OBJECTIVETo seek effective drugs for anti-hepatitis C virus by screening 20 Chinese herbs often used for clearing heat and dissipating toxin with nude mice model of hepatitis C viral (HCV) infection.

METHODSAfter the model mice had been treated with selected drug for 3 months, transmission electron microscope was used to observe whether the HCV-like particles in human fetal hepatocytes (HFH) transplanted into mice spleen still existed, and quantitative RT-PRC technique was used to detect the serum content of HCV-RNA before and after treatment.

RESULTS(1)HCV-like particles existed in all the model mice after treatment. (2) Serum content of HCV-RNA decreased after treated with Radix Gentianae, Radix Scutellariae, Radix Sophorae tonkinensis, Fructus Gardeniae and Fructus Sophorae flavoscentis, but unchanged after treatment with other drugs.

CONCLUSIONAll the 20 herbs screened has not effect in directly eradicating HCV, but Radix Gentianae, Radix Scutellariae, Radix Sophorae tonkinensis, Fructus Gardeniae and Fructus Sophorae flavoscentis could significantly inhibit the replication of HCV-RNA.

Animals ; Antiviral Agents ; pharmacology ; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Female ; Gentiana ; chemistry ; Hepacivirus ; drug effects ; Hepatitis C ; virology ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Nude ; Phytotherapy ; Scutellaria baicalensis ; chemistry ; Sophora ; chemistry ; Virus Replication ; drug effects

OBJECTIVETo explore the relationship between ulcerative colitis (UC) and lung injuries by assessing their clinical manifestations and characteristics.

METHODSFrom July 2009 to April 2012, 91 UC patients presenting to Longhua Hospital who met the established inclusion and exclusion criteria were enrolled in this retrospective study. According to the scores of disease activity index, the patients were divided into the mild, moderate, and severe groups. Meanwhile, the records of pulmonary symptoms, chest X-ray image, and pulmonary function were reviewed.

RESULTSSixty-eight (74.7%) patients had at least 1 pulmonary symptom, such as cough (38.5%), shortness of breath (27.5%), and expectoration (17.6%). And 77 (84.6%) had at least 1 ventilation abnormality. Vital capacity value was significantly lower in the severe group than that in the mild group (91.82%±10.38% vs. 98.92%±12.12%, P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONSLung injury is a common extraintestinal complication of UC. According to the theory in Traditional Chinese Medicine that the lung and large intestine are related, both the lungs and large intestine should be treated simultaneously.

Adult ; Colitis, Ulcerative ; complications ; physiopathology ; Female ; Humans ; Lung Injury ; etiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Vital Capacity

Chemistry, Pharmaceutical ; methods ; Clinical Trials as Topic ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Irritable Bowel Syndrome ; diagnosis ; therapy ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; methods ; Yin Deficiency ; diagnosis ; therapy

OBJECTIVETo explore the intervening and therapeutic effect of Cordyceps mycelia extract (CME) on liver cirrhosis induced by dimethylnitrosamine (DMN) in rats.

METHODSRat liver cirrhosis model was established by peritoneal injection of DMN at a dose of 10 microg/kg, once daily in the first 3 days of every week for 4 successive weeks. Experimental study on CME-intervention was conducted from the beginning of modeling to the end of the 4th week, while the CME-treatment experiment was carried out from the 4th week of modeling, when terminating the modeling factor, to the end of the 8th week, by administering CME at a dose of 0. 74 g/( kg d) once a day. Animals were killed in batches on the 3rd day, the 2nd (T1), 4th (T2), 6th (T3) and 8th (T4) week after modeling, to observe the histopathologic change in liver and the immunohistochemical staining of alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA) and collagen type I (Col I), determine the content of hydroxyproline (Hyp) in liver, and the liver function was tested as well.

