Objective To evaluate the nourishment and immune privilege effects of Sertoli cells on co-encapsulated hepatocytes. Methods The hepatocytes and Sertoli cells were encapsulated or co-encapsulated in various ratio of 100∶1、50∶1、20∶1、10∶1, and co-cultured for 21 days in vitro. The secretion of albumin and urea was analyzed, and the morphology of encapsulated cells was observed by microscopy, then to determine the best mixed ratio of hepatocytes to Sertoli cells. Splenocyte proliferation response was assessed to evaluate Sertoli cell’s immune privilege function to hepatocytes by CCK-8.Results Sertoli cells could elevate hepatocyte’s secretion of albumin and urea when they were co-encapsulated with each in appropriate ratio (P

Background and purpose: Malignant tumors often relapsed or metastasized after first-line chemotherapy and needed second-line or above treatment. We conducted this study to deifne the maximum-tolerated dose (MTD) of lobaplatin with ifxed docetaxel for Chinese patients in previously treated solid tumors. Methods:Escalating doses of lobaplatin with fixed docetaxel were administered in a modified Fibonacci sequence. The initial doses were lobapla-tin 30 mg/m2 and docetaxel 60 mg/m2, respectively. Escalating doses was 5 mg/m2. The regimen was repeated every 21 days. If no dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) was observed, the next dose level was applied. The procedures were repeated until DLT appeared. The MTD was declared to be one dose level below the level at which DLT appeared. Results:Seventeen patients received fifty-eight cycles chemotherapy at lobaplatin of levelⅠ(30mg/m2), levelⅡ(35 mg/m2)and levelⅢ(40 mg/m2). Cases of complete response (CR), partial response (PR), stable disease (SD) and progression disease (PD) for the whole group were 0, 1, 10 and 3, respectively. Response rate (RR, CR+PR) and disease control rate (DCR, CR+PR+SD) were 7.1%(1/14) and 78.6%(11/14), respectively. The most common toxicity was leukopenia. Three DLTs occurred in 3 patients in the whole group, including 2 DLTs in dose levelⅢ. We declared thus levelⅡwas MTD. Conclusion:MTD of lobaplatin in our re-search was 35 mg/m2 combined with fixed dose of docetaxel. This combination regimen was well tolerated.

OBJECTIVETo explore the effects of acupuncture and medication on PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway in rats with premature ovarian failure.

METHODSTen of fifty SPF-grade female SD rats were randomly selected into a normal group, and the remaining 40 rats were treated with intraperitoneal injection of cyclophospha mide (30 mg/kg) for consecutive 5 days to establish rat model of premature ovarian failure. Thirty five successful rat models were randomly divided into a model group (9 cases), a medication group (9 cases), an acupuncture group A (9 cases) and an acupuncture group B (8 cases). The rats in the model group and normal group did not receive any treatment. The rats in the medication group were treated with intragastric administration of diethylstil bestrol, once a day. The rats in the acupuncture group A and acupuncture group B were respectively treated with acupuncture at different acupoints, twice a day. All the treatment was given for 4 weeks. After the treatment, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was applied to test the levels of estradiol (E2), progesterone (P), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteotropic hormone (LH). The ovarian tissue sample was processed with hematoxylin eosin (HE) staining as well as RNA and protein extraction to test the mRNA expression of estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha), estrogen receptor beta (ERP), phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/serine/threonine kinase (PI3K), protein kinase B (Akt) and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR).

RESULTSHigh-dose short-term in- tervention of cyclophosphamide could establish rat model of premature ovarian failure with a successful rate of 87.5%. Compared with the normal group, the vaginal smear in the model group was featured with signs of estro gen deficiency, early-follicle reduction, structural damage to the follicle, and reducing number of mature follicles; the level of E2 was significantly reduced (P<0.05), levels of P, FSH and ILH were increased (all P<0.05), and mRNA expression of estrogen-related ERP3, PI3K, Akt and mTOR were all reduced (all P<0.05). Compared with the model group, the number of mature follicle was increased in the medication group and acupuncture groups, the levels of E2 was obviously increased (all P<0.05). level of FSH was reduced (all P<0.05), and mRNA expression of PI3K, Akt and mTOR all showed an increasing trend (all P<0.05). The differences of each index result between acupuncture groups and medication group were not significant (all P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONAcupuncture has certain advantage for the treatment of premature ovarian failure, which achieves similar therapeu tic effect as estrogen; the possible mechanism may be related to up-regulation of gene and protein expression in PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway.

Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Animals ; Estradiol ; blood ; Female ; Follicle Stimulating Hormone ; blood ; Humans ; Oncogene Protein v-akt ; genetics ; metabolism ; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases ; genetics ; metabolism ; Primary Ovarian Insufficiency ; blood ; enzymology ; genetics ; therapy ; Progesterone ; blood ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Signal Transduction ; TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases ; genetics ; metabolism