Animals ; Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury ; drug therapy ; Liver ; drug effects ; pathology ; Mice ; Silymarin ; pharmacology ; Ursodeoxycholic Acid ; pharmacology

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of physical and chemical factors on callus growth and phillyrin contents of F. suspensa.

METHODThe cell growth index and phyllirin yield in different culture condition such as different plant hormones mixed, mediums, light and dark were compared. HPLC was used to examine phillyrin contents.

RESULT AND CONCLUSIONGrowth cycle of cells is twenty-eight days. During the course of callus growth, the processes of phillyrin biosynthesis were parallel with the cell growth. The optimum medium is MS. The optimum hormones concentrations are 1 mg.L-1 2,4-D, 0.5 mg.L-1 6-BA and 0.5 mg.L-1KT. The cell culture in light is more suitable than that in dark.

Culture Media ; Culture Techniques ; Forsythia ; chemistry ; cytology ; metabolism ; Glucosides ; biosynthesis ; Lighting ; Plant Growth Regulators ; pharmacology ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; cytology ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo compare therapeutic effects of acupuncture and embedding thread on depression and to probe the mechanism.

METHODSThirty-two adult SD rats, 16 females and 16 males, were randomly divided into a normal group, a model group, an acupuncture group and an embedding thread group, 8 rats in each group. Separated feeding, long-term unpredictable and middle stimulation stress were used for development of depression rat model. At the same time, the treatment groups were treated for 21 days. The changes of norepinephrine (NE), 5-hydoxytryptamine (5-HT) and dopamine (DA) contents in the brain were detected by high performance liquid chromatography-electrochemical detector.

RESULTSCompared with the normal group, 5-HT, NE and DA contents in the hypothalamus and hippocampus decreased significantly in the model group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01); compared with the model group, the contents of the central monoamine neurotransmitters increased in both the acupuncture group and the embedding thread group, but the embedding thread group had more obvious action in improvement of 5-HT and DA levels in the hypothalamus and DA level in the hippocampus than the acupuncture group with no significant difference between the two groups.

CONCLUSIONBoth acupuncture and embedding thread therapy are effective for the depression model rat. They play the therapeutic role through regulating central monoamine neurotransmitters.

Acupuncture Therapy ; methods ; Animals ; Biogenic Monoamines ; analysis ; Depression ; metabolism ; therapy ; Dopamine ; analysis ; Female ; Hippocampus ; chemistry ; Hypothalamus ; chemistry ; Male ; Norepinephrine ; analysis ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Serotonin ; analysis

OBJECTIVETo summarize our hospital's experience in the diagnosis and treatment of Candida infection in patients with acute necrotizing pancreatitis (ANP).

METHODSSeventy-eight cases with ANP were reviewed. There were diagnoses either by operative finding or by CT scanning. Sixty-two cases received prophylactic antibiotic treatment, other sixteen did not. For cultivation of Candida, blood, urine, stool, sputum and wound drainage fluid culture, and swabs were examined microbiologically for fungi.

RESULTSThe incidence of Candida infection in all patients with ANP was 17.9% (14/78) and mortality was 28.6% (4/14). The incidence of prophylactic antibiotic group was 19.4% (12/62) and mortality was 25.0% (3/12). Non prophylactic group was 12.5% (2/16) and 50.0%.

CONCLUSIONSOur data provide evidence for the clinical significance of Candida infection in patients with ANP. The current prophylactic antibiotic treatment can prevent a septic course of the ANP, but might lead to the evolution of Candida infection.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Candidiasis ; drug therapy ; etiology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pancreatitis, Acute Necrotizing ; complications ; drug therapy

AIMTo prepare the PEGylated liposomes modified with cell penetrating peptides, which protect siRNA from nuclease degradation and deliver efficiently siRNA into cells to facilitate silencing of target gene.

METHODSThe purity of R8-PEG-PE and pNP-PEG-PE was detected by HPLC; the quantity of R8, PEG-DPPE modified R8, and R8 attached to the out membrane surface of the liposomal siRNA by transfer from R8-PEG-DPPE micelles to the liposomes was tested by fluorescence; Size and size distribution of siRNA loaded liposomes with and without attached R8 were determined by Zetasizer 5000; A comparison of mediated siRNA transfection efficiency between R8-liposomes and lipofectamine 2000 was examined by individual inside cell fluorescence intensity; The growth inhibition of small cell lung carcinoma NCI-H446 cells treated with R8-liposomal hdm2-siRNA or lipofectamine 2000-hdm2-siRNA complex was tested by MTT assay.

