Adult ; Female ; Genotype ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Phenotype ; Thrombophilia ; genetics ; Thrombosis ; Young Adult

Objective To study the possible role of bone morphogenetic protein 7(BMP 7) in the TGF ?1 induced tubular epithelial myofibroblast transdifferentiation (TEMT) of cultured renal tubular epithelial cells. Methods The normal rat kidney tubular epithelial cell line (HK 2) was cultured for three days on plastic plates in the presence or absence of recombinant TGF ?1 and BMP 7. The alterations in the phenotype were assessed by phase contrast microscopy. Transdifferentiation of tubular cells into myofibroblasts was assessed by immunofluorescence, with monoantibodies to alpha smooth muscle actin (? SMA), vimentin and cytokeratin respectively. The expression of ? SMA of HK 2 cells was measured by flowcytometry. The expression of ? SMA mRNA of HK 2 cells was assessed with reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT PCR). Results Treatment of HK 2 cells with BMP 7(50 and 100 ng/ml) for 24～48 hours increased cellular proliferation. The culture of HK 2 cells in the presence of TGF ?1 induced a clear fibroblast like morphology, a loss of the epithelial marker cytokeratin and de novo expression of ? SMA and vimentin. Immunofluorescence staining showed the addition of various concentrations of BMP 7 to subconfluent cells for 24 and 48 hours, and the expression of ? SMA and vimentin was decreased. There was an increase in the percentage of cells expressing ? SMA with TGF ?1, which was completed inhibited by an addition of BMP 7(P

Three butylphthalide derivatives were isolated from the Rhizome of Ligusticum chuanxiong using a series of isolation and purification approaches including macroporous resin, ODS-A column, Sephadex LH-20 and preparative HPLC. These structures were elucidated based on extensive spectroscopic data (UV, IR, HR-ESI-MS and NMR) and identified as (3Z,3aE)-(6R,7R,2'S)-6-hydroxy-7-(2-carboxyl-2-hydroxyethylthio)-3-(2-hydroxybutylidene)-4,5,6,7-tetrahydro-phthalide (1), (3Z,3aZ)-3-butylidene-6,7-dihydroxy-4,5,6,7-tetrahydro-phthalide 7-O-α-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→2)-β-D-fructo-furanoside (2) and 3-(3-β-D-glucopyranosyloxy-butylidene)-7-hydroxy-phthalide (3).

As a member of G protein coupled-receptors superfamily, free fatty acid receptor 1 (FFAR1), is also known as GPR40, has been shown to regulate numerous pathophysiological processes in a variety of tissues and organs. The activated FFAR1 has a variety of biological functions. For instance, it can not only regulate metabolism of fatty acids and glucose, but also play an important role in immune inflammatory response, it may be a potential drug target for the treatment of various chronic inflammatory diseases. In this review, we focus on the recent researches of FFAR1's action in the regulation of pathophysiological processes, its molecular mechanism and new agonists development. At the same time, this review will take the discovery of series FFAR1 agonists as examples, and display the applied prospects of FFAR1.

Increasing evidence has revealed that maternal cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection may be associated with neurodevelopmental disorders in offspring.Potential relevance between the placental inflammation and CMV-related autism has been reported by clinical observation.Meanwhile,abnormal expression of Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) and TLR4 in placenta of patients with chorioamnionitis was observed in multiple studies.IL-6 and IL-10 are two important maternal inflammatory mediators involved in neurodevelopmental disorders.To investigate whether murine CMV (MCMV) infection causes alterations in placental IL-6/10 and TLR2/4 levels,we analyzed the dynamic changes in gene expression of TLR2/4 and IL-6/10 in placentas following acute MCMV infection.Mouse model of acute MCMV infection during pregnancy was created,and pre-pregnant MCMV infected,lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated and uninfected mice were used as controls.At E13.5,E14.5 and E18.5,placentas and fetal brains were harvested and mRNA expression levels of placental TLR2/4 and IL-6/10 were analyzed.The results showed that after acute MCMV infection,the expression levels of placental TLR2/4 and IL-6 were elevated at E13.5,accompanied by obvious placental inflammation and reduction of placenta and fetal brain weights.However,LPS 50 μg/kg could decrease the IL-6 expression at E13.5 and E14.5.This suggests that acute MCMV infection during pregnancy could up-regulate the gene expression of TLR2/4 in placental trophoblasts and activate them to produce more proinflammatory cytokine IL-6.High dose of LPS stimulation (50 tg/kg) during pregnancy can lead to down-regulation of IL-6 levels in the late stage.Imbalance ofIL-6 expression in placenta might be associated with the neurodevelopmental disorders in progeny.

