OBJECTIVETo observe the effects of Yinian Jiangya (YNJY) Decoction contained serum on cell proliferation of primary cultured endothelial cells of spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) and the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-gamma) mRNA expression in the cells.

METHODSSD rats were fed with high-lipid diet and different doses (high, medium and low, containing crude drug of 5.2 g/mL, 2.6 g/mL, 1.3 g/mL respectively) of YNJY respectively and the serum contained different doses of YNJY (S-YNJY) was prepared by collecting the rats' serum after 20 days of feeding. The serum obtained from SD rats fed with normal diet, i.e. drug free serum (S-free) was taken for control. Primary cultured endothelial cells of SHR were treated respectively with S-YNJY in different doses (treated groups) and S-free (control group), the cell activity and the mRNA expression of PPAR-gamma in cells of all groups were detected by MTT and RT-PCR respectively at different time points: 2, 4, 8, 16 and 24 h after treatment.

RESULTSMTT test showed that at time points of 4 and 8 h, the OD value raised in the treated groups with insignificant difference among them (P>0.05), but was higher than that in the control group (P<0.05); at 16 h, it increased but showed a smaller increment in the medium-dose treated group (P<0.05); at 24 h, it decreased in all groups, but the decrement in the high- and medium-dose treated groups was more remarkable (P<0.05); at 48 h, it decreased continuously, with the decrement more significant in the high-dose group than in the control group (P<0.05). RT-PCR detection showed that at 4 h, the expression of PPAR-gamma mRNA was not changed significantly in all groups (P>0.05); at 8 h, it was remarkably lower in high-dose group than in others (P<0.05); at 16 h, it was higher in the three treated groups than in the control group (P<0.05), with a highest level shown in the high-dose treated group (P<0.01); at 24 h, the expression decreased in all groups, but the level in the low-dose treated group was still higher than that in the control group (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONSYNJY Decoction shows a two-way regulation on endothelial cells proliferation, and which is negatively dose-dependent in the late stage. The regulation is perhaps relevant to the regulating of the PPAR-gamma mRNA expressions. The PPAR-gamma mRNA expression up-regulating and maintaining effects of YNJY Decoction may be one of the mechanisms for its vascular endothelial cell protection and blood pressure suppressing.

Animals ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Endothelial Cells ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Male ; PPAR gamma ; genetics ; metabolism ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; Rats ; Rats, Inbred SHR ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Serum

OBJECTIVETo investigate the incidence of the temporary and permanent sensory disturbance of the inferorbital nerve (ION) after Le Fort I osteotomy.

METHODSThirty patients with 60 inferorbital nerves were examined preoperatively, 1 week, 1 month, 3 months and 6-months after the operation of the Le Fort I osteotomy by using sharp-blunt testing, 2-point discrimination, electric pain response test (ZGK-1 electrometer).

RESULTSThe incidence of the temporary nerve impairment was 75% (45 of 60) and the obvious recovery was found after 1 to 3 months after the operation. No permanent sensory disturbance was found in the patients.

CONCLUSIONSThe inferorbital nerve injury after Le Fort I osteotomy is usually temporary and the sensory recovery was in 1 to 3 months after the operation.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Cranial Nerve Injuries ; etiology ; rehabilitation ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Osteotomy, Le Fort ; adverse effects ; methods ; Postoperative Complications ; etiology ; rehabilitation ; Time Factors

