BACKGROUND:As the multipotent differentiation potential, bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells exert an important role in bone metabolism disorders, which is regulated by a variety of hormones and cytokines. Currently, the epigenetic regulatory mechanisms underlying osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells are unclear, and association between histone deacetylase (Hdac) and osteoporosis needs to be further explored. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the epigenetic mechanisms of bone formation by analyzing the expression of Hdac1, 3, 4 mRNA profile in bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells isolated from ovariectomized mice. METHODS:A total 30 female healthy Kunming mice were randomly divided into sham group and ovariectomy group. After 7 days of adaptive feeding, mice in the ovariectomized group (n=15) were subject to bilateral ovariectomy;mice in sham group (n=15) were sham-operated. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:In the ovariectomy group, the trabecular bone of the femur was sparse or broken, the width of trabecular bone was narrowed, the trabecular separation was widened, and the trabecular bone volume was reduced. The level of Hdac3 mRNA was lower in bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells from ovariectomized mice compared with controls, but there was no significance between Hdac1, Hdac4 mRNA expression of the two groups. These findings demonstrate that Hdac might play an important role in bone remodeling in the model of estrogen deficiency-induced osteoporosis.

Objective To determine the median effective dose (ED50 ) of ropivacaine for spinal anesthesia when combined with sufentanil in patients undergoing caesarean section. Methods Twenty-eight ASA Ⅰ or Ⅱ parturients, aged 18-40 yr, weighing 50-110 kg, undergoing cesarean section under combined spinal-epidural anesthesia, were enrolled in this study. Combined spinal-epidural anesthesia was performed at L2,3 interspace. The mixture of ropivacaine and 5 fig sufentanil was injected into the subarachnoid space over 30 s. The initial dose of ropivacaine was 11 mg. The dose was increased/decreased by 1 mg in the next patient. The ED50 and 95% confidence interval were calculated by up-and-down method. Results The ED50 of ropivacaine was 7.780 mg (95% confidence interval 6.850-8.836 mg). Conclusion When combined with sufentanil 5 μg, the ED50 of ropivacaine for spinal anesthesia is 7.780 mg in patients undergoing caesarean section.

0.05). Conclusion Preproghrelin-Leu72Met is not significantly associated with T2DM and DN in Shanghai Han populations,while T2DM with AA genotype is characterized by significant declination in urine microalbumin when compared with CA and CC genotypes.Leu72Met polymorphism(C→A)may postpone the development of microalbuminuria in T2DM subjects.

【Objective】 To establish an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method for the determination of residual human coagulation factor Ⅺ in human prothrombin complex and validate the method. 【Methods】 Human factor Ⅺ was reacted with the capture antibody coated on the microtiter plate. After appropriate washing steps, biotinylated primary antibody was bound to the captured protein. Excess primary antibody was washed away and bound antibody was reacted with horseradish peroxidase conjugated streptavidin. TMB substrate was used for color development at 450 nm. The dilution reliability, accuracy, specificity, repeatability, intermediate precision, linearity, range and durability were verified. 【Results】 The verification results showed that the accuracy and specificity of this method met the experimental requirements, with an average recovery rate of 109.2% and RSD of 6.93%. The repeatability RSD was 6.78%, and the intermediate precision RSD was 6.75%, indicating good precision. The linear regression correlation coefficient of standard curve was 0.999 9, showing good accuracy and precision within the linear range. The durability was verified by the incubation time and the validity period of reagent kit opening. The results showed that the RSD of the incubation time change was 6.62%, indicating that the incubation time of this detection method was controlled between 28 to 32 minutes, and there was no significant impact on the results. The RSD of the detection results before and after the reagent kit was opened and stored under conditions for 7 days was 3.84%, indicating that the preservation of the reagent kit according to the conditions for 7 days after opening has no effect on the FⅪ detection results. Both indicated that the method had good durability. The dilution reliability results showed that there was a "hook" effect in the detection of FⅪ residue in human prothrombin complex, which could be solved by diluting 100 to 200 times. 【Conclusion】 This method can be used for the determination of FⅪ residues of human prothrombin complex in laboratory.

