Objective: To evaluate the effect of low-dose insulin [1 U/(kg·d)] in combination with selenium [180 g/(kg·d)] on general physiological parameters and glucose transporter (GLUT4) level in skeletal muscle of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Methods: Diabetic rats were treated with insulin, selenium, and insulin and selenium in combination for four weeks. The level of blood glucose was determined using One Touch SureStep Blood Glucose meter and the level of GLUT4 in skeletal muscle was examined by immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry. Results: Our data showed that insulin in combination with selenium could significantly lower blood glucose level and restore the disturbance in GLUT4 level in skeletal muscle. Treatment with insulin was only partially effective in restoring diabetic alterations. Conclusion: It can be concluded that there is a synergistic action between insulin and selenium, and that treatment of diabetic rats with combined doses of insulin and selenium is effective in the normalization of blood glucose level and correction of altered GLUT4 distribution in skeletal muscle of diabetic rats.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of low-dose insulin [1 U/(kg·d)] in combination with selenium [180 g/(kg·d)] on general physiological parameters and glucose transporter (GLUT4) level in skeletal muscle of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Methods: Diabetic rats were treated with insulin, selenium, and insulin and selenium in combination for four weeks. The level of blood glucose was determined using One Touch SureStep Blood Glucose meter and the level of GLUT4 in skeletal muscle was examined by immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry. Results: Our data showed that insulin in combination with selenium could significantly lower blood glucose level and restore the disturbance in GLUT4 level in skeletal muscle. Treatment with insulin was only partially effective in restoring diabetic alterations. Conclusion: It can be concluded that there is a synergistic action between insulin and selenium, and that treatment of diabetic rats with combined doses of insulin and selenium is effective in the normalization of blood glucose level and correction of altered GLUT4 distribution in skeletal muscle of diabetic rats.

From the development of national clinical research base of traditional Chinese medicine ( TCM ) in Longhua Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, we made a success of construction, such as planning and foundation , curative effect , study protocol , standards , platform establishment . From the thinking to results , we made knowledge of the situation in order to provide references for the further building of clinical research base of TCM .

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is considered an important complementary therapy with beneficial effects for cancer patients. Elderly patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are a complex patient group with increasing co-morbidity and shrinking physiological reserve, and may derive substantial benefit from the supportive aspects of TCM. Researchers from Shanghai Longhua Hospital found that qi and yin deficiency is a common syndrome in patients with stage III or IV lung cancer. This project was designed to study the combination of single-agent chemotherapy with TCM methods of benefiting qi and yin in elderly patients with advanced NSCLC.

AIM:To investigate the inhibitory effect of ethanol extract of propolis (EEP) on oxidized low-den-sity lipoprotein ( ox-LDL )-induced macrophage apoptosis and the underlying molecular mechanisms . METHODS:RAW264.7 macrophages were pretreated with EEP (7.5, 15 and 30 mg/L), 4-phenylbutyric acid (PBA, 5 mmol/L) or diphenyleneiodonium ( DPI, 5μmol/L) for 1 h and then treated with ox-LDL (100 mg/L) or tunicamycin ( TM, 4 mg/L) for 24 h.The cell viability and apoptosis were determined by MTT assay and Annexin V-FITC apoptosis detection kit , re-spectively.The activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), and the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondial-dehyde (MDA) in the cells were measured.The protein levels of caspase-12, a proapoptotic molecule under endoplasmic reticulum stress ( ERS) , were examined by Western blot analysis .RESULTS:Like PBA ( an ERS inhibitor ) , EEP pro-tected RAW264.7 macrophages from ox-LDL-induced injury in a dose-dependent manner , as assessed by the increased cell viability and the decreased apoptotic rate .The decrease in cell viability and increase in apoptotic rate induced by TM , an ERS inducer, were also attenuated by EEP .Moreover, EEP suppressed ox-LDL-induced oxidative stress as revealed by the decreased generation of ROS and MDA as well as elevated SOD activity , which were similar to DPI , an oxidative stress in-hibitor.Furthermore, EEP significantly suppressed ox-LDL-or TM-induced activation of caspase-12.Similar results were observed in the cells pretreated with PBA or DPI and then treated with ox-LDL.CONCLUSION: EEP may protect RAW264.7 macrophages from ox-LDL-induced apoptosis and the mechanism is at least partially involved in the ability of EEP to suppress oxidative stress and subsequent activation of caspase -12.

Background and purpose:The recurrence and metastasis of gastric cancer seriously affect survival in patients.SOX gene as a regulatory factor of the classical Wnt pathway, may play an important role in the process. This study was to explore the expression of stem cell marker SOX-2 and β-catenin in gastric cancer and to analyze the relationship with recurrence and metastasis after operation.Methods:Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of SOX-2 and β-catenin in 71 tumor samples from 71 cases after surgery for gastric cancer. The correlation between SOX-2 and β-catenin expression and the clinicopathological characteristics of gastric cancer and disease-free survival was analyzed.Results:The SOX-2 protein expression was associated with metastasis, lymph node inifltration or differentiation (P=0.011,P=0.036,P=0.034) in the 71 gastric cancer, but not with gender, age or T stage. β-catenin expression was correlated with metastasis, lymph node invasion or T stage (P=0.025,P=0.014,P=0.026), but was not related to differentiation, gender or age. The survival analysis showed that SOX-2 and β-catenin expression was closely associated with prognosis of patients, and metastatic rate in positive expression was higher than that in negative expression.Conclusion:The expression of SOX-2 and β-catenin is associated with the development, recurrence, metastasis of gastric cancer and may be used as a useful prognostic parameter to predict overall survival.

