Animals ; Diabetic Nephropathies ; drug therapy ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Hypoglycemic Agents ; pharmacology ; Phytotherapy

OBJECTIVETo study the correlation between lacunar cerebral infarction and level of serum uric acid in elderly male hypertension patients.

METHODSNinety-eight elderly male hypertension patients were enrolled in this study. They all underwent cerebral magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, and their clinical and laboratory data were collected. The patients were divided into the 1st group (n = 32), the 2nd group (n = 32) and the 3rd group (n = 34) according to the level of serum uric acid.

RESULTSThe numbers of lacuner infarction, serum creatinine, urea and high density lipoprotein(HDL) were significantly diferrent from the other groups. The numbers of lacuner infarction were positively related with serum uric acid and urea. Multiple variant analysis showed that serum uric acid was the independent factor of the numbers of lacuner infarction.

CONCLUSIONThe elevated level of serum uric acid may contribute to the risk factors of lacuner infarction.

Aged, 80 and over ; Cerebral Infarction ; etiology ; Humans ; Hypertension ; blood ; complications ; Male ; Regression Analysis ; Risk Factors ; Uric Acid ; blood

Hematopoietic Stem Cells ; Histone-Lysine N-Methyltransferase ; Histones ; Humans ; Leukemia ; pathology

OBJECTIVETo investigate the incidence of depression and its etiological factors in patients with cryptorchidism 6-16 years after surgical treatment.

METHODSUsing Self-Rating Depression Scale and Correlation Factor Questionnaire, we investigated the incidence of depression symptoms among 70 patients with cryptorchidism 6-16 years after surgical treatment and another 70 healthy males as controls, and analyzed the related factors of depression symptoms.

RESULTSThe incidence rate of depression symptoms was 50% in the cryptorchidism patients postoperatively, extremely significantly higher than 4.3% in the control group (χ2 = 23.5, P <0.01). Multiple stepwise regression analysis showed that the main risk factors of depression symptoms were worries about natural fertility (F = 15.8992, P <0.01), dissatisfaction with scrotal appearance (F = 4.6003, P <0.05), and the status of being married (F = 4.1002, P <0.05).

CONCLUSIONSymptoms of depression often occur in cryptorchidism patients after operation, and the major etiological factors are infertility, dissatisfaction with scrotal appearance, and the status of being married.

Adult ; Body Image ; psychology ; Case-Control Studies ; Cryptorchidism ; psychology ; surgery ; Depression ; epidemiology ; etiology ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infertility, Male ; psychology ; Male ; Marital Status ; Multivariate Analysis ; Risk Factors ; Scrotum ; pathology ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Time Factors

Adult ; Aspergillosis ; etiology ; therapy ; Aspergillus fumigatus ; Heart Transplantation ; Humans ; Male

Abstract: The first-line drug artemisinin is widely used against malaria. Commercially available artemisinin is extracted from plants. However, the lack of sufficient raw material, artemisinin and the cost associated with the drug's manufacture have limited the supply of ACT to most malaria sufferers in the Developing World. As such, it is important to develop a low cost, fine to environment and high-quality method to supply sufficient and reliable quantities of artemisinin in the future. The field of synthetic biology, which utilizes cell factories to manipulate microbial metabolism to enhance the production of artemisinin and its intermediates, has a particularly strong impact by providing new platforms for chemical production. After a brief introduction of the artemisinin biosynthetic pathway, the present review focuses on the introduction of artemisinin biosynthetic genes, such as the genes encoding amorpha-4, 11-diene monooxygenase, NADPH: cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase, artemisinic aldehyde delta 11(13) reductase and aldehyde dehydrogenase. The review also addresses general considerations for potential contributions of synthetic biology to artemisinin production, with an emphasis on factors influencing interest compounds production in chassis cells.

Objective To analyze levofloxacin resistance in Helicobacter pylori (Hp) and the sequence difference of gyrA gene in levofloxacin resistance and sensitive Hp strains. To explore the function of gyrA gene mutation in the development of levofloxacin resistance Hp strain.Methods From July 2007 to December 2008 in Department of Gastroenterology, Jinhua People hospital of Zhejiang Province, the gastric mucosa from gastroscopy biopsy of chronic gastritis and peptic ulcer patients were cultured in Hp selective medium under microaerobic condition at 37 degrees for three to five days. The Hp strains were isolated and identified by oxidase test, catalase test,urease test and UreA gene detecting. The levofloxacin susceptibility was determined by E-test and then resistance and sensitive strains were screened. The genomic DNA of Hp strains was isolated. The gyrA gene was amplified by PCR and the sequences were analyzed. Results 38 clinical isolated Hp strains were passed the levofloxacin susceptibility E-test, among those the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 12 strains was over 1.0 μg/ml, the percentage of resistant strain was 31.58%, while the sensitive stains was 68.42%. The gyrA gene sequence result indicated 10 resistant strain with 261, 271 and 272 10 site mutation, 2 strains with C261A mutation, one strain with C261G mutation, two strains with G271A mutation, 2 strains with A272G mutation, 2 strains with C261A,G271T andA272G mutation, 1 strain with C261G and A272G mutation. However, no mutation sites were found in 26 sensitive strains. Conclusion The rate of levofloxacir-resistance in isolated clinical Hp strain was high. The drug-resistance was associated with 261,271 and 272. site mutation of gyrA gene.

