Objective To study the effect and safety of conversion from calcineurin inhibitors to rapamycin in kidney transplantation recipients with chronic allograft nephropathy.Methods In 82 kidney transplant recipients enrolled in this study,72 cases were diagnosed as having chronic allograft nephropathy by biopsy.Recipients (SRL group) were administered with rapamycin after withdrawal of calcineurin inhibitors.The doses of CNI in other recipients (non-SRL group) were not changed.Renal function,proteinuria,blood pressure,blood fat,hepatic function and hemogram were observed for 24 months in each group.Results During the follow-up period,serum creatinine level was dropped significantly in SRL group (P＜0.05),but it was increased in non-SRL group (P＜0.05).SRL group showed increased proteinuria,serum cholesterol and triglycerides (P＜0.05),and reduced Plt (P＜0.05).According to the renal function before conversion,the recipients who were administered rapamycin divided into four groups.In group A (Scr ＜ 120 μmol/L),there was no significant difference in diverse variables before and after conversion.In group B (Scr 120-200 μmol/L and Banff Ⅰ-Ⅱ),renal function was improved,and proteinuria alleviated.In group C (Scr 120-200 μmol/L and Banff ＞ Ⅱ),and group D (Scr ＞200 μmol/L),renal function was damaged to varying degrees and proteinuria was deteriorated.Conclusion It is safe and effective for patients with chronic allograft nephropathy to convert from calcineurin inhibitors to rapamycin.

BACKGROUND: There is no study addressing transplantation of umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells for the treatment of spinocerebellar ataxia.OBJECTIVE: To study the clinical effect of human umbilical cord stem cells transplantation in the treatment of autosomal dominant spinocerebellar ataxias. METHODS: Spinocerebellar ataxias patients selected from Stem Transplantation Center of the 455 Hospital of Chinese PLA were treated with umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells transplantation via intrathecal injection. The number of umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells was 107 per transplantation, once per week, for 4 weeks.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Both the total score of the International Cooperative Ataxia Rating Scale and Activities of Daily Living score were significantly decreased at 1 month after transplantation compared with before treatment (P < 0.05). The nerve function was significantly improved and the total effective rate was up to 16.7%. Experimental findings indicate that, transplantation of umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells via intrathecal injection is a feasible and effective treatment to ameliorate the clinical efficacy of spinocerebellar ataxias patients and improve their quality of life.

OBJECTIVETo study the protective effect of rosmarinic acid (Ros A) on the primary cardiomyocyte hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) injury.

METHODPrimary cardiomyocytes of rats were cultured in vitro to establish the H/R injury of cardiomyocytes and observe the changes in the cell viability and LDH leakage. The changes in ATP content and ROS in cardiomyocytes were measured by using chemiluminescence and fluorescent probe technique. The effects of rosmarinic acid on the apoptosis of cardiomyocytes, cleaved-caspase 3, Akt and p-Akt protein expression were further detected by flow cytometry and western blot analysis.

RESULTAccording to the experimental results, Ros A at doses of 25, 50, 100 mg x L(-1) could inhibit the decrease in H/R-induced cell viability, LDH leakage and excessive ROS generation, and maintain the ATP level in cells. Ros A at doses of 50, 100 mg x L(-1) could remarkably inhibit the H/R-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis and down-regulate the expression of cleaved caspase-3. Moreover, Ros A at doses of 100 mg x L(-1) could significantly up-regulate the expression of p-Akt.

CONCLUSIONRos A has the significant effect in resisting the cardiomyocyte H/R injury, improve cardiomyocyte energy metabolism and reduce cell apoptosis, which is related to the activation of Akt pathway.

