Whether M3 cholinergic receptor signal transduction pathway is involved in regulation of the activation of NF-kappaB and the expression of chemokine MOB-1, MCP-lgenes in pancreatic acinar cells was investigated. Rat pancreatic acinar cells were isolated, cultured and treated with carbachol, atropine and PDTC in vitro. The MOB-1 and MCP-1 mRNA expression was detected by using RT-PCR. The activation of NF-kappaB was monitored by using electrophoretic mobility shift assay. The results showed that as compared with control group, M3 cholinergic receptor agonist (10(-3) mol/L, 10(-4) mol/L carbachol) could induce a concentration-dependent and time-dependent increase in the expression of MOB-1, MCP-1 mRNA in pancreatic acinar cells. After treatment with 10(-3) mol/L carbachol for 2 h, the expression of MOB-1, MCP-1 mRNA was strongest. The activity of NF-kappaB in pancreatic acinar cells was significantly increased (P<0.01) after treated with M3 cholinergic receptor agonist (10(-3) mol/L carbachol) in vitro for 30 min. Either M3 cholinergic receptor antagonist (10(-5) mol/L atropine) or NF-kappaB inhibitor (10(-2) mol/L PDTC) could obviously inhibit the activation of NF-kappaB and the chemokine MOB-1, MCP-1 mRNA expression induced by carbachol (P<0.05). This inhibitory effect was significantly increased by atropine plus PDTC (P<0.01). The results of these studies indicated that M3 cholinergic receptor signal transduction pathway was likely involved in regulation of the expression of chemokine MOB-1 and MCP-lgenes in pancreatic acinar cells in vitro through the activation of NF-kappaB.

OBJECTIVETo observe the clinical effect of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) treated with moxibustion at Gaohuang (BL 43).

METHODSWith stratified block randomization, 72 patients accorded with inclusive criteria were divided into a moxibustion at Gaohuang (BL 43) group (moxibustion group) and an acupuncture group, 36 cases in each one. In the moxibustion group, Gaohuang (BL 43) was treated with big moxa cones as the main acupoint, 10 cones a time; Qihai (CV 6) and Zusanli (ST 36) were added with big moxa cones, 7 cones a time. In the acupuncture group, acupoints were the same as those in the moxibustion group, and twirling reinforcing method was used after qi arriving, 60 times one minute and 360° with range. In the two groups, 10-day treatment was made into one course and there were two days between courses. The treatment was given once a day for 3 courses. Changes of fatigue assessment index (FAI) before and after treatment and clinical effects were observed.

RESULTSThe total effective rate was 88.9% (32/36) in the moxibustion group, which was better than 72.2% (26/36) in the acupuncture group apparently (P < 0.05). After treatment in the two groups, FAI scores were obviously declined compared with those before treatment (both P < 0.01) and FAI score in the moxibustion group was apparently lower than that in the acupuncture group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONMoxibustion at Gaohuang (BL 43) can improve the FAI score of patients with CFS and the clinical efficacy is definite.

Acupuncture Points ; Adult ; Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic ; therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Moxibustion ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult

Objective To explore Toll like receptor 2 (TLR2) expression after partial liver ischemia/ reperfusion (I/R) in BALB/c mice and its relationship with liver function impairment. Methods All the animals were randomly divided into ischemia/reperfusion injury (I/R) and sham operation (S) groups. Total RNA was extracted from the liver samples and the expression of TLR2 mRNA was analyzed quantitatively by real time PCR method. Membrane protein was extracted, and the expression of TLR2 protein was detected by western blot method. Portal vein serum and plasma were taken for further detection of the levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF ?) and endotoxin . Results After 1h of partial liver ischemia and 4 h of reperfusion, the expression of TLR2 mRNA and TLR2 protein were both remarkably upregulated in tissues of ischemic liver lobes in I/R group compared with that in S group (value of TLR2mRNA: 1.06?0.91vs5.08?1.32,P0.05). Conclusions TLR2mRNA and TLR2 protein expression were upregulated in tissues of ischemic liver lobes after partial I/R injury in mice, and were associated with increased levels of portal vein ALT and TNF ?,and impairment of liver function.

