Adrenomedullin ; metabolism ; Child ; Endothelin-1 ; metabolism ; Female ; Heart Defects, Congenital ; complications ; Humans ; Hypertension ; metabolism ; Hypertension, Pulmonary ; metabolism ; Male ; Nitric Oxide ; metabolism

Objective To study the relationship between soluble CD147 (sCD147) level in peripheral blood and serum lipid level and explore the effect of sCD147 on atherosclerosis in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods The level of sCD147 in 36 patients with RA,36 patients with coronary artery disease (CAHD) and 30 healthy volunteers was detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) .The disease activity score (DAS28) in RA patients was evaluated and the correlation between sCD147 level and DAS28 score was analyzed.The serum lipid level of RA patients was detected by an automatic biochemical analyzer and the cor relation between sCD147 level and serum lipid level was analyzed.Results The level of sCD147 in serum of RA patients was significantly higher than that in patients with CAHD and healthy volunteers,sCDI47 level in the RA group with high DAS28 score was significantly higher than that with low or medium DAS28 score.In RA patients,elevated total cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride (TG) level was positively correlated with serum sCDI47 level (r=0.84,P＜0.05;r=0.87,P＜0.05;while slightly elevated,normal TC and normal TG had no correlation with serum sCDI47 level (r=0.41,P=0.21;r=0.14,P=0.57;r=0.49,P=0.87).Elevated or slight ly elevated LDL-C was positively correlated with serum sCD147 level (r=0.86,P＜0.05;r=0.81,P＜0.05), while no correlation could be found in the group with normal LDL-C level (r=0.78,P=0.22).The high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) level decrease in RA patients had no correlation with serum sCD147 level (r--0.04,P=0.96;r=0.13,P--0.87).Conclusion sCD147 may be involved in the pathogenesis of RA and associate with disease activity.Elevated sCD147 level may be associated with abnormal serum lipid in RA.

AIMTo investigate the effects of c-myb on progesterone-induced mouse germinal vesicle(GV) stage denuded oocyte (DO) maturation in vitro.

METHODSWe used mouse GV stage oocyte cultured with special concentration progesterone, or/and antisense c-myb ODN, or/and db-cAMP, or/and heparin for 24 h, and observed oocyte maturation and analysed the relationship among them.

RESULTSWe cultured DO in the medium 199 for 24 h, and found 10 micromol/L progesterone had more significant effect than 5 micromol/L progesterone (2 h GVBD% P < 0.05, 8 h PB 1% P < 0.05), but had not more significant effect than 20 micromol/L progesterone. We found that 16 micromol/L antisense c-myb ODN significantly inhibited progesterone (10 micromol/L)-induced mouse germinal vesicle stage oocyte maturation in vitro (2 h GVBD% P < 0.05, 8 h PBI% P < 0.01). 1 x 10(-4) micromol/L dbcAMP, 100 microg/ml heparin could single significantly inhibited progesterone-induced mouse GV stage oocyte maturation in vitro (2 h PBI% all P < 0.01, 8 h PBI% all P < 0.01), and could enhanced the inhibition of 16 micromol/L antisense c-myb ODN (2 h GVBD% all P < 0.01, 8h PBI% all P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONProgesterone, protooncogene c-myb,cAMP and calcium all pay important role in regulating oocyte maturation and the mechanism of progesterone, cAMP and calcium in regulating oocyte maturation may be through the expression of protooncogene c-myb.

Animals ; Cells, Cultured ; Genes, myb ; Meiosis ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred Strains ; Oocytes ; cytology ; drug effects ; Oogenesis ; Progesterone ; pharmacology