RESULTSCME-intervention experiment showed that as compared to those in the modeled rats at corresponding time points, in rats at T1 and T2, serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activity and total bilirubin (TBIL) content were significantly lower, and albumin (Alb) obviously higher; while at T2, Hyp content, ct-SMA and Col I positive expression were significantly lower (P < 0.05), the proliferation of collagen fibre attenuated. CME-treatment experiment showed that as compared to those in the modeled rats at corresponding time points, lower serum ALT, AST activity and TBIL content, and higher serum level of Alb were shown in rats at T1; and lower Hyp content, liver collagen fibre, and alpha-SMA positive expression were shown at T1 and T2; while less Col I positive expression at T2 was also shown in them (all P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONCME could not only prevent the development of liver cirrhosis induced by DMN in rats, but also effectively promote the reversion of already formed liver cirrhosis, having a favourable prospect of clinical application.

Alanine Transaminase ; genetics ; metabolism ; Animals ; Aspartate Aminotransferases ; genetics ; metabolism ; Biological Factors ; therapeutic use ; Cordyceps ; chemistry ; Dimethylnitrosamine ; adverse effects ; Humans ; Liver ; metabolism ; Liver Cirrhosis ; chemically induced ; drug therapy ; enzymology ; genetics ; Male ; Moths ; chemistry ; Mycelium ; chemistry ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Treatment Outcome

The zinc chloride and cystine resistant strain of S.cerevisiae YZM-14(ZnCl2r,Cysr) was screened with the mutant processing of the protoplast of S.cerevisiae by combinative mutagens of ultraviolet and nitrite.The glutathione(GSH) production(84.72 mg/L),dry cell weight(7.63 g/L) and the intracellular GSH content(11.10 mg/g) of YZM-14 were 2.79,1.63 and 1.71 times compared with that of the initial strain.The biosynthetic process of GSH was divided into three phases according to the time course of the specific cell growth rate and GSH yielding coefficient.In the second phase,the metabolic flux of the pentose phosphate pathway and the GSH precursors biosynthetic pathway of the mutant strain increased by 8.1 mmol/(g?h),compared with that of the initial strain.Furthermore,the metabolic flux of the organic acids secretion of the mutant strain decreased.Through these mechanisms,the utilization efficiency of the carbon sources was enhanced and high production of GSH was obtained.

OBJECTIVETo study the acting mechanism of Cordyceps mycelia extract (CME) for antagonizing hepatic sinusoidal capillarization (HSC) in rats with dimethylnitrosamine (DMN) induced liver cirrhosis.

METHODSRat liver cirrhosis model was established by peritoneal injection of DMN 10 mg/kg 3 times a week for 4 weeks. To rats in the CME-prevented group CME were administrated at a dose of 10 mL/kg, once a day, for 4 weeks. The observation time points were scheduled on the 3rd day (d3), and at the end of the 2nd (W2) and 4th week (W4) after modeling, and the following items were observed: hepatic ultrastructure was observed under electron microscope; expressions of CD44, von Willebrand factor (vWF) and type IV collagen (Col lV) in the liver sinusoidal walls by immunohistochemistry; matrix metalloproteinase-2 and-9 (MMP-2, MMP-9) activity under zymogram method; and serum hyaluronic acid (HA) content by radioimmunoassay.

RESULTSObservation at d3 showed MMP-2 and MMP-9 activity significantly increased, Col IV deposition and CD44 positive staining decreased, vWF positive staining increased in the liver sinusoidal walls, the fenestrae in the sinusoidal endothelial cells (SECs) decreased, and serum HA content increased (P<0.05); at W4, SECs defenestration and sub-SECs basal membrane formation were shown. In the CME-prevented group MMP-2 and MMP-9 activity significantly decreased (P<0.05); defenestration and basal membrane formation alleviated in the early stage (d3, W4); and at W2 and W4 decreases of HA content and vWF positive staining were shown, with increase of CD44 positive staining (P<0.05), more SECs fenestrae, and alleviated basal membrane formation.

CONCLUSIONSThe elevation of MMP-2 and MMP-9 activity in the early stage, which degrades the Col IV normally distributed under the sinusoidal endothelium, is an important factor for HSC formation. CME could inhibit the initiation of HSC by decreasing MMP-2 and MMP-9 activity in the early stage, and prevent its formation by decreasing SECs injury and phenotypic changes.

