Animals ; Bibenzyls ; chemical synthesis ; therapeutic use ; Imidazoles ; chemical synthesis ; therapeutic use ; Mice ; Pyrimidines ; chemical synthesis ; therapeutic use ; Sarcoma 180 ; drug therapy

Issues related to bioethics research often involve four basic principles , which are the value and integri-ty of the research, respect for human being, risk to benefit ratio, and the justice in subject selection. These prin-ciples contribute to the basis of bioethics for human-involved studies and they are capable of being applied to other relevant fields including complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) researches. The World Health Orga-nization (WHO) guidelines related to CAM studies clarify that the consideration should be taken for the human rights based on different value systems caused by social, cultural and historical problems, and the ethical prob-lem involved in CAM clinical studies should be properly handled in the further studies. Based on the four prin-ciples and Chinese traditional culture, the author attempted to discuss controversial bioethical issues such as the understanding and setting of informed consent, risk and benefit in western culture bioethics in order to analyze possible issues in the ethical review of Chinese medicine clinical research. We hoped that these considerations can provide references to the bioethical understanding of Chinese medicine clinical studies and ethical review on Chinese medicine practice .

Objective To evaluate the feasibility of histogram analysis of susceptible signal intensity in differentiating papillary (pRCC) from chromophobe renal cell carcinoma(ChRCC). Methods Thirteen cases with pRCC and 9 cases with ChRCC, who underwent susceptible-weighted imaging(SWI), MR common scanning and enhancement, were assessed retrospectively. The histogram parameters of susceptible signal intensity were measured, including maximum, minimum, mean, median, skewness and kurtosis. The independent samples t test(normal distribution) and Mann-Whitney rank sum test(skewed distribution) were used to compare the differences in SWI parameters between pRCCs and ChRCCs. Receiver operating characteristic curve was used to evaluate the efficiency of the whole-tumor SWI parameters in differentiating pRCCs from ChRCCs. Results The significant differences of the minimum, mean, median and skewness between pRCCs and ChRCCs were present(P<0.05), and there was no significant differences in maximum and kurtosis between between pRCCs and ChRCCs(P>0.05). In all the histogram parameters, the area of ROC curve of mean value was largest(0.80). The sensitivity of minimum value (84.62％) was the highest and and the specificity of skewness(100.00％) was the highest. Conclusion Histogram analysis of susceptible signal intensity can help differentiate pRCCs from ChRCCs.

In this experiment six methods,calcium chloride(CaCl_(2)) precipitation,polyethylene glycol(PEG,pH7.0) precipitation,polyethylene glycol(PEG,pH11.5) precipitation,aluminum chloride(AlCl_(3)) precipitation,Amicon Utcra centrifugal filter devices and cellulose nitrate membrane were used to concentrate the vaccine poliovirus type 1(PV_(1)) added to water body;experimental conditions for concentration were selected and optimized.The results showed that two methods,CaCl_(2)and PEG(pH 7.0) precipitation were suitable for concentrating virus in large volumes of water while amicon utcra centrifugal filter devices for small ones.The virus recovery of the three methods reached a 100% rate.

Objective To establish a method for the determination of forsy thin in Baohe Oral Liquid by HPLC.Methods The determination was carried out on a Diamonsil C18 column,with mobile phase of acetonitrile-water(29∶71) at room temperature.The flow rate was 1.0mL?min-1 and the detective wavelength at 277 nm.Results The calibration curves was linear in the range of 0.068～ 0.340 ? g(r=0.9996).The average recovery rate of tested sample was 99.7 %(RSD=2.1 %).Conclusion The method was specific,accurate and precise.It can be used for the quality control of Baohe Oral Liquid.

OBJECTIVEEndothelial apoptosis plays an important role in the initiation of atherosclerosis. It would be useful to clarify whether activation of non-neuronal muscarinic receptor (NNMR) could prevent endothelial apoptosis and atherosclerosis. We investigated the effects of NNMR activation on regulating rat aortic endothelial cells (RAECs) apoptosis induced by homocysteine, an independent risk factor of atherosclerosis, and further studied its molecular mechanism.

METHODSRAECs were incubated using homocysteine at the concentration of 2.7 mmol/L for 36 h. RAECs were also pre-treated with carbachol or arecoline to examine their effects. RT-PCR was used to assess changes in the gene expression related to cell apoptosis.

RESULTSIncubation of RAECs with homocysteine at the concentration of 2.7 mmol/L resulted in morphologic changes, such as cellular shrinkage, membrane blebbing, chromatin condensation and margination. These could be attenuated by pretreatment with carbachol and arecoline at the concentration of 10 micromol/L for 12 h. Homocysteine induced apoptosis in RAECs and the molecular mechanisms were associated with the regulation of fas, fas-L and caspase-8 in the death receptor pathway, bcl-2, bcl-xL and bax in the mitochondrial pathway, caspase-12 in the endoplasmic reticulum pathway and caspase-3, caspase-6 and p53 as downstream effectors. Carbachol and arecoline attenuated the effects of homocysteine on genes in the death receptor pathway, in the mitochondrial pathway and in the downstream pathway. Atropine could reverse all of the effects of arecoline.