Recent studies reported that thymoquinone (TQ), a component derived from the medicinal spice Nigella sativa (also called black cumin), exhibited inhibitory effects on cell proliferation of many cancer cell lines. This study was performed to investigate the anti-metastatic effect of thymoquinone on the pancreatic cancer in vitro and in vivo. The results showed that thymoquinone suppressed the migration and invasion of Panc-1 cells in a does-dependent manner. To investigate the possible mechanisms involved in these events, Western blotting analysis was performed, and found that thymoquinone significantly down-regulates NF-kappaB and MMP-9 in Panc-1 cells. In addition, metastatic model simulating human pancreatic cancer was established by orthotropic implantation of histologically intact pancreatic tumor tissue into the pancreatic wall of nude mice. And administration of thymoquinone significantly reduced tumor metastasis compared to untreated control. Furthermore, the expression of NF-kappaB and MMP-9 in tumor tissues was also suppressed after treatment with thymoquinone. Taken together, the results indicate that thymoquinone exerts anti-metastatic activity on pancreatic cancer both in vitro and in vivo, which may be related to down-regulation of NF-kappaB and its regulated molecules such as MMP-9 protein. Consequently, these results provide important insights into thymoquinone as an antimetastatic agent for the treatment of human pancreatic cancer.

OBJECTIVEIn order to explore the correlation on radioactive contamination of lanthanon to leukemia, and provide clues for the causes and prevention of leukemia in mining areas of rare-earth elements.

METHODS1:1 matched case-control study was used. A total of 51 clinically confirmed leukemia cases, individually matched with controls from general population, were interviewed in mining areas of rare-earth in South Jiangxi from November to December, 2001. Data were analyzed, using conditional logistic regression.

RESULTSThe main risk factors would include frequently drinking water from river (OR = 5.543), distance from residence to rare-earth mine and years for living in the area (OR = 3.308), exposure to organophosphorus pesticide (OR = 3.014). Tea drinking habit appeared to be a protective factor.

CONCLUSIONSLeukemia seemed to be related to environmental pollution with rare-earth elements around the residential areas and organophosphorus pesticide exposure. The protective factor of tea drinking habit seemed to be unique in this study, which called for further studies.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Case-Control Studies ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Insecticides ; toxicity ; Leukemia ; etiology ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Metals, Rare Earth ; toxicity ; Middle Aged ; Mining ; Organophosphorus Compounds ; Risk Factors ; Tea ; Water Pollutants, Chemical ; toxicity

Objective To explore the effects of movement on hippocampal β-amyloid protein ( Aβ ) and amyloid precursor protein (APP) in senescence-accelerated and senescence-prone (SAMP8) mice, and the mechanism by which movement improves learning and memory in mice with a model of Alzheimer's disease. Methods Forty 3-month-old SAMP8 mice were divided randomly into a movement group and a control group. The movement group was trained with a running wheel 10 min daily, 5 days a week in the first month, and 20 min daily in the second month. Morphological changes in the hippocampus were observed under the microscope after HE staining. The expression of Aβ in the hippocampus was detected by immumohistochemical methods and APP mRNA expression was detected by RT-PCR two months later. Results HE staining showed neuron degeneration and death, chromatin condensation and vacuolar degeneration in the hippocampus of the 5-mouth-old SAMP8 mice of the control group. The movement group showed less neuron degeneration and death, and the morphology of most cells was normal The expression of Aβ in the hippocampus of the 5-month-old SAMP8 mice in the movement group was significantly lower than that in the control group. APP mRNA expression levels in the movement group were also significantly lower.Conclusions Movement can delay neuron degeneration and down-regulate Aβ and APP mRNA expression levels in the hippocampus of SAMP8 mice. It may be an important mechanism by which movement improves learning and memory in mice with a model of Alzheimer's disease.

rs of glucose and lipid metabolism in adolescents with abdominal obesity. Determimation of serum A-FABP concentration might be useful in diagnosis and prevention of metabolic syndrome and abdominal obesity in adolescent.

