Cell-penetrating peptide (CPP) is a kind of small molecular peptide which can pass through a variety of cell membranes. It can carry bioactive macromolecules into cells. Due to lacking of tissue-selecting and targeting behavior, the application of CPP in the field of tumor treatment is limited. Activatable cell- penetrating peptide (ACPP) has brought the dawn to the application of CPP. This review mainly introduces the applications of ACPP in the targeting antitumor drug delivery which was designed based on the differences between tumor microenvironment and normal tissues as well as the exogenous physical stimulation.
Cell-Penetrating Peptides ; pharmacology ; Drug Delivery Systems ; Humans ; Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; Tumor Microenvironment

The leading bioregional pesticide,Bacillus thuringiensis,is accepted by the public and widely used biopesticide in the world.B. thuringiensis chitinase may contribute to the biocontrol of phytopathogenic fungi and enhance insecticidal activity.It helps to take full advan- tage of Bt and upgrade the efficiency.This paper reviews the progresses of B.thuringiensis chitinase.

Objective:To observe the influence of long-term exercise training on carotid intima-media thickness (IMT)in patients with mild-to-moderate hypertension.Methods:A total of 92 patients with mild-to-moderate es-sential hypertension (EH)were randomly and equally divided into exercise group and routine treatment group.Exer-cise group received exercise training based on routine treatment.All patients were followed up one year.Influence of long-term exercise training on carotid artery diameter and carotid IMT was observed in EH patients.Results:Af-ter one year,there were significant reductions in systolic blood pressure (SBP),diastolic blood pressure (DBP),ca-rotid artery diameter and carotid IMT in both groups,P<0.05 all;compared with routine treatment group,there were significant reductions in SBP [(145.72±11.31)mmHg vs.(130.89±13.01)mmHg],DBP [(88.49±7.32) mmHg vs.(81.71±8.45)mmHg],carotid artery diameter [(6.34±1.23)mm vs.(6.22±1.01)mm]and carotid IMT [(0.89±0.21)mm vs.(0.84±0.11)mm]in exercise group after treatment,P<0.05 all.Conclusion:Long-term exercise training can effectively reverse early arteriosclerosis lesion of carotid wall and effectively control blood pressure.

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

Choroid Plexus Neoplasms ; pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Lateral Ventricles ; pathology

Objective Evaluate the influence of medical monochrome liquid crystal display (LCD) with different resolutions on the detection of pulmonary nodules.Methods Ninety-three direct digital radiography (DR) chest images were selected on-line from picture archiving and communication system (PACS),including 38 positive,32 suspected and 23 normal cases.All of the images were confirmed by CT.These positive images were divided into group A and B according to the diameter of nodules.Three experienced radiologists blindly read the 93 images using three types of displays with different resolutions.Regarding the presence of nodule,five-point confidence system was used:definitely absent,probably absent,indefinite,probably present and definitely present.All observers marked their confidence levels of each image according to the presence of pulmonary nodule on different displays.Software SPSS 13.0 was employed for statistical analysis.Results In the group-A cases,the areas under ROC curves were 0.643,0.686 and 0.739,and in the group-B cases,those were 0.813,0.832 and 0.846 respectively.There was no difference in the detection efficacy among different radiodiagnostic systems.Conclusion Regardless of post-processing tools,it was equivalent to detect pulmonary nodules with different diameters of Group A or B among medical monochrome LCDs with different resolutions.

Objective To study the effect of labeling esophageal carcinoma with sliver clips on two sides by esophagoscopy in mapping the target for conformal radiotherapy (CRT). Methods Eighty patients with esophageal carcinoma (28 patients in early stage, 52 patients in late stage), who were eligible for CRT, were collected and the tumor volume was detected by three methods: CT (A),CT combined with X-ray (B) and CT combined with sliver clip labeling by esophagoscopy (C). The differences of the tumor length and position in head-foot site (Y-axsis) among three methods were compared. Results The comparison of average length of tumor in early stage patients showed significant difference among three methods in all types of tumor (F= 4.07 ～ 7.43, P＜0.05 ) except papillary type (F= 1. 71, P＞0. 05). There was difference (ranged from 0. 5 cm to 2. 0 cm) in detection of position in head-foot site between A and B methods and C method. Significant difference was found in determining the displacement on head-foot site among three methods (F = 34. 36 ～193.50,P ＜0.01). The comparison of average length of tumor in middle or terminal stage patients showed significant difference among three methods in all types of tumor (F=4. 07～30.10 ,P＜0.05) except mushroom type (F = 2.44, P＞ 0. 05). Significant difference was found in determining the displacement on head-foot site among three methods (F= 12.00 ～ 21.16, P ＜ 0. 01 ). Conclusion These findings indicate that C method is more sensitive and correct in mapping the target for CRT in comparison with other two methods.

