Objective To establish a method for quality control of oleanolic acid and ursolic acid in Qingdu tablet. Methods The content of oleanolie acid and ursolic acid in Qingdu tablet were determined by high performance liquid chroma-tography(HPLC). The analytical column was kromasil-C18 (250 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 μm). The mobile phase consisted of methanol-0.5% phosphoric acid solution (88:12). The UV detection wavelenghth was 210 nm. The flow rate was 1.0 ml/min. Results Oleanolic acid and ursolic acid showed a good linearity in range of 0.06-0.54μg (R=0.999 3) and 0.30-2.70μg (R=0.999 7). The average recovery rates of Oleanolic acid and ursolic acid were 100.48% and 102.21%, respectively. Conclusions This method is simple, rapid and accurate. It could be used for the quality control and quality study of the Qingdu tablet.

AIM:To observe the effects of Sini decoction against pulmonary injury induced by ex vivo ischemia-reperfusion in rats. METHODS: The model of ischemia-reperfusion was established. Twenty-four Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into Sham, I/R, and SND groups. Wet to dry lung weight ratio (W/D), mean pulmonary artery pressure (MPAP), SOD activity and MDA contents in pulmonary perfusate and tissue, NOS activity and NO contents in pulmonary tissue were detected. The pathologic changes in pulmonary tissue were also observed by light microscope. RESULTS: The morphological changes of pulmonary injury were alleviated in SND group. Wet/dry ratio, MPAP and MDA contents in pulmonary perfusate and tissue were significantly lower in SND group after ischemic/reperfusion. SOD activity in pulmonary perfusate and tissue, and NO contents in pulmonary tissue were significantly higher in SND group than those in I/R group. No significant difference in NOS activity in pulmonary tissue among three groups was observed. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that SND may have a protective effect on ischemia-reperfusion injured lung by its antioxidant activity and by adjusting NO level.

Objective: To investigate the apoptosis-inducing effect of arsenic trioxide (As2O3) on gastric carcinoma cell line AGS in vitro and to assess the influence of As2O3 on the expression of signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 (STAT3) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Methods: AGS cells were treated with different concentrations of As2O3 (1, 5, and 10 ?mol/L) for 24,48, and 72 h. The cell proliferation was detected by MTT assay, cell apoptosis and cell cycle distribution were measured by flow cytometry and TUNEL, and the expression of STAT3 and VEGF was investigated by ELISA, immunohistochemistry and real-time PCR. Results: (1) As2O3 inhibited AGS cell proliferation in a time- and dose-dependent manner; (2) FCM results showed a typical sub-diploid peak before G0/ G1 phase and cell cycle analysis showed G2/M phase arrest; (3) TUNEL analysis revealed the DNA fragmentation; (4) During the As2O3-induced apoptosis of AGS cells, the expression of STAT3 and VEGF was down-regulated, especially when As2O3 was at 10 mol/L. Conclusion: As2O3 can inhibit the proliferation of AGS cells and induce AGS cell apoptosis, which might be related with cell cycle block and down-regulation of STAT3 and VEGF expression.

Objective To observe and compare the atomic force microscopy (AFM) images of Yersinia pestis EV76 and the changes in the morphology of the bacteria treated with normal serum and F1 antibody from rabbit,and to explore the immunoassay method to detect Yersinia pestis by AFM. Methods The Yersinia pestis were treated with normal serum and F1 antibody from rabbit and control buffer. All the prepared samples were observed and analyzed by AFM. The changes in the cell surface structures were probed and characterized through sectional analysis,especially the changes of Ra and Rq value. Results The normal morphology of Yersinia pestis was oval in shape with a relatively smooth surface, the size dimension of which was about 1.1-1.3 μm in length with a section profile of 0.8-1.0 μm in width and 0.04-0.06 μm in step height. The step height of the bacteria treated with the normal serum and F1 antibody was obviously enlarged. The shape of the bacteria treated with F1 antibody changed irregularly. Furthermore, the surface of the bacteria was more roughened. Conclusion The morphological characters of Yersinia pestis has been acquired through its AFM images. The morphology of Yersinia pestis treated with F1 antibody has changed greatly, and the index of roughness can be regarded as the distinguished index to detect Yersinia pestis by AFM.

