BACKGROUND:Obesity is an important problem concerned domestically and internationally. How to control the body mass and to reduce the weight without any effect on normal food intake is the focus for study.OBJECTIVE:To probe into the weight-reducing effect of Oolong tea and its effect on the mRNA level of β3-adrenergic receptor(β3-AR).DESIGN: Completely randomized grouping, controlled trial SETTING:Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, College of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University; Institute of Pediatric Medicine, Nanjing Medical University.MATERIALS: This experiment was conducted in the laboratory of Nanjing Medical University from September 2003 to February 2004. The obese rat models were made with the diet of high energy and high fat in male rats weighing about 80 g. Thirty-two male obese rats were selected.And Oolong tea extract was prepared, whose concentration was equivalent to 0.24 g of tea.INTERVENTIONS:Thirty-two male obese rats were divided randomly in-to 4 groups: obese control group, low, middle and high dose of oolong tea groups. There were 8 rats in each group. The rats in the control group were fed by gavage with distilled water every day. The other rats in low, middle or high dose of Oolong tea groups were fed by gavage with 0.4 g/kg, 1.2 g/kg, and 2.4 g/kg of Oolong tea respectively. They were all fed with diet of high energy and high fat. Each rat was raised in separate cage. The room temperature for the rats remained about 22 ℃ with the humidity of 55%. The rats were free access to water, but the diet was fed twice a day at a fixed amount. If it was finished, no more diet would be added. Thirty days later, body mass, maximal diameter of adipocytes were measured, and β3-ARmRNA levels in adipose tissues were measured.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Body mass, increased body mass,the weight of adipose tissues in retroperitoneal, peri-epididymal and interscapular regions and the maximal diameter of adipocytes were measured,β3- AR mRNA levels in the adipose tissues above were measured with the method of RT-PCR.RESULTS:According to intention-to-treat analysis, thirty-two male rats entered result analysis. [1]Body mass: Increased weight of rats in 1.2 g/kg and 2.4 g/kg Oolong tea groups were significantly lower than that in the rats of control group and rats in 0.4 g/kg Oolong tea group (58.4±46.7,68.1±30.4,125.7±34.4,96.3±26.2,P ＜ 0.01), but the amount of total diet consumption was similar in each group (P ＞ 0.05). [2]Lipid coefficient in retroperitoneal and peri-epididymal regions of rats in 1.2 g/kg and 2.4 g/kg Oolong tea groups was lower than that in the rats of control group and rats in 0.4 g/kg Oolong tea group,(1.57±0.53,2.14±0.90 to 2.71±0.49,2.50±0.53, 1.14±0.38,1.43±0.53 to2.00±0.00,1.88±0.35), but there was no significant difference among groups of the ratio in inter-scapular regions (P ＞0.05). [3]The maximal diameter of adipocytes: The maximal diameter in retroperitoneal, periepididymal and inter-scapular regions of the rats in 0.4 g/kg, 1.2 g/kg and 2.4 g/kg Oolong tea groups was significantly lower than that in the rats of control group[(113±24), (86±29), (90±23), (120±30)μm;(94±20), (80±18), (64±17), (111±21)μm; (24±11), (21 ±11), (22±10),(27±11)μm,P ＜ 0.05]. [4]β3-AR mRNA levels in adipose tissues:The β3-AR mRNA levels in retroperitoneal, peri-epididymal and interscapular regions of the rats in 1.2 g/kg and 2.4 g/kg Oolong tea groups were significantly higher than those in rats of control group and rats with0.4 g/kg of Oolong tea (0.72±0.11,0.64±0.112,0.40±0.08,0.34±0.10 for retroperitoneal region, 1.06±0.21,1.02±0.24,0.42±0.15,0.43±0.11 for epididymal region, 1.01±0.42,0.70±0.17,0.42±0.10,0.49±0.16 for interscapular region, P ＜ 0.01).CONCLUSION:Oolong tea was of weight～reducing effect,which may be related to its effect to increase β3-AR mRNA level The middle dose (1.2 g/kg) may be optimal.These results may be helpful to the theory of weight reducing with tea and the selection ofoptimal dose.

Citing the IT development of the General Hospital of Nanjing Military Region at Fuzhou as an example, the authors point out that emphasizing the role of the people and doing a good job of talent planning and cultivation is the key to the IT development of a hospital. They argue that a hospital must have leaders and managers that stress the IT development of the hospital; it must have a team of people with high IT expertise; it must have a large number of staff very familiar with the operation of the computer; and it must be able to integrate its human resources and give play to the overall efficiency.

OBJECTIVE To provide current tendency of viral transmission by test-negative blood components changing among blood donors and to improve the safety of blood for transfusion.METHODS The test data of 1 608 816 blood donors in Beijing Red Cross Blood Center from 2001 to 2008 were analyzed.RESULTS Before voluntary blood donation,the positive rate of anti-HCV was 0.16%,that of anti-HIV was 0.005% and that of anti-TP was 0.15%.After voluntary blood donation,positive rate of these components increased,there were 0.45%,0.017% and 0.48%,respectively,but the positive rate of HBsAg and ALT was decreased.After voluntary blood donation,the positive rate of HBsAg,anti-HCV,anti-HIV and anti-TP were elevated,that of ALT was decreased in greatly.CONCLUSIONS As the increasing risk of viral transmission disease,it is more important for blood safety to screen volunteer blood donors.