Objective: To observe influence of long-term exercise training on carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) in patients with mild-moderate hypertension. Methods: A total of 92 patients with essential mild-moderate hypertension were randomly divided into routine treatment group (n=46) and exercise group (n=46, received exercise training based on routine treatment) according to number table. All patients were followed up for one year, and the blood pressure, carotid artery diameter and carotid IMT were measured, compared and analyzed in two groups before and after treatment. Results: There was no significant difference in systolic and diastolic blood pressure before treatment between two groups (P＞0.05). Compared with baseline value, there were significant decrease in systolic blood pressure [(176.66±l1.78)mmHg vs. (130.89±13.01)mmHg], diastolic blood pressure [(101.43±6.41)mmHg vs. (81.71±8.45)mmHg], carotid artery diameter [(6.62±0.97)mm vs. (6.22±1.01)mm] and carotid IMT [(0.98±0.12)mm vs. (0.84±0.11)mm] in exercise group after one-year training (P<0.05 all), and they were all significantly lower than those of routine treatment group (P<0.05 all ). Conclusion: Long-term exercise training can effectively control blood pressure, decrease carotid artery diameter and carotid intima-media thickness.

The purpose of this study is to explore the feasibility of wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) modified liposome as a vehicle for ophthalmic administration. Liposome loaded with 5-carboxyfluorescein (FAM) was prepared by lipid film hydration method. WGA was thiolated and then conjugated to the surface of the liposome via polyethylene glycol linker to constitute the WGA-modified and FAM-loaded liposome (WGA-LS/FAM). The amount of thiol groups on each WGA molecule was determined, and the bioactivity of WGA was estimated after it was modified to the surface of liposome. The physical and chemical features of the WGA-modified liposome were characterized and the ocular bioadhesive performance was evaluated in rats. The result showed that each thiolated WGA molecule was conjugated with 1.32 thiol groups. WGA-LS/FAM had a mean size of (97.40 +/- 1.39) nm, with a polydispersity index of 0.23 +/- 0.01. The entrapment efficacy of FAM was about (2.95 +/- 0.21)%, and only 4% of FAM leaked out of the liposome in 24 h. Erythrocyte agglutination test indicated that after modification WGA preserved the binding activity to glycoprotein. The in vivo ocular elimination of WGA-LS/FAM fitted first-order kinetics, and the elimination rate was significantly slower than that of the unmodified liposome, demonstrating WGA-modified liposome is bioadhesive and suitable for ophthalmic administration.
Absorption, Physicochemical ; Adhesiveness ; Administration, Ophthalmic ; Animals ; Drug Carriers ; Eye ; metabolism ; Fluoresceins ; chemistry ; Liposomes ; administration & dosage ; chemistry ; pharmacokinetics ; Male ; Particle Size ; Polyethylene Glycols ; chemistry ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Wheat Germ Agglutinins ; administration & dosage ; chemistry ; pharmacokinetics

Objective To investigate the effect of ultraviolet A (UVA) radiation on the expression and secretion of cathepsin G (CatG) by human dermal fibroblasts.Methods Dermal fibroblasts were isolated from the foreskins of boys,and subjected to primary culture and subculture.After 10 or less passages,the fibroblasts were collected and divided into several groups to be irradiated with 10 J/cm2 UVA followed by 24,48 and 72 hours of additional culture,or be irradiated with 10,20 and 30 J/cm2 UVA followed by 24 hours of additional culture,with those receiving no treatment serving as the control group.Subsequently,cells and culture supernatant were collected,real time PCR and Western blot were performed to detect the expressions of CatG mRNA and protein respectively in these cells,and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was conducted to measure the expression of CatG protein in the culture supernatant of these cells.Results Compared with the control group,the fibroblasts irradiated with 10 J/cm2 UVA showed a significant increase at 24,48 and 72 hours in the expressions of CatG mRNA (0.376 ± 0.014 vs.0.183 ± 0.003,0.308 ± 0.022 vs.0.185 ± 0.005,0.296 ± 0.032 vs.0.182 ± 0.004,respectively,all P＜ 0.05) and protein (1.80 ± 0.12 vs.0.96 ± 0.06,1.41 ± 0.17 vs.0.95 ± 0.22,1.27 ± 0.09 vs.1.00 ± 0.14,respectively,all P ＜ 0.05),as well as in the supernatant level of CatG protein ((161.35 ± 7.55) vs.(122.45 ± 6.46) ng/L,(141.76 ± 2.95) vs.(124.17 ± 6.15) ng/L,(139.63 ± 3.04) vs.(121.72 ± 3.17) ng/L respectively,all P ＜0.05),with the strongest increase observed at 24 hours.At 24 hours after 10,20 and 30 J/cm2 of UVA radiation,the expression of CatG mRNA in irradiated fibroblasts was 1.90,2.51 and 3.04 times respectively (all P ＜ 0.05),the expression of CatG protein was 1.88,3.97 and 4.72 times respectively (P ＜ 0.05),and the supernatant level of CatG protein was 1.36,1.50 and 1.66 times respectively (P ＜ 0.05),that in the control group,and there was an increasing trend in all the above three parameters with increasing dose of UVA.Conclusion Acute UVA radiation can promote the expression and secretion of CatG by human dermal fibroblasts.