RESULTSThe retention times of PEG-DPPE and R8-PEG-DPPE were 9.0 min and 7.8 min, respectively. Fluorescence scanning indicated that lipids composed of liposomes and siRNAs didn't interfere to the determination of R8 when it was attached to the liposomal siRNA. The cells treated with R8-liposomal hdm2-siRNA significantly enhanced the cellular uptake of hdm2-siRNA and facilitated the functions of hdm2-siRNA through silencing of target gene which, in turn, inhibited tumor cell growth, compared with lipofectamine 2000.

CONCLUSIONThe R8 attached liposomes are shown to be powerful carriers for delivery siRNAs into cell to silence targeted gene.

Carcinoma, Small Cell ; metabolism ; pathology ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Gene Silencing ; Gene Targeting ; Humans ; Liposomes ; Lung Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Oligopeptides ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; Phosphatidylethanolamines ; Polyethylene Glycols ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-mdm2 ; genetics ; metabolism ; RNA, Small Interfering ; administration & dosage ; metabolism ; pharmacology ; Transduction, Genetic

Background Statistic data revealed that different retinopathy of pre-term infants have different susceptibility to retinopathy of prematurity (ROP),which may be associated with polymorphism of vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF) gene.Objective This study was to determine the association of polymorphisms of VEGF gene with the risk for ROP.Methods This research was approved by Ethics Committee of Hunan Children's Hospital,and written informed consent was obtained from the parents of patients.A prospective case-controlled study was designed.Ninety-nine ROP patients in Hunan Children' s Hospital and 88 pre-termed children without ROP were included from January,2006 to December,2009.Thirty-nine patients who received retinal photocoagulation or cryotherapy were included as the treatment group,and 60 untreated but spontaneously regressed ROP patients as the non-treatment group.No significant differences were seen in demography between with the ROP group and the without ROP group,or between the treatment group and the non-treatment group (all P＞0.05).2 mL of peripheral blood was collected for the extraction of DNA.Gene polymorphisms of VEGF-A+405 and VEGF-A936 were detected using the pyrosequencing method.Results No significant difference was found in the frequencies of the VEGF-A+405 gene polymorphisms between the ROP group and without ROP group (P =0.071,OR =0.675,95 ％ CI =0.444-1.026).Also no significant difference was found in the frequencies of the VEGF-A936 gene polymorphisms between with the ROP group and without the ROP group (P =0.118,OR =0.768,95 ％ CI=2.823-4.614).However,the frequencies of the VEGF-A+405 gene polymorphisms were significantly higher in the ROP treatment group than the non-treatment group (P＜0.01,OR--0.857,95 ％ CI =5.239-14.024),and VEGF-A936 gene polymorphisms was also significantly higher in the ROP treatment group than the non-treatment group (P =0.000,OR =3.609,95 ％ CI =0.711-0.829).Conclusions There is no association between the VEGF-A+405/VEGF-A936 single nucleotide polymorphism with the risk of ROP,but polymorphisms of VEGF gene may be correlated with the prognosis of ROP.The carrier of VEGF-A +405 /VEGF-A936 allele is more susceptible to ROP progression.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of tamoxifen (TMX) combined with coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) on idiopathic oligoasthenospermia.

METHODSA total of 183 patients with idiopathic oligoasthenospermia were randomly divided into a TMX + CoQ10 group (n = 63), a TMX group (n = 61) and a CoQ10 group (n = 59). At the end of 3 and 6 months of treatment, semen analyses and hormone tests were performed, and the results were compared with those obtained before the treatment.

RESULTSCompared with the pre-treatment results, the levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH) and testosterone (T) and sperm concentration were significantly elevated in the TMX + CoQ10 and TMX groups (P < 0.05), but showed no significant difference in the CoQ10 group (P > 0.05); sperm motility and morphologically normal sperm were increased significantly in the TMX + CoQ10 and CoQ10 groups (P < 0.05), and slightly in the TMX group but with no statistically significant difference (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONTamoxifen combined with CoQ10 can significantly improve sperm concentration, motility and morphology in patients with idiopathic oligoasthenospermia.

