Nucleotide binding oligomerization domain (NOD)-like receptor protein 3, NLRP3) inflammasomes regulate the secretion of caspase-1, interleukin-18 (IL-18), IL-1β, and other cytokines, and participates in aging. In recent years, it has been found that NLRP3 inflammasomes are abnormally activated in aging heart and vessels, and inhibition of NLRP3 inflammasomes can alleviate heart aging and vascular aging. This review summarizes the research of NLRP3 inflammasome in heart and vascular aging, and the related drugs to promote the discovery of the mechanism of NLRP3 inflammasome in heart and vascular aging and the development of related drugs.

There has been thousands of years' history that traditional Chinese medicines were used in the prevention and treatment of infectious disease. In recent years, traditional Chinese medicine plays a unique role in the control of variety of new infectious diseases. This article provides a summary on our knowledge of the traditional Chinese medicine theory in the explanation of infectious disease, application of Chinese medicines and the pharmacological mechanism in the successful management on the Ebola virus disease.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola ; therapy ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional

AIM: To compare intraocular pressure (IOP) fluctuations measured at home and in the clinic over a 24-hour period.METHODS: A prospective investigational study.A total of 120 Chinese participants were selected from five communities in the Chengdu area.Patients underwent a clinical interview and IOP was measured both at home and in the clinic.IOP were measured at 8 a.m., 10 a.m., 12 a.m., 2 p.m., 4 p.m., 6 p.m., 8 p.m., 10 p.m., 2 a.m., 6 a.m.using the same pneumatonometer.Measurements were taken in the sitting position.RESULTS: The average 24-hour IOP measured in the clinic was slightly lower than that at home.The mean difference in 24-hour IOP measurements between home and clinic was 0.27 mmHg.The IOP fluctuation in the clinic was higher than at home (the mean difference was 0.01 mmHg).There was no statistically significant difference in the average 24-hour IOP measured at home vs in the clinic.The average IOP measured at 2 p.m.at home (16.04±5.95 mmHg) was significantly higher compared with the measurement in the clinic (15.43±5.16 mmHg) (P<0.05).The overall agreement between 24-hour IOP measurements made in the clinic and at home in diagnosis of primary open angle glaucoma was 85.0% (K coefficient: 0.68).CONCLUSION: The 24-hour IOP measured in the clinic was similar to that measured at home, and the method of measuring IOP in the clinic is acceptable in diagnosing primary open angle glaucoma.

Objective:To investigate the aberrant methylation of CpG island in 5′promoter region of p16 gene in the pancreatic juice and its value in diagnosis of patients with pancreatic cancer.Methods:Pure pancreatic juice(PPJ)was collected from the pancreatic duct by a nasopancreatic tube put under endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography(ERCP). Cytological examination was performed by H-E staining in pure pancreatic juice.Aberrant p16 methylation was detected using the methylation specific PCR(MSP)in the PPJ.Results:The sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value,negative predictive value and accuracy cytological examination in diagnosis of pancreatic cancer were 40%,100%,100%,45.4% and 60.0%,respectively.The DNA sequences were successfully extracted from the PPJ of 30 patients with pancreatic diseases and were subjected to MSP.Seven(35%)of the 20 cases with pancreatic cancer showed aberrant methylation of p16 gene.No aberrant methylation was detected in the pancreatic juice samples of patients with chronic pancreatitis and mucinous cystoadenocarcinoma of pancreas.When cytological examination combined with p16 methylation detection,the sensitivity, specificity,positive predictive value,negative predictive value and accuracy for diagnosis of pancreatic cancer were 55%,100%, 100%,52.6% and 70%,respectively.Conclusion:Pancreatic juice collected by nasopancreatic drainage during ERCP can be used for molecular analysis.Detection of aberrant methylation of p16 gene in pancreatic juice combined with cytological examination is a better method for diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.

