Hyaluronic acid(HA)is a linear polysaccharide chain composed of alternating ?-1,4-glucuronic acid(GlcA)and ?-1,3-N-acetylglucosamine(GlcNAc)moieties.Construction of engineering strain has become the prevailing strategy for increasing yield and improving its quality,especially the molecular weight.Here the molecular mechanism of HA biosynthesis in Streptococcus strains was reviewed,involving fermentation strains,operon structure,crucial enzyme and construction of engineering strains.In addition,the prevalent problems in HA fermentation production were also discussed and the protocols were tentatively put forward for the upcoming research and industrial production.

Adult ; Aminosalicylic Acid ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Manganese Poisoning ; drug therapy

OBJECTIVETo determine the interaction between miR-21 and DNA methylation in different breast cancer cells.

METHODSFluorescence tagged miR-21 inhibitor and its negative control (NC) were transient transfected into MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cell, the transfection efficiency was observed using fluorescence microscopy, and the miR-21 expression level and genome DNA methylation status before and after transfection were assessed by real-time PCR and bisulfite-qMSP respectively. To investigate the regulation effect of DNA methylation on miR-21, cells were treated with 5-AZA (2.5 µmol/L) for 72 h, with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) treatment as its negative control (NC), and the expression level of phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome ten (PTEN) and AKT(also known as Protein Kinase B), two downstream genes of miR-21 were detected by Western blot.

RESULTSThe expression of miR-21 in MCF-7 cell was significantly knocked down (P < 0.01) by miR-21 inhibitor, with the genome DNA methylation level (P < 0.05) and all the three Dnmts: Dnmt1, Dnmt3a, and Dnmt3b unregulated. In contrast, the miR-21 expression in MDA-MB-231 cell was elevated ( P < 0.01) by miR-21 inhibitor, meanwhile, down- regulated of genome DNA methylation (P < 0.05) and Dnmt3b expression, upregulation of Dnmt3a were also observed. In addition, treated with 5-AZA resulted in significant increases of miR-21 expression in both MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells (P < 0.01), with the protein level of PTEN increased in MCF-7 cell, which was further involved in the downregulation of AKT.

CONCLUSIONThe regulation effects of DNA methylation by transient transfection of miR-21 in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells are almost opposite, whilst the expression of miR-21 in two cell lines were all upregulated by decreased DNA methylation level and our results may provide some experimental evidences for the future development of rational therapy for different breast cancer.

Azacitidine ; Breast Neoplasms ; genetics ; Cell Line, Tumor ; DNA (Cytosine-5-)-Methyltransferase 1 ; DNA (Cytosine-5-)-Methyltransferases ; metabolism ; DNA Methylation ; Down-Regulation ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Humans ; MCF-7 Cells ; MicroRNAs ; genetics ; PTEN Phosphohydrolase ; metabolism ; Promoter Regions, Genetic ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt ; metabolism ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Up-Regulation

This pap er introduces something of photodynamic therapy including the basic principles,pho tosensitizers and recent situation of clinical trial.Its light source,research and clinical applications to malignant tumors are also presented.

Objective To evaluate the effects of sevoflurane on β-amyloid (Aβ)-induced cognitive dysfunction and oxidative stress response of hippocampal tissues in rats.Methods Ninety-six male adlut SpragueDawley rats,weighing 250-300 g,were randomly divided into 4 groups (n =24 each) using a random number table:control group (group C) ; group Aβ ; 1.3 ％ sevoflurane group (group S1) and 2.6 ％ sevoflurane group (group S2).The animals were anesthetized with intraperitoneal.10％ chloral hydrate 350 mg/kg.Cognitive dysfunction was induced by injecting Aβ1-40 2 μ1 into the bilateral hippocampi in Aβ,S1 and S2 groups.The equal volume of normal saline was given in group C.At 22 days after injection,C and Aβ groups were exposed to 30％ oxygen for 4 h,and S1 and S2 groups inhaled 1.3 ％ and 2.6 ％ sevoflurane,respectively,for 4 h.Eight rats were chosen at days 1,3 and 7 after exposure and cognitive function was assessed by Morris water maze test.The swimming speed,escape latency and exploration time at the original platform quadrant were recorded.The rats were then sacrificed after the end of the behavioral test and blood samples were taken for determination of serum S100β protein concentration.Hippocampi were immediately isolated and the homogenate was prepared for determination of superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and malondialdehyde (MDA) content.Results Compared with group C,the escape latency was significantly prolonged and exploration time at the original platform quadrant was shortened,the serum S100β protein concentration and MDA content were increased,and SOD activity was decreased at each time point in group Aβ (P ＜ 0.05).There were no significant differences in the variables mentioned above between Aβ and S1 groups (P ＞ 0.05).The escape latency was significantly prolonged and the exploration time at the original platform quadrant was shortened,the serum S100β protein concentration and MDA content were increased,and SOD activity was decreased at each time point in group S2 as compared with Aβ and S1 groups (P ＜ 0.05).There was no significant difference in the swimining speed among the 4 groups (P ＞ 0.05).Conclusion Inhalation of 2.6 ％ sevoflurane for 4 h can aggravate the cognitive dysfunction induced by Aβ in rats and aggravation of oxidative stress response may be involved in the mechanism.