Adenosine Triphosphate ; metabolism ; Animals ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Caspase 3 ; metabolism ; Cell Hypoxia ; drug effects ; Cell Survival ; drug effects ; Cells, Cultured ; Cinnamates ; pharmacology ; Depsides ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Hypoxia ; genetics ; metabolism ; physiopathology ; prevention & control ; Male ; Myocytes, Cardiac ; cytology ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Oxygen ; metabolism ; Plant Extracts ; pharmacology ; Protective Agents ; pharmacology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; metabolism ; Rosmarinus ; chemistry

Objective To explore the significance of MYCN gene amplification in children with neuroblastic tumors(NT).Methods The clinicopathological data of 154 cases with NT were reviewed,including general data, classification of pathology,clinical stage and prognosis.MYCN gene amplification was detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization(FISH) and its relationship between pathological characteristics and prognostic significance was analyzed.Results There was 154 cases of NT aged 1 day to 11 years,with a mean age of 26.1 months,and the median age of 20.5 months.Male and female ratio was 1.48 : 1.00.According to International Neuroblastoma Staging System (INSS) ,20 cases were of stage Ⅰ (13.0％) ,23 cases of stage Ⅱ (14.9％) ,43 cases of stage Ⅲ (27.9％) ,64 cases of stage Ⅳ(41.6％) and 4 cases of Ⅳs (2.6％).There were 72 cases(46.8％) with favorable histology,and 82 cases(53.2％) with unfavorable histology.MYCN amplification was found in 20 cases (13.0％) and the signal ratio of MYCN and chromosome 2 (CEP2) was 4.08-43.29.One hundred and thirty-four cases of MYCN non-amplification included MYCN gain in 91 cases(68.0％) ,MYCN negative in 43 cases(32.0％).MYCN expression showed the significant differences in ages, neuroblastoma type, international neuroblastoma pathology classification (INPC), mitosis karyorrhexis index (MKI), and clinical stages (all P ＜ 0.05).No significant difference was found in gender(P ＞ 0.05).Of 20 MYCN amplification cases,4 cases (20.0％) survived and 16 cases (80.0％) died,and the overall survival rate was 20.0％ (4/20 cases) ,with survival time was (17.10 ± 2.24) months;of 134 MYCN non-amplification cases,96 cases (71.6％) survived and 38 cases (28.4％) died, with survival time of (28.71 ± 1.28)months.Survival analysis showed the cases with MYCN amplification had worse prognosis (x2 =19.596, P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions Patients with MYCN amplification had poorer prognosis and lower incidence of MYCN amplification of pediatric NT was found in China.

Objective To explore the effect of L-carnosine on neuronal cell apoptosis in young rats with experimental febrile seizures(FS).Methods Forty 15-day SD rats were randomly divided into intervention group(n=30)and FS group(n=10).Warm water was used to induce 10 times FS.The intervention group was divided into E,G and H group,10 rats in each group.Intraperitoneal injection of L-carnosine(250 mg/kg)was separately given to the rats in E group,G group and H group respectively after 30,60 and 120 min of seizure.FS group were induced FS,but they were not given intervention.The rats were sacrificed at 12 hours after the last seizure.Neuronal cell apoptosis was determined by terminal eoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling(TUNEL)in situ cell death kit.TUNEL positive cells were stained and counted as apoptosis in hippocampus and cortex.Ultrastructural changes of apoptosis neurons were observed under the electron microscope.Results The neuronal cells apoptosis count was 25.37?1.95 in FS group,12.36?1.13 in E group,17.85?2.04 in G group,and 22.69?2.69 in H group.Neuronal apoptosis of FS group was apparently higher than that of interventional groups(F=10.75 P0.05).Under the electron microscope,neuronal damage on hippocampal CA1 area and dentate gyrus of FS group and H group was obviously higher than that of E group.Conclusions Early injection of L-carnosine would not only relieve neuronal apoptosis of repeated FS,but also play a role in the protection of neuronal cells.

0.05).Conclusions Early injection of L-carnosine would not only improve cerebral oxidative phosphorylation,relieve neuronal injury of repeated FS,but play a role in the protection of neuronal cells.

