Leydig cells are the major source of androgens in males. Stem cells can be induced to differentiate into androgen-secreting Leydig like cells, whose functions are regulated by the hypothalamus and pituitary, so that they precisely secret the necessary hormones to maintain physiological function. Therefore, the establishment of an effective protocol to induce the differentiation of stem cells into androgen-secreting cells is very helpful for the treatment of hypogonadism caused by abnormalities of Leydig cells. This review outlines the recent findings concerning the differentiation of stem cells into androgen-secreting cells.
Androgens ; secretion ; Cell Differentiation ; physiology ; Humans ; Hypogonadism ; therapy ; Hypothalamus ; physiology ; Male ; Pituitary Gland ; physiology ; Stem Cells ; cytology ; secretion

Objective This study aims to observe and analyze the result of implementing health management and intervention for chronic Keshan disease treatment. Methods Certain amounts of chronic Keshan disease patients in Keshan disease area were chosen and given health management and treatment intervention including primarily pharmacological treatment for the chronic congestive heart failure together with health education and life style instruction. From 2006 to 2008, three interventions were conducted every six month. Electrocardiogram description, proportion of heart to chest, classification of heart function, types of Keshan disease and labour capacity at the initial and the last stage of the intervention were taken as judging indexes. If one of the indexes was improved then the intervention will be regarded as effective. The number of effective cases and effective rate were counted in order to observe the impact of intervention times and different medicine on intervention results. Results Altogether 345 Keshan disease patients were involved in the study, among them 207 were effective, the effective rate was 60%(207/345). One hundred and eighty were involved in the intervention for once, and the effective rate was 44%(79/180). Ninty-one took part in the intervention twice, and the effective rate was 66%(60/91). Seventyfour attended the intervention for three times, and the effective rate was 92% (68/74). There were significant difference among groups of different intervention times (χ2 = 52.16, P < 0.01), and the effective rate increased with increased intervention times. Three times were higher than that of one or two times (χ2= 15.81, 49.56, all P< 0.0125). Twice were better than once(χ2 = 11.76, P < 0.0125). There were significant difference among groups of different medicine groups(χ2 = 19.56, P< 0.01). Among different medicine groups, the efficacy of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor(ACEI) group was the highest 77%(82/106) while the cardiotonic medicine group was 50%(47/94) and cardiac muscle nutrition poisons was 54% (78/145). The efficacy rate of ACEI group was higher than that of cardiotonic medicine group and cardiac muscle nutrition poisons(χ2 = 16.28, 14.71, P< 0.0125). Conclusions The implement of health management and treatment intervention to Keshan disease patients is of great significant in improving the healthy condition of Keshan disease patients. Health education and life-style instruction as well as the use of ACEI, β-blockers and diuretic have comparatively obvious effect on treatment of chronic Keshan disease congestive cardiac failure.

The discovery of limbal stem cells is the key advancement in ophthalmology in the 20th century.Many clinical researches have proved that limbal stem cells transplantation is an effective method to treat severe ocular surface diseases.However, some important issues associated with the identification,isolation,standardized culture in vitro and differentiation after transplantation are still not clear and need to be paid more attention.Strengthening the underlaying research in this field will play important role in treating corneal blindness.

Four key attributes,position,rate,shape and force,are programs of pulse tracing put forward by ZHOU Xue-hai,a medical practitioner in late Qing dynasty.The essences of four key attributes are'images'of di erent levels.There are complex relationships between pulse tracing and position,rate,shape and force attributes,which include not only subordinate relationship and static-dynamic relationship between four attributes but double relationship between four attributes and pulse tracing.