Objective To evaluate the clinical efficacy of microwave ablation and surgical resection for the treatment of early primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).Methods The Cochrane Library, Medline,PubMed, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang database, VIP database were searched with the key words of tumor, liver cancer, primary hepatic carcinoma, hepatocellular carcinoma, HCC,surgery, surgical, surgical resection, liver resection, hepatic resection, thermal ablation, percutaneous thermal ablation, microwave coagulation, microwave ablation, 肝癌, 原发性肝癌, 肝细胞癌, 手术, 切除, 手术切除, 肝切除, 微波, 热消融, 微波治疗, 微波凝固, 微波消融 between the database establishment and February 2015.Chinese and English literatures on microwave ablation and surgical resection for the treatment of early primary HCC were retrieved, and data were extracted and analyzed by 2 independent researchers.All the patients were divided into the microwave ablation group and the surgical resection group.Measurement data were represented by the standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95％ confidence interval (CI), and count data were represented by the odds ratio (OR) and 95％ CI.Heterogeneity of the publication was analyzed using the I2 test.Results Seven literature including 6 retrospective cohort studies and 1 randomized controlled trial were retrieved, and total sample size were 993 patients including 648 in the microwave ablation group and 345 in the surgical resection group.There were significant differences in the volume of blood loss and duration of postoperative hospital stay between the2groups (SMD=-5.03,-1.74, 95％ CI:-6.21-3.85,-2.21--1.28, P＜0.05).There were no significant difference in the incidence of postoperative complications, 1-, 3-year overall survival rates, 1-, 3-year tumor-free survival rates and 1-, 2-, 3-year recurrence rates between the 2 groups (OR =1.57, 1.10, 1.20,0.77, 1.23, 1.32, 2.31, 1.39, 95％CI: 0.25-9.78, 0.43-2.86, 0.70-2.06, 0.19-3.12, 0.54-2.81,0.62-2.80, 0.96-5.55, 0.47-4.14, P ＞ 0.05).Conclusions The safety, feasibility and clinical efficacy of microwave ablation for the treatment of early primary HCC is comparable to surgical resection, and microwave ablation has the advantages of lesser blood loss and shorter duration of hospital stay.

Advance on chemical constituents and pharmacological activities of Stellera plants have been conducted. The chemical constituents include terpenes, coumarins, flavonoids, lignans, volatile oils, and other compounds. Pharmacological studies showed that diterpenoids and biflavones showed strong activities, such as antitumor, anti-HIV, and immune regulations. This review hopes to provide a scientific basis for further research and explorations of the medicinal values of the genus.
Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Molecular Structure ; Thymelaeaceae ; chemistry ; classification

