Objective: To examine the expression of α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH) and the melanin in different kinds of human skin autografts and in the normal skins, so as to elucidate the role of α-MSH in hyperpigmentation in the skin autografts. Methods: Immunohistochemical technique was employed to detect the expression and distribution of α-MSH in skin autografts (including the full thickness skin autografts, medium thickness skin autografts, razor-thin skin autografts, and normal skins adjacent to the donor site and the recipient site). Masson-Fontana staining technique was used to detect the melanin contents in all the above skin specimens. Results: The location of α-MSH expression was at the cytoplasm of melanocytes and keratinocytes in epiderm; α-MSH was positive in most skin autografts and its expression was higher in the thinner skin autografts. The expression of α-MSH in all types of skin autografts was significantly different from that in normal skin (P<0.01); α-MS expression was also significantly different between all the skin autografts (P<0.01); α-MSH expression in normal skin around donor site and recipient site had no statistical difference. The contents of melanin in skin autografts was obvious increased compared with that in normal skin(P<0.01); the contents of melanin between all the skin autografts were also significantly different (P<0.01). The melanin contents increased with the decrease of skin autografts thickness. The expression of α-MSH was positively correlated with the contents of melanin in epidermis. Conclusion: The expression of α-MSH in skin autografts is positively correlated with the contents of melanin in skin autografts. Overexpression of α-MSH may play an important role in hyperpigmentation process of skin autografts.

Objective: To study the influence of agouti signal protein (ASIP) on melanocyte function in skin autograft, so as to understand the cause of hyperpigmentation in skin autograft. Methods: Guinea pigs were used to establish a skin autograft hyperpigmentation model. The skin autografts in model animals were injected with ASIP or normal saline (control). RT-PCR technique was used to detect the tyrosinase mRNA expression in melanocytes of skin autografts and Masson-Fontana staining technique was used to detect the melanin contents in skin autografts in ASIP treatment group; and the results were compared with those of control group (n=13) and normal guinea pigs (n=5). Results: The expression of tyrosinase mRNA and the melanin content in skin autografts in ASIP treatment group were both lower than those of control group and normal guinea pigs (P<0.01). Conclusion: The results indicate that ASIP can antagonize the melanogenic effect of α-MSH, resulting in reduced pigmentation in skin autografts. It is also indicated that overexpression of α-MSH in epidermal cells after skin grafting is an important cause of hyperpigmentation in skin autografts.

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of fluoxetine (FLX) on the expressions of BDNF and Bcl-2 in the hippocampus, the amygdala and the prefrontal cortex of conditioned fear (CF) model mice. Forty eight mice were randomly divided into three groups, normal control group, CF stress group and FLX-pretreated CF group. The FLX-pretreated CF group was given FLX (10 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1)) for 7 days before CF stress. After CF stress model was established, all mice were given behavioral experiments to test whether FLX impaired or improved the auditory and contextual fear conditioning. Then mice were sacrificed. The expressions of BDNF and Bcl-2 were detected by Western blotting. The results showed that the freezing time of FLX-pretreated CF group was significantly lower than that of CF group; FLX pretreatment up-regulated the expression of Bcl-2 in the hippocampus at 1 d after CF stress (P < 0.001), but no significant differences was observed at 7 d; BDNF significantly increased in the hippocampus at 7 d (P < 0.001), but no differences at 1 d; the expressions of BDNF and Bcl-2 in the amygdala and the prefrontal cortex were of no obvious differences between CF group and FLX-pretreated CF group at 1 d or 7 d after CF stress. Parallel to these changes, pretreatment with FLX could affect histopathologic changes induced by CF stress. Furthermore, the results indicated that FLX pretreatment could protect against CF stress-induced neurological damage via the activation of BDNF and Bcl-2 in hippocampus.
Amygdala ; metabolism ; Animals ; Behavior, Animal ; Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor ; metabolism ; Fear ; drug effects ; Fluoxetine ; pharmacology ; Hippocampus ; metabolism ; Male ; Memory ; drug effects ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred ICR ; Prefrontal Cortex ; metabolism ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 ; metabolism ; Random Allocation ; Stress, Psychological ; metabolism

