Objective To determine the expression of P53 and P21 (WAF1/CIP1) in thyroid carcinomas and its relationship with development and prognosis of the carcinoma. Methods 90 cases of thyroid tissues (60 thyroid carcinomas, 10 thyroid adenomas, 10 goitres and 10 normal thyroid tissues) were studied by SP immunohistochemical method. Results Positive immunoreactivity of P53 and P21(WAF1/CIP1) was found only in thyroid carcinomas. The positive rate of the P53 and P21 is 53.3% and 41.7% respectively. The positive-staining rates of P53 were higher in cases of undifferentiated carcinomas, positive metastasis lymph nodes or in stage Ⅲ, Ⅳ than those in the cases of well-differentiated, no metastasis lymph nodes, or in stage Ⅰ,Ⅱ. In addition, the positive-staining of P21(WAF1/CIP1) were lower in cases of undifferentiated carcinomas, positive metastasis lymph nodes or stage Ⅲ, Ⅳ than that in the cases of well-differentiated, no metastasis lymph nodes or in stage Ⅰ,Ⅱ. The P21 (WAF1/CIP1) expression rate in the P53 positive group was lower than that in the P53 negative group (P<0.05). Conclusion The expression of P21(WAF1/CIP1) protein in thyroid cancer is related to P53-depend pathway and P53-independent pathway, mainly the P53-depend pathway. Examination of expression of P53 and P21 (WAF1/ CIP1) proteins may be helpful to judge the thyroid cancers behavior and prognosis.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the relationship between the second to the fourth digit ratio (2D:4D) and body mass index (BMI) in infertile men of the Han ethnic group in Ningxia.

METHODSUsing anthropometry, we calculated the mean ratio of 2D:4D and BMI of 197 infertile men and 148 normal healthy male controls, followed by analysis of their relationship.

RESULTSThe BMI was correlated positively with the 2D:4D ratio of the left hand in the infertile men (P < 0.05) and in the patients with a higher 2D:4D ratio of the left hand (P < 0.05), but negatively with the 2D:4D ratio of the righ/left (Dr-1) (left: P < 0.01; Dr-l: P < 0.05). The mean 2D: 4D ratio and BMI were both lower in the normal control than in the infertile men, with statistically significant differences in BMI (P < 0.05) and the 2D:4D ratio of the left hand (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThere is a correlation between the 2D:4D ratio and BMI in infertile men.

Body Mass Index ; Case-Control Studies ; Fingers ; anatomy & histology ; Humans ; Infertility, Male ; diagnosis ; Male

OBJECTIVETo investigate the role of expression of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and its receptor (c-Met) in gastric cancer.

METHODSThe expression of HGF and c-Met was detected with SABC immunohistochemistry in 44 specimens of gastric cancer, 20 chronic superficial gastritis, 10 chronic atrophic gastritis and 16 gastric ulcer tissues.

RESULTSNo positive expression of HGF/c-Met was found in the chronic superficial gastritis specimens. The positivity rates of HGF in the gastric cancer was 72.7% (32/44), significantly higher than that in chronic atrophic gastritis [20% (2/10), P<0.005] and gastric ulcer [37.5% (6/16). P<0.025]. The positivity rates of c-Met in gastric cancer [77.3% (34/44)] was also significantly higher than that in chronic atrophic gastritis [40% (4/10), P<0.05] and gastric ulcer [37.5% (6/16), P<0.025].

CONCLUSIONCo-expression of HGF and c-Met in gastric cancer may promote the progression of the malignancy, and also opens a new pathway for the therapy of gastric cancer.

Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Hepatocyte Growth Factor ; metabolism ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-met ; metabolism ; Stomach Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Young Adult

BACKGROUNDTo investigate the immunological and virological efficacy of the therapeutic vaccine HBV CS1, a recombinant fusion protein which is composed of HBV core aa 1-155 plus PreS1 aa 3-55,against chronic HBV infection.

METHODSHBV transgenic mice were immunized with HBV CS1(5 ug) emulsified in equal volume of complete Freund adjuvant on day 0, followed by a second vaccination with HBV CS1(5 ug) emulsified with incomplete Freund adjuvant on days 21. Mice of control group were mock-vaccinated with PBS plus complete Freund adjuvant/incomplete Freund adjuvant. The splenocytes of individual mouse were subjected to T cell proliferation assays by using 3Hg thymidine, HBsAg and HBV DNA in sera of mice were detected by ELISA and quantitative PCR, respectively.

RESULTSHBV CS1 specific T cell response were induced in mice immunized with HBV CS1, with the titer of HBsAg and the level of HBV DNA decreased significantly after twice immunization with HBV CS1, while the control group almost remained the same.

CONCLUSIONHBV CS1 has the immunological and virological efficacy against chronic HBV infection in HBV transgenic mice; HBV CS1 could represent candidate vaccine for further studies on its role as therapeutic vaccine against HBV chronic infection in human.

Animals ; Female ; Hepatitis B Antibodies ; blood ; Hepatitis B Core Antigens ; genetics ; immunology ; therapeutic use ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens ; genetics ; immunology ; therapeutic use ; Hepatitis B Vaccines ; genetics ; immunology ; therapeutic use ; Hepatitis B virus ; genetics ; immunology ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; drug therapy ; immunology ; Humans ; Immunization ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Transgenic ; Protein Precursors ; genetics ; immunology ; therapeutic use ; Random Allocation ; Recombinant Fusion Proteins ; genetics ; immunology ; therapeutic use

OBJECTIVETo investigate the relationship between PPAR coactivator 1 (PGC-1), nuclear respiratory factor (NRF), mitochondrial transcription factor A (mtTFA) expressions of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) and development of atherosclerosis in a rabbit model.

METHODSAtherosclerotic model was established by feeding the rabbits with high-fat diet for 4, 8 and 12 weeks (n = 10 each). Another 8 rabbits fed with normal diet served as normal controls. Intima-media ratio, mRNA and protein expressions of PGC-1, NRF, mtTFA and SMemb, a marker for synthetic VSMC, were detected on aorta specimens.

RESULTSWith the blood lipid increased, the intima-media ratio rose from (0.031 +/- 0.010) microm up to (0.814 +/- 0.258) microm during 12 weeks. Increasing SMemb means that synthetic VSMC grew more and more. The expressions of PGC-1 became significant after 4 weeks (P < 0.01), while that of NRF-1 and mtTFA rose significantly after 8 weeks (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONSThe PGC-NRF-mtTFA pathway might play a critical role in VSMC proliferation and development of atherosclerosis.

Animals ; Atherosclerosis ; blood ; metabolism ; pathology ; DNA-Binding Proteins ; metabolism ; Disease Models, Animal ; Female ; Lipids ; blood ; Male ; Mitochondrial Proteins ; metabolism ; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular ; metabolism ; Nuclear Respiratory Factor 1 ; metabolism ; Rabbits ; Trans-Activators ; metabolism ; Transcription Factors ; metabolism

Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy and related complications of bilateral minimally invasive transforminal lumbar interbody fusion via Quadrant channels for the treatment of single-level degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis.Methods Sixty selective pa-tients with single-level mild and moderate degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis who underwent bilateral MIS-TLIF via Quadrant channels from August 2015 to May 2017 were retrospectived investigated.Operative time,blood loss,X-Ray exposure time,postoperative drainage and related complications were recorded.Lumbar functional improvement was defined as an improvement in the JOA.The VAS was also employed at pre and postoperation(6 months),to evaluate low back and leg pain.Intervertebral fusion was assessed by Bridwell evaluation criteria and the clinical outcome was assessed by the MacNab scale at 6 months.In addition,related complications also were be analyzed.Results All patients underwent a successful MIS-TLIF surgery,of whom 58 patients were followed up for 6 months.The operation time was 170~290 minutes (mean:220.17 minutes),intraoperative blood loss was 100~260 mL(mean:168.62 mL),intraoperative radiation exposure was 15~36 times (mean:25.60 times) and postoperative drainage was 50~163 mL(mean:103.43 mL).Different significance between 6 months post-operative follow-up and pre-operation was exhibited (P<0.05) in VAS scores (t=34.97,P=0.000).At 6 months post-operative follow-up,there were significant differences(P<0.05) compared with pre-operation in JOA scores(t=36.91,P=0.000).At 6 months post-operative follow-up,21 cases of grade 1 and 37 cases of grade 2 fusion were present as determined by the Bridwell evaluation criteria(100% fusion).MacNab scale as-sessment classified 2 patients having excellent clinical outcome and 54 patients in good clinical outcome(96.55% of patients had good to excel-lent results).Amomg 60 cases,complications observed in 6 patients,direct injuries to nerve root in 1 case,dural tears occurred in 1 case,super-ficial wound infection in 1 case,pedicle screw was pulled out during the reduction of slip because of severe osteoporosis in 1 case and leg numb-ness and pain in 2 cases. Conclusion Bilateral MIS-TLIF via Quadrant channels with less complications is a safe and effective approach for the treatment of single segment degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis,but potential complications should be prevented as well.

The plasma visfatin,endothelium-dependent artery dilation and intima-media thickness of common carotid arteries were measured in first-degree relatives of type 2 diabetes,obese patients and control subjects.Regional body fat were detected by MRI.The result suggested that plasma visfatin levels were significantly higher in obese subjects than those in non-obese subjects,and hypervisfatinemia is independently associated with fasting blood glucose.

This study was aimed to screen human papillomavirus (HPV) types associated with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma of Kazakh in Xinjiang using the gene chip technique and study the clinical significance of this application. The DNAs were collected from esophageal squamous cell carcinoma tissues and healthy esophageal mucosa of Kazakh adults in Xinjiang, and amplified firstly using HPV MY09/11 and then using HPV G5+/6+ to screen positive HPV specimens. These positive specimens were further detected by the gene chip technique to screen highly pathogenic HPV types. After determination with nested PCR amplification with HPV MY09/11 and G5+/6+, the infection rate of HPV was 66.67% in the esophageal squamous cell carcinoma group and 12.12% in the healthy control group. By testing the positive HPV specimens from the esophageal squamous cell carcinoma group, the infection rate of HPV16 was 97.72% and the co-infection rate of HPV16 and HPV18 was 2.27%. HPV16 infection may be involved in the development of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in Xinjiang Hazakh adults.

OBJECTIVE: To establish 2-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2-DE) map from human nasal polyps and normal nasal mucosa, and to identify differential expression proteins of 2-DE map. METHODS: Samples of nasal polyps and nasal mucosa (each sample group containing 7 cases) were obtained. The total proteins were extracted and separated by immobilized pH gradient (IPG)-based 2-DE. The silver-stained 2-DE was scanned with digital Imagescanner and analyzed with ImageMaster 2-DE Elite 4.01 software. To obtain peptide mass fingerprint (PMF) of differential protein spots, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) was used. The PMF was searched in Swiss-Prot and TreMBL database by Pept-Ident software, to identify differential expression proteins. RESULTS: The well-resolved, reproducible 2-DE maps of nasal polyps and nasal mucosa were established. For the polyps tissues, the average proteins spot of three 2-DE maps was 825+/-78; and 682+/-96 spot was matched with the average matching rate of 82.7%. The average deviations of matched spot position were (1.13+/-0.16) mm in IEF direction and (1.45+/-0.21) mm in SDS-PAGE direction, respectively. For the nasal mucosa tissues, the average proteins spot of three 2-DE maps was 936+/-62; and 821+/-78 spots were matched with the average matching rate of 87.7%. After comparing the 2-DE maps of nasal polyps and nasal mucosa tissues, the protein spots were 1,458 and 1,617 respectively; and 1,026 protein spots were matched. Forty differential expression protein spots were incised from silver staining gel randomly and digested in the gel by TPCK-Trypsin. Thirty-four PMFs were obtained by MALDI-TOF-MS and 24 differential proteins were identified. CONCLUSION The well-resolved, reproducible 2-DE maps of human nasal polyps and nasal mucosa have been successfully established. Certain differential proteins related to the pathogenesis of human nasal polyps are identified.
Adult ; Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nasal Polyps ; metabolism ; Peptide Mapping ; Proteomics

Objective To investigate the effect of targeting vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) by microRNA-126 (miR-126) on neuronal damage in neonatal rats with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). Methods Newborn 7 days old SD male rats were randomly divided into four group, sham operation group (group A), HIE group (group B), HIE+negative control group (group C), and HIE+miR-126 overexpression group (group D), eighteen in each group. After modeling, neurological deficit score and brain water content were measured. HE staining was used to observe the pathological changes of CAI area in hippocampus of brain in each group. Real-time PCR was used to detect the expression of miR-126 and VEGF. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of VEGF in CAI area in hippocampus of brain. Double luciferase target experiment was used to verify the targeting relationship between miR-126 and VEGF gene. Flow cytometry was used to detect neuron apoptosis in hippocampus. Western blotting was used to detect the expression of cleaved-Caspase-3 protein in brain tissue of rats in each group. Results There was no neurobehavioral damage in group A, the neurobehavioral score was 0, and the brain tissue was not damaged; the neurobehavioral scores in group B and group C were (2. 50±0. 55) and (2. 33±0. 82) respectively, and the brain tissue damage was obvious; the neurobehavioral score in group D was ( 1. 50 ±0. 55), and the damage of brain tissue was improved. Compared with the group A, the neurobehavioral score (P<0. 05) and brain water content of group B and group C increased significantly (P<0. 05); Compared with the group B, the neurobehavioral score (P<0. 05) and brain water content of group D (P<0. 05) decreased. Compared with the group A, the expression level of miR-126, VEGF mRNA and protein, neuron apoptosis rate and cleaved-Caspase-3 in brain tissue of group B and group C were all significantly lower (P<0. 05). Compared with the group B, the expression level of miR-126, VEGF mRNA and protein, neuron apoptosis rate and cleaved-Caspase-3 in hippocampus of group D were all significantly higher (P<0. 05). The result of luciferase reporter gene experiment showed that miR-126 and VEGF could be targetly binded. Conclusion Overexpression of miR-126 can reduce neuronal apoptosis in hippocampus of brain and improve the development of HIE. The mechanism may be related to the targeted inhibition of VEGF gene expression by miR-126.