Ten flavonoids were isolated from the 95% ethanol extract of the seeds of Alpinia galanga Willd. with a combination of various chromatographic techniques, including silica gel, Sephadex LH-20 and preparative HPLC. On the basis of spectroscopic data analysis, they were elucidated as (2R, 3S)-pinobaksin-3-cinnamate (1), (2R, 3R)-pinobaksin-3-cinnamate (2), pinocembrin (3), pinobaksin (4), 3-O-acetylpinobaksin (5), galangin (6), galangin-3-methylether (7), kumatakenin (8), 3-methylkaempferol (9) and (2R, 3R)-3, 5-dihydroxy-7-methoxyflavanone (10). Among them, compound 1 is a new compound, compounds 2, 5 and 10 were isolated from the genus Alpinia for the first time, and others were isolated from this plant for the first time.
Alpinia ; chemistry ; Benzopyrans ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Cinnamates ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Flavanones ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Flavonoids ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Kaempferols ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Molecular Structure ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Seeds ; chemistry

Objective To explore a kind of simple and high efficient approach to differentiate human embryonic stem cells(hESCs)into neural stem cells(NSCs).Methods hESCs were cultured in bacterial culture dish filled with serum free medium to gain embryoid bodies.Then the mature embryoid bodies grew in the special medium including B27 and noggin by adherent culture to differentiate into NSCs. Results The hESCs kept floating in the bacterial culture dish and growing all the time and then formed mature embryoid bodies 7 to 10 days later.The embryoid bodies could be differentiated into highly pure (96.4%)nestin positive cells.And these cells were differentiated into all kinds of neural cells if cultured further.Conclusions This kind of method is less time-consuming,cheaper,and more efficient than those of the results in literatures reported.It affords very good source of seed cells for cell transplantation therapy in the future.

OBJECTIVETo search for an effective therapy for aorto-arteritis of arterial type in the head and arm.

METHODSEighty cases were randomly divided into an acupuncture and moxibustion group and a medication group, 40 cases in each group. Renying (ST 9), Taiyuan (LU 9), Jiquan (HT 1) and other acupoints were selected in the acupuncture group, and the medication group were treated with intravenous dripping of Fufang Danshen Liquid. Their therapeutic effects were observed.

RESULTSThe clinical cured rate and the total effective rate were 15.0% and 95.0% in the acupuncture group, and 0 and 75.0% in the medication group, respectively, with a very significant difference between the two groups in the therapeutic effect (P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONAcupuncture and moxibustion has a definite therapeutic effect, which is significantly superior to that of the routine medication for aorto-arteritis of arterial type in the head and arm.

Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Arm ; Arteritis ; Humans ; Moxibustion

OBJECTIVETo examine and follow up cervical cytology of pregnant and postpartum women and study their cytopathologic characteristics, so as to determine screening and managing programs for abnormal cervical cytology.

METHODSTotally 5296 patients in pregnancy and postpartum, in which 3729 by computer-assisted cytology test and 1567 by liquid-based monolayers cytology test, were examined and diagnosed by the Bethesda System made in 2001. Those proven epithelial abnormalities patients were followed up until the lesions regressed to normal. The remaining patients, who exhibited persistent abnormalities or progression, were given further examinations.

RESULTSThe positive rate of cervical cytological test was 8.72% (462/5296), including squamous carcinoma (SCA) 1 case (0.02%), high grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) 34 cases (0.64%), low grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL) 145 cases (2.74%), atypical glandular cells (AGC) 5 cases (0.09%), atypical squamous cells cannot exclude HSIL (ASC-H) 14 cases (0.26%), atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASC-US) 263 cases (4.97%). The 419 proven cytological abnormality cases were followed up successfully. The total transnegative rate in three months was 73.74% (309/419), in which 303 cases (72.32%) persisted normal status for more than six months after regression. And the transnegative rate of ASC-US, ASC-H, AGC, LSIL, and HSIL were 79.56%, 64.29%, 100%, 72.14% and 44.12%, respectively. Forty-six cases received biopsy directed by colposcopy. The distribution of coincidence of cytopathologic and histopathologic diagnosis was: SCA 1 case (100%), HSIL 10 cases (76.92%), LSIL 13 cases (65%), ASC-H 2 cases (50%), ASC-US 3 cases (37.50%), total 29 cases (63.04%).

CONCLUSIONSWe should cast more attention to screening cervix lesions in pregnant and postpartum women. Their cytopathologic characteristics are liable to make the clinician give a false positive diagnosis. So we propose to follow up them closely and to lower the indication of biopsy.

