OBJECTIVEA study was conducted to investigate the effects of Porphyromonas gingivalis lipopolysaccharide (Pg-LPS) on the expression of regulated upon activation normal T-cell expressed and secreted (RANTES) and fractalkine in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs).

METHODSHUVECs were incubated with different concentrations of Pg-LPS (200, 500, and 1000 ng x mL(-1)) for 1, 6, 12, and 24 h, respectively. Then real time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent method (ELISA) were adopted to detect the protein levels and mRNA levels of RANTES and fractalkine.

RESULTSThe RANTES protein levels and mRNA levels, as well as fractalkine mRNA levels, were significantly higher in all experimental groups of 1, 6, and 12 h than in the control group (P<0.05), except the expression of RANTES mRNA in 200 ng x mL(-1) group of 12 h and RANTES protein in 200 ng x mL(-1) group of 1 h. The expression levels of RANTES mRNA and fractalkine mRNA were highest in 1000 ng x mL(-1) group of 6 h and were 4.88- and 6.20-fold higher, respectively, than those in the control group. The expression levels of RANTES protein, mRNA, and fractalkine mRNA decreased 6 h after stimulation, and were significantly higher than those in the control group (P<0.05) in the RANTES and fractalkine in HUVEC, and such expression is important in the development of atherosclerosis 500 ng x mL(-1) group of 24 h. There was a significant difference between the expression of fractalkine mRNA in 1000 ng x mL(-1) group of 6 and 12 h than in the control group (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONPg-LPS infection might up-regulate the expression of RANTES and fractalkine in HUVEC, and such expression is important in the development of atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis ; Cells, Cultured ; Chemokine CCL5 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Chemokine CX3CL1 ; analysis ; genetics ; metabolism ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells ; metabolism ; Humans ; Lipopolysaccharides ; pharmacology ; Porphyromonas gingivalis ; immunology ; isolation & purification ; RNA, Messenger ; analysis ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Up-Regulation

Objective To evaluate the clinical efficacy of lamivudine in preventing liver injury induced by anti-tuberculosis drugs in hepatitis B virus(HBV)carriers.Methods One hundred and ten HBV carriers treated with anti-tuberculosis drugs were randomly divided into lamivudine group and control group.Patients in both groups were treated with conventional anti-tuberculosis drugs (isoniazid,rifampicin,pyrazinamide,streptomycin or ethambutol)for 6-8 months.However, patients in lamivudine group were treated with lamivudine 100 mg orally dairy concomitantly.Before and after treatment,the clinical manifestation,liver function and serum HBV DNA level of patients were evaluated.Statistical analysis was performed using t test and x~2 test.Results During 6-8 months of treatment,the incidence rate of liver injury was 9.1% in lamivudine group,while it was 38.2% in control group(P0.05).Conclusion Lamivudine is effective and safe in reducing liver injury induced by anti-tuberculosis drugs in HBV carriers.

Objective:To investigate the expression of MMP-1 and MMP-8 in periodontal tissues in rats with periodontitis at different stages of inflammation with varied severity. Methods:Periodontitis was induced by silk ligature. P.gingivalis(Pg) or Pg with F.nu were used to induce the varied severity of periodontitis in 40 rats. 14 and 28 days after periodontitis induction the animals were sacrificed, periodontal tissues were immunohistochemically stained by antibody of MMP-1 and MMP-8 respectively. Results:MMP-1 and MMP-8 were both strongly positive in gingival epithelia cells and fibroblasts in periodontal ligament in rats with periodontitis.Higher expression of MMP-1 and MMP-8 was observed at 14 d than at 28 d(P0.05). Conclusion:The expression of MMP-1 and MMP-8 varies in different stage of periodontitis. MMP-1 and MMP-8 may play an important role in development of periodontitis.

OBJECTIVETo explore the effects of high altitude on cognitive flexibility.

METHODSSimulated hypoxia at an altitude of 3 600 m was performed in a hypobaric chamber. Twenty-three volunteers without hypoxic experience were selected and the mean age was about 25.1 years. The physiological parameters (heart rate, blood pressure and oxygen saturation) were measured. Task switch paradigm was used to explore the cognitive flexibility in each phase, and the changing anxiety state was evaluated simultaneously.

RESULTSReaction time (RT) switch cost in hypoxia phase showed a significant increase compared with the baseline; anxiety level in hypoxia phase was higher than the adaptation phase; a remarkable negative correlation between anxiety level and RT switch cost was found in adaptation phase, whereas a positive correlation was found in landing phase.

CONCLUSIONHigh altitude (3 600 m) affects cognitive flexibility and anxiety state. Anxiety before the hypoxia exposure improves the cognitive flexibility performance, while anxiety after the hypoxia exposure hampers the performance because of the post-hypoxia effect.