CONCLUSIONActivation of NNMR by carbacol and arecoline inhibits homocysteine-induced endothelial cell apoptosis mainly through regulation of death receptor pathway, mitochondrial pathway and downstream effectors.

Animals ; Aorta ; cytology ; Apoptosis ; Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins ; metabolism ; Arecoline ; Carbachol ; Cell Cycle ; Endoplasmic Reticulum ; metabolism ; Endothelial Cells ; cytology ; drug effects ; Homocysteine ; adverse effects ; Mitochondria ; metabolism ; Rats ; Receptors, Muscarinic ; metabolism

Objective To study the dynamic changes of plasma C-reactive protein (CRP) and cortisol (COR) and their clinical value in prognosis of patients with sepsis. Methods Daily CRP and COR detection was conducted to record the dynamic changes of CRP and COR for cases of sepsis patients in ICU then the rela-tionship between dynamic changes of serum CRP and COR and prognosis were analyzed. Results Serum CRP and COR levels of dead patients were significantly higher than those of survival patients after treatment (P <0.05). According to the difference of the dynamic changes of CRP and COR, the data were divided into typeⅠ:sustained elevated type , typeⅡ: up-and-down type , type Ⅲ: fluctuated type and type Ⅳ: normal or mild ele-vation type. The mortality of CRP typeⅠ patients was significantly higher than that of type Ⅱ and type Ⅳ(P <0.001). The mortality of COR typeⅠ and COR Ⅲ patients was significantly higher than that in COR Ⅱand COR Ⅳ (P < 0.001). Further analysis showed that the mortality of group with significant elevation of CRP and COR were obviously higher than that of group with significant increase of CRP or COR and that of group with no significant elevation of CRP and COR (P < 0.001); the mortality of group with significant increase of CRP or COR was also significantly higher than that of group with no significant elevation of CRP and COR (P < 0.001). Conclusions The dynamic changes of COR and CRP in patients with sepsis present certain regularity and monitor-ing the dynamic changes of the two provides accurate assessment of the prognosis of sepsis.

Objective To investigate the association between polymorphisms of thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor(TSHR)gene intron 1(rs179247, rs12101261)and Graves′ disease(GD)in the China Han population from Xuzhou city, Jiangsu Province. Methods Total 1 066 GD patients and 1 107 control subjects were recruited for genotyping by Taqman probe technique on Fluidigm EP1 platform. Meanwhile, serum concentrations of thyroid hormone and TSH receptor antibodies(TRAb)were determined. Results The rs179247_A, rs12101261_T were significantly associated with GD risk(OR=1.35, 95%CI 1.19-1.54, P=5.92×10-6; OR=1.32, 95%CI 1.16-1.50, P=2.22×10-5). Logistic regression identified that rs179247 was an independent susceptibility locus of GD. Serum TRAb concentration showed a significant difference(P=0.015)among rs179247_AA, AG, and GG genotypes. Conclusion rs179247 and rs12101261 in TSHR intron 1 are both associated with GD, and rs179247 may contribute risk to GD independently. The polymorphism is associated with TRAb, but not with serum concentration of thyroid hormones, age of onset, diffused thyroid goiter, ophthalmic signs, and relapse.

Objective To detect the gene mutation of thyroid hormone receptor β ( TRβ ) in a family with thyroid hormone resistance syndrome.Methods The genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood leukocytes of the patient and his 5 family members.The exons 1-10 ofTRβ gene were amplified by PCR.The products of PCR were sequenced directly to detect the gene mutation.Results Two members of this family were confirmed to have the C y A transition mutation at nucleotide 1642 site within exon 10 of TRβ gene,which was a missense mutation causing the substitution of Proline to Threonine (P453T).The mutation was Heterozygous.Conclusions It was confirmed that the patient has TRβ gene mutation P453T in exon 10.The mutation may lead to the occurrence of thyroid hormone resistance syndrome.

In traditional biomedical research, a series of mechanism and measures had been taken for identity protection of data subjects, such as data disclosure in aggregated methods, information restricted in public only after identified variables removal and etc. The purpose of such process was aimed to properly keep confidentiality of health information for the target subjects in research. As the protection of subject privacy was viewed as one of the most essential principle of medical ethics in human research, the effects to fulfill and accomplish such process can help to maintain the trust and support among participants and social public. Currently, such traditional modes of privacy safeguard are widely-applied in genetics and genomics study. However, the universal applicability also causes a number of controversies, and the effectiveness remains to be proven. Nowadays, the risk assessments of data subjects’ privacy call for taking the whole“data context” into consideration, not just self-restricted in isolation and confined to quality control of data disclosure. With the soaring increasing of data resources in research involved human subjects, the issues of releasing genetic data have caused more and more public attention, especially for the sensitive domains of privacy protection. Based on the core problem and principles, this article attempted to discuss the controversial bioethical issues such as data context, data-intruder concept, privacy of data subject, identity control of releasing data, potential risk of individual identification, privacy protection of data subject, and etc. We hope these considerations can provide references to the bioethical understanding of biobanks research and decision-making of ethic review.