With the development of FISH and other technique, the detection rate of chromosome abnormalities in multiple myeloma (MM) were increased. Chromosome 13 abnormalities is most common feature (about 50 %). The tumor suppressor gene and micro RNA on chromosome 13 play an important role on pathogenesis of MM. In the last decade, it is widely believed that chromosome 13 abnormalities is independent poor prognosis factor, but the recent more studies conform that its prognosis value is dependent on the other chromosome abnormalities. It is found that the new drugs such as bortezomib appear to reverse the poor prognosis conferred by chromosome 13 deletion.

BACKGROUND: Thymus is an important central immune organ of human body, which is the place where T cells grow, develop and mature. Thymus is the first organ of senescence in human body, gradually atrophy and degeneration after puberty, followed by the gradual decline of immune function. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells on the structure and function of thymus in the aging macaques. METHODS: Bone marrow was collected from female macaques with an average age of 3 years by bone marrow aspiration. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells were obtained by differential adherent culture. Five young macaques with an average age of 3 years were used as the young group. Ten aging macaques with an average age of 25 years were randomly divided into elderly group (n=4) and elderly treatment group (n=6). The macaques in the elderly treatment group were infused with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (1 × 107 cells/kg) through the femoral vein, and were infused every other day for three consecutive times. Macaques of the young group and the elderly group were infused with the same volume of saline at the same time. The changes of output and secretion levels of the subgroup of thymocytes in the elderly treatment group after infusion, thymic index, thymic tissue structure and collagen fiber deposition in each group were analyzed. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell transplantation increased thymus index, T cell output level and reduced regulatory T cells, improved thymus secretion function, increased thymosin alpha and thymosin II secretion. The thymus parenchyma area increased; the skin and medulla junction appeared; part of the thymus tissue was regenerated and transformed to normal structure; the degree of thymus tissue fibrosis was reduced; and collagen fiber deposition was reduced. These results indicate that bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell transplantation can improve the structure and function of thymus in aging macaques.

Objective To study the serum lipid levels and prevalence of lipid abnormalities in Uygur,Hasake,Mongolians,Han adults(≥30years)of Boertala region of Xinjiang.Methods From Sep.to Nov.2004,3 300 subjects were gathered from baseline survey of hypertension epidemiology in Boertala region.All participants had a physical examination and serum lipid test.Results TC age corrected mean levels were 4.77,4.69,4.86,4.64,HDL-C(mmol/L)was 1.33,1.46,1.48,1.41,LDL-C(mmol/L)was 2.78,2.65,2.70,2.48 TG(mmol/L);median TG was 1.15,1.06,1.18,1.28,prevalence of lipid abnormalities was 57.4%,46.6%,50.3%,51.8%in Uygur,Hasake,Mongolian and Han adults.Conclusion The mean lipid level is not high,but prevalence of lipid abnormalities is high in the subjects

Protective effects of Ginkgo biloba extract (GBE) on ischemia in rat and mice brain were studided. The ischemia model in brains was prepared by occlusion of bilateral carotid arteries and vertebra arteries in rat. The results demonstrated that GBE had no effect on electroencephalogram (EEG) of 5 min of ischemia, but it promoted the recovery of EEG during reperfusion. When it was reperfushed for 10 min,amplitude of EEG in the control group only recovered from 17. 2% after ischemia to 46. 6% of normal level. While 0. 2g/kg GBE has a recovery of 93% from normal level. At 4. 0g/kg GBE the life-span of mice with bilateral ligated carotid arteries was significantly lengthened. The above results proved that GBE has some protective effect on anoxia caused by acute ischemia in rat and mouse brain.

As the advanced technology of proteomics, the surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry(SELDI-TOF-MS)has great potential in clinical application for it′s technological features.Whether it can be applied in clinical trials depends on the quality control and standardization of the technology.In the article, we introduced and discussed the following aspects of the issue.1) quality controlling before sample being analyzed, including the collection and preparation of samples, the selection and conservation of reagents, the calibration and attendance of laboratory apparatus;2) quality controlling during the assay, that is, the validation and analysis of the experimental result;3) the standardization of the continued data handling and analyzing, including the standardization of the analyzed data′s nature, the selection and standardization of the data′s analyzing methods, the system evaluation of the whole SELDI-TOF-MS technological system.