Background and purpose: Researches demonstrated that the butyric acid sodium salt (sodium butyrate, NaB) has effect on the inhibition of tumor cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis-promoting, while the mechanism on salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma(SACC) is still uncertain. This study mainly probed into the impact of different concentration of sodium butyrate on the migration and invasion of SACC cell line ACC-M, and its mechanism of action. Methods:MTT assay explored the optimal concentration of sodium butyrate on the cell ACC-M and the observation of cell growth. Transwell assay was used to detect the effects of sodium butyrate on the ACC-M cells on the aspact of invasion and migration ability. Fluorescence real-time quantitative PCR (RT-PCR) and Western blot were used to test respectively the expression of HMGB1, TLR4 mRNA and protein in ACC-M after functioned by 5 group drugs with different concentrations. Results:Compared with the control group, on the one hand, the concentration 0.625, 1.25, 2.5, 5 and 10 mmol/L of sodium butyrate could effectively inhibit cell proliferation and apparently showing concentra-tion-dependence (P<0.05);On the other hand, 5 sets concentration of sodium butyrate could also effectively inhibit invasion and migration ability of ACC-M cells in vitro (P<0.05), as well as reducing the expression of HMGB1, TLR4 mRNA and protein in ACC-M cells (P<0.05). Furthermore related analysis showed that the decline of TLR4 protein expression was positively correlated with inhibition of HMGB1 (r=0.810, P<0.05). Conclusion:Sodium butyrate has an effect on inhibiting ACC-M cell proliferation, signiifcantly reducing ACC-M cell invasion and migration capabilities, and reducing expression of HMGB1, TLR4 mRNA and protein, and both expression amount are positively correlated, Meanwhile the positively correlation suggests that sodium butyrate probably achieve the inhibition ability by lowering the expression of HMGB1, TLR4 mRNA and protein in ACC-M cell.

Objective To investigate the effect of simulated microgravity on the proliferation and differentiation of the human megakaryocyte cells in vitro. Methods The fourth generation rotating cell culture system (RCCS-4) was used to generate the simulated microgravity environment. The cell viability was assessed by trypan blue staining method. The proliferation of cells was assessed by cell counting method and CCK8 method. The CD41+/CD61+ cells rate and the cells cycle were detected by flow cytometry. The expression levels of thrombopoietin receptor (c-mpl) and transcription factors were detected with RT-PCR. Results After 24, 48, 72 h, culture under simulated microgravity resulted in a significant decrease in the cell number , proliferative activity, cells in the G2/M phase and levels of c-mpl mRNA expression in comparison with that under the normal gravity (P < 0.05). After 48 h and 72 h culture, CD41+/CD61+ cells ratio decreased and RUNX-1 mRNA expression was down-regulated in cells of the group SMG compared with that of the group NG (P < 0.05). Conclusion Microgravity can inhibit the proliferation and differentiation of human megakaryocyte cells in vitro. The mechanism may be that TPO/c-mpl pathway was inhibited by down regulating the expression of c-mpl which transcriptional inhibition lead to.

Objective To observe the effect of sodium butyrate on the invasion and migration of human salivary gland ade‐noid cystic carcinoma cell line ACC‐2 in vitro and to investigate the underlying mechanisms .Methods The cultured ACC‐2 cells were treated with different concentrations of sodium butyrate for 24 h ,and detected the viability rate of the cells by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium(MTT) assay ;the drug′s influence on invasion and migration on ACC‐2 were detected by Transwell experiment ,while the protein and mRNA expression of HMGB1 and TLR4 explored by Western‐blot and RT‐PCR assay ;the relationship between TLR4 expression and HMGB1 was investigated .Results Compared with control group ,0 .625 ,1 .250 ,2 .500 ,5 .000 ,10 .000 mmol/L groups of sodium butyrate inhibited the proliferation of ACC‐2 cells(P<0 .05);the influence of sodium butyrate on the in‐vasion of ACC‐2 cells of all groups had no significant difference(P>0 .05);only 2 .500 ,5 .000 and 10 .000 mmol/L groups inhibited ACC‐2 cells migration and down‐regulated the protein and mRNA of HMGB1 and TLR4(P<0 .05) .Correlation analysis showed a positive correlation between the TLR4 protein and HMGB1 protein(r=0 .810 ,P<0 .05) .Conclusion Sodium butyrate could inhib‐it ACC‐2 cells proliferation and high concentration gropes inhibit ACC‐2 cells migration ,while reducing HMGB1 and TLR4 mRNA and protein expression ,suggesting that NaB might inhibite ACC‐2 cells migration through down‐regulated the mRNA and protein expression .