OBJECTIVETo explore the effects of arecoline on hepatic insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes rats and to elucidate its possible mechanism.

METHODSForty five Wistar rats were fed with high fructose diet for 12 weeks to induce type 2 diabetic rat model. rats were randomly divided into 5 groups (n = 8): control group, model group and model group were treated with different dose (0, 0.5, 1, 5 mg/kg) of arecoline. After 4 weeks, the fasting blood glucose, blood lipid and insulin level measured , mRNA expression of liver constitutive androstane receptor (CAR), pregnane X receptor (PXR), glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase), phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) were detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), the protein expression of p-AKT and glucose transporter4 (GLUT4) were detected by Western blot.

RESULTS1.5 mg/kg arecoline could significantly decrease the level of fasting blood glucose, blood lipid, blood insulin level and liver G6Pase, PEPCK, IL-6, TNF-alpha mRNA level in type 2 diabetes rats. 1.5 mg/kg arecoline also could significantly increase CAR, PXR mRNA level and p-AKT and GLUT4 protein expression.

CONCLUSIONArecoline improved hepatic insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes rats by increasing the mRNA levels of CAR and PXR leading to the creased glucose metabolism and inflammation related genes expression.

Animals ; Arecoline ; pharmacology ; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental ; metabolism ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; metabolism ; Glucose Transporter Type 4 ; metabolism ; Glucose-6-Phosphatase ; metabolism ; Insulin Resistance ; Interleukin-6 ; metabolism ; Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins ; metabolism ; Liver ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Male ; Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxykinase (GTP) ; metabolism ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear ; metabolism ; Receptors, Steroid ; metabolism ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; metabolism

Studies of biological feedback (BF) for the treatment of chronic prostatitis (CP) are occasionally reported have exhibited some related problems. This article presents an evaluation of the published literature on the BF treatment of CP at home and abroad in the aspects of instrument, method, application, effect, function, and mechanism. UROSTYMTM and MyoTrac are often employed and their operating paths are basically the same. NIH prostate symptom scores, urinary function, pain, sexual function, immune function, prostate fluid, and other indicators are generally used for the analysis of the effects of BF alone or in combination with other therapies on CP and its related symptoms. Either BF alone or BF combined with other therapies can promote urination, reduce pain, improve the quality of life, attenuate inflammation, improve sexual function, adjust immunity, and lessen physical and chemical stimulation. However, the relevant literature is of low quantity and quality, the reported studies are not standardized, and exploration of the action mechanisms is neglected.
Biofeedback, Psychology ; Humans ; Male ; Prostatitis ; therapy ; Quality of Life

The way of "extracting-salting-chromatography" was used to purify the phycoerythrin and phycocyanin from Porphyra yezoensis in process scale-up.First,by comprehensive comparison of efficiency,the Sephadex G-25 was selected from four resins (Sephadex G-25、G-100、S-300 and CL-6B) as the best choice used in crude extract desalting of phycobiliprotein.Then the preparation process of phycobiliprotein was scaled-up with raw material(Porphyra yezoensis) increased from 1g to 20g,and finally to 400g.The results indicated that the yields of purified phycoerythrin and phycocyanin (absorption spectra purity above 3.2) increased during according to process scale-up,with 0.323% phycoerythrin and 0.148% phycocyanin obtained from 400g frozen Porphyra yezoensis blades respectively.It is no doubt that the process involved in the experiment is a potential way for large scale preparation of phycobiliproteins of high purity.

Aorta, Thoracic ; pathology ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Heart Defects, Congenital ; diagnosis ; mortality ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Vascular Malformations ; diagnosis ; mortality

BACKGROUNDHypertrophic scar is one of the most common complications and often causes the disfigurement or deformity in burn or trauma patients. Therapeutic methods on hypertrophic scar treatment have limitations due to the poor understanding of mechanisms of hypertrophic scar formation. To throw light on the molecular mechanism of hypertrophic scar formation will definitely improve the outcome of the treatment. This study aimed to illustrate the negative role of eukaryotic initiation factor 6 (eIF6) in the process of human hypertrophic scar formation, and provide a possible indicator of hypertrophic scar treatment and a potential target molecule for hypertrophic scar.

METHODSIn the present study, we investigated the protein expression of eIF6 in the human hypertrophic scar of different periods by immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis.

