Objective To know about personality characteristics of nurses in different types of hospitals. Methods 43 nurses in local hospitals and 43 nurses in military hospitals, both of them are graduated from local university, were selected by sampling randomly and were investigated by 16PF personality factors questionnaire. Results The scores were higher among nurses in military hospitals in terms of congregation, stability, persistence, excitability, constancy and self-control, while those were higher in local hospitals in respect of doubt, fancy, sophisticate, creativity and independence. Conclusions The type of hospital has some influence on the formation of personality characters of. Nurses.

Objective To investigate the relationship and clinical significance of blood plasma brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and Keshan Disease (KD). Methods Seventy KD patients and 30 healthy volunteers in endemic area were investigated with Doppler Echocardiography for the measurement of left ventricular end-diastolic diameter(LVEDD) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), and the plasma BNP levels were determined with microparticle enzyme immunoassay. Results The BNP levels in plasma in KD patients [(444.61±102.31), (87.21±23.15)ng/L] were significantly higher than that of healthy volunteers [(34.91±15.21)ng/L],the differencesbeing statistical significant (q=39.74,5.82,P<0.01). The BNP levels in chronic KD patients were higher than that of latent KD patients (q=37.62,P<0.01). The plasma BNP levels in KD patients with LVEDD 60 nun [(928.80±134.27)ng/L] were significantly higher than those of patients with LVEDD 55～60 mm [(89.24±52.31)ng/L] and LVEDD<55 nun [(67.14±6.92)ng/L],the differencesbeing statistical significant (q=44.30,48.16, P<0.01), The plasma BNP levels in KD patients with LVEF<35%[(1654.21±421.35) ng/L] were significantly higher than those of patients with 35% ~ 50%[(421.54±112.32)ng/L] and50% [ (81.21±72.85 ng/L)], the differencesbeing statistical significant(q=24.91,72.66, P<0.01), The BNP levels in LVEF 35%～50% were higher than that of 50% (q=11.84,P<0.01). Conclusion The plasma BNP levels were important for the diagnosis, grouping, therapeutic effect and prognostic evaluation of KD.

0.05), CGI and HAMA. Safety analysis suggested that no significant differences were found in symptoms and frequency of side effects between the two groups.Conclusion Bupropion hydrochloride tablet is an effective and safe antidepressant. It has similar effect and safety compared with fluoxetine in the treatment of depression.

Objective To evaluate the dynamic changes of cell mobility of renal tubular epithelial cells in the course of epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT) and their effect on cell cycle.Methods NRK-52E cells were cultured in vitro and treated with 5 μg/L transforming growth factor(TGF)-β1 to induce EMT.The cell mobility was assessed by using Transwell chamber assay and flow cytometry (FCW) after being treated with TGF-β1 for 4 h,8 h,12 h,24 h and 48 h.The proliferative cell cycle of NRK-52E cells were evaluated by using the FCW.Results 1.EMT was successfully induced by TGF-β1.After being treated by TGF-β1 (5 μg/L),the morphological changes of NRK-52E cells were found with loose cell arrangement and elongated fusiform change in cells body.Meanwhile,after getting treated by TGF-β1,the expressions of E-cadherin protein(epithelial marker) of NRK-52E cells were significantly decreased with time-dependent (P ＜ 0.05),while the expressions of α-smooth musle actin (α-SMA) (mesenchymal cell marker)were significantly increased with time-dependent (P ＜ 0.05).2.The Transwell chamber assay showed that compared with the control group,the cell mobility in the group treated with TGF-β1 was significantly enhanced from 12 h after getting treated with TGF-β1 (P ＜ 0.01).3.The proliferative cell cycle of NRK-52E cells showed no significant difference after being treated with TGF-β1 (P ＞ 0.05).Conclusions The migration ability of the NRK-52E cells are increased incessantly in the course of EMT,which is induced by TGF-β1 without the influence of cell proliferation in vitro.