BackgroundIdiopathic epiretinal membranes(ERMs) is a common eye disease condition that leads to progressive decline of visual acuity. Studying the risk factors relating to this disease will shed light on its pathogenesis and allow opthalmologists to screen the affected individuals among the high-risk population and prepare for prevention and management strategies. ObjectiveThis survey was to investigate the risk factors of idiopathic ERMs in the population undergoing routine health check-ups. MethodsThe clinical data of idiopathic ERMs was obtained from the population of routine health check-ups in Peking Union Medical College Hospital from November 2009 to October 2010. The examination outcomes were compared between the individuals with and without idiopathic ERMs. The demographic and clinical factors associated with idiopathic ERMs were analyzed and assessed using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Result A total of 27 400 people were included in the survey and idiopathic ERMs were diagnosed in 76 cases. No obvious eye complaint was obtained from the idiopathic ERMs. The number of people affected with idiopathic ERMs was 12 ( 12/11 659 ) in the below 40 years group, 21 (21/4595) in the 51-60 years group and 32 (32/2544) in the over 60 years group. Hypertension, diabetes, diedyslipidemia, renal function insufficiency ,and cataract were found in 42％ ,5％ ,66％ ,6％ and 8％ of the patients, respectively. The univariate logistic regression analyses revealed that significant correlations were found between age,hypertension,hyperlipidemia and history of cataract( P＜0. 01 ). Multivariate regression models showed that the risk of idiopathic ERMs increased in age of 51-60( OR=2. 5,95％ CI:1. 2-5.4,P=0.02) and over 60 years( OR =7.3,95％ CI:3.4-15.6 ,P＜0.01 ) and patients suffering from hyperlipidemia ( OR--2. 1,95％ CI:1. 3-3.5, P＜0. 01 ). ConclusionsOver the age of 50 years and hyperlipidemia are primary risk factors of idiopathic ERM.

Objective To investigate epidemiological and clinical features of human ehrlichiosis.Methods The epidemiological, clinical, laboratory, therapeutic and prognostic data of 21 clinically diagnosed cases of human ehrlichiosis were retrospectively analyzed. Results The epidemic regions where the ticks' activity was high located at the boundary between Hubei and Henan Provinces. All cases were farmers. The median age was 50 years ranged from 19 to 69 years. The male female ratio evident history of tick bite 1 week before the onset. The common symptoms included fever, diarrhea,cough, nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain and expectoration. The complications included hemorrhage, toxic encephalopathy, acute renal insufficiency, secondary infection and respiratory failure. The common abnormalities of routine lab data were thrombocytopenia, hypoeosinophilia,elevated lactate dehydrogenase, creatine kinase and aminotransferases, leucopenia and proteinuria.Nine cases were tested with peripheral blood smear and intracytoplasmic inclusions in neutrophils were found in one case. Seventeen cases were tested with serological assay and antibodies against Ehrlichia were positive in five cases. After doxycycline, symptomatic and supportive treatments, 14 cases were recovered and seven died. The average age of the deaths was 56 years. Conclusions Human ehrlichiosis is an acute tick-borne zoonosis and multiorgan could be involved. The older cases prone to develop complications and the prognosis is poor.

Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of olopatadine hydrochloride for the treatment of chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU). Methods A multicentre, double-blind, randomized, parallel-group, controlled clinical trial was conducted. A total of 144 patients with CIU from 3 research centers were enrolled into this study, and randomly and equally divided into a test group and a control group. The test group administrated olopatadine hydrochloride 5 mg twice a day for 28 consecutive days, while the control group administrated levocetirizine hydrochloride 5 mg in the forenoon and a placebo tablet of olopatadine hydrochloride 5 mg in the afternoon for 28 consecutive days. The symptom score reducing index(SSRI)served as the primary outcome, and global assessment score for efficacy and total response rates as the secondary outcome. Results Totally, 137 patients completed the trial, including 70 in the test group and 67 in the control group. As intention-to-treat analysis showed, there were no significant differences in the total response rate between the test group and control group on day 7 (64.29% (45/70)vs. 56.72%(38/67), P > 0.05), 14(82.86%(58/70)vs. 74.63%(50/67), P > 0.05), or 28(87.14%(61/70)vs. 77.61%(52/67), P >0.05)after start of treatment. The SSRI was significantly higher in the test group than in the control group after 4 weeks of treatment(82.67% ± 22.70% vs. 70.51% ± 32.07%, P < 0.05). In addition, no significant difference was observed in the incidence of adverse reactions between the test group and control group(33.80%(24/71)vs. 27.94%(19/68), P > 0.05), and adverse reactions mainly included lethargy, dry mouth, fatigue, etc. Conclusion Olopatadine hydrochloride is effective and safe for the treatment of CIU.