Adult ; Humans ; Male ; Oligospermia ; drug therapy ; Tamoxifen ; therapeutic use ; Treatment Outcome ; Ubiquinone ; analogs & derivatives ; therapeutic use ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of Danshen Injection (DSI) on the proliferation of rheumatoid arthritis fibroblast-like synoviocytes (RA FLSs) cultured in RA patients' serum.

METHODSThe RA FLSs harvested from RA patients' synovial fluid were primarily cultured by routines. The cells were cultured with 10% inactivated human serum (the healthy human serum and the RA patients' serum) for 24 h. Then DSI at the final concentration of 0. 4 mg/mL was added in the cells for further 24 h culture. By taking 10% fetal calf serum as the control, the morphological changes were observed under optical microscope. The proliferation was analyzed by MTT. The apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry. The total RNA was extracted and reverse transcription was performed. The Bax mRNA expression was detected by fluorescent quantitative PCR.

RESULTS(1) After human serum was added in the healthy human serum and RA patients' serum, cells could grow adhering to the wall. Compared with the fetal calf serum group (FCS), the cell density was higher in the healthy human serum group than in the fetal calf serum group, with no obvious morphological changes. (2) MTT results showed that, compared with the fetal calf serum group, the absorbance value (OD) obviously increased in the healthy human serum group and the RA patients' serum group, showing statistical difference (P <0.01). After adding DSI at the final concentration of 0.4 mg/mL, cells from different serums were inhibited to various degrees (with OD significantly decreased, P <0.05). The OD value significantly increased more in the healthy human serum group and the RA patients' serum group than in the fetal calf serum group, showing statistical difference (P <0.01). There was statistical difference between the healthy human serum group and the RA patients' serum group (P <0.01). (3) The apoptosis rate in the RA patients' serum group obviously decreased with statistical difference, when compared with the Salvia miltiorrhiza free fetal calf serum group (P >0. 01). The apoptosis rate in the fetal calf serum group and the RA patients' serum group significantly increased after adding 0.4 mg/mL Salvia miltiorrhiza, showing statistical difference when compared with the Salvia miltiorrhiza free fetal calf serum group and the Salvia miltiorrhiza free RA patients' serum group (P <0.05). The FLSs were effected by 0.4 mg/mL Salvia miltiorrhiza, the apoptosis rate significantly decreased in the healthy human serum group and the RA patients' serum group, showing statistical difference when compared with the fetal calf serum group (P <0. 05, P <0.01). (4) The expression of Bax gene significantly increased in the RA patients' serum group and the fetal calf serum group after action of 0.4 mg/mL Salvia miltiorrhiza, showing statistical difference (P <0. 01). When 0.4 mg/mL Salvia miltiorrhiza was added, the expression of Bax mRNA obviously increased in the healthy human serum group and the RA patients' serum group, showing statistical difference when compared with the fetal calf serum group (P <0.01).

CONCLUSIONS(1) Although healthy human serum can be favorable to the growth of RA FLSs, the fetal calf serum could reflect the actual results better in the cyto biological research on specific diseases (if there is no serum from patients with corresponding disease). (2) DSI could inhibit the proliferation of RA FLSs through promoting their apoptosis.

Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; pathology ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Cells, Cultured ; Culture Media ; chemistry ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Fibroblasts ; cytology ; drug effects ; Humans ; Phenanthrolines ; pharmacology ; Salvia miltiorrhiza ; Synovial Membrane ; cytology ; drug effects

OBJECTIVETo assess the value of fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) for detecting common chromosome aneuploidies in interphase nuclei of amniotic fluid cells.

METHODSEighty two uncultured amniotic fluid samples and supernatants from 2 successfully and 5 unsuccessfully cultured amniotic fluid samples were analyzed with FISH. Results from standard cytogenetic analysis of 79 uncultured amniotic fluid samples and 2 successfully cultured amniotic fluid samples were compared with FISH results.

RESULTSAll of the 89 samples were succeeded analyzed with FISH. Positive findings included 3 cases with trisomy 21, 1 case with 47, XYY and 1 case with 69, XXX, which were consistent with results of karyotype analysis.

CONCLUSIONFISH is a rapid and accurate method for prenatal diagnosis, and can also provide a remedy to failed amniotic fluid cells culture.

Adult ; Amniotic Fluid ; cytology ; Cell Culture Techniques ; Female ; Humans ; In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence ; methods ; Karyotyping ; Pregnancy