BACKGROUND: The small change of the membrane potential (Em) of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) could result in significant alteration in tension, and the membrane depolarization was closely associated with the development of hypertension.OBJECTIVE: To study the resting Em of VSMC from the middle cerebral artery (MCA) of stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP) and the reactivity of Em to KCl and norepinephrine (NE).DESIGN: An animal experiment of comparative analysis.SETTING: Institute of Materia Medica, Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences.MATERIALS: Eighteen male SHRSP and 26 male Wistar rats were used.METHODS: ① Rats in both groups were anesthetized with intraperitoneal injection of ethyl carbamate (1 g/kg), the brains were removed quickly, and the Em of VSMC was recorded by intracellular microelectrodes. ② The effects of different concentrations of KC1 (10, 20, 50 mmol/L) and NE (10-7,10-6, 10-5 mol/L) on the Em of VSMC were observed.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: ① Em of VSMC in both groups; ②Effects of different concentrations of KC1 and NE on the Em of VSMC.RESULTS: ① The Em was obviously lower in SHRSP than in the Wistar rats [(-48.2±3.1), (-64.4±4.3) mV]. ② Both KC1 (10, 20, 50 mmol/L)and NE (10-7, 10-6, 10-5 mol/L) could cause the depolarization of Em of MCA in a concentration-dependent manner. The reactivity to MCA of SHRSP was obviously increased as compared with the Wistar rats.CONCLUSION: The resting Em of VSMC from the MCA of SHRSP was lower, and the reactivity of VSMC to KCl and NE was significantly stronger than that of Wistar rats.

Objective To investigate the diagnostic value of 18F-FDG PET/CT for thyroid nodules.Methods From January 2008 to May 2012,34 patients (13 males,21 females; age range:21-73 years,mean (53.00± 12.57) years) with thyroid nodules on 18 F-FDG PET/CT and with histopathological results were retrospectively analyzed.From January 2011 to December 2011,20 cases (9 males,11 females; age range:40-55 years,mean (45.00±4.72) years) were selected as control group.Wilcoxon rank sum test and ROC analysis (AUC ≥0.7 was considered the standard of medium-high accuracy) were used.PET/CT features taken to suggest malignant thyroid nodules were:focally high uptake on PET,indistinct boundary or heterogeneous density on CT with punctuate,round or curved calcifications,or with hypermetabolic cervical lymph nodes as ancillary supportive findings of metastasis.The sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value,negative predictive value and accuracy of PET/CT for diagnosing thyroid nodules were calculated.Results (1) There were 18 patients with malignant and 16 with benign thyroid nodules.The SUVmax of benign,malignant nodules and normal controls were 7.59±8.69,5.75±4.48 and 1.38±0.57,respectively.The differences between malignant thyroid nodules and controls,between benign nodules and controls were significant (u=3.553,3.408,both P＜0.01).There was no significant difference between benign and malignant thyroid nodules (u =0.207,P＞0.05).(2) The AUC for the differentiation of benign and malignant thyroid nodules by ROC analysis was 0.557 (＜0.70).(3) The sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value,negative predictive value and accuracy of 18F-FDG PET/CT for the differentiation of benign and malignant thyroid nodules were 72.2％ (13/18),75.0％ (12/16),76.5％ (13/17),70.6％ (12/17) and 73.5％ (25/34),respectively.Conclusions 18F-FDG PET/CT has limited value for the differentiation between benign and malignant thyroid nodules based alone on the degree of metabolic intensity.It may have improved diagnostic certainty if combined with the morphological features on CT.