The dosage-efficacy/toxicity relationship of the 50% alcohol extracts of Polygonum multiflorum was comparatively investigated on either normal or CCl4-induced chronic liver injury rats, by determining the general condition, serum biochemical indices and liver histopathology, coupled with the factor analysis. The dosages were 10 and 20 g raw materials per kg body weight. Compared with the normal control group, the normal high dose group showed significant increases of the serum alanine transaminase (ALT), total bilirubin (TBIL), high mobility group box 1 (HMGB-1) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01), as well the frequent incidences of inflammatory cell infiltration, hepatic sinus enlargement and fiber stripes formation in histopathological sections. Compared with the model control group, the model low dose group showed significant declines of serum ALT, aspartate transaminase (AST) and total bile acid (TBA) (P < 0.05), as well the alleviation of vacuoles of hepatocytes, but no amelioration of the inflammatory cell infiltration and fibrous tissue hyperplasia; moreover, the model high dose group showed significant degeneration declines of serum HMGB-1, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and IL-1β (P < 0.05, P < 0.01), as well the evident alleviation of vacuoles degeneration of hepatocytes, inflammatory cells infiltration and fibrosis degree. The factor analysis showed that the low dosage treatment had almost neither injuring effect on the normal rats nor protective effect on the model rats; while the high dosage treatment showed observable injuring effect on the normal rats, expressed by the significant increases of the factor-1 (HMGB-1, TNF-α and IL-1β as the main contributors) and factor-2 (TBIL, ALT and TBA as the main contributors) relative to the normal control group. The liver protective effect of the high dosage treatment could be observed with the significant reduction of the factor-1, indicating the effective alleviation of the expression of inflammatory cytokines. In conclusion, it could illustrated the phenomenon of symptom-based prescription theory of Polygonum multiflorum on rat livers: the high dosage of the herb had either an injuring effect on normal rats, or a therapeutic effect on the rats with chronic liver injury.
Alanine Transaminase ; blood ; Animals ; Aspartate Aminotransferases ; blood ; Bile Acids and Salts ; metabolism ; Bilirubin ; blood ; Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury ; drug therapy ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Fallopia multiflora ; chemistry ; HMGB1 Protein ; metabolism ; Hepatocytes ; drug effects ; Interleukin-1beta ; metabolism ; Liver ; drug effects ; pathology ; Plant Extracts ; pharmacology ; Rats ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo develop a method for determining plasma and renal tissue concentrations of cisplatin (DDP) after subcutaneous DDP implantation in mice.

METHODSDDP was extracted from the plasma and tissue of mice receiving subcutaneous DDP implantation and reacted with sodium diethyldithiocarbamate (DDTC). The product Pt (DDTC)(2) extracted by diethyl ether was determined using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with the mobile phase of water and methanol at the ratio of 25:75 and the flow rate of 1.0 ml/min. The derivatives of DDP and nickel chloride were detected at the wavelength of 254 nm.

RESULTSThe linear range of DDP was 0.1-10 microg/ml (r=0.9998 for plasma and 0.9993 for kidney). The intra-day and inter-day RSD was below 10%, and the minimum concentration detectable was 50 ng.

CONCLUSIONThe method is accurate and effective for determining plasma and tissue DDP levels after subcutaneous DDP administration and can be used in pharmacokinetic study of DDP.

Animals ; Antineoplastic Agents ; administration & dosage ; blood ; pharmacokinetics ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Cisplatin ; administration & dosage ; blood ; pharmacokinetics ; Injections, Subcutaneous ; Kidney ; metabolism ; Male ; Mice

OBJECTIVETo investigate the mechanism of rosiglitazone (RSG, the activator of peroxisome proliferators activated receptor lambda) for inhibiting endothelin-1 (ET-1)-induced neonatal rat cardiac myocyte hypertrophy and the role of protein kinase C (PKC) and c-fos.

METHODSIn vitro cultured neonatal rat cardiac myocytes were treated with ET-1, phorbol ester (PMA, the PKC activator), ET-1+RSG, ET-1+chelerythrine (che, the PKC inhibitor), PMA+RSG, or without treatment (control), respectively. The effects of RSG on the protein content, (3)H-leucine incorporation, PKC activity and C-fos protein expression were observed in the cardiac myocytes stimulated with ET-1 or PMA.

RESULTSAfter two days of culture, the intracellular protein content in ET-1 group and PMA group were increased by 15% (339-/+15 microg/ml) and 13% (329-/+14 microg/ml) as compared with the control cells (290-/+13 microg/ml), respectively (P<0.01). Compared with the ET-1 group, cells treated with ET-1+10(-8) mol/L RSG, ET-1+10(-7) mol/L RSG, and ET-1+che showed decreased intracellular protein content by 10% (303-/+14 microg/ml, P<0.05), 12% (292-/+11 microg/ml, P<0.05), and 13% (291-/+12 microg/ml, P<0.01), respectively. The intracellular protein content in PMA+10(-7) mol/LRSG group was decreased by 10% (P<0.05) in comparison with the PMA group. RSG inhibited protein synthesis enhancement and increased (3)H-leucine incorporation induced by ET-1 and PMA, and antagonized the effects of ET-1 and PMA in promoting PKC activity and c-fos protein expression in the myocytes.

CONCLUSIONThe inhibitory effect of RSG on ET-1- or PMA-induced myocyte hypertrophy is associated with PKC-c-fos pathway.

