OBJECTIVE:To establish a method for the content determination of zolpidem tartrate in microsamples of rat plas-ma. METHODS:Rats were given zolpidem tartrate solution 3 mg/kg intragastrically,and 0.2 ml blood sample were collected and isolated. 50 μl plasma was precipitated by methanol,and the supernatant was determined by HPLC-fluorescence combined with ex-ternal method. Agilent HC-C18 column was used with mobile phase consisted of 0.03 mol/L KH2PO4 solution(containing 0.2% tri-ethylamine)-methanol (33∶67,V/V) at flow rate of 1.0 ml/min. The excitation and emission wavelengths were 254 nm and 390 nm,respectively. The sample size was 20 μl. RESULTS:The linear ranges of zolpidem tartrate in plasma was 2-200 μg/L(r=0.999 7),and the limit of quantification was 2 μg/L. The method recoveries of zolpidem were (96.96 ± 1.35)%-(105.0 ± 5.36)%(RSD=2.20%-4.88%,n=5),and extraction recoveries were (79.72 ± 0.01)%-(80.77 ± 0.02)%(RSD=1.34%-3.90%,n=5). The intra-day and inter-day RSDs were 1.40%-5.10% and 3.22%-9.25%(n=5),respectively. CONCLUSIONS:The method is simple,sensitive and suitable for the content determination of zolpidem tartrate in microsamples of plasma.

AIM:Atherosclerotic calcification is highly linked with plaque instability and cardiovascular events .Adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase ( AMPK) has been involved in the pathogenesis of various cardiovascular disease .The contributions of AMPKαsubunits to the development of atherosclerotic calcification in vivo remained unknown .We hypothesized that AMPKαsubunits may play a role in the development of atherosclerotic calcification .METHODS: Atherosclerotic calcification was generated by 24-week fed of western diet in ApoE-/-background mice .Calcification was evaluated in aortic roots and innominate arteries of ApoE-/-mice or in mice with dual deficiencies of ApoE and AMPKαsubunits globally ( AMPKα1 and AMPKα2 ) , or vascular smooth muscle cell ( VSMC)-specific or macrophage-specific knockout of AMPKα1 with atherosclerotic calcification pone diet . The mechanism of AMPKα1 in regulating Runx2 was further explored in human aortic VSMC .RESULTS: Ablation of AMPKα1 but not AMPKα2 in ApoE-/-background promoted atherosclerotic calcification with increased Runt -related transcription factor ( Runx2 ) expression in VSMC compared with ApoE-/-mice.Conversely, chronic administration of metformin, which activated AMPK, markedly reduced ath-erosclerotic calcification and Runx2 expression in ApoE-/-mice but had less effects in ApoE-/-/AMPKα1 -/-mice.Furthermore, VSMC-but not macrophage-specific deficiency of AMPKα1 in ApoE-/-background promoted atherosclerotic calcification in vivo com-pared with the controls .AMPKα1 silencing in human aortic VSMC prevented Runx 2 from proteasome degradation to trigger osteoblastic differentiation of VSMC .Conversely , activation of AMPK led to Runx 2 instability by inducing its small ubiquitin-like modifier modifi-cation (SUMOylation).Protein inhibitor of activated STAT-1 (PIAS1), the SUMO E3-ligase of Runx2, was directly phosphorylated by
AMPKα1 at serine 510, to enhance its SUMO E3-ligase activity.Ablation of PIAS1 serine 510 phosphorylation inhibited metformin-in-duced Runx2 SUMOylation, and subsequently prevented the effect of metformin on reducing oxLDL-triggered Runx2 expression in hu-man aortic VSMC.CONCLUSION:Deficiency of AMPKα1 in VSMC increases Runx2 expression and promotes atherosclerotic calcifi-cation in vivo.AMPKα1 phosphorylates PIAS1 to enhance Runx2 SUMOyalation and subsequent degradation .

