Objective To investigatethe changes of serum IL-12 level and Th balance of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients in the course of lamivudine therapy and the related significance. Methods According to the differ ent responses to lamivudine therapy, patients were divided into three groups: group I ( n = 10), HBeAg positive CHB and complete response group; group Ⅱ (n = 10), HBeAg positive CHB and non-complete response group;group Ⅲ ( n = 5), HBeAg negative CHB group. Sera were collected from patients with chronic hepatitis B before and after lamivudine therapy and healthy blood donors. Then serum IL-12, IFN?, and IL-4 levels were measured by ELISA method. The ratio of IFN?/IL-4 was selected as the marker of Th balance after comparison with that of the normal control. Results Before therapy, serum IL-12 level in chronic hepatitis B patients was lower than that of the healthy blood donors, and Th balance tendency was to Th2 direction. After lamivudine therapy, serum IL-12 level was increased. The highest point of IL-12 was observed in complete response group at the third month after therapy.The tendency of Th balance was to Th 1 direction in complete response group and to Th 2 direction in non-complete response group and HBeAg negative group. Conclusion After lamivudine therapy, the immunity response to HBV of chronic hepatitis B patients can be recovered. The response degree to therapy is associated with the level of serum IL-l2 and Th balance recovery level after lamivudine therapy. Serum IL-12 level may be an appropriable marker to predict the effect of lamivudine therapy in earlier period of the whole course. The recovery of Th balance is the assurance of complete response.

One new dicyclopeptide cyclo-(L-N-methyl Glu-L-N-methyl Glu) (1), together with one new natural dicyclopeptide cyclo-(L-methyl Glu ester-L-methyl Glu ester) (2), and two known dicyclopeptides cyclo-(L-methyl Glu ester-L-Glu) (3), and cyclo-(L-Glu-L-Glu) (4), were isolated from the aerial parts of Dianthus chinensis L. Their structures were determined by spectroscopic analyses and chemical methods.
Dianthus ; chemistry ; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ; Molecular Structure ; Plant Components, Aerial ; chemistry ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry

Objective To detect the clinical effect of posterior reduction combined with H-shaped bone grafting and spinous process replantation for reconstruction of spinal structures in treatment of thoracolumbar fracture.Methods Forty-three patients with thoracolumbar burst fracture treated surgically from February 2008 to June 2012 were reviewed retrospectively.There were 30 male and 13 female patients aged 23 to 55 years (mean,38 years).Fracture resulted from high falls in 21 patients,traffic accidents in 16 patients,and a crush by heavy objects in 6 patients.Denis system was used for classification of fracture and Frankel rating for assessing the degree of nerve damage and recovery.After posterior reduction combined with H-shaped bone grafting and spinous process replantation for all patients,visual analogue scale (VAS) was utilized to assess symptom improvement and Cobb' s angle and sagittal spinal canal diameter were measured to help assess the treatment outcome.Results Pain was apparently eased at a 24-month follow-up (range,12-46 months).Cobb' s angle improved from preoperative 43.56° to postoperative 8.23° (t =1.33,P ＜ 0.01).CT findings showed mean spinal canal stenosis rate was 56.3％ before surgery and that mean sagittal canal diameter of the injured spine was larger than that of adjacent segments at follow-up,with the mean ratio of 116.3％ (range,111.3％-120.3％).Rate of spinal canal stenosis was negative for all patients and posterior canal with bone grafts healed.Spinal cord injury improved at least one Frankel grade.Conclusion Posterior reduction combined with H-shaped bone grafting and spinous process replantation is worthy of clinical application,for the procedure can restore the fractured thoracolumbar spine and posterior canal structure,but also effectively avoid the iatrogenic spinal stenosis.

To developing a simple, rapid and sensitive immunoaffinity method for extracting DNA before amplification by the polymerase chain reaction(PCR). Using monoclonal anti-DNA bound to colloidal-gold beads(which called immunocolloidal-gold ) and extracting DNA from the specimen before amplification by PCR. The immunoaffinity method we use is extremely efficient in extracting DNA at low concentration, also, the beads carrying the DNA/anti-DNA complexes can be added directly to a PCR mixture without elution, and the presence of PCR inhibitors in specimens has no effect on amplification. When applied to serial dilution bacteria suspension, the detection of limit can be 100 CFU/mL, and the sensitivity of detecting artificial soil sample and milk sample were 101 and 100 CFU/mL. The immunoaffinity method described here can sever as a sensitive and practicable method for extracting DNA , particularly where samples have low concentrations of DNA or where the material is in poor condition.

