BACKGROUND: There are pressure sensors in carotid-sinus, which are very sensitive to blood pressure regulated by ions and play an important role in the regulation of blood pressure. But it is yet not very clear how different ions regulate the blood pressure through pressure sensors in carotidsinus.OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of different ions at various concentrations outside the carotid-sinus.DESIGN: Self-control experiment.SETTING: Preclinical Experiment Center, Fourth Military Medical University of Chinese PLA.MATERIALS: The experiment was accomplished in the Preclinical Experiment Center, Fourth Military Medical University of Chinese PLA from December 2000 to June 2001. Totally 18 New Zealand pure strain rabbits were provided by the Aninal Experimenting Center of Fourth Military Medical University of Chinese PLA. They were standard grade Ⅱ, of either gender and body mass was (2.0±0.2) kg.METHODS: The rabbits were divided into Na+, K+ and Ca2+ groups according to random numbers, and each group consisted of 6 rabbits. After anaesthesia, tracheal intubatton was performed on the rabbit, and bilateral carotid arteries were separated with carotid-sinus separated on one side and vessel intubatton performed in the other side for blood pressure measurement. Then various concentrations of Na+, K+ and Ca2+ ions were added outside the carotid-sinus with the pipette to make the carotid-sinus completed immersed in the ion solutions. The basal blood pressure and the peak value after ions addition were recorded respectively.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The basal blood pressure and the peak value after ions addition.RESULTS: After Na+ (0.15, 1.5 mol/L) was added the blood pressure was(97±12), (83±17) mm Hg. It was decreased significantly compared with the basal value (106±14), (105±12) mm Hg (t=2.946, P ＜ 0.05). K+ (0.4 mol/L)decreased the blood pressure significantly [(106±12), (64±13) mm Hg, (t=13.496, P ＜ 0.01)], but other concentrations of K+ were not effective. Ca2+(0.07 mol/L) increased the blood pressure to (113±16) mm Hg compared with the basal value (103±12) mm Hg (t=-3.627, P ＜ 0.01).CONCLUSION: Na+, K+ and Ca2+ regulate the blood pressure by acting on the carotid-sinus directly. High concentrations of Na+ and K+ possess the effect of decreasing the blood pressure, while high concentrations of Ca2+increases it, which may be an important mechanism of blood pressure regulation.

Objective To develop MSNs loaded with ICG and investigate its diagnostic value and photodynamic therapeutic value in the experimental pancreatic cancer. Methods ICG was loaded into MSNs to prepare the ICG/MSNs probe. The probe toxicity was evaluated by MTT assays. Near?infrared stereo fluores?cence microscope ( NISFM) was applied to investigate whether the ICG/MSNs would be uptaken by the human pancreatic cancer cells. After incubated with PBS, ICG (10μg/ml), MSNs or ICG/MSNs (10μg/ml ICG) for 24 h and treated with photodynamic therapy (PDT, (780±25) nm laser, 500 mW/cm2), the human pancreatic cancer cells survival rate was determined by MTT method. The human pancreatic cancer cells were implanted into nude mice to prepare subcutaneous tumor models. The distribution of ICG/MSNs in sub?cutaneous tumor models was studied with in vivo imaging system ( IVIS ) . With reference to the injection dose of ICG(0.5 mg/kg), the mice in PBS group, ICG group, ICG/MSNs group (4 mice per group) were injected via tail vein with 150μl PBS, ICG solution and ICG/MSNs solution, respectively. After treated by PDT for 48 h, the mice were observed by IVIS for 2 weeks using BLI to evaluate the therapeutic effect of PDT. NISFM was used to observe the fluorescence in tumor region. One?way analysis of variance was used to analyze the data. Results The diameter of ICG/MSNs was about 100 nm and it could be uptaken by human pancreatic cancer cells. After treated by PDT, the survival rates of human pancreatic cancer cells were (24?5±5.0)%, (81.2±1.6)%, (90.7±2.0)% and (93.4±1.7)% in ICG/MSNs group, ICG group, MSNs group and PBS group, respectively(F=212.289, P<0.05). ICG/MSNs group showed better therapeutic effect than ICG group( P<0.05) . After 12 d treated by PDT, the tumor did not recur or grow in ICG/MSNs group, but grew obviously in ICG group and PBS group. The BLI of tumor area in PBS group, ICG group and ICG/MSNs group were (61.2±7.7)×108, (56.7±9.0)×108 and (2.4±1.5)×108, respectively(F=67?098, P<0.05) . And the difference between ICG/MSNs and ICG group was statistically significant ( P<0.05) . Meanwhile, the NISFM showed clearly the tumor location with ICG/MSNs. Conclusions ICG/MSNs have good biocompatibility, good PDT effect on pancreatic cancer cells and pancreatic cancer xeno?grafts. Near?infrared fluorescence imaging with ICG/MSNs could delineate the tumor location.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the expression of the Pim-1 gene in the LNCaP cells of the animal model of orthotopically implanted prostate cancer by surgical castration simulating androgen-deprivation therapy.

