Objective To study the role of cell density in the tyrosol production and morphology for Candida albicans biofilms. Methods C. albicans SC5314 and clinical isolates were propagated in yeast peptone dextrose (YPD) medium. Cells were collected by centrifugation and washed twice in sterile phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) before this study, then resuspended in RPMI 1640 supplemented with L-glutamine and adjusted to a desired concentration of 5 × 10~6 cells/ml, 5×10~5 cells/ml, 5 × 10~4 cells/ml, 5 × 10~3 cells/ml after counting with a hematocytometer. Standardized C. albicans cells were prepared as above description and 2000 μl of this standardized cell suspension was dispensed into the wells, then C. albicans biofilms were formed on the bottom of the polystyrene wells. In this study, tyrosol synthesized by SC5314 and clinical isolates of C. albicans biofilm was quantified by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The effects of tyrosol on morphology of C. albicans biofilms were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Results Tyrosol production of C. albicans biofilms was affected by cell densities. At lower inoculation size(5 μ 10~3 cells/ml), there was too less tyrosol production to be detected at the early stage of the biofilms formation. At higher inoculation size (5 μ10~6 cells/ml), tyrosol can be detectable at the early stage or at the mature stage of biofilms formation. There was a sharp increase in tyrosol concentration at 24 h, while there was a decrease in tyrosol concentration after that time from the strains when the strains were at an inoculation size of 5 × 10~6 cells/ml and 5 × 10~5 cells/ml. Cell densities affected the morphology formation of the C. albicans biofilms. At the early stage of the biofilms formation, C. albicans grew less germ tube at lower cell densities than that at the higher cell densities. With the mature of the biofilms, C. albicarts grew more hyphae at higher cell densities than that at the lower cell densities. All these above showed that cell densities played an important role in the propagation for the C. albi-cans in the biofilm formation. Conclusion Cell density play an important role in the formation of the C. albi-cans biofilms and the production of the tyrosol.

Objective To explore the clinical significance of neutrophils/lymphocyte(NLR)and platelet/lymphocyte ratioof (PLR)peripheral blood in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis.Methods Retrospectively analyzed 62 patients with PBC and three subgroup patients according to Child-pugh,who were hospitalized in Shanghai Changhai Hospital and Shanghai Changzheng Hospital from January 2010 to July 2015.Enrolled 59 healthy controls.Baseline data and laboratory indicators were extracted,and the correlation between PLR and NLR and disease activity were analyzed.The changes of NLR in 3 pa-tients with PBC were analyzed.3 patients were followed up and their NLRs were recorded before and after therapy.Results Compared with healthy controls,NLR was significantly increased in PBC patients (P<0.05),and not PLR (P>0.05). NLR was positively correlated with TBIL and Mayo risk (R=0.35,0.30,P<0.05),and not ALT,AST or ALP (P>0.05).After therapy,NLRs were significantly reduced in three PBC patients (P<0.05).Conclusion NLR may be a useful biomarker for assessing clinical therapy in PBC patients.

OBJECTIVETo explore the theory of "Fei and Dachang being interior-exteriorly related" and the pathogenesis of lung injury by observing changes of inflammatory cytokines and oxygen free radicals in ulcerative colitis (UC) rats.

METHODSTotally 50 healthy male Wistar rats were randomly divided into two groups, the normal control group and the model group, 25 rats in each group. The UC model was established by allergizing colon mucosa combined with TNBS-alcohol (50%) enema. Another 25 rats were recruited as the normal control group. At week 2 and 4 after modeling, the pathomorphological changes of the lung were observed. Furthermore, the contents of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and IL-1beta were determined by ELISA. The activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were evaluated with colorimetry.

RESULTSCompared with the normal control group, the pathomorphology of the lung tissue in the model group appeared abnormal at week 2 and 4. Compared with the normal control group, levels of TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, and MDA in the lung tissue significantly increased in the model group (P < 0. 01) and the activities of SOD significantly decreased (P < 0.05, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONTNF-alpha, IL-1beta, SOD, and MDA might be common material bases for the large intestine involved in lung disease of UC patients, thus providing a modern scientific basis for the theory of Fei and Dachang being interior-exteriorly related.

Animals ; Colitis, Ulcerative ; diagnosis ; metabolism ; pathology ; Cytokines ; metabolism ; Interleukin-1beta ; metabolism ; Lung ; metabolism ; Male ; Malondialdehyde ; metabolism ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; metabolism ; Superoxide Dismutase ; metabolism ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; metabolism

Air Pollution, Indoor ; analysis ; prevention & control ; Benzene ; analysis ; Housing ; standards ; Humans

To evaluate the antiosteoporotic effects of benzyl benzoate glucosides from Curculigo orchioides (COBG) in ovariectomized (OVX) rats.