Objective To determine the relationship between neck circumference (NC) and cardiovascular risk factors among Uygur,Kazak,Mongolian and Han populations in Boertala Mongol Autonomous Prefecture of Xinjiang.Methods A total of 4299 adults (Uygur 1237,Kazak 1047,Mongolian 812,and Han 1203) aged 20 to 79 years old were selected from a cross-sectional study of metabolic syndrome in Boertala Mongol Autonomous Prefecture of Xinjiang.Pearson's correlation was used to assess the relationship between NC and body mass index (BMI),waist circumference (WC),waist-to-hip ration (WHR),systolic blood pressur (SBP),diastolic blood pressure (DBP),fasting blood glucose (FBG),total cholesterol (TC),low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C),high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and triglyceride (TG).Linear regression and Logistic regression were used to evaluate the effects of NC on SBP,DBP,FBG,TC,LDL-C,HDL-C,TG,hypertension,high FBG and lipid disorders among multiethnic population.Results Mean NC was (36.2 ± 3.8) cm in Uygur,(36.3 ± 4.1) cm in Kazak,(35.9 ± 3.6) cm in Mongolian and (35.7 ± 4.0) cm in Han,respectively.After adjusting age and gender,in Pearson's correlation coefficients,a significant association was found between NC and BMI (for Uygur,Kazak,Mongolian and Han,r values were 0.552,0.499,0.709 and 0.459,respectively; all P ＜ 0.05) or WC (for Uygur,Kazak,Mongolian and Han,r values were 0.525,0.479,0.695 and 0.376,respectively; all P ＜ 0.05).When BMI,WC and other factors were adjusted,linear regression indicated that FBG in Uygur (t =3.746,P ＜ 0.05) and LogTG in Mongolian (t =2.876 P ＜ 0.05) were increased with NC.In Logistic regression,increased NC was a risk factor of higher FBG in Uygur (odds ratio (OR) =1.139,95％confidence interval (CI):1.027-1.264) and lipid disorder in Mongolian (OR =1.156,95％ CI:1.009-1.325).Conclusions Our data suggest that NC may be associated with multiple risk factors of cardiovascular disease in Uygur,Kazak,Mongolian and Han adults,and the relationship could be different among multiethnic populations.It should be necessary to explore the role of upper-body fat in the development of metabolic disorders.

The clinical significance of a myeloperoxidase (MPO) gene polymorphism and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression in cirrhotic patients with hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS) was explored. Enrolled subjects were divided into three groups according to their disease/health conditions: the HPS group (cirrhotic patients with HPS; n=63), the non-HPS group (cirrhotic patients without HPS; n=182), and the control group (healthy subjects without liver disease; n=35). The distribution of the MPO -463 G/A genotype and its relationship with iNOS expression in a typical cell block from ascitic fluid were detected by immunohistochemistry and polymerase chain reaction-restricted fragment length polymorphism analysis (PCR-RFLP). In the HPS group, the partial pressure of oxygen in blood and ascitic fluid was significantly decreased (8.95+/-1.58 kPa and 6.81+/-0.95 kPa, respectively; both P<0.01), while the partial pressure of carbon dioxide significantly increased (4.62+/-0.20 kPa and 5.92+/-0.45 kPa, respectively; P<0.01). MPO and iNOS levels were significantly increased in the HPS group as compared with the non-HPS group. These increases were even more remarkable in ascitic fluid (41.36+/-11.62 and 13.23+/-4.81 mug/L; 10.27+/- 3.20 and 4.95+/-1.12 mug/L) than in blood (16.66+/-5.24 and 4.87+/-1.73 mug/L; 5.79+/-2.31 and 2.35+/-0.84 mug/L). The distribution of the MPO genotypes GG, GA, and AA were 76.2%, 22.2% and 1.6% in the HPS group, and 57.7%, 37.9% and 4.4% in the non-HPS group (P<0.05). The expression of iNOS was significantly higher in patients with the G alleles (G/G and G/A) (61.54%, 48/78) than in patients with A alleles (G/A and A/A) (38.46%, 30/78) (P<0.01). It was suggested that the expression levels of iNOS and MPO were correlated with HPS-induced hypoxemia. The MPO-463 G/A mutation might be a protective factor that prevents the development of HPS. The MPO might be involved in the regulation of iNOS expression. In humans, MPO pathways, the iNOS/NO system, and their interaction might have an impact on the occurrence and development of HPS.

Objective To study the effects and the mechanism of the ethanol extract of Blueberry(BE) on relaxation vascular endothelium or smooth muscle.Methods To use rat aorta as the specimen,to observe the effects of BE on induced relaxation of the phenylephrine-precontracted aorta.and approach the mechanism on vascular endothelium or smooth muscle.Results BE induced relaxation of the phenylephrine-precontracted(1.0×10~(-5)mol·L~(-1) aorta in a dose-dependent way(P<0.01),which was disappeared by removal of functional endothelium(P<0.01).Pretreatment of the aortic tissues with NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester(L-NAME),methylene blue,or 1H[1,2,4]-oxadiazole-[4,3_a]-quinoxalin-1-one (ODQ) inhibited the vascular relaxation induced by BE(P<0.01).BE-induced vascular relaxations were also markedly attenuated by addition of verapamil or diltiazem,while the relaxant effect of BE was not blocked by pretreatment with indomethacine,glibenclamide,tetraethylammonium(TEA),atropine,propranolol(P<0.01).Conclusion These results suggest that BE dilates vascular smooth muscle via endothelium-dependent nitricoxide-cGMP signaling pathway,possible involvement of L-type Ca~(2+) channel.