Autophagy is a cellular catabolic pathway that is essential for survival,differentiation,development and homeostasis.The dual roles of autophagy as a tumor-promoting mechanism and a tumor suppressor mechanism have been elucidated in the recent cancer research.The double function is accomplished by some neoplasms-associated signaling pathways which include mTOR-dependent signaling pathway,Beclin1 network,LKB1-AMPK signaling pathway,p53 and p53-related regulators of autophagy.Thus it can be seen that these signaling pathways function dependently and correlatively as inducing and inhibiting autophagy and play different roles in the process that involves growth and development of neoplasms.

Objective To explore the role of the sensory neuropeptide in the chronic cough induced by postnasal drip syndrome(PNDs).Methods Patients of PNDs with and without chronic cough who came to the First Affiliated Hospital of Ji Nan University between Mar.2004 and Sep.2005 were enrolled and induced sputum by hypertonic saline aerosol inhalation was performed.Twenty-three cases of PNDs with chronic cough and 16 cases of PNDs without chronic cough were collected.Substance P(SP)and calcitonin gene-related peptide(CGRP)in the supernatant of the induced sputum were measured by radioimmunoassay.Results SP and CGRP in the supernatant of the induced sputum were significantly higher in the patients with chronic cough induced by PNDs[SP(345.14?72.58)mg/L,CGRP(573.78?210.96)mg/L]as compared with those normal subjects[SP(168.14?56.97)mg/L,CGRP(227.69?70.84)mg/L,P

Objective To assess the results of surgical intervention on patients with medullary thyroid carcinoma(MTC), and determine the value of measuring plasma calcitonin concentration postoperatively. Methods The diagnosis and treatment of 14 patients with MTC from January 1992 to December 1998 were analysed retrospectively. Results The diagnosis of MTC in the 14 patients was confirmed by pathology. Of them, 64.3% of patients had lymph node metastases. According to AJCC staging system, 1 patient was in stage Ⅰ, 7 in stage Ⅱ, 5 in stage Ⅲ and 1 in stage Ⅳ. Of nine patients measured plasma calcitoinin after initial operation, 4 had persisted hypercalcitoninemia. In the 4 patients, MTC in residual thyroid and enarged lymph node were comfirmed by B mode ultrasounography. After re operation, the calcitonin level returned to normal in 3 cases, but one remained in higher level. Postoperative follow up ranged from 2 to 8 years, 2 patients died of the disease. Twelve patients still lived, 6 of them survived more than 5 years. Conclusions The clinical stage of MTC at the time of diagnosis is an important prognostic factor. An aggressive surgical approach at the initial operation is essential to achieve a curative effect in patient with MTC. Measuring plasma calcitonin postoperatively helps to detect residuled MTC or recurrent MTC.

Objective To assess the clinical manifestation, management and outcome of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) in young adult Methods Retrospective study was made on young AAA patients (

Objective To investigate the changes of plasma cortisol and adrenocorticotrophic hormone(ACTH)levels in prema-ture neonates with the infectious diseases.Methods Ninety premature neonates in the neonatal department of our hospital were di-vided into the control group(30 cases),mild infection group(30 cases)and severe infection group(30 cases).The radioimmunoassay was adopted to detect the serum cortisol and ACTH levels on 1,3,7 d after birth in all subjects and the corresponding comparison was conducted.Results The cortisol levels on 1,3,7 d in the mild infection group were (193.04 ±39.48),(151.12 ±35.62 ), (128.37±27.47)ng/mL respectively,the level on 1 d was higher than that on 3,7 d (P <0.05),and the 3 d was higher than that on 7 d (P <0.05).The cortisol level on 1,3,7 d in the severe infection group were (99.43±50.17),(96.52 ±44.69),(131.13 ± 42.73)ng/mL respectively,and the level on 1,3 d was significantly lower than that on 7 d (P <0.05).Conclusion The relative ad-renocortical insufficiency exists in premature neonates with the early stage of severe infection and is manifested by the decline of plasma cortisol level,which could recover to the normal level on 7 d,but the plasma ACTH level has no relation with infection.

The biologically active constituents in Gynostemma pentaphyllum are dammarane-type glycosides,called gypenosides.They are believed to be the highest contents of this herb,easy to obtain,and mainly active in anti-tumor,controlling the blood glucose,lipid-lowering,cardiovascular protection,etc.The saponins may change into sub-glucoside after hydrolysis,for the intemal acetal glucoside structure is vulnerable to acid,alkali,and enzyme degradation.Through searching the literatures in recent years,this paper summarized the chemical constituents in the hydrolyzed products of gypenosides,for providing references to discover novel and more active lead compounds.

