Animals ; Cytokines ; blood ; Humans ; Peripheral Vascular Diseases ; etiology ; physiopathology ; Rabbits ; Vibration ; adverse effects

Autoimmune Lymphoproliferative Syndrome ; diagnosis ; genetics ; immunology ; therapy ; Biomarkers ; blood ; Child, Preschool ; Humans ; Male ; Mutation ; Prednisolone ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color ; fas Receptor ; genetics

Adult ; Cartilage ; surgery ; Cholesteatoma, Middle Ear ; surgery ; Ear Auricle ; surgery ; Esthetics ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Otitis Media, Suppurative ; surgery ; Tympanoplasty ; methods

Aim To investigate the effects of perindopril, an angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor, on mean pulmonary arterial pressure(mPAP) and pulmonary vascular remodeling.Methods Using the normobaric hypoxia-hypercapnia rat model,the changes of plasma angiotensin Ⅱ (Ang Ⅱ), mPAP and ultrastructure of pulmonary arteriolar wall were observed after administration of perindopril.Results The mPAP and AngⅡ were significantly greater and the ultrastructure of the small lung vessels had a more obvious change in the 4 weeks hypoxia-hypercapnia group than those in the control group.It was also found that perindopril decreased AngⅡ, declined mPAP and ameliorated vascular ultrastructure change.But the change of ultrastructure was similar in the 8 weeks hypoxia-hypercapnia group and perindopril treatment group.Conclusion It is suggested that chronic hypoxia-hypercapnia should induce the remodeling of pulmonary arteriolar structure via AngⅡ and that perindopril could ease pulmonary vascular remodeling in early stage.

Objective To evaluate the therapeutic effects of taurine combined with silybin meglumine in patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Methods One hundred patients with NASH were divided into two groups with 50 for each. The patients in the control group received polyene phosphatidyl choline (456 mg) combined with silybin meglumine (100 mg) 3 times daily for 24 weeks. While those in the treatment group received taurine (2 g) combined with silybin meglumine (100 mg) 3 times daily for 24 weeks. All patients were asked to take up basic therapy including drinking without alcohol, restricting sugary and fatty intake, improving food structure, carrying moderate aerobics and lightening body weight. Results At the end of 24 weeks, the clinical symptoms and the liver function ameliorated in two groups. Ultrasonic or CT examination showed that the steatohepatitits was improved significantly in two groups. Additionally, the levels of blood glucose, serum triglyceride and cholesterol as well as BMI decreased simultaneously (all P value <0. 05). Whereas the treatment group was superior to control group in aspect of amelioration of inappetite, nausea and vomiting as well as lever of serum triglyceride (all P value <0. 05). There was no side effect in the treatment group. Conclusion Based on the basic therapy, taurine combined with silybin meglumine can mitigate the degree of NASH, improve the metabolism of blood glucose and lipid with few side-effects.

Objective To investigate the synthesis of heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) induced by norepinephrine preconditioning on donor heart and its effects on myocardial cell apoptosis and apoptosis related proteins. Methods 18 Wistar rats were random divided into 2 groups, with 9 in each group. The rats in the control group were intraperitoneally injected with 0.5 ml saline. After 24 hours, hearts were isolated and stored with histidine-tryptophan-ketoglutarate (HTK) solution at 4 ℃ for 3 hours to establish Langendorff isolated heart models, and then isolated hearts were perfused by Langendorff model with Krebs-Hense leit (K-H) solution for 2 hours. The rats in the experimental group received intraperitoneally 3. 1 μmol/kg (0. 53 mg/kg) noradrenaline bitartrate that was dissolved in saline and hearts were isolated and stored after 24 hours. Followed process was the same as that in the control group. Myocardial HSP70, Bcl-2, Bax content, apoptosis index were measured, cell structures were observed under light and electron microscope.Results HSP70 in the experimental group were higher [(17.78 ± 1.82)%] than those in control group [(5.22 ± 1.05)%], and biochemical indicators in texperimental group[(41.88 ± 5.09)%, (22.61 ±3. 49 ) %] were better than those in control group [(31.36 ± 3. 27 ) %, ( 40. 52 ± 4. 1 7) %]. There were alleviated ultrastructure injures in experimental group compared with those in control group. Conclusions This study demonstrated that norepinephrine preconditioning could induce high expression of HSP70 and it could play a very important role during ischemia-reperfusion. It could protect the structure and function of myocytes in isolated rat hearts and inhibited myocardial apoptosis.