Objective To observe the expression of Rock Ⅰand its functional activation in renal tissue from a rat UUO model, and to investigate its role in the progression of renal interstitial fibrosis(RIF). Methods Expression of RockI mRNA and protein were examined by RT PCR and Western blotting, respectively.The phosphorylation of MBS(binding subunit of myosin phosphatase)—a substrate of Rock Ⅰwas detected by Western blotting and defined,as the mark of functional activation of the kinase. Results (1)The expression of Rock ⅠmRNA was increased before the onset of RIF(the 3rd day after the experiment) (F=15 18,P

Objective To investigate the effects of constant magnetic field (CMF) on proliferation, apopto-sis and nitric oxide (NO) secretion of rat bone marrow-derived endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) intervened by C-reactive protein (CRP). Methods EPCs were isolated from rat bone marrow by density gradient centrifugation and cultured on fibronectin-coated dishes. The cells were divided into five groups, i. e., control group, CRP (12 μg/ml) group, CRP plus CMF (0.1, 0. 5, 1.0 mT) groups. Samples were collected 24 hours after incubation. Cell proliferation was measured by MTT chromatometry. Apoptosis rate was detected by flow-cytometry. NO content of culture medium was measured by nitrate reductase method. Results As compared with control group, cell prolifer-ation in CRP group reduced significantly (0. 265±0. 008 vs 0. 316±0. 011, P < 0.05), NO secretion also de-creased significantly [(22.7±4.5) μmol/L vs (37.6±3.8) μmol/L, P < 0.05], cell apoptosis rate elevated sig-nificantly [(10.8±0. 8) % vs (4.2±0.5)% ,P < 0.05]. Cell proliferation in CRP plus 0. 5 mT or 1.0 mT CMF group (0. 295±0. 009,0. 302±0. 010) were much more than those in CRP group (P<0.05), NO secretion contents [(28.3±4.9) μmol/L, (29.2±5.6) μmol/L]were also much more than those in CRP group (P < 0.05) , apopto-sis rate [(7.4±0.5)% ,(6.9±0.6)%]was significantly lower than that in CRP group (P <0.05). Conclusion CMF at intensity of 0.5 mT and 1.0 mT can antagonize the effects of CR, promote proliferation of EPCs and secretion of NO and inhibit apoptosis rate of EPCs.

Objective To detect the signaling pathways involved in aldosterone (ALDO)induced mesangial cell (MC) proliferation. Methods The incorporation of 3H-thymidine (3H-TdR)and cell count were used as the measure of mesangial cell (MC) proliferation. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) production was determined by DCFDA fluorescence. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) activation was assayed by Western blotting. Results ALDO induced MC proliferation.When incubation with 100 nmol/L ALDO for 24 h, the 3H-TdR incorporation and cell number increased by 2.63- and 2.15-fold, respectively. Mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) antagonist EPLE almost completely blocked ALDO-induced MC proliferation (P<0.01), however, glucocorticoid receptor (GR) antagonist RU-486 had no effect on MC proliferation. ALDO increased intracellular ROS production in cultured human MCs. When incubation with ALDO (100 nmol/L) for 60 min,ROS production increased by 2.14-fold. ALDO-induced ROS generation was completely blocked by EPLE as well as mitochondrial complex Ⅰ inhibitor rotenone (P<0.01=, NADPH oxidase inhibitors diphenyleneiodonium sulfate (DPI) and apocynin inhibited ALDO-induced ROS production by 30%to 35% (P<0.05=. In contrast, inhibitors of other oxidant-producing enzymes, including allopurinol,indomethacin, nordihydroguiaretic acid, ketoconazole and G-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME)had no effect on ALDO-induced ROS production. Antioxidant N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) and ROT inhibited ALDO-induced MC proliferation by 75% to 80%, whereas the inhibition of NADPH oxidase inhibitor apocynin and DPI on ALDO-induced MC proliferation was 25% to 30%. ALDO induced EGFR transactivation. When incubation with 100 nmol/L ALDO for 60 min, EGFR phosphorylation was increased by 4.95-fold, which was completely inhibited by EPLE and antioxidant NAC (P<0.01=. NAC and EGFR antagonist AG1478 significantly blocked ALDO-induced MC proliferation (P<0.01=. Conclusions ALDO-induced MC proliferation is mediated by ROS-dependent EGFR transactivation. ALDO-stimulated ROS is mainly generated by mitochondria.

