Objective To explore the role of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1(TIMP-1) during renal senescence by using human TIMP-1 transgenic mice.Methods Renal histological changes of wild type mice and transgenic mice at the age of 3,12,24 months were observed by periodic acid-schiff(PAS)staining of paraffin sections.The numbers of F4/80 positive cells were detected by immunofluoreseence.The protein expressions of TIMP-1,TIMP-2,matrix metalloproteinase(MMP)-9,MMP-2,intercellular adhesion molecule-1(ICAM-1),transforming growth factor?1(TGF-?1),collagenⅢand collagenⅣwere detected by Western blot.The activities of gelatinases and TIMP-1 were examined by gelatin zymography and reverse zymography respectively.Results Focal renal fibrosis was found in two genotypes with aging.At the age of 24 months,compared with wild type,in kidneys of transgenic type,the expressions and activities of gelatinases were dowregulated (MMP-2:2.08?0.20 vs.3.39?0.43;MMP-9:4.02?0.82 vs.6.72?1.40,all P＜0.05);the expressions of collagenⅢ,collagenⅣ,ICAM-1,and TGF-?1 were upragulated(0.72+0.11 vs.0.57?0.09;0.84?0.13 vs.0.6?0.11,0.72?0.12 vs.0.53?0.07; 0.69?0.12 vs.0.45?0.09,all P＜0.05),and the numbers of F4/80 positive cells were increased (18.8?4.4 vs.12.7?3.6,P＜0.05)with the upregulated expression and activity of TIMP-1(1.10?0.18 vs.0.62?0.09;50.75?7.25 vs.20.64?3.50,P＜0.05).Conclusions TIMP-1 could promote age-related renal fibrosis through enhancing inflammation reaction by ICAM-1 upregulation.

Objective: To study the correlation between the blood routine indicators and CD₄⁺ T, CD₈⁺ T lymphocytes in AIDS patients without antiviral treatment, and to find a simple, cheap and effective monitoring indicator. Methods: A study of 333 AIDS patients without antiviral treatment was performed.The methods of regression analysis and other statistical methods were applied to research the correlation between WBC, W-SCC and CD₄⁺ T, CD₈⁺ T cell count among HIV/AIDS. Results: The rate of routine blood abnormalities among 333 HIV/AIDS patients was very high, the main test indicators within the reference range only accounted for 30.63%.The proportion of late diagnosis infected with HIV among women was higher than that of males.Significant correlations were observed between CD₄⁺ Tcell count and WBC, W-SCC, W-LCC, RBC, HGB, PLT(r=0.408, 0.541, 0.157, 0.337, 0.338, 0.166). The equation between W-SCC (x) and CD₄⁺ cell count (y) was y=120.913x+ 90.339. Conclusion There is a strong correlation between CD₄⁺ T lymphocyte count and lymphocyte count in AIDS patients without antiviral treatment.It can be used as an important indicator of immune status in patients with AIDS.At the same time, we should strengthen the propaganda of AIDS prevention, promote AIDS early detection, early treatment, and improve the quality of life of AIDS patients.

Objective To test the effect of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) on the radiotherapy sensitivity of colorectal cancer cell line, and to explore its relationship with apoptosis. Methods Flow cytometry and immunofluorescence were used to detect growth hormone receptor(GHR) expression on 9 human colorectal cancer cell lines. The colony forming assay was performed to measure the post-radiotherapy colorectal cancer cell proliferation as an indicator of radiotherapy sensitivity. Flow cytometry (Annexin V-FITC staining) was used to detect the radiotherapy induced apoptosis; Westem blot was performed to detect the phosphorylated Akt level within the same cell lines. Results HCT-8 GHR positive expression cell and LoVo GHR negative expression cells were selected for further studies. The colony formation rate was significantly enhanced in HCT-8 cells pre-incubated with thGH as compared to the radiotherapy group ceUs and in a dose dependent manne(0-100 mg/L); under high doses (8 Gy), this effect was more dramatic (52.1±2.9 vs 21.0±2.7, P<0.001). thGH pre-incubation also reduced radiotherapy induced HCT-8 cell apoptosis (P<0.05). When GHR was blocked with neutralizing antibodies, this protective effect was eliminated. By contrast, thGH pre-incubation did not change the colony formation rate in GHR negative expression LoVo cells. GH rapidly induced Akt phosphorylation in HCT-8 cells by GH/GHR signaling, and this effect was blocked by PI-3 kinase inhibitor. Conclusions The protective effect of GH on colorectal cancer cells may occur after radiotherapy exposured by GHR, which is related to the reduction of apotosis.

