Objective To investigate ASPS induced G_2/M arrest in lung cancer cell line H446 and its effect on ERK MAP kinase signal transduction pathways. Methods Cell cycle phases were inspected by flow cytometery (FCM) ; Western blot analysis was used to inspect the proteins of ERK, p-ERK. Results Compared with control group, G_2/M phase cells increased with concentration significantly, G_0/G_1 phase cells were not different, G_2/M phase cells and G_0/G_1 phase cells were not different when pre-incubated with PD98059 prior to exposure to ASPS of different concentrations, protein of p-ERK was significantly increased, expression of ERK was no different. Conclusion ASPS may induce G_2/M arrest of H446 cells possibly by activation ERK MAP kinase pathways.

Objective To investigate the changes of cardiac structure and function in patients with hepatolenticular degeneration (HLD).Methods From March 2010 to February 2011,90 HLD patients who did not receive formal treatment (observation group) and 30 healthy people (control group) were collected and analyzed with color Doppler echocardiography in the Institute of Neurology,Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Traditional Chinese Medicine.Based on the clinical manifestations,cases were divided into hepatic type group (n =31),brain type group (n =42) and brain-visceral type group (n =17).According to the Child-Pugh classification,patients were divided into Child A group (n =71),Child B group (n =10) and Child C group (n =9).Results (1) The left atrial diameter ((28.00 ± 3.11),(29.62 ± 3.44) mm) and left ventricular diameter ((45.69 ± 3.75),(47.10-± 4.73) mm) of HLD patients in brain-visceral type group and hepatic type group were larger than that of the control group ((24.86 ± 2.63),(41.93 ±3.56) mm;t =3.143,4.761,P=0.018,0.000;t=3.764,5.167,P=0.018,0.000).The left atrial diameter and left ventricular diameter of hepatic type group were significantly larger than the brain type group (26.06 ± 3.68,43.34 ± 3.88;t =3.557,P =0.000;t =3.751,P =0.001).The value of E/A in the hepatic type group (1.57 ± 0.37) was significantly lower than the control group (1.93 ± 0.20;t =-0.352,P =0.006).(2) The left atrial diameter ((31.29 ± 1.70),(34.67 ± 1.97) mm) and left ventricular diameter ((48.29 ± 2.81),(53.67 ± 2.67) mm) of Child B and C groups were significantly larger than the control group ((24.86 ± 2.63),(41.93 ± 3.56) rm;t =6.429,9.810,P =0.000,0.000;t =6.357,10.738,P =0.000,0.000),and the Child A group ((26.42 ± 3.05),(43.89 ± 3.76) rm;t=4.871,8.252,P=0.000,0.000;t =4.399,8.780,P=0.003,0.000).The value of E/A of Child B and C groups (1.58 ± 0.32,1.26 ± 0.39) was lower than that of the control group (t =-0.347,0.662,P=0.020,0.000);At the same time,the value of E/A of Child C group was significantly lower than that of Child A group (1.80 ± 0.33;t =-0.530,P =0.000).Conclusions The HLD patients may have cardiac structural and functional changes,mainly manifested as left atrial and left ventricular enlargement and cardiac diastolic dysfunction,whereas a serious impact has not yet been found in systolic function.And the changes of cardiac structure and function were related to the degree of liver cirrhosis in patients with HLD.

This study was aimed to apply the electronic nose (E-nose) in the research of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). The discussion was made on difficulties of using E-nose. The solution plan was proposed and the discrimination model was established. It provided a simple, rapid and effective analysi method in the identification of TCM. It also provided new ideas for the research and application of gas sensor arrays. E-nose was used in the ex-traction of TCM scent characteristics. Based on ion mobility spectrometry of MOS sensor, the fingerprint of TCM scent was established. The maximum response value of the sensor was used as analysis index. According to the diffi-culties of identification, two solution plans were proposed. Firstly, different detectors were employed to complete the classification. Secondly, radial basis function (RBF) and random forests (RF) were combined and then a cascade classifier was constructed in order to achieve the maximum of information obtained in conditions where the number of measurements, metal oxide semiconductor sensors in E-nose was limited. The results showed that both plans were accurate and practical with relatively high upper correct judge rate and better cross-validation (The highest upper correct judge rates were 95% and 100%, 96% and 80%, respectively). It was concluded that this study firstly ap-plied cascade classifier in the establishment of TCM identification by E-nose. With limited amount of sensors, the maximum information was received through data mining. Using E-nose in the identification of TCM was rapid and accurate. The established pattern recognition method was maneuverable with accurate identification rate and stability compared to conventional sensory identification method. It provided a simple and rapid analysis method for the iden-tification of TCM.

