OBJECTIVETo study the influence of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) transplantation on hypoxic pulmonary hypertension (HPH) in rats.

METHODSSD rats MSCs were separated, cultivated, identified and labeled by the green fluorescence protein (GFP) gene virus and transplanted in vitro. Healthy male SD rats were randomly divided into four groups: Normal control group (NC group) and HPH group (eight rats respectively), HPH+ MSCs transplantation group and HPH+ VEGF+ MSCs transplantation group (twenty-four respectively). The test employed atmospheric intermittent low oxygen method to establish the rat model of pulmonary hypertension and stem cells were transferred and transplanted. The rats' mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) was observed; right ventricular hypertrophy index (RVHI) was calculated; the morphological change of lung small artery in various groups of rats was observed under the microscope; the distribution of lung small artery and adenovirus transfection fluorescently labeled MSCs was observed under a fluorescent microscope after 7, 14 and 28 days when stem cell was transplanted.

RESULTSFor NC group, the mPAP (mmHg) was 15.5 +/- 1.5 after twenty-eight days while the mPAPs for HPH , MSCs and MSCs+ VEGF were 26.1 +/- 1.9, 21.6 +/- 2.7 and 20.1 +/- 2.9 respectively which were apparently higher than that of NC group (P < 0.01) and compared with HPH group (P < 0.01), which declined clearly. There was no significant difference between MSCs and MSCs+ VEGF. After twenty-eight days, RVHI for NC group was 0.28 +/- 0.02 while the RVHI for HPH, MSCs and MSCs + VEGF were 0.43 +/- 0.07, 0.34 +/- 0.03 and 0.35 +/- 0.01 respectively which was apparently higher than that of NC group (P < 0.01) but which was clearly lower than that of MSCs and MSCs+ VEGF (P < 0.05) and there was no significant difference between MSCs and MSCs + VEGF. For HPH group, pulmonary arteriole wall became apparently thicker, the lumen became significantly narrow and nearly obstructed after twenty-eight days, the endothelial cells were incomplete; compared with HPH group, pulmonary arteriole wall of MSCs group became thin, the lumen was smooth and the completeness of endothelial cells was improved. Whereas for MSCs and MSCs + VEGF, these changes were not significantly clear.

CONCLUSIONAfter MSCs transplantation, mPAP and RVHI decline sharply and lung small artery remodeling is improved which partially reverses HPH process; there is no significant difference between VEGF together with MSCs transplantation group and pure MSCs.

Animals ; Disease Models, Animal ; Hypertension, Pulmonary ; etiology ; metabolism ; surgery ; Hypoxia ; complications ; Male ; Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; pharmacology

OBJECTIVETo investigate the prevalence and subtype distribution of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and its correlation with age among women in Beijing urban area, and provide some epidemiological evidence for the clinical application of HPV vaccines.

METHODSWe collected cervical specimens from 1999 women in the Outpatient Department of our hospital, performed genetyping of HPV-DNA, and analyzed the incidence of HPV infection in different age groups.

RESULTSHPV infection was detected in 502 (25.2%) of the 1999 women patients, with 391 (19.6%) cases of high-risk HPV, which included 326 (83.4%, 326/391) cases of single infection. HPV-16 was the most common type (21.2%, 69/326), followed by HPV-52 (19.3%, 63/326) and HPV-58 (16.0%, 52/326). The prevalence of HPV infection was the highest among the women aged 41 -50 years and the lowest among those over 60 years.

CONCLUSIONThe subtype- and age-specific distribution of HPV infection among women in Beijing urban area shows an obvious heterogeneity, which deserves due consideration in the clinical application of HPV vaccines.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Age Distribution ; Aged ; China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Genotype ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Papillomaviridae ; classification ; genetics ; Papillomavirus Infections ; epidemiology ; Young Adult

Objective To study the effect of glucocorticoid receptor(GCR) on the treatment of patients with nephrotic syndrome(NS) and to observe the accommodation effect of herbal gynostemmae,acanthopanax senticosus harns on GCR levels.Methods The patients were divided into 3 groups: the healthy control group,treatment group Ⅰ(GC only) and treatment group Ⅱ(combination with herbal gynostemmae,acanthopanax senticosus harns and GC),radioligand binding assay was used to measure the GCR levels of each group.At the same time,the urine protein ratio within 24 hours was observed in each group.Results Compared with healthy control group,the GCR levels of treatment group Ⅰ and Ⅱ were both reduced,but after 4 weeks of treatment in the treatment group Ⅱ,not only GCR level recovered but also the urine protein were decreased faster than treatment group Ⅰ.Conclusions Herbal gynostemmae,acanthopanax senticosus harns can accommodate the GCR levels of children with NS.They can also eliminate urine protein and cure NS ideally.

