OBJECTIVETo establish in vitro culture systems of greater epithelial ridge (GER) cells from rat cochlear and to investigate the characterization, growth pattern and ultrastructure of GER cells.

METHODSUsing a combinatorial approach of enzymatic digestion and mechanical separation to allow isolation and culture of GER cells from P1 rat cochleae. The dissociated GER cells were cultured in serum-free or 10% fetal bovine serum DMEM respectively. BrdU, phalloidin, ZO1, calretinin and myosin VIIa immunostaining and scanning electron microscope observation were performed in GER cell cultures.

RESULTSThe dissociated GER cell cultures showed positive to ZO1, phalloidin and BrdU staining, but negative to myosin VIIa and calretinin. They assumed a polygonal morphology which was similar to epithelial cells and grew in islands-like patches in medium containing 10% fetal bovine serum while forming spheres in serum-free medium. The GER cells presented significant ability to proliferate in both conditions. Scanning electron microscope showed that there was microvillus and centre bodies but not hair cell specific stereociliary bundles on the surface of GER cultures.

CONCLUSIONSThe GER cell cultures showed significant ability to proliferate and grew in islands-like patches in medium containing 10% fetal bovine serum while forming spheres in serum-free medium. The dissociated GER cells expressed epithelial cell specific marker but not marker of hair cells.

Animals ; Animals, Newborn ; Cell Culture Techniques ; Cells, Cultured ; Cochlea ; cytology ; Epithelial Cells ; cytology ; Hair Cells, Auditory ; cytology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

OBJECTIVETo observe the effect of Compound Shenhua Tablet (, SHT) on the sodium-potassium- exchanging adenosinetriphosphatase (Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase) in the renal tubular epithelial cells of rats with acute ischemic reperfusion and to investigate the mechanisms underlying the effects of SHT on renal ischemic reperfusion injury (RIRI).

METHODSFifty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into the sham surgery group, model group, astragaloside group [150 mg/(kg·d)], SHT low-dose group [1.5 g/(kg·d)] and SHT high-dose group [3.0 g/(kg·d)], with 10 rats in each group. After 1 week of continuous intragastric drug administration, surgery was performed to establish the model. At either 24 or 72 h after the surgery, 5 rats in each group were sacrificed, blood biochemistry, renal pathology, immunoblot and immunohistochemical examinations were performed, and double immunofluorescence staining was observed under a laser confocal microscope.

RESULTSCompared with the sham surgery group, the serum creatinine (SCr) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels were significantly increased, Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase protein level was decreased, and kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1) protein level was increased in the model group after the surgery (P<0.01 or P<0.05). Compared with the model group, the SCr, BUN, pathological scores, Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase, and the KIM-1 protein level of the three treatment groups were significantly improved at 72 h after the surgery (P<0.05 or P<0.01). And the SCr, BUN of the SHT low- and high-dose groups, and the pathological scores of the SHT high-dose group were significantly lower than those of the astragaloside group (P<0.05). The localizations of Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase and megalin of the model group were disrupted, with the distribution areas overlapping with each other and alternately arranged. The severity of the disruption was slightly milder in three treatment groups compared with that of the model group. The results of immunofluorescence staining showed that the SHT high-dose group had a superior effect as compared with the astragaloside group and the SHT low-dose group.

CONCLUSIONSThe SHT effectively alleviated RIRI caused by ischemic reperfusion, promoted the recovery of the polarity of renal tubular epithelial cells, and protected the renal tubules. The therapeutic effects of SHT were superior to those of astragaloside as a single agent.

Acute Disease ; Animals ; Blood Urea Nitrogen ; Cell Adhesion Molecules ; metabolism ; Chromatography, Liquid ; Creatinine ; blood ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique ; Immunoblotting ; Kidney Function Tests ; Kidney Tubules ; blood supply ; drug effects ; enzymology ; pathology ; Low Density Lipoprotein Receptor-Related Protein-2 ; metabolism ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Reperfusion Injury ; drug therapy ; enzymology ; pathology ; Saponins ; analysis ; Sodium-Potassium-Exchanging ATPase ; metabolism ; Staining and Labeling ; Tablets

To explore the clinical features, risk factors an d treatment of retinoic acid syndrome (RAS) in patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) treated with retinoic acid, the clinical and laboratory data of 11 APL patients with RAS were retrospectively analysed. The results showed that earlier and more common symptoms of RAS were successively dyspnea (11/11), fever (10/11) and hydrothorax (6/11). Higher WBC count (> or = 15.0 x 10(9)/L) in the course of treatment of all-trans retinoic acid susceptible to develop RAS (9/11). The RAS patients were treated with dexamethasone without discontinuing the treatment of retinoic acid, complete remission was achieved in 10 cases and one patient died from disseminated intravascular coagulation. It is concluded that the identification and dexamethasone treatment of RAS in earlier period are extremely important for obtaining better clinical curative effect, and it does not influence therapeutic effect of continuing application of retinoic acid.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Child ; Dyspnea ; etiology ; Female ; Fever ; etiology ; Humans ; Hydrothorax ; etiology ; Leukemia, Promyelocytic, Acute ; drug therapy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Syndrome ; Tretinoin ; adverse effects

OBJECTIVETo investigate the impact of a traditional Chinese medicinal compound known as Fufang Shenhua Tablet (SHP) on the expression of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) during renal ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI)-induced acute kidney injury (AKI) in rats.

METHODSA total of 28 Wistar rats were randomly divided into five groups: (1) pseudo-operation control group, (2) ischemia-reperfusion model group, (3) Astragaloside group, (4) high-dose SHP group, and (5) low-dose SHP group. There were four rats in the pseudo-operation group and six rats in each of the other groups. The accepted ischemia-reperfusion model was established after a 7-day gavage intervention, and pathological changes and renal function were observed, using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to detect interleukin 8 (IL-8) and interferon gamma (IFN-γ) levels, as well as immunohistochemical staining to detect altered levels of TLR2 and TLR4 expression in renal tissue.

RESULTSAfter 24 h, renal pathological damage and the expression levels of serum creatinine (Scr), IL-8, IFN-γ, TLR2, and TLR4 were significantly higher in the model group as compared with the pseudo-operation group (P<0.05). In addition, at 24 h the above indicators decreased significantly in the Astragaloside group, high-dose SHP group and low-dose SHP group as compared with the ischemia-reperfusion model group (P< 0.05). TLR2 and TLR4 expression levels were significantly reduced in the SHP treatment and Astragaloside group as compared with the pseudo-operation group (P<0.05). Further, the high-dose SHP group showed significantly less renal damage score and decreased levels of TLR expression than those of low-dose SHP group and Astragaloside group (all P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONSHP can alleviate the renal structural and functional damage caused by IRI-induced AKI in rats by reducing the damage of renal pathology, which may reduce inflammatory cytokine levels by downregulating the expression of TLRs in renal tissue in a dose-dependent manner.

Acute Kidney Injury ; etiology ; metabolism ; Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Immunohistochemistry ; Interferon-gamma ; blood ; Interleukin-8 ; blood ; Kidney Tubules ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Reperfusion Injury ; complications ; Tablets ; Toll-Like Receptor 2 ; metabolism ; Toll-Like Receptor 4 ; metabolism