Objective The present study is to investigate IL-24 gene(Ad5F35-hIL-24) effect on the topoisommeraseⅡα(topoⅡα) and Caspase-3 expression in glioma cell line U251. Methods After transfected the U251 glioma cells with the Ad5F35-hIL-24, the methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) was used to analyse the inhibition rate of Ad5F35-hIL-24 on the cells. Hoechst 33258 fluorescent staining and flow cytometric assay were used to detect apoptosis. The immunohistochemistry assay was used to detect topoⅡα expression, and Western blotting was applied to detect the protein expression of topoⅡα and caspase-3. Transwell experiment was used to test the invasiveness of the cells. Results It was found that the Ad5F35-hIL-24 could inhibit U251 cell proliferation and induce apoptosis in a dose dependent manner compared with the control groups. It showed that Ad5F35-hIL-24 could inhibit topoⅡα expression reveled by immunohistochemistry and Westeren blotting, while it increased caspase-3 protein expression. The Transwell experiment showed that the Ad5F35-hIL-24 could reduce the invasiveness of the U251 glioma cells.Conclusion The exogenous IL-24 gene can inhibit the cell proliferation and induce apoptosis of U251 glioma cells. The topoⅡα and Caspase-3 are the important molecular targets of the IL-24 gene. These results may give support for the IL-24 gene usage in clinical treatment for glioma patients.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the association between the results of skin prick test (SPT) of dust mites and serum specific IgE (S-IgE). METHODS A total of 170 patients with allergic rhinitis received SPT and detection of S-IgE of Der p and Der f. The positive rates and grades of S-IgE to different diameters of skin reaction or skin index (SI) were compared. RESULTS The positive rates and grades of S-IgE showed significant differences among different diameters of skin reaction or skin index (SI) patients. The positive rates and grades of S-IgE increased significantly according to the diameters of skin reaction or SI. CONCLUSION There is a significant association between SPT of dust mites and S-IgE.

Keratoconus (KC) is a common cornea ectatic disorder characterized by myopia,irregular astigmatism and other visual impairment caused by corneal thinning and cone-shaped protrusion.With a wide range of effects,the etiology of this disease is unknown,and genetic factors may be involved in its pathogenesis.This paper summarizes the research progress on KC genetic etiology for reviewing the selected candidate genes and loci based on traditional/genome-wide linkage studies,genome-wide association studies and central corneal thickness in recent years.Genetic studies on KC pathogenesis will advance our understanding of this disease and further promote the development of potential therapies.

OBJECTIVE: This study was performed to evaluate the accuracy and reliability of a newly designed method to achieve mandibular dental model superimposition, using voxel-based cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) registration. METHODS: Fourteen dry cadaveric mandibles and six teeth extracted from patients with severe periodontitis were used to establish 14 orthodontic tooth-movement models. The protocol consisted of two steps: in the first step, voxel-based CBCT mandible superimposition was performed; the reference comprised the external portion of the symphysis, extending to the first molar. The laser-scanned dental model image was then integrated with the CBCT image to achieve mandibular dental model superimposition. The entire process required approximately 10 minutes. Six landmarks were assigned to the teeth to measure tooth displacement, using tooth displacement on the superimposed laser-scanned mandibles as the reference standard. Accuracy was evaluated by comparing differences in tooth displacement based on the method and the reference standard. Two observers performed superimposition to evaluate reliability. RESULTS: For three-dimensional tooth displacements, the differences between the method and the reference standard were not significant in the molar, premolar, or incisor groups (p > 0.05). The intraclass correlation coefficients for the inter- and intra-observer reliabilities of all measurements were > 0.92. CONCLUSIONS Our method of mandibular dental model superimposition based on voxel registration is accurate, reliable, and can be performed within a reasonable period of time in vitro, demonstrating a potential for use in orthodontic patients.