This study is to investigate the effect of artesunate on transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and its possible mechanism. After the in vitro cultured RLE-6TN cells were treated with TGF-beta1 then artesunate intervened on it, after 24 h, expression of the markers of mesenchymal cell was assayed using Western blotting and real-time PCR analysis. Western blotting was also used to detect the effect of TGF-beta1 on the Smad3 and Smad7 expressions of RLE-6TN cells. Morphological alterations were examined by phase-contrast microscope, and ultrastructure changes by electron microscope. Incubation of RLE-6TN cells with TGF-beta1 resulted in the up-regulation of the expression of the mesenchymal cell markers, after artesunate intervened on it, resulted in the down-regulation of the expression. Meanwhile, incubation with artesunate intervened on RLE-6TN cells could lead to the apparent down-regulation of the expression of Smad3 and up-regulation of Samd7 and the transition of RLE-6TN cells to mesenchymal-like by TGF-beta1 induction, after artesunate intervened on it, RLE-6TN cells to epithelial-like. TGF-beta1 induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition process; artesunate can inhibit TGF-beta1-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition process, the possible mechanism is up-regulation of the expression of Smad7 and down-regulation of the expression of Smad3, meanwhile inhibits phosphorylation of Smad3.
Actins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Animals ; Artemisia ; chemistry ; Artemisinins ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Cell Line ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Epithelial Cells ; cytology ; metabolism ; Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition ; drug effects ; Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis ; pathology ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Pulmonary Alveoli ; cytology ; RNA, Messenger ; metabolism ; Rats ; Smad3 Protein ; genetics ; metabolism ; Smad7 Protein ; genetics ; metabolism ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1 ; pharmacology ; Vimentin ; genetics ; metabolism

The yeast fusant ZFF-28, which is high in biomass production and rich in selenium, was constructed after mutagenesis and protoplasts fusion between yeast strains. The total selenium content of ZFF-28 is 1.8 and 1.0 times higher than that of the parental strains Saccharomyces cerevisiae ZY-67 and Saccharomyces kluyveri SZY-198 respectively. Using single factor tests and a L16(4(3) x 2(1)) orthogonal design, the cultivation conditions was optimized as: 50mL culture in 250mL shake flasks in molasses containing 6% sugar and 60microg/mL Se at 28 degree C for 25h at 220 r/min, with the initial pH adjusted to 6.0 - 6.5. Under the optimized conditions, the biomass (dry weight) reached 8.2g/L and the Se content of the cells reached 2050microg/g, with organic and inorganic Se contents being 91% and 9% respectively.
Biomass ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Saccharomyces ; genetics ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Saccharomyces cerevisiae ; genetics ; metabolism ; Selenium ; metabolism ; Selenium Compounds ; metabolism

Objective To study the different expressions of receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappa B ligang(RANKL) mRNA in spleens of rats fed with diet of low calcium and high fluoride. Methods A 2× 2×2 factorial design was used and the factors were calcium, fluoride and action time. In the design, 40 Wistar rats [average body mass(118.9±13.5)g] were divided into four groups randomly by weight: control with normal diet (0.790%, calcium), low calcium group with low calcium intake(0.063%, calcium), high fluoride group with normal diet and high fluoride intake(100 mg/L, fluoride) and low calcium and high fluoride group with low calcium and high fluoride intake. After 4 and 8 months, 5 rats of each group were sacrificed and total RNA was extracted from spleen. And the expression levels of RANKL mRNA were determined by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Results At time of 4 months, the expression level of RANKL mRNA was 0.13± 0.05,0.13± 0.03,0.17±0.02,0.27± 0.05 and at time of 8 months, it was 0.11 ± 0.01,0.16 ± 0.02,0.16± 0.03,0.36 ± 0.07 in control group, low calcium group, high fluoride group, low calcium with high fluoride group, repectively. The factorial design AVONA showed that low calcium and high fluoride had significant effects on RANKL mRNA expression(F = 40.224,56.679, all P < 0.05) while action time had not(F = 2.850, P > 0.05 ). The interactions of low calcium with high fluoride or high fluoride with action time were signifieant(F = 7.247, 18.789, all P < 0.05) while the interaction of high fluoride with action time was not(F = 1.751, P > 0.05). Conclusions Low calcium alone or high fluoride alone or low calcium with high fluoride or low calcium with action time can increase the the RANKL mRNA expression level. High fluoride does not affect the RANKL mRNA level as the action time is prolonged.

The role of autophagy is known to be highly complex and context-dependent, and may be characterized as both tumor suppression and tumor promotion in some tumors, such as breast cancer and prostate cancer. This review outlines recent advances in the studies of the involvement of autophagy in the development, progression and treatment of prostate cancer, focusing on autophagy modulation during androgen deprivation, with a special discussion on the regulatory effect of androgens on the autophagy of prostate cancer cells. A critical evaluation and analysis of the studies suggests that autophagy inhibition combined with androgen deprivation therapy is a promising approach to the treatment of prostate cancer.
Autophagy ; Humans ; Male ; Prostatic Neoplasms

