Arachidonic acid is an essential fatty acid in human nutrition and a biogenetic precursor of the biologically active prostaglandins and leukotrienes. ?~5 desaturase catalyzes the ?~5 dehydrogenation of di-homo-?-linolenic acid to form arachidonic acid in biosynthetic pathway of arachidonic acid. Using real time PCR technology,the transcriptional expression levels of gene encoding ?5 desaturase in three Mortierella alpina strains M10,M6 and M23,and in different growth phase of high arachidonic acid yielding strain M6,were determined. Results showed that there was a distinct corelationship between mRNA transcript level of ?~5 desaturase gene and biosynthesis of arachidonic acid. Results indicated that ?~5 desaturase plays an important role in arachidonic acid biosynthesis.

Objective To improve the diagnosis and treatment of hermaphroditism.Methods The data of 138 cases of hermaphroditism who were hospitalized in our department between March 2005 and April 2008 were reviewed and and analyzed to summarize our experience in the diagnosis and treatment.Results Among the 138 cases with a age ranging from 2 to 36(mean 17 years old),42 were socially male and 96 were socially female.With the help of medical examination,,laboratory examination,ultrasonic examination,radiological examination and pathologic diagnosis,54 patients were diagnosed as female pseudohermaphroditism,66 as male pseudohermaphroditism,10 patients as true hermaphroditism,2 patients as pure gonadal dysgenesis,2 as testicle degeneration,and the left 4 patients as Klinefelter syndrome.Among the 138 patients,132 patients were received surgery operation,including 76 of them receiving laparoscopy.After operation,121 patients were maintained female sex,11 patients were maintained male sex.Female pseudohermaphroditism were all maintained female sex.Fifty-nine patients of male pseudohermaphroditism were maintained female sex.There were 4 patients being maintained male sex,and 3 patients having not received operation.Of the cases of the true hermaphroditism,8 patients were maintained female sex and 2 patients were maintained male sex.Conclusion Early accurate diagnosis is very important to the treatment of hermaphroditism.Etiologic diagnosis is useful in the course.Although it is good for the hermaphroditism to maintain female sex,the decision of the patients and the family should be considered.

Objective To genotype Yersinia pestis and explore intrinsic relationship among different ecotypes of Yersinia pestis in Yunnan foci.Methods A total of 171 strains from three types of Yersinia pestis,house mouse,wild-type mouse and Yulong Yersinia pestis,were tested.Twenty-three different regions (DFR) were used to genotype and cluster analysis was performed using BioNumerics 5.0.Results A total of 171 Yersinia pestis were divided into 7 genotypes by 23 DFRs,which were Genomovar5,Genomovar7,Genomovar9 and 4 newly discovered genotypes.The genotypes of all Yulong plague were Genomovar5.The genotypes of the 16 strains of wild-type mouse plague (the highland of northwestern Yunnan Province type) were divided to 3 genotypes,13 of them were Genomovar 7,2 of them were Genomovar9,and 1 of them was newly discovered genotype Genomovaryn1.The genotypes of the 148 strains of house mouse plague(the residential area of Yunnan and Fujian Provinces type) were divided into 4 genotypes,145 of them were Genomovar9,and 3 of them were newly discovered including Genomovar-yn2,-yn3 and-yn4.The ecological typing results of clustering showed genotype of Yulong plague was similar to the highland of northwestern Yunnan Province type(wild-type mouse plague),and the percentage of similarity was up to 87.20％,but only up to 73.75％ to the residential area of Yunnan and Fujian Provinces type (house mouse plague).The genotypes of 2 wild-type strains of the highland of northwestern Yunnan Province type(wild-type mouse) and main genotypes of the residential area of Yunnan and Fujian Provinces type(house mouse)were Genomovar 9.The genotype of Genomovar-yn 1 of the highland of northwestern Yunnan Province type was similar to Genomovar 7,but lack of DFR 11.The genotypes of Genomovar-yn2,-yn3 and-yn4 of the residential area of Yunnan and Fujian Provinces type were similar to Genomovar 9,but lack of DFR 10,DFR 9 and DFR 11,respectively.Conclusions One newly genotype strain is found in wild-type mouse plague and 3 newly genotype strains are founded in house mouse plague.Wild-type mouse strains are founded in the house mouse strains.The similarity of genotype between Yulong plague and the highland of northwestern Yunnan Province type (wild-type mouse plague) is high while the similarity between Yulong plague and the residential area of Yunnan and Fujian Provinces type(house mouse plague) is low.

Antiviral Agents ; therapeutic use ; Congresses as Topic ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; drug therapy ; Hepatitis C, Chronic ; drug therapy ; Humans

A phytochemical investigation on the aerial parts of a Tibetan medicine Meconopsis horridula, by solvent extraction, repeated chromatographies on silica gel, Sephadex LH-20, and preparative TLC techniques, led to the isolation of 9 compounds. By spectroscopic analysis and comparison of its 1H and 13C-NMR data with those in literatures, their structures were identified as oleracein E(1), N-( trans-p-coumaroyl) tyramine (2), chrysoeriol (3), apigenin (4), hydnocarpin (5), p-coumaric acid glucosyl ester (6), stigmast-5-ene-3beta-ylformate (7), 3beta-hydroxy-7alpha-ethoxy-24beta-ethylcholest-5-ene (8), and beta-sitosterol (9), respectively, among which compounds 6-8 were isolated from the genus for the first time,and 1,3 were isolated from the species for the first time. A MTT method was applied to evaluate the cytotoxic activity of compounds 14 against the human hepatocellular liver carcinoma cell line (HepG2), and compound 1 showed significant cytotoxicity against HepG2,with its inhibitory rate of 52.2% at 10 micromol x L(-1).
Medicine, Tibetan Traditional ; Molecular Structure ; Papaveraceae ; chemistry ; Plant Extracts ; chemistry ; Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization

Objective To investigate the effects of antihypertension and reversing left ventricular hypertro- phy by carvedilol or bisoprolol in patients with mild to moderate essential hypertension.Methods 40 cases of mild to moderate essential hypertension patients were selected for this random single-blind,paralleling controlled clinical study.Results Patients were randomized to take 12.5～25mg carvedilol tablet orlce daily or bisoprolol 2.5～5mg once daily if DBP was still in the range of 12.0～14.6kPa(90～110mmHg)after 2 weeks' placebo baseline. Carvedilol group included 20 cases,bisoprolol group included 20 cases,and the course was 24 weeks.Blood pressure and heart rate were measured and symptoms and signs were recorded.At the end of placebo and in 24 weeks heart ultrasound,blood routine,serum glucose,blood lipid,hepatic function and renal function were examined.SBP,DBP and heart rate of patients in two groups decreased obviously.There were significant differences between the two groups.Ventricular hypertrophy of carvedilol group improved than that in pretherapy.There were significant differ- ences between the two groups.Conclusion Carvedilol was well-tolerated with less side effects such as mild headache,tiredness,dizziness,slightly elevating of serum glucose.Carvedilol could well treat the mild moderate essen- tial hypertension effectively and safely by 12.5～25mg once daily.

ObjectiveTo investigate the therapeutic effect of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell-paracrine substance on fulminant hepatic failure (FHF) rat, and to study the effect on liver function and hepatocyte proliferation. MethodsMesenchymal stem cells(MSCs)were separated from human umbilical cord, and surface makers of cells were detected by flow cytometry. Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells-conditioned medium(MSC-CM) was prepared. FHF rat model was induced by intraperitoneal injection of D-galactosamine and they were randomly diveded into three groups: MSC-CM group, NS group, PHGF group. 24 h later, 1 ml MSC-CM, 1 ml 0. 9% NaCl solution and lml PHGF solution was injected into the tail vein of MSC-CM, NS, and PHGF rats, respectively. In each group (n=8 per group), blood samples were collected at 12, 24, 36, and 60 h after treatment from inner canthus for analysis of blood ALT and TBIL levels. We used five rats per group for tissue collection after sacrifice at 36 h after treatment and 10 animals per group for survival analysis. PCNA immunohistochemical staining was used in the sections of liver tissue to detect hepatocyte proliferation. Results24 h after treatment, the levels of ALT and TBIL in the MSC-CM and PHGF groups were lower than those in the NS group(P＜0. 05), but there was no significant difference between the MSC-CM and PHGF groups. There were more PCNA-positive hepatocytes in the MSC-CM and PHGF groups than in the NS group(P＜0.01), but there was no significant difference between MSC-CM and PHGF group. Survival analysis found that the survival rate of rats in the MSC-CM and PHGF groups was higher than that of rats in the NS group (P=0. 049), but there was no significant difference between the MSC-CM and PHGF group. ConclusionsThe paracrine substance of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells can stimulate hepatocyte proliferation and improve liver function of FHF rats, potentially creating a new avenue for the treatment of FHF.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate biological characteristics of human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells, and to explore the possibility of hepatocyte-like cells differentiation.METHODS: The umbilical cord was provided by healthy term birth woman in Tianjin Third Central Hospital. Mesenchymal stem cells were isolated from human umbilical cord by enzyme digestion method. Cells were passaged at 80%-90% confluent. The ninth passage of cells at a density of 5×10~(10)/L were seeded in 12-well culture plate and incubated with DMEM containing hepatocyte growth factor, fibroblast growth factor-4 and oncostatin for 28 days. Cell growth activity was detected by MTT method; cell cycle was detected by flow cytometry; surface immunological marker in MSC was detected by immunocytochemical stain and flow cytometry; specific surface phenotype of hepatocyte was detected by immunocytochemical staining. Function characteristic of hepatocyte was determined by staining for glycogen.RESULTS: MSCs were isolated from human umbilical cord and presented with fibroblastic morphology. 80% of cells were at G_0/G_1 phase with good growth activity and stably passaged over 20 times. These cells were positive for CD29, CD105, and Vimentin, but negative for CD34 and CD31. MSCs were induced to hepatocyte-1 ike cells that were positive for alpha fetoprotein, CK18, CK19 at 1 week and albumin at 3 weeks. At 4 weeks, induced cells were positive for glycogen staining.CONCLUSION: MSCs isolated from human umbilical cord can be cultured in a long periods time in vitro and are able to differentiate into functional hepatocyte-like cells.

