Objective To identify interleukin (IL)-17-producing T cells and Foxp3 positive CD4 positive T ceils from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and investigate their cytokine levels as well as their correlations. Methods Flow cytometry was used to analyze the subsets of T cells in peripheral blood from 39 RA patients and 40 healthy donors. IL-17, IL-6, IL-23 and transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta levels in sera of these subjects were tested by ELISA. Results IL-17+CD4+ T cells increased significantly and IL-17, IL-6 and IL-23 elevated markedly in peripheral blood of RA patients compared to healthy donors (P< 0.01 ). However,Foxp3+CD4+T cells decreased evidently (P<0.01) and TGF-beta did not increase in RA pati-ents when compared to healthy donors (P>0.05). Conclusion This study suggests that Th17 cells predomin-ance coupled with relatively insufficient CD4+ regulatory T cells in RA is mainly caused by alterations of rela-ted cytokines.

Purpose To investigate the expression and significance of androgen receptor (AR) in breast carcinoma with different ER and PR status.Methods Immunohistochemical method was used to detect AR, ER and PR expression in 173 cases of breast carcinoma, and all the cases were grouped according to: (1) AR status: AR~- positive subgroup and AR~- negative subgroup, (2) ER status: En subgroup (negative for both ER and PR), Ep subgroup (positive for ER and/or PR), (3)AR, ER and PR status: En-AR~+ subgroup (AR~- positive cases of En subgroup), En-AR~- subgroup (AR~-negative cases of En subgroup), Ep-AR~+ subgroup (AR~- positive cases of Ep subgroup), and Ep-AR~- subgroup (AR~-negative cases of Ep subgroup).En-AR~- subgroup also was called negativE-for-all subgroup, and the rest three subgroups were called partly-or-completely positive subgroup (positive for at least one of the three markers), and then, the groups were compared with clinicopathological features.Results The positive rate of AR was 62.8% (54/86) in Ep subgroup and 37.9%(33/87) in En subgroup, and there was significant difference between them (P=0.001).Compared to AR~-negative subgroup, AR~-positive subgroup had smaller tumor size, less mitosis count and lower grade(P<0.05).Compared to the other three subgroups, En-AR~- subgroup had more mitosis count and higher grade (P<0.01).In En subgroup,AR~- positive cases had less mitosis count and lower grade (P<0.05), and in Ep subgroup,AR~- positive cases had higher stage(P=0.000), but no significant difference were found among partly or completely positive subgroups.Conclusions The expression of AR may play a different role in breast carcinoma with different ER and PR status, because it indicates good prognosis in negative for both ER and PR subgroup, but bad in ER and/or PR positive subgroup. When choosing a personalized therapy, all the combinations of hormone receptor status should be considered for the patients.

0.05). ConclusionThe expression of VOCC mRNA and BKCa mRNA in kidney tissues of IgA nephropathy patients are abnormal.There is positive correlation between the abnormal expression of VOCC mRNA and BKCa mRNA and total glomerular pathological lesions integrals.The expression of VOCC mRNA and BKCa mRNA in kidney tissues of IgA nephropathy may serve as the indictor for the disease progression.

Objective To determine whether the poking reduction and bone grafting technique with guide through bony tunnel can correct a Hill-Sachs lesion. Methods A total of 30 cadaveric humeri were equally divided into three groups, 10 cadaveric humeri per group. Hill-Sachs lesions were replicated with a osseous defect involving 10% (group A ) , 20% (group B ) and 30% (group C ) of the articular surface. All the bone defects in each group were measured and the poking reduction and bone grafting technique with guide through a bony tunnel was performed in group B and group C. The preoperative and postoperative transverse arc length, longitudinal are length, depth and volume of the osseous defects in group B and group C were compared by using paired t test. Results Before reduction, the transverse arc length of the bone defects was ( 10.9 ± 1.4 )mm in group B and ( 16.3 ± 2.3 ) mm in group C ; longitudinal arc length was ( 22.4 ± 2.4 ) mm in group B and ( 28.0 ± 2.2 ) mm in group C ;depth was (6.9±0.9) mm in group B and (11. 1 ±0.9) mm in group C; volume was (708.7±93.9) mm3 in group B and (1338.3 ± 185.6) mm3 in group C. After reduction, the transverse arc length of the bone defects was (5.1 ± 2.4 ) mm in group B and ( 7.6 ± 3.6 ) mm in group C ; longitudinal arc lengthwas (10.5 ±4.9) mm in group B and (12.3 ±5.3) mm in group C; depth was (0.3±0.1 ) mm in group B and (0.4 ±0.1 ) mm in group C; volume was (48.9 ± 16.1 )mm3 in group B and (70.3 ± 37.9) mm3 in group C. The comparison of all the parameters showed statistical difference (P <0. 01 ). Conclusion The poking reduction and bone grafting technique with guide through a bony tunnel can effectively correct the Hill-Sachs lesions with humeral head osseous defects involving 20% -30% of the articular surface.

Objective To investigate the variation of immune index in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) treated with autologous purified CD+34 cells transplantation and to clarify the relationship with pathogenesis and prognosis. Methods Flow cytometry (FCM) and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) were used to test lymphocyte subsets, C3, C4, CH50, autoantibodies and immunoglobulin for 18 cases of SLE before and after transplantation. Results The results showed that the ratio of all the T cell subsets reduced obviously in early postgraft and recovered gradually in 1 to 3 months after transplantation except CD45 RO+CD+4 cells. The levels of serum C3, C4, CH50 increased significantly after transplantation. No case relapsed within one year after transplantation, but 2 patients relapsed one year after transplantation. The levels of the indexes in the patients with relapse were significantly lower than those in the patients with persistent remission, including C4 in the entire course, CH50 in the 3rd and 12th month after transplantation and CD45 RA+ CD+8 cells in the 6th month after transplantation. However, the ratio of CD45 RO+ CD+4 cells in the first month after transplantation in the patients with relapse was higher than that in the patients with persistent remission. Conclusion Autologous purified CD+34 cells transplantation is effective for treating SLE. Survey of immune indexes before and after transplantation is important to investigate the pathogenesis of SLE. Moreover, these immune indexes can be used to predict therapeutic efficacy of SLE.

Purpose To investigate the relationship between molecular phenotype of ductal carcinoma in situ ( DCIS) and that of inva-sive ductal carcinoma ( IDC) of the breast. Methods Immunohistochemical method was used to detect ER, PR, HER-2 and CK5 ex-pression in 165 cases of breast cancer, with DCIS and IDC existed in every one of the samples. Results In the 165 cases of breast cancer, the ER, PR, HER-2 and CK5 expression of IDC was positively correlated with that of DCIS, respectively. To evaluate IDC phenotype, the number of basal phenotype was 18 (10. 9%), HER-2-overexpression 20 (12. 1%), luminal A 102 (61. 8%), lumin-al B 20 (12. 1%), null phenotype 6 (3. 6%);to evaluate DCIS phenotype, the number of basal phenotype was 19 (11. 5%), HER-2-overexpression 20 (12. 1%), luminal A 104 (63%), luminal B 17 (10. 3%), null phenotype 5 (3%). 157 cases (95. 2%) of IDC had the same phenotype with DICS, but the rest 8 cases (4. 8%) not, three cases of luminal A DCIS transformed into one HER-2-overexpression and two null phenotype IDC, three of HER-2-overexpression DCIS transformed into luminal B IDC, one null pheno-type DCIS transformed into one luminal A IDC, and one basal phenotype DCIS transformed to HER-2-overexpression IDC. Conclusion Most of IDC have the same phenotype with DCIS, but there exist small part of DCIS which could transform into other phenotype IDC.

OBJECTIVETo explore the clinical efficacy and action mechanism of acupuncture for premature ovarian failure (POF).

