Objective To observe nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity and the expresssion of inducible NOS (iNOS) mRNA in cultured calf aortic endothelial cells treated with various concentrations of insulin. Methods Cultured calf aortic endothelial cells were incubated with different concentrations of insulin for 24 h. NOS activity was determined by colorimetry and iNOS mRNA was measured by semi-quantitative RT-PCR. Results NOS activity and the expression of mRNA in calf aortic endothelial cells at pharmacological concentration (10 -7 mol/L) of insulin were significantly increased than those at physiological concentration (10 -10 mol/L) of insulin (P

Objective To screen the differentially expressed genes between papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and normal thyroid tissues using cDNA microarray. Methods mRNA from both PTC and normal thyroid tissues were reversely transcribed to cDNAs with the incorporation of fluorescent dUTP (Cy-5 or Cy-3) to prepare the hybridization probes. The mixed probes were hybridized to the cDNA microarray, which was scanned for the fluorescent signals and showed difference between two tissues. Two among the differentially expressed genes were verified by RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. Results In PTC 48 genes were upregulated while 17 were downregulated. The results of RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry were consistent with that of the gene chips. Conclusion cDNA microarray technique is effective in screening the differentially expressed genes between 2 different kinds of tissue. The obtained genes are mainly related with extracellular matrix, cytokine, signal transduction and so on.

Objective:To analysis the correlation of eating speed with obesity.Methods:A total of 644 people aged 40-65 from Caihe Community in Hangzhou were enrolled to collect clinical and demographic data, undergo extensive physical examination and laboratory tests. Participants were divided into two groups according to their eating speed (non-fast and fast). Obesity-related parameters were compared between two groups. Multivariable logistic regression was conducted to explore the relationship between eating speed and obesity after adjusting confounders.Results:Body mass index, waist circumference, and visceral fat area were greater in the fast eating group than non-fast eating group(all P<0.01). After adjusting for age, gender, smoking, alcohol drinking, physical activity level per week, and principal food intake, logistic regression analysis showed that eating fast was correlated with abdominal obesity( OR=1.66, 95% CI 1.11-2.48, P=0.014) and visceral obesity( OR=1.65, 95% CI 1.14-2.39, P=0.007). After stratified by gender, in the group of men, eating fast was correlated with abdominal obesity( OR=2.04, 95% CI 1.07-4.04, P=0.032) and visceral obesity( OR=1.85, 95% CI 1.04-3.31, P=0.037); In the group of women, eating fast was correlated with overweight and obesity( OR=1.59, 95% CI 1.04-2.42, P=0.031). Conclusion:Eating fast is positively associated with obesity. Interventions for reducing eating speed may be effective for weight control.