To study the protective effect of astragalus saponin extracts (AS) on kidneys of diabetic rats. Totally 32 diabetic rats induced by streptozotocin (STZ) were divided into AS high and low dose groups, the positive control group and the model group (DM group) and orally administered with 50 mg x- kg(-1) x d(-1) AS 200, 25 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1) valsartan, 10 mL x kg(-1) x d(1) physiological saline, respectively. Another 8 healthy rats were collected in the normal control group (NC group, physiological saline 10 mL x kg(-1). d(-1)). All rats were treated for consecutively 6 weeks. After the administration, the body weight was measured every week, the concentration of blood glucose was monitored on week 2, 4 and 6. The total urine and total urinary protein (U-TP) in 24 h were measured by the metabolic cage method on week 6; At the end of week 6, blood samples were collected from hearts to detect blood urea nitrogen (BUN), serum creatinine (Scr), uric acid (UA) , total cholesterol (CH) triglyceride (TG) by biochemical methods. Kidneys were collect to calculate the kidney hypertrophy index and observe the pathological sections. The laboratory results show that in the DM group, the blood glucose, metabolic cost in 24 h, kidney hypertrophy index, U-TP, BUN, Scr, UA, TG were significantly higher than that in the NC group (P < 0.01, P < 0.05) , with significant pathological changes; After the intervention with AS, the metabolic value in 24 h, kidney hypertrophy index, U-TP, BUN, Scr, UA, TG were significantly lower in the high dose group (P < 0.01, P < 0.05), and the kidney hypertrophy index, BUN, Scr, UA, TG in the low dose group were also significantly lower (P < 0.05), with slight reduction in renal pathological changes in both groups. In conclusion, Astragalus saponin extracts have a certain protective effect on kidneys of diabetic rats.
Animals ; Astragalus Plant ; chemistry ; Blood Glucose ; metabolism ; Blood Urea Nitrogen ; Diabetic Nephropathies ; metabolism ; prevention & control ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; Humans ; Kidney ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Saponins ; administration & dosage ; Uric Acid ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo observe the differential effect of joint ultrasound on the syndrome differentiation of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) by observing the high frequency ultrasound performances among inactive stage and different syndromes in active stage.

METHODSTotally 83 RA patients in the active stage were assigned to the dampness heat syndrome group (DHS, 59 cases)and the cold dampness syndrome group (CDS, 24 cases) according to Chinese medicine (CM) syndrome typing. Besides, 20 RA patients in the remission stage were recruited as the control group (abbreviated as the remission group). By using high frequency ultrasound and power Doppler ultrasound technology, a comparative observation of synovitis, tenosynovitis, synovial blood flow, and bone erosion in the 2nd-5th metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joints, proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joints, wrist joints, knee joints, the second and the fifth metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joints (a total of 24 joints) was performed in all patients. Correlation analyses were performed between the ultrasound performance, laboratory indices, and the disease activity. Ultrasound data of each RA patient were analyzed by their total scores. Χ2 test was used for enumeration data. The measurement data was expressed as x ± s. One-way ANOVA was used for data of normal distribution, while non- parametric test was used for data of non-normal distribution. Correlation analysis of two variables was performed for clinical indicators and ultrasound indicators. Its significance was detected using Pearson correlation.

RESULTSCompared with the remission group, the severity degree of synovitis, tenosynovitis, synovial blood flow, and bone erosion significantly increased in the DHS group (P < 0.01). There was statistical difference in ESR, CRP, anti-CCP, DAS28 score, and the positive rate of RF (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). There was statistical difference in the severity degree of synovitis and synovial blood flow, and DAS28 score in the CDS group (P < 0.05). Compared with the CDS group, there was statistical difference in the four ultrasound indices (P < 0.05, P < 0.01), ESR, CRP, anti-CCP, DAS28 score, and the positive rate of RF in the DHS group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). There was no statistical difference in G, IgG, IgA, or IgM among the three groups (P > 0.05). There existed positive correlation between ESR and the synovitis degree, synovial blood flow, and bone erosion in the DHS group (r = 0.444, 0.397, 0.486, P < 0.05).There existed positive correlation between ESR and the synovitis degree, bone erosion, and synovial blood flow in the DHS group (r = 0.378, 0.270, P < 0.05). There existed positive correlation between the DAS28 score and the synovitis degree and synovial blood flow in the DHS group (r = 0.304, 0.351, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSThe inflammation degree was the most severe in RA patients of DHS. High frequency ultrasound could provide better evidence for Chinese medical syndrome differentiation of RA patients.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; diagnostic imaging ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Metacarpophalangeal Joint ; ultrastructure ; Syndrome ; Synovitis ; diagnostic imaging ; Ultrasonography

OBJECTIVEThere was consanguineous relationship between caspase-3 and early damage after hypoxia and ischemia. Caspase-3 plays a key role in the process of apoptosis in neuron. Magnesium sulfate could protect neuron from injuries, but the mechanism was not clear. The study was to investigate the expression of caspase-3 mRNA in the hippocampus of seven-day-old hypoxic-ischemic rats and the possible mechanism of neural protection with magnesium sulfate.