METHODSWe equally allocated 32 male BALBc-nu mice into 4 groups, androgen-dependent prostate cancer (ADPC), androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) , castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) and blank control, and established the models of orthotopically implanted tumor using human prostate cancer LNCaP cells. We detected and ,compared the expressions of Pim-1, PSA, and androgen receptor (AR) in the tumor tissues of different groups by RT-PCR. qRT-PCR, ELSIA and immunohistochemistry.

RESULTSThe relative gray scales in the ADPC and CRPC groups were 0.59 ± 0.01 and 1.14 ± 0.02, with statistically significant differences from 0.62 ± 0.03 in the ADT group (P < 0.05), and the Δ Ct values of Pim-1 were 6.15 ± 0.34 and 4.56 ± 0.23 in the former two groups, also with significant differences from 5.11 ± 0.21 in the latter (P < 0.05). The results of 2-ΔΔ Ct relative quantification analysis showed that the amplification products of Pim-1 in the ADT and CRPC groups increased 2.05 and 3.01 times respectively that of the ADPC group. The concentration of PSA was significantly higher in the ADPC ([480 ± 25] pg/ml) and CRPC ([870 ± 23] pg/ml) than in the ADT ([170 ± 32] pg/ml) and blank control groups (0 µg/L) (P < 0.01). The mean optical densities of Pim-1 and AR proteins were 0.017 ± 0.002 and 0.032 ± 0.009 in the ADPC group and 0.024 ± 0.002 and 0.040 ± 0.011 in the CRPC group, both with significant differences from those in the ADT group (0.018 ± 0.001 and 0.019 ± 0.006) (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONPim-1 is highly expressed in nude mice with prostate cancer receiving androgen-deprivation therapy and plays an important role in the progression and metastasis of prostate cancer.

Androgen Antagonists ; therapeutic use ; Animals ; Disease Progression ; Gene Expression ; Heterografts ; Humans ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Mice, Nude ; Neoplasms, Hormone-Dependent ; metabolism ; Prostate-Specific Antigen ; metabolism ; Prostatic Neoplasms, Castration-Resistant ; genetics ; metabolism ; therapy ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-pim-1 ; metabolism ; Receptors, Androgen ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo search for the best program increasing clinical therapeutic effect on vertebrobasilar insufficiency (VBI) and to study the mechanism.

METHODSThe patients were randomly divided into an acupuncture plus massage group, an acupuncture group and a massage group. Their therapeutic effects were observed and compared. And transcranial Doppler (TCD) was used for detection of systolic flow velocity (Vs), enddiastolic peak flow velocity (Vd), mean peak flow (Vm) and pulsatility index (PI) before and after treatment.