Objective To investigate the regularity and predictors of weight loss during concurrent chemo-radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients. Methods A retrospective study was carried out on 82 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma ,with average age of 45 years ,who received concurrent chemoradiotherapy at the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University. Paired t-test was used to analyze the weight loss pattern during chemoradiotherapy. The Spearman′s rank correlation analysis was used to investigate the correlation between high weight loss(HWL)and the clinical factors. Results The paired t-test showed that the weight of the patients decreased continuously every week during chemoradiotherapy(P < 0.05),and the value dropped most significantly during the 4th week. Among these 82 patients,32 were determined as HWL(weight loss > 10%). Spearman′s rank correlation analysis showed that HWL was associated with older age,female,higher T and TNM stage,3D-CRT technology,the higher dose of radiotherapy in nasopharynx and in neck lymph node,and decreases of leukopenia and hemoglobin over degree Ⅱ(P<0.05). Conlousions Weight may decrease continuously every week during chemoradiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients. Age,gender,T stage,TNM stage,radio-therapy dose,and leukopenia and hemoglobin decreases may be predictors for weight loss degree during concurrent chemoradiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients.

Objective To review and analyze the clinical effect of combined posterior mini-invasive fixation with anterior debridement via small incision for the treatment of single segment lumbar vertebral tuberculosis. Methods Totally 31 cases with single segment lumbar tuberculosis (both borderline tuberculosis) without attachment involvement underwent one-stage anterior debridement, interbody fusion and posterior mini-invasive fixation from July 2010 to July 2015. Among these patients, 19 were male and 12 were female. The average age was (36.1±17.8) years old (ranged 21-61 years old). The average course of disease was 11(9, 12) months (ranged from 2 to 16 months). All were single segment involvement, and the involved segment was L2-3 in 7 cases, L3-4 in 10 cases, L4-5 in 6 cases, and L5-S1 in 8 cases. The clinical manifestations included lumbar back pain in 31 cases with an average pain visual analog score (VAS) of 7(6, 8) points. ASIA grade of spinal cord injury was E in 25 cases and D in 6 cases. Paravertebral abscess occurred in 22 cases and iliac fossa gravity abscess appeared in 9 cases. Kyphosis was observed in 12 cases and the average Cobb angle was 21° ± 6° . Quadruple anti-tuberculosis chemotherapy was used for at least 2 weeks preoperatively. Posterior mini-invasive fixation was fulfilled on prone position, including mini-invasive percutaneous screws in 18 cases and pedicle screw fixation via Wiltse approach in 13 cases. Posterior distraction and deformity correction were performed simultaneously for patients with kyphosis. Then the patients were changed to lateral position for anterior debridement, bone grafting and/or titanium mesh fusion. Results The average operation time was (204±54) min (ranged 160-240 min) in 31 patients, and the mean blood loss was (168±73) mL (ranged 100-300 mL). Delayed healing of anterior incision occurred in 1 case and the incision healed after two-week dressing of wound. The incision healed well in the rest 30 cases. No complications such as nerve function, blood vessel injury were found in patients. The VAS scores of the 3 days after operation were 1.3 ± 0.3 and 2.1 ± 1.4 in percutaneous group and Wiltse approach group, respectively, and the difference between them was statistically significant ( P<0.05). The VAS score of low back pain was 2(1, 3) points in all the 31 patients three months after operation, which was significantly lower than that before surgery (P<0.05). The six patients with neurological symptoms recovered to E grade after operation. The average Cobb angle correction was 15°±5° in 12 patients with kyphosis (P<0.05), which was significantly decreased compared with that before surgery (P<0.05). All patients were followed up for an average of (36.8 ± 9.3) months (ranged from 12 to 72 months). The clinical healing of tuberculosis was achieved at the final follow-up in all the 31 patients. No complications were observed, such as lumbar kyphosis, internal fixation loosening and breakage, dislocation and titanium mesh subsidence. Conclusion Mini-invasive posterior internal fixation and anterior debridement via small incision is effective for the treatment of single segment lumbar vertebral tuberculosis in lesion debridement and spine stability reconstruction by short segment fixation. This technique can reduce fused segments, surgical trauma of anterior approach and related complications.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect and mechanism of tea polyphenol (TP) on the proliferation, apoptosis, migration and invasion of nasopharyngeal carcinoma(NPC) cell line HONEl. METHOD: After treated with different concentration of tea polyphenol, CCK-8 assay, fluorescent staining, cell scratching assay and transwell assay were applied to detect the effect of tea polyphenol on the HONE1 cells. Furthermore, the expression of protein VEGF was investigated by flow cytometry assay. RESULT: It was found that tea polyphenol could inhibit NPC cell proliferation significantly in a dose-dependent manner, however, little impact was observed in normal nasopharyngeal epithelial cell line NP69. Furthermore, it was demonstrated by fluorescent staining assay that tea polyphenol could induce NPC cell apoptosis, and cell scratching assay and transwell assay showed that tea polyphenol could inhibit cell migration and invasion. CONCLUSION Tea polyphenol can significantly inhibit cell proliferation, induce cell apoptosis and decreased the migration and invasion ability of NPC cells in vitro. Tea polyphenol might be a tumor suppressor of NPC cells.
Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Carcinoma ; Cell Line, Tumor ; drug effects ; Cell Movement ; drug effects ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Humans ; Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms ; pathology ; Polyphenols ; pharmacology ; Tea ; chemistry

