Background Oxidative stress plays an important role in the pathogenesis of diabetic complications.Peroxiredoxin 6(Prx6) is a doubly-functional protein.and its ability to eliminate phospholipid hydroperoxides is essential. Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the dynamic expression of Prx6 in the retina of streptozotocin(STZ)-induced diabetes and explore its correlation with the progression of diabetic retinopathy. Methods Diabetes was induced by an intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin(STZ)in 48 clean Wistar rats.The rats were sacrificed at 1,2,and 4 months after the injection of STZ,and expressions of Prx6 protein and Prx6 mRNA in the retina was determined by immunohistochemistry and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction.Another 12 matched normal Wistar rats were used as the control group. Results The resuh of immunohistochemistry showed that Prx6 protein was expressed in the cytoplasm of the outer nuclear layer(ONL)and inner nuclear layer(INL)in normal rats,and low expression of Prx6 protein was observed in the ganglion cell layer (GCL).In the first month,Prx6 protein was strongly expressed in the INL and the ONL of diabetic rats.However.two and three months after STZ administration,the expression of Prx6 protein was absent in the retina,showing a considerable difference among different course groups(F=22 967.63,P＜0.05).Furthermore,the expression trend of Prx6 mRNA in the retina was similar to that of the Prx6 protein with a significant difference among different course groups(F=942.84,P＜0.05). Conclusion It is conceivable that normal maintenance of Prx6 expression may be important to the prevention of diabetic retinopathy.We hypothesize that oxidative impairments in the retina that develop over time may partly contribute towards the development of retinal dysfunction,which eventually leads to retinal degeneration during the progressive phase of STZ-induced diabetes in adult rats.

BACKGROUND: Increasing evidence shows that at least 155 genetic polymorphisms are associated with aerobic performance and elite endurance athlete status. OBJECTIVE: To study the association of α-actin 3 (ACTN3) gene, nuclear respiratory factor 2 (NRF2), β2 adrenergic receptor (ADRB2) gene and peroxisome proliferative activated receptor gamma coactivator 1 alpha (PPARGC1A) polymorphic loci with aerobic performance of rowing athletes and their interaction effect, thereby providing basis for understanding the mechanism of genetic polymorphisms acting on endurance athlete status. METHODS: A case-control experiment was designed to analyze the distribution characteristics of four gene polymorphism loci in 15 excellent rowing athletes and 50 common college freshmen. The association of four polymorphic loci with the aerobic performance-related indexes was analyzed using total genotype scores. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The preponderant polymorphism locus distributions of ACTN3, PPARGC1A and NRF2 in the athletes group were higher than those in the control group, and the NRF2 gene loci showed significant difference between two groups. In the athletes group, the mean values of VO2 maxwas significantly different among three genotypes. That is to say, these three genetic polymorphisms may be the biomarkers to predict the elite endurance athlete status, but the mechanism needs to be studied in depth.

OBJECTIVETo observe different effects of moxibustion on extracellular potassium ion in acupoint under physiological and pathological status and provide experimental evidence for exploring action mechanism of moxibustion on acupoint local.

METHODSForty female SD rats were randomly divided into a blank group, a blank-moxibustion group, a model group and a model-moxibustion group, 10 cases in each one. The complete Freund's adjuvant(CFA) was adopted to establish model of adjuvant arthritis (AA) in the model group and model-moxibustion group. No treatment was given in the blank group and model group while moxibustion was applied at "Zusan-li" (ST 36) for 30 min in the blank-moxibustion group and model-moxibustion group. The tissue fluid in "Zusanli" (ST 36) was collected with microdialysis and real-time analyzed by electrolytic analyzer. The change of concentration of potassium ion in "Zusanli" (ST 36) was observed.

RESULTS(1) Under physiological status, the concentration of extracellular potassium ion in the blank group was not changed within 150 min (P > 0.05); before the moxibustion, the concentration of extracellular potassium ion in the blank-moxibustion group was (1.21 +/- 0.31) mmol/L, and after treatment it was gradually increased and reached its peak at (2.38 +/- 0.42) mmol/L after 60 min (P < 0.05), then it was reduced. 150 min after the treatment, concentration of potassium ion was slightly higher than that before moxibustion as well as that in the blank group. The concentration in the blank-moxibustion group at 60 min was statistically significant compared with that in the blank group (P < 0.05). (2) Under pathological status, the concentration of extracellular potassium ion in the model group was not changed within 150 min, differences of which at each time point was not statistically significant (all P > 0.05). Before the moxibustion, the concentration of extracellular potassium ion was (1.09 +/- 0.12) mmol/L in the model-moxibustion group, and it was immediately increased to (1.96 +/- 0.18) mmol/L after moxibustion. 60 min and 90 min after the moxibustion, it still maintained a higher level, which was (1.87 +/- 0.29) mmol/L and (1.59 +/- 0.16) mmol/L respectively (both P < 0.05). The differences of each time point after moxibustion in the model-moxibustion group were statistically significant compared with those in the model group (all P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe moxibustion could increase the concentration of potassium ion in rat's acupoint local under physiological status but time of effect is short; with moxibustion at "Zusanli" (ST 36) under pathological status, the concentration of local potassium ion is obviously increased and maintains for a long time.

