Objective To investigate the expression of phosphatase and tension homolog (PTEN) in adipose tissue of KKAy diabetic mice, a mouse model of type 2 diabetes.
Methods KKAy diabetic mice were fed with high fat diet for 4 weeks. After blood glucose met the criteria of diabetes (over 16.7 mmol/L), mice were randomly divided into 3 groups:a control group (without any treatment), a rosiglitazone group (treated with rosiglitazone 12.5 mg/kg·d once per day), and a metformin group (treated with metformin 3 g/kg·d twice daily). After 4 weeks, we then determined the expression of PTEN and phosphoserine 473-Akt (pS473-Akt) in the epididymal adipose tissue with Western blots. The mice in each group were further divided into the insulin (-) subgroup and insulin (+) subgroup, which were intraperitoneally injected with saline and insulin (5 mU/g body weight), respectively.
Results The expression of PTEN was elevated in the epididymal adipose tissue obtained from KKAy diabetic mice compared with that from the C57BL/6J mice (P<0.001). In accordance with the enhanced expression of PTEN, the level of pS473-Akt stimulated by insulin was decreased in the adipose tissue of KKAy mice compared to the C57BL/6J mice (P<0.001). Treatment with the insulin-sensitizing agents, rosiglitazone and metformin did not inhibit the elevated expression of PTEN in adipose tissue of KKAy diabetic mice.
Conclusion PTEN may play an important role in the development of insulin resistance in adipose tissue of type 2 diabetes mice model.

AlM:To evaluate the clinical efficacy of intravitreal injection of ranibizumab combined with macular grid photocoagulation for diabetic macular edema ( DME) .METHODS:Totally 60 eyes ( 60 patients ) with DME were randomly divided into 2 groups: 30 eyes of simple injection group underwent intravitreal injection of ranibizumab, and 30 eyes of combined treatment group underwent intravitreal injection of ranibizumab and macular grid photocoagulation 1wk later. The best corrected visual acuity ( BCVA ) , central macular thickness ( CMT ) measured by optical coherence tomography ( OCT ) and postoperative complications were observed.
RESULTS:ln simple injection group, the BCVA after operation were separately 0. 390 ± 0. 075 (4wk), 0. 367 ± 0. 088 (8wk) and 0. 319 ± 0. 064 (12wk), the CMT after operation were separately 221. 63 ± 112. 34μm (4wk), 337. 73±99. 56μm (8wk) and 432. 92 ± 100. 46μm (12wk), which were much better than pre-operation. But during follow-up, the BCVA presented down trend and the CMT was on the rise slowly. ln combined treatment group, the BCVA after operation were separately 0. 385 ± 0. 036 (4wk), 0.382±0.079 (8wk) and 0.377±0.097 (12wk),the CMT after operation were separately 249. 77 ± 106. 55μm (4wk), 270. 40 ± 92. 88μm (8wk) and 275. 84 ± 97. 34μm (12wk ), which were satisfactory and steady during follow-up, better than simple injection group (P<0. 05).CONCLUSlON:lntravitreal injection of ranibizumab can effectively improve visual acuity and decrease central foveal thickness for patients with DME, combining with macular grid photocoagulation can ensure therapeutic effects steady and permanent.

OBJECTIVETo observe analgesic effect of scalp acupuncture on labor.

METHODSSeventy primiparae with term pregnancy and monocyesis were randomly divided into scalp acupuncture group treated by acupuncture at the Shengzhi area of scalp, and control group by no treatment. Pain grades before and after scalp acupuncture were evaluated with the pain 4-grade rating criteria stipulated by WHO, and the active stage and the second birth process, the Apgar scores of new-born and postpartum hemorrage amount were compared between the two groups.

RESULTSThe labor pain with 1 to approximately 2 grades was found in 33 cases in the scalp acupuncture group, and 2 cases in the control group with very significant difference between the two groups (P < 0.01); the active stage was (130.70 +/- 74.16 ) min and the second birth process was (40.70 +/- 21.65) min in the scalp acupuncture group, and (166.15 +/- 62.65) min and (53.30 +/- 26.93) min in the control group, respectively, with significant differences between the two groups (all P < 0.05); and there were no significant differences in Apgar score of new-born and postpartum hemorrhage amount.

CONCLUSIONScalp acupuncture has a better analgesic effect in vaginal delivery with no adverse effect on the mother and infant.