AIM: To construct prokaryotic expression vector of human angiogenesis inhibitor arresten gene and express recombinant arresten in Escherichia coli. METHODS: Human arresten gene was amplified from recombinant plasmid pGEM-Arr with polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and then cloned into prokaryotic expression vector pRSET by means of recombinant gene technology. The recombinant plasmid pRSET-Arr was transformed into E.coli BL21(DE3), and recombinant arresten was expressed in the bacteria under induction of IPTG. The expressed products were detected by SDS-PAGE analysis. RESULTS: Restriction analysis indicated that the arresten gene was successfully inserted into the expression vector, and DNA sequencing verified that the reading frame of the recombinant vector was correct. Recombinant arresten was successfully expressed in Escherichia coli; its molecular weight was about 26 kD and its amount was approximately 30% of total bacterial proteins.CONCLUSION: The successful construction of prokaryotic expression vector containing human arresten gene and the effective expression of recombinant arresten in Escherichia coli laid the foundation for further study on its biological functions.

Objective To compare the clinical outcome of minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (M-TLIF) and Wiltse-approach TLIF (W-TLIF) in treating single-level degenerative lumbar disease.Methods A retrospective review was performed on the 57 patients with single-level degenerative lumbar disorder managed via M-TLIF (n =27) and W-TLIF (n =30) from December 2009 to December 2010.In M-TLIF group degeneration at the L4-5 disc were noted in 11 cases and at the L5-S1 disc in 16 cases.And 19 cases were diagnosed with lumbar isthmus spondylolisthesis (17 with Grade Ⅰ spondylolisthesis and 2 with Grade Ⅱ spondylolisthesis),4 lumbar spinal stenosis and instability,2 lumbar disc herniation combined with huge posterior osteophytes,1 recurrent lumbar disc herniation after lumbar fenestration,and 1 recurrent lumbar spinal stenosis after decompression.In W-TLIF group degeneration at L4～5 disc were noted in 12 cases and at the L5-S1 disc in 18 cases.There were 19 cases diagnosed with lumbar isthmus spondylolisthesis (18 with Grade Ⅰ spondylolisthesis and 1 with Grade Ⅱ spondylolisthesis),3 with lumbar disc herniation,and 8 with lumbar spinal stenosis.Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) score and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) were used to measure low back and leg pain.Modified Brantigan score was used to assess lumbar interbody fusion.Results Operative time was not significantly different between the two groups (P ＞ 0.05).Incision length and mean blood loss were (5.1 ± 0.7) cm and (90.1 ± 10.5) ml in M-TLIF group,but were (6.9 ± 1.0)cm and (155.3 ±21.2)ml in W-TLIF group (P＜0.05).At postoperative 1 and 3 days VAS in M-TLIF group was (2.1 ± 0.5) points and (1.0 ± 0.1) points respectively,but in W-TLIF group was (3.6 ± 0.1) points and (2.4 ± 1.0) points respectively (P ＜ 0.05).Intraoperative X-ray fluoroscopy frequencies were (46 ± 9) times in M-TLIF group and (7 ± 2) times in W-TLIF group (P ＜ 0.05).Mean period of follow-up was 26.7 months (range,24-36 months).At final follow-up,JOA score,VAS for leg pain and lumbar interbody fusion rate revealed no significant differences between the two groups (P ＞ 0.05),but VAS for lumbar pain was (1.0 ± 0.2) points in M-TLIF group versus (1.9 ± 0.3) points in W-TLIF group (P ＜0.05).Twenty-four cases (89％) had Brantigan score of 3 or over in M-TLIF group and 27 cases (90％) in W-TLIF group,indicating a similar interbody fusion rate (P ＞ 0.05).Conclusions Both lumbar fusion methods are effective in treatment of lumbar degenerative disease.M-TLIF lumbar fusion results in small amount of bleeding,small incision and significantly improved lower back pain as compared with W-TLIF,but W-TLIF involves less exposure to the X-rays.