The study is aimed to ensure the quality and safety of medicinal plants by using ITS2 DNA barcode technology to identify Corydalis boweri, Meconopsis horridula and their close related species. The DNA of 13 herb samples including C. boweri and M. horridula from Lhasa of Tibet was extracted, ITS PCR were amplified and sequenced. Both assembled and web downloaded 71 ITS2 sequences were removed of 5. 8S and 28S. Multiple sequence alignment was completed and the intraspecific and interspecific genetic distances were calculated by MEGA 5.0, while the neighbor-joining phylogenetic trees were constructed. We also predicted the ITS2 secondary structure of C. boweri, M. horridula and their close related species. The results showed that ITS2 as DNA barcode was able to identify C. boweri, M. horridula as well as well as their close related species effectively. The established based on ITS2 barcode method provides the regular and safe detection technology for identification of C. boweri, M. horridula and their close related species, adulterants and counterfeits, in order to ensure their quality control, safe medication, reasonable development and utilization.
Base Sequence ; China ; Corydalis ; chemistry ; classification ; genetics ; DNA Barcoding, Taxonomic ; methods ; DNA, Plant ; chemistry ; genetics ; DNA, Ribosomal Spacer ; chemistry ; genetics ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Nucleic Acid Conformation ; Papaveraceae ; chemistry ; classification ; genetics ; Phylogeny ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; classification ; genetics

Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Liver Cirrhosis, Experimental ; drug therapy ; Male ; Phytotherapy ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar

OBJECTIVETo introduce the clinical experience in transplantation of the anterolateral femoral skin flap.

METHODSA total of 625 anterolateral femoral skin flaps in 600 patients were transplanted from 1988 to 2003. The retrospective analysis was carried out in all the cases as to the flap pedicle, the vascular variations, the surgical procedures and modifications, and the adaptation for a cutaneous-branch-absent flap.

RESULTSThe 625 flaps were transferred except 7 cancelled in the operation. Postoperatively, 17 cases encountered vascular complications, 10 of which survived completely with successful vessel exploration, 3 cases had partial necrosis, and 4 cases had complete necrosis. The survival rate was 97.8%. 545 flaps were pedicled with the descending branch or lateral branches; 45 flaps with the transverse branch or the high-site anterolateral cutaneous artery, 10 cases with the descending-transverse branch, 18 cases with other vessels. 7 cases were found cutaneous-branch-absent. The vessel variation rate of the flap was 4.06%.

CONCLUSIONSThe anterolateral femoral skin flap has less variation of its pedicle and high success rate of operation. It is an ideal choice for repair of soft tissue defects in the extremities.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Child ; Female ; Femur ; Humans ; Male ; Microsurgery ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Skin Transplantation ; Surgical Flaps ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo explore the value of dual-color fluorescence in situ hybridization (D-FISH) in the detection of inv(16) in acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

METHODSEleven AML patients were investigated by D-FISH with two-color break apart probe for MYH11 labeled directly by fluorescein isocyanate (FITC) and a Texas Red. The results were associated or compared with those of cell morphology, cytogenetics, single color fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).

RESULTSFour cases (M4Eo three cases, M2a one case) had inv(16), of which one had trisomy 22 in addition to inv(16), while the other seven cases had no inv(16), of which, five cases (M4Eo three cases, M4 two cases)had a normal karyotype, one (M2a) had 5p+ and trisomy 22, one (M4Eo) had a translocation t(9;22) on G-banded karyotypic analysis. All 11 cases of AML were positive for the rearrangement of inv(16) detected by D-FISH. The average positive cell rate for these 11 AML patients was 93.45% (range 86.6%-98.7%). Of them, four had a minimal deletion of 16p13 in addition to inv(16). The results of D-FISH coincided with those of RT-PCR or single color FISH.