Objective To study the proliferation of in vitro cultured mouse chondrocytes exposed to different doses of fluoride.Methods The third generation of primary cultured chondrocytes were exposed to the concentrations of 0,5,10,20,40 mg/L fluoride for 10 days to observe the morphological changes under light microscope and electron microscope to counter the numbers of ehondrocytes and proliferating rote with the growth curve and MTT.Results After exposed to fluoride for 10 days,the proliferation was present in the chondrocytes of the 5,10,20 mg/L groups,and shrinked chromatine and apoptosed ehondrocytes were seen in 40 mg/L group.The absorbance was not significantly different between all groups(F=2.313,P＞0.05);after exposed to fluoride for 48 and 72 hours,there was a significant difference of proliferating ability among 0 mg/L(the contr01)group[(23.5±4.6)%,(29.9±1.7)%],5 mg/L group[(34.6±4.7)%,(45.3±5.9)%],10 mg/L group[(39.9±4.8)%.(56.8±5.5)%],20 mg/L group[(31.8±4.1)%,(38.3±6.5)%]and 40 mg/L group[(28.3±4.3)%,(33.4±4.8)%](F=11.401,25.671,P＜0.05).There wss a significant difference compared with the control group(P＜0.05)with that of 5 and 10 mg/L groups higher than that of 40 mg/L groups(P＜0.05).Conclusions Lower doses of fluoride improve the proliferation of in vitro mouse chondrocyte in a short exposing time,higher doses result in the opposite.

BACKGROUNDHemodynamic evaluation is crucial for the management of patients with pulmonary hypertention. Clinicians often prefer a rapid and non-invasive method. This study aimed to examine the feasibility of transthoracic echocardiography for the measurements of hemodynamic parameters in patients with pulmonary hypertension.

METHODSA prospective single-center study was conducted among 42 patients with pulmonary hypertension caused by different diseases. Transthoracic echocardiography and right-heart catheterization were performed within 24 hours. Pulmonary artery systolic, diastolic and mean pressure (PASP, PADP and PAMP), cardiac output (CO), and pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) were measured by both methods. A linear correlation and a Bland-Altman analysis were performed to compare the two groups of hemodynamic parameters.

RESULTSA good correlation was found between invasive and non-invasive measurements for PASP (r = 0.96), PADP (r = 0.85), PAMP (r = 0.88), CO (r = 0.82), and PCWP (r = 0.81). Further agreement analysis done by the Bland-Altman method showed that bias and a 95% confidence interval for PASP, PADP, and CO were clinically acceptable while great discrepancies existed for PAMP and PCWP.

CONCLUSIONSThe non-invasive measurements by PASP, PADP, and CO in patients with pulmonary hypertension correlate well with the invasive determinations. Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) was inappropriate for estimating PCWP and PAMP.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Cardiac Catheterization ; Cardiac Output ; Echocardiography ; Female ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Hypertension, Pulmonary ; physiopathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Pulmonary Wedge Pressure

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Antithyroid Agents ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Biomarkers ; blood ; Female ; Hepatitis B ; complications ; pathology ; Hepatitis, Viral, Human ; complications ; pathology ; Humans ; Hyperthyroidism ; complications ; drug therapy ; Liver Function Tests ; Male ; Methimazole ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Middle Aged ; Propylthiouracil ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Retrospective Studies ; Severity of Illness Index ; Thyroid Function Tests ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo investigate luciferase gene expression and pathological changes of submandibular glands (SMG) of rats after adenovirus-mediated gene transfer.

METHODSAdenovirus-mediated luciferase gene (AdCMVLuc, 10(8) pfu in 50 microl) was injected in to SMG of forty wistar rats. The SMGs were harvested for gene expression measurement and pathological study after 3 days, 1,2,4 and 8 weeks.