RESULTSIn the hypertrophic scar tissue, eIF6 expression was significantly decreased and absent in the basal layer of epidermis in the early period, and increased slowly and began to appear in the basal layer of epidermis by the scar formation time.

CONCLUSIONSThis study confirmed that eIF6 expression was significantly related to the development of hypertrophic scar, and the eIF6 may be a target molecule for hypertrophic scar control or could be an indicator of the outcomes for other treatment modalities.

Adult ; Blotting, Western ; Cicatrix, Hypertrophic ; metabolism ; Female ; Gene Expression Regulation ; genetics ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Peptide Initiation Factors ; metabolism ; Pregnancy ; Retrospective Studies ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo identify enterovirus 71 (EV71) strains isolated from patients with hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) in Guangdong and Fujian provinces from 2000 to 2001 by using phylogenetic analysis.

METHODSAll 25 samples were first tested for enteric viruses by RT-PCR using enterovirus specific primers EV-1 and EV-2, and then were identified for EV71 by RT-PCR using EV71 specific primers 159S and 162A. The amplicons of 485bp segment (part of the VP1 gene) were cloned into pGEM-T and sequenced. A phylogenetic tree was constructed by comparison of the sequences with other 12 EV71 strains isolated from China, Japan, Hungary, and the United States including the prototype BrCr.

RESULTSThe positive rate of EV71 was about 20%. The sequence analysis showed that the new isolate (GZH2000) shared 94%-96% nucleotide identity with three strains isolated in 1998 and 2000, and 91% with a strain isolated in 1987 from Chinese mainland, but shared only 82%-84% homology with EV71 isolates studied abroad.

CONCLUSIONSEV71 is one of the important pathogens of HFMD in south China. The strains isolated from mainland were closely related with most isolates from Taiwan, but different from most EV71 strains reported abroad. The symptoms of EV71 infection in mainland were not as intensive as those described in Taiwan's outbreak.

Adolescent ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; Enterovirus ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease ; virology ; Humans ; Infant ; Phylogeny ; Sequence Analysis ; Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid

Ampulla of Vater ; Common Bile Duct ; transplantation ; Duodenum ; surgery ; Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors ; pathology ; surgery ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged

OBJECTIVECancer is one of the leading causes of death in China. The study aimed to examine the temporal trend of cancer mortality rate during 1989-2008 in urban and rural areas of China.

METHODSThe mortality data of all cancers from 1989 to 2008 from National Cancer Registry database were sorted and checked. Age standardized mortality rates were calculated by the direct methods using the China population of 1982 and World Segi's population. Joinpoint regression was performed to obtain the annual percentage changes (APC) in mortality rates. The top ten cancer sites were calculated and analyzed. The mortality rates were compared with statistics of the United States.

RESULTSFrom 1989 to 2008, the trend of crude cancer mortality increased with an annual percentage change (APC) of 1.0%. After age standardization, the mortality rate was significantly decreased, with an APC of -1.2%. In urban areas, lung cancer was the most common cancer of death, whereas in rural areas, stomach cancer and esophageal cancer remained top cancers of death. Especially, in both urban and rural areas, the mortality of lung cancer was on increase. The mortality rates of stomach and esophageal cancers showed a decrease in urban areas. Compared with the cancer mortality rates of the United States, the Chinese cancer mortality rate in males remained highest. The decreasing trend of cancer mortality in females of China was less obvious than that of the United States.

CONCLUSIONSThe crude mortality rates of cancer in China show an increase whereas the age standardized mortality raters has declined between 1989 and 2008. Cancer is still a major public health issue threatening people's life in China. Effective intervention for cancer control and prevention is needed in the future.

China ; epidemiology ; Esophageal Neoplasms ; mortality ; Female ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; mortality ; Male ; Mortality ; trends ; Neoplasms ; mortality ; Registries ; Rural Population ; Sex Factors ; Stomach Neoplasms ; mortality ; United States ; epidemiology ; Urban Population

OBJECTIVENationwide cancer incidence data were used to analyze the trends of cancer incidence in China in order to provide basic information for making cancer control strategy.

METHODSWe retrieved and re-sorted valid cancer incidence data from the National Central Cancer Registry Database over the 20 year-period 1989-2008. Crude incidence rate and age-standardized incidence rate were calculated for analysis. Annual percent changes in incidence for all cancers combined were estimated using Joinpoint software.