Biopsy, Fine-Needle ; Carcinoma ; pathology ; Endosonography ; Giant Cells ; pathology ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Osteoclasts ; pathology ; Pancreas ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; Pancreatic Neoplasms ; pathology

OBJECTIVETo study the cytologic features of pancreatobiliary tumors in endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)-guided brushing preparations and to evaluate the usefulness of cytology in the diagnosis of pancreatobiliary malignancy.

METHODSA retrospective analysis of 212 cases of ERCP-guided brush cytology smears performed during the period from January, 2004 to December, 2006. The cytologic diagnosis was confirmed either by the histologic diagnosis or the strict clinical criteria.

RESULTSTwo of the cases studied were unsatisfactory for diagnosis, with no epithelial cells identified. One hundred and thirty-seven smears were diagnosed as "negative", 45 of which subsequently confirmed to be malignant (negative predictive value = 60.2%). Six of the 11 cases with "low-grade atypia" were proven to be malignant (positive predictive value = 54.5%), as compared to 19 of 23 cases of "high-grade atypia" (positive predictive value = 86.4%). All of the 41 cases with cytologic diagnosis of "malignancy" were confirmed to be malignant (positive predictive value = 100%). The cytologic features of malignancy in ERCP-guided brushing preparations included overlapping nuclei, anisonucleosis, coarse chromatin pattern, poor cellular cohesion, tumor diathesis, prominent nucleoli and atypical mitotic figures.

CONCLUSIONSThe accuracy of ERCP-guided brush cytology relies on good specimen preparation and application of morphologic criteria. Grading of cytologic atypia is of clinical significance. A "negative" or "low-grade atypia" cytologic diagnosis requires further diagnostic workup to rule out the possibility of underlying malignancy, while a "high-grade atypia" or "malignant" diagnosis is relatively specific in guiding subsequent management of suspected pancreatobiliary malignancy.

Adenocarcinoma ; diagnosis ; pathology ; surgery ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Biliary Tract Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; pathology ; surgery ; Biopsy ; Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde ; Cytological Techniques ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pancreatic Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; pathology ; surgery ; Precancerous Conditions ; diagnosis ; pathology ; surgery ; Predictive Value of Tests ; Retrospective Studies ; Specimen Handling ; Young Adult

Based on variation of Pinus massoniana families, heritablility and correlation analysis, the contents of shikimic acid and procyanidine (heritability 0.90, 0.70), dry weight of single branch (heritability 0.60) and and leaf length (heritability 0.46) were screened out as quality, yield and harvest cost traits of Folium Pini, respectively. For the different medicinal application of Folium Pini, varied methods were chosen to estimate weight and construct index equation. Weight adjustment based.on equal emphasis were used as economic weight determining method to select the best families, and the index (accuracy 0. 936 4 and heritability 0. 881 6) obtained was a little better than that obtained by equal emphasis, and much better than that by restricted index. The superior families selected with adjustment weight and equal emphasis were No. 46, 43 and 28. Partial regression were used as economic weight determining method to select the best families,and the index obtained had the highest accuracy (0.941 5) , index heritability (0. 889 9) and the genetic gain of shikimic acid content. The superior families selected with this method were No. 46, 27 and 47. No. 46 was the best families with maximal economic benefit. Our study indicated that suitable method for estimate weight and construct index equation can be applied for better accuracy of superior families selection of P. massoniana.
Breeding ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; analysis ; Pinus ; chemistry ; classification ; genetics ; growth & development ; Plant Leaves ; chemistry ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; classification ; genetics ; growth & development

OBJECTIVETo determine the autocrine effect of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) on epidermal keratinocytes HaCaT cells.

METHODSCultured HaCaT cells were treated with various concentrations of VEGF(165) (0,1,5,10,25,50,100 ng/ml) or Avastin (0,0.063,0.125,0.25,0.50,1.0,2.0 mg/ml) in vitro. HaCaT cell proliferation was determined by MTT assay and the cell migration was measured by migration assay. The effect of VEGF(165) (10 ng/ml) on phosphorylation of ERK1/2 was detected in HaCaT cells pretreated or not pretreated with Avastin (0.5 mg/ml).

