Objective: To investigate the anti-fungal activities of 20 tetralin compounds in vitro. Methods: We adopted the M27-A project recommended by the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standard (NCCLS). Tetralin compounds were tested and selected with several candidal strains and non-candidal strains with different susceptibilities to fluconazole. After obtaining the susceptibility results, we plotted the time-growth curves of several typical tetralin compounds, including compound 22-1, 31-1 and their muriate 22, 31, as well as compound 34-1, 26-1 and their bromate 34, 26. The combination effects of compound 22, 26, 34, 31-1 with other anti-fungal agents (with different structures) were also determined. Results: The 20 tetralin compounds were proven to have different degrees of anti-fungal activities. Compound 31-1 had a stronger anti-fungal activity to FLC-susceptible strains than fluconazole did, and its effect lasted for over 54 h at the concentration of 6 μg/ml. Compounds 22-1 and 22 markedly suppressed the growth of Candida albicans, Candida parapsilosis, and Trichophyton rubrum, with all the MIC50 values less than 0.125 μg/ml. Time-growth curves indicated that the anti-fungal activity of 22-1 on fluconazole-resistant strain was more powerful than that of ketoconazole. Furthermore, tetralin compounds had a synergistic effect with terbinafine and berberine on fluconazole-resistant strains. Conclusion: Tetralin compounds have powerful anti-fungal activities and their structures are different from those of other anti-fungal agents currently used, which provide a basis for developing new anti-fungal agents.

With the wide use of azoles, drug tolerance and cross tolerance of Candida albicands has seriously hampered the clinical treatments of Candida albicands. New antifungal agents (potent and effective) have been developed over the past years based on the discovery of many new target sites of Candida albicands. For example, Echinocandins (caspofungin and micafungin), aiming at the cell wall of Candida albicands, showed strong antifungal activities to fluconazole resistant candidas and fungal biofilm. Moreover, because β-glucan synthase does not exist on the cell membrane of mammalian cells, Echinocandins has a low toxicity and a promising clinical future. Though the mechanism of Histatin (targeting fungal membrane) is not clear, it has strong activity not only on candida resistant of polyene and azole, but also to Candida parapsilosis, Candida krusei and Cryptococcus neoformans. Berberine and Ocimum gratissimum L. were also found to have prominent anti-fungi activities. Berberine extract can intensively inhibit 24-SMT in a dose-depended manner; besides, it has more potent inhibitory activity against the growth of mycelia than against that of yeast. Various new methods can be used to increase the susceptibility of Candida albicands to antifungal agents, such as altering fungi membrane composition, changing some genes, adopting the photodynamic inactivation method, employing hypersensitization agents and combining antifungal agents. This article reviews the newly-developed antifungal agents and newly-proposed target sites of Candida albicands.

Objective: To explore the influence factors of the degenerate oligonucleotide primered PCR(DOP-PCR). Methods: Genome DNA template from the mouse single oocyte or liver tissue were used to perform DOP-PCR. DOP-PCR was carried out with templates of different origin, different gradient dilution, with or without low melting point gel purified to wipe off the small fragment that might interfere with the following analysis, and then PCR of gene FTCD and CBS were carried out to evaluate the influence of these factors on the amplification efficiency and specificity. Results: Compared with genome DNA template from mouse liver, the template from single oocyte had the same efficiency and specificity but a minor yield and different gradient dilution of DNA template had no effect on the efficiency and specificity. Furthermore, there was a higher specificity in the low melting point gel-purified DOP-PCR product than in untreated ones. Conclusion: We have got a satisfactory result and increased specificity from DOP-PCR product purified with the low melting point gel. Single oocyte of mice could be used for further investigation of special genes detection by DOP-PCR and of an optimization in the yield of the products.

Objective To investigate the effects of adiponectin on the development of atherosclerosis.Methods The in vivo role of adiponectin on the development of atherosclerosis in rabbits was investigated mainly using adiponectin-producing adenovirus(Ad-APN)and intravascular ultrasound(IVUS).On day 14 after Ad-APN local transfer to the intima of abdominal aortas,abdominal IVUS images were recorded and then rabbits were sacrificed.Abdominal aortas were collected and performed histochemical analysis.Results Ultrasonography revealed a significantly reduced atherosclerotic area,in abdominal aortas of rabbits infected through intima with Ad-APN,by 36.39% compared with the area in adenovirus expressing β galactosidase gene(Ad-βgal)treated rabbits(P＜0.01),and by 37.50% compared with that before treatment(P＜0.01).The lumen area stenosis was also reduced by 23.37%(P＜0.05)and 33.15%(P＜0.01),respectively.In rabbits with Ad-APN infection,the atherosclerotic plaque area as seen on Oil Red O staining was reduced significantly,by 30.70%(P＜0.05)and the greatest thickness of plaque was reduced,by 20.83%(P＜0.05)as compared with those in Ad-βgal-treated rabbits,respectively.Conclusions Intravascular ultrasound analysis is a valuable method in the in vivo study about the effects of adiponectin on the development of atherosclerosis.

Objective: To clone a novel gene and explore its expression patterns in tissues and cells,so as to find its role in the process of encephalopathy in DS.Methods: On the base of our previous microarray's result together with the tissue type,we chose EST AI480014 to carry out RACE,then analyzed its expression profiles in liver,spleen,kidney,heart,brain by multi-tissues Northern blot,after that semi-quantitive RT-PCR was used to reexamine the expression profiles.Furthermore,we used ISH to find whether aim gene expressed in neuroglial cells cultured in vitro.Finally we performed semi-quantitive RT-PCR to explore whether it expressed differently between DS and normal.Results: We gained a 682 bp new cDNA fragment(DQ275636)which expressed in all the tissues examined and had no alternative splices in them.It expressed highly in brain especially in frontal lobe and hippocampus.According to the ISH result we convinced that it expressed in neuroglial cells.Using bioinformatics we mapped DQ275636 to chromosome 5q14.Conclusion: We have obtained a new gene fragment based on the(above) results.According to its expression character and tissue type,it can be suggested that this gene has a probable role in the process of encephalopathy in DS.

