Objective To examine plasma adrenomedullin(ADM) levels in patients with IgA nephropathy,and investigate the correlation of plasma ADM and urinary albumin.Methods Specific radioimmunoassay was used to measure the plasma concentration of ADM in 35 patients with IgA nephropathy and 22 controls,and to analyse correlation of plasma ADM level and urinary albumin. Results The levels of plasma ADM (24 2?3 8)pg/ml was significantly higher in patients with IgA nephrophathy than that of controls(10 9?0 8)pg/ml)(P

Objective To investigate the role of osteopontin (OPN) in the pathogenesis ot cholesterol gallstone formation in bile.Methods The nucleation time of OPN in model bile and human gallbladder bile was studied by the nucleation time assay,the effect of OPN on cholesterol crystal growth in model bile was examined by the cholesterol crystal growth assay.The effect of OPN on vesicle was detected by the transmission electron microscopy in model bile and gallbladder bile; then the content of OPN and calcium were detected via the commercial kits in human bile.Results Osteopontin prolonged nucleation time in a dose dependent manner in model bile and human bile,and this effect was correlated with calcium.Compared with control group,the nucleation times were prolonged by 1.50and 1.93 times in lithogenic bile at the concentration of osteopontin 50 μg/ml and 100 μg/ml (P＜0.01),respectively. Nucleation time were prolonged by 1.17 and 1.33 times in normal bile (P＜0.01) and by 1.29 and 1.48 times in model bile (P＜0.01),respectively.The rate of cholesterol crystals growth was not influenced by calcium ions,but inhibited by osteopontin in a dose dependent manner in the model bile.Furthermore,the formation,aggregation and fusion of vesicles were delayed by osteopontin in bile samples as indicated by the transmission electron microscopy.The concentration of osteopontin [(0.53± 0.08) mg/ml vs. (0.65 ± 0.14) mg/ml,P＜0.05] and the calcium ions [ (0.71 ± 0.17) mmol/L vs. ( 0.84 ± 0.08 ) mmol/L,P ＜ 0.05 ] were lower in lithogenic bile than in control.Conclusions Osteopontin can inhibit the cholesterol gallstone formation in model and human gallbladder bile as the anti nucleating factor.

Objective To investigate the carotid atherosclerosis(AS) in hemodialysis(HD) patients.Methods Clinical index was measured and intma-media thickness(IMT) of extracranial common carotid artery and presence of atherosclerotic plaques were determined by high-resolution B-mode ultrasonography.Results The age,disease duration,HD duration,triglyceride(TG),low density lipoprotein(LDL),serum C-reactive protein(CRP),mean carotid artery IMT in HD with atherosclerotic plaque were significantly higher than HD without atherosclerotic plaque patients,however,the serum albumin(Alb) was significantly decreased.Mean carotid artery IMT is related to the disease duration,Alb,TG,LDL,CRP in HD patients.Conclusion The CRP,mean carotid artery IMT were increased in HD with atherosclerotic plaque.Mean carotid artery IMT is related to the disease duration,Alb,TG,LDL,CRP in HD patients.To improve malnutrition and decrease micro-inflammation,serum lipid might reduce the rate of AS in HD.

Objective To investigate safety and efficacy of dinoprostone suppositories(0.8 mm) used in cervical ripening and labor induction in women with term premature rupture of the membranes.Methods One hundred women of term monocyesis with premature rupture of the membranes,head presentation,bishop score less than 6(test group)and 180 women with intact fetal membranes(control group)were enrolled into this multicenter,prospective clinical study.The vaginal delivery system was inserted into the posterior foruix,and the patients were recumbent for 2 hours after insertion.The interval time from using dinoprostone suppositories to uterine contraction,to labor and delivery were recorded.The following index were also recorded and compared,including the mean inserted time of dinoprostone suppositories,fetal heart beat,meconium stained amniotic fluid,hyperstimulation of uterus and the other complications,mode of delivery,stage of labor,postpartum hemorrhage,status of neonates.Results Three cases intest group and 23 casesin control group weren't in labor within 24 hours.The rate of labor within 24 hours in test group was significant higher than that in control group(97.0% vs.87.2%,P<0.01).It was observed that 73 cases undergoing vaginal deliveries(75.3%,73/97)and 24 cases undergoing cesarean section dehveries(24.7%,24/97)in test group and 107 cases undergoing vaginal delivery(68.2%,107/157)and 50 cases undergoing cesarean section delivery(31.8%,50/157)in control group,when compared the rate of vaginal or cesarean section deliveries between two group,it didn't reach statistical difference (P >0. 05). It had no significant difference in the interval time from using dinoprostone suppositories to labor starting and the mean inserted time and the total labor time between two groups ( P > 0.05 ). The incidence of uterine tachysystole was 11.3% (11/97) in test group and 19. 1% (30/157) in control group (P>0. 05), which did not reach statistical difference (P>0. 05). There wasn't neonatal asphyxia in both groups. Conclusion It was safe and efficient to use dinoprostone suppositories for cervical ripening and induction of term pregnancy with premature rupture of the membranes, however, monitoring should be intensified.