Acupuncture Analgesia ; Adult ; Analgesia, Obstetrical ; Apgar Score ; Female ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Pregnancy ; Scalp

By reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), an open reading frame of pathogenesis-related protein 1 (PR1) was isolated from Panax notoginseng and named as PnPR1. Molecular and bioinformatic analyses of PnPR1 revealed that an open reading frame of 501 bp was predicted to encode a 166-amino acid protein with a deduced molecular mass of 18.1 kD. Homology analysis showed that the deduced amino acid sequence of PR1 protein of Panax notoginseng had a high similarity with other higher plants had the same conservative structure domain of cysteine-rich secretory protein (CAP). The recombinant expressed plasmid pET28a(+)-PnPR1 was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21. The expression conditions were optimized by induction at different times, different temperatures, different IPTG concentrations and different giving times. The optimum expression condition was 0.4 mmol.L-1 IPTG at 28 degrees C for 20 h. The successful expression of PnPR1 provides some basis for protein purification and preparation of the monoclonal antibody.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Cloning, Molecular ; Escherichia coli ; metabolism ; Molecular Weight ; Open Reading Frames ; genetics ; Panax notoginseng ; chemistry ; Phylogeny ; Plant Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Sequence Alignment

Objective To observe the effects of 75 gram glucose oral tolerance test (75 g OGTT) and standard mixed meal test (SMMT) on insulin secretion function of the islets of Langerhans and plasma free fatty acid (FFA) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.Methods Seventy-six patients with type 2 diabetes without using insulin and with no obvious complications were recruited for 75 g OGTT following overnight fasting on the first day and SMMT (bread 50 g,egg 50 g and milk 250 ml) on the 7th day.Blood specimens were collected from each patients before the tests and 30 min,60 min,120 min and 180 min after glucose or meal load to measure their levels of plasma glucose,serum insulin,C peptide,FFA and lipids (total cholesterol,triglyceride,high-density and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol).Results No difference in fasting plasma glucose,serum insulin,C peptide,FFA and lipids between 75 g OGTT and SMMT was found.Postprandial plasma glucose 30 min,60 min,120 min and 180 min after 75 g OGTT was significantly higher than that after SMMT,with (15.3?3.5) vs (9.9?3.4) mmol/L,(18.2?4.8) vs (12.8?4.0) mmol/L,(16.3?5.8) vs (12.2?4.9) mmol/L and (10.6?5.4) vs (9.5?4.5) mmol/L (F=28.1,P

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the changing trends in clinicopathological characteristics of patients with gastric carcinoma undergoing surgery between 1979 and 2008.

METHODSTwo thousand seven hundred and fifteen patients with gastric cancer who received operation in Liaocheng People's hospital between 1979 and 2008 were analyzed retrospectively, and were compared to 168 patients between 1974 and 1978. Categorical data were evaluated with Chi-squared or Fisher's exact test. Quantitative data were analyzed with nonparametric test. Time series analysis was used to evaluate the changing trend of data.

RESULTSThe male to female ratio during 1979-2008 was 3.393, which was higher than that (1.897) during 1974-1978 (χ2=12.193, P<0.01). The median age (59 years) during 1979-2008 was higher than that (53.5 years) during 1974-1978 (z=-6.294 P<0.01). Comparing the tumor distribution of gastric cancer during 1979-2008 with that during 1974-1978, proportion of gastric cardia and fundus cancer was higher (45.7% vs. 13.0%, χ2=56.596, P<0.01), while the proportion of gastric antrum cancer was lower (44.9% vs. 73.2%, χ2=53.980, P<0.01). There was no significant difference in gastric body cancer (13.8% vs. 9.4%, χ2=2.026, P=0.155). Compared to 1994-1998, there were more poorly differentiated adenocarcinomas during 2004-2008 (62.1% vs. 51.7%, χ2=12.267, P<0.01), and there were less tubular adenocarcinomas during 2004-2008 (23.9% vs. 31.8%, χ2=8.78, P<0.01). Time series analysis showed the patient age during 1979 to 2008 increased (Root mean square error=1.275, R-square=0.702), gastric cardia and fundus cancer was increasing and antrum cancer was decreasing (Root mean square error=0.055, R-square=0.798).

CONCLUSIONSIn the past 30 years from 1979 to 2008, the male to female ratio and the median age of surgical patients with gastric cancer increased with time. The gastric cardia and fundus cancer increased over time, however antrum cancer decreased with time. In the past 15 years from 1994 to 2008, the proportion of poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma increased, and that of tubular adenocarcinoma declined.

