Afferent Pathways ; anatomy & histology ; Animals ; Female ; Ganglia, Spinal ; anatomy & histology ; Neurons, Afferent ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Urinary Bladder ; innervation

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the potential protective role of Cistanche extracts on 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium ion (MPP(+))-induced Parkinson's disease (PD) cellular model, and to find out whether this effect is achieved through the regulation of growth arrest- and DNA damage-induced gene 153 (GADD153). METHODS: MPP(+))-induced cellular injury and the protective effect of Cistanche extracts on the SH-SY5Y cell line viability treated by MPP(+)) were investigated by using methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay. The mRNA of GADD153 in SH-SY5Y cell line treated by MPP(+)) and Cistanche extracts were evaluated by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The protein level of GADD153 in SH-SY5Y was assessed by Western blotting. RESULTS: Cistanche extracts (100 mug/ml) increased the cell viability (P<0.01). And the mRNA of GADD153 in the Cistanche extracts pretreatment group was much less than that in the MPP(+)) group (P<0.01). The result of Western blotting showed that GADD153 had a lower level in the Cistanche extracts pretreatment group, compared with MPP(+)) group, especially in the 100 microg/ml group (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: Cistanche extracts pretreatment has a protective effect on the MPP(+))-treated SH-SY5Y cell line, and its down-regulation of GADD153 may contribute to the effect.

Actins ; metabolism ; Adult ; Desmin ; metabolism ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Histiocytoma, Malignant Fibrous ; pathology ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Leiomyoma ; pathology ; Leiomyosarcoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Male ; Mediastinal Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Vimentin ; metabolism

Background Researches showed that the incidence rate of cataract is high in the nickel mining area. Nickel sulphate can apparently inhibit the metabolism and proliferation of human lens epithelium cells. But the study on the injury mechanism of nickel on lens is still seldom. Objective Present study was to investigate the effect of nickel sulphate on the lens of SD rats. Methods Forty-five SPF SD rats aged from 7 to 14 days were grouped randomly into subcutaneous injection group, intraperitoneal injection group and blank group. Nickel sulphate of 2 g/L ( 10 mg/kg) was subcutaneously or intraperitonealy injected for 45 days. The opacity of rat lens was examined under the slit lamp at two-week interval and scored based on the criteria of LOCS II and LOCS III. The rats were sacrificed in 45 days after experiment and the lens were obtained for the pathological examination. Result The mean score of the anterior subcapsule opacity of rat lens was obviously higher in subcutaneous injection group compared with blank control group with a significant difference between them (t= 14. 311, P < 0. 05 ) , but no significant difference in the anterior subcapsule opacity between intraperitoneal injection group and blank control group (t = 4. 355 , P>0. 05 ). The score of posterior subcapsule opacity of lens were evidently higher in both subcutaneous injection group and intraperitoneal injection group than the blank control group (t = 9. 316,P = 0. 004;t = 7. 464, P = 0. 009) ,so was the mean score of the anterior +posterior subcapsule opacities(t = 23. 387,P=0. 000;t= 10. 533,P = 0. 002) and the total score of rat lens opacity ( t = 12. 358 , P = 0. 001; t = 10. 188 , P = 0. 003 ) . No significant differences were found in cortex opacity score and nuclear opacity score among three groups ( P > 0.05 ). Histopathology examination revealed that the degeneration of lens collagen protein was more serious in subcutaneous injection group and intraperitoneal injection group than the blank control group,and the injury degree of lens collagen protein was more dominant in subcutaneous injection group. Conclusion System administration of nickel sulphate induced the injury of anterior and posterior subcapsule of lens in SD rat.

To explore the action target of praziquantel (PZQ) and its underlying mechanism of action, adult male worms of Schistosoma japonicum were collected from the hepatic vein of Kunming mice infected at least 6 or more weeks previously with single-sex cercariae of S.japonicum by perfusion method. These worms were subjected to the action of calcium channel blockers (CCBs) or actin depolymerizing/stabilizing agents interfering with function of the calcium channel. The adult male worms in DMEM culture medium were co-cultivated with near-lethal dose of PZQ(14 μmol/L) overnight(16 hours).Then, the parasites were washed 3 times with sterile physiologic saline next morning after cultivation, re-suspended in new and drug-free medium and then observed under stereo-microscopy during the following 5 days. The experimental results showed that majority of adult male worms of S.japonicum were killed by the action of PZQ in a dose of 14 μmol/L in vitro under normal condition; while the worms pre-incubated with the actin depolymerizing agent cyto chalasin D (CyD) were able to survive in the condition containing 14 μmol/L of PZQ with a survival rate of 100%, and the worms pre-incubted with CCBs, such as nitrendipine and nifedipineu showed a survival rate of about 50% under the same condition. The results of this study suggest that the calcium channel of Schistosomes may be involved in the action target of PZQ and its underlying mechanism.

