Objective To study the relationship between renal morphology and renal function,and to assess the value of CT as a criterion to grade renal function.Methods Enhancement CT were performed in 89 patients with no local renal disease whose split renal glomerular filtration rates(GFR)were measured by renal dynamic imaging with ~(99)Tc~m-DTPA.The 178 kidneys were divided into normal renal function,mild and severe renal impairment groups according to renal function.Differences between three groups respect to the mean thickness of renal cortex and parenchyma were assessed by ANOVA.Using Pearson's correlation test,the correlation between the renal cortex,parenchyma thicknesses and renal GFR were examined.The value of CT in predicting renal function was assessed by using ROC analysis.Results The renal cortex thicknesses of normal renal function,mild and severe renal impairment groups were(5.9?1.1),(4.6? 1.1),and(3.3?1.0)mm respectively,and the renal parenchyma thicknesses were(26.3?4.2), (21.3?4.6),(16.2?4.6)mm.There were significant differences of renal cortex,parenchyma thicknesses between 3 groups(cortex F=54.78,P

ObjectiveTo study the effect of low-intensity millimeter wave(MMW)irradiation on the immune adhesion function of erythrocytes in mice with tumor.Methods60 healthy male mice were randomized into two groups:irradiation group(n=30) and control group(n=30).All mice were injected into abdominal cavity with A's abdominal juice cancer-cell(1×106/ml,0.2ml).MMW(36GHz,0.73-1.46mw/cm2)was used to irradiate the back of mice in irradiation group,once a day for 8 days.Control group received false irradiation using the same method.At 0d,3d,6d after irradiation, the erythrocytes were extracted from vein blood in the mice,and the RBC-C3b receptor rosettes rate(RCR),tumour-RBC rosette rate(TRR),RBC-SOD and RBC-LPO were determined.ResultsAt 3d after radiation,the RBC-C3b and TRR of irradiation group were higher than that of control group (P<0.01) and RBC-LPO was lower (P<0.05),while there was no significant difference on activity of RBC-SOD(P>0.05). there were no significant difference on all index between two groups at 0d and 6d(P>0.05).ConclusionsLow-intensity millimeter wave irradiation can improve the immune adhesion function of erythrocytes in mice with tumor.

This article proposes the "Efficacy Theory" hypothesis of the traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs): TCMs take effects and weaken toxicities through the additive effects of numerous effective forms (including their constituents or/and metabolites) on a same target, the synergistic effects based on the overall action of the additive effects on individual targets and their toxicities scattering effects. A TCM may include approximately 1000 constituents and each constituent may produce about 100 metabolites in vivo after oral administration. Numerous effective forms of incalculable constituents and their metabolites could work like a "army group" together. When the quantity of a specific target molecule is larger than the pharmaceutical molecules, the molecules of different kinds of effective forms could combine with the target molecules successively, to exert the additive effects. When the target molecules are mostly occupied ("target most spaces occupied"), this TCM begins to work. The additive effects maybe exert not only in concentration but also in a time order way, which gives a sustained efficacy of TCM. The additive effects and the toxicities scattering effects are resulted from the same effective groups and not identical toxic groups among different effective form molecules. The "toxicities scattering effect" can be used to explain the non-toxic TCMs, but not fit for toxic TCMs. The efficacy theory showed that the variety of constituents and metabolites may participate in the process of pharmacodynamic actions, including the additive effects, synergy effects and toxicities scattering effects, which may be useful for explaining and developing the characteristic advantage of the TCMs. The questions we need to study or confirm are as follows: What are the TCMs' pharmacodynamic substance basis and mechanism made up of Why are toxicities of most TCMs' smaller How is the TCMs' "Efficacy Theory" which reflects characteristic advantage of TCMs applied in the research and development of new drugs.
Animals ; Drug Therapy ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Pharmaceutical Preparations ; chemistry

Objective To evaluate the mid-and long-term follow-up outcome of revascularization and stenting of nonacute intracranial vertebrobasilar artery occlusion. Methods Consecutive data of 27 patients who suffered from nonacute intracranial vertebrobasilar artery occlusion beyond 24 hours and underwent endovascular revascularization, were retrospectively collected and analyzed. Complications and recurrent ischemic events during the follow-up period were recorded. The modified Rankin scale(mRS) scores were used and compared between pre-and postoperation. Results All 27 patients except one(96.3%) obtained successful recanalization. After the procedure, 13 patients showed improvement, 11 were stable, and 3 worse. The decline of median mRS scores, which was 4(interquarter range-IR, 2-5) preoperatively and 3(IR, 1-5) on discharge. Five patients suffered from procedural complications and three of them resulted in aggravation. Nineteen patients received imaging follow-up during the median 10 months, 6 restenosis occurred and 3 of them were symptomatic. During median 55 months clinical follow-up after operation, 2 ipsilateral stroke and 2 ipsilateral transient ischemic attack occurred. The mRS scores decreased significantly in the first one year after procedure. Conclusions Revascularization and stenting of nonacute intracranial vertebrobasilar artery occlusion can prevent recurrent ipsilateral ischemic event and improve disability recovery in the first one year.

