Endothelial progenitor cells have self-replication and multi-differentiation potentials. They participate in the maintenance of vascular dynamics and physiological reconstruction. Though the research of endothelial progenitor cells has become a current hot spot, there are a series of unknown factors from the fields of the basic research to the clinical application. This article reviews the advances in research on endothelial progenitor cells,particularly the roles in ischemic cerebrovascular disease.

Objective To evaluate the effect of celastrol postconditioning on focal cerebral ischemiareperfusion (I/R) injury in rats.Methods Sixty-four Sprague-Dawle rats (32 males,32 females),weighing 250300 g,were randomized into 4 groups using a random number table (n =16 each):sham operation group (group S) ; celastrol control group (group S + C) ; focal cerebral I/R group (group I/R) ; celastrol postconditioning group (group I/R + C).Focal cerebral I/R were produced by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO).Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) 0.3 ml/kg was injected intraperitoneally after shame operation in group S.Celastrol 3 mg/kg was injected intraperitoneally after shame operation in group S + C.DMSO 0.3 ml/kg was injected intraperitoneally at 5 min of reperfusion in group I/R.Celastrol 3 mg/kg was injected intraperitoneally at 5 min of reperfusion in group I/R + C.The neurologic deficit was scored at 5 min before reperfusion and 24 h of reperfusion.The infarct size was detected by TTC staining,and then the percentage of infarct size was calculated.The pathological changes in CA1 region of ischemic hippocampus were detected by HE staining.The activity of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase (NOX),content of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and expression of NOX1 and NOX2 mRNA (by RT-PCR) in ischemic brain tissues were detected.Results Compared with S and S + C groups,the neurologic deficit scores,infarct size,percentage of infarct size,NOX activity and ROS content were significantly increased,and the expression of NOX1 mRNA and NOX2 mRNA was up-regulated in I/R and I/R + C groups (P ＜ 0.01).Compared with group I/R,the neurologic deficit scores,infarct size,percentage of infarct size,NOX activity and ROS content were significantly decreased,and the expression of NOX1 mRNA and NOX2 mRNA was down-regulated in group I/R+ C (P ＜ 0.01).There was no significant difference in the parameters mentioned above between group S and group S + C (P ＞ 0.05).The pathological changes in CAl region of ischemic hippocampus were significantly attenuated in group I/R + C (P ＜ 0.01).Conclusion Postconditioning with celastrol can auenuate focal cerebral [/R injury in rats and inhibiton of oxidative stress response in brain tissues may be involved in the mechanism.

Objective To evaluate the role of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene polymorphism in the progression of renal diseases. Methods ACE gene polymorphism was analyzed in 77 patients with end stage renal failure (ESRF) and 150 normal control. Results The frequences of DD and DI genotype were significantly higher in ESRF patients than normal control (DD, 15.6% VS 6.0%, P

Objective To investigate the effects of EGB on hepatic fibrosis and expression of Activin A in rats with fibrosis.Methods From Oct.2004 to Apr.2005,the study was conducted in 30 adult male rats in the pepartment of Gastroenterology,the people's Hospital of Wuhan University.The rats were randomized into 3 groups:control group,model group and treatment group.Except the rats in the control group,others were induced to hepatic fibrosis by intraperitoneal injection of CCl_4 twice a week for 8 weeks.Those rats in the treatment group were intragastrically administered with EGB establish model of everyday.At the end of the 8th week,all rats were sacrificed.The samples of liver was staining with HE.The expression of Activin A was determined by immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR.Results The grade of fibrosis in EGB-treated groups were lower than that in the model group(P

Objective A LC/MS/MS method is developed for determination of paraquat in biological tissue.Methods The samples were pretreated with solid phase extraction using Oasis WCX cartridges and separated with HPLC,paraquat could be identified by LC/MS/MS.Result Calibration curves were linear on injection of amounts ranging from 0.02～20?g/ml and the limit of detection was 10ng/ml(S/N≥3).Conclusion The described menthod was proved to be sensitive,rapid and accurate,it will be applied in identification and determination of paraquat in biological tissues.