Animals ; Capillaries ; pathology ; Cordyceps ; Dimethylnitrosamine ; adverse effects ; Hepatic Veins ; cytology ; drug effects ; pathology ; Liver ; blood supply ; Liver Cirrhosis, Experimental ; pathology ; Male ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 ; metabolism ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 ; metabolism ; Mycelium ; Neovascularization, Pathologic ; prevention & control ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar

OBJECTIVETo observe if ER alpha gene can be induced by 5-aza-CdR in ER alpha negative human breast cancer cell lines (MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-435) and the synergistic inhibitory effects of 5-aza-CdR and Tamoxifen on these two cell lines in vitro.

METHODSThe status of 5'CpG island methylation of ER alpha gene in ER alpha negative (MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-435) human breast cancer cell lines and 20 cases of breast cancer tissue was studied by MSP, the expression of ER alpha mRNA was inspected by using RT-PCR after these two cell lines were treated with 5-aza-CdR. Cell proliferation was evaluated by MTT assay, distribution of cell cycle and rate of apoptosis were determined by flow cytometry after these two cell lines were treated with 5-aza-CdR or TAM alone, or in combination in vitro.

RESULTSThe 5'CpG island is methylated in the core promotor of ER alpha gene in ER alpha negative (MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-435) human breast cancer cell lines and the methylating rate is 25.0%, 66.7%, 83.3%, 100% in 20 cases of breast cancer tissue of stage I, II, III, IV, respectively. The expression of ER alpha mRNA was induced in these two cell lines after treated with 5-aza-CdR, MTT array showed the proliferation activity of these two cell lines was obviously reduced in 5-aza-CdR group and the inhibitory effect on proliferation was enhanced when 5-aza-CdR combined with TAM compared with control group, the induction of apoptosis was 11.20% and 8.71% respectively by 5-aza-CdR, while the rate of apoptosis is 48.8% and 53.1% when these two cells were treated with 5-aza-CdR combined with TAM.

CONCLUSIONS5-aza-CdR can re-express ER alpha by demethylating and sensitive ER alpha negative human breast cancer cell lines to TAM, 5-aza-CdR and TAM synergistically inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis in ER alpha negative human breast cancer cell lines, thus offer a new way for the treatment of ER alpha negative breast cancer.

Adult ; Aged ; Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic ; pharmacology ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Azacitidine ; analogs & derivatives ; pharmacology ; Breast Neoplasms ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Drug Synergism ; Estrogen Receptor alpha ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Female ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; drug effects ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Tamoxifen ; pharmacology

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; epidemiology ; Epilepsy ; epidemiology ; Ethnic Groups ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Minority Groups ; Prevalence ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo screen the candidate TSGs on 22q13 involved in sporadic colorectal cancer.

METHODSThe DNA samples of 83 cases with colorectal carcinoma and normal tissues were analyzed using eight fluorescent labeled polymorphic microsatellite markers by PCR. PCR products were electrophoresed on an ABI 377 DNA sequencer. Genescan 3.7 and Genotype 3.7 software was used for LOH scanning and analysis. Comparison between LOH frequency and clinicopathological factors were performed by chia2 test.

RESULTSThe prevalence of LOH was 35.58%, and the average hereditary distance was 1.9 cM. The highest frequency of LOH (D22S1160 locus) and the lowest (D22S1170 locus) were 64.71% and 20%, respectively. Two obvious LOH regions were detected: One between D22S1171 locus and D22S274 locus (about 2.7 cM); another between D22S1160 and D22S1149 locus (about 1.8 cM). Furthermore,significant differences were observed between the frequency of LOH on D22S1171 locus and tumors location (P=0.020), the frequency of LOH on D22S114 locus and liver metastasis (P=0.008), the frequency of LOH on D22S1160 locus and lymph node metastasis (P=0.016). No significant differences were found between LOH on other loci and those factors above. Gene function screening revealed that ARHGAP8 and PPARA gene were involved in carcinogenesis.

CONCLUSIONSTwo obvious high frequency LOH regions are detected by refined deletion mapping. One locates between D22S1171 locus and D22S274 locus (about 2.7 cM); another locates between D22S1160 and D22S1149 locus (about 1.8cM), ARHGAP8 and PPARA gene may be TSGs which contribute to carcinogenesis and progression of sporadic CRC on 22q13 region.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 22 ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; genetics ; pathology ; Female ; Genes, Tumor Suppressor ; Humans ; Loss of Heterozygosity ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Sequence Deletion