Objective:To investigate the structural alterations of mitochondria and its role in neutrophil death induced by ONO-AE-248.Methods:Human neutrophils were cultured in vitro with ONO-AE-248(5?10-5 mol/L)and medium alone. Transmission electron microscopy(TEM) was used to detect the structural alterations of mitochondria and the level of mitochondria membrane potential by flow cytometry using mitocapture dying.Results:ONO-AE-248 resulted in extremely swollen mitochondria within 6 hours. Meanwhile, a rapid loss of mitochondrial membrane potential of neutrophils occurred, especially in 3 hours and 6 hours. There were obviously differences between spontaneous apoptosis and non-apoptosis programmed cell death induced by ONO-AE-248.Conclusion:The experiment results suggest that changes of mitochondrial structure and function be typically morphological, physiological and biochemical features in this unique form of neutrophil death, and that the mitochondrial pathway might play a more important role in ONO-AE-248-induced death of neutrophils.

This study was aimed to explore the effect of total flavonoids and saponins from Huang-Qi Ge-Gen (HQGG) decoction on blood glucose (BG), serum lipid, interleukin-12 (IL-12) and interleukin-15 (IL-15) of liver in diabetes mellitus (DM) rats, in order to investigate their interactions in regulating DM processes. A total of 66 SD rats were randomly divided into 6 groups, which were the normal group, model group (A1B1), control group, total flavonoids group (A2B1), total saponins group (A1B2), and total flavonoids and saponins group (A2B2), with 11 rats in each group. Except the normal group, other groups were intraperitoneal injected with streptozotocin (STZ). And the experiment was according to 2×2 factorial design experiment scheme. The BG was determined before STZ injection and 7 days after the STZ injection. After 30 days, BG, serum lipid, IL-12 and IL-15 of liver were tested. Related indexes were calculated to the weighted composite score. Main and interactive effect of total flavonoids and saponins were studied according to the factorial design experiment scheme. The results showed that compared with the normal group, all indexes of model group showed statistical differences (P<0.05). Total flavonoids and saponins from HQGG decoction can effectively reduce BG, without any interactions between them. Both the total flavonoids and total saponins can reduce serum cholesterol (CHO), triglyceride (TG), liver IL-12 and IL-15. And there were interactive effects. The single use of herb achieved better effects than the combination. It was concluded that total flavonoids and saponins from HQGG decoction can reduce BG, CHO, TG, and liver IL-12 and IL-15 levels in rats. However, the regulation of total flavonoids and saponins on indexes mentioned above showed no additive effect.

Objective: To establish the cardio-renal syndrome (CRS) model by coarctation of abdominal aorta (CAA) with renal ischemia reperfusion injury (RIRI), and to observe the mRNA expression of pro-renin receptor [(P)RR] in experimental rats. Methods: A total of 42 Wistar rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: Sham group, CAA group, RIRI group and CAA+RIRI group.n=10 in each group, 2 rats died during the modeling and all animals were treated for 16 weeks. Blood levels of BNP, creatinine (Cr), urea nitrogen (BUN), the activity of rennin, the contents of angiotensin-I (AT-I), AT-II and aldosterone were examined by laboratory test. The diastolic end inter-ventricular septum thickness (DEIVST), DELVPT, LVEF, ventricular weight index (VWI) and cardiac weight index were detected by small animal echocardiography. The histological changes of myocardium and kidney tissue were measured by HE staining, and the mRNA expressions of pro-renin receptor in myocardium and kidney tissues were measured by RT-PCR. Results: Compared with Sham group, blood levels of BNP were increased in the other 3 groups,P<0.05; compared with CAA group, CAA+RIRI group had increased levels of Cr and BUN,P<0.01; compared with Sham group and RIRI group, CAA+RIRI group showed increased blood level of aldosterone,P<0.05. Compared with CAA group, CAA+RIRI group presented increased rennin activity,P<0.05. Blood levels of AT-I and AT-II were not signiifcantly increased among 3 operation groups,P>0.05. Compared with CAA group, CAA+RIRI group had more obvious changes of DEIVST and LVEF,P<0.01. Compared with RIRI group, CAA+RIRI group had more obvious ventricular hypertrophy, higher VWI and cardiac weight index, allP<0.05. HE staining presented that CAA+RIRI group had broadening of myocardial cell bundle space, decreased left renal index, severe tubular atrophy and partial glomerular atrophy. RT-PCR demonstrated that compared with Sham group, the mRNA expressions of pro-renin receptor in myocardium and kidney tissues were decreased in the other 3 groups. Conclusion: Combined CAA+RIRI method may damage the cardial and renal tissues at the same time which was more severe than either CAA or RIRI. While CAA+RIRI model has better controllability and higher consistency that provides a methodological reference for pro-renin receptor in treating CRS in experimental rat’s model.

Autopsy ; Eye Injuries ; Forensic Medicine ; Humans

OBJECTIVETo investigate the influence of seasons, blood types and semen parameters on the cryosurvival rate of frozen-thawed spermatozoa from sperm donors.