Objective To study the pain controlling effects of non-pharmaceutical interventions in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) setting. Methods Infants who received radial artery puncture were assigned into control group, non-nutritive sucking (NNS) group and NNS plus glucose (NNS + GS) group according to their admission sequences. Each group contained 20 patients. Heart rate ( HR), respiratory rate (RR) and oxygen saturation (SpO2 ) before and after the procedure were monitored using Multi-Parameter Monitor ECG. Neonatal pain was evaluated using the preterm infant pain profile (PIPP). Results Among all three groups, after radial artery puncture, HR and RR were significantly increased, and SpO2 was significantly decreased (P < 0. 01). HR, RR and SpO2 variations in NNS group and NNS + GS group were less significant than the control group (P < 0. 05), and recovered to baseline more quickly. During the radial artery puncture, PIPP scores of infants in NNS and NNS + GS group were significantly lower than the control group (P < 0. 01), with NNS + GS group lower than NNS group (P <0. 05). Conclusions HR, RR and SpO2 can be used as physiological indicators of neonatal pain. PIPP score is simple and practical to be used in NICU setting. Both NNS and NNS + GS can partially relieve neonatal pain, and NNS + GS works better.

Objective:　To compare the dynamic changes of int erleukin-1 (IL-1), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) in intermingled skin graft with those in other types of skin grafts in rats. 　　Methods:　A 10%-15% third-degree burn was created in 180 Spreg ue-Dawley (SD) rats. After removing the scar, skin grafts were performed on the open wounds immediately with autoskin (aus, n=54), allosk in (als, n=54) and intermingled skin (n=36). That is to say, in the intermingled skin graft, a big piece of alloskin (mals) was grafted first, and 3 days later, small pieces of autoskin (maus) wer e embedded in the alloskin. The rest 36 rats were taken as the controls. And the biological activities of IL-1, IL-6 and TNF in graft sheets in each group wer e detected after skin graft. 　　Results:　The levels of IL-1, IL-6 and TNF in the aus group de creased steadily after their initial elevations, whereas in the als group they i ncreased significantly and kept on the peak level in the later phases. In the in termingled group, there appeared a lowest IL-1 level in the mals and a highest one in the maus simultaneously at 7 (4) days (The number out of parenthesis is t he days after transplanting with alloskin sheets, and the number in parenthesis is the days after embedding autoskin sheets in the intermingled skin graft. Simi larly hereinafter.) after skin graft (P<0.01), and the high level in the maus abruptly decreased at 14 (11) days after skin graft. At exactly the same phase on day 7 (4), a prominent peaked IL-6 in the mals occurr ed. In the later phases, the levels of TNF remained relatively low both in the m als and in the maus. From day 7 (4) on, each cytokine fluctuation in the mals sy nchronized with that in the maus. The longer the post transplantation period las ted, the more the positive cytokine correlated between the mals and the maus. 　　Conclusions:　The low levels of IL-1 and TNF may be important f actors to lighten the intensity of local rejection in the intermingled skin graf t. The temporarily peaked IL-6 is both an inducer which induces the production of local IL-1 receptor antagonists and soluble TNF receptors and a signal which indicates a local enhancement of Th2 cells. The mild rejection process and th e synchronized cytokine level during the later phases suggest a possible chimeri sm between the mals and the maus.

To discover novel antitumor fluoroquinolone lead compounds from a rational modification for antibacterial fluoroquinolones, a fused heterocyclic ketone corresponding to thiazolo[2,3- b][1,2,4]triazolone used as a bioisosteric replacement of the C-3 carboxylic acid group of ciprofloxacin 1, and further modification by a Claisen condensation reaction with substituted benzaldehydes formed novel fluoroquinolone C-3 fuse heterocyclic α, β-unsaturated ketones as the title compounds (6a-6r), separately. The structures of eighteen title compounds were characterized by elemental analysis, 1H NMR and MS, and the in vitro anti-proliferative activity against human hepatoma Hep-3B cells, pancreatic Capan-1 cells and leukemia HL60 cells was evaluated by a MTT assay. The preliminary results showed that the title compounds not only had more significant anti-proliferative activity against three tested cancer cell lines than that of the parent ciprofloxacin 1, but also exhibited the highest activity against Capan-1 cells. In particular, compounds carrying an electron-withdrawing carboxyl (6k, 6m) or sulfonamide substituent (6q, 6r) attached to benzene ring were comparable to or better than constractive drug doxorubicin against Capan-1 cells. As such, it suggests that it is favorable for a fused heterocyclic α, β-unsaturated ketone scaffold instead of the C-3 carboxylic acid group to improve the antitumor activity of fluoroquinolones.

