Objective To study whether the expression Smad 7 protein by the recombinant adenovirus with Egr-1 promoter and Smad 7 cDNA in fibroblast cell can block the signal transduction pathway of transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-?1) under irradiation thereby inhibiting collagen synthesis in vitro. Methods The location of endogenous Smad 7 and exogenous Smad 7 protein in recombinant adenovirus infected fibroblast cells(3T6) were determined by immunocytochemical method. The infected 3T6 cells were irradiated and then cultured with TGF-?1 4 hours after irradiation. The activity of preventing radiation-induced fibrosis by expression Smad 7 protein was evaluated by the amount of collagen synthesis and proliferation of 3T6 cells. The amount of collagen synthesis was shown by the coruscant per minute (cmp) through the 3?H-Proline incorporation technique. Results The endogenous Smad 7 and exogenous Smad 7 protein both were located in the cytoplasm. When cultured with TGF-?1 4 hours after irradiation, the amount of collagen synthesis in the 3T6 cells infected with the recombinant adenovirus was significantly less than that in the cells without infecting adenovirus after irradiation(P=0.001), But, there was no difference in the proliferation of 3T6 cells between those with and without adenovirus infection (P= 0.312 ). Conclusions The Egr-1 promoter in the recombinant adenovirus can regulate the expression of downstream Smad 7 cDNA in 3T6 cells. The expression Smad 7 protein could block the TGF-?1 signal transduction pathway thereby inhibiting the collagen synthesis. The mechanism of inhibiting the collagen synthesis may be accomplished at the transcription level.

Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; Humans ; Integrative Medicine ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional

The effects of dietary supplementation with Clostridium butyricum on growth performance and humoral immune response in Miichthys miiuy were evaluated. One hundred and fifty Miichthys miiuy weighing approximately 200-260 g were divided into five groups and reared in 15 tanks with closed circuiting culture system. The animals were fed 5 diets: basal diet only (control) or supplemented of the basal diet with C. butyricum at doses of 10(3) (CB1), 10(5) (CB2), 10(7) (CB3) or 10(9) (CB4) CFU/g. Compared with the control, the serum phenoloxidase activity was significantly increased by the supplementation (P<0.05), acid phosphatases activity was increased significantly (P<0.05) at the doses of 10(9) CFU/g. Serum lysozyme activity peaked at dose of 10(7) CFU/g and in the skin mucus at dose of 10(9) CFU/g. Immunoglobulin M level in the serum and skin mucus was increased except at dose of 10(3) CFU/g (P<0.05). The growth at the dose of 10(9) CFU/g was higher than that of the control (P<0.05). It is concluded that supplementation of C. butyricum can mediate the humoral immune responses and improve the growth performance in Miichthys miiuy.
Animal Feed ; microbiology ; Animals ; Antibody Formation ; physiology ; Clostridium butyricum ; immunology ; Dietary Supplements ; microbiology ; Fishes ; growth & development ; immunology ; Probiotics ; administration & dosage

Objective To evaluate the application and initial experience of laparoscopy in kidneypreserving surgery for savage giant hydronephrosis. Methods This series included 6 cases of savage gianthydronephrosis (2 men and 4 women;age range,15 -57 years;mean age,28 years).Of them 5 cases weredetected when visiting doctors due to flank pain,abdominal mass,and the rest one by B-ultrasound duringpregnancy.Four cases had hydronephrosis on the left;and 2 cases,on the right.The quantity of hydronephro-sis was 2250 -8300 ml,respectively.None had development on IVU examination.Of them,3 cases had con-genital ureteropelvic junction (UPJ) obstruction;2 had multiple stones in infracalices secondary to UPJ ob-struction;1 had stones in pelvis with polyp formation.Relieving obstruction,pyeloplasty,nephroplication andnephropexy were performed via laparoscope. Results All the operations were successful.The operativetime was 2.5 -5.0 h;the blood loss was 50 -150 ml,and the mean postoperative hospital stay was 7.2 d.The postoperative follow-up ranged from 3 to 24 months. Three months after operation,B-ultrasound showedthat giant hydronephrosis was markedly relieved in 5 cases (the renal sinus separation was 1.8 m,2.0 cm,2.5 cm,2.5 cm and 2.8cm,respectively),and in the rest 1 case the kidney was slightly smaller than nor-mal.IVU examination was performed every 3 months after operation, and different degrees of developmentappeared in all cases.During the follow-up,no obvious ureteropelvic anastomotic stricture was found on retro-grade pyelography (RGP). Conclusions The protective renal treatment via laparoscopy for savage gianthydronephrosis is a feasible and minimally invasive technique that provides the same clinical and radiograph-ic results as open operation.

