Objective To investigate the expressions of amyloid precursor protein and β-microtubule protein,and to study their clinical significance in patients with cerebral infarction.Methods 108 cases of acute cere-bral infarction as the observation group and 60 normal adults as the control group were collected in the study.The expressions of amyloid precursor protein and β-microtubule protein in different clinical characters were detected by western blot.Results The results of observation group [APP:(168.78 ±13.64)μg/L,β-tubulin:(124.64 ± 27.08)μg/L]were significantly higher than those in control group (t =22.81,P <0.01;t =21.08,P <0.01).Their expressions were correlated with CT scores and prognosis.Conclusion The higher expressions of amyloid precursor protein and β-microtubule protein may promote the occurrence and development in patients with cerebral infarction. The joint detection should be helpful to predict the prognosis and direct the treatment.

Objective To investigate the gastric empty and electrogastrogram(EGG) in patients with renal insufficiency before and after hemodialysis, and to study the enteric nervous system (ENS) in experimental acute renal failure rats.Methods The comparisons of gastric emptying and EGG before and after hemodialysis were carried out in 15 patients with uremia who have gastrointerstinal symptoms. Acute renal failure models were also established. The neuroplexus of ENS and levels of some gut hormones were investigated. Results The EGG and gastric emptying were abnormal in patients with uremia before hemodialysis, but improved after dialysis. The neuroplexus of ENS with positive nitric oxide synthase(NOS) staining in rats with acute renal failure was significantly decreased. The levels of gastrin, vasoactive intestinal peptide and motilin in rats with acute renal failure were (159.1?55.6)?g/L, (121.6?48.9)pg/L, and (6.32?3.55)pmol/L, respectively, which were significantly different from those of the control group(P

0.05).There was a significant positive correlation between serum osteocalcin and ESR in female patients with RA aged less than 50 years (P

AIM: To evaluate posterior capsular opacification (PCO) with hydrophobic acrylic intraocular lens (IOL, Sensar AR40e) and silicone IOLs after cataract surgery, to use a software program developed to provide an objective assessment of the amount of PCO in the digital images of the posterior capsule to quantify PCO. METHODS: Ninety-eight eyes underwent standardized phacoemulsification and "in the bag" IOL placement, were randomized to receive a three piece lens of hydrophobic acrylic or silicone, but lens materials were different in one case. In year 1 and 2, digitized retro-illumination images were taken from the posterior capsule. Images were analyzed by POCO software program, removing the Purkinje light reflexes, contrast enhancement, filtering to enhance low-density PCO. RESULTS: The percentage of PCO were 0.32±0.13 of hydrophobic acrylic IOLs in year 1, compared with 0.39±0.17 of silicone (P=0.37). In year 2, the percentage of PCO were 0.42±0.20 with hydrophobic acrylic IOLs and 0.34±0.18 with silicone IOLs (P=0.50). Of those patients with PCO in year 1 and 2, severity grades were 0.50±0.30 and 0.82±0.58 of hydrophobic acrylic cases, compared with 0.63±0.35 and 0.55±0.35 of patients with silicone IOLs (P=0.52,P=0.69) with no statistical significance.CONCLUSION: The POCO system is capable of producing an objective and repeatable measure of PCO that is relevant to assessing techniques of PCO prevention.

Objective To study the triterpene saponins from Gynostemma pentaphyllum with antitumor activities.Methods The 75% EtOH extract of G.pentaphyllum was used for isolation by silica gel column chromatography and preparative HPLC.The structures of pure compounds isolated were identified by the spectral analysis and chemical evidence.Results Two compounds were isolated and identified as 23(S)-3β,20ξ,21ξ-trihydroxy-19-oxo-21,23-epoxydammar-24-ene 3-O-α-L-rhanmopyranosyl(1→2)-[β-D-xylopyranosyl(1→β)]-β-D-arabinopyranoside(1)and23(S)-21(R)-O-n-butyl-3β,20ξ-dihydroxy-21,23-epoxydammar-24-ene 3-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl(1→2)-[β-D-xylo-pyranosyl(1→3)]-β-D-arabinopyrannside(2).Conclusion Compound 2 is a new triterpene saponin with moderate antitumor activities against the HL-60,Colon205,and Du145 cell lines.

