Fifty-six patients with Graves' ophthalmopathy(GO)were treated with antithyroid drug and oral prednisone for three months,TSH receptor antibody(TRAb)level was reduced,GO activity and severity of some patients were ameliorated but still positively associated with TRAb.It suggests that TRAb not only triggers off GO but also plays a possible role in the maintenance of the autoimmune process in GO.

OBJECTIVETo construct the recombinant plasmids expressing Skp2 short hairpin RNA (shRNA) by pRNAT-U6.1/Neo plasmid vector and observe the effects of RNAi-mediated Skp2 gene silencing on Tca8113 cells.

METHODSFive recombinant eukaryotic expression vectors were successfully constructed using pRNAT-U6.1/Neo plasmid vector separately. After they were transfected into Tca8113 cells with PEI, the interference effects no Skp2 and p27 were detected by RT-PCR and Western blot. The cell cycle of Tca8113 cells were tested by flow cytometry. The proliferation of Tca8113 cells were examined by MTT.

RESULTSIn Skp2shRNA-2 and Skp2shRNA-3 vectors, the expression of Skp2 protein of Tca8113 cells was down-regulated and p27 protein up-regulated (P < 0.01). The cell number during G1/G 0 phases increased 22% (P < 0.01) and during G(2)/M and S phases the number decreased 10% and 12% (P < 0.01). The proliferation of Tca8113 cells slowed down and the cells number decreased (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONSSkp2shRNA-2 and Skp2shRNA-3 vectors of shRNA for Skp2 were successfully constructed. They could influence expression of Skp2 and p27 gene. Skp2 may be a promising target of gene therapy on human tongue squamous cell carcinoma.

Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; Cell Differentiation ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; Genetic Vectors ; genetics ; Humans ; Plasmids ; genetics ; RNA Interference ; S-Phase Kinase-Associated Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Tongue Neoplasms ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; Transfection

OBJECTIVESTo investigate the effects of Cyclosporin A (CsA) on spermatogenesis and expression of FasL and Fas in the contralateral testis after the unilateral testis was injured.

METHODS60 mice were randomly divided equally into groups A (control), B (the unilateral testis was injured by glacial acetic acid), C (excision of ipsilateral testis at 6 hours after the unilateral testis was injured by glacial acetic acid) and D (CsA within 6 hours after the unilateral testis was injured by glacial acetic acid). Sperm density and sperm motility were evaluated after 4 weeks. Expression of FasL and Fas was performed by immunohistochemistry (SP method). The positive cells with SP staining in seminiferous tubules were calculated.

RESULTSSperm density and sperm motility in group D were significantly increased compared with group B(P < 0.05). Expression of FasL and Fas in group D decreased significantly compared with group B (24.3 +/- 7.0 vs 37.8 +/- 5.8 and 17.8 +/- 4.3 vs 32.4 +/- 3.6, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSCsA decreased expression of Fas and FasL and maintained spermatogenesis in the contralateral testis after the unilateral testis was injured by glacial acetic acid.

Animals ; Cyclosporine ; pharmacology ; Disease Models, Animal ; Fas Ligand Protein ; Gene Expression ; drug effects ; Male ; Membrane Glycoproteins ; biosynthesis ; Mice ; Spermatogenesis ; drug effects ; Testis ; drug effects ; injuries ; metabolism ; pathology ; fas Receptor ; biosynthesis

Objective To develop a method for the determination of total cholesterol in serum by isotope dilution liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (ID-LC/MS/MS).Methods Serum samples were supplemented by addition of [3,4-~(13)C_2]-cholesterol,hydrolyzed with alcoholic sodium hydroxide and oxidized into cholest-4-ene-3,6-dione by chromic acid.The oxidation products were analyzed by LC/MS/MS using atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) source and detection modes of multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) and single ion recording (SIR).Signals (peak areas) of the internal standard were corrected for the contributions of cholesterol and the signal ratios of cholesterol to internal standard for the calibrations were linearly regressed against cholesterol concentrations.The resulted regression equation was used for the calculation of serum cholesterol concentrations.Results The correlation coefficients between the peak area ratios and cholesterol concentrations were 0.999 9 and higher.Under MRM mode,the average within-run CV of the results obtained on 3 serum samples was 0.95% (ranged from 0.92% to 0.99%) and the total CVwas 0.86% (0.82% to 0.89%),and under SIR mode,the within-run CV was 0.64% (from 0.54% to 0.77%) and the total CVwas O.69% (0.62% to 0.81%),respectively. Results on certified reference materials (SRM 1951 a Level Ⅰ and Level Ⅱ;GBW 09145 and GBW 09147) showed an average bias of 0.23% (0.14% to 1.00%) under MRM mode,and 0.24% (0.07% to 1.27%) under SIR mode.Conclusions An ID-LC/MS/MS method for serum cholesterol has been developed.It is specific and precise and may be used as a candidate reference method.