In this study, we investigated the effect of Cigu Xiaozhi formula on HSC-T6 activity in hypoxic microenvironment based on network pharmacology and computer-aided drug design, and predicted and verified its possible targets and related signaling pathways. The potential active components and targets of Cigu Xiaozhi formula were screened by searching Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP), Encyclopaedia of Traditional Chinese Medicine (ETCM) and Bioinformatics Analysis Tool for Molecular Mechanism of Traditional Chinese Medicine (BATMAN-TCM) databases, and the liver fibrosis related targets retrieved from Gene Cards and Pharm GK database were integrated to obtain the potential targets of Cigu Xiaozhi formula in the treatment of liver fibrosis. GO enrichment analysis and KEGG signaling pathway enrichment analysis were performed on Omic Share platform, and Cytoscape software was used to construct the "potential active ingredient-key target-pathway" network. The active components and target proteins were subjected to molecular docking analysis by Auto Dock software. According to the results of molecular dynamics simulation and binding free energy calculation, the top 5 active components with degree were scored. The active components stigmasterol and β-sitosterol were subjected to molecular docking. CoCl₂ was used to induce HSC-T6 cells to construct hypoxia model in vitro. The cell viability was detected by CCK-8 assay, and the optimal time and concentration of hypoxia model of HSC-T6 cells was determined to be 100 µmol·L^-1 CoCl₂ for 24 h. Under hypoxia condition, HSC-T6 cells were activated, the wound healing rate was significantly increased, and the fluorescence signal of activation marker protein α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) was significantly enhanced. However, 6% drug-containing serum could inhibit the activation of HSC-T6 cells, and the wound healing rate was significantly decreased, and the fluorescence signal of α-SMA was significantly weakened. Further studies showed that the expressions of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), α-SMA and key proteins of Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway in HSC-T6 cells were up-regulated under hypoxia, while the expressions of HIF-1α, α-SMA, Patched-1 (Ptch-1) and glioma related oncogene homology-1 (Gli-1) were down-regulated in 6% drug-containing serum group, the YC-1 group and the cyclopamine group. These results indicated that HIF-1α and Hh signaling pathways were involved in the activation of HSC-T6 cells, and the traditional Chinese medicine Cigu Xiaozhi formula could inhibit the activation of HSC-T6 cells, and the mechanism may be related to the inhibition of HIF-1α expression and the blocking of Hh signaling pathway. In conclusion, Cigu Xiaozhi formula can inhibit the activation of HSC-T6 cells by directly acting on HIF-1α and Hh signaling pathway, and exert an anti-hepatic fibrosis effect. The animal experimental protocol has been reviewed and approved by Laboratory Animal Ethics Committee of Gansu University of Chinese Medicine, in compliance with the Institutional Animal Care Guidelines.

OBJECTIVETo explore the prevalence of syphilis and risk factors on pregnant women in Fujian province.

METHODSFrom July 1st, 2004 to June 30th, 2006, epidemiologic methods as questionnaires to fill in and rapid plasma reagent testing (RPR) were performed. Pregnant women with positive RPR test and then were confirmed by treponema pallidum test (TP). Intervention was provided to the pregnant women who were followed up to the postpartum periods. Results were compared during the peri-neonatal stage between syphilis-infected and non-infected women. Factors which were relative to syphilis infection were analyzed by simple and then further logistic regression analysis.

RESULTSThere were 38 418 pregnant women under study, of whom 772 were confirmed including 60 who were still pregnant. The prevalence of syphilis during pregnancy was 1.85% (712/38 418), with mostly underlying syphilis which played an important role during the neonatal stage. Main risk factors to have been found as: women's occupation, cultural background, place of living, husband's occupation, family income, having sexually transmitted disease(STD) infection. The prognosis of peri-neonatal stage was worse if the mother was having blood RPR test positive. Mortality of peri-neonatal, preterm birth rate and low-birth weight rate were found also higher among mothers when RPR was positive (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONThe prevalence of syphilis in Fujian province was going up yearly. 8 factors including women's occupation, cultural background, place of living, received poor health education, having multiple sexual partners, husband's occupation, family income and having STD were main risk factors in the province, the mother's status of syphilis infection would strongly relate to the peri-neonatal stage of pregnancy.

Adult ; China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Maternal Mortality ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious ; epidemiology ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Syphilis ; epidemiology ; Syphilis Serodiagnosis ; Young Adult

Objective To explore the maternal-fetal transmission patterns and interventional methods of syphilis during pregnancy.Methods A total of 847 cases of syphilis in pregnancy confirmed by rapid plasma reagin test(RPR)and treponema pallidum hemoagglutination test(TPHA)were treated with procaine benzylpenieillin intramuscular injection,and with erythrocin oral medication if hypersensitive to benzylpenicillin.Eight hundred forty seven cases of syphilis during pregnancy were followed up for pregnancy outcomes.And their newborn babies were tested using the RPR.The newborns with positive results were given intervention and followed up until 24 months after birth.Results(1)A total of 733 cases among the total 847 have given birth to living-babies,in which 626 cases were tested using RPR,and the positive rate was 55.1%(345/626).(2)The RPR positive rate,neonatal mortality,preterm birth rate and low birth rate in the newborn of mothers with an RPR titer higher than or at 1:8 were higher than those of mothers with an RPR titer lower than 1:8(P