Objective To observe the effect of early intervention on the oligodendrocyte-myelin glycoprotein(OMgp) mRNA expression of brain injury neonatal rats caused by intrauterine infection.Methods 1.Twenty-eight Wistar pregnant rats were randomly divided into 2 groups:lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-treated group and saline control group.Pregnant rats were consecutively injected with LPS (450 ?g?kg-1) or saline on the 18th gestation age.After birth,the placentas were taken out and made HE staining to observe intrauterine infection.2.Thirty neonatal rats in the saline control group and 55 rats in the LPS-treated group were randomly selected which were divided into intervention group (n=25) and no-intervention group (n=25).The second post-natal day (P2) rats in intervention group were treated by early touch and enriched environment.The neonatal rats in the no-intervention group and saline control group were fed in a routine way.Five cases of P1 rats were selected respectively from the LPS-treated group and saline control group,and brain tissue pathological section was made to observe the condition of brain injury.3.Five cases of P1,P3,P7,P28 and P42 rats were selected from the saline control group,intervention group and no-intervention group to detect the OMgp mRNA expression levels by using the real time polymerase chain reaction me-thod.Results 1.There were a great number of neurophilic granulocytes in the placentas in the LPS-treated group.2.Brain tissue pathological of P1 in the saline control group had complete substantia alba structure,ordered disposition and lightly stained clear chromatospherite.While in the LPS-treated group, there existed brain tissue looseness,colloid cell aggregation and oligodendrocyte cytoreduction in the position of substantia alba,callositas and capsula interna.Intraventricular hemorrhage,substantia alba blood vessel dilatation and blood capillary angiorrhexis and hemorrhage could also be found.3.There was a higher increase in OMgp mRNA expressions of brain tissue in the LPS-treated group at P1,P3,P7,P28,P42 than those in the saline control group (Pa

Adult ; Athletes ; Electroencephalography ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Sports ; physiology

Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Toxoplasmosis ; etiology

Objective To study the preventive and therapeutic effects of ginkgo biloba extract 761 on disused skeletal muscle atrophy by observing its effects on the wet weight, protein content and contraction of the gastrocnemius of fixed hindlimb in rats. Methods 24 SD rats were divided into blank group, contrast group and experimental group. Their right hind limbs were fixed for 4 weeks with plastic plaster from metatarsus to 1 cm up the knee. The knee joint was fixed in 100? flexion and the ankle joint in 60? plantar flexion. Rats in the contrast group were perfused with 3mL distilled water, and rats in the experimental group were perfused with ginkgo biloba extract 761 (120 mg/kg, 14 mg/mL). The whole gastrocnemius muscle of the right hindlimb was dissected 4 weeks later to measure its contract tension, wet weight and protein content. Results Compared with the blank group, single maximal contraction, maximal tetanus, wet weight and protein content of the gastrocnemius muscle in the contrast and experimental groups decreased significantly (P

Objective To analyze the expression levels of matrix metallo proteinase-2 (MMP-2) and matrix metallo proteinase-9 (MMP-9) in serum of patients with esophageal cancer,and to analyze the interrelations among MMP-2,MMP-9 and clinicopathologic characteristics of esophageal cancer.Methods The levels of serum MMP-2,MMP-9 from 60 patients with esophageal cancer were detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay.The interrelations among MMP-2,MMP-9 and clinicopathologic characteristics of esophageal cancer including age,gender,histological type,whether or not lymph nodes metastasis and TNM staging were analyzed.Results The levels of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in control group were 61.31 ng/ml and 87.67 ng/ml,the levels of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in patients with esophageal cancer were 121.66 ng/ml and 169.73 ng/ml.The levels of MMP-2 and MMP-9 were significantly higher in patients with esophageal cancer than that of general population (t =3.015,P =0.007; t =2.037,P =0.04).The level of MMP-2 was significantly associated with whether or not lymph node metastasis (t =2.150,P =0.04) and clinical staging (t =2.186,P=0.03).The level of MMP-9 was significantly associated with whether or not lymph node metastasis (t =2.390,P =0.02) and clinical staging (t =2.149,P =0.03).The levels of MMP-2 and MMP-9 have no reference to age,gender and histological type (all P＞0.05).Conclusion MMP-2 and MMP-9 may correlate with tumor invasion and metastasis in patients with esophageal cancer.

Estrogen receptors(ER)has two subtype alpha and beta.It is a kind of glycoprotein which can bond to estrogen(E).They distribute all kinds of organs and tissues,especially in procreation organs and breast tissue.Study showed that estrogen receptor gene polymorphisms had been associated with the risk of carcinogenesis of endometrial cancer,ovarian cancer and breast cancer.We reviewed the molecule structure, function,gene polymorphisms of ER,and the relationship with endometrial cancer,ovarian cancer and breast cancer.