RESULTSThe cancer incidence rate in cancer registration areas was increased from 184.81/10(5) in 1989 to 286.69/10(5) in 2008 (from 209.33/10(5) to 307.04/10(5) in urban and from 176.10/10(5) to 269.57/10(5) in rural areas). Uptrends of crude cancer incidence were shown in both male and female in urban and rural areas over the 20 year-period. After standardized by age, overall incidence rate kept stable with 0.5% annual increase in urban and no change in rural areas. Since 2000, the cancer incidences in both sexes and areas were significantly increased. The incidence increased for most major cancers, especially lung cancer, colorectal cancer, female breast cancer and cervical cancer.

CONCLUSIONSOver the 20 year-period 1989-2008, cancer incidence of most cancers has been increasing by time. The incidences of gastric cancer, liver cancer and esophageal cancer still keep gradually increasing. The incidences of lung cancer, female breast cancer, colorectal cancer and cervical cancer are markedly going up, so that cancer prevention and control should be enhanced. Cancer registration will play an important role on cancer control in China along with the number of registries increasing and data quality improving.

Breast Neoplasms ; epidemiology ; China ; epidemiology ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; epidemiology ; Esophageal Neoplasms ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Liver Neoplasms ; epidemiology ; Lung Neoplasms ; epidemiology ; Male ; Neoplasms ; epidemiology ; Registries ; Rural Population ; Stomach Neoplasms ; epidemiology ; Urban Population ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms ; epidemiology

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the use of clinical nutritional support in critical SARS patients, and the relationship between blood glucose levels/insulin administration amount and outcome.

METHODSTwenty-one SARS patients who reached the standard of Ministry of Health's "critical level" were transferred into our ICU in an average of 11 days after onset and enrolled in this clinical trial. All patients underwent respiratory support and clinical nutrition support as scheduled. For about 60 kg patient per day 3347.2 kJ(800 kcal), 36 g protein, and 125 g carbohydrate was given intravenously; 4184 kJ(1000 kcal), 38 g protein, and 125 g carbohydrate was provided by enteral route. MCT/LCT as fat resource shared 50% calories intake. All patients received similar doses of intravenous Methylprednisolone(about 200 mg/d). Blood glucose, serum albumin, blood lymphocyte counts, and serum alanine transminase (ALT) were checked on the first admission day in ICU and on the 12th day after nutrition therapy was started. Insulin was started to pump in to maintain the blood glucose levels between 4.44-7.78 mmol/L (80-140 mg/dl) when the levels exceeded normal range.

RESULTSUpon admission into ICU, all patients had poor nutrients intake for an average of 11 days and 16 patients (76.2%) were diagnosed as malnutrition. Parenteral and enteral nutrition therapy were then offered for an average of 12 days. On the 12th day, the serum albumin increased [(28.5 +/- 2.2)] g/L vs (37.0 +/- 4.1) g/L] (P = 0.0001) and so did the lymphocytes count [(0.74 +/- 0.47)] x 10(9)/L vs (1.22 +/- 0.73) x 10(9)/L] (P = 0.02). The blood glucose maintained at lower level in the surviving patients when compared with those who died [(9.5 +/- 2.3) mmol/L vs (6.3 +/- 1.8) mmol/L] [(196 +/- 70) mg/dl vs (110 +/- 21) mg/dl] (P = 0.0002), and the abnormally high ALT levels presented in some of the patients decreased but not significantly (81.0% vs 57.1%) (P = 0.18). In order to keep blood glucose within the range 4.44-7.78 mmol/L (80-140 mg/dl), only 18.8% of the surviving patients needed insulin intervention as opposed to 80.0% of those who died (P = 0.03). The amount of insulin used in the surviving group was significant lower than that in the group who died [(24 +/- 2) IU/d vs (72 +/- 9) IU/d] (P = 0.01).

CONCLUSIONSEleven days after SARS onset, most of the critical patients presented with malnutrition. Some improved nutrition related parameters may be associated with clinical nutritional support. The surviving patients required less insulin when compared to those who died. 80.0% of the patients who died need insulin versus only 18.8% of the surviving patients. Due to the difficulty of SARS management, this study was not a randomized controlled clinical trial. More clinical trials will be needed for checking the results of this investigation.

Adult ; Blood Glucose ; metabolism ; Enteral Nutrition ; Female ; Humans ; Insulin ; administration & dosage ; Male ; Malnutrition ; blood ; etiology ; therapy ; Middle Aged ; Nutritional Support ; Parenteral Nutrition ; Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ; blood ; complications ; therapy ; Treatment Outcome