Adult ; Biopsy ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; pathology ; virology ; Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia ; pathology ; virology ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Papillomaviridae ; isolation & purification ; Papillomavirus Infections ; Postpartum Period ; Precancerous Conditions ; pathology ; virology ; Pregnancy ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms ; pathology ; virology ; Vaginal Smears

Purpose To examine the expression of Fascin-1 and β-catenin protein and K-ras gene mutation in colorectal adenocarcinoma, and to explore their role in progression of colorectal neoplasm and their relevance. Methods Fascin-1 and β-catenin were analyzed by use of immunohistochemistry En Vision two-step. K-ras gene mutation was detected by ARMS method.Relationship between overexpression of Fascin-1, the nuclear expression of β-catenin, and the mutations of K-ras gene and clinicopathologic parameters was analyzed, the correlation between them was also analyzed. Results In 112 colorectal adenocarcinoma samples, the overexpression rate of Fascin-1 protein was 27.7％ (31/112), significantly higher than non-neoplastic mucosa (P < 0.01). The high nuclear expression rate of β-catenin was 29.5％ (33/112) in adenocarcinoma and non-neoplastic mucosa respectively with a significant difference between two groups (P < 0.01). High expression rate of Fascin-1 protein and β-catenin were correlated significantly with lymph node metastasis (P = 0.022, P = 0.027), and TNM staging (P =0.042, P = 0.019) in colorectal adenocarcinoma. The overexpression of Fascin-1 protein was correlated with tumor location (P = 0.004). The mutation rate of K-ras gene was 34.8％ (39/112), which showed no correlation with age, gender, tumor size, grade of differentiation, lymph node metastasis and TNM staging (P> 0.05). There was a correlation between the overexpressison of Fascin-1 protein, the nuclear expression of β-catenin and the mutation of K-ras gene (rs= 0.252, rs= 0.258, P < 0.05). The overexpression of Fascin-1 protein positively correlated with the nuclear expression of β-catenin (rs= 0.213, P < 0.05). Conclusion Fascin-1 protein and β-catenin protein are involved in invasion and metastasis of colorectal cancer and are associated with K-ras gene mutation. K-ras may promote the overexpression of Fascin-1 by virtue of nuclear expression ofβ-catenin, which provided a new research direction on the treatment of K-ras gene mutated colorectal adenocarcinoma.

The purposes of the present study were to investigate the inhibitory effect of quercetin (QUE) preconditioning on endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) inducer tunicamycin (TM)-induced apoptosis in RAW264.7 macrophages and the underlying molecular mechanisms. RAW264.7 cells were pretreated with different concentrations (20, 40, and 80 μmol/L) of QUE for 30 min and then treated with TM (5 mg/L) for 12 h. Cell viability and apoptosis were determined using MTT assay and Annexin V-FITC apoptosis detection kit, respectively. The nuclear translocation of activating transcription factor 6 (ATF6) in cells was detected by immunofluorescence analysis and Western blot. Protein and mRNA expressions of C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP) and Bcl-2 were examined by Western blot and real-time PCR, respectively. The results showed that TM reduced cell viability and induced apoptosis in RAW264.7 macrophages. The cytotoxic effects of TM were significantly inhibited by QUE pretreatment at the concentrations of 40 and 80 μmol/L. Interestingly, we found that QUE also significantly suppressed the TM-induced translocation of ATF6, an ERS sensor, from the cytoplasm to the nucleus. In addition, exposure of RAW264.7 macrophages to TM resulted in a significant increase of the expression of CHOP, a transcription factor regulated by ATF6 under conditions of ERS, as well as a decrease of Bcl-2 at transcript and protein levels. QUE blocked these effects in a dose-dependent manner. These data indicate that QUE can protect RAW264.7 cells from TM-induced apoptosis and that the mechanism at least partially involves its ability to inhibit the ATF6-CHOP signaling pathway.
Activating Transcription Factor 6 ; metabolism ; Animals ; Apoptosis ; Cell Survival ; Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress ; Macrophages ; cytology ; drug effects ; Mice ; Quercetin ; pharmacology ; Transcription Factor CHOP ; metabolism ; Tunicamycin ; pharmacology