Objective: To study the effects of Lycium barbarum polysaccharides ( LBP ) on blood indexes and liver tissue morphology in rats with intrahepatic cholestasis. Methods: Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into the control group, the model group, and LBP low, medium and high dose group. The rats in the model group and LBP dose groups were given 60 mg/kg alpha-naphthylisothiocyanate ( ANIT ) by gavage every three days of the experiment, and the rats in the control group were given salad oil instead of ANIT. From the third day, the rats in each dose group were given 40, 150 and 600 mg/kg LBP, and the rats in the model group were given distilled water. After four weeks, the blood and urine indexes were measured, and the morphological changes of liver tissue were observed. Results: From the third day of the experiment, the activity of rats in the model group and LBP dose groups decreased, and the color of urine changed to dark yellow. There was no abnormality in the group. In the model group, the levels of serum total bilirubin, direct bilirubin, total bile acid ( TBA ), alkaline phosphatase ( ALP ), γ-glutamyltransferase(γ-GGT), cholesterol, alanine aminotransferase ( ALT ), aspartate aminotransferase ( AST ), white blood cell ( WBC ), percentage of granulocyte, urinary bilirubin, urinary bile acid, liver mass and liver to body ratio were higher than those in the control group, while red blood cell and percentage of lymphocyte were lower than those in the control group ( all P<0.05 ). Pathological changes of liver tissue were observed. The levels of serum TBA, ALP, γ-GGT, ALT, AST, WBC and liver to body ratio in LBP high dose group were lower than those in the model group ( all P<0.05 ). The infiltration of inflammatory cells, proliferation and expansion of bile duct, degeneration and necrosis of liver cells were alleviated. Conclusions LBP can improve the blood indexes and pathological changes of liver tissue in rats with intrahepatic cholestasis at the dosage of 600 mg/kg. Inhibition of inflammatory response and reduction of oxidative stress injury may be the mechanism for alleviating cholestatic liver injury.

Objective:To investigate the effects of estradiol on ~(60)Co?-ray induced apoptosis of bone marrow hematopoietic cells of mice,and to discuss the related anti-irradiation mechanism.Methods:KM mice were randomly divided into 3 groups(15 mice/each group):control group(without radiation),pure radiation group and estradiol+radiation group(ER group).The pure radiation group was irradiated by 4.0 Gy?-ray at a dose rate of 1.15Gy/min;the ER group was administered with 0.1 mg estradiol(IM)at 10 days before 4.0 Gy?-ray radiation;and the control group received no special treatment.The apoptotic DNA segments of bone marrow hematopoietic cells were analyzed by DNA agarose gel electrophoresis;flow cytometry was used to examine the apoptosis rate of cells and expression of Fas and Bcl-2 at 4 h,8 h,and 12 h after irradiation.Results:Eight hours after radiation,the apoptotic DNA segments were obviously increased and apoptotic DNA ladder appeared,which was not seen in the other 2 groups.The apoptosis rate of bone marrow hematopoietic cells in ER group was significantly lower than that in the pure radiation group at 4,8,and 12 h after irradiation(P

Objective: To learn the toxicity of Dendrobium officinale flowers to pregnant rats ( P, F1 ) and offspring rats ( F1, F2 ) before birth, so as to provide toxicological evidence for the safety assessment. Methods : The rats were divided into four groups with 20 female rats and 10 male each. The rats in three dose groups were fed with Dendrobium officinale flowers at the dose of 2.0, 4.0, 6.4g/kgbw. After two generation, the F1a and F2a rats were fed with basal diet; F1b and F2b rats were fed with Dendrobium officinale flowers. The body weights and total weight gains during the gestation, the conception rates, the pregnancy rates, the birth weights and survival rates of offspring rats were examined. Results: There were no statistically significant differences in the body weights and total weight gains during the gestation, the conception rates, and the pregnancy rates in pregnant rats ( P, F1 ) among the four groups ( P>0.05 ). There were also no statistically significant differences in the survival rates and live birth rates in offspring rats (F1, F2) between the dose groups and the control group ( P>0.05 ). Conclusions Dendrobium officinale flowers did not show obviously adverse effects on pregnant rats ( P, F1 ) and offspring rats ( F1, F2 ) before birth.