BACKGROUND:Transplantation of alogeneic intervertebral disc can be facilitated by the cryopreservation of the intervertebral disc. But the traditional cryopreservation methods always lead to the appearing of ice crystals inside and outside the cels which can cause celular injury. The vitrification method that can avoid the formation of ice crystals have been widely applied in the cryopreservation field. However, only a few reports have assessed the vitrified cryopreservation of the intervertebral disc, and the toxicity of cryoprotectants to the nucleus pulposus cels have not been fuly explored.
OBJECTIVE:To determine the order of toxicity of five commonly used cryoprotectants that are used alone or in combination to rabbit nucleus pulposus cels, and to select the optimal cryoprotectant for the vitrification of the intervertebral disc.
METHODS: We chose five most commonly used cryoprotectants including dimethyl sulphoxide, formamide, ethylene glycol, propylene glycol and glycerol. Then, 5 single commonly used cryoprotectants, 10 mixed agents containing any 2 commonly used cryoprotectants, and 10 mixed agents containing any 3 commonly used cryoprotectants were formulated. Cel viability of nucleus pulposus cels was determined using cel counting kit-8 and fluorescein diacetate/propidium iodide method. Al data obtained were analyzed statisticaly to choose the appropriate combining scheme with less toxicity.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The order of the toxicity of these five commonly used cryoprotectants from low to high was ethylene glycol, glycerol, formamide, dimethyl sulphoxide, and propylene glycol. The toxicity of the combined agents containing two or three commonly used cryoprotectants was lower than that of any commonly used cryoprotectants that were used to formulate them. The toxicity of the mixed agents that contained ethylene glycol or glycerol was lower than that of any other mixed agents. So we can choose the mixed cryoprotectants that contain ethylene glycol and (or) glycerol for the vitrification of the intervertebral disc.

OBJECTIVETo detect the expression of cell cycle positive regulators cyclin D(1), cyclin E, CDK(2), CDK(4) and negative regulators p21(cip1), p27(kip1), p16(ink4a) and p15(ink4b) during wound healing in rats.

METHODSOpen wounds of full-thickness skin, diameter 1.8 cm, on rat backs were used as the wound model. Wound tissues were harvested on postwounding days 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 14, 21 and 30. Ki67 expression in granulation tissue was detected by immunohistochemical assay. The patterns of the expression of cyclin D(1), cyclin E, CDK(2), CDK(4) and p21(cip1), p27(kip1), p16(ink4a), p15(ink4b) were detected by Western blot.

RESULTSCell proliferation in granulation tissue took place predominantly within the first week after injury, with the proliferation peak occurring at postwounding day 5. There were no dramatic variations in the expression of cyclin D(1), CDK(2) and CDK(4) during wound healing. Up-regulated cyclin E was maintained from day 3 to 11 after injury, and then was down-regulated. No expression of p16(ink4a) and p15(ink4b) was found. p21(cip1) was expressed only from day 7 to 14, with peak expression observed on day 9. Constitutive p27(kip1) was expressed throughout wound healing with low levels in the proliferating period of day 3 to 5 and with increased levels in the post-mitotic and remodeling stage. The expression of p21(cip1) and p27(kip1) showed an inverse gradient to that of Ki67.

CONCLUSIONp21(cip1) and p27(kip1) play a supervising role in preventing the hyperproliferative tendency in tissue repair.

Animals ; Cell Cycle ; physiology ; Cell Cycle Proteins ; biosynthesis ; physiology ; Cell Division ; physiology ; Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p16 ; biosynthesis ; Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p27 ; Cyclin-Dependent Kinases ; antagonists & inhibitors ; biosynthesis ; Cyclins ; biosynthesis ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Skin ; cytology ; metabolism ; Tumor Suppressor Proteins ; biosynthesis ; physiology ; Wound Healing

Objective To explore the semitivity of ovarian cancer cell line SKOV3 to paclitaxel,oroteasome inhibitors,bortezomib,and their combination.Methods The methyl thiazolyl tetrazolitim (MTT)assay was applied to examine the cell viability after treatment.The annexin V-propidium iodide apoptosis detection kit was used to determine the apoptosis rate of different groups.Western blot assay was used to evaluate the expression levels of phosphorylated protein kinase B(AKT)and glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta(GSK-3β).Results In MTT assay,the cell viability ratios of the combination group at serial time points from 12,24,36,48 and 72 hours Were(65.2±5.8)%,(58.3±14.4)%,(35.3±5.0)%,(19.2±1.5)%,and(11.4 ±2.5)%,which were significantly lower than those of the paclitaxel group (P<0.05).After arug treatments,apoptosis rates of paclitaxel group,bortezomib group and the combination group were (14.7±0.5)%,(15.1±0.8)%and(20.5±0.7)%respectively.The rate of the combination group was significantly higher than that of non-treated group and paclitaxel group(P<0.05).Western blot assay showed the changes in expression levels of phosphorylated AKT and GSK-3β,which were decreased significantly after paclitaxd and bortezomib combination treatment [(3.2±0.8)%,(19.3±0.4)%;P<0.05].Conclusions The lethal effect of paclitaxel on tumor cells could be increased significantly by its combination with proteasome inhibitors,bertezomib.The AKT/GSK-3β signaling pathway plays an important role in the molecular mechanism of the combination treatment.