RESULTSVEGF enhanced the proliferation and migration of HaCaT cells in a dose-dependent manner, while Avastin inhibited the effects of VEGF also in a dose-dependent manner. VEGF(165) (10 ng/ml) induced the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 in HaCaT cells,but which was blocked by Avastin (0.5 mg/ml).

CONCLUSIONVEGF enhanced the proliferation and migration of HaCaT cells in a dose-dependent manner, while Avastin inhibited the effects of VEGF also in a dose-dependent manner. VEGF(165) (10 ng/ml) induced the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 in HaCaT cells,but which was blocked by Avastin (0.5 mg/ml).

Autocrine Communication ; Cell Line ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Epidermis ; cytology ; Humans ; Keratinocytes ; cytology ; Skin ; cytology ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; pharmacology

Objective To understand the genotypes of Mycobacterium leprae collected from Guangdong province,China and to analyze the routes of leprosy transmission both inside and outside of Guangdong.The impact of emigrant leprosy patients to the endemic nature of the disease in Guangdong was also studied.Methods Typing on strains with variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR) and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) were performed on the local cases and emigrant cases based on skin biopsy.Results Most isolates from local patients belong to SNP type 1 and SNP type 3 isolates were found just in a small part of local isolates.However,all the emigrants were carrying SNP type 3.Within the SNP type 1 strain from Guangdong,alleles at the 18-8,12-5,ML-1,(TA) 10 and (GGT)5 differed from SNP 3 strains collected from other areas in China.However,all the SNP type 1 and SNP type 3 local isolates identified from Guangdong were having close VNTR profiles and the main differences appeared in the alleles at ML-1,(TA) 10 and (GGT)5.Conclusion The transmission of strain with SNP type 1 seemed to be associated to the "Silk Road on the Sea",calling for monitoring and confirming the transmission of patients with SNP type 3 in Guangdong were from the secondary transmission,by the emigrant patients.Further study on the historic spread and phylogenetic relationships between SNP type 1 and novel SNP type 3 in Guangdong is needed.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of endothelial microvesicles (EMVs) induced by calcium ionophore A23187 on H9c2 cardiomyocytes.

METHODSHuman umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were treated with 10 micromol/L A23187 for 30 min. EMVs from HUVECs were isolated by ultracentrifugation from the conditioned culture medium. EMVs were characterized using 1 and 2 microm latex beads and anti-PE-CD144 antibody by flow cytometry. For functional research, EMVs at different concentrations were cocultured with H9c2 cardiomyocytes for 6 h. Cell viability of H9c2 cells and the activity of LDH leaked from H9c2 cells were tested by colorimetry. Moreover, apoptosis of H9c2 cells was observed through Hoechst 33258 staining and tested by FITC-Annexin V/PI double staining.

RESULTSEMVs were induced by A23187 on HUVECs, and isolated by ultracentrifugation. We identified the membrane vesicles (< 1 microm) induced by A23187 were CD144 positive. In addition, the EMVs could significantly reduce the viability of H9c2 cells, and increase LDH leakage from H9c2 cells in a dose dependent manner (P < 0.05). Condensed nuclei could be observed with the increasing concentrations of EMVs through Hoechst 33258 staining. Furthermore, increased apoptosis rates of H9c2 cells could be assessed through FITC-Annexin V/PI double staining by flow cytometry.

CONCLUSIONMicrovesicles could be released from HUVECs after induced by A23187 through calcium influx, and these EMVs exerted a pro-apoptotic effect on H9c2 cells by induction of apoptosis.

Annexin A5 ; Apoptosis ; Calcimycin ; pharmacology ; Calcium ; metabolism ; Cell Line ; Cell Membrane ; drug effects ; Coculture Techniques ; Flow Cytometry ; Fluorescein-5-isothiocyanate ; analogs & derivatives ; Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells ; Humans ; Myocytes, Cardiac ; drug effects ; Staining and Labeling