Objective To investigate the role of osteopontin (OPN) in cholesterol gallstone formation.MethodsGallbladder bile was obtained from patients with cholelithiasis (n=36,the experimental group) and from donors of liver transplantation (n=19,the control group).OPN,calcium ion and lipid were analysed quantitively.The nucleating role of OPN in bile was evaluated using nucleating time (NT) approach.ResultsOPN inhibited cholesterol nucleation in a dose dependent manner.OPN (50 μg/ml and 100 μg/ml) prolonged NT by 48.90％ (91.51％) and 17.07％ (32.93％) in lithogenic and control bile,respectively.OPN (100 μg/ml) also inhibited the nucleating effect induced by calcium ion.Furthermore,a combination of OPN (50 μg/ml) and calcium prolonged NT by 75.78％ and 33.96％ in lithogenic and control bile,respectively.A combination of OPN (100 μg/ml) and calcium prolonged NT by 125.9％ and 62.26％ in the 2 groups.The contents of osteopontin and calcium were significantly lower in lithogenic bile than control bile (P＜0.05).On the other hand,the cholesterol saturation index and the contents of cholesterol,phospholipid and bile acid were significantly higher (P＜0.05).ConclusionsOPN inhibited cholesterol gallstone formation.It may be involved in the pathogenesis of cholelithiasis.

Objective To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of ELISA kit for cholesterol gallstone. Methods The ELISA kit of 33?500 vesicular protein was established by sandwich method, and the concentrations of the protein in gallbladder bile were examined among cholesterol, pigmental gallstone patients and control groups. Results The gallbladder 33?500 vesicular protein (213?70) ?g/ml is much higher in cholesterol gallstone patients than in pigmental gallstone patients (72?55) ?g/ml and control groups (65?52) ?g/ml (F=60.9, P

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the pro-nucleating activity in 33.5 x 10(3) vesicular protein.

METHODSThe model biles were established according Kibe and Zhu. The pro-nucleating activity of 33.5 x 10(3) vesicular protein were examined by polarized light microscopy. The protein and its enzymatic deglycosylation and proteolysis fractions nucleation promoting activity were detected by cholesterol crystal growth assay.

RESULTS33.5 x 10(3) vesicular protein displayed apparent potency of pro-nucleation with activity of 0.310, and derived crystal growth curve indices It, Ig, Ic were presented as 0.57, 1.52, 1.63 respectively, but after treated by N-glycanase enzyme and pronase, no promoting activity were found.

CONCLUSIONThe 33.5 x 10(3) vesicular protein may be involved in the nucleation process of gallstone formation, which is regulated by its peptide and sugar chain.

Bile ; metabolism ; Cholelithiasis ; physiopathology ; Cholesterol ; metabolism ; Humans ; Macromolecular Substances ; Microscopy ; Models, Biological ; Protein Transport ; Proteins ; metabolism

Objective To construct an in vitro"metabolic memory"cell model of HT-22 mouse hippocampal neurons induced by high glucose,and to investigate the effect of"metabolic memory"on apoptosis and histone acetylation in HT-22 cells.Methods HT-22 cells were cultured in high glucose medium(glucose concentration was 55 mmol/L)and conventional glucose medium(glucose concentration was 25 mmol/L),and cells were divided into the control group(NG 4,6 and 8 groups,25 mmol/L glucose was cultured for 4,6 and 8 days,respectively),the high glucose group(HG 4,6 and 8 groups,respectively)and the metabolic memory group(HG2NG2,HG2NG4,HG2NG6,HG4NG2 and HG4NG4 groups,high glucose culture for 2 days to 25 mmol/L glucose culture for 2,4 or 6 days,high glucose culture for 4 days to 25 mmol/L glucose culture for 2 or 4 days).Cell viability was detected by CCK-8 method.The release of lactate dehydrogenase(LDH)in cell culture supernatant was detected,and the optimal time to establish a"metabolic memory"model was selected.Subsequently,cells were divided into the NG4 group,the NG8 group,the HG4 group,the HG4NG4 group and the HG8 group,and the cell morphology of each group was observed by optical microscope.The apoptosis rate was detected by flow cytometry.The activities of deacetylase(HDAC)and histone acetyltransferase(HAT)were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA).Western blot assay was used to detect expression levels of histone deacetylase 4(HDAC4),B lymphocyte tumor 2(Bcl-2),Bcl-2 related X protein(Bax)and Caspase-3 protein.Results The HG4NG4 group was the ideal cell model with high glucose metabolic memory.Cells of the NG4 group and the NG8 group were interwoven into a dense network,growing well,with spindle shaped cells and distinct synaptic structures.However,in the HG4 group and the HG8 group,the cell body became round,synaptic structure disappeared and growth was inhibited.In the HG4NG4 group,the number of cells increased but their morphology was damaged.Results of flow cytometry showed that compared with the NG8 group,the apoptosis rates were significantly increased in the HG8 group and the HG4NG4 group(P＜0.05).ELISA results showed that compared with the NG8 group,the expression levels of HDAC4,Bax,and Caspase-3 proteins increased in the HG8 group and the HG4NG4 group,while the expression level of Bcl-2 protein significantly decreased(P＜0.05).Compared with the HG8 group,there were no significant differences in protein expression levels of HAT and HDAC in the HG4NG4 group.Western blot reslts showed that compared with the NG8 group,the levels of HDAC4,Bax and Caspase-3 protein increased in the HG8 group and the HG4NG4 group(P＜0.05).Compared with the HG8 group,there were no significant differences in protein expression levels in the HG4NG4 group.Conclusion HT-22 mouse hippocampal neurons cultured with 55mmol/L high glucose for 4 days,and then cultured with 25 mmol/L glucose for 4 days are the ideal"metabolic memory"cell model.The mechanism may be related to the increased activity of HDAC,HAT and HDAC4 expression in the hyperglycemic model.

