Objective To investigate the dynamic change of serum Hcy level in patients with non-small lung cancer when under-going chemotherapy,and to study the value of monitoring serum Hcy for chemotherapy efficieney in non-small-cell carcinoma.Meth-ods In our study,we enrolled 62 patients with non-small-cell carcinoma when undergoing chemotherapy.The concentrations of ho-mocysteine,carcino-embryonic antigen and cytokeratin 1 9 fragments were detected,and then these results were analyzed by statisti-cal methods.Results Compared with before treatment,the serum homocysteine,carcino-embryonic antigen and cytokeratin 1 9 frag-ments levels in patients who had effective response decreased.After 2 courses of chemotherapy,the levels of the three markers were significantly lower than those detected before chemotherapy (P <0.05).But at the end of the first course,the serum hcy level was significantly lower than that detected before chemotherapy.There was no significant difference in the levels of the serum three markers in non-responders between before and after chemotherapy (P >0.05).The positive rates of the three markers were statisti-cally significant between single lung squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma of the non-small-cell carcinoma.Conclusion The detection of the dynamic changes of serum Hcy in patients with non-small-cell carcinoma when undergoing chemotherapy is useful in evaluating the effect of chemotherapy and tumor activity.

Objective To study the anti-duck hepatitis B virus (DHBV) action of limax polysaccharide. Methods 1-day old Beijing ducklings with congenital infection of DHBV were used as the animal model and were days. The expression of DHBV-DNA was detected by dot-blot hybridization test before treatment, five days and ten days after treatment. Results After medicated with Limax polysaccharide for five days and for ten days. The optic density value(OD value) of DHBV-DNA in ducklings serum were obviusly lower than that before treatment. There was significant difference between them. The inhibition rote of limax polysacchatide compared with the model group is markedly improved. Conclusion Limax polysaccharide can protect duck liver against inflammation by the inhibition of DHBV.

In 2012, a new SARS-like coronavirus emerged in the Middle East, namely the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). It has caused outbreaks with high mortality. During infection of target cell, MERS-CoV S protein S1 subunit binds to the cellular receptor (DPP4), and its S2 subunit HR1 and HR2 regions intact with each other to form a stable six-helix bundle to mediate the fusion between virus and target cell membranes. Hence, blocking the process of six-helix bundle formation can effectively inhibit MERS-CoV entry into the target cells. This review focuses on the recent advance in the development of peptidic entry inhibitors targeting the MERS-CoV S2 subunit.

OBJECTIVETo explore the working mechanism and age-related change of the conflict processing system of the frontal cortex.

METHODSFifteen normal elderly people and 15 youth were performed a modified Eriksen flanker paradigm, while event-related potential (ERPs), which include 32 systerm electroencephalography, reaction time and correct rate were recorded.

RESULTSThe elderly group showed a distinct effect of reaction time and effect of conflict in the respond level compared with the youth group. The elderly group had a longer time window of N380 and same amplitude as the youth group. Low resolution brain electromagnetic tomography (LORETA) showed the bilateral temporal lobe and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (especially right) were activated in the youth group, while the left temporal lobe, the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and left medial frontal gyrus were activated in the elderly group.

CONCLUSIONWhen conflict stimuli existed in the response level, old people showed frontal interference control hypofunction. N380 reflected the activation of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the left temporal lobe during response selection and executive control processing in older people.

Adolescent ; Aged ; Aging ; Electroencephalography ; Evoked Potentials ; Frontal Lobe ; physiology ; Humans ; Prefrontal Cortex ; physiology ; Reaction Time ; Temporal Lobe ; physiology