RESULTSPeak expression was observed in three days following administration of the vector however, gene expression in submandibular glands decreased rapidly. the pathological changes induced by retrograde injection of AdCMVLuc included: after 3 days to one week, compression of acini, dilation of terminal ducts; after two weeks, slight atrophy of a part of acini, increase of iteracinar distance and focal lymphocyte infiltration in lobules and interlobular ducts; after 4 weeks, recovery evidence was found in acini; after 8 weeks, normal acini and ducts were found. The ultrastructural changes included: 3 days, much more rough endoplasmic reticulum was found both in acini and duct epithelial cell; a lot of mucus drops were found in acini; after 1 week, microvillus decreased in duct epithelial cells, mitochondria increased significantly in acini; intercellular space was enlarged.

CONCLUSIONSAdenovirus-mediated gene transfer can produce biological proteins and induce marked inflammatory changes in rat SMG. The ultrastructural changes suggest high protein synthesis activity in the acinar cells after gene transfer.

Adenoviridae ; enzymology ; genetics ; Animals ; Gene Expression ; Gene Transfer Techniques ; Luciferases ; genetics ; Male ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Submandibular Gland ; pathology ; virology

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of mannatide injection (MI) in enhancing the efficacy of radiotherapy in two therapeutic schedules in mice bearing Lewis lung cancer.

METHODSC57BL/6 mice bearing Lewis lung cancer xenograft were assigned randomly into control group, fractionated schedule (FS) group, nonfractionated schedule (NFS) group, MI group, FS+MI group, and NFS+MI group (n=10). MI (4.5 mg/kg) or saline was given intraperitoneally for 14 consecutive days in the corresponding groups. Radiation with 8 MeV electron beam was delivered in a single 4 Gy dose in NFS and in 4 fractions (total dose 4 Gy) in FS. Tumor inhibition rate and the spleen and thymus index were calculated after the treatments.

RESULTSMI significantly enhanced the efficacy of radiotherapy with a tumor inhibition rate reaching 70% in FS+MI group (P<0.01). FS resulted in a significantly higher tumor inhibition rate than NFS (P<0.05), but the rates were comparable between FS+MI and NFS+MI groups. The spleen index and thymus indices were significantly higher in FS+MI and NFS+MI groups than in FS and NFS groups (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONMI can enhance the efficacy of radiotherapy with different therapeutic schedules in mice bear Lewis lung cancer, and MI plus fractionated radiation produces the optimal effect.

Animals ; Biological Products ; therapeutic use ; Carcinoma, Lewis Lung ; drug therapy ; radiotherapy ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Dose Fractionation ; Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Neoplasm Transplantation ; Radiation-Sensitizing Agents ; therapeutic use ; Streptococcus

Objective To investigate the role of interleukin-18 (IL-18) gene promoter polymorphisms in the susceptibility of sporadic Alzheimer's disease (SAD). Methods A total of 109 patients with SAD and 109 healthy controls matched for age and gender were enrolled in our study with case-control method. Polymerase chain reaction with sequence specific primer was used to detect the single nucleotide polymorphisms (C/A) of gene promoter of IL-18 at position -607. Results Significant differences in the C/A genotype and allele distributions of IL-18 promoter at position -607 were noted between patients with SAD and controls (P=0.041 and P=0.021, respectively). The CC genotype frequency of gene promoter of IL-18 at position -607 in patients with SAD was significantly higher than that in healthy controls (x2=4.109, P=0.043); and the people with this genotype had a 1.90-fold increased risk as compared with the people with other genotypes (OR=1.90, 95%CI: 1.017-3.550).Conclusion The C/A polymorphisms of IL-18 gene promoter at position -607 are correlated with SAD in Han Chinese population. People with -607CC in IL-18 gene promoter have an increased risk of SAD.