Objective To investigate the effect of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell paracrine substance on proliferation and apoptosis of liver cells in vitro. Methods Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC)were separated from human umbilical cord with type Ⅳ collagenase and trypsogen digestion method and cultured in vitro. The human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells-conditioned medium(MSC-CM) which contain paracrine substance of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (HUCMSC) was prepared. Hepatocytes were isolated from SD rats by low concentration collagenase perfusion procedure. There were three groups in the experiment, control group, 2% MSC-CM group and 8% MSC-CM group. The proliferation of normal hepatocytes were assayed with MTT method. We detected the urea and albumin level in culture supernatant to assay the hepatocyte function under different concentration MSC-CM. Hepatocytes were induced for apoptosis by Actinomycin D and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α),and the apoptosis effect of different concentration MSC-CM was assayed with LIVE/DEAD Viability/Cytotoxicity Kit. Results The MTT assay showed that the absorbance of 2% MSC-CM group was significantly increased (P＜0. 01), and the urea and albumin levels of 2 % MSC-CM group were also significantly increased when compared with control group(P＜0. 01).LIVE/DEAD Viability/Cytotoxicity Kit revealed that hepatocyte survival rate of 2 % MSC-CM group was increased when compared with control group(P＜0. 05), there were no significant differences in above-mentioned experiments when 8% MSC-CM group compared with control group. Conclusion The low concentration MSC-CM could stimulate normal hepatocyte proliferation, inhibit impaired hepatocyte apoptosis and improve hepatocyte function.

Objective To investigate the angiographic manifestation of the proper esophageal artery (PEA),the hish risk factom for the presence of the anomalous PEA in hemoptysis and to evaluate the safety of transcatheter aaefial embolization(TAE) of the PEA using gelatin sponge(GS).Methods Selective esophageal arteriography WSS performed in forty-three patients with hemoptysis,including 15 cases of pulmonary tuberculosis,18 cases of bmnchiectasis,7 cases of posttuberculous bronchiectasis and three cases of lung cancer. One case experienced failure of bronchial arterial embolization. The angiographic manifestation of the PEAs Was studied.The complications of the procedure and clinical results were observed in the patients who underwent TAE using GS.Results Thirty-nine PEAs were catheterized selectively in 37 patients(86.0%).Eighteen anomalous PEAs(46.2%)were catheterized selectively in 17 patients (45.9%).The anomalous PEAs showed tortuosity,dilatation,hyperplasia,shunting with pulmonary artery and anastomosis with the bronchial artery.All lesions involved basal segment of inferior pulmonary lobar. Bronchiectasis Was the most frequent disease for PEA abnormality. No complications occurred and satisfactory curative effect Was achieved with TAE of the anomalous PEAs.Conclusions It is necessary to perform selective proper esophageal arteriography when the lesion involves basal segment of inferior pulmonary lobar in hemoptysis.Supplemental TAE of the anomalous PEA using GS is safe and valuable in the management of hemoptysis.