Objective: To study the antipyretic action of Dipseudoephedrine Glycyrrhizin and its effect on heart rate and blood pressure of rats.Methods: The model of pyretic rabbit was established by diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus triple vaccine,and to observe the effect of Dipseudoephedrine Glycyrrhizin on temperature of rabbit. Two-path physiological recorder was used to measure heart rate and blood pressure.Results: The experiment proved that Dipseudoephedrine Glycyrrhizin can decrease the anus temperature of pyretic rabbit obviously.Dipseudoephedrine Glycyrrhizanate had no remarkably effect on heart rate and blood pressure.Conclusion: Dipseudoephedrine Glycyrrhizin has antipyretic action and has no effect on heart rate and blood pressure within studied dose.

Objective To explore the clinical manifestations of ultrasonography(US),99mTc-methoxyisobutylisonitrile(99mTc-MIBI),and 131I whole body scan(131I-WBS)of patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma(DTC)and cervical lymph node metastasis.Methods A total of 117 cases received examinations of US and 99mTc-MIBI before uses of 131I and received 131I-WBS after 6 d of 131I treatment.Combined with serum thyroglobulin(Tg),131I-SPECT/CT,lymph node biopsy and clinical follow-up of patients,cervical lymph node metastases were identified.Results In 117 patients,the sensitivity of US,99mTc-MIBI and 131I-WBS were 76.5%,67.1% and 83.5%(P

Female ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Maple Syrup Urine Disease ; diagnosis ; therapy

BACKGROUND:The bispectral (BIS) index is a processed electroencephalogram (EEG) parameter with extensive validation and demonstrated clinical utility. The study aimed to investigate the correlation between the BIS index and the prognosis of patients with coma in the ICU. METHODS:A total of 208 patients with coma in the ICU were enrolled in this study. According to the BIS value, the patients were divided into four groups:group I, BIS value 0 to 20; group Ⅱ, BIS value 21 to 40; group Ⅲ, BIS value 41 to 60; and group IV, BIS value greater than 60. The difference in BIS values with the differences in prognosis of patients with coma was compared between the four groups, and the prognosis of patients with coma was stratified into consciousness, coma, vegetative state, and brain death. Subsequently, the best cut-off score of BIS values calculated for determining the correlation between BIS value and mental state was proposed. RESULTS:There are no significant differences in the age and APACHE Ⅱ scores between the four groups (P>0.05). An inverse correlation was observed between BIS value and mental state (r=–0.749, P=0.00). According to the ROC curve, as BIS value was greater than 42.5, there were higher sensitivity and specificity in conscious-coma patients. CONCLUSION:BIS value is correlated with the prognosis of patients with coma in ICU, and BIS value can be a useful marker for estimating the prognosis of comatose patients.

OBJECTIVETo explore the therapeutic effect and the mechanism of acupuncture in reducing body weight.

METHODSFifty cases of simple obesity were randomly divided into an acupuncture group and a drug control group, 25 cases in each group. The patients in the acupuncture group were treated with body acupuncture at Tianshu (ST 25), Guanyuan (CV 4), etc, electroacupuncture and ear point tapping and pressing therapy (Shenmen, Endocrine, etc. were selected); the patients in the control group were treated with oral administration of sibutramine. The serum leptin level before and after treatment were determined and the therapeutic effect in reducing body weight was assessed.

RESULTSThe total effective rate was 88.0% in the acupuncture group and 80. 0% in the control group, with no significant difference between the two groups (P>0.05); after treatment, the serum leptin level in both the two groups decreased significantly (P<0.01), and the decreasing amplitude in the acupuncture group was superior to that in the control group (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONAcupuncture therapy has a definite therapeutic effect in reducing body weight, and the improvement of serum leptin level of the patient is possibly one of the mechanisms of acupuncture in reducing body weight.

Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Body Weight ; Electroacupuncture ; Humans ; Leptin ; blood ; Obesity ; therapy

OBJECTIVETo study the effects of sodium butyrate (SB) on growth, apoptosis and telomerase activity in Hep-2 cells.

METHODSGrowth inhibition effect of SB on Hep-2 cells was assessed by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay. Morphological alterations were observed by electronic microscope. Cell apoptosis was confirmed by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end-labeling (TUNEL) method, DNA fragmentation and flow cytometry (FCM). Cell cycle was analyzed by FCM. Telomerase activity was examined by telomeric repeat amplification protocol (TRAP)-silver staining. The expression status of telomerase subunits was analyzed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).

RESULTSA time-and dose-dependent inhibition was detected in cells treated with SB. Typical morphological changes of apoptotic cells were observed under electronic microscopy. The characteristic DNA fragmentation of apoptotic cells was detected by agarose gel electrophoresis. Apoptosis and the changes of cell cycle were confirmed by TUNEL method and FCM. The apoptosis indexes of the cells before treatment and at 72 h after SB (2.5 mmol/L) treatment were 2.27 +/- 1.18 and 33.50 +/- 2.75 respectively, the apoptosis rates were 2. 86% and 31. 28% respectively, the proportion of the cells at G0/G1 stage were 50.38% and 70.88% respectively, the proportion of the cells at S stage were 27.40% and 8.20% respectively, and the proliferation indexes of the cells were 49.62% and 29.12% respectively. Telomerase activity and expression level of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT), the key subunit of telomerase, decreased after SB treatment. No significant changes were observed in the expression of human telomerase RNA (hTR) and human telomerase associated protein (hTP1), the other two subunit of telomerase.

CONCLUSIONSB could inhibit growth of Hep-2 cells and induce apoptosis in the cells, and inhibit telomerase activity by decrease expression level of hTERT.

Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Butyrates ; pharmacology ; Cell Cycle ; drug effects ; Hep G2 Cells ; Humans ; Sodium ; pharmacology ; Telomerase ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo explore the regulatory effect of arginine on the secretion of hepatic insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-I), and the mechanism of enhancing the immune function by arginine.

METHODSWistar rats were randomly divided into normal control (NC), wound control (WC), and wound with arginine (Arg) groups, with 8 rats in each group. The rats in WC and Arg groups were inflicted with soft tissue trauma on the back. The rats in Arg group were fed a diet supplemented with 5% arginine for one week, while those in NC and WC groups were fed with glycine. The serum contents of arginine, ornithine, growth factor (GH), NO and IGF-I were determined 7 days after feeding. T cell proliferation and IGF-I mRNA expression in hepatic tissue were also measured. Meanwhile, the rat hepatocytes were cultured in serum-free medium containing different concentrations of arginine. The supernatant was collected for the determination of IGF-I level.

RESULTS1). There was no obvious difference of the serum level of arginine and ornithine between NC and WC groups (P > 0.05), but the contents of them were obviously higher in the Arg group compared with other two groups (P < 0.01). 2). No difference in the serum GH level was found among all the groups (P > 0.05), but the serum NO content in WC and Arg groups was significantly lower than that in NC group (P < 0.01), and the serum IGF-I content in WC group decreased obviously compared with that in NC group (P < 0.01). 3). The thymocyte proliferation rate in WC group was also markedly lower than that in NC group (P < 0.01), but that in Arg group was improved compared with WC group (P < 0.01). 4). The expression of hepatic IGF-I mRNA: The relative value of IGF-I mRNA was 1.19 +/- 0.06, 1.08 +/- 0.06 and 1.29 +/- 0.06 in NC, WC and Arg, respectively, while the value in WC was lower than that in NC (P < 0.05) group, and that in Arg group was much higher than that in WC group (P < 0.01). 5). The IGF-I level in the supernatant of cultured hepatocytes: When Arg concentration was 0.0750, 0.7500, 7.5000 mmol/L in the culture medium, the IGF-I level in the supernatant of hepatic cell medi-um was obviously higher than that in the medium without arginine (P < 0.01). Although IGF-I level decreased in the culture medium with arginine in the dose of 37.5000 mmol/L, it was still obviously higher than that in the medium without arginine (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONArginine could also produce the immune enhancing effect by stimulating hepatic IGF-I secretion.

Animals ; Arginine ; pharmacology ; Enteral Nutrition ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I ; metabolism ; Liver ; drug effects ; secretion ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Soft Tissue Injuries ; metabolism ; therapy

OBJECTIVETo study the effect of Tangshenkang Granule (TG) containing serum on renal mesangial cells' (RMCs) proliferation and TGF-β1/Smad2/3 pathway in the high glucose condition.

