OBJECTIVETo study the in-vitro inducing apoptosis mechanism of human hepatoma SMMC-7721 cells by 2',4'-di- hydroxy-6'-methoxy-3',5'-dimethylchalcone (DMC), a chalcone compound from Cleistocalyx operculatus.

METHODQuantitative DNA fragmentation assay was carried out to detect the effect of DMC of different concentrations on SMMC-7721 cells, according to the method of Sellins and Cohen with some modifications. Telomerase activities of the cells were determined by PCR-ELISA methods. The expression quantity of c-myc and hTERT mRNA were determined by semi-quantitative RT-PCR The effect of DMC on expression levels of cmyc and hTERT protein were measured by western blot.

RESULTThe percentage of DNA fragmentation increased with notable concen- tration dependence, after treatment with DMC for 48 h. Compared with that of control group, the telomerase activity of the cells de- creased by (66.2 ± 2.1)% after 48 h treatment with 20 μmol x L(-1) DMC, the mRNA expression of c-myc and hTERT decreased by (67.3 ± 2.1)% and (64.4 ± 2.3)%, respectively, and the protein expression of c-myc and hTERT decreased by (69.6 ± 1.9)% and (71.3 ± 2.4)%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONDMC can induce SMMC-7721 cell apoptosis and the apoptosis mechanism may be related to the decreased mRNA and protein expression of c-myc and hTERT.

Antineoplastic Agents ; pharmacology ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; pathology ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Chalcones ; pharmacology ; DNA Fragmentation ; drug effects ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; pathology ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc ; genetics ; metabolism ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; metabolism ; Syzygium ; chemistry ; Telomerase ; genetics ; metabolism

Mean platelet volume (MPV) is an early marker of platelet activation.Larger platelets,compared to small ones,increase platelet adhesion and aggregation,and present a higher thrombotic activity.Some studies have explored the association between MPV and the morbidity of portal vein thrombosis (PVT).The aim of this study was to evaluate the predictive effect of MPV in patients with PVT by a meta-analysis.We searched Pubmed,Web of Science,SCOPUS,OVID,CNKI and CBMD from database inception to September 13,2017.Seven studies in accordance with selection criteria were included.The extraction of basic data was independently conducted by two reviewers.The mean difference in MPV between PVT patients and controls were pooled with weighted mean difference (WMD)and 95％ confidence interval of 0.88 fl (95％ CI:0.61-1.15).A random-effect model was chosen for an obvious heterogeneity in the pooling (Chi-square=27.12,df=6,P＜0.0001,I2=77.9％).The sources of heterogeneity were from the difference of primary disease of participants and portal vein diameter.Taken together,our results reveal that MPV is a predictive indicator in patients with PVT.

Abstract: Objective To express and purify MPT83 protein of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and evaluate its application value in immunological diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) using clinical samples. Methods Using Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) H37Rv genome as the template, Mtb mpt83 gene was amplified by PCR and connected to PET-21a (+) to construct prokaryotic expression vector, and then transferred into E.coli DH5α. The positive colonies were picked out and retained. The recombinant plasmid pET-mpt83 of the strain with positive colony PCR was extracted, identified by double digestion, and the samples of the positive colonies were sent for sequencing. The correctly sequenced plasmids then were transferred into BL21 competent cells for induction, expression and purification with nickel column affinity chromatography. The purified products were identified by 12 alkyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and Western blotting. Mouse polyclonal antiserum was prepared by immunizing mice with purified protein. 8 patients clinically diagnosed as tuberculosis pleural effusion (TB group) and 8 adenocarcinomas patients (CA group) were enrolled and their pleural effusion and plasma were collected. 8 healthy people (HC group) were enrolled as the control group and their plasma were collected. An indirect ELISA was used to detect the level of specific antibodies recognizing MPT83 protein in the samples. Results Mtb MPT83 protein was successfully expressed and purified. The serum titer of MPT83 mouse polyclonal antibody was as high as 1∶1 280 000. The plasma levels of MPT83 antigen specific antibodies in TB group were significantly higher than those in HC group (P<0.05), while the plasma levels of MPT83 antigen specific antibodies in CA group were not significantly different from those in HC group (P>0.05). Compared with the HC group, there was no significant difference in pleural fluid in both the TB and CA groups (P>0.05). The ROC curve was used to analyze the OD values of plasma in TB group and HC group, and the area under the curve was greater than 0.7, showing high diagnostic efficacy. Conclusion　MPT83 protein has high antigen specificity and immunogenicity, which has great application value in the immunological diagnosis of tuberculosis.

Over the past three decades, more and more antisense drugs have been approved for marketing or clinical trails. Antisense technology has become the focus of pharmaceutical research due to its unique advantages in treating diseases and strong clinical development potential. There is a big difference from traditional small molecule chemical drugs, and macromolecular protein biological drugs. Antisense drugs are a very independent drug form. Antisense drugs were initially used to treat diseases with single gene mutations, but recently they have gradually begun to be used for the treatment of common diseases. Rational antisense drug design is crucial for disease treatment based on genetics. This paper reviews the latest progress in the field of action mechanism, chemical modification and delivery strategy of antisense drugs, and analyzes the current intractable problems. It is believed that with the resolution of these problems, the research of antisense drugs can reach a new level.

