Aim To analyze the expression of phosphatidylethanolamine-binding protein(PEBP) and ERK in critical brain regions of psychological dependence rats.Methods Morphine-induced rats conditioned place preference(CPP) model was established to mimic different stages of morphine psychological dependence, during which PEBP expression and ERK activity were assayed in different brain regions.Results PEBP expression in hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, striatum and nucleus accumbens showed no change at three stages of psychological dependence.However, ERK activity increased notably in prefrontal cortex on CPP formation, and decreased remarkably in hippocampus on CPP reinstatement.Conclusions The formation and retrieval of associated memory between morphine effects and environment involve different neural circuits, in which ERK activity is critical, and PEBP might not be involved in such a memory-related ERK regulation.

Detection of low-level somatic DNA mutations and minority alleles within a wild-type sample is crucial in fields of medicine,such as cancer,prenatal diagnosis and infectious diseases.Increasing enrichment methods have been developed to study this challenging area.They are typically segregate by their ability to enrich for,and detect,either known or unknown mutations,including COLD-PCR,ice-COLD-PCR,TT-PCR,PNA-mediated PCR,WTB-PCR and digital PCR.In this review,we discuss theoretical principles and relative advantages and disadvantages of these techniques,and put an emphasis on their applications in fields of diseases.

Objective To investigate the effects of soluble components derived from bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) on the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and liver regeneration caused by 70％ portal branch ligation (PBL) in rats.Methods Isolated and cultured BMSCs were lysed by sonication.PBL was performed in male SD rats followed by splenic injection of BMSCs or PBS as control.Animals were analyzed for liver regeneration index,hepatocytes proliferation,hepatic function,histopathological changes,and hepatic genes expression.Expression of VEGF was assessed by Western blot and immunohistochemistry.Results The liver regeneration index increased in the BMSCs group especially 2 and 5 days after PBL compared with the control group (P＜0.05) and reached (51.71±1.62)％ and (76.82±0.81)％ respectively.A 2-fold increase was showed in the PCNA labeling index of hepatocytes in rats treated with BMSCs compared with the control group (P＜0.05).Histopathological findings showed that vacuolar change and sinusoidal congestion were lower in the BMSCs group.Alanine transaminase (ALT) and Aspartate transferase (AST) showed no significant difference between the two groups (P＞0.05).On post operation day 2,hepatic interleukin-6 (IL6),tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα),hepatocyte growth factor (HGF),vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA),and vascular endothelial growth factor 2 (VEGFR2) mRNAs tended to increase in the BMSCs group (P＜0.05) while transforming growth factor β1 (TGFβ1) mRNA decreased (P＜0.05).Western blot showed that the expression level of VEGF in the two groups were equal 2 and 5 days after surgery (P＞0.05).On day 2 post operation,positive VEGF immunoreactivity was present in both pericentral and periportal hepatocytes in the BMSCs group,while only in periportal hepatocytes in the control group.Conclusion These results demonstrate that BMSCs accelerated liver regeneration caused by PBL,which may result from hepatoprotection,enhanced hepatocyte proliferation,and VEGF-mediated angiogenesis early after the operation,potentially creating a new avenue for the study of hepatic regeneration.

Remarkable progress has been achieved in the transplantation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs)for the treatment of liver injury and hepatic failure.However,there are obstacles such as low engraftment capacity,tumorigenesis,and a fibrogenic potential that all hamper the use of MSCs in clinical trials.Therefore,it is worthwhile to talk about the alternatives that will increase the safety and efficacy of MSCs therapy.To date,applications of MSCs-derived hepatocytes,genetically modified MSCs,or MSC-conditioned medium for promoting liver regeneration have shown encouraging results.This review summarizes the current applications of MSCs in the study of hepatic regeneration.

Stem cells refer to undifferentiated or inad equately differentiated cells that have the ability to become a variety of tissues,regenerate organs,and self expand.There is strong evidence that stem cells have abilities of self renewal differentiation,immune regulation,and a potential for targeted therapy,which all together support development of stem cell transplantation.Stem cell transplantation thera py has become a hot topic in recent years,and the basic theory and clinical application have made great progress.The a bilities of stem cells make their transplantation ideal to pro mote liver regeneration,inhibit liver fibrosis,and provide treatment for many diseases.This article will review the cur rent status and outlook of stem cell transplantation.