Humans ; Pancreatic Neoplasms ; prevention & control ; therapy

This study is to evaluate the therapeutic effect of fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) on NAFLD in MSG-IR mice and to provide mechanism insights into its therapeutic effect. The MSG-IR mice with insulin resistance were treated with high dose (0.1 micromol.kg-1d-1) and low dose (0.025 micromol.kg-1d-1) of FGF21 once a day for 5 weeks. Body weight was measured weekly. At the end of the experiment, serum lipids, insulin and aminotransferases were measured. Hepatic steatosis was observed. The expression of key genes regulating energy metabolism were detected by real-time PCR. The results showed that after 5 weeks treatment, both doses of FGF21 reduced body weight (P<0.01), corrected dyslipidemia (P<0.01), reversed steatosis and restored the liver morphology in the MSG model mice and significantly ameliorated insulin resistance. Additionally, real-time PCR showed that FGF21 significantly reduced transcription levels of fat synthetic genes, decreased fat synthesis and promoted lipolysis and energy metabolism by up-regulating key genes of lipolysis, thereby liver fat accumulation was reduced and liver function was restored to normal levels. In conclusion, FGF21 significantly reduces body weight of the MSG-IR mice, ameliorates insulin resistance, reverses hepatic steatosis. These findings provide a theoretical support for clinical application of FGF21 as a novel therapeutics for treatment of NAFLD.
Animals ; Body Weight ; drug effects ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Dyslipidemias ; metabolism ; Energy Metabolism ; drug effects ; Fatty Liver ; chemically induced ; complications ; Female ; Fibroblast Growth Factors ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Insulin Resistance ; Lipolysis ; drug effects ; Liver ; metabolism ; pathology ; Male ; Mice ; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease ; drug therapy ; Sodium Glutamate

Objective To investigate the efficacy and prognostic risk factors of ALL-R-2003 protocol in the treatment of relapsed childhood relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in single center. Methods A retrospective study of clinical data of 51 children with relapsed ALL from January 2004 to December 2014 was performed by using SPSS version 19.0 statistical software for statistical analysis. Results The median age at initial diagnosis of 51 patients was 5.5 years (range, 0.8-13.4 years). The median time from initial diagnosis to relapse was 25 months (range, 3-68 months) and follow-up time was 39 months (range, 3-116 months). The relapse rate in the standard-risk, intermediate-risk and the high-risk groups were 27.5 % (14/51), 29.4 %(15/51) and 43.1 % (22/51), respectively. The probability of 3-year overall survival (pOS) after relapse was (18.8±5.9)%and the probability of event free survival (pEFS) was (16.2±5.8)%. The 3-year pOS in very early relapse, early relapse and late relapse were 0, (11.7 ±7.7) % and (51.7 ±14.8) %, respectively (P= 0.000). There was no statistical difference in survival rate of different immunophenotype groups and sites of relapse (P> 0.05). The 3-year pOS of group S1, S2, S3, S4 were (50.0±35.4) %, (39.9±1.3) %, (10.0±9.5) % and 0, respectively (P=0.000). The 3-year pOS of bcr-abl and MLL gene positive groups were (25.0±21.7) %and 0, respectively, with no statistically significance compared with the negtive group [(24.1±12.0)%] (P>0.05). The 3-year pOS rates of children with bone marrow transplantation and without transplantation were (40.0 ±15.5) %and (13.0 ±5.9) % respectively (P= 0.038). Conclusions The children who in high risk group at initial diagnose are easily to meet earlier relapse and poorer prognosis. The survival period after relapse of bcr-abl or MLL gene positive cases is very short. Bone marrow transplantation can improve survival rate. Risk group at initial diagnose, relapse time and transplantation are the main factors influencing prognosis, and the relapse time and transplantation are the independent prognostic factors for relapsed childhood ALL.