The core of theory of visceral manifestation of spleen is about'spleen in charge of transportation and transformation,spleen qi dispersing the essence'.Middle-jiao spleen-earth has the functions of digesting food and transporting food essence,and maintaining the homeostasis of glucose and lipid metabolism in the body.'Spleen in charge of transportation and transformation,spleen qi dispersing the essence'functions like the glucose and lipid metabolism at physiological state.The deficiency of spleen results in the dysfunction of food in-take and digestion and the susceptibility to external pathogens;qi deficiency and blood stasis lead to the interior damp-heat,and the long-term accumulation of damp-heat develops into stasis and then turns into toxins,which eventually induces inflammation-to-tumor transition.The pathogenesis of'spleen deficiency being the root cause and stasis blended with toxins'is correlated with the pathological changes of inflammation-to-tumor transition.The therapy of strengthening the spleen,dispersing essence and removing turbidity is effective on improving the disorder of glucose and lipid metabolism,and the therapy of strengthening the spleen,resolving stasis and removing toxin is effective on restraining the process of inflammation-to-tumor transition in the stomach.It has become a new direction in the field of spleen-stomach research to expound the scientific connotation of the essence of spleen function of'spleen in charge of transportation and transformation,spleen qi dispersing the essence'from the perspective of glucose and lipid metabolism,to focus on the inflammation-to-tumor transition process of major diseases of digestive system,to explore the evolution of the traditional Chinese medicine syndromes of inflammatory diseases and precancerous lesions of the digestive tract,and to reveal the pharmacological mechanism of treatment from the perspective of spleen,which will enrich the scientific connotation of theory of visceral manifestation of spleen and promote the modernization and internationalization of traditional Chinese medicine.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of modified Xiaochaihu Decoction (, MXD) on transforming growth factor-β1/Sma- and Mad-related proteins (TGF-β1/Smads) signaling pathway in rats with chronic pancreatitis (CP) induced by dibutyltin dichloride.

METHODSThirty healthy male Wistar rats were randomly divided into the normal control group, CP group and CP+MXD-treated group. CP was induced by injection of dibutyltin dichloride (DBTC, 7 mg/kg of body weight) into the right caudal vein, and the control rats were treated with vehicle. MXD was given daily by gavage at a dose of 10 g/kg of body weight, starting from the day after CP induction. After 28-day treatment, the n-benzoyl-tyrosyl para-aminobenzoic acid (NBT-PABA) test was carried out to evaluate exocrine pancreatic function. Then, rats were sacrificed, and pancreatic tissues were harvested for histological evaluation. In addition, the mRNA expression of TGF-β1, TGF-β1 type II receptor (TGFβRII), Smad3 and Smad7 was determined in pancreatic tissues by using real-time polymerase chain reaction.

RESULTSTreatment of CP with MXD improved the PABA recovery, decreased the histological lesion, and reduced the mRNA expression of TGF-β1, TGFβRII and Smad3 (P<0.05). However, MXD had no effect on Smad7 mRNA level.

CONCLUSIONSMXD could protect the pancreas against chronic injury and improve pancreatic exocrine function in DBTC induced rat CP model. Its mechanism may involve inhibition of the TGF-β1/Smads signaling pathway.

Amylases ; blood ; Animals ; Base Sequence ; Blood Glucose ; metabolism ; Body Weight ; drug effects ; Chronic Disease ; DNA Primers ; Disease Progression ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Lipase ; blood ; Male ; Pancreatitis ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; pathology ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Signal Transduction ; drug effects ; Smad Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1 ; metabolism

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Child ; DNA, Circular ; blood ; DNA, Viral ; blood ; Female ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; virology ; Humans ; Leukocytes, Mononuclear ; virology ; Male ; Middle Aged

OBJECTIVETo investigate the value of intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for patient with gynecological malignancies after treatment of hysterectomy and chemotherapy/radiotherapy.

METHODSAll 32 patients with cervical or endometrial cancer after hysterectomy received full course IMRT after 1 to 3 cycles of chemotherapy (Karnofsky performance status(KPS) > or =70). Seventeen of these patients underwent postoperative preventive irradiation and the other 15 patients were pelvic wall recurrence and/or retroperitoneal lymph node metastasis, though postoperative radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy had been given after operation.

