Hepatic fibrosis is a wound-healing response to liver injury, which has complex celluar and molecular mechanisms. Animal models that similar to human hepatic fibrosis are important to explore further pathological mechanisms and more effective drug therapy for hepatic fibrosis. This article reviews recent progress in animal models and antifibrotic therapy related to hepatic fibrosis.

Indices of angiogenesis are increased in synovia from patients with rheumatoid arthritis, and vascu-lar proliferation may contribute to the pathogenesis of synovitis, pan nus growth, bone and cartilage destruction, and osteophyte formation. Many proan giogenic factors are expressed in the synovium in RA. They have been shown to ha ve important effects in the angiogenic process in RA. So the blockade of angioge nesis appears to be a promising avenue for the future treatment of RA.

Age-related macular degeneration ( AMD ) is one of the important eye diseases of the WHO present three big blindness, is one of the main blinding eye disease in people over the age of 50, people over the age of 65, about 2% of the disease caused by monocular blindness, as the population ages, AMD prevalence is increasing in our country. AMD with respect to its clinical manifestations can be divided into dry AMD and wet AMD, wet AMD is the most harmful for the vision of patients, at present there are many treatments for AMD ( mainly for wet age-related macular degeneration ) , mainly including laser treatment, drug therapy, surgical treatment, gene therapy, etc. The treatments of AMD would be illuminated in this article.

Objective: To investigate the mechanism of Chinese herbs in resisting chronic immobilization stress.Methods: The rat models of chronic immobilization stress were copied by merely constraint.Total RNA in hippocampus was extracted and primers of enkaphalin or prodynorphin were respectively added for RT-PCR reaction.Then the expressions of enkaphalin and prodynorphin in hippocampus were compared. Results: Enkaphalin mRNA and prodynorphin mRNA expressions in hippocampus markedly increased in chronic immobilization stress and the longer the more evident.Xiaoyao powder as well as decoction of four mild drugs were able to decrease the gene expression of enkaphalin mRNA,and all the three recipes were able to decrease the gene expression of prodynorphin mRNA,and the effect of Xiaoyao powder was obviously outweigh to Jinkuishenqi pill.Conclusion: enkaphalin and prodynorphin both participated in the regulation of hippocampus on stress;the regulation of endogenous opium system was one of the most important ways of the three recipes in accommodating stress.

Objective To establish a method for determining glutamate concentration in microamount cerebrospinal fluid after acute cerebral insult.Methods The concentration of glutamate in cerebrospinal fluid was measured in mice after acute cerebral insult by precolumn derivatization with O-phthaldehyde.Results The average recovery of glutamate was 84.26% to 125.6%(n=3),the relative standard deviation(RSD) in one day and three days was respectively less than 4.94%(n=3),0.78%(n=3).The concentration of glutamate in cerebrospinal fluid of mice 6 h after acute cerebral insult was significantly higher than that of sham operation mice(P

Objective: To establish the model of cultured human amniotic epithelial cells(HAECs) on the fibrin clot in order to observe the effect of EGF,bFGF and TGF-?1 on HAEC.Methods:The cultivated HAECs on the formulated fibrin clot were examined by phase contrast microscopy,Giemsa staining and scanning electron microscopy.The effect of growth factor(EGF,bFGF,and TGF-?1) on the apoptosis of HAECs was measured by TUNEL.Results: HAECs generated on the formulated fibrin clot in vitro.HAECs exposed to EGF or bFGF showed a lower rate of apoptosis than the control group(P

