Ear Protective Devices ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced ; prevention & control ; Humans ; Male ; Mining ; Noise, Occupational ; prevention & control ; Petroleum ; Retrospective Studies

Antibodies, Monoclonal ; metabolism ; CD79 Antigens ; metabolism ; Epstein-Barr Virus Infections ; Herpesvirus 4, Human ; isolation & purification ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; metabolism ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nose Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; therapy ; virology ; Paranasal Sinus Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; therapy ; virology ; Plasmacytoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; therapy ; virology

A stimulate method for determination of polybrominated diphenyl ethers ( PBDEs) and derivatives (OH-PBDEs and MeO-PBDEs), tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA), hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) in egg samples was developed by gel permeation chromatography ( GPC) and dispersive solid phase extraction ( DSPE) combined with liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometric ( HPLC-MS/MS) and gas chroma-tography-negative chemical ionization mass spectrometry ( GC-NCI/MS ) . The analytes were extracted with mixture of hexane and dichloromethane (1∶1, V/V) by accelerated solvent extraction (ASE), and purified by 100 mg C18 dispersive solid phase extraction ( SPE) sorbents followed with gel permeation chromatography (GPC) , and then analyzed by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometric (HPLC-MS/MS) and gas chromatography-negative chemical ionization mass spectrometry (GC-NCI/MS), respectively. The quantita-tion was carried out external standard method. The recoveries of objects were 64. 5%-97. 2% and 65. 6%-109 . 2% ( except BDE85 was 54 . 8%, OH-BDE-137 was 47 . 4%) spiked at 1 . 0 μg/kg or 5 . 0 μg/kg in egg white and egg yolk, respectively. The relative standard deviations (RSDs) were less than 20. 2%. The limits of quantitation (LOQ) for the object were 0. 01-0. 2 μg/kg.

0.05).After treatment,in neuromus- cular electric stimulation therapy group and ice-massage therapy group,SSA scores and degrade of SaO_2 were improved. There was significant difference between before and after treatment(P

The present study was undertaken to observe the effect of exogenously administered melatonin on the intensity of β-endorphin (β-Ep) immunoreactivity of the neuron in the arcuate nucleus of rat hypothalamus with an aim to explore the possible mechanisms of the analgesic effect of melatonin. The experimental rats were divided into two groups, one injected intraperitoneally with melatonin (110 mg/kg) and the other with only a vehicle. One hour after injection, the brain was processed for coronal sections, which were stained with immunohistochemical ABC technique. The integral optical density (IOD) and mean optical density (OD) of the stained sections were measured with a computer-assisted image-processing and analytical system. β-Ep immunoreactivity was much decreased in the sections treated with melatonin and the IOD and OD were also decreased significantly (P<0.01; P<0.05). The above results suggest that melatonin may result in a decrease of β-Ep content in the arcuate nucleus, as a result of increased β-Ep release induced by administration of melatonin. It is likely that the analgesic effect of melatonin may be in part mediated by the release of β-endorphin from the arcuate nucleus.

Argonaute 1 (AGO1) is a core component of the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC) which plays a crucial role in small RNA-mediated gene silencing. AGO1 gene has been characterized in various plants, such as Arabidopsis and rice. However, there is no information about AGO1 in the medicinal plant species, Panax ginseng. Using the rapid amplification of cDNA ends technology (RACE), we cloned full-length PgAGO1 cDNA from Panax ginseng. It is 3 776 bp in length, including 204 bp of 5' UTR, 254 bp of 3' UTR, and 3 318 bp of ORF encoding 1106 amino acids. The molecular weight (MW) and theroretical isoelectric point (pI) of the deduced PgAGO1 protein is 122.22 kDa and 9.71, respectively. PgAGO1 shares 91.72% similarity with Arabidopsis AtAGO1 and contains three consered domains, including DUF1785, PAZ and Piwi, suggesting it is an authentic AGO. PgAGO1 was expressed in all of the tissues analyzed with the highest level in flowers and the lowest level in roots. The results provide useful information for further elucidating the function of AGO1 in Panax ginseng.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Argonaute Proteins ; genetics ; Cloning, Molecular ; DNA, Complementary ; genetics ; DNA, Plant ; genetics ; Genes, Plant ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Panax ; genetics ; Plants, Medicinal ; genetics ; Sequence Alignment

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of Bushen Huoxue Fang (BSHX) on the apoptosis of epithelial cells in the prostatic ductal system of rats with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and its possible action mechanism.