Aortic valve calcification (AVC) is a pathological process correlated with multiple disease causes and actively regulated by cardiac valve cells. In this study, porcine aortic valve myofibroblasts cultured in vitro were treated with 50 μg z L(-1) of pathological factor tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α). Tanshinone II A (TSN) with the concentration of 50 mg x L(-1) and TNF-α were combined in incubating cells for 72 h (3 d) and 120 h (5 d). The Western blotting and Real-time PCR were adopted to detect the changes in smooth muscle α actin (α-SMA), bone morphogenetic protein 2 ( BMP2), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) in cells, and expressions of key effect proteins GSK-3β and β-catenin on Wnt/β-catenin signal pathway. According to the findings, TNF-α can significantly increase the expression of myofibroblasts α-SMA and add the transformation activity to them, with nearly no expression of BMP2, ALP and mRNA in the control group and the TSN group but significant increase in their expressions in the TNF-α group (P < 0.01), which showed osteoblast-like phenotype. Moreover, TNF-α down-regulated the expression of up-streaming regulator GSK-3β and mRNA expression (P < 0. 01) , notably increased the expression of key effect protein β-catenin, but with no significant difference in mRNA with the control group and the TSN group. The result demonstrated that TSN showed a certain inhibitory effect on TNF-α's pathological impact (P < 0.05) in a time-dependent manner. Inflammatory factor TNF-α may promote the transformation of aortic valvular myofibroblasts to osteoblast-like phenotype by activating Wnt/β-catenin signal pathway in aortic valvular myofibroblasts, so as to cause AVC. Tanshinone II A can have a preventive effect in AVC by activating GSK-3β proteins and regulating signal transduction of Wnt/β-catenin signal pathway.
Animals ; Aortic Valve ; cytology ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Cells, Cultured ; Diterpenes, Abietane ; pharmacology ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 beta ; Myofibroblasts ; cytology ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Osteoblasts ; cytology ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Swine ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; genetics ; metabolism ; beta Catenin ; genetics ; metabolism

Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) is a glycoprotein which regulates the development, growth, pubertal maturation and reproductive processes of the body. Exogenous FSH has been used to promote ovarian follicular growth and maturation in female and spermatogenesis in male. The relative short elimination half life and rapid metabolic clearance of current versions of FSH require a daily or twice-daily scheduled subcutaneous injection to maintain stable FSH level being not below the threshold during ovarian stimulation. The development of recombinant long-acting FSH with enhanced biological activities may be helpful for less injection therefore to improve patient compliance, while reducing patient stress and error rates. A number of technological strategies have been explored to develop recombinant longer-acting FSH. For examples, attachment of the C-terminal peptide (CTP) of the human chorionic gonadotropin beta subunit or a sequence containing potential glycosylation sites to either subunit of FSH, creation of a single chain containing the alpha and beta subunits of FSH combined with CTP or N-linked glycosylation signal sequence as a linker, or fusion of the Fc domain of IgGi to FSH. Based on the modifiable molecular structure and pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of recombinant FSH, it is hopeful that more FSH drugs with prolonged half-life and increased bioactivity will be developed to meet the modern clinical demands.
Animals ; Follicle Stimulating Hormone, Human ; chemistry ; genetics ; metabolism ; pharmacology ; Glycosylation ; Half-Life ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin Fc Fragments ; chemistry ; metabolism ; Ovulation Induction ; methods ; Receptors, FSH ; chemistry ; metabolism ; Recombinant Fusion Proteins ; chemistry ; genetics ; metabolism ; pharmacology ; Reproduction ; drug effects

Connexin43 has been shown to play a pivotal role in wound healing process. Wound repair is enhanced by acute downregulation of connexin43, by increasing proliferation and migration of keratinocyte and fibroblast. Angiogenesis is also a central feature of wound repair, but little is known about the effects of connexin43 modulation on functions of endothelial cells. We used connexin43 specific small interference RNA (siRNA) to reduce the expression of connexin43 in human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC), and investigated the effects of connexin43 downregulation on intercellular communication, viability, proliferation, migration and angiogenic activity of HUVEC. Treatment of siRNA markedly reduced the expression of connexin43 by -80% in HUVEC (P < 0.05), and decreased the intercellular communication by -65% (P < 0.05). The viability, proliferation, migration and angiogenic activity of HUVEC decreased significantly (P < 0.05), compared with that of the normal cells. The results suggest that temporally downregulation of connexin43 expression at early stage of wound to inhibit the abnormal angiogenesis characterized with leaky and inflamed blood vessels, maybe a prerequisite for coordinated normal healing process.
Cell Movement ; Cell Proliferation ; Cell Survival ; Connexin 43 ; metabolism ; Down-Regulation ; Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells ; cytology ; Humans ; Neovascularization, Physiologic ; Umbilical Veins ; cytology ; Wound Healing

OBJECTIVETo observe the effect of nourishing Yin, strengthening Qi and activating blood decoction on Fas/FasL in salivary glands of NOD mice with Sjogren's syndrome and their mRNA expression.

METHODThirty-two NOD mice were randomly divided into the model group, the traditional Chinese medicine group (TCM group, orally given 0.4 mL nourishing Yin, strengthening Qi and activating blood decoction as per 100 g x kg(-1) everyday), the hydroxychloroquine group (given 0.4 mL hydroxychloroquine as per 60 mg x kg(-1) everyday), the traditional Chinese medicine and western medicine group (TCM WM group, given nourishing Yin, Strengthening Qi and activating blood decoction 50 g x kg(-1) and hydroxychloroquine 60 mg x kg(-1), 0.4 mL everyday), with eight mice in each group. Eight Balb/C mice were selected as the normal control group (normal group). All of mice were killed after eight weeks, and their submaxillary glands were dissected. The expression levels of Fas/FasL were examined by immunohistochemical method, and the FasL mRNA was detected by RT-PCR.

RESULTThe expression levels of Fas/FasL in salivary glands of the model group were higher than that of other groups (P < 0.05). The expression level of FasL of the normal group was much lower than that in the hydroxychloroquine group (P < 0.05). The relative expression level of Fas mRNA in salivary glands of the model group was higher than that in other groups, but the control group was notably lower than other groups (P < 0.05). The expression level of FasL mRNA in salivary glands of the model group was higher than that in TCM and TCM WM groups (P < 0.05). But the expression level in TCM WM group was notably lower than the hydroxychloroquine group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe nourishing Yin, strengthening Qi and activating blood decoction could down-regulate the expression level of Fas/FasL in salivary glands of NOD mice with Sjogren's syndrome and their mRNA expression, and had a better efficacy after being combined with hydroxychloroquine. The nourishing Yin, strengthening Qi and activating blood decoction might treat the Sjogren's Syndrome by reducing apoptosis which is regulated by Fas/FasL

Animals ; Fas Ligand Protein ; genetics ; Female ; Gene Expression Regulation ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; methods ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred NOD ; Qi ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; metabolism ; Salivary Glands ; metabolism ; Sjogren's Syndrome ; blood ; genetics ; therapy ; Yin-Yang ; fas Receptor ; genetics