Adult ; Altitude ; Anxiety ; Cognition ; physiology ; Humans ; Hypoxia ; psychology ; Male ; Reaction Time

Conventional randomized controlled trial is considered as the gold standard of clinical trials in evalua ting pharmacologic effectiveness. Whereas, it still has some faults in the non-pharmacy interventions, such as surgery, acupuncture, massage, etc. Expertise-based randomized controlled trial makes up for some deficiencies of conventional randomized controlled trial, which has made better developments in the field of surgery, however, there is no any relevant retrieval literature found in the acupuncture field. It is feasible and practical of the expertise-based randomized controlled trial to be applied and promoted in the acupuncture-moxibustion clinical research for a further degree. Expertise-based randomized controlled trials might become the trend of acupuncture-moxibustion clinical stu dies in the future.
Acupuncture Therapy ; standards ; Humans ; Moxibustion ; methods ; standards ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ; methods ; standards

The chemical constituents from Euphorbia lunulata was investigated in this paper. Fourteen compounds were isolated and purified by column chromatographies on silica gel and preparative HPLC. Their structures were identified by physiochemical properties and NMR data analysis as lupeol (1), euphol (2), cassipourol(3) , 24-methylenecycloartan-3beta-ol (4), 24-hydroperoxycycloart-25-en-3beta-ol (5), 25-hydroperoxycycloart-23-en-3beta-ol (6), betulin (7), uvaol (8), (23E) -25-methoxycycloart-23-en-3beta-ol (9), (23E) -cycloart-23,25-dien-3beta-ol (10), 24-methylenecycloartan-3beta, 28-diol (11), salicinolide (12), 2alpha, 3beta, 5alpha, 9alpha, 15beta-pentaacetoxy-11,12-epoxy-7beta, 8alpha-diisobutyryloxyjatropha-6 (17) -en-14-one (13) and 3beta, 5alpha, 15beta-triacetoxy-7beta-isobutyryloxy-9alpha-nicotinoyloxyjatropha-6 (17), 11(E)-dien-14-one (14). Among them, compounds 1-11 were isolated from E. lunulata for the first time.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Euphorbia ; chemistry ; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ; Molecular Structure ; Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization ; Stereoisomerism

Adult ; Antigens, CD ; metabolism ; Antigens, Differentiation, Myelomonocytic ; metabolism ; Carcinoma, Giant Cell ; metabolism ; pathology ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Granuloma, Plasma Cell ; metabolism ; pathology ; Histiocytosis, Sinus ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Lung Diseases ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Lung Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Male ; Pneumonectomy ; methods ; S100 Proteins ; metabolism ; Vimentin ; metabolism

0.05).?2-MG mass concentration was significantly increased in the cerebrospinal fluid(P

Objective To investigate epidemiological and clinical features of patients with acute brucellosis.Methods The epidemiological,clinical,laboratory and treatment data of patients diagnosed as acute brucellosis during 2002 to 2004 in our hospital were retrospectively analyzed. Results Fifty-one patients had a history of close contact with sheep or cows with brucellsis.Twenty- seven patients had drunk milk or eaten instant boiled mutton.The transmission routes were unknown in 8 patients.All the patients had fever and most had low-grade fever.Fifty-five patients had irregu- lar fever and 20 patients had intermittent fever.The most common manifestations were fever(86/86), fatigue(63/86),sweating(43/86),arthralgia(68/86),orchiditis(7/86),hepatomegaly(8/86),sple- nomegaly(7/86)and headache(18/86).Forty-seven patients had liver dysfunction and 17 patients had thrombocytopenia.Eighty patients recovered and 6 patients relapsed after combination therapy with rifampicin,sulfamethoxazole and quinolone.Conclusion The changes in epidemiological and clinical features of patients with acute brucellosis should be noticed.

Objective To investigate the impact of fatty liver and its related factors on the effi- cacy of antiviral therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis C.Methods ninety-eight patients with chronic hepatitis C were treated with 180?g peginterferon?-2a plus ribavirin.Hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and fatty liver were detected by ultra sonography.The body mass index (BMI),waist to hip ratio (WHR) and ho- meostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) were calculated.The serum HCV RNA level was determined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and serum insulin level was detected by chemiluminescence analysis.The impact of fatty liver and its related factors on the efficacy of antiviral therapy were analyzed by multivariate Logistic regression analysis.Results Of 98 patients with chro- nic hepatitis C,35 (35.7%) were genotype 1,41 (41.8%) were genotype 2,13 (13.3%) were gen- otype 3,9 (9.1%) were undetermined genotype.The incidence of fatty liver in HCV infection of genotype 1,2,3 and undetermined genotype was 11.4%,9.8%,38.5% and 11.1%,respectively (X~2=7.83,P