METHODSWe retrospectively analyzed the influence of seasons, blood types, abstinence period, semen volume, sperm morphology, and pre-freeze sperm motility and concentration on the cryosurvival rate of frozen-thawed sperm in 4 088 semen samples from Shaanxi Human Sperm Bank.

RESULTSThe cryosurvival rate of the post-thaw sperm was correlated negatively with the progressive motility of the pre-freeze sperm (r = -0.262, P < 0.01), but positively with pre-freeze sperm concentration (r = 0.247, P < 0.01), and it was significantly higher in the 6-day abstinence group ([70.2 +/- 5.4]%) than in the other abstinence groups (P < 0.01), so was it in the normal sperm morphology rate > 20% group ([71.4 +/- 5.1]%) than in the others (P < 0.01). The survival rate of the post-thaw sperm was not correlated with seasons, blood types, and semen volume (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSperm motility, concentration and morphology and the abstinence period of sperm donors may be valuable predictors of the cryosurvival rate of post-thaw sperm, but no correlation was found between the survival rate and seasons, blood types and semen volume.

This paper reported that the activation of oncogenes in human fetal esopha geal epithelium treated by alternariol (AOH). It was found that NIH/3T3 cells were transformed via transfeetion of DNA extracted from human fetal esophageal epithelium which was cultured and treated by 10?g/ml AOH in a short term in vitro. The efficiency of primary loci was 0.17 focus per ?g of DNA. In the secondary transfection, the efficiency was 0.58 focus per ?g of DNA (P

The method was established study the influence of different herbal combination with Radix Aconiti in the traditional medical formulae on content of the aconite alkaloids, for elucidating the scientific basis of reducing the toxicity of aconite in traditional Chinese medical formulation. The samples for ESI-MS study were prepared by decocting a mixture of Radix Aconiti Lateralis Preparata ( RALP) with Radix Glycyrrhizae Preparata (RGP) , Radix Paeoniae Alba ( RPA) , Rhizoma Zingiberis (RZ) or Radix Et Rhizoma Rhei ( RERR) , separately, and extracting the residue of the above mentioned mixtures after decocting. The diester-diterpenoid alkaloids (DDAs) was lower in the herb couples of RALP-RGP, RALP-RPA, RALP-RZ and RALP-RERR, and lipo-alkaloids was increased in the herb couples of RALP-RGP, RALP-RPA and RALP-RZ. The reason of reducing toxic effect principle is that the components of RGP, RPA and RZ have ester-exchange reactions with DDAs in RALP to produce lipo-alkaloids of low toxicity in the decocting process of the herb couples. The combination of RALP-RERR can reduce the content of DDAs in decoction and residue due to the formation of water insoluble alkaloid compound.
Aconitine ; analogs & derivatives ; analysis ; chemistry ; Aconitum ; chemistry ; Alkaloids ; analysis ; chemistry ; Diterpenes ; analysis ; chemistry ; Drug Combinations ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Esterification ; Ginger ; chemistry ; Glycyrrhiza uralensis ; chemistry ; Hot Temperature ; Paeonia ; chemistry ; Plant Roots ; chemistry ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Rheum ; chemistry ; Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization ; methods

OBJECTIVETo explore the significance and the role of the p53 gene mutation in the exon 4 to 8 in keloid fibroblasts.

METHODSTissue samples from twelve patients with keloid and twelve hyperplastic scar respectively were harvested for in vitro culture of fibroblasts, and normal skin samples from the same patients were employed as the control. Polymerase chain reaction-based single-strained conformational polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) and DNA sequencing were employed to detect p53 gene mutations of the fibroblasts.

RESULTSThe points and frameshift mutations in the exon 4, 5, 6, 7 of p53 gene were identified in 9 of the 12 keloid tissue samples. No p53 gene mutation was detected in all hyperplastic scar and normal skin samples.

CONCLUSIONp53 gene mutation might play an important role in the formation and development of keloids.

BACKGROUND: Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) disease is characterized by bilateral granulomatous uveitis with neurologic, auditory, and dermatologic manifestations. However, acute myelitis complicating VKH disease has rarely been reported. CASE REPORT: A 50-year-old Chinese Han woman presented with difficulty walking, numbness on the left side of the body, and difficulty with urination. The patient was diagnosed with incomplete VKH disease and received corticosteroid treatment prior to the neurological presentation. Acute myelitis was diagnosed based on both clinical and spinal-cord MRI findings. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians should consider acute myelitis as a rare possible neurological manifestation in VKH disease patients, and early systemic administration of corticosteroids will suppress the acute inflammatory process and prevent recurrences. This report raises the possibility that VKH disease and acute myelitis share common pathogenic pathways.
Adrenal Cortex Hormones ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Female ; Humans ; Hypesthesia ; Mobility Limitation ; Myelitis ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Recurrence ; Urination ; Uveitis ; Uveomeningoencephalitic Syndrome