Objective To study the pharmacokinetics of sodium aesci-nate after intravenous infusion in Chinese healthy volunteers. Methods Sodium aescinate for injection were given to 9 healthy volunteers of a single dose of 10 mg, the concentrations of aescinate in human plasma and urine were determined by HPLC-MS/MS, the main pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated with WinNonlin 5. 0. Results The main pharmacokinetic parameters of A ingredient of aescinate and B ingredient of aescinate were as follows: C_(max) were ( 283. 00 ± 70. 53 ), (206. 33 ± 57.20) ng · mL~(-1); AUC_(0-t) were (1008.05 ±396.49), (638.96 ± 259. 48) ng · h · mL~(-1);t_(1/2) were(3. 72 ±0. 44), (3.57 ±0.48) h;V_z were (19. 39 ±7. 05), (23.82 ±11.43) L;CL were (3. 66 ± 1. 36), (4. 55 ± 1. 86) L · h~(-1) ;36 hour accumulative urine excretion rates were (4. 91 ± 1. 38) % , (2. 80 ± 0. 71 ) % , respectively. Conclusion The disposing process of A ingredient of aescinate and B ingredient of aescinate in healthy subjects were resemble, the elimination half life was about 3. 6 h, the accumulative urine excretion rate was low.

BACKGROUNDSmall cell lung cancer (SCLC) is the most aggressive form of lung cancer. This study aimed to investigate the mechanism of human small cell lung cancer cell line resistance to etoposide (VP-16), H446/VP.

METHODSThe cell viability was measured by MTT assay. Immunocytochemistry, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blotting methods were used to detect the multidrug resistance gene (MDR1), bcl-2, bax and the topoisomerase II (Topo II) expressions in H446 and H446/VP cells after treated with or without VP-16.

RESULTSThe 50% inhibition concentration (IC50) of VP-16 on H446 cells was 49 mg/L, and 836 mg/L was for H446/VP cells. The expressions of MDR1 and bcl-2 were up-regulated, while the amounts of bax and Topo II were reduced in H446/VP cells. After treated with 49 mg/L of VP-16, it showed that the drug could significantly inhibit bcl-2 and Topo II expressions, and increase bax expression in H446 cells compared with that of H446/VP cells.

CONCLUSIONSThe H446/VP cell was stably resistant to VP-16. The decreased expression of Topo II was correlated with the H446/VP multidrug resistance. The elevated expressions of MDR1, and the altered apoptotic pathways also played an important role in VP-16 induced multidrug resistance of SCLC.

ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Sub-Family B ; ATP-Binding Cassette, Sub-Family B, Member 1 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Antigens, Neoplasm ; genetics ; metabolism ; Blotting, Western ; Cell Line, Tumor ; DNA Topoisomerases, Type II ; genetics ; metabolism ; DNA-Binding Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Drug Resistance, Multiple ; genetics ; physiology ; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm ; genetics ; physiology ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Small Cell Lung Carcinoma ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo provide basis for selecting the suitable method of Down's syndrome biochemical screening in the second trimester pregnancy.

METHODSA total of 30 547 singleton pregnancies between 14 and 20(+ 6) weeks of pregnancy were collected and analyzed for maternal serum alpha-fetoproteins (AFP) and human chorionic gonadotrophin, free beta subunit (beta-HCG) with or without unconjugated estriol (uE3). The screening risks were calculated using the software Lifecycle. The detection rates and the cost of per Down's syndrome detected were calculated and compared. And four different methods were compared in a series of 64 serum samples from Down's syndrome pregnancies.

RESULTS(1) Among the 64 affected cases, the detection rate of Down's syndrome was improved no matter in the double test (DT) or in the triple test (TT) if software Lifecycle (LC) was used to evaluate risks. And it was not suitable to evaluate risks with software 2T-Risks in the triple tests. (2) In the cohort of 30 547 singleton pregnancies, the detection rate of Down's syndrome with project DT-LC, which was double test using AFP and free beta-HCG together with software Lifecycle, and project TT-LC, which was triple test using AFP, free beta-HCG and uE3 together with software Lifecycle, was 56.25% and 57.14%, respectively. The former project was better because it decreased the false positive rate at a lower running cost.

CONCLUSIONThe DT-LC is an effective screening strategy for second trimester detection of fetal Down's syndrome in mainland China.

Adult ; Chorionic Gonadotropin, beta Subunit, Human ; blood ; Down Syndrome ; blood ; diagnosis ; Estriol ; blood ; Female ; Genetic Testing ; methods ; Humans ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Trimester, Second ; blood ; Prenatal Diagnosis ; economics ; methods ; Young Adult ; alpha-Fetoproteins ; metabolism