Objective To explore the effect of brain derived neurotrophic factor(BDNF) on the birth weight and the brain weight of newborn rats with intrauterine growth retardation(IUGR).Methods Female and male Sprague-Dawley rats were mated together and the vaginal plug formation after mating was for pregnancy diagnosis.The day when the plug was observed was considered day 1 of gestation.Then,the pregnant rats were divided into IUGR group and sham surgery group.On day 17 of gestation,the uterine arteries of pregnant rats in IUGR group were clamped for 30 min by blood vessel forceps after abdominal cavity with clamping blood uessels was opened.The pegnant rats in sham surgery group only had abdominal cavity opened without clamping blood vessels.Then the pegnant rats in IUGR group received 9 g/L saline(IUGR group) or BDNF 1 ?g injected in the rat through caudal veins for 5 days after surgery(BDNF intervention group).After vaginal birth,the weight of newborn rats and their brain weigh were measured and analyzed.Results Compared with the sham surgery group,the birth weight and brain weight of IUGR group group rats decreased by 24.9% and 17.3%,respectively,the results were significant(Pa

Animals ; Aorta ; pathology ; Apolipoproteins E ; deficiency ; Atherosclerosis ; metabolism ; pathology ; Female ; Glycosides ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 ; metabolism ; Mice ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Polygonum ; chemistry ; Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 ; metabolism

Metabonomics is a new method to study on the metabolic network and the relationship between body and environment, which conforms to the way of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) research. In the study process of modernization of traditional Chinese medicine, effectively conjunction with metabonomics method will facilitate the integration of TCM with modern biological science and technology, and promote the modernization of TCM. This paper introduce the application of metabonomics in the research of toxicity mechanism of TCM, compatibility mechanism of TCM formula, pharmacology effect of TCM and processing mechanism of TCM. This paper summarize the problems in the TCM metabonomics research and prospect its bright future.
Animals ; Drug Therapy ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; adverse effects ; analysis ; metabolism ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; methods ; trends ; Metabolomics ; methods ; trends

OBJECTIVETo study the mechanism of microelement including Cu and Zn on the accumulation of three danshinones in Salviae miltiorrhizae root and build a theory basis for its good quality and high yield.

METHODSand culture experiments were conducted to study the effect of Cu and Zn on the accumulation of three danshinones and oxidase including peroxidase and polyphenol oxidase activity in the plant root. The correlation between available Cu and Zn contents in matrix and oxidase activity in the plant root and, the correlation between available Cu and Zn contents in matrix and contents of tanshinones in the root were discussed.

RESULTContents of danshinones in the root increased with the increasing of Cu and Zn concentration. Dynamic monitoring on contents of dan-shinones of the plant roots growing in the pots with different Cu and Zn concentration in the whole growing season showed that the contents of danshinones for 60 days were the lowest, for 120 days the highest and then dropped for 150 days. In addition, among available Cu and Zn contents of matrix, oxidase including peroxidase and polyphenol oxidase activity and contents of tanshinones in the root,the correlation between two factors were significant difference (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONThe mechanism of Cu and Zn on the accumulation of danshinones may be that Cu and Zn improve the activity of peroxidase and polyphenol oxidase, which promote transformation of phenolic compounds to terpenes and therefore to increase contents of danshinones.

Catechol Oxidase ; metabolism ; Copper ; metabolism ; Diterpenes, Abietane ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; analysis ; metabolism ; Peroxidase ; metabolism ; Phenanthrenes ; metabolism ; Plant Proteins ; metabolism ; Salvia miltiorrhiza ; enzymology ; metabolism ; Zinc ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo investigate the protective effects of oxymatrine on chronic heart failure induced by isoproterenol (ISO) and to observe its effects on ADMA metabolism pathway in ISO-induced chronic heart failure in rats.

METHODMale Sprague-Dawley rats were given oxymatrine (100,50 mg kg-1) orally for 14 days. Heart failure was induced in rats by subcutaneous injection of isoproterenol (5 mg kg-1 d-1 ) at the 8th day for 1 week. Serum parameters, haemodynamic parameters, Heart weight, and histopathological variables were analysed. Expression of protein levels were measured by Western blot.