Objective To investigate the role of expressions of pituitary tumor transforming gene(PTTG) and p27 in glioma,and explore the relationship between the expressions of them and cell cycle regulation.Methods Specimens of 40 patient with gliomas were divided into gradeⅠ:8 cases,gradeⅡ:10 cases,gradeⅢ:13 cases, gradeⅣ:9 cases,PTTGmRNA and p27mRNA were detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR),and their expressions of PTTG,P27,CDK4 protein were detected by immunostaining assay using strep- tavidin-peroxidase(SP) method.Results The expressions of PTTGmRNA in gradeⅠ～Ⅳwere (0.907?0.065),(1.109?0.083),(1.312?0.089),(1.499?0.215) respectively,there was significant difference among the groups(P

Objective To evaluate tear ferning changes of conjunctivochalasis.Design Prospective case study series.Partici- pants 30 patients(60 eyes)of conjunctivochalasis and normal subjects were selected.Methods The subjects were observed with gen- eral ophthalmic examination and tear fern test(TFT).Tear ferning was classified into 4 types.TypeⅠand TypeⅡare normal.TypeⅢand TypeⅣare abnormal.Main Outcome Measures The type of tear feming.Results TFT showed that tear ferning was de- creased in conjunctivochalasis group(TypeⅢand TypeⅣoccupied 61.7%).The difference between conjunctivoehalasis and normal control group was significant(P

More than one hundred strains of marine molds have been isolated from the sediment and the sample of seawater collected from the South China Sea. By the first screening, more than 30 strains of marine molds which can inhibit tested fungi such as Candida albicans and Fursarium sp. were obtained.The results of the second screening showed those strains designed as B 4#-6、B 4#-3、1-B 6-6、1-B 6-10-5、1-B 6-22、C 2#-5、A 2-9 and 1-B 6-10 can produced extracelluar antifungi metabolic products and the crude extract of the strains 1-B 6-10-5 and B 4#-3 can inhibit the growth of many other species of fungi.

Objective:To screen for the pathogenesis-related genes of osteosarcoma and to assess their roles for the de- velopment of osteosareoma.Methods:Total RNA was extracted from 3 ATCC osteosarcoma cell lines and an osteoblastic cell line and was used to synthesize biotinylated cRNAs;the latter were hybridized to Affymetrix~(?)GeneChip~(?)U133A ar- rays and a gene with more than 2 folds of change was selected.Ten of the differentially expressed genes were chosen and the primers were designed and the synthesized.Then SYBR~(?)Green real-time PCR(RT-PCR)method was used to detect the expression of the 10 genes in 9 fresh osteosarcoma specimens.ABI Prism 7 000 system was used to analyze the differ- ent expression between osteosarcoma cell line and osteoblastic cell line.Results:We identified 58 up-regulated and 142 down-regulated genes in the 3 osteosareoma cell lines.Many of the genes were firstly reported to be related to the patho- genesis of osteosarcoma.These differentially expressed genes were mainly involved in energy and material metabolism,on- cogene,signal transduction gene,transcription- related genes,cell cycle-related genes,cell apoptosis-related gene,im- mune response gene,tumor suppressor genes,etc.The array results of 10 randomly selected genes were further verified by the RT-PCR in 9 fresh osteosarcoma specimens.Conclusion:Many genes are involved in the pathogenesis of osteosarcoma. Gene microarray can help to discover the genes related to the pathogenesis of osteosarcoma,which may lay a foundation for studying the molecular mechanism of osteosarcom.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the protective effects of cistanche total glycosides (CTG) on dopaminergic neuron in substantia nigra (SN) of model mice of Parkinson's disease (PD).

METHODSExperimental mice were randomly divided into 5 groups, the normal control group, the model group, the high (400 mg/kg), moderate (200 mg/kg) and low (100 mg/kg) dose CTG groups. Mouse model of chronic PD was induced by peritoneal injection of MPTP (1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-ttrahydropyridine) 30 mg/kg for 5 successive days. Climbing test was used to estimate the neurobehavior of mice on the 7th and 14th day (D7 and D14) after initiating MPTP injection; meantime, quantitative immunohistochemistry was conducted to detect the number of dopaminergic neuron in SN and expression of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) in striatum.

RESULTSThe average time of climbing in the high dose CTG group on D7 and D14 was significantly shorter than that in the model group (P < 0.01). The mean optic density (OD) of TH in striatum was higher in the three CTG groups than that in the model group on D7 (P < 0.01); but on D14, significance only showed in the high and moderate dose CTG groups (P < 0.01). Moreover, the MPTP induced decrease of TH positive neuron could be antagonized by CTG, but significant difference only showed between the high dose CTG group and the model group at the two time points of observation (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONCTG could improve the neurobehavior of PD model mice significantly, and inhibit the decrease of nigral dopaminergic neurons and TH expression in striatum.

1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine ; Animals ; Behavior, Animal ; drug effects ; Cistanche ; chemistry ; Dopamine ; metabolism ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Glycosides ; pharmacology ; Immunohistochemistry ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Neurons ; drug effects ; metabolism ; pathology ; Neuroprotective Agents ; pharmacology ; Parkinson Disease, Secondary ; chemically induced ; physiopathology ; Random Allocation ; Substantia Nigra ; drug effects ; metabolism ; pathology ; Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase ; metabolism