OBJECTIVEData obtained from a differentially expressed cDNA library constructed previously in this laboratory demonstrated that the extracellular matrix molecule osteopontin (OPN) is one of most considerably over-expressed genes in non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLCs). The purpose of the present study was to explore the expression status of OPN in a large scale NSCLC tissue samples, and estimate its significance in progression of the malignant disease.

METHODSRT-PCR was performed with the tumor and adjacent normal tissues from 35 patients with NSCLC, at transcriptional levels of OPN. To determine the expression of OPN protein in the tumor tissues, immunohistochemical (IHC) staining was subsequently carried out on paraffin-embedded sections in tissue microarrays containing 662 samples derived from NSCLC cases. The correlation between the expression level of OPN and clinical characteristics was analyzed statistically.

RESULTSComparing with the paired normal lung tissue, high level RNA of OPN was detected in 80.0% (28/35) of the NSCLC tumor tissues by RT-PCR, which confirmed the information obtained previously by our differentially expressed cDNA library. The results of IHC analysis showed that positively stained OPN protein was observed in 59.6% (331/555) of the tumor tissues, which was remarkably higher than that (25.2%, 27/107) detected in the normal control tissues (P < 0.001). Among the NSCLCs investigated, over-expressed OPN was more frequently found in squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) than in adenocarcinomas. A further analysis on SCCs demonstrated that the rate of over-expressed OPN was significantly different between the primary tumors with and without lymphatic metastases (68.6% vs. 49.7%, P = 0.001), but similar in the primary tumors and their corresponding metastases in lymph nodes (68.6% vs. 75.5%, P = 0.171).

CONCLUSIONExpression of OPN protein is distinctly increased in NSCLCs, particularly in SCCs. OPN over-expression is considerably correlated with lymph node metastasis, increasing the risk of tumor metastasis (OR = 2.212). The resulting data suggest that OPN facilitates the progression of NSCLCs.

Adenocarcinoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung ; metabolism ; pathology ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; metabolism ; pathology ; Female ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Osteopontin ; genetics ; metabolism ; Up-Regulation

Contributions of Xin'an medical school and physicians to acupuncture theory were introduced in the article. Academic theories or characteristics of several physicians of Xin'an school such as YANG Xuan-cao, WU Kun, WANG Ji, WU Yi-ding, ZHENG Mei-jian and XU Chun-fu, et al were sorted out. Contributions of inheriting and illustrations on acupuncture theory were analyzed so as to expound its significance and value on modern acupucture clinic.
Acupuncture ; education ; history ; manpower ; Acupuncture Therapy ; history ; China ; History, Ancient ; Humans ; Physicians ; history ; Schools, Medical ; history ; manpower

Objective To compare the effects of 20 mg qd and 10 mg bidadministration of iprrazole enteric-coated tablets on the control of gastric acid in healthy subjects.Methods A randomized,single-center,parallel controlled trial was designed to include 8 healthy subjects.Randomly divided into 2 groups,20 mg qd administration group:20 mg enteric-coated tablets of iprrazole in the morning;10 mg bid administration group:10 mg enteric-coated tablets of iprrazole in the morning and 10 mg in the evening.The pH values in the stomach of the subjects before and 24 h after administration were monitored by pH meter.The plasma concentration of iprazole after administration was determined by HPLC-MS/MS.The main pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated by Phoenix WinNonlin(V8.0)software.Results The PK parameters of iprrazole enteric-coated tablets and reference preparations in fasting group were as follows:The Cmax of 20 mg qd group and 10 mg bid group were(595.75±131.15)and(283.50±96.98)ng·mL-1;AUC0-t were(5 531.94±784.35)and(4 686.67±898.23)h·ng·mL-1;AUC0-∞ were(6 003.19±538.59)and(7 361.48±1 816.77)h·ng·mL-1,respectively.The mean time percentage of gastric pH＞3 after 20 mg qd and 10 mg bid were 82.64％and 61.92％,and the median gastric pH within 24 h were 6.25±1.49 and 3.53±2.05,respectively.The mean gastric pH values within 24 h were 5.71±1.36 and 4.23±1.45,respectively.The correlation analysis of pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamics showed that there was no significant correlation between the peak concentration of drug in plasma and the inhibitory effect of acid.Conclusion Compared with the 20 mg qd group and the 10 mg bid group,the acid inhibition effect is better,the administration times are less,and the safety of the two administration regimes is good.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the prognostic value of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (Her-2) in node-positive breast cancer patients treated by mastectomy.