Objective : To evaluate the health effects of persistent organic pollutants（POPs）on body weight,food intake,internal organs,blood biochemistry,metabolic enzymes and antioxidant ingredients of rats. Methods : Sixteen healthy Sprague-Dawley（SD）rats were randomly divided into the experimental group exposed to 10 mL/kg mixture of POPs（10 ng/mL PCBs,5 ng/mL PBDEs,1 ng/mL PCDD/F）everyday for 28 days by gavage,and the control group exposed to the same volume of soybean oil in the same way. Body weight and food intake of the rats were recorded regularly;blood routine and biochemical indices were detected;liver,kidney,spleen and testicles（ovary）of the rats were weighed to calculate organ coefficients;metabolic enzymes and antioxidant ingredients were detected from livers of the rats. Results : No obviously abnormal symptoms and no deaths were found in both groups. Compared to the control group,the weekly food intake in the experimental group increased more for there was an interaction between grouping and time（P< 0.05）. The ratio of liver to body weight of male rats in the experimental group was higher than that in the control group [（3.87± 0.19）% vs.（3.53± 0.06）%,P< 0.05]. The haemoglobin and red blood cell of female rats in the experimental group were lower than those in the control group[（145.25± 6.18）g/L vs.（154.50± 4.20）g/L;（6.90± 0.14）× 1012/L vs.（7.39± 0.24）× 1012/L;both P< 0.05]. The glutathione-S-transferase（GST）of female rats in the experimental group was higher than that in the control group [（13.37± 1.05）U/mgprot vs.（9.43± 1.08）U/mgprot,P< 0.05]. The cytochrome P4501A1of rats in the experimental group was higher than that in the control group [female：（88.23± 5.81）ng/mgprot vs.（73.85± 5.86）ng/mgprot;male：（96.80± 13.32）ng/mgprot vs.（ 72.20± 2.01）ng/mgprot;both P< 0.05]. Conclusion After exposed to low dose of POPs,the cytochrome P4501A1 increased in all rats,the liver to body weight ratio increased in male rats,GST activity increased while red blood cell and haemoglobin decreased in female rats,which indicated possible body damages in rats.

The effects of dietary supplementation with Clostridium butyricum on growth performance and humoral immune response in Miichthys miiuy were evaluated. One hundred and fifty Miichthys miiuy weighing approximately 200～260 g were divided into five groups and reared in 15 tanks with closed circuiting culture system. The animals were fed 5 diets: basal diet only (control) or supplemented of the basal diet with C. butyricum at doses of 103 (CB1), l05 (CB2), 107 (CB3) or 109 (CB4) CFU/g.Compared with the control, the serum phenoloxidase activity was significantly increased by the supplementation (P＜0.05), acid phosphatases activity was increased significantly (P＜0.05) at the doses of 109 CFU/g. Serum lysozyme activity peaked at dose of 107 CFU/g and in the skin mucus at dose of 109 CFU/g. Immunoglobulin M level in the serum and skin mucus was increased except at dose of 103 CFU/g (P＜0.05). The growth at the dose of 109 CFU/g was higher than that of the control (P＜0.05). It is concluded that supplementation ofC. butyricum can mediate the humoral immune responses and improve the growth performance in Miichthys miiuy.

Objective To explore the clinical efficacy of glargine combined with metformin for old patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM)and its effect on the glucose,high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP)and malondialdehyde (MDA)levels.Methods Seventy-two old pa-tients with T2DM were randomly divided into treatment group and control group,36 cases in each group.The control group was subcutaneously injected glargine,while the treatment group was added metformin based on this.Both courses of treatment were 6 weeks.The clinical efficacy after treatment,changes of glucose-related indexes,hs-CRP and MDA levels before and after treatment were compared,and the incidence of adverse reactions was observed.Results The overall response rate of treatment group was obviously higher than in control group,with statistical significance(P <0.05).After treatment,the levels of fasting blood glucose (FBG),2 h postprandial glucose (2hPG)and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c)in both groups went down significantly by compari-son to treatment before(P <0.01),in which the decreased range in treatment group was more sig-nificant(P <0.05 or P <0.01).Besides,hs-CRP and MDA levels in two groups after treatment were notably decreased(P <0.05 or P <0.01),and hs-CRP level in treatment group was markedly lower than in control group(P <0.05).Conclusion Glargine combined with metformin can effec-tively decrease the glucose level in old patients with T2DM,and alleviate the degree of oxidative stress,with significant efficacy.