METHODSOne hundred 3- month-old male Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups of equal number (control, castrated, BPH model, and BSHX). BPH models were made by subcutaneous injection of testosterone following castration; the rats in the BSHX group were treated intragastrically with BSHX at 2.34 g/ml after modeling, while those in the other two groups with equal volume of saline, all for 37 days. On the 38th day, all the rats were sacrificed and their prostates harvested for detection of the distribution of TGF-beta1 and alpha-actin and the count of positive cells in the prostatic ductal system by immunohistochemical staining. The apoptosis rate of epithelial cells in the prostatic ductal system was determined by TUNEL assay.

RESULTSThe expression of TGF-beta1 was significantly increased in the rats of the BSHX group as compared with the BPH models in both the proximal prostatic duct ([15.28 +/- 4.30]% vs [36.42 +/- 8.10]%, P < 0.01) and the distal prostatic duct ([4.42 +/- 2.07]% vs [8.71 +/- 2.28 ]%, P < 0.05), while the expression of alpha-actin in the proximal duct was remarkably higher in the BSHX-treated rats than in the models ([28.14 +/- 7.43]% vs [18.28 +/- 4.07]%, P < 0.01), but lower than in the control animals ([33.57 +/- 6.85]%, P < 0.05). Compared with the control group, the BPH models and BSHX-treated rats both exhibited markedly decreased apoptosis of epithelial cells in the proximal prostatic duct ([39.42 +/- 9.20]% vs [3.86 +/- 1.34]%, P < 0.01, and [31.14 +/- 5.64]%, P < 0.01) and distal prostatic duct ([17.60 +/- 4.86]% vs [3.07 +/- 1.14]%, P < 0.01, and [12.37 +/- 2.25]%, P < 0.05). The apoptosis rate of epithelial cells in the prostatic ductal system was significantly higher in the BSHX-treated rats than in the BPH models (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONBy upregulating the expression of TGF-beta, BSHX can suppress the reduction of smooth muscle cells in the proximal prostatic duct, promote the apoptosis of prostatic epithelial cells, and thus effectively inhibit benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Actins ; metabolism ; Animals ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Disease Models, Animal ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Epithelial Cells ; drug effects ; pathology ; Male ; Prostatic Hyperplasia ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; pathology ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1 ; metabolism

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) on the expression of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) in experimental liver fibrosis rats. METHODS: The liver fibrosis model was established by carbon tetrachloride. Rats were divided into a control group and PGE1-treated group. The pathological changes of the liver tissue from the two groups, the semi-quantitative analysis of hepatitic activity in HE stain sections, the pathological image quantitative analysis of the fibrosis degree, TIMP-1 positive cells, and the content of collagen were synthetically analysed. RESULTS: The mark changes of liver pathology in HE stain sections were that the degree of hepatitic activity in the PGE1-treated group was obviously lower than that in the control group (P < 0.05). The fibrosis degree, TIMP-1 positive cells and the collagenous fibers decreased in the PGE1-treated group (P <0.05). CONCLUSION PGE1 has an anti-hepatofibrosis effect in the experimental rats, the inflammation of liver is light, and the proliferation of collagenous fibers can be restrained, whose mechanism is probably associated with the suppression of TIMP-1 expression caused by PGE1.
Alprostadil ; pharmacology ; Animals ; Carbon Tetrachloride ; Carbon Tetrachloride Poisoning ; Female ; Liver Cirrhosis, Experimental ; chemically induced ; metabolism ; Male ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-1 ; biosynthesis ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo study the present situations of lung cancer in Wuhan and to explore the relationship between the potential years of life lost of lung cancer and air pollution, especially vehicle emissions.