Chronic prostatitis is a common male disease, and its pathogenesis is not yet clear. Most scholars believe that oxidative stress and immune imbalance are the keys to the occurrence and progression of chronic prostatitis. Currently immunotherapy of chronic prostatitis remains in the exploratory stage. This article relates the active ingredients of 5 Chinese medicinal herbs (total glucosides of paeony, tripterigium wilfordii polglycosidium, curcumin, geniposide, and quercetin) for the treatment of chronic prostatitis and their possible action mechanisms as follows: 1) inhibiting the immune response and activation and proliferation of T-cells, and adjusting the proportion of Th1/Th2 cells; 2) upregulating the expression of Treg and enhancing the patient's tolerability; 3) suppressing the activation of the NF-kB factor, reducing the release of iNOS, and further decreasing the release of NO, IL-2 and other inflammatory cytokines, which contribute to the suppression of the immune response; 4) inhibiting the production of such chemokines as MCP-1 and MIP-1α in order to reduce their induction of inflammatory response. Studies on the immune mechanisms of Chinese medicinal herbs in the treatment of chronic prostatitis are clinically valuable for the development of new drugs for this disease.
Chemokines ; immunology ; Cytokines ; immunology ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Immune System ; drug effects ; Male ; NF-kappa B p50 Subunit ; metabolism ; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II ; metabolism ; Plants, Medicinal ; Prostatitis ; drug therapy ; immunology ; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory ; drug effects ; Th1-Th2 Balance

Objective To investigate the effects of ketamine on anoxia-reoxygenation(A/R)induced glutamate release from cerebral cortex neurons.Methods Primary cultured neurons obtained from cerebral cortex of fetal Wistar rats(16-18 d)were randomly divided into 3 groups:Ⅰcontrol group;ⅡA/R group andⅢketamine pretreatment+I/R group.The control group was not subjected to A/R while A/R group was exposed to anoxic air(95% N_2+5% CO_2)for 5 h followed by 24 h reoxygenation.In groupⅢdifferent doses of ketamine were added to the culture media before anoxia and the final ketamine concentrations were 1,20 and 100?mol?L~(-1) respectively.The extracellular glutamate concentration was detected at the end of 24 h reoxygenation.Results The extracellular glutamate concentration was significantly higher after 24 h reoxygenation in A/R group than in control group.Ketamine 20 and 100?mol?L~(-1) significantly inhibited glutamate release from the neurons induced by A/R in a dose-dependent manner.Conclusion Ketamine can inhibit glutamate release from neurons induced by A/R in a dose-dependent manner.

Objective To study and assess clinical application of two Nickel-Titanium(NiTi)rotary instru- ments,namely ProTaper and Hero 642,in preparation of root canals.Methods 125 teeth were divided into three groups and respectively instrumented by stainless K-files,ProTaper or Hero 642 rotary instruments.All teeth were obturated with lateral condensation method.The efficiency of preparation and obturation was analyzed with radio- graphs.Results NiTi rotary instruments were better in keeping the curvature and flow of curved canals than stain- less K files.There was no transportation,apical blockage and ledge in NiTi groups.The operative time was shorter and endodontic flare-up seldom occurred in NiTi groups.Conclusion The NiTi rotary instrumentation technique could be used to prepare curved root canals effectively and quickly.The future use of NiTi engine-driven rotary in- strument appeared to be promising.