Objective To introduce the experience in endovascular stent graft repair (EVSGR) of thoracoabdominal aortic dissecting aneurysm (TAADA). Methods Retrospective analysis was made on the management of 6 patients with TAADA from October 2000 to June 2001. Results There were six male patients aged 42～72 in this series. Of them, 5 patients with Stanford type B TAADA and one with Stanford A TAADA. Of the 6 patients, The fissures were sealed and the dissections were disappeared completely in 5 cases; one case shifted to open surgery for abdominal aortic fenestration, Rupture of the iliac dissection occurred in 1 case 3 days after EVSGR, then the abdominal aortic fenestration and graft replacement of distal abdominal aorta were performed. One patient died of heart infarction on the third day postoperatively. Five cases were followed-up for 1～9 months, they all were alive and well. Conclusions Endovascular stent graft technique is safe and simple in repairing of TAADA, and abdominal aortic fenestration is an adjuvant procedure.

Objective To establish the acquired tamoxifen (TAM)-resistant human breast cancer cell line T47D-TamR,compare the 18F-FDG uptake rate between T47D-TamR and its parental cell line T47D,and study the mechanism.Methods Long-term step-wise drug stimulation was used for cell line T47D-TamR establishment and then the cell proliferation and resistance index (RI) were determined by MTT assay.The 18F-FDG uptake rates of T47D-TamR and T47D cells were measured in the setting of different cell counts,reaction time,18F-FDG dosages and glucose concentrations.The LDH activity,cellular ATP level and lactic acid concentration in cell supernatant of T47D-TamR and T47D cells were detected.Western blot was used to examine the expression of ERα,Glut-1,phosphorylated AMPK (p-AMPK) and phosphorylated mTOR (p-mTOR).Two-sample t test and two-way analysis of variance were used to analyze the data.Results T47D-TamR cell line was successfully established and its drug RI was 1.97±0.08,with a significantly decreased cell proliferation efficacy (F =230.10,P＜ 0.05).Significant differences of 18 FFDG uptake rates were found between T47D-TamR cell and T47D cell when changing the cell count,reaction time,and 18F-FDG dosage (F values:419.00-1 116.00,all P＜0.05).The LDH activities of T47D cell and T47D-TamR cell were (0.42±0.04) and (0.32±0.02) U/mg protein,cellular ATP levels were (19.99±0.32) and (14.01±0.70) nmol/mg protein,lactic acid concentrations in cell supematant were (2.95±0.05) and (2.02±0.07) mmol/L,respectively.The differences of above parameters between the two groups were significant (t values:4.39-18.80,all P＜0.05).The relative expressions of ERα,p-AMPK,pmTOR,Glut-1 were 0.26±0.03,0.36±0.06,0.75±0.11,0.35±0.07 in T47D cell,and 0.17±0.02,0.61±0.09,0.52±0.08,0.21±0.04 in T47D-TamR cell,and there were significant differences (t values:12.20-16.45,all P＜0.05) between the two groups.Conclusions Compared with parental cells,T47D-TamR cells have lower 18F-FDG uptake rate,LDH activity,cellular ATP level and lactic acid concentration,increased p-AMPK expression and decreased ERα,p-mTOR,Glut-1 expression,indicating the decreased glycolysis ability in TAM-resistant breast cancer cells.

