. chinense had sufficient carbohydrate to maintain growth and also a lot of small molecules to improve their ability to fight against adversity.
Plant Dormancy ; Plant Leaves ; chemistry ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Plant Roots ; chemistry ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Plant Stems ; chemistry ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Santalaceae ; chemistry ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Seasons ; Starch ; analysis ; metabolism

Objective To explore the effect of carvedilol on ACE2 gene and protein expression in chronic heart failure rats after myocardial infarction.Methods The heart failure model was induced by acute myocardial infarc- tion (AMI) through ligating the left anterior descending coronary artery.One month after operation,rats were randomized to receive placebo or carvedilol 2 mg/(kg?d),by gavage.Sham-operated rats were used as the control group.Hemodynamies,body mass and left ventrieular mass index,plasma and myocardial level of angiotensin Ⅱ were determined.ACE2 gene and protein expression was assessed by using RT-PCR and Western Blot.Results The mortality of placebo and Carvedilol groups were 20%,compared with 0% in sham operated rats.Carvedilol significantly improved LVEDP,LVSP,+dp/dt_(max) and-dp/dt_(min) in CHF rats but all the hemodynamics data were still inferior than that of controls.Plasma and myocardial angiotensin Ⅱ level were increased significantly in CHF placebo rats than those of control rats (plasma Ang Ⅱ:CHF:194?19 vs controls:132?15 ng/L,myocardium Ang Ⅱ:CHF:6.7?0.4 vs control:3.8?0.3 ng/g,P

To separate and identify chemical signals which induce Thesium chinense haustorium formation, the components of T. chinense roots secretion collected with XAD-4 resin were detected by GC-MS. The effect of DMBQ as exogenous signals to induce haustorium formation in T. chinense was studied. Fifty-three compounds of 9 types had been detected, including hydrocarbons, esters, organic acids, ketones, alcohols, nitrogen containing compounds, phenolic acids, aldehyde and quinine. It is worth noting that the 2, 5-di-tert-butyl-1,4-benzoquinone has the core structure of 1,4-benzoquinone, which may play an important role in the parasitic relationship of Prunella vulgaris and T. chinense: DMBQ worked effectively on inducing haustoria, but induction effects vary widely in different concentrations. DMBQ with the concentration of 1 μmol x L(-1) showed the best effect of the inducing ability with a ratio of 110.52 when treated to induce haustoria.
Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry ; Host-Parasite Interactions ; Magnoliopsida ; chemistry ; physiology ; Plant Roots ; chemistry ; physiology ; Prunella ; chemistry ; physiology

Adolescent ; Apolipoproteins E ; blood ; Humans ; Hyperlipoproteinemias ; complications ; Hypolipidemic Agents ; therapeutic use ; Kidney Diseases ; blood ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Kidney Glomerulus ; blood supply ; pathology ; Male ; Thrombosis ; pathology

OBJECTIVETo explore the role of tissue factor/activated factor VII (TF/FVIIa) complex in human ovarian cancer invasion and metastasis.

METHODS(1) Constructed an expression vector of TF, pcDNA3-TF and established a human ovarian cell line A2780/TF expressing high level TF by using molecular cloning and gene transfection techniques. (2) By Boyden chamber assay to count the numbers of A2780 and A2780/TF cells that penetrated the matrigel to the back of PVPF membrane after FVIIa stimulation. (3) BALB/c nude mice were used to establish experimental model of metastasis with A2780 or A2780/TF and the lung tissue sections were examined by microscopy for cancer metastasis.

RESULTS(1) Compared with their parental A2780 cells, A2780/TF cells expressed high level of TF mRNA (3.99 +/- 0.15 vs 0.97 +/- 0.23, P < 0.01) and TF antigen on cell surface \[(48.56 +/- 9.53)% vs (2.73 +/- 1.15)%, P < 0.01\]. (2) After stimulation, the A2780/TF cell number on the back of PVPF membrane increased from basal level 157.3 +/- 19.2 to 447.7 +/- 39.4 (P < 0.01), which could decreased to basal level when coincubated with anti-TF antibody. (3) Cancer metastasis was found in 22.2% of nude mice transplanted with A2780 cells, while in 88.9% of those transplanted with A2780/TF cells.

CONCLUSIONTF could promote the invasion and metastasis of human ovarian cancer cells through TF/FVIIa pathway.

Animals ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Movement ; Cloning, Molecular ; Factor VIIa ; genetics ; physiology ; Female ; Genetic Vectors ; Humans ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Mice, Nude ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Neoplasm Transplantation ; Ovarian Neoplasms ; genetics ; pathology ; Thromboplastin ; genetics ; physiology ; Transfection ; Transplantation, Heterologous

OBJECTIVETo construct the expression vector of human tissue factor (TF), and investigate the influence of TF/coagulant factor VIIa (FVIIa) complex on the transcriptional expression of urokinase plasminogen activator (u-PA) and u-PA receptor (u-PAR) in human ovarian cancer.