Objective To evaluate the anticonvulsant effect of midazolam and diazepam when administered nasally on maximal electroshock seizure and metrazol seizure threshold test models .Methods Rats were randomly divided into 7 groups:model group, low-dose, middle-dose and high-dose of midazolam nasal spray groups , diazepam nasal spray in low-dose, middle-dose and high-dose of midazolam nasal spray groups .After the establishment of the maximal electroshock seizure( MES) and metrazol seizure threshold test models ( MST) in rats, the anticonvulsant effects of different doses of midazolam and the clinically used antiepileptic drug diazepam were evaluated and compared .HE staining was used to observe the histopathological changes in the hippocampus , cortex and amygdala in rats .Results Significant anticonvulsant effects were observed on MES and MST in rats pretreated with different dosages of midazolam .In addition , the anticonvul-sant effects of midazolam were stronger than those of diazepam at the same dosage on MES and MST (P<0.05,P<0.01). Histopathological results showed that both midazolam and diazepam could effectively prevent the seizure -induced brain inju-ries, inhibit the increase of microglial cells and the inflammatory cell infiltration in the hippocampus, cortex and amygdala, and reduce the nucleus pycnosis and neuronophagia .Conclusion Midazolam has significantly anticonvulsant and neuropro-tective effects on different seizure models when administered nasally in rats .

Objective To assess the psychometric properties of the Chinese Heartburn Version of Quality of Life in Reflux and Dyspepsia Questionnaire (QOLRAD) in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease.Methods 130 patients with symptoms of heartburn completed the Chinese version of QOLRAD,the Short-Form-36 (SF-36).30 of them received proton pump inhibitors (PPI) for 8 weeks,which was used to test responsiveness of the Chinese heartburn version of QOLRAD.Results The Chinese version of QOLRAD had acceptable internal consistency.The overall Cronbach's alpha was 0.89 and the internal consistency of dimensions ranged from 0.70～0.90.Content validity index (CVI) was 0.82.Confirmation factor analysis revealed a 5 factor solutions accounting for 62.02％ and most of items in their dimensions had acceptable loads (＞0.4).There was acceptable concurrent validity with correlations between the Chinese heartburn version of QOLRAD and Short Form-36 health survey ranging from 0.172～0.613.As to responsiveness,after therapy of PPI for 8 weeks,except the dimension of sleep disturbance,scores for dimensions of vitality,food/drink problems,physical/social functioning,emotional distress had significant changes.Conclusions The Chinese version of QOLRAD has a good reliability,validity and responsiveness to therapy,which can be used to assess the quality of life in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease.