Objective To investigate the phenotypes and expression of activated T-cell membrane molecules on lymphocytes in the peripheral blood(PB) of children with aplastic anemia (AA) and find out its clinical significance.Methods The lymphocytes from PB of the 115 AA patients were analyzed by flow cytometry and compared with normal group.Results The expression of CD8+ increased and the expression of CD4+ decreased. The ratio of CD4/CD8 cells decreased ,and was more significant in the patients with serious AA(SAA). The expression of HLA-DR and ??T-cell also increased, and was more significant in SAA patients. The expression of CD3+ was not significantly changed.Conclusions There is significant immune abnormal in AA patients and more important in SAA patients. The immunosuppressant is useful in clinical treatment.

OBJECTIVETo compare therapeutic effects of herb-partitioned spread moxibustion and western medicine on chronic nonspecific ulcerative colitis.

METHODSSixty cases were randomly divided into a spread moxibustion group (n = 28) and a western medicine group (n = 32). The spread moxibustion group was treated with herb-partitioned spread moxibustion at lower limb around stomach meridian, abdomen region around Guanyuan (CV 4) and lower Jiaji (EX B 2) points; and the western medicine group was treated with oral administration of Sulfasalazine. Their therapeutic effects were observed after treatment.

RESULTSThe cured-markedly effective rate was 71.4% (20/ 28) in the spread moxibustion group, and 25.0% (8/32) in the western medicine group, the former was better than the latter (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSThe therapeutic effect of herb-partitioned spread moxibustion for treatment of chronic nonspecific ulcerative colitis is better than that of the oral administration of Sulfasalazine with less adverse reaction, and is worth popularizing in clinic.

Acupuncture Points ; Adult ; Chronic Disease ; therapy ; Colitis, Ulcerative ; drug therapy ; therapy ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Meridians ; Middle Aged ; Moxibustion ; Young Adult

Patients with multiple myeloma (MM) have increased constantly in recent years, but treatment for patients with MM is currently unsatisfactory and it is necessary to develop new complementary therapies. Dendritic cells (DCs) are specialized antigen-presenting cells capable of initiating and regulating immune responses. Vaccination with tumor antigen-pulsed DCs has shown to be safe and possesses therapeutic effect against many tumors. In this review, the various types of MM-associated antigens and clinical trials on DC-based immunotherapy in MM are summarized, the development of DC immunotherapy for MM patients in future trials is discussed.
Cancer Vaccines ; immunology ; therapeutic use ; Dendritic Cells ; immunology ; Humans ; Immunotherapy ; Multiple Myeloma ; therapy

BACKGROUND:As a noticeable tissue engineering material of polyhy droxyalka noates family, poly (3-hydroxybutyrate-co-4-hydroxybutyrate)(P3HB4HB) exhibitsgood biocompatibility, adhesion and mechanicalproperties, presenting aextensive application future in tissue-engineered research.
OBJECTIVE:To investigate the biocompat ibilityin vitroand ectopic osteogenic differentiationin vivoof P3HB4HB and human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cels.
METHODS:Passage 5human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cels transplanted ontothe three-dimensional P3HB4HB scaffoldwereincubated with osteogenic induction medium (test group)or with no osteogenic induction(control group), respectively. After 5-day incubation, thecelgrowth was assessed by acridine orange staining and scanning electron microscopy; after14-day incubation, both kinds of cel-scaffold composites were subcutaneously implanted into the nude mice. At 16 weeks after implantation, the cel-scaffold composites were removed to observeectopic osteogenic differentiationin vivousing hematoxylin-eosin staining, von Kossa staining and colagen type I immunohistochemical staining.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Acridine orange staining showed that cels adhered wel on the surface of the scaffold;under thescanning electron microscope, induced celsgrew wel on the P3HB4HB scaffold and produced abundant extracelular matrixes. In addition, at 16 weeks after implantation, there were osteoidtissues in the test group, positive for von Kossa staining as wel as colagen type I immunohistochemical staining;furthermore, hematoxylin-eosin staining showednumerous osteoblasts and bone lacunas. In contrast, no bone tissues appeared in the control group. To conclude, P3HB4HB is a suitable material for bone tissue engineering.

AIMIn order to evaluate the regulatory effects of nucleotides and adenosine on ATP-sensitive potassium channel (K(ATP)) in artery smooth muscles, the effects of them on vascular relaxation induced by K(ATP) opener pinacidil(Pin) were investigated.

METHODSThe isolated endothelium- denuded aorta rings were preincubated with nucleotides or nucleotides and glibenclamide (Gli) for 10 min, the vascular relaxation induced by Pin in aorta precontracted with 20 mmol x L(-1) KCl was observed.

RESULTSAfter the isolated endothelium-denuded aorta rings were preincubated with ATP, ADP, UDP, GTP and adenosine (Ade) 100 micromol x L(-1) respectively, the vascular relaxation induced by Pin was changed as following: (1) ATP could inhibit the K(ATP) activation by Pin and enhance the blockade of K(ATP) by Gli. (2) ADP could inhibit the K(ATP) activation by Pin and attenuate the blockade of K(ATP) by Gli. (3) The regulatory effect of Ade on K(ATP) was similar with that of ADP. (4) UDP could enhance the K(ATP) activation by Pin and attenuate the blockade of K(ATP) by Gli. (5) GTP could enhance the K(ATP) activation by Pin, but had no effects on the blockade of K(ATP) by Gli.

CONCLUSIONNucleotides and adenosine, related to energy metabolism, could modulate the functions of K(ATP) in vascular smooth muscle. But their pharmacological characteristics were different.

Animals ; Aorta ; cytology ; drug effects ; Glyburide ; pharmacology ; In Vitro Techniques ; KATP Channels ; metabolism ; Male ; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular ; drug effects ; Nucleotides ; pharmacology ; Pinacidil ; pharmacology ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Vasodilator Agents ; pharmacology

OBJECTIVETo investigate the association of -689C/T polymorphism in the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma2 (PPARgamma2) promoter with myocardial infarction (MI).

METHODSThis is a case-control study, which included 194 subjects with MI and 693 subjects without MI in nondiabetic Han population in Wuhan. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism was used to determine the -689C-->T substitution.

RESULTSThe CC,CT, and TT genotype frequencies of -689C/T polymorphism were 88.1%,11.9%,and 0.0 in MI patients and 93.1%,6.6%,and 0.3% in controls, respectively (CC vs. CT+TT, P=0.025). The -689T allele was an independent risk factor for MI (OR=2.125, 95%CI: 1.206-3.744, P=0.009) after adjusting for age,sex,waist circumference,body mass index, smoking, alcohol drinking, physical activities, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, total cholesterol, triglyceride, level. The -689T allele carriers had significantly higher TC levels than noncarriers [(5.05+/-1.16) mmol/L vs. (4.78+/-1.05) mmol/L, P=0.004] in the total population.

CONCLUSIONThe PPARgamma2 promoter -689C/T polymorphism is associated with an increased risk of MI.

Adult ; Aged ; Alleles ; Case-Control Studies ; Female ; Genotype ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Myocardial Infarction ; genetics ; PPAR gamma ; genetics ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Promoter Regions, Genetic ; genetics ; Risk Factors

OBJECTIVEThis study examined the levels of exhaled nitric oxide (eNO) and peripheral blood eosinophils (EOS) as well as the correlation between the two markers in children with bronchial asthma (AS),AS complicated by allergic rhinitis (AS/AR) and chronic cough variant asthma (CVA), in order to explore the value of eNOS detection in children with AS.

METHODSThe eNO level was measured using light-emitting electrochemical photometry in 12 children with AS, 29 children with AS/AR and 10 children with CVA. Peripheral blood EOS was counted by blood cell counter (Coulter JT). Forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) was assessed by lung function measurement. Thirty children without atopic disease and acute respiratory infection as well as without a family history of atopic diseasea served as the control group.

RESULTSThe levels of eNO and blood EOS in the AS, the AS/AR and the CVA groups were significantly higher than those in the control group (p<0.01). The AS/AR group showed increased levels of eNO (50.3 + or - 6.7 ppb) and EOS (5.9 + or -4.2 x 109 ) compared with the AS (30.5 + or - 8.8 ppb and 4.2 + or - 3.2 x 109 respectively) and the CVA groups (26.0 + or - 3.2 ppb and 3.7 + or - 6.9 x 109 respectively) (p<0.05). There were no significant differences in eNO and EOS levels between the AS and the CVA groups. The eNO level was positively correlated with the EOS level (r=0.51, p<0.05), but not with FEV1 (r=0.144, p>0.05) in the AS group.

CONCLUSIONSNO is highly expressed in children with symptoms of atopy and can reflect the levels of eosinophilic airway inflammation in children with AS.

Adolescent ; Asthma ; blood ; physiopathology ; Breath Tests ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Eosinophils ; physiology ; Female ; Forced Expiratory Volume ; Humans ; Male ; Nitric Oxide ; metabolism

OBJECTIVESTo determine the expression of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) in testis and to investigate the effects of NO on the reproductive function of testis.

METHODSTestes of adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde. The paraffin sections were made as routine. Immunohistochemical ABC method was used to observe the localization of NOS.

RESULTSEndothelia NOS (eNOS), neuronal NOS (nNOS) and inductive NOS (iNOS) were all expressed in Leydig cells. Only eNOS was expressed in peritubular myoid cells, endothelial and smooth muscle cells of blood vessel, while only nNOS expressed in tunica adventitia of testicular blood vessels. The reactive substance distributes in cytoplasm with negative nuclei. Immunoreactivity for eNOS, nNOS and iNOS in all spermatogenic cells was negative.

CONCLUSIONSThree kinds of NOS were all expressed in testis and the distribution of different NOS had a little difference.

Animals ; Immunohistochemistry ; Male ; Nitric Oxide ; biosynthesis ; Nitric Oxide Synthase ; analysis ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Testis ; enzymology

By referred to a lot of data, some new drug delivery systems(DDSs) including the Sustained and Controlled DDS, the Targeted DDS, the Transdermal DDS, the Bioadhensive DDS, the PowderJect DDS and the Self-Emulsifying DDS and their applications in TCD since 2000, will be summarized and some latest DDSs in the world including drug-eluting stents, gene therapy carrier system, biological chip, biomolecular motor-powered nanodevice and nanotrap will be also introduced in this paper. The objective of this paper is to introduce the new DDSs proceedings of and their applications in the Traditional Chinese Drugs(TCDs) and to provide some references for the pharmaceutics of TCD. For several recent years, the great success have been achieved in studying the new DDS application in the change of preparation of TCD by the investigators at home, but there is a large difference between at home and at board. So it is necessary to make a greater advance. During the modernization of TCD, there is an effective way that the new drug delivery systems(DDSs) will be applied in the change of the preparation of TCD.
Administration, Cutaneous ; Animals ; Delayed-Action Preparations ; Drug Administration Routes ; Drug Carriers ; Drug Delivery Systems ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; isolation & purification ; Humans ; Nanotechnology ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Skin Absorption ; Technology, Pharmaceutical

OBJECTIVETo investigate the degradation of artificial basement membrane (matrigel) co-cultured with oral carcinoma-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and its possible mechanism.

METHODSCAFs and normal fibroblasts (NFs) were incubated on matrigel for 24, 48, 72 h. Equivalent amounts of conditioned medium were collected and assayed for total protein, hydroxyproline and matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) activity by gelatin zymography.

RESULTSOral CAFs were superior to oral NFs in total protein and hydroxyproline density, CAFs present more pro-MMP-2 and activated MMP-2.

CONCLUSIONCAFs were superior to NFs in degradation of matrigel. CAFs might play a key role in the reconstitution of extracellular matrix and the progression of tumor.

Basement Membrane ; Coculture Techniques ; Enzyme Precursors ; Fibroblasts ; Gelatinases ; Humans ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 ; Membranes, Artificial ; Mouth Neoplasms