To establish neonatal rat cardiac fibroblast inflammatory secretion model by using LPS 100 microg x L(-1) combined with ATP 5 mmol x L(-1), in order to study the inhibitory effect of quercetin on the secretion of inflammatory factors TNF-alpha, IL-1beta and IL-6 of cardiac fibroblasts, further investigate the effect of quercetin on the protein expression of p-NF-kappaB p65 (S276) and p-Akt (S473) by western blot, and discuss the inhibitory effect of quercetin on the inflammatory secretion of cardiac fibroblasts. According to the findings, quercetin with the concentrations between 51.74 micromol x L(-1) and 827.81 micromol x L(-1) had no significant effect on the activity of cardiac fibroblasts. Quercetin with the concentrations of 82.78, 41.39, 20.70 micromol x L(-1) could notably inhibit the increase of TNF-alpha and IL-1beta induced by LPS 100 microg x L(-1) for 3 h and then ATP 5 mmol x L(-1) for 36 h (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05). Quercetin with the concentrations of 82.78, 41.39 micromol x L(-1) could notably inhibit the increase of IL-6 induced LPS 100 microg x L(-1) for 3 h and then ATP 5 mmol x L(-1) for 36 h (P < 0.05), without any notable effect of quercetin with the concentration of 20.70 micromol x L(-1). Quercetin with the concentrations of 82.78, 41.39, 20. 70 micromol x L(-1) could notably inhibit the NF-kappaB p65 (S276) activation induced by LPS 100 microg x L(-1) for 3 h and then ATP 5 mmol x L(-1) for 15 min, with the most significant effect in 20.70 micromol x L(-1). Quercetin with the concentrations of 82.78, 41.39, 20.70 micromol x L(-1) could notably inhibit the increase of p-Akt(473) expression induced by LPS 100 microg x L(-1) for 3 h and then ATP 5 mmol x L(-1) for 240 min (P < 0.05). Therefore, this study believes that quercetin could attenuate the secretion of inflammatory factors TNF-alpha, IL-1beta and IL-6 of cardiac fibroblasts by inhibiting the activation of NF-kappaB p65 (S276) and Akt (473).
Animals ; Cells, Cultured ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; Endomyocardial Fibrosis ; drug therapy ; genetics ; immunology ; Female ; Fibroblasts ; drug effects ; immunology ; Heart ; drug effects ; Humans ; Interleukin-6 ; genetics ; immunology ; Male ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt ; genetics ; immunology ; Quercetin ; administration & dosage ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; genetics ; immunology

OBJECTIVETo estimate the reliability of heart-type fatty acid-binding protein (H-FABP) for identifying acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in the early stage of chest pain onset.

METHODSThis investigation was conducted based on a small population consisting of 40 healthy individuals, 19 established AMI patients and 20 unstable angina pectoris (UAP) patients. Serum H-FABP concentrations were measured in these subjects by sandwich ELISA, and receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves for H-FABP for diagnosing AMI and UAP against normal subjects were then generated respectively. The areas under curve (AUCs) were calculated, and 0.5 was defined as the critical value of AUC to evaluate the diagnostic ability.

RESULTSThe concentrations of H-FABP in healthy individuals, AMI patients and UAP patients were 1.29+/-0.64, 24.45+/-32.40 and 1.95+/-3.11 ng/ml, respectively; AUC (AMI) and AUC UAP were 0.978 (95%CI: 0.948-1.000) and 0.503 (95% CI: 0.334-0.671) respectively, and the former was significantly greater than 0.5.

CONCLUSIONSIn the early stage of chest pain onset H-FABP detection is sufficient in distinguishing AMI patients from healthy individuals, but not capable of distinguishing UAP patients from healthy individuals. H-FABP may be used as a diagnostic biochemical marker in the early stage of AMI.

Acute Coronary Syndrome ; blood ; diagnosis ; Adult ; Area Under Curve ; Biomarkers ; blood ; Early Diagnosis ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins ; blood ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; ROC Curve ; Sensitivity and Specificity

Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip ; methods ; Female ; Hip ; surgery ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures ; methods