RESULTSThe median dose delivered to the PTV was 56.8 Gy for preventive irradiation, and 60.6 Gy for pelvic wall recurrence or retroperioneal lymph node metastasis irradiation. It was required that 90% of iso-dose curve could covere more than 99% of GTV. However, The mean dose irradiated to small intestine, bladder, rectum, kidney and spinal cord was 21.3 Gy, 37.8 Gy, 35.3 Gy, 8.5 Gy, 22.1 Gy, respectively. Fourteen patients presented grade I (11 patients) or II (3 patients) digestive tract side-effects, Five patients developed grade I or II bone marrow depression. Twelve patients had grade I skin reaction. The overall 1-year survival rate was 100%. The 2- and 3- year survival rate for preventive irradiation were both 100%, but which was 5/7 and 3/6 for the patients with pelvic wall recurrence or retroperioneal lymph node metastasis.

CONCLUSIONIntensity modulated radiation therapy can provide a better dose distribution than traditional radiotherapy for both prevention and pelvic wall recurrence or retroperioneal lymph node metastasis. The toxicity is tolerable. The adjacent organs at risk can well be protected.

Adult ; Aged ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Diarrhea ; etiology ; Endometrial Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; radiotherapy ; surgery ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hysterectomy ; methods ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; Radiotherapy Dosage ; Radiotherapy, Intensity-Modulated ; adverse effects ; methods ; Survival Analysis ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; radiotherapy ; surgery

BACKGROUNDUse of neoadjuvant chemotherapy necessitates assessment of response to cytotoxic drugs. The aim of this research was to investigate the effectiveness of dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for evaluating clinical responses to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer patients.

METHODSWe examined patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy for primary breast cancer between October 2007 and September 2008. Dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI was used to examine breast tumors prior to and after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The MRI examination assessed tumors using Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST). The Miller-Payne grading system was used as a histopathological examination to assess the effect of the treatment. We examined the relationship between the results of RECIST and histopathological criteria. In addition, we used time-signal intensity curves (MRI T-SI) to further evaluate the effects of neoadjuvant chemotherapy on tumor response.

RESULTSMRI examination of patients completing four three-week anthracycline-taxanes chemotherapy treatment revealed that no patients had complete responses (CR), 58 patients had partial responses (PR), 29 patients had stable disease (SD), and four with progressive disease (PD). The effectiveness of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (CR + PR) was 63.7% (58/91). The postoperative histopathological evaluations revealed the following: seven G5 (pCR) cases (7.7%), 39 G4 cases (42.9%), 16 G3 cases (17.6%), 23 G2 cases (25.3%), and six G1 cases (6.6%). The effectiveness (G5 + G4 + G3) was 68.1% (62/91). MRI T-SI standards classified 53 responding cases, 29 stable cases, and nine progressing cases. These results indicated that the treatment was 58.2% effective (53/91) overall.

CONCLUSIONSDynamic contrast-enhanced MRI and histopathological standards were highly correlated. Importantly, MRI T-SI evaluation was found to be useful in assessing the clinical effectiveness of neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Adult ; Aged ; Anthracyclines ; therapeutic use ; Antineoplastic Agents ; therapeutic use ; Breast Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Contrast Media ; chemistry ; Female ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; methods ; Middle Aged ; Neoadjuvant Therapy ; Taxoids ; therapeutic use

AIMTo study the effects of bone marrow MSCs transplantation on the apoptosis of alveolar wall cells and the expression of Bcl-2 and Bax of lung tissue in papain and Co60-induced pulmonary emphysema rats.

METHODSFemale Lewis rats were randomly divided into three groups: control group, emphysema group, emphysema + MSCs transplantation group. Rats were sacrificed at days 14 and 28 after treatment. Morphologic analysis of the lung tissue was performed. The apoptosis of the lung cells was assessed by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining. The expression of Bcl-2 and Bax were determined by immunohistochemical staining.