Acupuncture Points ; Animals ; Arthritis, Experimental ; metabolism ; therapy ; Disease Models, Animal ; Female ; Humans ; Moxibustion ; Potassium ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

Cell Line ; Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition ; drug effects ; Humans ; Hydrogen Sulfide ; pharmacology ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1 ; pharmacology ; Wound Healing ; drug effects

AIMTo demonstrate the specific killing of folate receptor (FR)-positive tumor cells can be achieved by folate-targeted penicillin-G amidase (PGA) combined with its prodrug substrate N-(phenylacetyl) doxorubicin (DOXP).

METHODSFolic acid was covalently linked to PGA and folate content value was determined by quantitative UV spectrophotometry. The ability of folate conjugated PGA to hydrolyze DOXP was measured by RP-HPLC. Visual demonstration of uptake by FR (+) HeLa and SKOV3 cells was detected by using FITC labeled folate-PGA and a fluorescence microscopy. The cytotoxicity of DOXP towards the cells in the presence or absence of folate-PGA was assayed by using MTT method.

RESULTSThe folate-PGA has a specific activity of 29. 8 U x mg(-1) (protein). FR selectivity was confirmed by fluorescence microscopy. The combination of DOXP prodrug with folate-PGA generated higher cytotoxicity towards the FR (+) cells than free doxorubicin. The IC50 was 0.72 micromol x L(-1) for HeLa cells and 0.75 micromol x L(-1) for SKOV3 cells, respectively. Further, the enhanced cytotoxicity reduced greatly with the addition of free folic acid.

CONCLUSIONFolate conjugated PGA did not significantly compromise PGA catalytic activity and enabled binding prodrug-activating enzyme PGA to folate receptor expressing cells, and increased the sensitivity of the cells to doxorubicin followed by administration of its prodrug substrate.

Antibiotics, Antineoplastic ; pharmacology ; Carrier Proteins ; metabolism ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Doxorubicin ; analogs & derivatives ; pharmacology ; Drug Delivery Systems ; Female ; Folate Receptors, GPI-Anchored ; Folic Acid ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; HeLa Cells ; Humans ; Inhibitory Concentration 50 ; Ovarian Neoplasms ; pathology ; Penicillin Amidase ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Prodrugs ; pharmacology ; Receptors, Cell Surface ; metabolism

Purpose To investgate the expression and clinical significance of GFRα3 in esophagus squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).Methods Expression of GFRα3 in 114 esophagus squamous cell carcinoma,17 cases of high grade intraepithelial neoplasia and Tis,25 cases nomal tissue was detected by immunohistochemistry.Expression of GFRα3 in 12 paired flesh tissues had also been determined by Western-blot.Results The positive expression of GFRα3 in nomal esophageal tissues,high grade intraepithelial tissues and Tis was 0,29.4％,76.3％ respectively by immunohistochemistry.Expression of GFRα3 in carcinomatous tissues was higher than that of adjacent tissues (P ＜ 0.05).Moreover,the expression of GFRα3 was significantly associated with depth of invasion,higher clinical stage and survival outcome of patients with ESCC.Conclusion The expression of GFRα3 maybe a useful predictor of disease depth of invasion,progression and outcome in ESCC.

OBJECTIVETo study the EV71 Chinese strain SHZH98 and analyze its genetic evolution using 3c gene as index.

METHODSThe 3C gene cDNA of EV71 Chinese strain SHZH98 was amplified by PCR, the PCR product was sequenced.

RESULTSThe EV71 Chinese mainland strain SHZH98 3C segment was 549 bps in length. Comparison of nucleotide sequences from other enteroviruses which have been published, revealed a higher homology to strain MS, 78.7% at nucleotide level and 93.45% at deduced amino acid level. The homology to strain BrCr was 76.7% at nucleotide level and 89.1% at deduced amino acid level. Taiwan strains POLY,NCKU,TW2086,TW2272 shared a lower homology with Chinese mainland strain SHZH98, 74.0%, 73.8%, 71.9%, 69.8% at nucleotide level and 90.7%, 90.2%, 84.2%, 82.5% at deduced amino acid level. The genetic progress analysis revealed that EV71 Chinese mainland strain SHZH98 3C segment shares more homology with European and American strains than Taiwan strains.