Objective To explore the possible mechanism by which thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP) par?ticipated in early brain injury (EBI) of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) via examination of the expression of TXNIP and its downstream apoptotic factors before and after intervention. Methods Subarachnoid Hemorrhage (SAH) was performed by endovascular perforation. Total 97 adult male SD rats were randomly divided into 6 groups:sham-operation (17), SAH (32), control siRNA (12), TXNIP siRNA (12), resveratrol control (12) and resveratrol injection (12). Western blot was used to examine the expression of TXNIP, p-ASK-1, Caspase-3 before and after intervention. Laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM) was used to detect the expression of TXNIP in neurons. The co-localization of TXNIP with apoptotic cells was examined by using fluorescent TUNEL. Mortality, behavior score and cerebral edema were also evaluated. Re?sults Mortality, behavior scores and brain edema were improved after TXNIP siRNA and resveratrol injection(P<0.05). LSCM showed that TXNIP was widely expressed in brain and mainly located in cytoplasm of neurons in SAH rats. Fluo?rescent TUNEL revealed the co-localization of TXNIP with apoptotic cells. The expression level of TXNIP was signifi?cantly higher in SAH group than in sham operation (P<0.05, n=3). The expression level of TXNIP gradually increased at 12h and still remained at high level at 72h (P<0.05). This increase was simultaneously accompanied by the increase in downstream apoptosis factors, p-ASK-1 and Caspase-3. Inhibition of TXNIP by siRNA or resveratrol significantly re?duced the expression of TXNIP, p-ASK-1 and Caspase-3 (P<0.05, n=3). Conclusion TXNIP gradually increases in ear?ly period after SAH and aggravates brain damage through activation of ASK-1 apoptosis signaling pathway, whereas inhi?bition of TXNIP may attenuate EBI through reduction of p-ASK-1 and Caspase-3 after SAH.

Depression is a common emotional disorder that seriously affects people's life and health all over the world. The pathogenesis of depression is complex, and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for antidepressants has a good therapeutic effect because of its multi-component, multi-pathway, and multi-target action mode. At present, the anti-depressive mechanism of TCM has not been fully clarified, but it is clear that depression is closely related to metabolic health. Therefore, in order to further explore the anti-depressive mechanism of TCM, this paper proposes research strategies on the anti-depressive mechanism of TCM based on functional metabolomics from the perspective of metabolism, the potential biomarkers of depression are analyzed with the help of multi-omics combined analysis technology, and the functional molecules of TCM for antidepressant are studied. Molecular biology techniques are used to accurately capture the molecular interactions between biomarkers of depression and functional compounds, which identify effective drug targets and further elucidate the biochemical functions and related mechanisms involved in depression metabolic disorders. This paper systematically reviews the research strategies and applications of functional metabolomics in the anti-depressive mechanisms of TCM, expounds on the core value of functional metabolomics, and summarizes the current research status and hot issues of TCM for antidepressants in recent years, providing new methods and new ideas for the study of mechanisms of TCM with the help of functional metabolomics.

