AIM:To investigate the impact of palmitate-stimulated macrophages on the invasion and migration of HepG2 cells and to explore the underlying mechanism .METHODS:Human acute monocytic leukemia cell line THP-1 were induced to macrophages by phorbol myristate acetate and were stimulated with palmitate (0.16 mmol/L).The culture supernatants were collected and used to incubate HepG 2 cells.The effect of palmitate on migration of the macrophages was detected by Transwell chamber assay .The mRNA expression of target genes was measured by RT-qPCR.The invasion and migration of the HepG 2 cells were assessed by invasion assay and scratch test .RESULTS:Palmitate promoted the migra-tion of the macrophages and increased the mRNA levels of interleukin -1β( IL-1β) , interleukin-6 ( IL-6 ) , tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) in the macrophages.The invasion and migration of the HepG2 cells incubated with conditioned media from palmitate-stimulated macrophages were greater than those of the HepG 2 cells incubated with conditioned media from macrophages without palmitate .The media of palmitate-stimulated macrophages up-regulated the mRNA expression of cytokines and N-cadherin, and down-regulated the mRNA expression of E-cadherin in the HepG2 cells.CONCLUSION:Palmitate-stimulated macrophages promote the invasion and migration of HepG 2 cells through paracrine/endcrine loop.

Aflatoxins produced primarily by two closely related fungi, Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus, are mutagenic and carcinogenic in animals and humans. Of many approaches investigated to manage aflatoxin contamination, biological control method has shown great promise. Numerous organisms, including bacteria, yeasts and nontoxigenic fungal strains of A. flavus and A. parasiticus, have been tested for their ability in controlling aflatoxin contamination. Great successes in reducing aflatoxin contamination have been achieved by application of nontoxigenic strains of A. flavus and A. parasiticus in fields of cotton, peanut, maize and pistachio. The nontoxigenic strains applied to soil occupy the same niches as the natural occurring toxigenic strains. They, therefore, are capable of competing and displacing toxigenic strains. In this paper, we review recent development in biological control of aflatoxin contamination.
Aflatoxins ; biosynthesis ; toxicity ; Animals ; Aspergillus ; growth & development ; pathogenicity ; physiology ; Aspergillus flavus ; growth & development ; pathogenicity ; physiology ; Food Contamination ; prevention & control ; Herbicides ; Humans ; Pest Control, Biological ; methods ; Soil Microbiology ; Species Specificity

This study seeks to explore the early signs of cognitive impairment in patients with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS). According to polysomnography, twenty patients diagnosed with OSAHS and twenty normal controls underwent event-related potential (ERP) examination including mismatch negativity (MMN) and P300. Compared with normal controls, OSAHS patients showed significantly prolonged latency of MMN and P300 at Cz. After controlling age and body mass index (BMI), MMN latency positively correlated with apnea hypopnea index (AHI), oxygen reduction index, stage N1 sleep and arousal index, while MMN latency negatively correlated with stage N3 sleep and mean blood oxygen saturation; and P300 latency positively related to AHI and oxygen reduction index; no relationships were found among MMN latency, MMN amplitude, P300 latency and P300 amplitude. These results suggest that the brain function of automatic processing and controlled processing aere impaired in OSAHS patients, and these dysfunction are correlated with nocturnal repeatedly hypoxemia and sleep structure disturbance.
Case-Control Studies ; Cognition Disorders ; complications ; physiopathology ; Event-Related Potentials, P300 ; Humans ; Hypoxia ; physiopathology ; Oximetry ; Polysomnography ; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive ; complications ; physiopathology ; Sleep Stages

The chromatographic fingerprint was established by eluting with the mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile and 0.2% formic acid water on an Agilent TC-C18 (2) column (4.6 mm x 250 mm, 5 microm). Six chromatographic peaks were identified by HPLC-MS/MS method. Ten batches of Glycyrrhizea Radix et Rhizoma Praeparata Cum Melle were determined, and the similarity was arranged from 0.72 to 0.99. Good precision, stability and repeatability were obtained, and this study provides a reference for the quality control of Glycyrrhizea Radix et Rhizoma Praeparata Cum Melle.
China ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; methods ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; Glycyrrhiza uralensis ; chemistry ; Mass Spectrometry ; Quality Control ; Rhizome ; chemistry

OBJECTIVETo assess the significance of platelet activation in unstable angina pectoris (UA) and acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and to explore the relationship of clinical effect of Xuefu Zhuyu concentrated pill (XCP) in vivo and the serum pharmacological anti-platelet activating effect of XCP in vitro.

METHODSBy flow cytometry and special labelled antibodys to detect the whole blood platelet membranous glycoprotein CD62P and CD41/45 expressions in UA patients before and after XCP treatment, as well as those in peripheral blood of AMI rats before and after co-cultured with XCP containing serum from patients at 37 degrees C for 30 min.

RESULTSCD62P and CD41/45 expressions increased significantly in UA patients to 24.36 +/- 7.91% and 29.51 +/- 12.21% respectively. After effective treatment, they decreased to 19.57 +/- 7.22% and 20.87 +/- 8.73% respectively accompanied with increase of platelet adhesion and aggregation rate. The difference of CD62P before and after treatment was significant (P < 0.05). CD62P in blood of AMI rats was 39.73 +/- 12.36%, after being co-cultured with XCP containing serum from patients treated effectively, it reduced to 30.41 +/- 10.36% (P < 0.05), but after co-cultured with the serum from patients treated ineffectively, it showed less intervention effect (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONPlatelet was highly activated in UA patients and AMI rats. The consistency between clinical holistic effect of XCP and serum pharmacological effect of XCP in platelet activation inhibition reflects a good correlation between serum pharmacological effect of Chinese herbal medicine and its clinical holistic effect.