Chinese patent medicine prescriptions containing Jujubea Fructus in 2015 edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia and the Composition Principles of Chinese Patent Drug were collected, and the characteristics of Chinese patent medicine containing Jujubea Fructus were analyzed by using data mining technology. Statistical software Excel 2019, Clementine 12.0 and SPSS 21.0 were used to conduct statistical analysis of conforming Chinese patent medicine prescriptions by means of frequency statistics, association rule analysis and cluster analysis. Finally, a total of 185 Chinese patent medicine prescriptions containing Jujubea Fructus were included in this study, involving 402 Chinese medicines and 28 kinds of high frequency Chinese medicines, with Jujubea Fructus, Poria, Zingiberis Rhizoma Recens, Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma, and Codonopsis Radix as the top five. The deficiency-nourishing drugs were in the most common efficacy classification, mainly sweet, bitter and pungent, with most medicine properties of warm and gentle, main meridians of spleen lung and stomach, dosage forms of pills, granules and tablets, and main indications of splenic diseases. Fifteen drug combinations were obtained in association rule analysis. Eleven drug combinations were obtained by association rule analysis of Chinese patent medicine containing Jujubea Fructus in the treatment of splenic diseases, and the drugs were divided into two categories by cluster analysis. According to the above analysis, it is found that the Chinese patent medicine prescriptions containing Jujubea Fructus are mainly composed of deficiency-nourishing drugs, mostly compatible with drugs of sweet, bitter and pungent flavors, warm and gentle properties, and spleen, lung, and stomach meridians in the treatment of splenic diseases, with Sijunzi Decoction as the main drug. This study provides guidance for modern clinical application and development of Jujubea Fructus.
China ; Data Mining ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Nonprescription Drugs

This study was purposed to characterize the genomic distribution of the binding sites for AML1-ETO fusion protein on chromosome 2, 9 and 19, and to further gain insights into the characteristics of transcriptional regulation by AML1-ETO in acute myeloid leukemia so as to provide theoretical basis for the development of targeted therapy and optimization for treatment. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) coupled with high density tiling arrays (chip), also known as ChIP-chip, was utilized in this study. ChIP-DNA enriched by an anti-ETO antibody and total genomic DNA of Kasumi cells were hybridized to tiling arrays, tiled through chromosome 2, 9 and 19. The ChIP enriched regions were identified using a model based analytical tool (MAT). Genomic distribution of the ChIP regions was analyzed using publicly available CEAS web server. The Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis was performed to excavated the biological significance. The results indicated that a total of 588 enriched regions were identified on chromosome 2, 9 and 19 by the anti-ETO antibody. A number of the identified regions were located within enhancers (48.86%) or introns (37.35%), much smaller fractions were within proximal promoters (5.96%) or exons (5.49%). Functional enrichment analysis showed that cell proliferation and signal transduction biological pathways were enriched in potential genes of AML-ETO. It is concluded that half of the AML1-ETO binding sites are located within known transcriptional regulatory regions (promoter, 5' UTR and enhancer), while almost another half were within the sequences which were not previously reported as regulatory regions. The potential target molecular network of AML1-ETO is involved in several essential biological processes.
Base Sequence ; Binding Sites ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 21 ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 8 ; Core Binding Factor Alpha 2 Subunit ; genetics ; metabolism ; DNA-Binding Proteins ; metabolism ; Genome, Human ; Humans ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute ; genetics ; Oncogene Proteins, Fusion ; genetics ; metabolism ; Promoter Regions, Genetic ; RUNX1 Translocation Partner 1 Protein ; Translocation, Genetic

OBJECTIVETo study the relationships among magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), histological findings, and insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) in steroid-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head in rabbits.

METHODSThirty rabbits were randomly divided into experimental Group A (n=15) and control Group B (n=15). The 7.5 mg/kg (2 ml) of dexamethasone (DEX) and physiological saline (2 ml) were injected into the right gluteus medius muscle twice at one-week intervals in animals of Groups A and B, respectively. At 4, 8 and 16 weeks after obtaining an MRI, the rabbits were sacrificed and the femoral head from one side was removed for histological study of lacunae empty of osteocytes, subchondral vessels, and size of fat cells under microscopy, and the femoral head from the other side was removed for enzyme-linked immunoadsorbent assay (ELISA) for IGF-I.