Animals ; Animals, Newborn ; Blotting, Western ; Cell Enlargement ; drug effects ; Cells, Cultured ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Endothelin-1 ; pharmacology ; Hypoglycemic Agents ; pharmacology ; Myocytes, Cardiac ; cytology ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Protein Kinase C ; metabolism ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos ; biosynthesis ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Signal Transduction ; drug effects ; Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate ; pharmacology ; Thiazolidinediones ; pharmacology

This study was purposed to investigate the effect of phycocyanin at different concentration on proliferation of K562 cells, to detect the changes of integrin beta1 expression and intracellular focal adhesion kinase (FAK) gene expression on the surface K562 cells treated with phycocyanin, and to explore the possible mechanism of integrin beta1 effect on phycocyanin inhibiting proliferation of K562 cells. The expression level of integrin beta1 on the surface of K562 cells was evaluated by flow cytometry (FCM); the growth of K562 cells treated with phycocyanin was measured by MTT assay; the expression level of FAK mRNA was analyzed by relatively quantitative RT-PCR after four-day culture of K562 cells with phycocyanin of 40 microg/ml, 80 microg/ml and 160 microg/ml, respectively. The results showed that integrin beta1 expression on the surface of K562 cells was significantly higher than that in bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMNC) from normal subjects. Phycocyanin could not change the level of integrin beta1 expression. Phycocyanin could increase the expression of FAK gene on K562 cells and inhibit the proliferation of K562 cells. It is concluded that phycocyanin can inhibit the proliferation of K562 cells through enhancing the conjunction of cell stroma with integrin beta1 on K562 cell surface, up-regulating the expression level of FAK gene in K562 cells, restoring the signaling pathway of proliferation inhibition mediated by integrin beta1. The possible mechanism of phycocyanin in the proliferation inhibition of K562 cells is to increase the expression of FAK gene. The phycocyanin may be considered as a potential agent for inhibition of cancer cell proliferation.
Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic ; pharmacology ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Focal Adhesion Kinase 1 ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Humans ; Integrin beta1 ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; K562 Cells ; Phycocyanin ; pharmacology ; RNA, Messenger ; biosynthesis ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo investigate the expression and mutation of Mad1, Mxi1 and Rox genes in leukemia cells.

METHODSExpression and mutation of Mad1, Mxi1 and Rox genes in bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMNC) from 26 de novo acute leukemia (AL) patients, and in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMNC) from 30 healthy volunteers, as well as in 7 human leukemic cell lines were analyzed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), single strand conformational polymorphism (SSCP) and DNA sequencing.

RESULTSRT-PCR showed that all the above cells expressed Mad1, Mxi1 and Rox mRNA. SSCP revealed four polymorphisms: two in Mad1, one each in Mxi1 and Rox. DNA sequencing detected nine missense mutations: two in Mad1 in AL patients, four in Mxi1 (three in AL patients and one in KG-1 cell line), and three in Rox in AL patients. The mutations of Mad1, Mxi1 and Rox mRNA were detected in 2, 3 and 3 patients, respectively.

CONCLUSIONIt is for the first time to demonstrate the mutations of Mad1, Mxi1 and Rox genes in AL patients suggesting these mutated genes involve in the pathogenesis of leukemia.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors ; genetics ; metabolism ; Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors ; genetics ; metabolism ; Cell Cycle Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Leukemia ; genetics ; metabolism ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mutation ; Nuclear Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Polymorphism, Single-Stranded Conformational ; Repressor Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Tumor Suppressor Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the estrogenic activity of several kinds of Chinese herbal medicines.

METHODUse zoopery and reporter gene technique to study the estrogenic activity of five Chinese herbal medicines. Zoopery: weanling female Kunming mice weight 9-12 g were administrated botanical extracts of Selaginella tamariscina, Pinus Massoniana, Corallodiscus flabellate, Dryopteris sublaeta and Leonurus heterophyllus, the positive control group with Nilestriol tablets and control group with water, respectiely. On the eighth day, the animals were sacrificed and the uteri were separated solely and weighed. Reporter gene technique: Induce the expression of reporter gene controlled by ERE and measure the activity of luciferase on cell's clear supernatant.

RESULTThe botanical extracts of S. tamariscina can increase weights of mice (P < 0.01); In the expression of reporter gene controlled by ERE, Either ERalpha or ERbeta's has estrogenic activity (P < 0.01). Follow in the zoopery we find the water part and the n-butanol part of S. tamariscina are the two active parts.

CONCLUSIONS. tamariscina and it's water part and n-butanol part have estrogenic activities, effect on ERbeta is greater than ERalpha.

Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Estrogen Receptor alpha ; metabolism ; Estrogen Receptor beta ; metabolism ; Female ; Leonurus ; chemistry ; Mice ; Organ Size ; drug effects ; Phytoestrogens ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Pinus ; chemistry ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Selaginellaceae ; chemistry ; Uterus ; anatomy & histology