Objective:To explore influence of health education on quality of life and compliance in community pa‐tients with coronary heart disease (CHD) .Methods :A total of 83 community CHD patients were selected and ran‐domly divided into routine treatment group (n=38 ,received routine treatment of CHD ) and health education group (n=45 ,received CHD health education based on routine treatment ) .Score of Seattle angina questionnaire (SAQ) after intervention ,therapeutic compliance and incidence rate of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) with‐in six months were compared between two groups .Results:Compared with routine treatment group after interven‐tion ,there were significant rise in each item score and total score of SAQ [total score ,(54.3 ± 7.2) scores vs .(65.4 ± 7.5) scores] ,P<0.05 all;and therapeutic compliance also significantly rose (good rate ,52.6% vs .77.8% ) in health education group , P< 0.05. After six‐month follow‐up ,total incidence rate of MACE in health education group was significantly lower than that of routine treatment group (8.9% vs .26.3% ) , P< 0.05. Conclusion:Health education can significantly improve quality of life ,compliance and prognosis in community patients with cor‐onary heart disease ,which is worth clinical extending and use .

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the in vitro antifungal activity of 2-nonylamino-6-methoxytetralin hydrochloride (10b). METHODS: The antifungal activities of 10b against 19 Candida albicans (C albicans) strains and 15 non-C albicans strains were assayed by microbroth dilution in 96-well plates according to the methods recommended by Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). The sensitivity of C. albicans strain Y0109 to 10b and fluconazole (FLC) was compared by agar disk diffusion test, plotting ti ne-growth curves, and determining the values of IC50 and MFC. In addition, the potential mechanism of 10b against C. albicans strains was investigated by using thin-layer chromatography (TLC) assay and transmission electron microscope. RESULTS: 10b had stronger in vitro activity than FLC against C. albicans. The values of IC50 and MFC of 10b were 5.41 and 64 μg·mL-1 while the latter were 337.18 μg·mL-1 and ≤ 256 μg·mL-1, respectively. 10b markedly reduced ergosterol content in C. albicans but did not affect the activity of lanosterol 14a-demethylase (CYP51) and the integrality of cell membrane structure. CONCLUSION: 10b deserves further exploration and investigation for its potent antifungal activity and novel chemical structure.

Antibodies, Viral ; blood ; China ; epidemiology ; Humans ; Yellow Fever ; epidemiology ; Yellow fever virus ; immunology

OBJECTIVE: To develop a specific, sensitive, reproducible SPE-HPLC method for the determination of 37 drugs in whole blood. METHODS: With the doxapram as internal standard, Oasis column was used to extract drugs from whole blood. Two kinds of mobile phases were used in this study. Separations were achieved by a LiChrospher 100 RP-C18 (250 mm x 4.0 mm x 5 microm) column kept at 50 degrees C, the DAD detector was set at 230 nm and 250 nm. RESULTS: The limit of detection were 1-30 ng/mL. The method showed excellent linearity and the linear correlation coefficient was > or =0.997 98. The relative standard deviation for between-day and within-day assay were <10%. CONCLUSION The method is effective, simple, reliable and has been used in real cases.
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid/methods* ; Doxapram/isolation & purification* ; Doxepin/isolation & purification* ; Estazolam/isolation & purification* ; Forensic Medicine ; Humans ; Morphine/isolation & purification* ; Papaverine/isolation & purification* ; Pharmaceutical Preparations/isolation & purification* ; Prazosin/isolation & purification* ; Procaine/isolation & purification* ; Reproducibility of Results ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Solid Phase Extraction/methods* ; Solvents/chemistry*

Objective To investigate the reversal effect of MDR1 and MDR3 gene silencing on resistance of A2780/taxol cells to paclitaxel.Methods shRNA plasmid vector specifically targeting MDR1 and MDR3 genes was transfected into A2780/taxol cells.The early stage cell apoptosis and the effect of intracellular rhodamine 123(Rh123)accumulation were detected by flow cytometry(FCM).The late stage cell apoptosis rate was detected by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase(TdT)-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate(dUTP)nick end labeling(TUNEL).The 50% inhibition concentration(IC_(50))of paclitaxel on A2780/taxol cells was determined by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium(MTT)assay.MDR1 and MDR3 mRNA were assessed by RT-PCR,and caspase-3 protein was detected by western blot.Results After treatment with MDR1 and MDR3 shRNA plasmid vector,early apoptosis rate of A2780/taxol cells was (20.21?0.56)% and(10.87?1.24)%,respectively.MDR1 and MDR3 shRNA could increase cellular Rh123 accumulation(116.6?8.1 and 98.4?3.8,respectively).The late stage apoptosis rates detected by TUNEL displayed the same tendency as FCM results did.The IC_(50)for paclitaxel of A2780/taxol cells was decreased significantly.The mRNA levels of MDR1 and MDR3 in A2780/taxol cells were decreased by (73.3?0.8)% and(51.6?0.4)% of control,and the reduction of MDR1 and MDR3 mRNA was in a time-dependent manner.The expression of caspase-3 protein of MDR1 and MDR3 shRNA vector transfected group in A2780/taxol cells was significantly increased [(80.8?2.6)% and(72.0?4.7)%, respectively ].Conclusion MDR1 and MDR3 gene silencing could recover sensitivity of A2780/taxol cells to paclitaxel and induce cell apoptosis,thus reversing cell resistance to paclitaxel.