METHODSThe human TF cDNA was obtained from placenta by RT-PCR and then inserted into eukaryotic expression vector pcDNA3 to obtain the TF-pcDNA3 combinant. This combinant was transfected into human ovarian cancer cell line A2780 by lipofectamine. Stably-transfected cells A2780/TF were screened. A2780 and A2780/TF cell lines were stimulated by FVIIa respectively, and the transcriptional levels of u-PA and u-PAR were examined by RT-PCR.

RESULTS(1) The constructed product was identified as TF-pcDNA3 combinant by sequencing. (2) TF was highly expressed not only at transcriptional level in the stable-transfected A2780/TF cell (transfected cell 3.91 +/- 0.28, untransfected cell 0.97 +/- 0.23, P < 0.01), but also on the membrane of the cell surface [transfected cell (48.56 +/- 9.53)%, untransfected cell (2.73 +/- 1.15)%, P < 0.01]. (3) The u-PA and u-PAR mRNA levels in A2780 cell line did not change significantly after stimulated by FVIIa; (4) While stimulated by FVIIa, the u-PAR mRNA levels in A2780/TF cells increased significantly in both dose-dependent and time-dependent manner, while the u-PA mRNA levels did not change significantly; (5) In the A2780/TF cell line the enhanced expression of u-PAR mRNA by FVIIa was significantly inhibited by coincubated with anti-TF antibody.

CONCLUSIONTF/FVIIa complex could up-regulate the transcription of u-PAR in human ovarian cancer cells so as to enhance tumor invasion and metastasis.

Cell Line, Tumor ; Factor VIIa ; genetics ; metabolism ; Female ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Humans ; Ovarian Neoplasms ; genetics ; metabolism ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; metabolism ; Receptors, Urokinase Plasminogen Activator ; genetics ; metabolism ; Thromboplastin ; genetics ; metabolism ; Up-Regulation ; Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator ; genetics ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo study the prevalence and clinical characteristics of the A to G mutation at nucleotide 3243 of the mitochondrial tRNA(Leu(UUR)) gene in familial diabetes in Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang Province of China.

METHODSThe mt3243 A to G mutation in 770 randomly selected, unrelated probands of diabetic pedigrees were screened by PCR-RFLP technique and PCR-direct sequencing. Genetic and clinical analyses were further performed in the probands and their family members.

RESULTSThirteen diabetic patients (13/770, 1.69%) with mt3243 A to G mutation were detected. Eleven diabetic patients and 8 normal glucose tolerance (NGT) first-degree relatives of these 13 probands were also found bearing the mutation. Seventeen patients were associated with sensory hearing loss. In the 24 patients harboring the mutation, the majority had lower body mass index (BMI), 18 showed typical maternal inheritance, 15 had sensory hearing loss, 13 had insulin resistance and 14 required insulin therapy due to secondary failure to oral hypoglycemic agents.

CONCLUSIONThe mutation of mt3243 A to G in the mitochondrial tRNA(Leu(UUR)) gene is an important cause of diabetes in Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang Province of China. Mitochondrial gene mutation diabetes (MDM) is clinically characterized by early onset, emaciation, maternal inheritance, sensorineural hearing loss, and lower islet beta cell function, and some have insulin resistance.

Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; genetics ; China ; epidemiology ; DNA, Mitochondrial ; genetics ; Deafness ; genetics ; Diabetes Mellitus ; genetics ; Genetic Testing ; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural ; genetics ; Humans ; Insulin Resistance ; genetics ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Mutation ; Prevalence ; RNA, Transfer, Amino Acyl ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo explore the changes on the content of substrate, the activity of correlative enzyme and the mRNA and protein expressions of beta(3)-adrenoceptor and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARalpha) in human failing heart.

METHODPapillary muscles from 20 patients with heart failure during mitral valves replacement and 6 control subjects died of non-cardiac accidents were obtained and free fat acid (FFA), lactic acid (LD) and the activity of Na(+)K(+)-ATPase and Ca(2+)Mg(2+)-ATPase, protein and mRNA expressions of beta(3)-adrenergic receptor and PPARalpha were measured.

RESULTIn the failing heart, the contents of fat acid, LD and expression of beta(3)-adrenoceptor mRNA and protein were significantly higher while the activity of Na(+)K(+)-ATPase and Ca(2+)Mg(2+)-ATPase, expressions of PPARalpha at mRNA and protein levels were significantly lower than those in control myocardium.

CONCLUSIONMetabolic remodeling (upregulation of beta(3)-adrenoceptor and downregulation of PPARalpha) might contribute to the pathophysiology of heart failure.

Adult ; Female ; Heart Failure ; metabolism ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Myocardium ; metabolism ; PPAR alpha ; metabolism ; Receptors, Adrenergic, beta-3 ; metabolism