Background: Hepatocyte nuclear factor 4α (HNF4α) plays an important role in the development of liver,and studies demonstrate that it is correlated with the pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).However,the regulatory effect of HNF4α on expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in human HCC cell lines and tube formation of human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) is not yet clear.Aims: To investigate the effect of HNF4α on expression of VEGF in human HCC cell lines and tube formation of HUVEC.Methods: Lentiviral vector overexpressed HNF4α was constructed,and then transfected into HepG2 and SMMC-7721 cells (experimental group),cells transfected with lentiviral blank vector and cells without transfection were served as negative control group and blank control group,respectively.The mRNA and protein expressions of HNF4α,VEGF were detected by qRT-PCR and Western blotting,respectively.The conditioned media of HepG2 and SMMC-7721 cells were co-cultured with HUVEC,and number of HUVEC tube formation was measured.Results: HepG2 and SMMC-7721 cells with stable overexpression of HNF4α were successfully established.Compared with negative control group and blank control group,mRNA and protein expressions of VEGF in experimental group were significantly decreased (P＜0.05),and number of HUVEC tube formation was significantly decreased (P＜0.05).Conclusions: HNF4α can significantly inhibit the expression of VEGF in HepG2 and SMMC-7721 cells and tube formation of HUVEC.

Objective To evaluate the clinical effects of autogenous vein grafting for the treatment of atherosclerotic occlusion of the lower limbs. Methods Ninety cases of segemental atherosclerotic occlusion of the lower limbs underwent autogenous vein graft bridging procedures from Jan 2002 to Feb 2005 in our hospital. The immediate surgical results were compared with symptoms of pre-operation, and the long-term patency rate was evaluated. Results Total symptom relief was achieved in 87 cases, with the limbs pain disappearing, skin temperature going up, and the refractory ulcer tending to heal. There was a significant difference in ABI, perioperatively increasing from 0. 38?0. 11 to 0. 85?0. 18(P

AIM:To analyze the relationship between epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) thickness and plasma N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide ( NT-proBNP ) level in the patients with stable coronary artery disease . METHODS:The patients with chest pain ( n=115) admitted to our hospital underwent coronary artery computer tomo-graphy and further underwent coronary angiography for confirming whether they had coronary artery disease .EAT thickness was evaluated at the right ventricular free wall imaged by coronary artery computer tomography .Plasma NT-proBNP level was examined by an automatic biochemistry analyzer .RESULTS:Eighty-one patients were confirmed to have stable coro-nary artery disease and thirty-four patients were excluded to have coronary artery disease .Left ventricular ejection fraction of these patients of 2 groups were all normal.The natural logarithm of plasma NT-proBNP level [ln(NT-proBNP)] of the patients with stable coronary artery disease was significantly higher than that of the patients without coronary artery disease (P<0.05).EAT thickness of the patients with stable coronary artery disease was also higher than that of the patients with -out coronary artery disease(P<0.05).EAT thickness was related to ln(NT-proBNP) positively (P<0.05).After adjust-ment of related impact factors , EAT thickness was still related to ln (NT-proBNP) positively (P<0.05).Multiple-factor regression analysis showed that EAT thickness was the independent influence factor on LnNT -proBNP (P<0.05).CON-CLUSION:EAT thickness and plasma NT-proBNP level are both increased significantly and is related to each other in the patients with stable coronary artery disease .

Objective To investigate the changes of interleukin-18 (IL-18), tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) levels of liver cirrhosis induced by the composite factors of carbon tetrachloride (CCl_4) in SD rats and their significance. Methods Totally 80 male SD rats of clean class were randomly divided into normal control group (20 rats) and model groups, the latter of which were further divided into three groups according to the length of administration time, namely, 2-week group (2 wk group), 4-week group (4 wk group) and 6-week group (6 wk group), with 20 rats in each. Six rats were killed after 2 wk, 4 wk and 6 wk administration time, respectively. The rat serum levels of IL-18, TNF-α and IFN-γ and the hepatic homogenate supernatant of IL-18 were detected by ELISA; pathological changes of liver tissues were observed by HE staining. Results ① Pathological observation revealed that in the model groups hepatic cells degenerated and swelled at week 2 while large amounts of fibrosis and pseudolobules of some liver tissues occurred at week 6. ② The serum levels of IL-18, TNF-α and IFN-γ were gradually increased with the modeling time, and they were significantly higher in 6-week group than in normal control group (P<0.01). ③ The levels of hepatic homogenate supernatant of IL-18 in the model groups were elevated with liver damage, and they were significantly higher in 6-week group than in normal control group (P<0.01). Conclusion During the formation of liver cirrhosis induced by composite factors of CCl_4 in rats, IL-18, TNF-α and IFN-γ levels gradually increase, suggesting that the three cytokines play a certain role during the occurrence of liver cirrhosis in rats.

To observe the effects of icariin, psoralen and oleanolic acid, the three active ingredients of Yinyanghuo (Herba Epimedii Brevicornus), Buguzhi (Fructus Psoraleae) and Nuzhenzi (Fructus Ligustri Lucidi), respectively, on gene expression profile of bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) from rats with corticosterone-induced osteoporosis.