Adenocarcinoma ; epidemiology ; pathology ; surgery ; Adult ; Age Distribution ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Sex Ratio ; Stomach Neoplasms ; epidemiology ; pathology ; surgery

Colectomy ; Colonic Neoplasms/surgery* ; Colonoscopy ; Humans ; Lymph Node Excision ; Lymph Nodes/pathology* ; Robotic Surgical Procedures

Extracellular vesicles (EV), as novel disease biomarkers, have shown broad applicational prospect in the field of laboratory medicine or disease diagnosis. There have been substantial advancements in EV isolation technologies, EV biomarker screening and validation, and EV detection techniques. However, to fully integrate EV into clinical laboratories, ongoing efforts are needed in several areas including multi-omics integration and big data analysis, the development of clinically suitable technologies in isolation and detection, the establishment of standardized and normalization of quality systems, and the execution of clinical trials and administration and approvals of products, so as to promote the application and transformation of EV detection technologies in disease diagnosis, therapeutic evaluation, and prognosis assessment, thereby fostering better service of people's health in the aspect of laboratory medicine.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: NADPH (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate) oxidase (NOX)-mediated oxidative stress plays a key role in promotion of oxidative injury in the cardiovascular system. The aim of this study is to evaluate the status of NOX in endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) of hyperlipidemic patients and to assess the correlation between NOX activity and the functions EPCs. METHODS: A total of 30 hyperlipidemic patients were enrolled for this study and 30 age-matched volunteers with normal level of plasma lipids served as controls. After the circulating EPCs were isolated, the EPC functions (migration, adhesion and tube formation) were evaluated and the status of NOX (expression and activity) was examined. RESULTS: Compared to the controls, hyperlipidemic patients showed an increase in plasma lipids and a reduction in EPC functions including the attenuated abilities in adhesion, migration and tube formation, concomitant with an increase in NOX expression (NOX2 and NOX4), NOX activity, and reactive oxygen species production. The data analysis showed negative correlations between NOX activity and EPC functions. CONCLUSIONS: There is a positive correlation between the NOX-mediated oxidative stress and the dysfunctions of circulating EPCs in hyperlipidemic patients, and suppression of NOX might offer a novel strategy to improve EPCs functions in hyperlipidemia.
Adenine ; Cardiovascular System ; Endothelial Progenitor Cells* ; Humans ; Hyperlipidemias ; NADP* ; NADPH Oxidase ; Oxidative Stress* ; Oxidoreductases ; Plasma ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; Statistics as Topic ; Volunteers

This paper aims to summarize the achievements during the implementation process of good agricultural practice (GAP) in Chinese Materia Medica (CMM), and on basis of analyzing the existing problems of GAP, to propose further implementation of GAP in TCM growing. Since the launch of GAP in CMM growing ten years ago, it has acquired great achievements, including: (1) The promulgation of a series of measures for the administration of the GAP approval in the CMM growing; (2) The expanded planting area of CMM; (3) The increased awareness of standardized CMM growing among farmers and enterprises; (4) The establishment of GAP implementation bases for CMM growing; (5) The improvement of theory and methodology for CMM growing; (6) The development of a large group of experts and scholars in GAP approval for CMM production. The problems existing in the production include: (1) A deep understanding of GAP and its certification is still needed; (2) The distribution of the certification base is not reasonable; (3) The geo-economics effect and the backward farming practices are thought to be the bottlenecks in the standardization of CMM growing and the scale production of CMM; (4) Low comparative effectiveness limits the development of the GAP; (5) The base of breeding improved variety is blank; (6) The immature of the cultivation technique lead to the risk of production process; (7) The degradation of soil microbial and the continuous cropping obstacle restrict the sustainable development of the GAP base. To further promote the health and orderly GAP in the CMM growing, the authors propose: (1) To change the mode of production; (2) To establish a sound standard system so as to ensure quality products for fair prices; (3) To fully consider the geo-economic culture and vigorously promote the definite cultivating of traditional Chinese medicinal materials; (4) To strengthen the transformation and generalization of basic researches and achievements, in order to provide technical support for the CMM production; (5) To deepen the understanding of GAP, to vigorously promote ecological planting and precision agriculture, in order to overcome the continuous cropping obstacle. The authors think that despite the fact that we are still facing with a huge array of management and technological problems, the GAP in the CMM growing has already enjoyed widespread support and showed great potential. In the future, with people's deeper understanding of GAP and the great progress of the science and technology, the GAP will constantly be fused with the theory, methodology and technology in the modern agriculture like precision agriculture, eco-agriculture and etc.
Agriculture ; economics ; methods ; standards ; trends ; China ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; analysis ; economics ; standards ; Humans ; Materia Medica ; chemistry ; economics ; standards ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; growth & development