The continuous cultivation of Rehmannia glutinosa causes the accumulation of phenolic acids in soil. It is supposed to be the reason of the so called "continuously cropping obstacle". In this study, phenolic acids (hydroxybenzoic acid, vanillic acid, eugenol, vanillin and ferulic acid) were degraded by the extracta of all the tested spent mushroom substrate (SMS) and the maximal degradation rate was 75.3%, contributed by extraction of SMS of Pleurotus eryngii. Pot experiment indicated that hydroxybenzoic acid and vanillin in soil were also degraded effectively by SMS of P. eryngii. The employment of SMS enhanced ecophysiology index to near the normal levels, such as crown width, leaves number, leaf length, leaf width and height. At the same time, the fresh and dry weight and total catalpol concentration of tuberous root weight of R. glutinosa was increased to 2.70, 3.66, 2.25 times by employment of SMS, respectively. The increase of bacteria, fungi and actinomycetes numbers in rhizosphere soil were observed after the employment of SMS by microbial counts. The employment of SMS also enhanced the enzyme activity in soils, such as sucrase, cellulase, phosphalase, urease and catelase. These results indicated that the employment of SMS alleviated the continuously cropping obstacle of R. glutinosa in some extent.
Agaricales ; chemistry ; metabolism ; Agriculture ; methods ; Biodegradation, Environmental ; Hydroxybenzoates ; analysis ; metabolism ; Rehmannia ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Soil ; chemistry ; Soil Microbiology

The proposed registration algorithm based on wavelet transform is a multi-resolution block matching one, which exploits the hierarchical self-similarity of Digital Subtraction Angiography images. This method befittingly trades off between the estimation precision and computational complexity, because the registration precision is from coarse to fine, which reduces the searching complexity of motion vector. This technique has been proved that the convergence speed is exponential. The proposed method takes full advantage of the precise location both temporally and frequently which characterizes the wavelet transform. Both the matching speed and consistency are boosted without the loss of matching performance.
Algorithms ; Angiography, Digital Subtraction ; methods ; Artifacts ; Artificial Intelligence ; Brain ; diagnostic imaging ; Image Enhancement ; methods ; Motion ; Sensitivity and Specificity

OBJECTIVETo investigate the ultrasonographic characteristics of benign cystic lesions in the scrotum.

METHODSA total of 96 patients with benign cystic lesions in the scrotum were analyzed retrospectively.

RESULTSEighteen of the patients had benign cystic lesions in the testis, including 9 cases of intratesticular cystic lesion, 5 tubular ectasia of the rete testis, 2 epidermoid cyst and 2 dermoid cystine. And 78 of the total number had the lesions in the epididymis, including 75 cases of seminal cyst and 3 seminal fluid deposition in the epididymis. High-frequency ultrasound could clearly reveal benign cystic lesions in the scrotum, differentiate them from cystis degeneration of testiculoma, and diagnose tubular ectasia of the rete testis and seminal fluid deposition in the epididymis.

CONCLUSIONUltrasonography could be a first choice and a valuable imaging means in the diagnosis of benign cystic lesions in the scrotum.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Cysts ; diagnostic imaging ; Genital Diseases, Male ; diagnostic imaging ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Reproducibility of Results ; Retrospective Studies ; Scrotum ; Ultrasonography ; methods

OBJECTIVESome neonates especially premature infants, low birth weight infants and extremely low birth weight infants have limited endogenous energy stores. It is necessary to establish continuous administration of postnatal nutrition. The use of parenteral nutrition (PN) in neonates with immaturity of digestive system and intentionally delayed feedings has gained widespread acceptance. PN has been shown to provide sufficient nutrients to maintain growth in newborn infants. The major complication of PN in neonates is PN-associated cholestasis (PNAC). It remains a significant and frequent clinical problem for neonatal practitioners. In some cases, progressive liver damage, liver failure and death may become inevitable. In order to analyze the risk factors of the PNAC in neonates and to provide the evidence of safety and efficiency in clinical nutrition support, the clinical data of 612 neonates who had received PN for more than 5 days during the past 20 years were reviewed.

METHODSRetrospective analysis on data collected from April 1985 to March 2005 was performed. The records of 612 neonates were divided into two groups according to the established Nutrition Support Team (NST) in our hospital. Each group included two sub-groups. Seventy neonates of the first group were divided into PNAC group (n = 6) and non-PNAC group (n = 64); these patients were seen between 1st April 1985 and 31st March 1995. The remaining 542 neonates of the second group who were also divided into 2 groups, i.e. PNAC group (n = 12) and non-PNAC group (n = 530) who were seen from 1st April 1995 through 31st March 2005. The incidence of PNAC between the first group and the second group was compared and the associated factors were analyzed. The PNAC was defined when serum level of direct-bilirubin exceeded 1.5 mg/dl or direct-bilirubin greater than 50% of the bilirubin and excluding cholestasis resulted from other diseases.