METHODSAccording to prospective cohort study design, 30 cases were included. Based on theory of regulating Chong and Conception Vessels as well as soothing the liver and calming the nerves, acupuncture at Guanyuan (CV 4), Dahe (KI 12), Taixi (KI 3), Taichong (LR 3), Baihui (GV 20) was applied, three times per week and 3 months were considered as one session. Totally two sessions were performed. The menstruation condition, estradiol (E2), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and scores of the clinical perimenopausal symptoms were taken as treatment outcomes.

RESULTSThe total effective rate was 86.7% (26/30) and the cured rate was 16.7% (5/30). The recovery rate of menstruation was 16.7% (5/30) and the regain rate of menstruation was 56.7% (17/30). After the treatment, the level of E2 was significantly increased from (45.41 +/- 18. 09) pmol/L to (59.07 +/- 24.21) pmol/L (P < 0.05), and the score of perimenopausal symptoms was obviously reduced from 14.28 +/- 8. 30 to 4.04 +/- 3.28 (P < 0.01). However, no statistical differences could be seen in FSH before and after treatment (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONAcupuncture has certain effect on improving menstruation and perimenopausal symptoms in POF patients, which is likely to he related with increasing the level of E2.

Acupuncture Therapy ; Adolescent ; Estradiol ; metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Luteinizing Hormone ; metabolism ; Primary Ovarian Insufficiency ; metabolism ; therapy ; Prospective Studies ; Young Adult

Previous studies have demonstrated that plasminogen actiator (PA) activity is significantly high in semen of infertile men, which is also high in semen when azoospermia or oligozoospermia is induced by injection of testosterone enanthate (TE) into healthy adult men or rhesus monkeys. To further clarify the source and possible role of PA in semen, the present study was undertaken to examine: (1) whether the mRNAs for tissue type PA (tPA), urokinase type PA (uPA), and PA inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) are expressed in epididymis, seminal vesicle and prostate gland of rhesus monkeys; and (2) whether PA has some effect on in vitro sperm capacitation as judged by the potential of sperm motility, acrosome reaction (AR) and in vitro fertilization. Our results showed that (1) mRNAs for PA and PAI-1 were expressed in epididymis, seminal vesicle and prostate gland, and (2) uPA, but not tPA, improved sperm mobility, induced AR and enhanced sperm capacity to fertilize mature eggs. Thus, it is concluded that PA activity in semen comes not only from testis and epididymis, but also from seminal vesicle and prostate gland; and that uPA, but not tPA, may play a role in sperm capacitation.

The aim of this paper was to investigate the effect of terpene penetration enhancers on membrane fluidity and membrane potential using HaCaT keratinocytes, and study the potential mechanisms of these terpene compounds using as natural transdermal penetration enhancer. Six terpene compounds, namely menthol, limonene, 1,8-cineole, menthone, terpinen-4-ol and pulegone, were chosen in this study on account of their good penetration-enhancement activities. The cytotoxicity of these terpene compounds was measured using an MTT assay. The fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) technique was employed to measure the change of membrane fluidity of HaCaT cells. The flow cytometer was used to study the alteration of membrane fluidity of HaCaT cells, and investigate the effect of terpene compounds on intracellular Ca2+. It was found that 6 terpene compounds possessed low cytotoxicity in comparison to the well-established and standard penetration enhancer azone. Those terpene compounds could significantly enhance HaCaT cells membrane fluidity and decrease HaCaT cells membrane potentials. Meanwhile, after treated with various terpene compounds, the Ca2(+)-ATPase activity and intracellular Ca2+ of HaCaT cells was decreased significantly. Terpene penetration enhancers perhaps changed the membrane fluidity and potentials of HaCaT cells by altering the Ca2+ balance of the cell inside and outside, resulting in the low skin permeability to increase the drug transdermal absorption.
Cell Line ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacokinetics ; Humans ; Keratinocytes ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Membrane Fluidity ; drug effects ; Skin Absorption ; drug effects ; Terpenes ; pharmacokinetics

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Fractures, Bone ; complications ; Heparin, Low-Molecular-Weight ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pelvic Bones ; blood supply ; diagnostic imaging ; injuries ; Radiography ; Venous Thrombosis ; diagnostic imaging ; drug therapy ; prevention & control ; Young Adult