RESULTSAt 4, 8 and 16 weeks after treatment, no necrotic lesions were detected in Group B, while they were detected in Group A. Light microscopy revealed that the fat cells of the marrow cavity were enlarged, subchondral vessels were evidently decreased, and empty bone lacunae were clearly increased. The IGF-I levels in Group A were significantly higher than those in Group B. At 8 weeks after the DEX injection, the MRI of all 20 femora showed an inhomogeneous, low signal intensity area in the femoral head, and at 16 weeks, the findings of all 10 femora showed a specific "line-like sign". The MRI findings of all femora in Group B were normal.

CONCLUSIONMRI is a highly sensitive means of diagnosing early experimental osteonecrosis of the femoral head. However, the abnormal marrow tissues appeared later than 4 weeks when the expression of IGF-I increased. This reparative factor has an early and important role in response to steroid-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head, and provides a theoretical foundation for understanding the pathology and designing new therapies.

Animals ; Dexamethasone ; Disease Models, Animal ; Femur Head Necrosis ; chemically induced ; metabolism ; pathology ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I ; metabolism ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Rabbits ; Steroids

OBJECTIVETo study the epidemiological characteristics of congenital hydrocephalus in Chinese perinatal.

METHODSFrom 1996 to 2004, data gained from Chinese Birth Defects Monitoring Network were used to depict the epidemiology of congenital hydrocephalus in China. All perinatal born in hospitals had an access within 7 days after delivery. The affected cases were divided into two groups-isolated and syndromic hydrocephalus. And prevalence rates were calculated by year, by sex, by birth area (urban versus rural), by maternal age group and by geographic area (north versus south). Of the affected, fetal age at birth, birth weight, perinatal outcome and prenatal diagnosis were analysed.

RESULTSAll 3012 perinatal with congenital hydrocephalus were identified among 4,282,536 births, then an overall prevalence rate was 7.03/10,000, rates of isolated and syndromic hydrocephalus were 5.67/10,000 and 1.36/10,000 respectively. Furthermore, the annual prevalence rates of hydrocephalus presented an increasing trend during that period. The rates in male and female births, in urban and rural area, were 7.09/10,000 and 6.76/10,000, 5.49/10,000 and 10.10/10,000 respectively. There were significant differences among maternal-age-specific prevalence rates, the highest (11.42/10,000) was in an age < 20 years group. For total and isolated hydrocephalus, higher rates were found in north part of China. On the contrary, a higher rate of syndromic hydrocephalus was observed in south part of China. Among the infants with hydrocephalus, the ratio of preterm delivery and of low birth weight were 57.97% and 50.92% respectively. The ratio of congenital hydrocephalus diagnosed antenatally, which could be an indicator representing the capability of detecting the malformation both prenatally and postnatally, showed an upward trend similar to the prevalence rates. The perinatal fatality rates of the total, isolated and syndromic hydrocephalus were 87.75%, 88.66% and 83.91% correspondingly.

CONCLUSIONBased on comparison between prevalence rates in China and those reported in foreign countries, our country might be listed into a higher epidemic region of the congenital hydrocephalus. Significant differences were identified between rural and urban areas, between north and south parts of China. The improvement ability in prenatal and postnatal diagnosis should be partly accounted for the increasing prevalence rates of hydrocephalus in Chinese perinatal. The poor birth quality of the affected predicts poor prognosis.

China ; epidemiology ; Congenital Abnormalities ; epidemiology ; Female ; Fetal Death ; Humans ; Hydrocephalus ; epidemiology ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Trimester, Second ; Pregnancy Trimester, Third ; Prevalence ; Rural Population ; Urban Population

Adult ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Benzene ; poisoning ; Biomarkers ; analysis ; Bone Marrow Cells ; drug effects ; Female ; Flow Cytometry ; Humans ; Leukocytes, Mononuclear ; drug effects ; Lymphocytes ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Male ; Micronuclei, Chromosome-Defective ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Occupational Exposure ; analysis