Objective To explore the feasible approach for establishment of a liver cancer model induced by N-nitrosodiethylamine(DENA)with Sprague-Dawley rat,and to provide ideal animal model for imaging diagnosis and interventional therapy.Methods One-hundred and forty male SD rats were administrated with 0.95 g/L DENA for 10 weeks,and MRI was performed for inspecting pathological changes of rat livers on the following week.When the liver tumor was proved then the rat will be the candidate for sequential procedures,otherwise the animal continued under observation until next MRI examination after 4 weeks.DSA was done in 64 rats'for detecting blood supply of liver tumors.Animals were sacrificed with an overdose of chloral hydrate,The representative tumor tissues were fixed in 10% formalin and 2.5% glutaraldehyde for light and electron microscopy analysis respectively.Alpha fetoprotein(AFP) and hepatocyte were assaied by immunohistochemistry technique in order to identify intrinsic trait of the harvested tumors.Results The earliest induced tumor was detected on 11th week and the latest was on 20th week by MRI,and the median period was 13.9 weeks.Tumor size ranged from 2 mm to 40 mm in diameter. The rate of single and multi-induced tumor was 9.7%(7/72)and 90.3%(65/72),respectively.87.7% (57/65)" of the induced multiple tumors was with hepatocirrhosis and 18.1% of these tumors combined with extrahepatic neoplasm or metastasis.Plenty blood supply was proved by DSA in most of those tumors. Tumors not only derived from hepatocyte but also manifested positive expression of AFP.Histological types of these tumors include hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)(92.0%,66/72),intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC)(4.0%,3/72),and combined HCC and ICC(4.0%,3/72),respectively.Electro-microscope analysis indicated that cytoplasm and organelle of induced tumors were abnormal distinctly compared with those of non-carcinomatous cells.Conclusion DENA can induce ideal rat liver cancer as a feasible animal model,MRI is the best approach for scrutinizing pathological changes of rat livers during induced period.

The immunoregulation effect to polysaccharides from Bifidobacterium spp. was investigated on the base of functional assessment standards of health food. Effects of the EPS on immunity were investigated by promoted the proliferation of spleen lymph cells, delayed type hypersensitivity reaction, the HC50 value and macrophage function assay in mice. Data showed that the EPS could obviously increase the ratio of swallowed chicken red blood cell by macrophage and the HC50 value in mice. However, no significant effect was found on the delayed type hypersensitive induced by sheep red blood cell, for only the low dose of 100 mg/(kg?d) EPS promoted the proliferation of spleen lymph cells. Bifidobacterium spp. EPS can certain immunomodulating function.

Objective To evaluate the effect of fingolimod(FTY720) on angiotensin Ⅱ(AngⅡ)-induced renal oxidative stress in rats and its possible mechanisms.Methods Thirty-six male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three groups through random number tables:AngⅡ infusion group(twelve rats,infusion of AngⅡvia subcutaneous osmotic pumps),0.9% sodium hydrochloride solution infusion group(twelve rats,infusion of equal volume of 0.9% sodium hydrochloride solution via subcutaneous osmotic pumps) and FTY720 intervention group(twelve rats,intra-gastric administration of FTY720 besides AngⅡ infusion).Urine samples were collected for 24 hours every week.Blood samples and kidneys were collected when rats were sacrificed at day 14 and 28 d respectively.MDA and T-SOD assay Kits were used to detect the concentrations of MDA and T-SOD in serum and kidney homogenates.Renal pathological changes were observed by light microscope.The expression of Nox4 in the kidneys was evaluated by immunohistochemistry.Results Compared with 0.9% sodium hydrochloride solution infusion rats of the same period,AngⅡ-infused rats developed significant proteinuria.The concentration of serum creatinine,urea nitrogen,AngⅡ and MDA were increased(P<0.05),T-SOD was significantly decreased on days 14 and 28(P<0.05),the serum albumin was significantly increased on day 28(P<0.05),while FTY720 partially reversed these changes.The renal tissue of AngⅡ-infused rats presented mesangial cells proliferation,mesangial matrix deposition,tubular epithelial cells effacement,sclerosis and atrophy in part of the glomerular.FTY720 can alleviate these changes.Immunohistochemistry showed that Nox4 was primarily located in the distal tubule.The expression of Nox4 was significantly increased in AngⅡ-infused rats as compared with that of 0.9% sodium hydrochloride solution infused group rats,and FTY720 administration prevented the change effectively.Conclusion AngⅡ-induced renal injury could be attenuated by FTY720 via preventing oxidative stress.