RESULTSThe total incidence of PNAC in neonates who had received TPN for more than 5 days was 2.94%. The incidence of PNAC of the first and the second decade was 8.57% and 2.21%, respectively (OR = 0.242, 95% CI = 0.088 approximately 0.666). The average gestational age (GA) and birth weight (BW) of PNAC group were less than those of the non-PNAC group (GA: (33 +/- 5) w vs. (36 +/- 4) w, P = 0.009; OR = 0.827, 95% CI = 0.698 approximately 0.980. BW: (2003 +/- 743) g vs. (2393 +/- 764) g, P = 0.045; OR = 1.001, 95% CI = 0.999 approximately 1.002). The PN duration and calorie intake of PNAC group was longer than that of the non-PNAC group (PN duration: 32 +/- 30 d vs. (13 +/- 10) d, P = 0.000; OR = 1.072, 95% CI = 1.032 approximately 1.112. Calorie intake: [(272 +/- 46) kJ/(kg.d)] [(65.0 +/- 10.9) kcal/(kg.d)] (1 kcal = 4.184 kJ) vs. [(232 +/- 55) kJ/(kg.d) (55.5 +/- 13.1) kcal/(kg.d)], (P = 0.002; OR = 1.066, 95% CI = 1.012 approximately 1.122), but the weight gain in the non-PNAC group had a tendency to increase as compared to that of the PNAC group [(20 +/- 27) g/d vs. (9 +/- 19) g/d, P = 0.175].

CONCLUSIONSThe incidence of PNAC was associated with the longer duration of PN, the smaller age at initiation of PN, the higher calorie intake, prematurity and lower birth weight. Establishment of the nutrition support team can normalize the practice of the PN administration and decrease the incidence of the complication with nutrition support. It is a favorable mode and it can provide a safer, more effective and reasonable means in clinical nutrition support. To avoid PNAC, it is suggested that the administration of enteric feeding should start as soon as possible, which may enhance effective contraction of gallbladder and secretion of gastrointestinal hormones, and it is best to avoid high calorie of PN and control the calorie intake under 251.04 approximately 334.72 kJ/(kg.d) [60 approximately 80 kcal/(kg.d)].

Cholestasis ; complications ; epidemiology ; etiology ; Female ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant ; Infant, Low Birth Weight ; physiology ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; growth & development ; Male ; Parenteral Nutrition ; adverse effects

BACKGROUNDBudd-Chiari syndrome (BCS) is a posthepatic portal hypertension caused by the obstruction of the lumen of the hepatic veins or the proximal inferior vena cava (IVC). This study aimed to evaluate the clinical experience of interventional therapy for Budd-Chiari syndrome.

METHODSIVC venography was carried out first, the obliteration or stenosis in the IVC was opened or dilated with the hard guided wire or Rups100 puncture needle and balloon, then a stent was routinely implanted for the type of obliteration or stenosis.

RESULTSThe procedure was successful in 821 out of 903 cases including IVC intervention in 760 cases, and hepatic vein intervention in 61 cases. An IVC stent was used in 517 cases and hepatic vein stent in 19 cases. There were no pulmonary embolisms, but acute renal failure occurred in eight cases, hepatic coma in two cases and acute heart failure in 43 cases. Two patients died in this group and five cases were complicated with acute IVC thrombosis. Follow up of 7 to 124 months was made in 679 cases with recurrence found in 59 cases.

CONCLUSIONSInterventional therapy is safe and effective with a fast recovery for most types of BCS. It is gradually becoming the first therapeutic choice.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Angioplasty, Balloon ; adverse effects ; Budd-Chiari Syndrome ; surgery ; therapy ; Child ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Phlebography ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo assess micronutrients level in children with short bowel syndrome.

METHODSClinical data of 17 children with short bowel syndrome from April 2004 to July 2006 were collected. They received the measurement of serum vitamin A, E and - carotene by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).

RESULTSThere were 9 boys and 8 girls with age range of 3 months to 18 years. Eleven children did not need parenteral nutrition (PN), and 6 still depended on PN. Six cases were free of ileocolic valve and 11 cases had ileocolic valve. The length of remaining intestine was more than 75 cm in 5 patients and less than 75 cm in 12 patients. Among 11 cases without PN, 9 were tested for serum iron, zinc and copper levels. Their incidences of below the reference value of vitamin A, E and beta - carotene were 23.5%, 35.3% and 58.8%, respectively. The incidences of below the reference value of vitamin A and beta - carotene were higher in patients with weaned PN, less than 75 cm remaining intestine and without ileocolic valve. The patients with more than 75 cm remaining intestine and still with PN had a higher incidence of below the reference of vitamin E, but the incidence was similar in the patients with or without ileocolic valve. Serum zinc was lower than normal level in 3 cases and serum iron was low in 1 case.

CONCLUSIONSupplement of extra micronutrients is essential for short bowl syndrome patient whatever they receive the PN or have normal diets, and follow- up is recommended.

Adolescent ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Micronutrients ; blood ; Nutrition Assessment ; Nutritional Status ; Parenteral Nutrition ; Short Bowel Syndrome ; blood ; therapy ; Treatment Outcome