Objective To study the effects of early enriched environment on expression of growth associated protein 43(GAP-43) in hippocampus of white matter damaged(WMD) neonatal rats.Methods Two days old postnatal SD rats (n=29) were collected and randomly divided into normal control group(n=9),intervention group(n=10) and non-intervention group(n=10).The latter 2 groups were subjected to WMD at first.The right common carotid artery was dissected and ligated,and after 2 hours rest,exposed to 60 mL?L-1 oxygen 940 mL?L-1 nitrogen gas mixture.After that,intervention group received the neonatal handling and was kept in an enriched environment for 27 days.Neonatal handling was applied from the 4th day to the 10th day after WMD.Then intervention group was put into enriched environment from the 11th day to the 30th day after WMD.The other 2 groups were fed in normal environment.The abilities of sensorimotor function (hanging test and inclined plane test) were observed after intervention,and Western blot was used to examine the expression of GAP-43 in hippocampus at the 7th day and the 27th day after intervention.Results The sensorimotor function abilities of intervention group were much higher than those in non-intervention group (P

Animals ; Arginine Vasopressin ; metabolism ; Female ; Hippocampus ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Lead ; toxicity ; Learning ; drug effects ; Memory ; drug effects ; Pregnancy ; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

OBJECTIVETo test the different contrctile responses of extracellular nucleotides, such as ATP, UTP and nucleotide uridine adenosine tetraphosphate (Up4A) in gastric longitudinal muscle (LM) and circular muscle (CM). Examined the effect of P2X and P2Y receptor antagonists (in this study, we used IP5I and suramin) and cyclooxygenase inhibitor (indomethacin) on Up4A induced contractile responses in LM and CM.

METHODSThe rats were sacrificed and the stomachs were opened to gain LM and CM. Using organ bath system to assess contrctile responses of smooth muscle.

RESULTSUp4A could induce contractile responses in both CM and LM, which were similar with ATP and UTP. IP5 did not attenuate Up4A could induce contractions in both LM and CM, but suramin and indomethacin significantly inhibited Up4A contraction in CM, but not in LM.

CONCLUSIONOur results suggest that extracellular nucleosides and their inhibitors induce different responses between LM and CM.

Adenosine Triphosphate ; pharmacology ; Animals ; Dinucleoside Phosphates ; pharmacology ; Indomethacin ; Muscle Contraction ; Muscle, Smooth ; physiology ; Nucleotides ; pharmacology ; Rats ; Suramin ; Uridine Triphosphate ; pharmacology

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of four traditional Chinese medicines distributed along lung meridian, namely Ephedrae Hebra, Zingiberis Rhizoma, Scutellariae Radix and Mori Cortex, on TLR2 and NF-κB expressions in mice with lung heat syndrome, in order to study the intervention effect of the four traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) on the lung heat syndrome.

METHODOne hundred KM mice were randomly divided into the normal control group, the model group, the Ephedrae Hebra group, the Zingiberis Rhizoma group, the Scutellariae Radix group and the Mori Cortex group (20, 10 g x kg(-1)), nasally dripped with streptococcus pneumoniae to establish the mouse lung heat syndrome model, and then administered with different TCMs. The expressions of TLR2, NF-κB p65 proteins in lung tissues were analyzed by the immunohistochemical method. The expressions of TLR2, NF-κB p65 mRNA were measured by real time PCR.

RESULTCompared with the normal control group, the expressions of TLR2 and NF-κB p65 proteins in lung tissues in the model group were higher (P < 0.01), and the expressions of TLR2 and NF-κB p65 mRNA in lung tissues were up-regulated (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05). Compared with the model group, Ephedrae Hebra high and low dose groups, the Zingiberis Rhizoma low dose group and the Scutellariae Radix high dose group showed decreased expression of TLR2 protein (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01); Ephedrae Hebra high and low dose groups, the Zingiberis Rhizoma low dose group, Scutellariae Radix high and low dose groups and Mori Cortex high and low dose groups showed reduced expression of NF-κB p65 protein (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). Ephedrae Hebra high and low dose groups, Zingiberis Rhizoma high and low dose groups, Scutellariae Radix high dose group and Mori Cortex high dose group showed down-regulated expression of TLR2 mRNA (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONEphedrae Hebra, Zingiberis Rhizoma, Scutellariae Radix and Mori Cortex can induce the TLR2/NF-κB inflammatory signal pathways by down-regulating the expressions of TLR2 and NF-κB p65 in protein and mRNA, so as to alleviate the lung tissue injury in mice with lung heat syndrome.