Objective To explore the influencing factors of degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis (DLS).Methods Sixty-one DLS patients (DLS group) were enrolled in this study.The control group was formed by 61 patients with same gender and age matched.The lesion position was L4 in two groups.The correlation of intervertebral joint angle,degeneration degree,lumbosacral angle and lumbar spondylolisthesis were analyzed.Results The intervertebral joint and sagittal angle in DLS group was less than that in control group[(37.11 ± 7.52)° vs.(42.44 ± 7.61)°] (P ＜ 0.01).The lumbosacral angle between two groups had no significant difference (P ＞ 0.05).The degeneration degree between two groups had significant difference (P ＜ 0.01).Conclusion Intervertebral joint and sagittal angle and intervertebral joint degeneration degree have important roles in DLS.

Objective To investigate the expression of gastrin, cyclooxygenase-2(COX-2) and Ki-67 in dif-ferent gastric mucosal lesions and to assess the role of gastrin and COX-2 in the sequence of gastric carcinogenesis and its relationship. Methods 96 samples with different gastric mucosal lesions were obtained by gastroscope. The expression of gastrin,COX-2 and Ki-67 was examined with immunohistochemical staining technique(EnVision). Re-sults Positive rates of gastrin expression in chronic superficial gastritis (CSG), chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG), intestinal metaplasia(IM),dysplasia(Dy) and gastric cancer(GC) were 58.8 % ,30. 0% ,57.9 % ,68.2% and 77.8% ,respectively, and there were significant differences between GC and CAG(P<0.05). Positive rates of COX-2 expression in CSG,CAG,IM,Dy and GC were 41.2 % ,45.0% ,68.4 % ,72.7% and 88.9% respectively, and there were significant differences between GC and CAG(P<0.05). Ki-67 proliferation index (PI) from CSG, CAG, IM, Dy to GC also had an increasing tendency. From CAG to GC,the expression of gastrin and COX-2 was positively correlated with PI (P<0.05). The expression between gastrin and COX-2 was correlated significantly in gastric pre-cancerous lesions (P<0.01). PI was increased significantly in group with co-expression of gastrin and COX-2. Con-clusion Gastrin expression is decreased in CAG. From CAG to GC, gastrin expression is increased gradually. COX-2 expression has an increasing tendency in the sequence of gastric cancerization. From CSG to GC, PI is gradually in-creased. Gastrin and COX-2 co-promote proliferation of gastric epithelial cells,and gastrin may take part in up-regu-lation of COX-2 expression in gastric precancerous.

Objective To study the effect and possible role of recombinant human erythropoietin(rhEPO) on the proliferation and apoptosis of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) from patients with diabetic nephropathy (DN). Methods Various concentration of rhEPO was added to the culture system of EPCs from 20 DN patients (DN group) and 20 normal people (control group). MTT assays were used to detect the proliferative rate, Annexin V/PI stains to detect the apoptotic rate, and Western blot assays to detect the expression level of Akt protein kinase. Results Proliferative ability of EPCs from control group and DN group was improved when concentration of rhEPO was 0.3, 0.6 and 1.2 kU/L, and it was dose-dependent. The effect from the latter was more obvious. The apoptotic rate of DN group was lowered and the expression levels of Akt protein kinase were upregulated when the concentration of rhEPO was 1.2 kU/L, while this kind of effect was blocked after Wortmannin was added to the culture system. Conclusion rhEPO can improve the number and function of EPCs from both healthy volunteers and patients with DN. PI3K/Akt pathway may play an important role.

