Objective To investigate question comprehension and production among agrammatic aphasics, and to explore the mechanisms of any dysfunction in questioning.Methods Twenty aphasics were recruited in this study.According to the Chinese Agrammatism Battery,10 were classified as agrammatic (the agrammatic group) and 10 as non-agrammatic (the non-agrammatic group).Ten normal subjects served as a control group.All the subjects were tested in terms of their comprehension and production of questions using a set of general and what-where-who- why questions (wh-questions).Results No significant difference was found between the two experimental groups with regard to the correct comprehension and production of both general and wh-questions.However,there was a sig- nificant difference in correctness between comprehension and production.The performance of the agrammatic aphasics was worse than that of the non-agramatics and the normal subjects.Conclusion The impaired question comprehen- sion and production of Chinese agrammatic aphasics has its own characteristies which can form a basis for rehabilita- tion planning and outcome prediction.

Objective To observe the effect of lovastatin on plasminogen activator inhibitor -1 (PAI-1) and collagen type Ⅳ in rats with glomerularsclerosis induced by adriamycin,and to discuss its mechanism of protective effects on kidneys.Methods Twenty-four male Wistar nephritic rats induced by adriamycin were randomly divided into 3 groups:control,hyperlipidemia and lovastatin treatment group.They were fed 12 weeks.Urinary protein excretion and serum lipid were assayed,then renal glomerularsclerosis index,the expression of PAI-1 and collagen type Ⅳ were observed.Results Serum total cholesterol,triglycerides,low-density lipoprotein,urinary protein excretion,renal glomerularsclerosis index were significantly lower in treatment group than those in hyperlipidemia group.Expression of PAI-1 and collagen type Ⅳ,and number of foamcells were also sharply lower in treatment group than those in hyperlipidemia group.Conclusions Lovastatin not only reduces proteinuria,improves renal function,but also modulates glomerularsclerosis by inhibiting activity of PAI-1 and decreasing accumulation of collagen type Ⅳ.The mechanism of renal protective effect is independent of a reduction of circulating cholesterol.

Adult ; Aged ; Antigens, CD20 ; metabolism ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Gene Rearrangement, B-Lymphocyte, Heavy Chain ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Leukocyte Common Antigens ; metabolism ; Lymphoma, B-Cell ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Lymphoma, Extranodal NK-T-Cell ; pathology ; Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Tonsillar Neoplasms ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Tonsillectomy ; Tonsillitis ; pathology ; Young Adult

Adult ; Antigens, CD34 ; metabolism ; Humans ; Male ; Neoplasms, Fibrous Tissue ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Prostatectomy ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Vimentin ; metabolism

Aged ; Antigens, CD ; metabolism ; Antigens, Differentiation, Myelomonocytic ; metabolism ; Carcinoma, Large Cell ; metabolism ; pathology ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Histiocytic Sarcoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Hodgkin Disease ; metabolism ; pathology ; Humans ; Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse ; metabolism ; pathology ; Lymphoma, Large-Cell, Anaplastic ; metabolism ; pathology ; Male ; Melanoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; Receptors, Cell Surface ; metabolism ; Stomach Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery

Adenocarcinoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; Adult ; Antigens, CD34 ; metabolism ; Biopsy ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hemangioendothelioma, Epithelioid ; diagnostic imaging ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Humans ; Lung ; metabolism ; pathology ; Lung Neoplasms ; diagnostic imaging ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Male ; Mesothelioma ; metabolism ; pathology ; Middle Aged ; Multimodal Imaging ; Platelet Endothelial Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 ; metabolism ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; Thoracoscopy ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary ; metabolism ; pathology

OBJECTIVETo clone the gene coding for the peptidoglycan recognition protein (PGRP) domain (PGRPd) of mouse long PGRP (mPGRP-L) and express the protein in E. coli.

METHODSThe cDNA fragment encoding PGRPd of mPGRP-L was obtained by RT-PCR from the total RNA of Balb/C mouse liver cells and cloned into pUCm-T vector. The recombinant plasmid were identified by PCR, restriction endonucleases and sequence analysis. The PGRPd gene fragment was amplified by PCR from the recombinant plasmid, inserted into pQE-30 vector and transformed into E. coli strain M15, and the expressed PGRPd protein was purified.

RESULTSA cDNA fragment of about 500 bp was amplified by RT-PCR and the recombinant plasmid, pmPGRPd, was constructed by linking the fragment to pUCm-T vector. The results of restriction mapping of the recombinant vector were consistent with those of computer analyses. Sequence analysis showed that the cloned gene fragment (518 bp) had identical sequence with the gene encoding PGRPd of mPGRP-L gene in GenBank. The recombinant expression vector pQE-PGRPd was constructed and expressed in E. coli M15. SDS-PAGE showed that the expressed product existed mainly in the lysate supernatant as a soluble protein with relative molecular mass of 29 kD.

CONCLUSIONThe PGRPd cDNA of mPGRP-L has been successfully cloned and expressed in E. coli, which provides the basis for further study of PGRP molecule.