Objective: To evaluate the efficiency and safety of low intensity conditional regimen for children with Fanconi anemia (FA) receiving allogenic hematopoietic stem cells transplantation (allo-HSCT). Methods: Four patients diagnosed as Fanconi anemia were enrolled in this study. One patient received HLA-identical sibling donor hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, two patients underwent unrelated donor matched (UD) HSCT, and one patient received unrelated cord blood transplantation. The conditional regimen consisted of Busulfan with low dose of cyclophosphamide. Results: All 4 cases succeeded in allo-HSCT. The median time for neutrophils engraftment was 11(9-15) day, median time to platelets (PLT) engraftment was 12 (8-28) day. One case occurred with grade I of aGVHD, 1 case with hemorrhagic cystitis. No patient happened with hepatic veno-occlusive disease (VOD). Conclusion: Low intensity of conditional regimen is efficient and safe which should be recommended for FA patients with HSCT.
Busulfan ; Fanconi Anemia ; Graft vs Host Disease ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Humans ; Transplantation Conditioning

Objective: To explore the curative effect of integrated traditional Chinese and western medicinal (TCM-WM) therapy on incipient diabetic nephropathy (DN).Methods: One hundred patients with incipient DN were randomly divided into two groups, the treated group (50 cases) was treated with TCM-WM therapy, which was carried out by using Jiangtang Jianshenling (JTJSL) capsule, a Chinese preparation for supplementing Qi and nourishing Yin, on the basis of effectively controlling blood glucose with western medicine. The 50 patients in the control group were treated with western medicine alone. The course of treatment was three months. Changes of symptoms, signs and related laboratory parameters were observed before and after treatment.Results: The total effective rate in the treated group was 90% while that in the control group 58%, the difference between the two groups was significant (P<0.05). The related parameters including 24 hrs urinary albumin excretion, blood sugar, microalbuminuria, blood and urine β2-microglobulin, blood lipids and hemorrheologic parameters were all improved after treatment in the treated group (P<0.05 or P<0.01).Conclusion: The curative effect of TCM-WM was better than that of western medicine alone in treating incipient DN.

Background/Aims: Endoscopic radiofrequency ablation (ERFA) is a treatment option for superficial esophageal squamous cell neoplasia (ESCN), with a relatively low risk of stenosis; however, the long-term outcomes remain unclear. We aimed to compare the long-term outcomes of patients with widespread superficial ESCN who underwent endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) or ERFA. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of patients with superficial ESCN who underwent ESD or ERFA between January 2015 and December 2021. The primary outcome measure was recurrence-free survival. Results: Ninety-two and 33 patients with superficial ESCN underwent ESD and ERFA, respectively. The en bloc, R0, and curative resection rates for ESD were 100.0%, 90.2%, and 76.1%, respectively. At 12 months, the complete response rate was comparable between the two groups (94.6% vs 90.9%, p=0.748). During a median follow-up of 66 months, recurrence-free survival was significantly longer in the ESD group than in the ERFA group (p=0.004), while no significant differences in overall survival (p=0.845) and disease-specific survival (p=0.494) were observed.Preoperative diagnosis of intramucosal cancer (adjusted hazard ratio, 5.55; vs high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia) was an independent predictor of recurrence. Significantly fewer patients in the ERFA group experienced stenosis compare to ESD group (15.2% vs 38.0%, p=0.016). Conclusions The risk of recurrence was higher for ERFA than ESD for ESCN but overall survival was not affected. The risk of esophageal stenosis was significantly lower for patients who underwent ERFA.

Background/Aims: Endoscopic radiofrequency ablation (ERFA) is a treatment option for superficial esophageal squamous cell neoplasia (ESCN), with a relatively low risk of stenosis; however, the long-term outcomes remain unclear. We aimed to compare the long-term outcomes of patients with widespread superficial ESCN who underwent endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) or ERFA. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of patients with superficial ESCN who underwent ESD or ERFA between January 2015 and December 2021. The primary outcome measure was recurrence-free survival. Results: Ninety-two and 33 patients with superficial ESCN underwent ESD and ERFA, respectively. The en bloc, R0, and curative resection rates for ESD were 100.0%, 90.2%, and 76.1%, respectively. At 12 months, the complete response rate was comparable between the two groups (94.6% vs 90.9%, p=0.748). During a median follow-up of 66 months, recurrence-free survival was significantly longer in the ESD group than in the ERFA group (p=0.004), while no significant differences in overall survival (p=0.845) and disease-specific survival (p=0.494) were observed.Preoperative diagnosis of intramucosal cancer (adjusted hazard ratio, 5.55; vs high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia) was an independent predictor of recurrence. Significantly fewer patients in the ERFA group experienced stenosis compare to ESD group (15.2% vs 38.0%, p=0.016). Conclusions The risk of recurrence was higher for ERFA than ESD for ESCN but overall survival was not affected. The risk of esophageal stenosis was significantly lower for patients who underwent ERFA.