Fibrolase is a non-hemorrhagic zinc metalloproteinase isolated from southern copperhead snake venom (Agkistrodon contortrix contortrix) and is capable of degrading fibrin clots resulting from purified fibrinogen or from blood plasma. Alfimeprase, a truncated form of fibrolase, as a clinical agent was successfully completed PhaseII clinical trials.The cDNA of alfimeprase was amplified by recursive PCR, digested with BamHI and HindII, and cloned into pET43.1a, pMALp2X and pMALc2X vectors to generate fusions with NusA, MBP and sMBP(with signal peptide), respectively. Nus/alfimeprase was expressed in soluble form by co-expressing with chaperone FkpA and inducing with1mmol/L IPTG. The fusion protein accounted for about 25 % of total protein following cell lysis. Alfimeprase was successfully purifiesd by Ni-NTA affinity chromatography and cleaved by enterokinase. The results demonstrate the fibrinolytic activity of recombinant alfimeprase using fibrin plate assays and fibrinogen hydrolysis.

Objective To reconstruct a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model of human nasal cavity, and make comparison analysis with acoustic rhinometry and rhinomanometry. Methods One healthy volunteer was performed CT scanning of nasal cavity, three dimensional CFD model was established by Simplant 10.0 and Gambit 2.3.16, and Fluent 6.3.2 was employed to simulate the airflow of nasal cavity. Acoustic rhinometer was used to assess the area of nasal cavity, rhinomanometry was adopted to measure the airflow and intranasal pressure drop during inspiration, and the results were compared with those obtained from CFD model. Results Cross section area of nasal cavity obtained from CFD model matches well with that measured by acoustic rhinometer within 30 mm distance from nostril, while the latter was larger than the former beyond 50 mm distance from nostril. The trend of intranasal pressure drop at different airflows measured by CFD model was the same as that measured by rhinomanometry, while the transnasal pressure obtained by CFD model was lower than that recorded by rhinomanometry. Conclusion CFD model can accurately simulate the shape of nasal cavity and measure the parameters of intranasal airflow, which helps to understand the airflow characteristics of nasal cavity.

This study is to develop an HPLC method for the simultaneous determination of (-)-epicatechin, 5-O-caffeoylshikimic acid, neoisoastilbin, astilbin, neoisoastilbin, isoastilbin and engeletin in Smilacis Glabrae Rhizoma. Samples of Smilacis Glabrae Rhizoma, Heterosmilacis Chinensis Rhizoma and Heterosmilacis Yunnanensis Rhizoma were separated on an Agilent Zorbax SB-C18 column with gradient elution of acetonitrile-0.05% phosphoric acid at a flow rate of 1.0 mL · min(-1). The detected wavelength was set at 230 nm and the column temperature was maintained at 35 °C. The contents of (-)-epicatechin, 5-O-caffeoylshikimic acid, neoastilbin, astilbin, neoisoastilbin, isoastilbin and engeletin in 84 Smilacis Glabrae Rhizoma samples were in the range of trace-1.381, trace-9.913, trace-3.673, 0.6706-27.08, trace-1.181, trace-4.833 and trace-2.754 mg · g(-1), respectively. The established method was used for analysis of common adulterants. The results demonstrated that the contents of (-)-epicatechin in Heterosmilacis Yunnanensis Rhizoma and Heterosmilacis Chinensis Rhizoma were 0.01163-0.06007 mg · g(-1) and 0.01583-0.08585 mg · g(-1), respectively, while the other six constituents were not detected. The method is simple and accurate, and can be used for the quality control of Smilacis Glabrae Rhizoma. The constituents of Heterosmilacis Yunnanensis Rhizoma and Heterosmilacis Chinensis Rhizoma are significantly different from Smilacis Glabrae Rhizoma, and they are not suitable for using as Smilacis Glabrae Rhizoma.
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; methods ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; analysis ; Liliaceae ; chemistry ; Rhizome ; chemistry