Animals ; Base Sequence ; Carrier Proteins ; genetics ; Cloning, Molecular ; DNA, Complementary ; genetics ; Escherichia coli ; genetics ; metabolism ; Female ; Liver ; chemistry ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Plasmids ; genetics ; Prokaryotic Cells ; metabolism ; Protein Structure, Tertiary ; genetics ; Recombinant Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics

With the surge of high-throughput sequencing technology, it is becoming popular to perform the phylogenetic study based on genomic data. A bundle of new terms is emerging, such as phylogenomics, pharmacophylogenomics and phylotranscriptomics, which are somewhat overlapping with pharmaphylogeny. Phylogenomics is the crossing of evolutionary biology and genomics, in which genome data are utilized for evolutionary reconstructions. Pharmaphylogeny, advocated by Prof. Pei-gen Xiao since 1980s, focuses on the phylogenetic relationship of medicinal plants and is thus nurtured by molecular phylogeny, chemotaxonomy and bioactivity studies. Phylogenomics can be integrated into the flow chart of drug discovery and development, and extend the field of pharmaphylogeny at the omic level, thus the concept of pharmacophylogenomics could be redefined. This review gives a brief analysis of the association and the distinguished feature of the pharmaphylogeny related terms, in the context of plant-based drug discovery and sustainable utilization of pharmaceutical resource.
Drug Discovery ; Pharmacogenetics ; Phylogeny ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; genetics

Objective To retrospectively determine the features of stones and calcifications in hepatobiliary system on virtual nonenhanced (VNE) dual-energy computed tomography (CT), and to evaluate the possibility of VNE images in diagnosis for those lesions.Methods A total of 128 gall stones and calcifications of the liver found in 110 patients were examined with triple phase abdominal CT scan from July 2007 to December 2011, in which true nonenhanced (TNE) phase and arterial phase were performed with single-energy CT (120 kVp) and portal venous phase was performed with dual-energy CT (100 kVp and 140 kVp). VNE images were generated from the portal venous phase dual-energy CT data sets by using commercially VNC software. The mean CT values for the stone, liver, bile and paraspinal muscle, mean lesion density and size in area dimension, contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) of lesion to the liver or bile, and image noise were assessed and compared between VNE and TNE images. The effective dose and size-specific dose estimate (SSDE) were also calculated.Results The mean CT values of the lesions measured on VNE images declined significantly compared with those measured on TNE images (164.51±102.13 vs. 290.72±197.80 HU, P<0.001), so did the lesion-to-liver CNR (10.80±11.82 vs.18.81±17.06, P<0.001) and the lesion-to-bile CNR (17.24±14.41 vs. 21.32±17.31, P<0.001). There was no significant difference in size of lesions area between VNE and TNE images (0.69±0.88 vs. 0.72±0.85 cm, P=0.062). Compared to the 128 lesions found in TNE images, VNE images showed the same density in 30 (23.4%) lesions, lighter density in 88 (68.8%) lesions, while failed to show 10 (7.8%) lesions, and showed the same size in 61 (47.7%) lesions and smaller size in 57 (44.5%) lesions. The CT cutoff values of lesion and size were 229.21 HU and 0.15 cm, respectively. The total effective dose for triple phase scan protocol with TNE images was 19.51±7.03 mSv, and the SSDE was 39.84±11.10 mGy. The effective dose for dual phase scan protocol with VNE images instead of TNE images was 13.29±4.89 mSv, and the SSDE was 27.83±9.99 mGy. Compared with TNE images, the effective dose and SSDE of VNE images were down by 32.05%±3.69 % and 30.63%±2.34 %, respectively.Conclusions Although the CT values and CNR of the lesions decreased in VNE images, the lesions of which attenuation greater than 229.21 HU and size larger than 0.15 cmcould be detected with good reliability and obvious dose reduction. There was good consistency in the size of stones and calcifications in hepatobiliary system between VNE images and TNE images, which ensured the possibility of the clinical application of VNE images.

Objective To assess the feasibility of using PET molecular imaging to evaluate the therapeutic effects of traditional Chinese medicine FuZhiSan (FZS) on the model of aging Alzheimer's disease (AD) rats. Methods Twenty aged AD rats (Sparague-Dawley rats,male) were randomly divided into FZS treated group (n = 10) and control group (n = 10). Another 10 healthy adult rats were as blank controls. Morris water maze record system was used for cognitive function assessment. Before and after FZS treatment 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) and 11 C-2- [4'-(methylamino) phenyl] benzothiazol-6-ol ( PIB )PET imaging was undertaken. After post-treatment imaging procedures the brain tissues of all animals were taken for histochemical study,such as staining with HE,congo red,amyloid β (Aβ) immunofluorescence,5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine (BrdU) immunofluorescence and NeuN immunofluorescence. Paired t-test was performed with SPSS 13.0 software for the data analysis. Results The cognitive dysfunction of aging AD rats was improved after FZS treatment. The escape latency in FZS treated group was significantly shorter than that of control group ((32.5 ±10.8) s vs (102.6±8.8) s,t =15.7987,P=0. 0001). Diffuse neuronal loss and Aβ deposition were detected in the hippocampus and cortex in the aged AD rats. The imaging data showed that brain glucose metabolism was amended in FZS treated group while the abatement of amyloid deposition was not significant. Immunofluorescence results indicated that the neuronal proliferation was more remarkable in FZS treated group. Conclusions It may be feasible to use PET imaging as a method to evaluate the therapeutic effect in AD rats. FZS may ameliorate memory dysfunction of aged AD rats. Its mechanism may be partly contributed to the enhancement of the neuronal proliferation and survival.