Animals ; Down-Regulation ; drug effects ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; classification ; pharmacology ; Female ; Gene Expression ; drug effects ; Immunohistochemistry ; Lung ; drug effects ; metabolism ; microbiology ; Male ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; methods ; Meridians ; Mice ; Phytotherapy ; methods ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; classification ; Pneumonia, Pneumococcal ; drug therapy ; genetics ; metabolism ; Random Allocation ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Scutellaria baicalensis ; chemistry ; Species Specificity ; Syndrome ; Toll-Like Receptor 2 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Transcription Factor RelA ; genetics ; metabolism

This review is outlined in terms of the advances in mechanism about microbial degradation of phenanthrene. The degradation pathways of phenanthrene by bacteria and fungus , including aerobic and anaerobic conditions, are discussed respectively. Furthermore, both the enzymes involved in the reactions and the gene clusters encoding for the enzymes are summarized. The application of gene probe is introduced briefly. Based on the preliminary results of our laboratory, it is found that some questions should be taken into more consideration.

Objective: To explore the role of cytosine-phosphate-guanine oligodeoxynucleotide(CpG ODN)in enhan- cing the radiosensitivity to X-ray in mouse with Lewis lung cancer.Methods: The tumor-bearing mouse model was in- duced by injevting Lewis lung cancer cells into the right infra-axillary dermis.Thirty-two C57BL/6J mice were evenly ran- domized into 4 groups.Group A: the control group;Group B: the X-Ray radiation group;Group C: the CpG group; Group D: the CpG plus X-Ray radiation group.Group B was treated with X-Ray radiation only(3 Gy/F,on day 1,3,5, 8,10,and 12;the total dose was 18 Gy);group C was administered with CpG ODN 0.05 mg on day 1,3,5,8,10, and 12;group D was administered with CpG ODN 6h before X-ray radiation.The tumor growth and tumor growth delay (TGD)were observed in all groups.Meanwhile,the pathological change of the tumor tissue was observed with H-E staining method and the apoptosis of tumor cells were examined with the method of TUNEL.Results: The Lewis hmg cancer-bearing model was successfolly established in mice.The tumor volumes of the treatment groups were smaller than that in lhe control group(P

Objective With awareness, attitudes, and rice-intake behavior of Kaschin-Beck disease (KBD) and the analysis of the factors that influence KBD related rice-intake behaviors among resident's in Aba,this research could provide evidences for KBD-Control, and benefit the policy development related to KBD-Control.Methods Villages were chosen by proportional stratified random sampling from KBD monitoring villages among agriculture areas, pastoral areas, and farming & pastoral areas in Aba, Sichuan, in July 2009. Interview questionnaire of household survey, designed by research associates of this project, was used in this research for residents in endemic area of KBD in Aba. The questionnaire covered demographic and socio-economic characteristics, KBD knowledge and diet habits. Multi-level Variance Component Analysis was used to explore factors which would influence the KBD related rice-intake behaviors. Results A total of 1029 permanent residents were recruited in this research, among which the detection rate of KBD was 48.01％ (482/1004). Most of the patients lived in farming & pastoral areas(84.44％, 407/482). Pastoral residents had the least knowledge of KashinBeck disease, and the composition ratios ofGeneral andGood were 15.87％ (33/208)and 3.36％ (7/208),respectively. Still, people who were willing to have rice as staple food were 93.13％(935/1004). It indicated that only (50.40 ± 23.68)％ on average, of research subjects had the life style of rice intake. Ethnic, work status,language situation and attitudes to rice intake were influencing factors for rice-intake behavior. Conclusions The percentage of rice intake in Aba KBD epidemic areas is low. And to prevent KBD, the advocacy actions should be targeted at ethnic, work status, language situation, and attitudes to rice intake.

OBJECTIVETo examine the reliability and validity of the 66-item version on the gross motor function measure (GMFM-66) to assess the gross motor functions of children below 3 years oldwith cerebral palsy.