Objective To explore the meaning of midkine (MK) levels in serum in different development stage of acute leukemia,and to explore the relationship between MK and WT1.Methods The levels of the MK in serum of 86 cases of acute leukemia and 30 cases of normal people were detected by ELISA.Real-time quantitative PCR (RQ-PCR) method was used to determine the expression of WT1 at mRNA level in 15 AML patients.Results The MK level in serum in the new diagnosed group was higher than that in the complete remission group and the normal control group [7.52 (5.44,10.55) ng/ml vs 3.52 (1.56,5.20) ng/ml vs 2.44 (1.89,3.12) ng/ml].There' s no statistical difference between midkine level in new diagnosed acute B cell leukemia (B-ALL) group and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) group [7.88 (5.78,15.78) ng/ml vs 6.25 (4.59,16.33) ng/ml].The clear correlation was found between the level of serum MK and quantities of marrow WT1 gene (r =0.529,P =0.043).Conclusions The level of MK in serum of acute leukemia patients is increased at the time of new diagnosis and decreased at complete remission.ELISA may be a way to measure the status of AL.The location of MK gene is adjacent to WT1 gene and MK' s clinical significance is similar to WT1' s,furthermore,there is a clear correlation between MK in serum and WT1 of marrow in quantities.

Objective Assisted reproductive technology ( ART) is associated with an increased incidence of offspring de-fects.The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of embryo vitrification in in vitro fertilization ( IVF) on the growth and devel-opment of the offspring by comparing the development status of mouse offspring from fresh embryo versus vitrified embryo transplanta-tion. Methods This study included three groups of mouse offspring , from natural fertilization ( n=12 ) , fresh embryo transplanta-tion (FET, n=9), and vitrified embryo transplantation (VET, n=9).We compared the body weight and body fat content in the sex-ually mature stage among the three groups of mice . Results No obvious differences were found in the morphology of the embryos be-tween the FET and VET groups .The body weight of the mouse offspring was significantly higher in the VET than in the natural control group at 0 postnatal (PN) week (P<0.01) and 12 PN weeks (P<0.01), and so was it in the FET group than in the control at 0 PN week (P<0.01) and 6 PN weeks (P<0.05).The body fat content at sexual maturity was remarkably higher in the VET than in the FET and control groups ([9.32 ±4.34] vs [5.24 ±2.56] and [2.80 ± 0.48] g, P<0.05), and so was the muscle content in the VET than in the control ([33.77 ±4.22] vs [27.50 ±1.79] g, P<0.01). Conclusion In IVF, fresh embryo transplantation has less interference with the growth and development of mouse offspring than vitri-fied embryo transplantation .

OBJECTIVE: To observe whether curcumin could inhibit the accumulation of the collagen IV and fibronectin in the glomeruli in nephrotoxi sera nephritis rats. METHODS: Seventy-two healthy male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three groups, with 24 animals in each group. For normal control group, normal saline (0.5 ml/d) was injected through intra-caudal-vein for two days, and at the same time normal saline (0.5 ml/kg) was also daily administered intraperitoneally. For nephrotoxic sera nephritis group, nephrotoxic sera (0.5 ml/d) was injected through the tail vein for two days and dimethyl sulfoxide (0.5 ml/kg) was given intraperitoneally daily. For curcumin group, nephrotoxic sera was injected as above and meanwhile curcumin (50 mg.kg(-1).d(-1)) was administered intraperitoneally every day. Six rats in each group were killed on the 3rd, 7th, 14th and 28th day. Their renal tissue was fixed in 10% formalin for examining the expression of collagen IV and fibronectin. RESULTS: Minimal staining of collagen IV and fibronectin was detected in the basement membrane of normal control rats glomeruli. In the nephrotoxic sera nephritis rats and curcumin treated nephrotoxic sera nephritis rats, the accumulation of collagen IV and fibronectin was increased progressively, with significant difference in the accumulation of collagen IV (P<0.01) between these two groups at the same time points, while the significant difference in fibronectin accumulation (P<0.05) appeared only after the 7th days. CONCLUSION: Curcumin can reduce the accumulation of collagen IV and fibronectin in the glomeruli. Hence we postulated that curcumin might have beneficial effect for retarding glomerulosclerosis.

Objective To investigate the clinical value of low-dose decitabine (DAC) in elderly patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) patients with intermediate-or high-risk. Methods Low-dose DAC (10 mg/d, 7 days) combined with CAG regimen were given to 19 elderly patients with AML and intermediate- or high-risk MDS patients. The efficacy and adverse reactions were evaluated after a course of treatment, and the patients were followed up for survival. Results After a course of treatment, 8 patients achieved complete remission (CR), 7 patients achieved partial remission (PR). After 4 courses of treatment, 68.4 % (13/19) of patients achieved CR, the overall response rate reached 78.9% (15/19). Fewer side effects were seen associated with chemotherapy. After 42 months of follow-up, there were 12 survival cases, the median survival time was 13.5 months (3-42 months). Conclusion Low-dose DAC combined with CAG regimen have a better efficacy, higher safety, and lower economic burden for elderly AML patients and intermediate- or high-risk MDS patients, which is beneficial to greatly improve patients' compliance.