BACKGROUND:The kidney tissues easily affected exercise ischemia reperfusion, increased free radicals and inflammation, resulted in abnormal renal function after acute exercise. OBJECTIVE:To observe the influence of Blackcurrant Extract on the structure of kidney and expression of tumor necrosis factor-α and nuclear factor-κB at 24 hours after exhaustiveexercise. METHODS:A total of 30 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into three groups (n=10). Rats in the Blackcurrant Extract group were intragastricaly administered 0.44 g/kg Blackcurrant Extract. Rats in the quietness control group and 24-hour exhaustive exercise group were intragastricaly given an equal volume of distiled water for 6 consecutive weeks. Rats in the 24-hour exhaustive exercise group and Blackcurrant Extract group received no swimming motion until exhaustion fatigue after final intragastric administration. Twenty-four hours later, samples were obtained. Kidney tissue morphology and ultrastructure were observed by electron microscopy and light microscopy. Protein expression of tumor necrosis factor-α and nuclear factor-κB was detected using immunohistochemistry. Tumor necrosis factor-αmRNA and nuclear factor-κB mRNA expression was detected using RT-PCR. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Compared with the quietness control group, tumor necrosis factor-α protein and nuclear factor-κB protein expression in the kidney was higher in the 24-hour exhaustive exercise group, and tumor necrosis factor-α mRNA and nuclear factor-κB mRNA expression was significantly increased (P < 0.01). Compared with the 24-hour exhaustive exercise group, tumor necrosis factor-α protein and nuclear factor-κB protein expression was lower in the Blackcurrant Extract group, and nuclear factor-κB mRNA expression was significantly decreased (P < 0.05); tumor necrosis factor-α mRNA expression was significantly reduced (P < 0.01). Kidney in the 24-hour exhaustive exercise group showed obvious morphological changes and ultrastructural damage. The structure of the kidney in the Blackcurrant Extract group tended to be normal. Results suggested that Blackcurrant Extract can repair the kidney tissue injury, reduce the expression of inflammatory factors, and prevent inflammatory damage in the kidney at 24 hours after exhaustive exercise.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of Zuogui pill, Yougui pill and the relative compositions on the differentiation towards germ cells of stem cells.

METHODThe rat drug sera for Zuogui pill, Yougui pill and the common composition of Zuogui pill and Yougui pill were prepared respectively as the experimental drugs; the mouse embryonic stem cell 1B10 (MESC-1B10) was used as the representative of stem cells; the above rat drug sera were used to intervene MESC-1B10 and the process was traced by microscopy imaging; after 72 h of the intervention, the RNAs were extracted from the different intervened MESC-1B10, cDNAs were synthesized immediately and finally the Real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) was used to measure the expression patterns of the 10 reproductive-differentiation-related genes for each intervention.

RESULTThe rat drug serum of Zuogui pill (ZGW-RS) significantly up-regulated Oct-4 and SCP3 and significantly down-regulated GDF-9 and Stra8; the rat drug serum of Yougui pill (ZGW-RS) significantly up-regulated Oct-4, GDF-9, Mvh and SCP3 and significantly down-regulated Stra8, Itga6 and Itgb1; the rat drug sera for the common composition of Zuogui pill and Yougui pill (ZGWYGW-RS) significantly up-regulated Oct-4, SCP3 and ZP3 and significantly down-regulated GDF-9, Stra8, Itga6 and Itgb1.

CONCLUSIONZGW-RS can initiate the change towards meiosis, but can not start the reproductive differentiation of MESC-1B10; YGW-RS can initiate the change towards meiosis, and can also start the reproductive differentiation of MESC-1B10 towards female germ cells; ZGWYGW-RS can initiate the change towards meiosis, and can lightly start the reproductive differentiation of MESC-1B10 towards female germ cells but the inductive effect is smaller than YGW-RS. The experimental results, on one hand, strengthen the knowledge about the influence of the relative compositions of Zuogui pill and Yougui pill on the reproductive differentiation of stem cells, on the other hand, help to explain the mechanism of the treatment of the infertility by Zuogui pill and Yougui pill.

Animals ; Cell Differentiation ; drug effects ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Embryonic Stem Cells ; cytology ; drug effects ; Female ; Germ Cells ; cytology ; drug effects ; Infertility ; drug therapy ; Male ; Mice ; NIH 3T3 Cells ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