METHODSThe clinicopathological data of 835 breast cancer patients treated by mastectomy from January 2000 to December 2004 were retrospectively analyzed. All had positive axillary nodes without distant metastases and with the immunohistochemistry staining of ER, PR and Her-2 available. 764 (91.5%) patients received anthracycline- and/or taxanes-based chemotherapy. 464 (55.6%) patients received hormonal therapy. Eight (1%) patients received trastuzumab. Postmastectomy radiotherapy were given to 352 out of 437(80.5%)patients with T3-T4 and/or N2-N3 disease and 68 out of 398(20.9%)patients with T1-2N1 disease. Patients were classified into 4 subgroups according to the status of hormone receptors (ER and PR, Rec) and Her-2: Rec(-)/Her-2(-) (triple negative), Rec(-)/Her-2(+), Rec(+)/Her-2(+) and Rec(+)/Her-2(-). End points were isolated locoregional recurrence (LRR), distant metastases (DM), disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS).

RESULTS141 (16.9%) patients were Rec(-)/Her-2(-), 99 (11.9%) Rec(-)/Her-2(+), 157 (18.8%) Rec(+)/Her-2(+) and 438 (52.5%) Rec(+)/Her-2(-). Patients with Rec(+)/Her-2(-) breast cancer had a significantly lower 5-year LRR rate than others (6.2% vs. 12.9%, P = 0.004). Compared with patients with Rec(+) breast cancer, patients with Rec(-) breast cancer had significantly higher 5-year DM rate (26.4% vs. 19.7%, P = 0.0008), lower DFS rate (66.7% vs. 75.6%, P = 0.0001) and lower OS rate (71.4% vs. 84.2%, P = 0.0000). In multivariate analysis, Rec(+)/Her-2(-) was significantly associated with lower risk of LRR. Rec(-) was an independent prognostic factor for higher risk of DM, decreased DFS and OS.

CONCLUSIONER, PR and Her-2 are independent prognostic factors for locoregional recurrence and survival in node-positive breast cancer patients treated by mastectomy.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Anthracyclines ; administration & dosage ; Antibodies, Monoclonal ; therapeutic use ; Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; therapeutic use ; Bone Neoplasms ; secondary ; Breast Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; therapy ; Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast ; metabolism ; pathology ; secondary ; surgery ; therapy ; Carcinoma, Lobular ; metabolism ; pathology ; secondary ; surgery ; therapy ; Disease-Free Survival ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Lymph Node Excision ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Mastectomy ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; Neoplasm Staging ; Radiotherapy, Adjuvant ; Receptor, ErbB-2 ; metabolism ; Receptors, Estrogen ; metabolism ; Receptors, Progesterone ; metabolism ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate ; Taxoids ; administration & dosage ; Trastuzumab ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo study the changes of expression of Survivin mRNA, BCRP mRNA and HER-2 mRNA in breast cancer after TE regimen neoadjuvant chemotherapy, and to find biological markers to predict the efficiency of TE regimen neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

METHODSThe gene expressions were detected by RT-PCR from 56 breast cancer patients before and after TE regimen neoadjuvant chemotherapy (docetaxel and epirubicin). The relationships between these gene expressions and chemotherapy responses were analyzed.