Objective To study the gait of children with spastic cerebral palsy (SCP) using plantar pressure measurement (PPM).Methods Twenty SCP children and 84 healthy children were recruited,and PPM was used to compare their gait cycle time,cadence,and standardized gait cycle parameters.Results Compared with the control group,gait cycle times in the SCP group were obviously prolonged,and their cadence was significantly slower.The side support phase and swing time in the SCP group were shorter,while the double support phase was longer than that of children in the control group.Conclusion PPM can be used to assess the gait of SCP children efficiently.

The results of open-field test,step-through passive avoidance task and radial-arm maze experiment showed that changes of locomotor activity,anxiety-related behaviour and ability of learning and memory were associated with the increased apoptosis of neurons in hippocampus in rats with perinatal hypothyroidism.

OBJECTIVETo observe the clinical effect of Huikangling Tablet (HT, extracted from Scabrous Patrinia root) on peripheral blood micrometastasis of differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) patients.

METHODSTotally 87 DTC patients with positive micrometastasis were randomly assigned to the treatment group (45 cases) and the control group (42 cases). DTC endocrine inhibition treatment standards were executed in all patients. They all took levothyroxine sodium (50 microg/tablet, from low dose, 25 microg each time, once per day, 0.5 h before breakfast), and its dosage was gradually added one week later. The dosage was adjusted according to tested results of TSH combined recurrence risk stratification and endocrine suppression induced adverse reactions risk stratification. Patients in the treatment group took HT (0.4 g per tablet, 3 tablets each time, three times per day for a total of 12 weeks) combined TSH suppression therapy, while those in the control group only received TSH suppression therapy. Peripheral micrometastatic cytokeratin 19 (CK19) and polymorphic epithelial mucin1 (MUC1) were detected by FCM at week 4 and 12. Meanwhile, distant metastasis and adverse reactions were observed.

RESULTSAfter 4-week treatment positive micrometastasis was shown in 18 cases (40%) of the treatment group and 29 cases (69%) in the control group with statistical difference (chi2 = 5.68, P < 0.05). After 12-week treatment positive micrometastasis was shown in 7 cases (15.6%) of the treatment group and 17 cases (44.7%) in the control group with statistical difference (chi2 = 8.49, P < 0.01). Pulmonary metastasis occurred in 2 cases and bone metastasis in 1 case of the control group at follow-ups. Cervical lymph node metastasis without accompanied recurrence of thyroid cancer occurred in one case of the treatment group. No obvious liver or renal abnormalities occurred.

CONCLUSIONHT inhibited peripheral blood micrometastasis of DTC patients and its mechanism needed to be further studied.

Antineoplastic Agents ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Neoplasm Micrometastasis ; drug therapy ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; Tablets ; Thyroid Neoplasms ; drug therapy

This study was to investigate the permeability and absorbability of capsaicin cubosome across abdominal skin of the SD rats in vitro. Diffusion of capsaicin cubosome and cream was performed with the modified Franz diffusion cell technique. The capsaicin cubosome showed no enhancement of skin permeation within 24 hours. However, the deposition amounts of capsaicin in the rat skin in the cubosome group was markedly higher than those in the commercial cream group (P < 0.01). Cubosome showed excellent characetristic of skin-targed which could be a good carrier for the local transdermal drug delivery system.
Administration, Cutaneous ; Animals ; Capsaicin ; administration & dosage ; chemistry ; Kinetics ; Male ; Particle Size ; Permeability ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Skin ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Skin Absorption

AIM: To investigate two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in the apolipoprotein(a) promoter at positions -418 and -384 and to compare distributing difference of genotype frequencies of single nucleotide among different races and to explore the influencies of them on serum lipid level and their association with coronary heart disease (CHD). METHODS: Using PCR-RFLP (BsgI,BfaI) method, we determined genotypes of these two SNPs in 156 unrelated healthy controls of HanZu Chinese and 56 unrelated CHD patients of HanZu Chinese and 56 unrelated African Blacks, then cloned polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products into T-vector and sequenced it by M13 currency primer, correspondingly. RESULTS: (1) There was no polymorphism at position -418A/A and -384C/C in control group. Only one CHD patient′s genotype determined was -418G/G, other were -418A/A and (-384C/C) in CHD patients. (2) Only two African Blacks′ genotype determined was -418G/G, other were -418A/A and (-384C/C) in African Blacks. (3) However, the Apo(a) promoter sequence was in coincident with the sequence publicized in GenBank and the base at positions -418 was adenine (A) and -384 was cytosine (C). CONCLUSION: The mutation frequencies at position -418 and -384 are low in the Chinese Han Population of Hubei and perhaps no single nucleotide polymorphisms is at two positions. No association with serum lipid levels and CHD is observed. There may be great variabilities to the SNPs in the Apo(a) promoter among different races.