METHODS298 valid samples were obtained from 171 children with cerebral palsy (male 126, female 45 with mean age 19 months, age range 3-36 months) measured with GMFM-88. Then a 73-item version of GMFM (GMFM-73) special for these children was obtained by Rasch analysis. Both GMFM-66 and GMFM-73 scores of to each sample were obtained. The reliability and validity of GMFM-66 were evaluated through analyzing the correlation between the scores and between the changed scores of these two GMFM versions. The relative precision of GMFM-73 versus GMFM-66 was also analyzed.

RESULTSSignificant correlations were found between the scores and between the changed scores of these two versions of GMFM. A 14% less gain in relative precision was achieved when using GMFM-73 versus GMFM-66.

CONCLUSIONResults indicated that the GMFM-66 had good reliability and validity in assessing the gross motor functions of children below 3 years old with cerebral palsy.

Cerebral Palsy ; physiopathology ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Motor Skills ; classification ; Reproducibility of Results ; Surveys and Questionnaires

To establish single- and double-transfected transgenic cells stably expressing hMATE1, hMATE1 cDNA was cloned by RT-PCR from human cryopreserved kidney tissue, and subcloned into pcDNA3.1(+) plasmid by virtue of both HindIII and Kpn I restriction enzyme sites. Subsequently, the recombined pcDNA3.1(+)- hMATE1 plasmid was transfected into MDCK, MDCK-hOCT1 or MDCK-hOCT2 cells using Lipofectamine 2000 Reagent. After a 14-day-cultivation with hygromycin B at the concentration of 400 µg · mL(-1), all clones were screened with DAPI and MPP+ as substrates to identify the best candidate. The mRNA content of hMATE1, the cellular accumulation of metformin with or without cimetidine as inhibitor, or transportation of cimetidine was further valuated. The results showed that all of the three cell models over expressed hMATE1 mRNA. The cellular accumulation of metformin in MDCK-hMATE1 was 17.6 folds of the control cell, which was significantly inhibited by 100 µmol · L(-1) cimetidine. The transcellular transport parameter net efflux ratios of cimetidine across MDCK-hOCT1/hMATE1 and MDCK-hOCT2/hMATE1 monolayer were 17.5 and 3.65, respectively. In conclusion, cell models with good hMATE1 function have been established successfully, which can be applied to study the drug transport or drug-drug interaction involving hMATE1 alone or together with hOCT1/2 in vitro.
Animals ; Biological Transport ; Cimetidine ; pharmacology ; DNA, Complementary ; Dogs ; Drug Interactions ; Humans ; Madin Darby Canine Kidney Cells ; Metformin ; pharmacology ; Organic Cation Transport Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Transfection

Epiberberine, one of the most important isoquinoline alkaloid in Coptidis Rhizoma, possesses extensive pharmacological activities. In this paper, the liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was used to study phase I and phase II metabolites. A Thermo HPLC system (including Surveyor AS, Surveyor LC Pump, Surveyor PDA. USA) was used. The cocktail probe drugs method was imposed to determine the content change of metoprolol, dapsone, phenacetin, chlorzoxazone and tolbutamide simultaneously for evaluating the activity of CYP2D6, CYP3A4, CYP1A2, CYP2E1 and CYP2C9 under different concentrations of epiberberine in rat liver microsomes. The result showed that epiberberine may have phase I and phase II metabolism in the rat liver and two metabolites in phase I and three metabolites in phase II are identified in the temperature incubation system of in vitro liver microsomes. Epiberberine showed significant inhibition on CYP2D6 with IC50 value of 35.22 μmol L(-1), but had no obvious inhibiting effect on the activities of CYP3A4, CYP1A2, CYP2E1 and CYP2C9. The results indicated that epiberberine may be caused drug interactions based on CYP2D6 enzyme. This study aims to provide a reliable experimental basis for its further research and development of epiberberine.
Animals ; Berberine ; analogs & derivatives ; chemistry ; metabolism ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Cytochrome P-450 CYP2D6 ; metabolism ; Cytochrome P-450 CYP2D6 Inhibitors ; chemistry ; metabolism ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; metabolism ; Male ; Microsomes, Liver ; drug effects ; enzymology ; metabolism ; Molecular Structure ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry