AIM: To investigate the effect of Chinese propolis on the activity of phosphatidylcholine-specific phospholipase C (PC-PLC) and the expression of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) in LPS-treated vascular endothelial cells (VECs). METHODS: Confluent VECs were stimulated with LPS at the concentration of 100 μg/L in the presence of 0.5% fetal bovine serum. The cells were treated with Chinese propolis at the concentration of 12.5 mg/L for 12 h and 24 h. The viability of VECs and the level of nitric oxide (NO) were detected by sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay and chemical method, respectively. The activity of PC-PLC was measured using L-α-phosphatidylcholine as substrate. The protein levels of TLR4, nuclear factor-Κb p65 (NF-Κb p65) and p53 were determined by Western blotting. The level of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) was examined using a fluorescent probe, 2',7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescin (DCHF). For the measurement of mitochondrial membrane potential, the fluorescent dye JC-1 was used. RESULTS: Treatment with Chinese propolis for 24 h had no effect on the viability of VECs. However, the levels of NO and ROS were significantly decreased by Chinese propolis. PC-PLC activity and NF-Κb p65 expression were significantly depressed by Chinese propolis treated for 12 h, and the expression of TLR4 and p53 were dramatically decreased by Chinese propolis treated for 12 and 24 h. No effect of Chinese propolis on mitochondrial membrane potential was observed. CONCLUSION: Chinese propolis depresses the activity of PC-PLC and the expression of TLR4, and then inhibits the downstream signal molecules such as NF-Κb p65, p53, ROS and NO in VECs.

Objective To analyse the clinical features of pelvic insufficiency fractures (PIF) in patients with cervical cancer after radiotherapy and explore the risk factors affecting its occurrence .Methods 55 cases of patients with cervical cancer that used radia-tion therapy as a single treatment were chosen in our hospital from February 2007 to May 2010 and the clinical features were ana-lysed;The fractures of spine ,sacrum ,sacroiliac joint ,ilium and pubis and femoral were observed and the density of fifth lumbar (L5 ) vertebrae ,left and right sacrum were detected via the CT or MRI (Hounsfield Unit)after 2-year follow-up ,the different factors on the incidence of PIF were explored .Results 12 cases (19 sites) of patients in 55 patients occured PIF after follow-up 2years ,the cumulative incidence was 21 .82% ;the distribution of PIF parts were followed :lumbar vertebrae had 5 cases ,sacral had 5 cases ,pu-bis had 4 cases ,sacroiliac joint had 2 cases ,iliac had 2 cases and femoral head had 1 case .The incidence rate of PIF that density of fifth lumbar vertebrae was ≤130 HU and >130 HU were 16 .36% and 5 .45% respectively ,the PIF′incidence rate that density of left side of sacrum was≤ -35 HU and > -35 HU were 18 .18% and 3 .64% respectively ,the incidence rate of PIF that density of right side of sacrum was ≤ -35 HU and > -35 HU were 20 .00% and 1 .82% respectively ,the density of the three parts all had statistical difference on the incidence of PIF (P<0 .05) .Univariate analysis showed that menopausal status and the average density of CT had statistical effects on PIF (P<0 .05);Multiple analysis showed that the average density of CT was the independent factors affecting PIF′incidence after radiotherapy .Conclusion The patients with cervical cancer may occur pelvic insufficiency fracture af-ter radiotherapy ,and its incidence is related to menopausal status and bone mineral density .

Objective To study the antiviral effects of Pudilan xiaoyan oral liquid on Hep-2 cell models infected with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), adenoviruses serotype 3 strains (ADV3) in vitro. Methods The cell cytotoxic and inhibition effect of Pudilan xiaoyan oral liquid on RSV or ADV3 were investigated by MTT assay and the inhibitory assay for cytopathic effect (CPE) in Hep-2 cell cultures to detect its antiviral effects. Results The median toxic concentration (TC50) of Pudilan xiaoyan oral liquid on Hep-2 cells was 776.97 mg/L. The median effective concentration (EC50) of inhibiting RSV and ADV3 were 28.08, 28.10 mg/L,whose therapeutic index (TI) were 27.67 and 27.65 respectively. The safety coefficient of Pudilan xiaoyan oral liquid is higher than that of control, ribavirin. Compared with the virus control group, Pudilan xiaoyan oral liquid can obviously produce actions of a dose-dependent relationship to inhibit CPE in Hep-2 cells infected with RSV or ADV3 virus. Conclusions Pudilan xiaoyan oral liquid significantly improves the protection against RSV and ADV3 virus infection in Hep-2 cells. And the inhibition of CPE induced by viruses infection increased with the elevation of higher drug concentration for its antiviral effect augmented in vitro.

Objective To observe the effect of herbal medicines with the function of replenish qi and essence for the immune func- tion of patients after mammary cancer operation.Methods The 115 patients of mammary cancer after modified radical operation were randomized into treatment group and control group.The treatment group began to take the decoction of herbal medicines from 7 days before and from the 3rd day after operation.The control group had the same treatment but without taking herbal medicines.The im- mune indices of both groups were tested on the day 7 days before,one day and 14 days after operation respectively.Results In the treatment group,IgA,IgG,IgM were remarkably increased in comparison with the control group 14 days after operation;with the herbal treatment for 2 weeks,CD_4,CD_4/CD_8,IL-2 rised remarkably(P

Background Congenital cataract is the major cause of blindness in children with plentiful clinical manifestations and closely linked with genetics. Objective Present study was to investigate the classification of congenital cataract in Yunnan province.Methods The manifestation characteristics of 184 eyes of 116 patients with congenital cataract in Yunnan province were analyzed.The relationship of performance of various types of congenital cataract between phenotype and hereditary feature were explored. Results All of the 116 congenital cataract eyes from 116 patients were divided into ten types based on the clinical appearance,including the complete cataract,nuclear cataract,posterior polar cataract,anterior polar cataract,coralliform cataract,coronary cataract,pulverulent cataracts,lamellar cataract and blue cataract.Bilateral nuclear cataract and unilateral entire cataract is most prevalent in these patients.Blue cataract and coralliform cataract belong to the less types.Forty-four in 116 cases were found to have the hereditary history and determined as autosomal dominant inheritance.Sporadic cases were determined in 72 cases.Conclusions The analysis of phenotype of the hereditary congenital cataract offers some clues to the classification of congenital cataract.

Background and purpose: Short tandem repeats (STR) multiplex PCR fluorescence detection technology is the most widely used DNA technology in individual identity and genetic identification. It's the most direct method to obtain accurate conclusions. However, some studies have indicated that the rate of STR mutations in tumor tissue is significantly higher than that in normal tissues or blood. This study aimed to investigate the tendency of genetic instability in 20 STR loci on autosomal and Amel loci in tumor tissue samples from lung cancer. Methods: This study, collected 75 cases of human lung cancer tissues and the adjacent normal tissues. DNA samples were extracted by tissue DNA extraction kit, amplified using MicroreaderTM 21 Direct ID System PCR amplification kit. Capillary electrophoresis was performed using API 3130 analyzer, and results were analyzed by genetic analysis software (Gene Mapper ID V3.2). Results: STR alterations were detected in 24 specimens from 75 lung cancer tissues (32%). Fifty-five alterations were detected in the frequently used 21 STR loci in total, including additional alleles 10 times, loss of heterozygosity 10 times, partial loss of heterozygosity 35 times. Partial loss of heterozygosity was the most common genetic alteration types accounting for 63.64% of the total alteration frequency. And multiple genetic alteration types could occur in the same lung cancer tissue. Among them, the highest alteration frequency occurred on D5S818 (7 times), secondly on D3S1358 and D12S391 (both 5 times), and no alterations on D2S441 and Penta E. Combining the experimental results and analysis on clinical data, this study found the statistical differences between the staging of lung cancer and the age of the patients with the STR loci alterations (P<0.05). However, the alterations did have much relationship with the classification of lung cancer and the patient's gender (P>0.05). Conclusion: STR loci of the lung cancer tissue were not stable, and the alteration occurred in the aged or high malignant degree lung cancer tissue more frequently. Meanwhile, no alteration was detected on D2S441 and Penta E. In the future research the two STR loci should be verified to determine whether they can be used as the stable STR loci in such cases by increasing the sample size.

Objective To investigate whether Ulinastatin (UTI) would minimize the systemic inflammatory response,lessen cardiac dysfunction and protect neurons against injury in hippocampus CA1area after restoration of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). Methods Animal models of cardiac arrest were established in 24 New Zealand rabbits,and those animals were randomly (random number) divided into control group and UTI treated group after ROSC.Changes in the levels of plasma inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-6 were assayed before cardiac arrest and 4,8,12 and 16 hours after ROSC.Cardiac function including FS,EF and E/A were observed with ultrasonography before cardiac arrest and 4,8,12 and 16hours after ROSC,and viable and apoptotic neurons in hippocampus CA1 area and infiltrations of MPO positive cells in myocardium,cerebrum,liver,kidney and intestine were counted 72 hours after ROSC.The t-test or Mann-Whitney rank sum test was used to verify the specified theoretical distribution functions of the biomarkers tested by Kolmogorov-Smirnov test,POST HOC test was used for the multiple comparisons,and Pearson correlation analysis was used to investigate the correlation between inflammatory cytokines and cardiac function. Results The levels of TNF-α and IL-6 in UTI group were lower than those in control group as those data got 4,8,12 and 16 hours after ROSC (P ＜0.05).EF and E/A in UTI treated group were higher than those in the control group as those data got 4,8,12 hours after ROSC.FS values obtained 4 h and 8 hours after ROSC were higher in UTI group than those in control group ( P ＜ 0.05 ).The Pearson correlation analysis showed that the levels of TNF-α and IL-6 significantly correlated with EF after ROSC.The number of viable neurons in CA1 area of control group was ( 13.22 ± 0.97) which was lower than that in UTI group ( 16.89 ± 1.45 ) ( P =0.003 ),while the number of apoptotic neurons in hippocampus CA1 area was higher in control group than that in UTI group (15.67 ± 1.37) vs.(13.67 ± 1.03 ) (P =0.019).The numbers of MPO positive cells were significantly lower in liver,kidney and intestine in group UTI than those in control group. Conclusions UTI could inhibit the infiltration of MPO positive cells in liver,kidney and intestine,decreasing the levels of TNF-α and IL-6 in plasma,in turn lessening cardiac dysfunction and protecting neurons from injury in hippocampus CA1 area after ROSC of New Zealand rabbits.

Objective To explore the relationship between the extent of coronary artery lesions and plasma brain natriurefic peptide(BNP)levels in the patients with coronary artery disease(CAD)except for congestive heart failure(CHF).Method Seventy CAD patients without CHF evidenced by dinical manifestation and coronary arte- riography(CAG)from Cardiology Depamnent of the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine,China,were enrolled in the study.These patients were diagnozed under coronary arteriography(CAG) during March to May of 2007.They were divided into 3 groups:stable angina goup(24 patients),unstable angina group(25 patients),myocardial infarction group(21 patients).Twenty patients without coronary history and with normal CAG served as controls.Plasma BNP concentrations were measured with ELASA before CAG.The coronary lesion vessels and scores were estimated after CAG.The relationship between BNP levels and the coronary lesion vessels,as well as scores in CAD was analyzed.The data were expressed as(x±s)and was analyzed by using 2 independent samples test and spearman correlation with SPSS 13.0.A P value less than 0.01 indicated statistical significance.Results The plasma BNP concentrations in the patients,especially in the patients with myocardial infarction,were significantly higher than those in the controls.Spearman analysis showed that there was a positive correlation between the BNP levels and coronary lesion vessels(r1=0.309,P=0.01),also between BNP and coronary lesion score(r2=0.279,P=0.01).Conclusions In the patients without congestive heart failure,the more serious the coronary artery lesions,the higher the plasma BNP concentrations were.The degree of myocardial ischemia caused by coronary artery lesions was correlated with the plasma BNP level.Plasma BNP concentration could be valuable for the extent of coronary artery lesions in the patients of coronary artery disease.

Objective To explore whether the peritoneal cooling was better than other cooling methods on protection neuron damage of the hippocampus CA1 after cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in New Zealand rabbits.Methods Forty eight adult New Zealand rabbits were induced ventricular fibrillation by AC current and were resuscitated after cardiac arrest for 5 minutes.The rabbits were randomly divided into four groups according to the way of cooling methods,nomothermia group ( NT),peritoneal cooling group (PC),surface cooling group (SC) and local cooling group (LC).The changes of tympanic membrane temperature were recorded in each animal and blood plasma concentrations of electrolyte were tested in each group at different time points after restore of spontaneous circulation (ROSC).Brain tissue were removed,the numbers of vigorous and apoptotic neurons in the hippocampus CA1 area were counted after ROSC at 72h.One-way ANOVA or Mann-Whitney rank was used to determine the statistical significance between two groups.LSD-t test for multiple comparisons,R × C test for ROSC comparisons,a two-tailed value of P ＜0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results Hypothermia was rapidly induced in PC after ROSC,and the time of arriving at target temperature was (26 ±7) min in PC,(60 ±9) min in SC,(69 ± 12) min in LC respectively; in the maintain hypothermia period,the tympanic membrane temperature was maintained at 33～ 35 ℃ in each group exception nomothermia group (NT).There were no differences with main electrolyte,acid-abase liquid balance and renal function between each group at each time point after ROSC.The numbers of vigorous neurons in hippocampus CA1 area were ( 37.07 ± 6.43 ) /40 × in NT group,(35.13 ± 6.97) /40 × in LC group,(55.76 ± 10.13 ) /40 × in PC group,and (50.70 ± 7.38 ) /40 × in SC group (PC:NT,P＜0.01,SC:NT,P＜0.01,PC:SC,P=0.043,PC:LC,P＜0.01,LC:NT,P=0.52).The numbers of apoptotic neurons were (44.07 ±6.09) /40 × in NT group,(29.88 ±4.81 ) /40× in PC group,( 33.55 ± 5.67 ) /40 × in SC group and ( 42.27 ± 5.20 ) /40 × in LC group respectively (PC:NT,P ＜0.01,SC:NT,P ＜0.01,PC:LC,P ＜0.01,SC:LC,P ＜0.01,PC:SC,P=0.026,LC:NT,P =0.364 ).Conclusions The new peritoneal cooling method could rapidly induce and maintain hypothermia,and it had better protections on neurons in hippocampus CA1 than surface cooling and local cooling method after ROSC in New Zealand rabbits.

OBJECTIVETo observe the effect of Zhibai Dihuang Decoction (ZDD) on mRNA and protein expressions of transient receptor potential family vanilloid subtype 1 (TRPV1) and transient receptor potential family vanilloid subtype 5 (TRPV5) in Ureaplasma urealyticum (UU)-infected rat semens and spermatogenic cells, and to explore the pathomechanism of UU-infected infertility and the intervention of ZDD.

METHODSTotally 45 were randomly selected from 60 4-5 months old SD rats. UU testicular infected animal models were set up after bladder inoculation of UU suspension. The remaining 15 rats were simultaneously injected with normal saline as a normal control group. After a successful modeling, UU infected model rats were randomly divided into the model group, the azithromycin group, and the ZDD group, 15 in each group. Rats in the ZDD group were administered with ZDD at the daily dose of 1 g/kg by gastrogavage. Rats in the azithromycin group were administered with azithromycin suspension at the daily dose of 0. 105 mg/kg by gastrogavage. Equal volume of normal saline was administered to rats in the normal control group and the model group. All medication was performed once daily for 21 successive days. Testes and epididymis were extracted after rats were killed and UU positive rates were compared among all groups. Sperm cells were separated using a mechanical separation technique. Sperm motility parameters were detected using color sperm motion detection system. mRNA and protein expressions of TRPV1 and TRPV5 in spermatogenic cells were determined by real-time quantitative PCR and Western blot.

RESULTSThe UU positive rate was obviously higher in the model group than in the normal control group [(86.7% (13/15 cases) vs. 0] P < 0.05). It was lower in the ZDD group [33.3% (5/15 cases)] and the azithromycin group [26.7% (4/15 cases)] than in the model group (P < 0.05). Compared with the normal control group, class A and B sperms were reduced, the linear velocity and the average velocity were significantly lowered, mRNA and protein expressions of TRPV1 and TRPV5 in spermated genic cells significantly decreased in the model group (P < 0.05). Compared with the model group, class A and B sperms were increased, linear and curve velocities and the average velocity were significantly elevated, mRNA and protein expressions of TRPV1 and TRPV5 significantly increased in the ZDD group and the azithromycin group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). Compared with azithromycin group, class A and B sperms were increased, the linear velocity and the average velocity were significantly elevated, mRNA and protein expressions of TRPV1 and TRPV5 significantly increased in the ZDD group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONZDD could fight against UU infection and elevate semen quality, which might be associated with up-regulating mRNA and protein expressions of TRPV1 and TRPV5 in spermatogenic cells.

Animals ; Calcium Channels ; metabolism ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Infertility ; Male ; RNA, Messenger ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Semen Analysis ; Sperm Motility ; Spermatozoa ; TRPV Cation Channels ; metabolism ; Testis ; Ureaplasma Infections ; Ureaplasma urealyticum