Aged ; Angina, Unstable ; blood ; drug therapy ; Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Myocardial Infarction ; blood ; P-Selectin ; blood ; Phytotherapy ; Platelet Activation ; drug effects ; Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Platelet Membrane Glycoprotein IIb ; blood ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar

This paper discussed the current status of hearing aids fitting practitioners in China and proposed some proposals on how to cultivate qualified practitioners.The proposals includes setting up short-term training program,launching hearing aids fitting major in occupational schools and cultivating the hearing aids fitting practitioners from the would-be audiologists or otologists in an aim to meet the urgent hearing aids fitting need of Chinese deafness.

Objective Allograft vasculopathy (AV), feature of chronic rejection, is a major serious long-term post-operation complication in organ transplantation. The accurate mechanisms for AV have not been definitively established, but extensive basic and clinical studies demonstrate AV is triggered by immune reaction and nonimmunologic factors, and also possibly attributed to the metabolism of branched-chain amino acids (BCAA). Methods The transplanted hearts from Lewis to Sprague-Dawely rats served as allografts and those from Lewis to Lewis rats as isografts based on Ono 's model. The differential proteins in transplanted hearts were separated by comparative proteomic technique, and some enzymes which regulated the metabolism of BCAA were identified and validated.Results All transplanted hearts at second week postoperation were characterized by lumen loss (total area-luminal area/total area) in coronary artery, but more predominant at 8th week. All samples from the left ventricles were analyzed by proteomic techniques and the subunits E1 a, E1β and E3 of branched-chain α-ketoacid dehydrogenase (BCKDH) complex were decreased in the heart allografts.Immunohistological detection also showed the expression of BCKDH was reduced not only in the cardiac muscle but also more significantly in blool vessels with cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV).BCAA concentrations were increased in the cardiac allografts, but there was no difference in the serum. Conclusion These findings suggest that the catabolic pathways of the BCAA may be inhibited owing to the reduced expression of BCKDH complex, and elevated intracellular concentrations of leucine. The vascular smooth muscle cell and cardiac muscle cell proliferation is stimulated via mTOR-dependent and mTOR-independent pathways, which is associated with the formation of myocardial hypertrophy and AV in the heart allografts.

The sfa1 gene encoded a bifunctional enzyme with the activities of both alcohol dehydrogenase and glutathione-dependent formaldehyde dehydrogenase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.The gene disruption cassette produced by PCR using the same long oligonucleotides which comprise 19 or 22 nucleotides complementary to sequences in the templates(pUG6 and pUG66 marker plasmid)at 3' end and 45 nucleotides at 5' end that annealed to sites upstream or downstream of the genomic target sequence to be deleted.After two linear disruption cassettes with a Cre/loxP mediated marker were transformed into the cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae YS-1,the positive transformants were checked by PCR to correct the integration of the cassette and concurrent deletion of the chromosomal target sequence.Once correctly integrated into the genome,the select marker can be efficiently rescued by transformating the plasmid pSH47 into YS-1 and inducing the Cre expression with a Cre/loxP-mediated marker removal procedure.The expression of the Cre recombinase finally resulted in the removal of the marker gene,leaving behind a single loxP site at the chromosomal locus.The diploid mutant YS-1-sfa1 was generated,which could enhance the output of ethanol with 8.0% by shaking culture in flask compared with the original strain YS-1.

Objective: To explore the diagnostic value of brachial-ankle artery pulse wave velocity (baPWv) in patients of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Methods: A total of 86 consecutive dyspnoea patients without coronary artery diseases (CAD) were studied and they were divided into 2 groups: HFpEF group,n=46 and Control group, the patients had no organic heart disease,n=40. The incremental diagnostic value of HFpEF by baPWv improving the echocardiographic index and plasma BNP level was assessed by logistic regression model, receiver operation curve (ROC) of multi-parameter combination and net reclassiifcation index analysis. Results: Multiple stepwise logistic regression analysis presented that the ratio of early mitral inlfow velocity to tissue Doppler velocity at the lateral mitral annulus, BNP level and baPWv had the independent predictive value for HFpEF diagnosis, P<0.05. The ROC for baPWv with the combination of 2 or 3 parameters was better than the ROC for a single parameter, P<0.05. The baPWv added with 2007 ESC consensus statement signiifcantly improved HFpEF diagnosis, NRI = 0.127,P<0.05. Conclusion: The baPWv combining with current diagnostic criteria could increase the diagnostic value in patients of HFpEF.

Objective To summarize and analyze clinical diagnosis and surgical treatment methods of 11 cases with congenital coronary arterial fistula (CCAF). Methods The clinical data of 11 patients who were definited by ultrasonic cardiogram, CT angiography (CTA) and coronary angiography were analyzed retrospectively. Four cases were simple CCAF, 7 cases coexisted with other heart abnormalities. Six cases were given surgical closure of fistula without cardiopulmonary bypass. One of the cases adopted coronary artery under the tangent cotton-padded mattress suture, and 4 cases fistula arterial were ligatured directly. Six cases were given surgical closure of fistula under cardiopulmonary bypass. The right coronary arterial was opened in three of the cases with right coronary artery aneurysm to close fistula. The chambers of heart in the others were opened to close fistula. Results All patients received surgical treatment successfully, and no death happened during the operation. The ultrasonic cardiography showed that all patients recovered well. Follow-up was conducted on 10 patients with the time period ranging from 3 months to 5 years. There was no death and no complication. Conclusions Combined application of ultrasonic cardiogram, coronary angiography and CTA increases the accuracy rate of diagnosis greatly and offers visual bases to formulate operation plan. Surgical operation is quite effective for congenital coronary arterial fistula after definite diagnosis. Operator should try to reserve the expanded coronary arterial, strengthen the anticoagulant after opeation to prevent thrombosis.