RESULTSThe cured rate and the total effective rate in the acupuncture plus massage group were significantly higher than the acupuncture group and the massage group (P < 0.05). And there were significant differences in Vm, PI and DI in the left vertebral artery (LVA), the right vertebral artery (RVA) and the basilar artery (BA) before and after treatment (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONAcupuncture combined with massage can improve Vm, PI, DI of VA-BA and the clinical therapeutic effect on VBI as well. It is superior to the simple acupuncture therapy and simple massage therapy. At present, it is one of the best therapy for VBI.

Acupuncture Therapy ; Basilar Artery ; Humans ; Massage ; Vertebral Artery ; Vertebrobasilar Insufficiency ; therapy

Carotenoids have a range of diverse biological functions and actions, especially playing an important role in human health with provitamin A activity, anti-cancer activity, enhancing immune ability and so on. Human body can't synthesis carotenoids by itself and must absorb them from outside. However, carotenoid contents in many plant are very low, and many kinds of carotenoid are difficult to produce by chemical ways. With the elucidation of carotenoid biosynthetic pathway and cloning genes of relative enzymes from microorganisms and higher plants, it is possible to regulate carotenoid biosynthesis via genetic engineering. This article reviews gene cloning of carotenoid biosynthetic enzymes in microorganisms and higher plants, and advances in the studies of carotenoid production in heterologous microorganisms and crop plants using gene-manipulated carotenoid biosynthesis.
Candida albicans ; genetics ; Carotenoids ; biosynthesis ; Cloning, Molecular ; Escherichia coli ; genetics ; Genetic Engineering ; methods ; Plants ; genetics ; Saccharomyces cerevisiae ; genetics

Objective To investigate the value of PET/CT imaging of cerebral glucose metabolism (CGM)and cerebral blood flow (CBF)in evaluating chronic disorders of consciousness (CDC).Methods A total of 10 CDC patients (5 males,5 females,age (50.9 ±17.2)years)and 10 healthy controls (5 males,5 females,age (52.0±10.3)years)from January 2016 to March 2017 were recruited to perform brain PET/CT of CGMand CBF.The brain PET imaging using 13 N-Ammonia was performed and followed by 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)PET.The mean standardized uptake values (SUVmean )of frontal,parietal, temporal and occipital lobes as well as basal ganglia,thalamus were obtained.The SUVmean of cerebral re-gions/SUVmean of cerebellum ratios (SUVr )were acquired.The SUVr were compared between the patients and controls.The imaging characteristics of CGM and CBF were investigated,and their relationships with clinical scores were further analyzed.Two-sample t test and Pearson correlation analysis were used to analyze the data.Results The radioactive distribution in the brain of healthy controls was symmetrical.SUVr of cer-ebral regions in the affected side of patients were significantly lower than those of the controls both in CGM imaging and CBF imaging (t values:2.90-5.19,all P<0.05).In 10 CDC patients,there were 9 with hypo-metabolism in basal ganglia and thalamus,8 with hypometabolism in frontal and parietal lobes,and 7 with hypometabolism in temporal and occipital lobes.At the same time,there were 7 with parietal hypoperfusion and 6 with hypoperfusion in other cerebral regions in the CDC patients.In the frontal,parietal lobes and basal ganglia,the CGMand CBF were both correlated with the clinical scores (r values:0.473-0.606,all P<0.05).Abnormal metabolism-perfusion patterns were divided into 3 types.Type Ⅰ included 2 patients and their hypometabolism and hypoperfusion were mismatched completely.Type Ⅱ included 3 patients and their hypometabolism and hypoperfusion were matched in frontal,parietal,occipital and temporal lobes,while mismatched in basal ganglia and thalamus.Type Ⅲ included 5 patients and their hypometabolism and hypoperfusion were matched completely.The clinical scores of typeⅠ,Ⅱand Ⅲ were 10.5,8.3 and 5.6, respectively.Conclusion The PET/CT imaging of cerebral blood flow and metabolism is useful in evalua-ting the disorders of consciousness.