METHODSThe model of seven-day-old hypoxia-ischemia rats was established. The rats were divided randomly into 6 groups as follows: (1) normal control (n = 4); (2) sham surgery control (n = 4); (3) hypoxia-ischemia (n = 4); (4) sodium chloride injection with hypoxia-ischemia (n = 4); (5) magnesium sulfate pre-injection with hypoxia-ischemia (n = 4); (6)magnesium sulfate post-injection with hypoxia-ischemia (n = 4). The therapy groups received a bolus injection of 500 mg/kg magnesium sulfate intraperitoneally 0.5 hour before or after hypoxia-ischemia. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR was used to measure caspase-3 mRNA expression in the hippocampus 24 hours after hypoxia-ischemia.

RESULTSThe expression of caspase-3 mRNA was significantly increased in the hippocampus of the hypoxia-ischemia pups (1.88 +/- 0.36 vs 0.97 +/- 0.46, P < 0.05). The expression of caspase-3 mRNA in rats with magnesium sulfate pre-injection and post-injection decreased significantly (1.54 +/- 0.49, 1.65 +/- 0.48 vs 1.88 +/- 0.36, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONCaspase-3 was activated in the hippocampus of the seven-day-old rats 24 hours after hypoxia-ischemia. The suppression of the expression of caspase-3 mRNA in the hippocampus was probably related to the protective effect of magnesium sulfate on the brain injury of hypoxia-ischemia.

Animals ; Animals, Newborn ; Caspase 3 ; Caspases ; genetics ; Female ; Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic ; Hippocampus ; blood supply ; metabolism ; Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain ; physiopathology ; prevention & control ; Magnesium Sulfate ; therapeutic use ; Male ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction

Objective To evaluate the intra-and inter-rater reliability of MyotonPRO for Achilles tendon properties measured. Methods Twenty healthy subjects were recruited to measure Achilles tendon properties using a novel hand-held Myoton-PRO device by two testers, one of the testers re-tested five days later. The reliability was assessed using in-tra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) and Bland-Altman analysis, and minimum detectable changes (MDC) was calculated. The Achilles tendon properties of the dominant or non-dominant leg was compared. The correlation between body mass and Achilles tendon properties was examined. Results The intra-rater reliabilities of Achilles tendon properties were ICCleft=0.884 and ICCright=0.904; the inter-rater reli-abilities were ICCleft=0.883 and ICCright=0.945. The MDC was 36.64 N/m. Bland-Altman plots showed good agreement. There was no significant difference in Achilles tendon properties between dominant and non-domi-nant legs (t<1.236, P>0.05). The body mass positively correlated with Achilles tendon properties (r>0.477, P<0.05). Conclusion The intra-and inter-rater reliabilities of MyotonPRO were good in measuring Achilles tendon properties in healthy subjects. No significant difference was found between dominant and non-dominant legs. The body mass positively correlated with Achilles tendon properties in healthy subjects.

OBJECTIVETo develop a clinical database system of gastric cancer surgery integrated with data mining function for better management of clinical data and better performance of both retrospective and prospective studies.

METHODSCore fields for clinical data were determined based on the JGCA(13th and 14th edition) and UICC gastric cancer staging system. Microsoft Visual Basic and VistaDB were used for programming. The database structure was designed according to data mining theory and clinical workflow.

RESULTSAfter one year of development and refinement, data of over 600 patients from our hospital were retrospectively entered, and function tests were satisfactory. This system was accepted as the database platform for the Chinese Laparoscopic Gastrointestinal Surgery Study Group (CLASS) and was successfully used in the first stage of the Multicenter Retrospective Study of the Feasibility of Laparoscopy for Gastric Cancer among 30 hospitals from both Mainland China and Hong Kong. The data mining function met the requirements, which could carry out complex search with visualized presentation. Descriptive analyses could be performed with the analysis function. Efficient communication among institutions could be executed by data import and export with excellent compatibility and without errors.

CONCLUSIONThe system has established a clinical database of approximately 4000 fields with data mining function. This system can be widely applied for the clinical research for gastric cancer.

Data Mining ; Databases, Factual ; Humans ; Software Design ; Stomach Neoplasms ; surgery