METHODSTwelve SD rats were randomly divided into four groups, i.e., the low dose TG group, the middle dose TG group, the high dose TG group, and the blank control group, 3 in each group. After 7-day gastrogavage via portal vein blood, rats were sacrificed and their serum samples were collected. RMCs were cultured in common rat serum and TG containing serum respectively. The proliferation of mesangial cells was determined by methly thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay to determine the optimal TG containing serum concentration. Expression levels of TGF-β1 mRNA and protein were determined by real time quantitative PCR and ELISA. Smad2/3 protein expression and phosphorylation were determined by Western blot and immunofluorescence.

RESULTSTG containing serum at different doses could inhibit high glucose induced RMC cells' proliferation, TGF-β1 over-expression and Smad2/3 phosphorylation.

CONCLUSIONTG containing serum could inhibit high glucose induced RMC cells' proliferation, and its mechanism might be possibly associated with inhibiting TGF-β1/Smad2/3 signaling pathway.

Animals ; Cell Proliferation ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Glucose ; Mesangial Cells ; Phosphorylation ; RNA, Messenger ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Serum ; Signal Transduction ; Smad2 Protein ; metabolism ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1 ; metabolism

Ductus Arteriosus ; abnormalities ; Fatal Outcome ; Female ; Heart Septal Defects, Atrial ; etiology ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Rubella Syndrome, Congenital ; complications

S1 nuclease (from Aspergillus oryzae) is a specific enzyme to degrade single stranded DNA or RNA molecules. It has been reported to be able to convert superhelical circular DNA molecules into open circle or linear forms under certain conditions, but this function has not been well explored. In order to use the action of S1 nuclease to linearize circular DNA and develop a novel way of cloning microcircular DNAs, the pUC19 was used to investigate the relationship between the linearization efficiency of S1 nuclease and the amount of enzyme used. By this way the optimal conditions for linearization of circular DNAs by S1 nuclease would be determined. 0.3u to 17u S1 nuclease per 100ng pUC19 DNA was added into a 25 microL system, respectively, to perform the reaction. The effectiveness of enzyme digestion was realized by electrophoresis in a 1.2% agarose gel. The results showed that along with the increase in enzyme amount from 0.3u to 17u a gradual decrease in the superhelical form, a gradual increase in the linear form and then in the circular form was obvious. The conversion from superhelical form to linear and circular form was directly related to the enzyme amount used. A higher proportion of linear DNA molecules was achieved by using 5 to 17u S1 nuclease per 100ng DNA. Besides, electrophoretic mobility of the S1 nuclease-linearized pUC19 was the same as that of the linear form produced by restriction enzyme digestion. According to the result of phiX174 digested by S1 nuclease it has been proposed that the enzyme cleaves first randomly on one site of one strand, thus converting the superhelical molecules into open circle form, and then on the same site of the complementary strand to produce the linear form. Therefore, the S1 nuclease-linearized DNA molecules are intact in the sense of their length and can be used for cloning. The plasmid-like DNA pC3 from cucumber mitochondria is a double stranded circular DNA molecule with about 550bp and the smallest known plasmid-like DNA in eukaryotic mitochondria. Many attempts have been made to linearize the molecule by using restriction enzymes but failed. Therefore, S1 nuclease was used to linearize pC3 based on the results obtained with pUC19. The linearized pC3 DNA molecules formed a very sharp band in a 2.5% agarose gel after electrophoresis. They were then recovered from the gel, added an "A" tail and ligated with T-vector. After transformation into E. coli JM109 cells, the positive clones were, screened by the blue-white selection. The insert was then cut using restriction enzymes EcoRI and Pst I. The result of electrophoresis shows that the electrophoretic mobility of the insert is just the same as that predicted. A 32 P-labled probe was synthesized using pC3 as the template and Southern blot analysis was carried out. The result shows that the inserted DNA is hybridized to the probe, which indicates that the cloned DNA fragment is from pC3. The sequence information of the insert shows that the plasmid-like DNA pC3 was 537bp in length. The nucleotide sequence was deposited in the GenBank (the accession number is AF522195).
Blotting, Southern ; Cloning, Molecular ; methods ; DNA, Circular ; genetics ; metabolism ; Fungal Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Single-Strand Specific DNA and RNA Endonucleases ; genetics ; metabolism