CONCLUSIOND-FISH is a powerful tool for the detection of inv(16) due to its sensitivity and specificity. For raising the detecting rate of inv(16), it is necessary to screen inv(16) rearrangement by D-FISH in all M4- and M2-AML cases or the cases with trisomy 22, no matter whether they are accompanied by bone marrow eosinophilia.

Chromosome Inversion ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 16 ; genetics ; Female ; Humans ; In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence ; methods ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute ; genetics ; Male ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction

The ligators we have developed is a kind of economical and effective six-ring ligator. Endoscopic variceal ligation (EVL) was performed to treat bleeding from esophageal varices in patients with liver cirrhosis using self-made ligator and foreign multiple ligator. There are similar effects with both self-made ligator and foreign mutiple ligator in the control of variceal bleeding, variceal obliteration and rebleeding (93.8%, 87.5%, 0 in the group with self-made ligator, 94.5%, 87.1%, 2.4% in the group with foreign multiple ligator, P>0.05). In terms of the quality index, successful operation rate, hemastatic rate, variceal obliteration rate, rebleeding rate, complications and variceal recurrence rate, the self-made ligator is as good as the foreign multiple ligator, but much cheaper.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Child ; Endoscopes ; Equipment Design ; Esophageal and Gastric Varices ; therapy ; Female ; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage ; therapy ; Humans ; Ligation ; instrumentation ; methods ; Liver Cirrhosis ; complications ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Treatment Outcome

A practical approach to the synthesis of the A, B and C-ring subunit of cyclopamine has been developed. This synthetic tactic highlights the utility of mandelate acetal-mediated resolution of the fused ring ketone (±)-4 and IBX-mediated oxidation cascades from 12 to 9. The availability of advanced intermediates from enantiomerically pure (+)-4 and 2 could provide efficient access to biologically active and structurally diverse C-nor-D-homo-steroidal alkaloids such as cyclopamine.
Chemistry Techniques, Synthetic ; methods ; Molecular Structure ; Organic Chemistry Phenomena ; Stereoisomerism ; Steroids ; chemistry ; Veratrum Alkaloids ; chemical synthesis ; chemistry

OBJECTIVETo report a case of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with the insertion (8;21)(q22;q22.1q22.3). A 33-year-old Chinese woman was referred to our hospital. Hematologic data showed WBC 42.7 x 10(9)/L with monocytosis (monocyte counts 7.296 x 10(9)/L). Bone marrow aspirate was hypercellular with 4.5% monoblasts and 7.5% promonocytes. At first she was diagnosed with chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) according to the FAB criteria. Initially the patient received supportive care only, but her general condition rapidly became worse three months later. The monoblasts and promonocytes in the bone marrow rose to 20.5%. After two cycles of combined chemotherapy she obtained complete remission.

METHODSChromosome specimens were prepared by short-term culture of bone marrow cells. Karyotype analysis was carried out by R-banding technique. Three fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analyses were performed using AML1-ETO dual color, dual fusion probe, whole chromosome painting 8 and 21 probes, and cen-8 and Tel 21qter probes, respectively. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay for detecting the AML1-ETO fusion transcript was also performed.

RESULTSConventional cytogenetic analysis showed a karyotype of 46,XX,ins(8;21) (q22;q22.1q22.3)[7]/46,XX[3]. FISH tests confirmed the insertion. RT-PCR analysis detected the AML1-ETO fusion transcript.

CONCLUSIONWe consider that this patient should be rediagnosed as acute myeloid leukemia according to the criteria proposed by World Health Organization (WHO) and that FISH and RT-PCR play an important role in verification of the ins(8;21).

Chromosome Banding ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 15 ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 19 ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 8 ; Core Binding Factor Alpha 2 Subunit ; genetics ; Female ; Humans ; In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence ; methods ; Karyotyping ; Leukemia, Myeloid ; genetics ; Translocation, Genetic