Complement system is an important constituent in immune system.Membrane attack complex (C5b-9)is the final ingredient in the complement activation.Recently,a few studies showed that C5b-9 deposition was found in the diabetics with chronic complications,indicating that complement activation might be involved in the pathogenesis of diabetic complications.Our aim is to summarize some newly published works and show a prelimimary work we did in this area.We hope that more attention should be paid to the role of autoimmune mechanism in diabetic complications.

Background Vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF) has been shown to be associated with the pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration (AMD),therefore VEGF is a target for the treatment of wet AMD.However,the mechanism of VEGF in the pathogenesis of AMD is not clearly understood.Studying the correlation between VEGF gene polymorphism and AMD is becoming a new research hotspot,but relevant studies on Han Chinese have not been performed.Objective This study was to investigate the association between the VEGF +936C/T gene polymorphism and AMD in the Chinese population.Methods A pilot prospective and nonrandomized controlled trial was designed.This protocol complied with Declaration of Helsinki and was approved by the Ethic Committee of Chinese PLA Second Artillery General Hospital.Written informed consent was obtained from each subject prior to entering the study.Two hundred AMD patients and 200 age-and gender-matched normal controls were enrolled in this study.The genomic DNA was extracted from the peripheral blood samples of the subjects,and analysis of the VEGF polymorphisms at the +936 position in the promoter and 3＇-untranslated regions was performed by the restriction fragment length polymorphism method.Frequencies of the VEGF+936C/T genotype were compared between the two groups,and the risk of the VEGF+936C/T gene polymorphism in pre-disposing AMD was evaluated.Results No significant differences were seen in the incidence rates of smoking(P ＝ 0.76),hypertension(P ＝ 0.84),hyperlipidemia (P=0.71),diabetes mellitus (P=0.86) and cardiovascular disease(P=0.89) between the AMD group and the normal control group,and BMI was matched between the two groups (P =0.18).The prevalence of the TT genotype was 9.0％ (18/200)in the AMD group,but that in the normal control was 3.5％ (7/200),showing a significant difference between the two groups (P =0.03).The odds ratio (OR) was 2.73 with a 95％ confidence interval(CI) of 1.11 to 6.68 for AMD in this genotype.The CC and CT genotypes were not significantly different between the two groups (P =0.52,P =0.57).The genotype frequency and allele frequency conformed to HardyWeinberg equilibrium law.There were no significant differences found in the CC,CT,TT genotype frequencies among the early AMD,geographic atrophy AMD and choroidal neovascular AMD (all at P＞0.05).Conclusions The VEGF+936TT genotype is associated with AMD in Han Chinese population.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Cholesteatoma, Middle Ear ; congenital ; pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Melanocytes ; Middle Aged ; Young Adult

Capsid Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Simplexvirus ; genetics ; metabolism

Antiviral Agents ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Hepatitis C, Chronic ; complications ; drug therapy ; psychology ; Humans ; Interferon-alpha ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Mental Disorders ; complications ; Middle Aged

The depositions of immunoglobulins on the retina of diabetic rat were studied with immunohistochemistry,immunofluorecence and computer analysing system.In comparison with control group, depositions of IgG,IgA and IgM on the retina of diabetic rat induced by streptozotocin were significantly increased (all P＜0.05 ).So the immunoglobulin depositions may contribute to the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy.

Metabonomics is a new method to study on the metabolic network and the relationship between body and environment, which conforms to the way of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) research. In the study process of modernization of traditional Chinese medicine, effectively conjunction with metabonomics method will facilitate the integration of TCM with modern biological science and technology, and promote the modernization of TCM. This paper introduce the application of metabonomics in the research of toxicity mechanism of TCM, compatibility mechanism of TCM formula, pharmacology effect of TCM and processing mechanism of TCM. This paper summarize the problems in the TCM metabonomics research and prospect its bright future.
Animals ; Drug Therapy ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; adverse effects ; analysis ; metabolism ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; methods ; trends ; Metabolomics ; methods ; trends

OBJECTIVETo study the protective effect of purariae isoflavone on apoptosis cells of atrophic nasal mucosas in ovariectomized rats.