RESULTOxymatrine (100,50 mg kg-1) significantly attenuated serum content of cTn I, improved left ventricle systolic and diastolic function and left ventricular remodeling, reduced the ISO-induced myocardial pathological changes compared with ISO group. In addition, oxymatrine (100,50 mg kg-1) significantly reduced serum level of ADMA (P <0. 01), normalize the reduced dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase 2 (DDAH2) expression (P <0. 01) , but had no effect on the isoproterenol-induced upregulated protein arginine methyltransferases 1 expression.

CONCLUSIONOxymatrine could ameliorate the experimental ventricular remodeling in ISO-induced chronic heart failure in rats and the mechanism involved in reducing serum content of ADMA and increased DDAH2 expression.

Alkaloids ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Amidohydrolases ; metabolism ; Animals ; Arginine ; analogs & derivatives ; blood ; metabolism ; Chronic Disease ; Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic ; drug effects ; Heart Failure ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Hemodynamics ; drug effects ; Isoproterenol ; adverse effects ; Male ; Organ Size ; drug effects ; Quinolizines ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Troponin I ; metabolism

OBJECTIVEThe aim of this study is to compare the clinicopathologic characteristics and disease-free survival of triple-negative breast cancer with human epidermal growth factor receptor-2-overexpressing (Her-2-overexpressing) breast cancer.

METHODS770 breast cancer patients were surgically treated between 1998 and 2003 in Changhai Hospital, Shanghai. Patients with triple negative phenotype were identified from those using immunochemistry and CISH. The differences between triple-negative breast cancer and Her-2-overexpressing breast cancers were analyzed in p53 and E-cadherin status, age, tumor size, tumor location, histological types and grading, lymph node metastasis, AJCC stage, chemotherapy and surgical procedures,as well as identified prognostic factors with regards to disease-free survival.

RESULTSNinety-six (12.5%) patients with triple-negative phenotype, and 164 (21.3%) with Her-2-overexpressing one were identified from the 770 breast cancer patients. No significant difference between two phenotypes in p53 and E-cadherin expression was found (P>0.05). When compared with Her-2-overexpressing breast cancer patients, triple negative breast cancer patients experienced more lymph node metastases (71.9% vs. 58.5%, P = 0.034), and had a higher percentage of more than 10 lymph nodes metastases (26.0% vs. 12.2%, P = 0.034); and showed a higher percentage of histological grade 3 (67.7% vs. 42.1%, P<0.0001). Furthermore, the tumor size was found to be related to lymph node metastasis in triple-negative breast cancer patients (P = 0.024). No significant difference between the two phenotypes in the rates of local recurrence and distant metastasis was observed (P>0.05). However, 5-year disease-free survival in patients with triple negative phenotype was significantly shorter than that in the patients with Her-2-overexpressing phenotype (61.85 mon vs. 78.69 mon, P = 0.047).

CONCLUSIONCompared with Her-2-overexpressing breast cancer, triple-negative breast cancer is more malignant and has a poorer disease-free survival.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Bone Neoplasms ; secondary ; Breast Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Cadherins ; metabolism ; Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast ; metabolism ; pathology ; Carcinoma, Lobular ; metabolism ; pathology ; Disease-Free Survival ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; secondary ; Lung Neoplasms ; secondary ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; Receptor, ErbB-2 ; metabolism ; Receptors, Estrogen ; metabolism ; Receptors, Progesterone ; metabolism ; Retrospective Studies ; Tumor Burden ; Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 ; metabolism

Objective To explore the clinical value of 99Tcm-MIBI G-MPI in patients diagnosed with myocardial bridging(MB) by CTA. Methods Forty-five patients with MB and 17 normal controls diagnosed by CTA(64 slices CT) were included. All patients underwent rest 99Tcm-MIBI G-MPI and 17 MB patients and 9 normal controls also underwent stress 99Tcm-MIBI G-MPI. Myocardial ischemia, function and wall motion were assessed. G-MPI results were compared with CTA results by χ2 test, Fisher exact test and t test. Results In patients with MB, the positive rate of abnormal perfusion by gated stress 99Tcm-MIBI G-MPI was 64.7% (11/17) and 41.2% (7/17) using quantitative analysis and visual evaluation respectively; while the data were 42.2% (19/45) and 22.2% (10/45) by rest G-MPI (P=0.035). The positive rate by rest G-MPI in MB patients was significant different among mural coronary arteries of different depths and different locations. By quantitative analysis of the stress G-MPI, the reversible, fixed, and mixed ischemia patients were 4 (35.3%), 6 (23.5%) and 1 (5.9%) respectively; the reversed, reversible and fixed abnormity of wall motion was found in 4 (23.5%), 4 (23.5%) and 2 (11.8%) patients respectively; the reversed, reversible and fixed wall thickening were found in 6 (35.3%), 5 (29.4%) and 1 (5.9%) patients respectively. There was no significant difference in left ventricular ejection fraction and peak filling rate between MB patients and normal controls in both rest and stress studies (t: from -0.564 to 1.292, all P>0.05). Conclusion The G-MPI may be useful for the evaluation of myocardial ischemia and myocardial function simultaneously in patients with MB.

Objective To investigate the clinical application of measurements of neutrophil gelatinase associated lipocalin in serum (sN-GAL) and urine(uNGAL),cystatin C(CysC) and serum creatinine(sCr) in diagnosis of acute kidney injury(AKI) patients secondary to liver cirrhosis (LC).Methods A total of 260 liver cirrhosis patients without AKI (LC group),207 liver cirrhosis patients with AKI (AKI group)and 106 healthy controls(HC group)were included in the study.The levels of sNGAL,uNGAL,serum creatinine(sCr) and cystatin C (CysC) were determined,respectively.The estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) were calculated base on sCr and CysC,named as c-aGFR and CysC-eGFR.The differences and correlation of each observed parameters among the various groups were statistically analyzed,and the effectiveness of these parameters as biomarkers for predicting the development of AKI in these patients with liver cirrhosis were assessed.Results Compared with LC group and healthy control group,the levels of sNGAL,uNGAL,sCr and CysC in AKI group were significantly increased(all P ＜0.01),while the levels of c-aGFR and CysC-eGFR were significantly decreased(all P ＜ 0.01).Along with the progression of AKI stages,the levels of sNGAL,uNGAL,sCr and CysC in the patients were increasing(all P ＜ 0.01),while the levels of c-aGFR and CysC-eGFR were decreasing(all P ＜0.01).Correlation analysis showed that the levels of sNGAL,uNGAL and CysC were positively correlated with sCr(r =0.662,0.672,0.726,all P ＜0.01)and negatively correlated with c-aGFR(r =-0.639,-0.661,-0.732,all P ＜ 0.01).On the contrary,CysC was negatively correlated with sCr (r =-0.711,P ＜ 0.01)and positively correlated with c-aGFR (r =0.736,P ＜ 0.01).ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve (AUC) of uNGAL was maximum (0.995) which were significantly higher than that of sNGAL,sCr,c-aGFR,CysC and CysCeGFR(all P ＜ 0.01).The AUC of sNGAL did not present marked difference with that of sCr and CysC (P ＞ 0.05),but-was barely higher than that of c-aGFR and CysC-eGFR (P ＜ 0.05).The diagnostic effectiveness of uNGAL was maximum (0.962),followed by sNGAL(0.920).Conclusion For diagnosis of the development of AKI in the patients with liver cirrhosis,NGAL may be more reliable marker than sCr and CysC,and the detection of uNGAL could be more effective than sNGAL for the diagnosis.