RESULTSEmphysematous changes of the lung tissue were observed in emphysema group and emphysema + MSCs transplantation group. However, the emphysematous change in emphysema + MSCs transplantation group was improved compared with the emphysema group. There was significant difference in the number of alveolar counted per unit area (MAN), mean alveoli area (MAA) and mean linear interval(MLI) between emphysema group and emphysema + MSCs transplantation group. The apoptotic index of the alveolar wall cells in emphysema + MSCs transplantation group was less than that in the emphysema group. The percentage of Bcl-2 positive cells in emphysema + MSCs transplantation group was significantly higher than that in the emphysema group. The percentage of Bax positive cells in emphysema + MSCs transplantation group was significantly lower than that in the emphysema group. The ratio of Bcl-2/Bax of emphysema + MSCs transplantation group was significantly higher than that in the emphysema group.

CONCLUSIONBone marrow MSCs transplantation inhibits the apoptosis of alveolar wall cells, upregulates the expression of Bcl-2 and downregulates the expression of Bax. This may be part of the reason that bone marrow MSCs transplantation improves the papain and Co60-induced pulmonary emphysema.

Animals ; Apoptosis ; Bone Marrow Transplantation ; Cells, Cultured ; Cobalt Isotopes ; adverse effects ; Female ; Lung ; cytology ; Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation ; Papain ; adverse effects ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 ; metabolism ; Pulmonary Alveoli ; drug effects ; pathology ; radiation effects ; Pulmonary Emphysema ; chemically induced ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Rats ; bcl-2-Associated X Protein ; metabolism

Silent information regulator 1 (SIRT1), an NAD(+)-dependent deacetylase, is involved in the regulation of gene transcription, energy metabolism and cell aging. Recent studies have showed that SIRT1 possesses neuroprotective effects, however, it is not very clear how SIRT1 exerts the neuroprotection in Alzheimer's disease (AD). In this review, we summarized the neuroprotective role of SIRT1 in AD and its possible molecular mechanisms, proposing a novel strategy for preventing and treating neurodegeneration.
Alzheimer Disease ; genetics ; physiopathology ; Animals ; Energy Metabolism ; physiology ; Humans ; Neuroprotective Agents ; Sirtuin 1 ; physiology ; Transcription, Genetic ; physiology

The objective of this study was to investigate the change of native immune adhering function (ENIAF) in self-plasma of patients with hematologic and lymphoid neoplasms and its effect on the killing activity of NK cells. The whole blood was anticoagulated with citric acid. 5 microl precipitated red blood cells and 500 microl plasma of patients or controls were directly mixed with 750 microl quantitative K562 cells at 37 degrees C for 30 minutes. One K562 cell attached by one or more erythrocytes was counted as one rosette, the ratio of rosettes was calculated. Using K562 cells as target cells, the killing activity of NK cells isolated from normal persons was detected by MTT assay, the change of the killing activity was observed after adding RBCs. The results indicated that the ratio of rosettes formed by RBCs of 21 normal controls and K562 cells was 15.3% +/- 6.4%, and the ratio of rosettes formed by RBCs of 24 patients and K562 cells was 7.6% +/- 7.0%. The ability of ENIAF in patients with hematologic and lymphoid neoplasms was significantly lower than that in healthy individuals (t = 3.61, p < 0.001). The killing rate of NK cells in peripheral blood of normal individuals was 67% - 71% without adding RBCs, and it increased by 14.7% +/- 5.2% after adding RBCs of normal controls but decreased by 4.3% +/- 7.6% with RBCs of patients. It is concluded that the ENIAF of RBCs in patients with hematopoietic and lymphoid neoplasms decreases, accompanying the reduction of the killing activity of NK cells to K562 cells, so to detect change of ENIAF may be helpful for the assessment of the immunological function of patients with hematopoietic and lymphoid neoplasms.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Erythrocytes ; immunology ; Hematologic Neoplasms ; immunology ; Humans ; Immune Adherence Reaction ; K562 Cells ; Killer Cells, Natural ; immunology ; Lymphoma ; immunology ; Middle Aged ; Rosette Formation ; Young Adult