OBJECTIVE To establish the fingerprint and multi-component content determination method of Crataegus pinnatifida leaves from different producing areas， and to evaluate the quality of C. pinnatifida leaves and screen the differential markers. METHODS Seventy-eight batches of C. pinnatifida leaves were collected from Chengde of Hebei Province， Huludao of Liaoning Province， Yuncheng of Shanxi Province and Linyi of Shandong Province. High-performance liquid chromatography （HPLC） and Similarity Evaluation System for Traditional Chinese Medicine Chromatographic Fingerprints （2012 edition） were used to draw the fingerprints and conduct similarity evaluation. Grey correlation analysis， cluster analysis （CA）， principal component analysis （PCA） and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis （OPLS-DA） were performed by using SPSS 19.0， MetaboAnalyst 5.0 and SIMCA 14.1 software. The differential markers affecting the quality of C. pinnatifida leaves were screened with variable importance in the projection （VIP） value greater than 1 and the error line not exceeding the origin as the criterion. Using vitexin rhamnoside as an internal reference， the contents of chlorogenic acid， glucosylvitexin， hypericin and isoquercetin in 78 batches of C. pinnatifida leaves were determined by the same HPLC combined with quantitative analysis of multi- components by single-marker （QAMS）， and the results were compared with external standard method. RESULTS Eight common peaks were calibrated in the fingerprints for 78 batches of C. pinnatifida leaves from 4 producing areas. Five known components were identified， including chlorogenic acid （peak 1）， glucosylvitexin （peak 3）， vitexin rhamnoside （peak 4）， hypericin （peak 7） and isoquercetin （peak 8）； their similarities ranged from 0.871 to 0.998. Average relative correlations of samples from Chengde of Hebei Province， Huludao of Liaoning Province， Yuncheng of Shanxi Province and Linyi of Shandong Province were 0.538， 0.528， 0.462 and 0.435， respectively. CA and PCA showed that the samples from Chengde of Hebei Province and Huludao of Liaoning Province were roughly classified into one category， while the samples from Linyi of Shandong Province and Yuncheng of Shanxi Province were roughly classified into one category； VIP values of peak 1， 2， 3 and 5 were all greater than 1. By QAMS， the relative correction factors of chlorogenic acid， glucosylvitexin， hypericin and isoquercetin were 0.401， 0.993， 1.670 and 1.615 （RSD＜2%）. Compared with external standard method， except for isoquercetin in the two batches of samples （S39 and S41）， there was no significant difference in the content of each component in other batches of samples （the relative deviations≤ 5%）. CONCLUSIONS The established fingerprint and QAMS method are simple to operate and can be used to evaluate the quality of C. pinnatifida leaves. The sample from Chengde of Hebei Province is relatively good in quality. Chlorogenic acid （peak 1）， glucosylvitexin （peak 3）， and the corresponding components of peaks 2 and 5 may be differential markers affecting the quality of C. pinnatifida leaves.

Heart failure is the leading cause of death worldwide. Compound Danshen Dripping Pill (CDDP) or CDDP combined with simvastatin has been widely used to treat patients with myocardial infarction and other cardiovascular diseases in China. However, the effect of CDDP on hypercholesterolemia/atherosclerosis-induced heart failure is unknown. We constructed a new model of heart failure induced by hypercholesterolemia/atherosclerosis in apolipoprotein E (ApoE) and LDL receptor (LDLR) dual deficient (ApoE^-/-LDLR^-/-) mice and investigated the effect of CDDP or CDDP plus a low dose of simvastatin on the heart failure. CDDP or CDDP plus a low dose of simvastatin inhibited heart injury by multiple actions including anti-myocardial dysfunction and anti-fibrosis. Mechanistically, both Wnt and lysine-specific demethylase 4A (KDM4A) pathways were significantly activated in mice with heart injury. Conversely, CDDP or CDDP plus a low dose of simvastatin inhibited Wnt pathway by markedly up-regulating expression of Wnt inhibitors. While the anti-inflammation and anti-oxidative stress by CDDP were achieved by inhibiting KDM4A expression and activity. In addition, CDDP attenuated simvastatin-induced myolysis in skeletal muscle. Taken together, our study suggests that CDDP or CDDP plus a low dose of simvastatin can be an effective therapy to reduce hypercholesterolemia/atherosclerosis-induced heart failure.