CONCLUSIONThe non-structural protein of EV71 Chinese strains may have different evolutionary process from Taiwan strains.

Amino Acid Sequence ; Base Sequence ; Enterovirus ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Genes, Viral ; Humans ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Sequence Homology, Amino Acid ; Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid

Background: According to the 7th edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging system, over 50% of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) have N1 disease at initial diagnosis. However, patients with N1 NPC are relatively under-researched, and the metastasis risk of this group is not well-stratified. This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic values of gross tumor volume of metastatic regional lymph node (GTVnd) and pretreatment serum copy number of Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) DNA in predicting distant metastasis of patients with N1 NPC, and to develop an integrated prognostic model that incorporates GTVnd and EBV DNA copy number for this group of patients. Methods: The medical records of 787 newly diagnosed patients with nonmetastatic, histologically proven N1 NPC who were treated at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center between November 2009 and February 2012 were ana-lyzed. Computed tomography-derived GTVnd was measured using the summation-of-area technique. Blood sam-ples were collected before treatment to quantify plasma EBV DNA. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to evaluate the cut-off point for GTVnd, and the area under the ROC curve was used to assess the predicted validity of GTVnd. The survival rates were assessed by Kaplan–Meier analysis, and the survival curves were compared using a log-rank test. Multivariate analysis was conducted using the Cox proportional hazard regression model. Results: The 5-year distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) rates for patients with GTVnd > 18.9 vs. ≤ 18.9 mL were 82.2% vs. 93.2% (P < 0.001), and for patients with EBV DNA copy number > 4000 vs. ≤ 4000 copies/mL were 83.5% vs. 93.9% (P < 0.001). After adjusting for GTVnd, EBV DNA copy number, and T category in the Cox regression model, both GTVnd > 18.9 mL and EBV DNA copy number > 4000 copies/mL were significantly associated with poor prognosis(both P < 0.05). According to combination of GTVnd and EBV DNA copy number, all patients were divided into low-, moderate-, and high-risk groups, with the 5-year DMFS rates of 96.1, 87.4, and 73.8%, respectively (P < 0.001). Multi-variate analysis confirmed the prognostic value of this model for distant metastatic risk stratification (hazard ratio [HR], 4.17; 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.34–7.59; P < 0.001). Conclusions: GTVnd and serum EBV DNA copy number are independent prognostic factors for predicting distant metastasis in NPC patients with N1 disease. The prognostic model incorporating GTVnd and EBV DNA copy number may improve metastatic risk stratification for this group of patients.

OBJECTIVETo study the effects of sophoridine on the transplanted solid tumor SW480 and the expression of p53 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the tumor in nude mice.

METHODSThe nude mouse model bearing transplanted solid tumor SW480 was established, and the changes in the volume and weight of the tumor were determined after treatment of the mice with sophoridine. Western blotting and immunohistochemistry were employed to examine the expressions of p53 and VEGF proteins, respectively, and fluorescence quantitative PCR used to detect their mRNA expressions in the tumor tissue.

RESULTSThe volume and weight of the tumor xenograft in sophoridine group decreased in comparison with those in the control group. Sophoridine treatment resulted in lowered expressions of p53 and VEGF at both the protein and mRNA levels in the tumor explants as compared with the control group, with a tumor inhibition rate of 34.07% in nude mice.

CONCLUSIONSophoridine can inhibit the growth of transplanted solid tumor of human SW480 cell line, the mechanism of which involves the inhibition of p53 and VEGF expression.

Alkaloids ; pharmacology ; Animals ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Colonic Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Humans ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Mice, Nude ; Quinolizines ; pharmacology ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 ; metabolism ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; metabolism ; Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays

Genetic characteristics of enterovirus type 71 in Shenzhen from 2005 to 2008 were analyzed. All samples were detected by RT-PCR using EV71-specific primers. The VP1s of EV71 strains were amplified and sequenced. A phylogenetic tree was constructed by comparison of the sequences with those of subgenotype A, B and C using DNASTAR, BioEdit and Mega 3.1 softwares. The VP1 nucleotide sequences of 17 strains of Shenzhen shared 95.3%-99.4% identities with cluster C4a, and one strain shared 93.0%-95.6% identities with cluster C4b. The homogeneity of the VP1 nucleotide sequence with subgenotype A and B was 81.8%-86.0%. Among 18 strains, the homogeneity of the VP1 nucleotide sequence was between 92.5%-100%. All EV71 strains circulating in Shenzhen were of subgenotype C4. The predominant strain of EV71 belonged to cluster C4a, also there was cluster C4b.
Cell Line ; China ; Enterovirus A, Human ; classification ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Enterovirus Infections ; virology ; Feces ; virology ; Genotype ; Humans ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Phylogeny ; Viral Proteins ; genetics