METHOD60 rats were divided into four groups as control, ovariectomized, ovariectomized + nylestriol (O + N) and ovariectomized + purariae isoflavone (O + P), each with 15 rats. Earlier apotosis cells of mucosas taken from nasal septum were measured with flow cytometry.

RESULTCompared with control group, and the number of apoptosis cells of mucosas increased after being ovariectomized,and the number of apoptosis cells of mucosas in O + N and O + D group didn't change.

CONCLUSIONNylestriol and purariae isoflavone might have effects on protecting cells of mucosas from lacking of estrogen by decreasing apoptosis cells in ovariectomized rats.

Animals ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Epithelial Cells ; pathology ; Estradiol Congeners ; pharmacology ; Female ; Isoflavones ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Nasal Mucosa ; pathology ; Ovariectomy ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Protective Agents ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Pueraria ; chemistry ; Quinestrol ; analogs & derivatives ; pharmacology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

AIMTo establish a system of mitochondrial translation in vitro of rat brain and identify it's production of protein by molecular weight.

METHODSMitochondria isolated from hemisphere of rat brain by differential centrifugations. The optimization of mitochondrial translation in vitro by 3H-Lencine incorporation was explored. 35S-methionine labeled products of mitochondrial protein synthesis were identified by SDS-PAGE and fluorography.

RESULTSIsolated mitochondria had a highly activity oxidative phosphorylation and respiratory control ratio (RCR) was between 3.5 and 5.5. The activity of 3H-Lencine incorporation in isolated mitochondria in vitro increased with time of incubation in 60 min and maintained a steady level. The maximal activity of 3H-Lencine incorporation per milligram mitochondria protein occured at 1 mg mitochondria/ml of incubation mix.The major auto radiographic bands could be observed at 86, 68, 56, 43, 33, 29, 25 and 18(kD) molecular weight separated on SDS-PAGE.

CONCLUSIONThe translation system of rat brain mitochondria in vitro is faithful and high activity, can be used to study mtDNA expression and regulation in mammalian brain at the level of translation.

Animals ; Brain ; metabolism ; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel ; Male ; Mitochondria ; metabolism ; Molecular Weight ; Protein Biosynthesis ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar

This study is to develop an HPLC method for the simultaneous determination of (-)-epicatechin, 5-O-caffeoylshikimic acid, neoisoastilbin, astilbin, neoisoastilbin, isoastilbin and engeletin in Smilacis Glabrae Rhizoma. Samples of Smilacis Glabrae Rhizoma, Heterosmilacis Chinensis Rhizoma and Heterosmilacis Yunnanensis Rhizoma were separated on an Agilent Zorbax SB-C18 column with gradient elution of acetonitrile-0.05% phosphoric acid at a flow rate of 1.0 mL · min(-1). The detected wavelength was set at 230 nm and the column temperature was maintained at 35 °C. The contents of (-)-epicatechin, 5-O-caffeoylshikimic acid, neoastilbin, astilbin, neoisoastilbin, isoastilbin and engeletin in 84 Smilacis Glabrae Rhizoma samples were in the range of trace-1.381, trace-9.913, trace-3.673, 0.6706-27.08, trace-1.181, trace-4.833 and trace-2.754 mg · g(-1), respectively. The established method was used for analysis of common adulterants. The results demonstrated that the contents of (-)-epicatechin in Heterosmilacis Yunnanensis Rhizoma and Heterosmilacis Chinensis Rhizoma were 0.01163-0.06007 mg · g(-1) and 0.01583-0.08585 mg · g(-1), respectively, while the other six constituents were not detected. The method is simple and accurate, and can be used for the quality control of Smilacis Glabrae Rhizoma. The constituents of Heterosmilacis Yunnanensis Rhizoma and Heterosmilacis Chinensis Rhizoma are significantly different from Smilacis Glabrae Rhizoma, and they are not suitable for using as Smilacis Glabrae Rhizoma.
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; methods ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; analysis ; Liliaceae ; chemistry ; Rhizome ; chemistry