RESULTSThe overall response rate to neoadjuvant chemotherapy was 71.4%, including 8.9% (5/56) with complete response and 62.5% (35/56) with partial response. Pathological complete response was found in 4 cases (7.1%). Stable disease and progression of disease were 23.2% (13/56) and 5.4% (3/56), respectively. The expression of Survivin mRNA after neoadjuvant chemotherapy was 35.7% (20/56), significantly lower than 60.7% (34/56) before neoadjuvant chemotherapy (P = 0.008). The expression of BCRP mRNA after neoadjuvant chemotherapy was 19.6%, significantly lower than 37.5% before neoadjuvant chemotherapy (P = 0.036). The positive rate of HER-2 mRNA expression was 41.1% before the chemotherapy, and reduced to 21.4% after the chemotherapy (P = 0.025). The effective rates of the single positive expression of Survivin mRNA or BCRP mRNA were both lower than that of negative expression (P < 0.05). The level of HER-2 mRNA expression alone was not significantly associated with the effective rate of chemotherapy (P = 0.144). When the expression of all Survivin mRNA, BCRP mRNA and HER-2 mRNA were negative, the effective rate of neoadjuvant chemotherapy was higher than that in patients with positive expression (P = 0.003). The level of Survivin mRNA expression was not significantly associated with BCRP mRNA and HER-2 mRNA (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe expression of Survivin in combination with BCRP and HER-2 is associated with clinical response to TE neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer, and can be used as predictive biomarkers for chemosensitivity of TE regimen neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer.

ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Sub-Family G, Member 2 ; ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters ; genetics ; metabolism ; Adult ; Aged ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; therapeutic use ; Breast Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; surgery ; Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; surgery ; Carcinoma, Lobular ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; surgery ; Disease Progression ; Epirubicin ; administration & dosage ; Female ; Humans ; Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Mastectomy, Radical ; methods ; Middle Aged ; Neoadjuvant Therapy ; Neoplasm Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; RNA, Messenger ; metabolism ; Receptor, ErbB-2 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Remission Induction ; Taxoids ; administration & dosage

OBJECTIVETo analyze the role of postmastectomy radiotherapy (PMRT) in moderate- and high-risk elderly breast cancer patients.

METHODSThe clinicopathological data of 874 breast cancer patients treated with mastectomy and axillary dissection were retrospectively analyzed. The T1-2N1 patients were defined as moderate- risk (IR) group, and T3-4 and/or N2-3 cases as high-risk (HR) group. The locoregional recurrence (LRR) and overall survival (OS) rates were calculated and compared according to different age groups and radiotherapy status. Kaplan-Meier method and Log-rank test was used for calculation and comparison of the survival curves of different patient groups.

RESULTSThe median follow up time was 47 months. 108 (12.4%) patients were > or = 65 years. For patients who were < 65 and > or = 65 years, 18.1% and 15.3% received PMRT in the IR group, and 82.7% and 52.2% received PMRT in the HR group, respectively. For patients > or = 65 years, the 5-year LRR rates were 0% and 14.2% (P = 0.242) and 5-year OS rates were 100% and 75.2% (P = 0.159) for the PMRT-IR and non-PMRT-IR groups, respectively. The 5-year LRR rates were 0% and 14.1% (P = 0.061), 5-year OS rates were 84.6% and 77.4% (P = 0.597) for the PMRT-HR and non-PMRT-HR groups, respectively. For patients < 65 years, the 5-year LRR rates were 0% and 9.9% (P = 0.035) and 5-year OS rates were 87.0% and 82.1% (P = 0.739) for the PMRT-IR and non-PMRT-groups, respectively. The 5-year LRR rates were 7.2% and 26.1% (P = 0.000), 5-year OS rates were 79.2% and 57.7% (P = 0.000) for the PMRT-HR and non-PMRT-HR groups, respectively.

CONCLUSIONWith the increasing of age, there is a trend of decreasing use of postmastectomy radiotherapy in high-risk breast cancer patients. Postmastectomy radiotherapy can improve the locoregional control for high-risk patients and maybe considered even for those who are > or = 65 years.

Adult ; Age Factors ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Breast Neoplasms ; pathology ; radiotherapy ; surgery ; Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast ; pathology ; radiotherapy ; surgery ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Lymph Node Excision ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Mastectomy, Modified Radical ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; Neoplasm Staging ; Postoperative Care ; Radiotherapy, Adjuvant ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate ; Young Adult