Objective Midkine ( MK ) and nuclear factor-kappa B ( NF-kB ) play pivotal roles in tumorigenesis, which are considered as promising cancer biomarkers. The efficacy of MK and NF-kB as markers for diagnosis and prediction of synchronous metastasis in papillary thyroid cancer ( PTC ) was the aim of present investigation. Methods Seventy six cases of PTC and seventy cases of multi-nodular goiter ( MNG ) were retrieved. The PTC group was further divided into subgroup 1 (16 cases with synchronous metastasis) and subgroup 2 (60 cases without metastases). A retrospective review of clinical information, radiological examinations,131 I treatments and post-131 I-therapy scans were done. Immunohistochemistry of MK, NF-kB p65, and Ki-67 was performed on paraffin-embedded specimens and results were quantified. Diagnostic values of the parameters were conducted by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were determined. Protein levels of MK and NF-kB p65 were then confirmed by Western blot. Results Immunoreactivities of MK and NF-kB p65, and positive percentage of Ki-67 were significantly higher in PTC group than in MNG group (all P<0. 01). ROC showed good differential diagnostic capabilities of all three parameters with diagnostic accuracies of 82. 192% , 80. 137% , and 84. 091%respectively. Moreover, all three parameters were significantly higher in subgroup 1 than those in subgroup 2 (all P<0. 01). ROC showed good predicting efficacies in synchronous metastasis of all three parameters with diagnostic accuracies of 82. 895% , 80. 263% , and 76. 316% respectively. By one-way analysis of variance, Western blot showed that MK and NF-kB p65 protein levels in lesions from subgroup 1 were significantly higher than those from subgroup 2, both were significantly higher than those in MNG lesions ( P<0. 01). Conclusion MK and NF-kB immunohistochemistry can potentially be used for differential diagnosis between PTC and MNG, and for prediction of synchronous metastases.

Background: Extensive studies have confirmed the efficacy of taxanes in combination with anthracycline-basedchemotherapy on breast cancer. However, few studies have assessed the efficacy of weekly taxane–anthracyclineregimens on locally advanced breast cancer. This study was to compare the efficacy and safety of a weekly taxane–anthracycline regimen with those of tri-weekly anthracycline-based regimen in patients with locally advanced breastcancer.Methods: Patients with locally advanced breast cancer were randomized to receive 4–6 cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapywith tri-weekly 5-fluorouracil–epirubicin–cyclophosphamide (FEC) regimen or weekly paclitaxel–epirubicin(PE) regimen. The primary endpoint was the pathologic complete response (pCR) rate. Other endpoints included theclinical tumor response, breast-conserving surgery rate, and adverse events.Results: Between March 2010 and September 2013, 293 patients were randomized to the FEC (n = 151) and PE(n = 142) arms. The overall clinical response rate was significantly higher in the PE arm than in the FEC arm (76.06% vs.59.95%, P = 0.001). Consistently, the post-chemotherapy pathologic T and N stages were significantly lower in the PEarm than in the FEC arm (P < 0.001). However, the pCR rate was similar in the two arms (10.61% vs. 12.31%, P = 0.665).Overall, 36 (27.27%) patients in the FEC arm and 6 (35.28%) in the PE arm were qualified for breast-conserving surgery.Most adverse events were comparable in both arms, with more severe neutropenia in the PE arm than in the FEC arm(11.97% vs. 5.96%, P = 0.031).Conclusions: In patients with locally advanced breast cancer, weekly PE was not superior to FEC in terms of pCR.However, weekly PE has a higher response rate and superior down-staging effects. On this account, the PE regimenmay be considered an alternative option for locally advanced breast cancer. Long-term follow-up data are needed toconfirm the efficacy of this regimen on locally advanced breast cancer.

Animals ; Antioxidants ; pharmacology ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Atherosclerosis ; prevention & control ; Ceramides ; analysis ; Dietary Fats ; administration & dosage ; Emodin ; pharmacology ; Lipids ; blood ; Male ; Rabbits ; Signal Transduction ; Sphingomyelin Phosphodiesterase ; metabolism ; Sphingomyelins ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo develop a method of immunochromatography assay (ICA) with sensitive, specific, rapid, simple and suitable for the detection of Yersinia pestis antigen at the local laboratories.

METHODSColloidal gold labeled with the anti-F1 antibody of Yersinia pestis, was connnected with the anti-F1 antibody of Yersinia pestis to pyroxylin membrane and assembled them to the dipstick of ICA.

RESULTSResults showed that the rates of sensitivity for F1 antigen and Yersinia pestis were 1 ng/ml and 1.56 x 10(5) CFU/ml respectively. However, Yersinia pseudotuberculosis et al could not be detected by dipstick of ICA.

CONCLUSIONThe method of ICA appeared to be consistent to those of r-IHA with better specificity and sensitivity but was simple and rapid for the detection of Yersinia pestis and F1 antigen.