[Objective] To explore the counteractive mechanism of Tongmai Injection (IT) for excitotoxicity in rats with cerebral ischemia/reperfusion by observing the glutamic acid (Glu) content and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor activity in rats cortex. [ Methods ] Rat models with cerebral ischemia/reperfusion were established by four-vessel occlusion. Glu content and NMDA receptor activity were examined by radioimmunoassay and the effects of TI on Glu and NMDA receptor were also observed. [ Results ] Glu content and NMDA receptor activity were both increased in the model group and TI could counteract the above changes. [Conclusion] Cerebral ischemia/reperfusion can induce excitotoxicity and TI can protect the cerebral cortex.

AIM:Activin A,a member of transforming growth factor superfamily,is the negative regulator factor in liver regeneration. In this study,the effects of extract of Ginkgo Biloba on hepatic fibrosis and the expression of Activin A in rats with cirrhosis were investigated. METHODS:The experiment was performed at in the Central Laboratory of Wuhan First Hospital from September 2005 to December 2006. ①Thirty-six male SD rats of(160?20) g were randomized into 3 groups:control group,model group and treatment group. ② Except the rats in the control group,others were intraperitoneally injected with 500 mL/L CCl4 for 8 weeks to establish models of hepatic fibrosis. Meanwhile,the extract treatment group was infused with the extract of Ginkgo Biloba(Chinese drugs preparation laboratory of Wuhan First Hospital,detected by Hubeu Wushi Medicine Industry Co.,Ltd. No. 02-391) daily for 8 weeks. ③After administration,all anesthetized rats were sacrificed. Blood samples were collected for the determination of liver function biochemical indexes. Liver tissue samples were used for histopathological examinations. The expression of Activin A was determined by immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR. RESULTS:All 36 rats were involved in the final analysis. ①The liver function in extract treatment group was significantly improved compared with that in model group. ②The grade of fibrosis in extract treatment group were remarkably lower than that in model group under light microscope. ③The positive staining of Activin A in treatment group was significantly reduced compared with model group. ④The expression of Activin A mRNA in extract treatment group was significantly reduced compared with model group. CONCLUSION:Extract of Ginkgo Biloba can effectively decrease the expression of Activin A in rats with hepatic fibrosis caused by CCl4,and lessen the degree of hepatic fibrosis.

Objective To investigate the effect of wogonin on ethology and its possible mechanisms in chronic cerebral ischemia in rats.Methods Rats were randomly divided into a sham operation group,a wogonin intervention group,and a phosphate buffered solution (PBS) control group.A rat model of chronic cerebral ischemia was induced by the two-vessel occlusion method.Six weeks after modeling,the rats in the wogonin intervention group and the PBS control group were intragastric administrated with wogonin (50 μmol/L,10 ml/kg,once a day) and PBS with equal volume for 14 days.Morris water maze test was used to evaluate the spatial learning and memory function.Laser confocal three-dimensional vascular imaging was used to detect the vascular proliferation of ischemic brain tissue.5-Bromo-2-deoxyuridine (BrdU)immunochemical staining was used to detect the cell proliferation in ischemic brain tissue.Transmission electron microscope was used to observe the morphological changes of neural cells in cerebral ischernic region.Results The Morris water maze (n =8) showed that the trains of escape latency from the second to the fifth day in the wogonin intervention group were 43.45 ± 8.64 s,37.12 ± 1.31 s,34.75 ± 5.36 s,and 24.36 ± 5.43 s,respectively.They were significantly shorter than 51.69 ± 5.32 s,43.65 ± 9.21 s,50.19 ± 10.31 s,and 53.65 ± 7.15 s in the PBS control group (all P ＜ 0.05).The first quadrant swimming time of the wogonin intervention group was significantly longer than that of the PBS control group (26.16 ±3.29 s vs.14.38 ±2.16 s; P＜0.01).Laser confocal three-dimensional vascular imaging (n=4) showed that the capillary inner diameter in cerebral ischemia region of the wogonin intervention group was reduced significantly compared to the PBS control group (3.02 ±0.21 μm vs.3.35 ±0.18 μm; P ＜0.05),vascular density was increased significantly (205.80 ± 12.70/0.002 mm3vs.158.42 ± 10.92/0.002 mm3; P＜0.01),and total microvascular area was increased significantly (83 389 ± 4 026 μm2/0.002 mm3 vs.73 349 ±3 986 μm2/0.002 mm3; P＜0.01).Immunohistochemical staining (n =6) showed that the number of BrdU positive cells in the ischemic brain tissue of the wogonin intervention group was increased significantly compared to the PBS control group (24.62 ±3.25/HPF vs.9.87 ±2.89/HPF; P＜0.01).The observation of transmission electron microscope showed that the inflammatory edema in the intercellular spaces of the wogonin intervention group was significantly reduced compare to the PBS control group.Conclusions Wogonin can significantly improve the spatial learning and memory ability of chronic cerebral ischemia in rats,and its possible mechanisms may include the promotion of proliferation and angiogenesis in ischemic region and angiogenesis,and reduce inflammatory response.