BACKGROUND: Bone marrow stem cells can be induced to differentiate into vascular endothelial cells and facilitate establishment of compensatory circulation, so as so improve blood supply of ischemic tissues. OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical efficacy of autologous peripheral blood stem cells (PBSCs) transplantation in the treatment of diabetic vascular disorder in the lower extremities and diabetic feet. DESIGN: Wuhan Central Hospital, Wuban, Hubei Province, China. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 89 patients with type 2 diabetic vascular disorder in the lower extremity were enrolled from Department of Endocrinology in Wuhan Central Hospital from July 2005 to may 2007. All cases matched the criteria of diabetes by WHO in 1999, and complicated with diabetic peripheral angiopathy and diabetic feet. They included 61 males and 28 females, aged 45-90 years, with an average age of 67. Lesion was mainly located in lower extremities, 54 patients with foot ulcers while 8 patients with gangrene. All the patients signed the informed consents, and the experiment was approved by the hospital ethics committee. Recombinant human granulocyte colony stimulating factor was purchased from China Kunpeng Bio-Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.METHODS: Stem cell mobilization: 89 patients all received recombinant human granulocyte colony stimulating factor, 500-600 μg per day by hypodermic injection for 5 days to mobilize stem cells. On the fifth day. PBSCs were collected with a total amount of 83-103mL. The number of mononuclear cells was (1.86-3.39)×1011L-1,while the proportion of CD34 positive cells was 0.55%-1.36%. PBSCs transplantation: After patients were treated with intravenous anesthesia, PBSCs were injected into the ischemic lower extremity and foot intramuscularly at 3cm×3cm distance. The clinical and laboratory findings were monitored from the first day to the sixth month.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The patients were evaluated before transplantation, and in the first, third and sixth months after transplantation, including affected limb pain, cool feeling, intermittent claudication, ankle brachial index (ABI), limb skin temperature and deep feeling. Color Doppler. CT and digital subtraction angiography were applied to detect lower extremities morphous.RESULTS: All 89 included patients were involved in the result analysis. Scores of clinical symptom: The affected limb pain, cool feeling, and intermittent claudication were all improved significantly after PBSCs transplantation (P<0.05),and the improvement was more evident with time extension. ABI: After PBSCs transplantation, ABI in patients increased significantly by different degrees with the time extension(P0.05). Skin temperature and deep feeling: Limb skin temperature increased significantly after transplantation (P<0.05), and deep feeling seemed to be improved, but the change was not significant(P0.05). Imaging determination: There was no obvious change after transplantation checking of lower extremity by color Doppler. But CT and digital subtraction angiography results showed lower extremities in 23 patients had new collateral vessels formation with different degrees.CONCLUSION: Autologous PBSCs transplantation can increase blood flow of lower extremities in patients with diabetic vascular disorder in the lower extremities and diabetic feet, and promote the angiogenesis in lower extremity of partial patients.

AIM: To investigate the expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), membrane type MMPs (MT-MMPs) and their inhibitors (TIMPs) in human primary cultured prostatic cells and malignant prostate cell lines.METHODS: Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction-based measurements of the mRNA levels of MMP-2, MMP-7, MMP-9, MT1-MMP, MT3-MMP, TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 in relation to the house-keeping gene glyceraldehydes phosphate dehydrogenase were performed in cancerous and non-cancerous prostatic tissue samples, in primary cell cultures of epithelial cells, in both fibroblasts and smooth-muscle cells as stromal cells, and in the human malignant prostatic cell lines DU-145, LNCaP and PC-3.RESULTS: MMP-2 was mainly expressed in stromal cells. MMP-7 and MMP-9 showed their highest values in epithelial cells. MT1-MMP, MT3-MMP, TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 were found both in stromal and in epithelial cells, but there were some differences between the expression in fibroblasts and smooth-muscle cells. Different expression was also observed between the cells deriving from the primary cell cultures, the benign cell line BPH-1, and the malignant cell lines LNCaP, DU-145, and PC-3.CONCLUSION: These results concerning different expression of MMPs and TIMPs in cells from prostatic tissue suggest that a better insight into changes observed in prostatic tissue needs studies on cells cultured from the tissue.