Objective To investigate the imaging manifestations and pathogenesis of liver focal nodular hyperplasia-like(FNH-like)lesions in patients undergoing antineoplastic chemotherapy.Methods The clinical and imaging data of focal nodular hyperplasia(FNH)and FNH-like lesions patients confirmed by pathology after antineoplastic chemotherapy were analyzed retrospectively.Results A total of 67 FNH-like nodules were detected in 15 patients after antineoplastic chemotherapy,including multiple FNH nodules in 8 cases and sin-gle nodule in 7 cases.The mean detected time of FNH-like nodules was(18.9±11.7)months.Central scarring could be observed during follow-up in 5 nodules,and the rest showed atypical FNH features.Among 45 nodules examined with hepatocyte-specific con-trast medium,36 nodules showed slightly high signal in the hepatobiliary phase and other 9 nodules showed isosignal.Conclusion FNH-like lesions in patients during antineoplastic chemotherapy have certain imaging features,such as lack of central scarring,gener-ally smaller nodules,delayed enhancement,and hyperenhancement in hepatobiliary-specific phase,which are of significant value in the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of the disease.

OBJECTIVETo search for an effective therapy for the acute stage of peripheral facial paralysis.

METHODSOne hundred and twenty cases of facial paralysis patients were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group, 60 cases in each group. Both groups were treated with routine medication, and the observation group was treated with shallow needling combined with acupoint application using self-made "acupoint application formula for facial paralysis" on the basis of the routine medication. The acupoints of Yifeng (TE 17), Wangu (GB 12), Dicang (ST 4), Jiache (ST 6), Yangbai (GB 14), Taiyang (EX-HN 5), Qianzheng (EX-HN 17), Cuanzhu (BL 2) in affected side and Hegu (LI 4) in healthy side were selected as main acupoints for shallow needling, and Qianzheng (EX-HN 17), Dicang (ST 4), Yangbai (GB 14) and Wangu (GB 12), or Jiache (ST 6), Taiyang (EX-HN 5), Quanliao (SI 18) and Yifeng (TE 17) were selected for acupoint application. The cure rate and the course of cured patients in both groups were compared.

RESULTSThe cure rate of 88.3% (53/60) in observation group was superior to that of 66.7% (40/60) in control group (P < 0.01). The course of cured patients in observation group was obviously shorter than that of control group (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONOn the basis of routine medication, shallow needling combined with acupoint application can improve the therapeutic effect and shorten the course for acute stage of peripheral facial paralysis.

Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Facial Paralysis ; therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult

The work was aimed to investigate the differential expressions of lipid metabolism related genes in the early stage of atherosclerosis in the young apolipoprotein E deficient (apoE(-/-)) mice at different ages with normal chow diet. The genotypes of mice were identified by using multiplex polymerase chain reaction (multi-PCR) analysis. The semi-quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and real-time quantitative RT-PCR were used to analyze the expressions of lipid metabolism related genes in the liver of apoE(-/-) and age-matched wild type (WT) mice of 14-day old, 1-month old, 2-month old, 3-month old. The serum total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) contents were assayed using COD-PAP and GPO-PAP methods. The serum apolipoprotein B100 (apoB100) content was quantitated by immune turbidimetry. The hearts were perfusion-fixed in 4% formaldehyde, infiltrated with 30% gum sucrose for 24 h at 4 °C, and embedded in OCT compound. The aortic sinus tissues were serially sectioned at -15 °C, stained with Sudan IV, and counterstained with light green. The results were shown as follows. Compared with that in WT mice, the mRNA levels of apoA I and apoA IV in apoE(-/-) mice aged from 14-day old to 3-month old changed prominently (P<0.05), with apoA I up-regulated and apoA IV down-regulated. At the age of 1 month, the expression of apoB100 in apoE(-/-) mice was higher than that in WT mice (P<0.05). The expression of apoA V was up-regulated (P<0.05) and there was obvious lipid deposition in the aortic intima in apoE(-/-) mice at the age of 2 months. The expressions of fatty acid translocase (Fat/CD36) and angiopoietin-like protein 3 (Angptl 3) in apoE(-/-) mice were higher than those in WT mice at the age of 3 months (P<0.05), while the expressions of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα), liver X receptor α (LXRα), carnitine palmitoyl transferase I (CPT I) and acyl coenzyme A oxidase 1 (ACOX1) showed no significant changes. The serum TC, TG, LDL-C and HDL-C contents in apoE(-/-) mice aged from 14-day old to 3-month old were higher than those in age-matched WT mice. apoE(-/-) mice showed a marked increase in serum apoB100 content, consistent with the trend of serum LDL-C content and apoB100 mRNA content in the liver. The results suggest that the mRNA expressions of apoA I, apoA IV, apoA V, apoB100 and Angptl 3 in apoE(-/-) mice change significantly compared with those in WT mice, and these genes might be relevant to the complicated lipid metabolism network, and involved in the early stage of atherogenesis.
Animals ; Apolipoprotein A-I ; metabolism ; Apolipoprotein B-100 ; blood ; Apolipoproteins A ; metabolism ; Apolipoproteins E ; genetics ; Atherosclerosis ; genetics ; Gene Expression ; Lipid Metabolism ; genetics ; Lipoproteins, HDL ; blood ; Lipoproteins, LDL ; blood ; Liver ; metabolism ; Mice ; Mice, Knockout ; Triglycerides ; blood

OBJECTIVETo clarify the differential expression of the genes related to the lipid metabolism in the early stage of atherosclerosis in the young LDLR-/- mice of different ages.

METHODSA RT-PCR assay was used to analyse the gene expression patterns in the livers of LDLR-/- mice and wild type (WT) mice from 14 to 90 days. The characteristics of early lipid deposition in intima were evaluated using biochemical and pathological techniques.

RESULTSIn LDLR-/- mice, when compared to WT mice, the mRNA level of the apolipoprotein A IV (apoA IV), fatty acid translocase (Fat/CD36) and carnitine palmitoyl transferase I (CPT I) changed prominently at the age of 14-days (P < 0.05). At 30 days, the mRNA level of apolipoprotein A I (apoA I) was up regulated, but apolipoprotein F (apoF), CD36 and CPT I were down regulated (P < 0.05). At 60 days, the mRNA levels of apoA I, CPT I and liver X receptor alpha (LXRalpha) were up regulated, but apoA IV was down regulated (P < 0.05). At 90 days, the level of the apoA I was higher, but the expression of the apoA IV, apoF and acyl-coenzymeA oxidase 1 (ACOX1) were down regulated (P < 0.05), whereas the expression of apolipoprotein A V (apoA V), apolipoprotein E (apoE), peroxidase proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARalpha) and angiopoietin-like protein 3 (angptl 3) had no significant changes (P > 0.05). The serum levels of TC (P < 0.05), TG (P < 0.05) and LDLC (P < 0.05) in LDLR-/- mice were significantly higher than those in wild type mice with the same age.

CONCLUSIONSThe mRNA levels of the apoA I, apoA IV, apoF, FAT/CD36, CPT I, ACOX1 and LXRalpha of the LDLR-/- mice were significantly changed compared to the WT mice. The genes may be of some relevance to the complicated lipid metabolism network, and have effect in the early stage of atherogenesis.

Animals ; Apolipoprotein A-I ; genetics ; metabolism ; Apolipoproteins A ; genetics ; metabolism ; Apolipoproteins E ; genetics ; metabolism ; Gene Expression ; Lipid Metabolism ; Liver ; metabolism ; Liver X Receptors ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Mice, Knockout ; Orphan Nuclear Receptors ; genetics ; metabolism ; RNA, Messenger ; metabolism ; Receptors, LDL ; deficiency