[ ABSTRACT] AIM: To investigate the protective effect of autophagy on oxidized low density lipoprotein ( ox-LDL)-induced macrophage apoptosis and the underlying molecular mechanisms .METHODS:The RAW264.7 macropha-ges were pretreated with 3 mmol/L 3-methyladenine (3-MA), 1 μmol/L rapamycin (Rap) or 4 mmol/L 4-phenylbutyric acid ( PBA) respectively for 1 h and then treated with ox-LDL (100 mg/L) for 12 h.The cell viability and apoptosis were determined by MTT assay and flow cytometry with Annexin V-FITC/PI staining, respectively.The activities of lactate de-hydrogenase ( LDH) in the medium and caspase-3 in the cells were determined by detection kits .The protein levels of bec-lin-1 (a molecular marker of autophagy ), glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78, an endoplasmic reticulum stress marker) and C/EBP homologous protein ( CHOP, a key-signaling component of endoplasmic reticulum stress-induced apoptosis ) were examined by Western blot .Microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3, another molecular marker of autoph-agy) was observed under laser scanning confocal microscope .RESULTS: Treatment of the RAW264.7 macrophages with ox-LDL at 100 mg/L for 12 h resulted in significant decrease in cell viability , and dramatic elevation in LDH leakage , cell apoptosis and caspase-3 activity, which were promoted by 3-MA (an autophagy inhibitor) and inhibited by Rap (an autoph-agy inducer ) .ox-LDL induced autophagy in the macrophages as assessed by beclin-1 upregulation and frequent granulation of LC3, which were inhibited by 3-MA and promoted by Rap.Interestingly, 3-MA enhanced, while Rap blocked, the CHOP upregulation induced by ox-LDL.Moreover , PBA ( endoplasmic reticulum stress inhibitor ) significantly inhibited ox-LDL-induced GRP78 upregulation and autophagy as determined by the attenuation of beclin-1 upregulation and frequent granula-tion of LC3.CONCLUSION: Endoplasmic reticulum stress mediates ox-LDL-induced autophagy in macrophages , and moderates activation of autophagy may protect macrophages from ox-LDL-induced apoptosis by inhibiting CHOP expression .

Objective To develop a candidate reference method for the measurement of progesterone in human serum.Methods The serum sample is mixed with the internal standard [3,4-~(13)C_2] progesterone.After extraction with n-hexane and purified by a aqueous solution of 2-Hydroxypropyl-?- cyclodextrin (HP-?-CD),the serum progesterone and labeled progesterone are converted to the 3-enol heptafluorobutyrate and analyzed by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC/MS) with selected ion monitoring.The concentration of serum progesterone is calculated by bracketing method.Results The results gave coefficients of variation (CVs) of 0.69% to 2.12%.The analytical recoveries ranged from 98.3% to 100.1%.The results of measuring certified reference materials of serum progesterone are agree with the target value.Conclusion The procedure for measuring progesterone in serum is a highly accurate and precise method and may be used as a candidate reference method for serum progesterone assays.

The autonomic nervous system controls various internal organs and executes crucial functions through sophisticated neural connectivity and circuits. Its dysfunction causes an imbalance of homeostasis and numerous human disorders. In the past decades, great efforts have been made to study the structure and functions of this system, but so far, our understanding of the classification of autonomic neuronal subpopulations remains limited and a precise map of their connectivity has not been achieved. One of the major challenges that hinder rapid progress in these areas is the complexity and heterogeneity of autonomic neurons. To facilitate the identification of neuronal subgroups in the autonomic nervous system, here we review the well-established and cutting-edge technologies that are frequently used in peripheral neuronal tracing and profiling, and discuss their operating mechanisms, advantages, and targeted applications.
Animals ; Autonomic Nervous System ; physiology ; Cell Differentiation ; physiology ; Cell Lineage ; physiology ; Homeostasis ; physiology ; Humans ; Nervous System ; growth & development ; Neurons ; physiology

This study is to investigate the effect of low doses of insulin (1 u x kg(-1)) and selenium (180 microg x kg(-1)) in combination on general physiological parameters and insulin signal molecules in cardiac muscle of STZ-induced diabetic rats. The levels of blood glucose were estimated using One Touch SureStep Blood Glucose meter. HbA1c levels were estimated using microcolumn assay. TG and TC were estimated using enzymatic assay. The levels of PI3K and GLUT4 in cardiac muscle were examined by immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry. The result showed that insulin in combination with selenium could significantly lower blood glucose and blood lipid levels and markedly restored the PI3K and GLUT4 levels in cardiac muscle. It could be concluded that there was cooperation between insulin and selenium, and that treatment of diabetic rats with combined doses of insulin and selenium increased cardiac glucose uptake by upregulating the level of PI3K-mediated GLUT4 in cardiac muscle, eventually ameliorating myocardial dysfunction.
Animals ; Antioxidants ; pharmacology ; Blood Glucose ; metabolism ; Cholesterol ; blood ; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental ; blood ; metabolism ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Glucose Transporter Type 4 ; metabolism ; Glycated Hemoglobin A ; metabolism ; Hypoglycemic Agents ; pharmacology ; Insulin ; pharmacology ; Male ; Myocardium ; metabolism ; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases ; metabolism ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Selenium ; pharmacology ; Signal Transduction ; drug effects ; Triglycerides ; blood