Objective To explore the effects of ADAR1 inducer and inhibitor on cognition and ADAR1 expression of isolated BALB/c mice.Methods Sixty healthy BALB/c mice were divided into 6 groups according to randomized design with 10 animals each group,the gregarious control group (GH),social isolation model group (SI),ADAR1 inducer treated gregarious group (GH+IFN-γ),ADAR1 inhibitor treated gregarious group (GH+EHNA),ADAR1 inducer treated isolation group (SI+IFN-γ) and ADAR1 inhibitor treated isolation group (SI+EHNA).Mice in drug treatment groups were treated with ADAR1 inducer (5.0? 104 U/kg,20 ml/kg,ip) and inhibitor (10 mg/kg,20 ml/kg,ip).Objection recognition test was used to measure cognition.Immunohistochenmistry was used to measure ADARI immunoreactivity and Western blotwas used to measure ADAR1 protein expression.Results In the objection recognition test,the non-spatial discrimination index of mice in SI group (-0.16±0.09) was significantly lower than that of GH group (0.41 ±0.17,P＜0.01),the non-spatial discrimination index of mice in SI+IFN-γ group (0.20±0.09) and in SI+ EHNA group (-0.29±0.12) was higher (P＜0.01) and lower (P＜0.05) than that of the SI group respectively.The immunohistochemistry results showed that the ADAR1 immunoreactivity in hippocampus of mice in SI group (Hilus:(0.013±0.003),CAI:(0.021±0.005)) decreased significantly compared to those of GH group(Hilus:(0.021 ±0.002),(0.047±0.004);both P＜0.05).And GH+IFN-γgroup mice showed increased ADAR1 immunoreactivity obviously in Hilus ((0.013±0.003) vs (0.023±0.004),P＜0.01) and in CA1 ((0.021±0.005) vs (0.040±0.005),P＜0.01) compared with that of SI group,ADAR1 inducer recovered the above abnornal ADAR1 immunoreactivity.Western blot results showed that the ADAR1 protein expression of mice in SI group (0.48 ±0.07) in hippocampus was significantly decreased (P＜0.01) compared to that of GH group (1.00 ±0.00).The level of ADAR1 protein in SI+IFN-γgroup(0.82 ±0.04) increased compared with that of SI group.Conclusions Four weeks of social isolation can reduce the non-spatial cognitive ability of BALB/c mice and decrease the expression of ADAR1 in the hippocampus.The ADAR1 inducers and inhibitors can reverse and aggravate the cognitive impairment caused by social isolation respectively.The related mechanisms may be related to the expression of ADAR1.

Objective:To investigate the effect of adenosine deaminase acting on RNA 1 (ADAR1) on 5-serotonin-2c receptor in alleviating aggression in socially isolated mice.Methods:Sixty healthy male BALB / c mice aged 21 days were randomly divided into six groups: social isolation group, social control group, ADAR1 inducer social isolation group, ADAR1 inhibitor social isolation group, ADAR1 inducer social control group and ADAR1 inhibitor control group.The mice fed in single cage for 4 weeks were used as social isolation model while the mice fed in group were used as control group.ADAR1 inducer (5.0×10 4 U/kg) and inhibitor (10 mg/kg) were given intraperitoneally to mice in the ADAR1 inducer social isolation group and the ADAR1 inhibitor social isolation group respectively.The aggressive behavior of mice was evaluated by resident-intruder test.The expression of ADAR1 and 5-serotonin-2c receptors in the brain of mice was detected by immunohistochemistry and Western blot. Results:The attack latency of social isolation group was significantly lower than that of social control group ((43.15±6.99) s, (542.40±30.50) s; t=15.906, P<0.01), and the latency of attack ((256.70±29.49) s) in the ADAR1 inducer social isolation group was significantly higher than that in the social isolation group ( t=7.046, P<0.01). The latency of attack ((15.25±2.18)s) in the ADAR1 inhibitor social isolation group was significantly lower than that in the social isolation group ( t=3.809, P<0.01). The optical density of ADAR1 immunoreactive cells in the amygdala of the social isolation group mice was significantly lower than that in the corresponding brain area of the social control group (BLA: (0.038±0.002), (0.074±0.004); LaDL: (0.033±0.002), (0.060±0.002); LaVM: (0.045±0.003), (0.073±0.004); Lavl area: (0.044±0.003), (0.070±0.003); t=8.428, 9.037, 6.462, 5.698, all P<0.01). The optical density of ADAR1 immunoreactive positive cells in the amygdala (BLA: (0.060±0.003), LaDL: (0.042±0.002), LaVM: (0.056±0.004), Lavl: (0.054±0.003) in the ADAR1 inducer social isolation group was significantly higher than those in the corresponding brain area of the social isolation group mice ( t=6.055, 2.876, 2.312, 2.492; all P<0.05). The expression of ADAR1 protein and 5-serotonin-2c receptor protein in amygdala of social isolation group were significantly lower than those of social isolation group ( t=11.37, 12.65; P<0.01). The expression of ADAR1 protein and 5-serotonin-2c receptor protein in the amygdala of the ADAR1 inducer social isolation group were significantly higher than those of the social isolation group ( t=3.02, 4.401; P<0.05). Conclusion:ADAR1 inducer alleviates the aggressive behavior of social isolated BALB / c mice by enhancing the protein expression of 5-serotonin-2c receptor in the amygdala of social isolated BALB/c mice.