China ; epidemiology ; Hepatitis, Viral, Human ; epidemiology ; Humans

Objective To evaluate the effects of static magnetic fields (SMFs) of different intensity and exposure duration on the proliferation and apoptosis of human umbilical cord endothelial cells (HUVECs),and their release of nitric oxide (NO),6-keto-prostacyclin 1α (6-keto-PGF1α) and endothelin (ET-1).Methods Cultured HUVECs were exposed to a SMF at 5,22,86 or 135 mT for 8,12 or 24 hours.Their proliferation and apoptosis were monitored by flow cytometry (FCM).The medium was collected to test its NO content by optical density.ET-1 and 6-keto-PGF1α were measured by radioimmunization.Results ( 1 ) The proliferation of HUVECs increased when the cells were exposed to a SMF at 5 mT for 8 h,but a SMF at 135 mT for 12 h or 24 h inhibited the proliferation of HUVECs.(2)An SMF had no effect on apoptosis of HUVECs.(3)An SMF at 5 mT for 8 h increased the release of NO and 6-keto-PGF1 a,but the release of NO and 6-keto-PGF1 a decreased when the SMF intensity was 135 mT or the cells were exposed to an SMF for 12 h or 24 h.(4) An SMF at 5 mT or 22 mT for 8 h did not effect the release of ET-1.An SMF at 86 mT or 135 mT increased the release of ET-1.Compared with a control group,an SMF at 5 mT for 12 or 24 h did not affect the release of ET1,but at 22,80 or 135 mT,the release of ET-1 decreased significantly.Conclusions Exposure to a low intensity SMF for a short duration could improve the proliferation of HUVECs and increase the release of vasoactive factors,but if HUVECs are exposed to a strong SMF or exposed for a long duration,the proliferation and the release of vasoactive factors is decreased.

Objective To study the antitumor activity of extract from Salvia plebeia and investigate whether the extract induce apoptosis of K562 cells. Methods The aqueous, petroleum ether, dichloromethane (CH2Cl2), ethyl acetate, and butanol extracts were prepared from the aerial parts of 5. plebeia. Taking fluorouracil as reference, the cytotoxic activities of these extracts on HeLa, A549, SGC-7901, HCT-116, K562, LoVo, DU-145, and HepG2 cells were evaluated. To clarify the apoptosis of K562 cells induced by CH2Cl2 extract, the methods of Hoechst 33258 staining, flow cytometry assay, and DNA ladder assay were investigated. Results The CH2Cl2 extract showed the most potent cytotoxic effect against K562 cells, with an IC50 < 15 μg/mL for 3 d treatment. The characteristic apoptotic symptoms such as DNA fragmentation and chromatin condensation were also observed in the K562 cells. Conclusion The CH2Cl2 extract from S. plebeia may inhibit the cancer cell proliferation by inducing cell apoptosis.

Background and purpose:Connective tissue growth factor(CTGF) is a member of CCN family,it has been reported that CTGF involve in many biological processes and various pathological conditions.In our study,the correlation of CTGF expression and biological effects on breast cancer cell lines were investigated.Methods:The eukaryotic expression vectors containing CTGF open reading frame(ORF) pcDNA3.0/CTGF were constructed and transfected into breast cancer cell lines.The relationship between CTGF expression and breast cancer cell growth ability and proliferation,cell cycle distribution,apoptosis,cell motility and invasive capacity in vitro were observed.Results:Upregulation of CTGF expression in MCF-7 cell line could inhibit its growth ability and proliferation,increased the proportion of G0G1 phase cells,enhanced apoptosis and inhibited its invasive ability in vitro.Downregulation of CTGF expression in MDA-MB-231 cell line increased its growth ability and proliferation,decreased apoptosis and promoted its invasive ability in vitro.There were no differences of cell motility among different groups in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines.Conclusions:CTGF can inhibit breast cancer cell growth by increasing cell apoptosis and/or the proportion of cells in G0G1 phase.CTGF can also inhibit breast cancer cell invasive ability.