Child ; Child, Preschool ; Erythema ; drug therapy ; etiology ; Fatal Outcome ; Female ; Fever ; drug therapy ; etiology ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; adverse effects ; Humans ; Leukocyte Count ; Male ; Transplantation, Homologous

Though parched Chinese herbal medicines contain less effective or index components, their pharmacological actions do not reduce or even become improved to some extent. However, the current studies related to material basis could not explain the changes in property, flavour and efficacy of parched Chinese herbal medicines. Meanwhile, due to the lack of objective and specific evaluation indexes, the quality evaluation could not reflect features of parched Chinese herbal pieces. Therefore, how to break the bottleneck for the studies on parched Chinese herbal pieces, make further innovation and conduct in-depth studies on the material basis of parched Chinese herbal medicines are common problems that medical scholars are facing. According to the findings in the previous studies, the author proposed to explain the material basis of parched Chinese herbal medicines by studying Maillard reaction and establish specific quality evaluation indexes according to the features of parched Chinese herbal pieces, and conducted relevant studies.
Drug Compounding ; methods ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; Maillard Reaction ; Quality Control

The ideal treatment and recovery of osteoarticular injury remain to be resolved. Small intestinal submucosa (SIS), a naturally-occurring decellularized extracellular matrix, has been recognized as an ideal scaffold for tissue engineering and widely used in repairing various tissues and organs. Nowadays its application has also been gradually increased in the field of orthopedics. We reviewed laboratorial studies and clinical trails about the application of SIS in bone and joint repair, aiming to evaluate its effects on the repair of bone, cartilage, meniscus, ligament and tendon. SIS has showed promising results in repairing bone, meniscus, ligament or tendon. However, additional studies will be required to further evaluate its effects on articular cartilage and tendon-bone healing. How to optimize SIS material,is also a focused problem concerned with making SIS a potential therapeutic option with high value for orthopedic tissue repair.
Animals ; Cell- and Tissue-Based Therapy ; Humans ; Intestinal Mucosa ; cytology ; Intestine, Small ; cytology ; Joint Diseases ; physiopathology ; surgery ; therapy ; Tissue Engineering ; instrumentation ; methods ; Tissue Scaffolds ; chemistry

OBJECTIVETo evaluate clinical efficacy of electroacupuncture at Changqiang (GV 1) and Chengshan (BL 57) 30 min before surgery on postoperative pain and discomforts in patients with mixed hemorrhoids.

METHODSOne hundred and twenty cases of mixed hemorrhoids who received Milligan-Morgan operation were randomly divided into an electroacupuncture group, a sham electroacupuncture group and a blank group, 40 cases in each one. At the same time of basic treatment, the electroacupuncture was applied at Changqiang (GV 1) and Chengshan (BL 57) 30 min before surgery in the electroacupuncture group, while shallow needling without electrical stimulation at sham acupoint (1 cm next to acupoint) was applied 30 min before surgery in the sham electroacupuncture group, while no treatment was given before the surgery in the blank group. The total dose of painkillers in the first 24 h after operation, the number of cases who received additional anesthetic in the operation, the self-score of most severity pain in the first 24 h after operation and sleeping time in the night of surgery were observed.

RESULTSThe differences of the numbers of cases who received additional anesthetic in the operation had no statistical significance among the three groups (all P > 0.05), but compared with the sham electroacupuncture group and blank group, the total dose of painkillers in the first 24 h after operation was reduced in the electroacupuncture group [(2.43 +/- 1.08) tablets vs (3.23 +/- 1.33) tablets, (3.10 +/- 1.22) tablets], and the score of most severity pain was also decreased (6.65 +/- 1.00 vs 7.48 +/- 0.96, 7.25 +/- 1.19), besides, the sleeping time in the night of surgery was increased [(220.63 +/- 85.50) min vs (162.00 +/- 92.69) min, (151.50 +/- 80.01) min, all P < 0.05].

CONCLUSIONThe electroacupuncture at Changqiang (GV 1) and Chengshan (BL 57) 30 min before surgery has effects of preemptive analgesia on postoperative pain for patients with mixed hemorrhoids.

Acupuncture Points ; Adult ; Aged ; Electroacupuncture ; Female ; Hemorrhoids ; surgery ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pain, Postoperative ; therapy ; Young Adult