Objective To investigate the feasibility of determining the breast cancer extension with diffusion-weighted imaging(DWI)and the apparent diffusion coefficient(ADC).Methods Fifty-nine lesions(57 patients)were studied by using DWI and ADC measurement before surgical excision.The cancer extension was investigated on ADC maps with different b values(b=500 and 1000 s?mm~(-2))according to the threshold values discussed before.The lesion extension on dynamic enhanced images and on DWI was used for comparison.The tumor extension was determined by calculating two lines.Line one:the maximum diameter of lesion.Line two:perpendicular line crossing the midpoint of line one.All measurement was compared with the pathologic specimen.Results(1)There were 48 invasive ductal carcinomas,6 ductal carcinomas in situ with small invasive foci,3 mucinous carcinomas,and 2 medullary carcinomas.(2)The low ADC value on ADC maps at b=500 and 1000 s?mm~(-2)was described as cancer extension.The measurement results were compared to pathologic figures and the pattern of correlation was categorized into 3 groups:Group 1,the area of low ADC values was almost the same as the pathological tumor extension; Group 2(overdiagnosis),the area of low ADC values was wider and more than 20% larger than the area of tumor extension;Group 3(false negative),no area of low ADC value was observed.There were no significant difference between DWI with b of 500 and b of 1000 s?mm~(-2)(X~2=0.160,P=0.689;X~2= 0.172,P=0.679)in Groups 1 and Group 3.There were 2 lesions in Group 2,which were consistent in DWI with b of 500 and b of 1000 s?mm~(-2).There were 14 misdiagnosed lesions,including overdiagnosis in 2 lesions and false negative in 12 lesions.Eight lesions measured at DWI with b of 500 and b of 1000 s? mm~(-2)were not consistent.Five lesions were diagnosed correctly at DWI with b of 500 s?mm~(-2),three of them were duetal carcinomas in situ with small invasive foci.(3)The extension of lesion on dynamic enhanced imaging was measured at 4 minutes after enhancement,and was compared with the extension measured at the same slice on DWI map.Pathologic figures were regarded as the gold standard.The extension of 47 lesions(80%)on enhanced images accorded with DWI.The abnormal area on DWI,which was consistent with pathologic figures,was wider than the area on enhanced images in 8 lesions.Of them,3 lesions were mucinous carcinomas and 5 lesions were grade 3 invasive ductal carcinomas.Conclusion DWI and ADC value have the potential in evaluating the cancer extension.The accuracy of extension measured on DWI map was better than that on dynamic enhanced images for some kinds of breast cancers.

Objective To explore the endoscopic and clinicopathological characteristics of upper gastrointestinal tract metastasis,it can improve the diagnosibility of endoscopists and pathologists. Methods Three cases of upper gastrointestinal tract metastasis and seven cases in the related literature were studied, and its endoscopy and clinicopathological findings were analyzed with a review of the literature, whose gastrointestinal symptoms were the first manifestation. Results Case 1 endoscopic detection of esophageal ulcer lesions, pathological diagnosis of metastatic cancer, considering the source of the lung, confirmed by imaging examination; Case 2 showed that the gastric body was prominent, and the pathological diagnosis was squamous cell carcinoma. It was suggested that the clinical examination should be carried out without metastasis, and then confirmed by imaging examination and bronchoscopy biopsy; Case 3 endoscopic examination revealed multiple polypoid lesions in the stomach and duodenum, and was pathologically diagnosed as metastatic renal cell carcinoma. 3 patients were correctly diagnosed, thus avoiding unnecessary radical surgical treatment. 7 cases of patients in the literature were aged, they were also in a variety of gastrointestinal symptoms and the first diagnosis, no previous history of cancer, endoscopic lesions in the stomach or duodenum, supplemented by immunohistochemical staining in pathological diagnosis were diagnosed as metastases, the primary tumor site without organ specific. Conclusion The metastasis of upper gastrointestinal tract is rare, especially when the gastrointestinal symptoms were the first manifestation,it is usually missed and misdiagnosed. The diagnosis relies on the endoscopic and pathological examination, supplemented by the imaging examination, so the patients could get effective treatment in time.