Objective To investigate the efficacy of medical therapy after conservative operation for endometriosis.(Methods)Endometriosis was confirmed in 89 patients by laparoscopic inspection,and conservative operations were performed to remove the adhesion,excise or destroy all the endometriotic tissues,including single excision of endo-(metriotic) masses or plus unilateral salpingoophorectomy,and to restore pelvic anatomy to the best possible condition.All the patients were divided into two groups randomly: treatment group(n=44),three months drug therapy of go-(nadotropin-)releasing hormone analogs(GnRHa) after operation;control group(n=45),no drug therapy after operation.Clinical symptoms,concentrations of CA-125,manual and ultrasonic pelvic check-up,as well as pregnancy rate to those who had a desire for future fertility(n=28)were followed up. Results All the patients experienced alleviation of clinical symptoms after the operation.The recurring rates: 0% in treatment group vs 4% in control group six months later;2% in treatment group vs 4% in control group 12 months later(P

Corneal endothelial cell(CEC)is the most critical part for the cornea, of which activity can influence the postoperative vision.It is very important for the clinical cornea preservation considering the function and its self-purification of donor cornea.There are a variety of classical methods, which can significantly prolong the saving time of donor cornea with its good quality of CEC.We reviewed the published papers about present preservation methods of cornea, which can give us many suggestions for the clinical cornea preservation.

Accidents, Traffic ; Forensic Medicine ; Hoarseness ; Humans

To identify whether a highly repeated GT sequence from DCA1 promoter from Dunaliella salina,which have been proved to be a salt-inducible promoter in our previous study,would be a salt-inducible regulation element,different primers were designed to amplify 6 different-length fragments of DCA1 promoter from D.salina by PCR.After these fragments were respectively inserted into the HindⅢ-BamH I sites of the vector pU?GUS,serial expression vectors containing the gus gene were generated.D.salina cells transformed with these recombinant plasmids by electroporation were grown in liquid media containing different concentrations of sodium chloride respectively.GUS enzyme activity was measured histochemically and fluorometrically.The results revealed that 3 fragments containing GT repeated sequence drove the external gus gene expression and the expression pattern of the gus gene was regulated by the concentrations of sodium chloride.Additionally,the 2 fragments without tandem GT sequence drove the gus gene expression,but the expression pattern of the gus gene wasn't regulated by the concentration of sodium chloride;Also,the upstream fragment of the tandem GT sequence wasn't able to drive the gus gene expression.In conclusion,the highly repeated GT sequence from the DCA1 promoter plays an important role in the salt-inducible regulation of DCA1 promoter from D.salina and might be a novel salt-inducible element.

Suitable pretreatment of biological samples can truly reflect the role of law of the measured components played in the body and will provide experimental evidence for the studies on metabolic process, material basis of efficacy, mechanism of action, pharmacology, toxicology and the others. Biological samples include blood, urine, hair, tears, etc. There are also many samples processing methods, such as the direct protein precipitation, liquid-liquid extraction and solid phase extraction and so on. These methods could be used alone or combined.
Animals ; Body Fluids ; chemistry ; Chemical Precipitation ; Chemistry Techniques, Analytical ; methods ; Humans ; Liquid-Liquid Extraction ; Proteins ; isolation & purification ; Solid Phase Extraction

ObjectiveTo investigate the clinical value of serum complement C3 and C4 levels for predicting the severity of hepatic fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B.MethodsHistopathological diagnosis was confirmed in 442 patients with chronic hepatitis B.Serum complement C3 and C4 levels were determined by Beckman-Coulter Immage 800 immunochemistry system.ROC curve was used to analyze the value of serum complement C3 and C4 levels in predicting the severity of hepatic fibrosis.ResultsThe areas under ROC curve of complement C3 and C4 for predicting significant fibrosis ( ≥ S2),severe fibrosis ( ≥ S3) and cirrhosis (S4) were all significantly larger than the area under diagonal reference line ( P =0.009,0.000,0.000 and P =0.005,0.000,0.000,respectively).According to ROC curves,the optimal cut-offs of serum complement G3 for predicting severe fibrosis and cirrhosis were ≤0.74 g/L and ≤0.64 g/L,and the corresponding sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value,negative predictive value,accuracy were 0.585,0.681,0.617,0.650,0.636 and 0.509,0.775,0.423,0.830,0.710,respectively.The optimal cut-offs of serum complement C4 for predicting severe fibrosis and cirrhosis were ≤0.14 g/L and ≤0.12 g/L,and the corresponding sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value,negative predictive value,accuracy were 0.565,0.634,0.576,0.623,0.602 and 0.463,0.781,0.407,0.818,0.704,respectively.ConclusionSerum complement C3 and C4 may be used for predicting severe fibrosis and cirrhosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B,but its stability and reliability need to be improved.