Objective To investigate the expression of GOLPH3 in the tumor tissues of patients with gliomas and evaluate its clinical significance. Methods Seventy-six patients with brain gliomas (13 with grade Ⅰ, 27 grade Ⅱ, 25 grade Ⅲ and 11 with glioblastoma) performed surgical excision in our hospitals from July 2008 to December 2009 were chosen and 9 cases of normal brain tissues from patients performed decompression operation resulting from cerebral hernia were selected as the controls in our experiment. RT-PCR and Western-blotting were used to detect the mRNA and protein expressions of GOLPH3. Results The results investigated by RT-PCR and Western-blotting were consistent,revealing that the mRNA and protein expression rate of GOLPH3 in glioma tissues was not significantly different between different grades of tumors (P＞0.05), but their expression value was obviously significant between different grades of tumors and increased in a grade-dependent manner (P＜0.05). And minimal mRNA and protein expressions of GOLPH3 were found in the tissues of controls. The up-regulative protein expression of GOLPH3 was positively correlated to the malignancy-grade of the gliomas (r,=0.961, P=0.000). Conclusion The mRNA and protein expressions of GOLPH3 are noted with positive correlation to the pathological grades of the gliomas, indicating th at GOLPH3 may play an important role in the generation and development of gliomas.

BACKGROUND: Hypothermia is associated with poor outcome in trauma patients; however, hemorrhagic shock (HS) model with anesthetized swine was different from that of clinical reality. To identify the effects of environmental hypothermia on HS, we investigated hemodynamics and oxygen dynamics in an unanesthetized swine model of HS under simulating hypothermia environment.METHODS: Totally 16 Bama pigs were randomly divided into ambient temperature group (group A) and low temperature group (group B), 8 pigs in each group. Venous blood (30 mL/kg) was continuously withdrawn for more than 15 minutes in conscious swine to establish a hemorrhagic shock model. Pulmonary arterial temperature (Tp), heart rate (HR), mean arterial pressure (MAP), pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP), pulmonary arterial wedge pressure (PAWP), central venous pressure (CVP), cardiac output (CO), hemoglobin (Hb), saturation of mixed venous blood (SvO2) and blood gas analysis were recorded at the baseline and different hemorrhagic shock time (HST). The whole body oxygen delivery indices, DO2I and VO2I, and the O2 extraction ratio (O2ER) were calculated.RESULTS: Core body temperature in group A decreased slightly after the hemorrhagic shock model was established, and environmental hypothermia decreased in core body temperature. The mortality rate was significantly higher in group B (50％) than in group A (0％). DO2I and VO2I decreased significantly after hemorrhage. No difference was found in hemodynamics, DO2I and VO2I between group A and group B, but the difference in pH, lactic acid and O2ER was significant between the two groups.CONCLUSION: Environmental hypothermia aggravated the disorder of oxygen metabolism after hemorrhagic shock, which was associated with poor prognosis.

Reduced radiosensitivity of lung cancer cells represents a pivotal obstacle in clinical oncology. The hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α plays a crucial role in radiosensitivity, but the detailed mechanisms remain elusive. A relationship has been suggested to exist between hypoxia and autophagy recently. In the current study, we studied the effect of hypoxia-induced autophagy on radioresistance in lung cancer cell lines. A549 and H1299 cells were cultured under normoxia or hypoxia, followed by irradiation at dosage ranging from 0 to 8 Gy. Clonogenic assay was performed to calculate surviving fraction. EGFP-LC3 plasmid was stably transfected into cells to monitor autophagic processes. Western blotting was used to evaluate the protein expression levels of HIF-1α, c-Jun, phosphorylated c-Jun, Beclin 1, LC3 and p62. The mRNA levels of Beclin 1 were detected by qRT-PCR. We found that under hypoxia, both A549 and H1299 cells were radio-resistant compared with normoxia. Hypoxia-induced elevated HIF-1α protein expression preferentially triggered autophagy, accompanied by LC3 induction, EGFP-LC3 puncta and p62 degradation. In the meantime, HIF-1α increased downstream c-Jun phosphorylation, which in turn upregulated Beclin 1 mRNA and protein expression. The upregulation of Beclin 1 expression, instead of HIF-1α, could be blocked by SP600125 (a specific inhibitor of c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase), followed by suppression of autophagy. Under hypoxia, combined treatment of irradiation and chloroquine (a potent autophagy inhibitor) significantly decreased the survival potential of lung cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. In conclusion, hypoxia-induced autophagy through evaluating Beclin1 expression may be considered as a target to reverse the radioresistance in cancer cells.