Objective To clarify the association of onset and maintenance of metabolic syndrome (MS) with energy metabolism imbalance,especially with dialysate glucose load in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients.Methods Using retrospective self-controlled study,the changes of MS,dialysate glucose load and dietary energy intake (DEI) in 126 PD patients in about 1 year were collected and analyzed to define the effect of energy intake on MS.Resting energy expenditure (REE) was measured and physical activity level (PAL) was evaluated based on the activity records in PD patients with unchanged MS state and their impacts on MS were analyzed.Results The incidence of changing from non-MS to MS was higher in glucose load increasing group than that of glucose load unchanged or decreasing group.When glucose load increased,patients developing MS had significantly increased serum triglyceride (TG) level (P＜0.01) and significantly decreased serum high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) level (P＜0.05),while the waist circumference and blood glucose level did not alter significantly.In patients changing from MS to non-MS,their serum C reactive protein (CRP) levels significantly decreased during the follow-up (P＜0.05).No significant difference was found in DEI in patients changing from MS to non-MS.However,in patients changing from non-MS to MS,their DEI decreased during the follow up (P＜0.05).In a subgroup analysis in 36 PD patients who maintained their metabolic status and did not change their glucose load,there was no difference in REE per body surface per day between the MS group and the nonMS group (t=0.840,P＞0.05).However,the PAL was lower in the MS group than that of the nonMS group (t=2.358,P＜0.05).Conclusions The increase of dialysate glucose load may be an important factor leading to the onset of MS,by altering serum TG and HDL-C level.Inflammation and the sedentary life also contribute to the MS state.

Objective To investigate the correlation of blood glucose,blood pressure and body weight with pancreatic cancer.Methods From January 2011 to December 2013,110 patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in our hospital were selected as the observation group and 110 agematched cases without cancer during the same period were selected as the control group.The percentages of patients with diabetes,hypertension and elevated body mass index (BMI) were analyzed in both groups.Results The number of patients with diabetes was higher in the observation group than in the control group (32 cases or 29.1％ vs.16 cases or 14.6％,P＜0.05).The proportions of pancreatic cancer patients with diabetes duration ≤ 2 years,2～5 years and 5～10 years were higher in the observation group than in the control group (P＜0.05).The proportion of subjects with increased BMI was higher in the observation group than in the control group (24.6％ or 27cases vs.10.9％ or 12 cases,P＜0.05).The proportions of patients with diabetes combined with increased BMI and of patients with hypertension and increased BMI were higher in the observation group than in the control group (17.3％ or 19 cases vs.2.7％ or 3 cases,10.9％ or 12 cases vs.2.7％ or 3 cases,respectively,P＜ 0.05 for both).Conclusions Diabetes,hypertension,and elevated BMI can be considered as risk factors for pancreatic cancer,and it is possible that these factors are involved in the development of pancreatic cancer.

Achalasia is an esophageal motility disorder involving the smooth muscle layer of the esophagus and the lower esophageal sphincter. It is characterized by difficulty swallowing, regurgitation, and sometimes chest pain. Peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) was developed by Inoue to provide a less invasive permanent treatment for esophageal achalasia. We applied this method to cure successfully a 47-year-old female with achalasia. The procedure was as follows: after creating submucosal tunnel, endoscopic myotomy of circular muscle bundles was carried out at approximately 16 cm in total length ( 15 cm in distal esophagus and 1 cm in cardia). Smooth passing of endoscope through gastroesophageal junction was confirmed at the end of the procedure. The third day after POEM, the barium meal examination revealed the barium smoothly passed though the cardia. The short-term outcome of POEM for achalasia was excellent, and further studies on long-term efficacy and on comparison of POEM with other interventional therapies are awaited.

Objective To investigate the effects of subthalamic nucleus (STN)-deep brain stimulation (DBS) on expression of dopamine and adenosine 3'5'-monophosphate-regulated phosphor-protein(DARPP-32) and its phosphorylated proteins in corpus striatum of rat models with levodopa-induced dyskinesia. Methods The rat models of levodopa-induced dyskinesia were set up and were given STN-DBS (stimulation group). The expression of DARPP-32 and its phosphorylated proteins in corpus striatum (damage side and normal side) were detected and compared with sham-stimulation group and sham-operation group. Results There was no significant difference in the expression of DARPP-32 total protein in corpus striatum of rats with dyskinesia among three groups (P>0.05). The expression of Phosphor-Thr34-DARPP-32 protein in the damage side of corpus striatum in stimulation group was significantly lower than that in sham-stimulation group and sham-operation group (P<0.05), while the expression of Phosphor-Thr75-DARPP-32 protein in the damage side of corpus striatum in stimulation group was significantly higher than that in sham-stimulation group and sham-operation group (P<0.05). Conclusion DARPP-32 and its phosphorylated proteins play an important role in the pathogenesis of levodopa-induced dyskinesia.