Objective: To observe the influence of sot alol on the QT dispersion in patients with atrioventricular accessory pathways u nderwent radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA). Methods: Thirt y-six patients were divided into 2 groups by random. One was the drug group(18 cases) treated by RFCA， and sotalol 160 mg was orally administered and intracar diac electrophysiological study was performed every 30 min for 5 times. Th e other group(control group, 18 cases) only treated by RFCA.QTd,QTcd and QTLcd w ere measured before and after RFCA. Results: There was no signif icant difference with QT dispersion before and after RFCA in control group. When compared with before RFCA, QTd in patients administered sotalol was (30.9 ±14.3) ms vs (24.7±9.6) ms; QTcd(33.7±17.1) ms vs (25.2±10.1) ms; QT Lcd(30.8±14.1)ms vs (25.6±19.4) ms (P<0.05). Conclusion: Sotalol can slightly lower QT dispersion, which is beneficial for preventing malignant ventricular arrthythmia. It is safe in RFCA in pateints with accessory pathway.

Objective To study the effect of endothelial progenitor cells on the behavior of chronic cerebral ischemic rats. Methods Adult rats were treated using the protocol of chronic cerebral ischemic model. Then translated the endothelial progenitor cells in vein to them, and Morris water maze was carried out to test the learning and merrory ability of the rats. The cell proliferation, vascular distribution and the plasma VEGF levels were day of 2nd to 5th of experimental group ( EPC group ) were significantly shorter than the control group ( PBS group), which were(44.45 ±9.44)s,(38.32±1.51)s,(34.95 ±6.76)s,(24.46 ±5.47)s and (52.79±6.47 ) s, ( 43.15 ± 11.21 ) s, ( 50.29 ± 11.41 ) s, ( 53.75 ± 7.35 ) s, (P ＜ 0.01 ) respectively. The time of EPC group spend in the first quadrant were significantly longer than that of the PBS group, which were (26. 76 ±of the EPC group( 26.8 ± 5.76 ) was higher than that of the conrespondering areas in the control group( 12.17 ±ments of capillaries were (P＜0.05) shorter in the PBS groups( (3.4 ±0.24) μm) than in the EPC groups( (2.8± 0.2 )μm) significantly, EPC group could significantly (P ＜ 0.05 ) increased the number of branch points in the boundary regions of ischemia compared with the number in the PBS group (respectively (210. 1 ± 13.80 ) and (164.2 ± 12.3 )). Three-dimensional cerebral vessel surface area in the ipsilateral hemisphere significantly increased in the EPC group compared with the PBS group (respectively (84365 ± 3897 )μm2/0. 002mm3 and group in the plasma VEGF levels ( ( 63.91 ± 6.71 ) pg/ml; ( 21. 81 ± 4.25 ) pg/ml, respectively (P ＜ 0.05, P ＜0.01 ). Conclusion There are positive behavioral effects of endotbelial progenitor cells in chronic cerebral ischemic rats. The possible mechanisns mavbe involve the nerve protection and regeneration of the vascular associated with the VEGF. The endothelial progenitor cells maybe have a great prospect in the therapy of chronic cerebral ischemic disease.