METHODSData gathered between 1986 and 1995 in Wuhan city, including air pollution and tobacco production and data on lung cancer between 1991 and 2000 were collected extensively. Simple Correlation and Grey Relational Analysis were used to analyze the relationship of them.

RESULTSThere was a ascending tendency in variance of oxides of nitrogen (NOx). The degree of grey incidence (DGI) between the concentration of air pollutants and the male's or female's potential years of life lost of lung cancer (PYLL) were calculated respectively. In males, the values of DGI were 0.6702, 0.7071, 0.6199 on sulfur dioxide (SO2), NOx, total suspensions (TSP) respectively. In females,the values of DGI were 0.6188, 0.8555, 0.5842 according to the same order as listed above. Significant positive correlation was found between the concentration of NOx and with lung cancer in both males and females by spearman correlation test (rmale = 0.63523, P = 0.0484; rfemale = 0.76396, P = 0.0101).

CONCLUSIONWith the fast growing speed of the quantity of vehicles, pollution of vehicle emission-caused air pollution posed an important risk factor for lung cancer, despite the fact that tobacco smoking still played the leading role.

Air Pollution ; adverse effects ; China ; Female ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; mortality ; Male ; Nitrogen Oxides ; analysis ; Sulfur Dioxide ; analysis ; Vehicle Emissions ; analysis

OBJECTIVETo determine whether patients infected with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) show a differential distribution profile of IL-28B polymorphisms according to the presence of concomitant cryoglobulinemia.

METHODSSixty-two consecutive CHC patients were enrolled in the study between December 2008 and December 2010. All patients received combination therapy of pegylated interferon alpha-2a (weekly, 180 g, subcutaneous injection) plus ribavirin (daily, 10to15 mg/kg body weight, oral) for 48 weeks, with individualized dosage adjustments according to the patient's clinical situation. Cryoglobulins were detected visibly by separation of cryoprecipitates in patient serum samples. Three IL-28B SNPs (rs8099917, rs12979860, and rs12980275) were detected by sequencing. Response to treatment was assessed by measuring serum levels of HCV RNA by quantitative PCR at baseline (prior to treatment initiation), during treatment (4 and 12 weeks after treatment initiation), end of therapy (48 weeks after treatment initiation), and post-treatment (24 weeks after end of therapy). The significance of between-group differences were assessed by the Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests.

RESULTSCryoglobulinemia was detected in 43.5% (27/62) of the CHC patients and showed a female bias (59.3% vs. males: 34.3%, P = 0.05). Compared to CHC patients without cryoglobulinemia, the CHC patients with cryoglobulinemia showed significantly higher levels of HCV RNA at baseline (5.64+/-1.20 vs. 6.37+/-0.67, P less than 0.05) but lower frequencies of the IL28B rs8099917 TT genotype (94.3% vs. 63.0%, P = 0.002), rs8099917 T allele (97.1% vs. 81.5%, P = 0.003), and rs12979860 C allele (94.3% vs. 83.3%, P = 0.048). CHC patients with cryoglobulinemia and having the rs8099917 TT, rs12979860 CC, or rs12980275 AA genotype achieved a higher rate of sustained virological response.

CONCLUSIONCryoglobulinemia in CHC patients is associated with a differential distribution of IL-28B polymorphisms, and certain polymorphisms may be related to anti-viral treatment response.

Adult ; Alleles ; Antiviral Agents ; therapeutic use ; Cryoglobulinemia ; blood ; complications ; Female ; Genotype ; Hepatitis C, Chronic ; blood ; complications ; drug therapy ; genetics ; Humans ; Interleukins ; genetics ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; RNA, Viral ; blood