Objective To investigate the effects of ginsenoside(GS) on the expression of phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase(ERK) and cytokines in THP-1 induced by ?-amyloid(A?)_(1-40). Methods Human monocyte THP-1 cell line was used as a model of microglia.The expression of phosphorylated ERK was measured by Western blotting.The concentration of cytokine interleukin(IL)-1,IL-8 and tumor necrosis factor-?(TNF-?) was determined by radioimmunoassay in supernatant of THP-1 cells.Results The expression of phosphorylated ERK was enhanced and the concentration of cytokine IL-1,IL-8 and TNF-? was significantly increased in THP-1 cells stimulated by A?_(1-40) as compared with that of control group.Preincubation of THP-1 monocytes with ginsenoside(GS) for 30 min reduced the(expression)(of)(phosphorylated)(ERK)(and)(decreased)(the)(levels)(of)(cytokine)(IL-1,)(IL-8) (and)(TNF-?)(significantly)(in)(THP-1)(cells)(induced by) A?_(1-40).Conclusion Ginsenoside inhibites phosphorylation of ERK and reduces the content of cytokines in THP1 monocytes induced by A?,it may provide a novel therapy for alzheimer's disease.

Objective To investigate the reasons of the unusual widening of Virchow-Robin spaces (VRS) and its clinical significance. Methods Clinic and MRI data of 1 case of VRS were analyzed retrospectively and related literatures were reviewed. Results VRS usually existed in the healthy adults and widening with age. In this case, VRS was a benign anatomic variant without special clinical significance. But in children, unusual widening of VRS suggested clinical significance. Conclusions Widening of VRS has no clear relation to clinical symptoms for adults. However, it is helpful in differentiation of diseases.

Objective To elucidate potential roles of tyrosine kinase 2 (Tyk2) in the generation and maintenance of Ag-specific CD8+ T cells. Methods We followed the fate of OVA-specific CD8 + T cells in Tyk2-deficient ( Tyk2 -/- ) mice after infection with recombinant OVA-expressing BCG ( rBCGOVA ). Because the immunostimulatory BCG-derived peptides recognized by CD8 + T cells have not been defined, and the OVA is definite peptide for specific CD8 + T cells that has been accepted widely, therefore we examine the kinetics of the OVA-Ag-specific CD8 + T cell response after rBCG-OVA infection in mice.Tyk2-/- and wild type(Tyk2+/+ ) mice were inoculated with rBCG-OVA by intra-trachea( i. t. ), after the examination of bacterial growth in the lung and spleen, the population of CD8 + T cells were detected by FACS analysis, the epitope-specific CD8 + T cells were followed with tetrameric H-2Kb molecule folding with OVA257 264 peptide, and the kinetics of Ag-specific CD8 + Tc1 cells were detected by intracellular IFN-γ production in response to OVA257-264 peptide by cytokine FACS analysis. Results After rBCG-OVA challenge,the bacteria number in spleen and lung of Tyk2 -/- mice were significantly larger than those in Tyk2 +/+ mice on days 14, 21 and 49. Almost as same as that in Tyk2+/+ mice, the size of epitope-specific CD8+ T cella with OVA257-264/Kb-tetramer-positive and the CD8 +Tc1 (T eytotoxic 1 )cells positive for intracellular IFN-γ could proliferate to its peak on day 21, then contract and maintain to the memory phase in spleen and lung of Tyk2-/- mice, but the population of CD8+ T cells in spleen and lung of Tyk2 -/- mice were significantly smaller than those in Tyk2+/+ mice on days 21 and 49, the number of epitope-specific CD8+ T cells in spleen and lung of Tyk2 -/- mice were significantly decreased and the frequency of CD8 + Tc1 cells in spleen and lung of Tyk2 -/- mice significantly reduced on day 21,49 and 70 after rBCG-OVA infection. So correspond with the larger number of bacteria in Tyk2-/- mice than those in Tyk2 +/+ mice, the expansion of OVA257-264-specific CD8 + T cells and CD8+ Tc1 response were attenuated in Tyk2 -/- mice following rBCG-OVA infection. Conclusion These results suggest that the lack of Tyk2 signaling impairs the proliferation and difference of effector CD8 + T cell to rBCG-OVA infection and at least, is partly responsible for the susceptible to the rBCG-OVA infection.

Tob1 is a member of Tob/BTG anti-proliferative proteins family. Studies have shown that Tobl involves in tumor development, embryonic development, hyperostosis, behavioral capacity and so on.Tobl is intimate with tumor occurrence and development, and plays an important role in suppressing tumor development. The article focuses on the biological characteristics of the Tob1 and its relationship with tumors.