AIM: To investigate the apoptosis and molecular mechanism of human hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cells induced by ginsenoside Rh4.METHODS: Human hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cells were treated with ginsenoside Rh4 at doses of 10, 20 and 40 μmol/L, and the inhibitory effect of ginsenoside Rh4 on HepG2 cell viability was measured by MTT assay.The apoptotic rate of HepG2 cells was analyzed by flow cytometry.The morphological changes of the HepG2 cells were observed by Hoechst 33258 and TUNEL staining.The expression of apoptosis-related proteins Bax, Bcl-2, caspase-3 and caspase-9 was determined by Western blot.RESULTS: Ginsenoside Rh4 promoted apoptosis of HepG2 cells in a dose-dependent manner.TUNEL and Hoechst 33258 staining showed that the cells appeared obvious shrinking, swelling and rupture after treated with ginsenoside Rh4 for 24 h.The results of Western blot showed that with the increasing concentrations of ginsenoside Rh4, the expression of pro-apoptotic proteins Bax, cleaved caspase-3 and caspase-9 increased, while anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 decreased gradually.CONCLUSION: Ginsenoside Rh4 induces apoptosis of human hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cells, and the main mechanism may be related to down-regulation of Bcl-2 and up-regulation of Bax, cleaved caspase-3, and caspase-9.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the correlation between programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression in primary lung cancer cells, tumor associated macrophages (TAM) and patients' clinicopathological characteristics.

METHODSFrom 2008 to 2010, 208 non-small cell lung cancer patients who underwent surgery or CT-guided biopsy were recruited from Huadong Hospital, Fudan University. Immunohistochemistry staining was performed to evaluate the PD-L1 expression in both primary lung cancer cells and CD68 positive TAM. The relationship between PD-L1 expression and the clinical pathology was evaluated using χ(2) test. Spearman's rank correlations were used to determine the correlation between PD-L1 expression in tumor cells and macrophages.

RESULTSPositive PD-L1 expression in primary cancer cells was found in 136 (65.3%) patients, which were negatively correlated with lymph node metastasis (P=0.009) and smoking history (P=0.036). Besides, TAM with PD-L1 expression (found in 116 patients) was positively associated with smoking history (P=0.034), well-differentiation (P=0.029) and negative lymph node metastasis (P=0.0096). A correlation between PD-L1 expression in primary tumor cells and non-small cell lung cancer associated macrophages was found (r=0.228, P=0.021).

CONCLUSIONPD-L1, secreted from TAM, might induce cancer cells apoptosis, and decrease lymph node metastasis.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Apoptosis ; B7-H1 Antigen ; secretion ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung ; pathology ; secretion ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Female ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; pathology ; secretion ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Macrophages ; pathology ; secretion ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies

Adolescent ; Adult ; Drug Combinations ; Humans ; Injections ; Male ; Pyridoxine ; administration & dosage ; pharmacokinetics ; Pyrrolidonecarboxylic Acid ; administration & dosage ; pharmacokinetics

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of pH value and fluoride ions on the corrosion resistance of pure Ti and Ni-Cr-Ti alloy in the artificial saliva.

METHODSElectrochemical technique was used to measure the electric potential of corrosion (Ecorr), current density of corrosion (Icorr) and polarization resistance (Rp) of pure titanium and Ti-Ni-Cr alloy in the artificial saliva with different pH value and fluoride concentrations. After electrochemical analysis, microstructure and phase diffraction were examined by FSEM.

RESULTSWith the lower pH value, the Ecorr and Icorr of pure titanium and Ti-Ni-Cr alloy increased, the Rp decreased, there was a significant difference (P<0.05). The Ecorr and Icorr increased markedly, the Rp significantly reduced in the artificial saliva containing 0.2% NaF (P<0.01). FSEM showed that pure titanium and Ti-Ni-Cr alloy surface corrosion, pure titanium in the artificial saliva containing 0.2% NaF was most serious.

CONCLUSIONLower pH value decreases the corrosion resistance of pure titanium and Ti-Ni-Cr alloy and the artificial saliva containing fluoride ions decreases the corrosion resistance of pure titanium.

Chromium Alloys ; chemistry ; Corrosion ; Dental Alloys ; chemistry ; Electrochemistry ; Fluorides ; chemistry ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Materials Testing ; Metal Ceramic Alloys ; chemistry ; Nickel ; chemistry ; Saliva, Artificial ; chemistry ; Surface Properties ; Titanium ; chemistry

BACKGROUNDRecent studies have suggested that p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) signalling pathway plays an important role in hepatic fibrosis. This study explored the antifibrotic effect of oxymatrine on tetrachloromethane induced liver fibrosis in rats and its modulation on the p38 MAPK signalling pathway.

METHODSOne hundred and twenty healthy male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to six groups: normal (n = 20), induced fibrosis (n = 20), colchicine (n = 20) and three treatment groups of oxymatrine (n = 20 x 3). We obesrved changes in deposition of collagen, hyaluronic acid (HA), laminin (LN), collagen type IV (CIV), procollagen III (PCIII) and hydroxyproline (Hyp), a-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA) and phosphor-p38 (pp38).

RESULTSThe relative indicators of changes in histopathology, HA, LN, CIV, PCIII, Hyp, alpha-SMA and pp38 were raised significantly in the induced fibrosis group (P < 0.01 vs normal group). The semiquantitative hepatic fibrosis staging scores of middle dose group and high dose group were decreased (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01 respectively vs the induced fibrosis group), as was the average area of collagen in rats' liver, the concentrations of serum HA, LN, CIV, PCIII and liver tissue homogenate Hyp. The gene expression of alpha-SMA mRNA was considerably decreased in the treated animals, as was the protein espression of pp38 protein.

CONCLUSIONSOxymatrine is effective in reducing the production and deposition of collagen in the liver tissue of experimental rats in ways which relate to modulating the fibrogenic signal transduction via p38 MAPK signalling pathway.

Actins ; metabolism ; Alkaloids ; pharmacology ; Animals ; Anti-Arrhythmia Agents ; pharmacology ; Carbon Tetrachloride ; Collagen ; metabolism ; Collagen Type IV ; metabolism ; Hyaluronic Acid ; metabolism ; Hydroxyproline ; metabolism ; Laminin ; metabolism ; Liver Cirrhosis ; chemically induced ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Male ; Procollagen ; metabolism ; Quinolizines ; pharmacology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Signal Transduction ; drug effects ; p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases ; metabolism

BACKGROUNDControversies on the safety of the cement application between cemented and uncemented total hip arthroplasty (THA) have been existing for decades. The purpose of this study was to observe the changes in mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR) and oxygen pressure (PaO(2)) during cemented THA, and to evaluate the intraoperative safety of using the third-generation cementing technique and investigate whether the intraoperative risk is higher in acute femoral neck fracture patients than non-traumatic patients.

METHODSForty-two patients who underwent cemented THA between November 2005 and September 2007 were prospectively included in this study. The third-generation cementing technique as vacuum mixing and pulsatile lavage was used strictly. The MAP and HR were monitored and documented during each operation. Blood gas analysis was performed at exposure, cup implantation, stem implantation and wound closure. MAP, HR and PaO(2) were compared between pre- and post-cement application. Comparisons of MAP, HR and PaO(2) between patients with acute femoral neck fracture and non-traumatic patients were performed as well.

RESULTSNo intraoperative cardiopulmonary complication occurred in these cases. No obvious changes were observed in MAP, HR and PaO(2) after cement application. There was no significant difference in MAP, HR and PaO(2) between acute femoral fracture patients (18 patients) and non-traumatic patients (24 patients).

CONCLUSIONSThe results of this study suggested that the invasive blood pressure monitoring and blood gas analysis are essential for patients undergoing cemented THA, especially for patients with femoral neck fracture. The third-generation cementing technique is safe to use in THA.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip ; adverse effects ; methods ; Cementation ; methods ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Monitoring, Intraoperative ; methods ; Prospective Studies

Objective:To observe the effect of tuina exercise on simple obesity in college students.Methods:Fifty-seven college students with simple obesity were divided into two groups according to the stratified randomization method.Twenty-eight in the tuina exercise group were trained in tuina exercise;while 29 in the auricular acupoint sticking group were treated with acuricular acupoint sticking.The tuina exercise group was trained once every other day,and 10 times made one course.The auricular acupoint sticking was replaced once every 4 d,and 5 times made one course.After 2-course treatment,the total therapeutic effect,weight,body mass index (BMI),waist and hip circumferences,serum total cholesterol (TC),triglyceride (TG),high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were assessed.Results:The total therapeutic effect was 86.2％ in the auricular acupoint sticking group and 85.7％ in the tuina exercise group.There was no significant difference between the two groups (P＞0.05).After treatment,the weight,BMI,waist and hip circumferences were decreased and the differences were statistically significant (all P＜0.05).The waist and hip circumferences in the tuina exercise group were lower than those in the auricular acupoint sticking group,showing statistically significant differences (all P＜0.05).After treatment,there were no significant intra-group differences in TC,TG,HDL-C and LDL-C in the two groups (all P＞0.05),and the between-group differences were not significant (all P＞0.05).Conclusion:Tuina exercise has reliable effect in treating obesity.It can produce more significant improvements in waist and hip circumferences than auricular acupoint sticking.But no obvious effect is shown in blood lipid indicators.

BACKGROUNDDiabetes has become one of the most common chronic diseases and the third leading cause of death in China. Many programs have been initiated at national and local levels to address the illness. However, the effect of these programs in daily outpatient clinics is still unclear. The objective of this study was to investigate the management status of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and factors associated with it in diabetes clinics of tertiary hospitals in Beijing.

METHODSA cross-sectional survey was conducted in six tertiary hospitals in Beijing. Control criteria were defined based on 2007 China guideline for type 2 diabetes (CGT2D).

RESULTSA sample of 1151 patients, age (60.8 ± 9.2) years, and with a median disease duration of 7.3 years was included. The hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) mean level was (7.15 ± 1.50)%, the percentage of patients achieving the targets for HbA1c was 37.8%, blood pressure 65.6%, triglyceride (TG) 48.8%, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) 59.2%, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) 34.0%, and total cholesterol (TC) 42.0%. The factors independently associated with glycemic control were diabetes duration (odds ratio (OR) = 0.95; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.919 - 0.982, P < 0.01), body mass index (BMI) (OR = 0.914, 95%CI: 0.854 - 0.979, P = 0.01) and smoking (OR = 0.391, 95%CI: 0.197 - 0.778, P < 0.01). The factors independently associated with blood pressure control were BMI (OR = 0.915, 95%CI: 0.872 - 0.960, P < 0.01) and male gender (OR = 0.624, 95%CI: 0.457 - 0.852, P < 0.01). The factor independently associated with LDL control was education level (OR = 1.429, 95%CI: 1.078 - 1.896, P = 0.013).

CONCLUSIONSThe management status of T2DM patients in tertiary hospitals in Beijing has improved remarkably. However, there is still room for further improvement to reach the guideline target. Long diabetes duration, high BMI, smoking, male gender and low education level were independently associated with poor metabolic control.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Blood Glucose ; metabolism ; Blood Pressure ; China ; Cholesterol ; blood ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; blood ; metabolism ; Female ; Glycated Hemoglobin A ; metabolism ; Hospitals ; statistics & numerical data ; Humans ; Lipoproteins, HDL ; blood ; Lipoproteins, LDL ; blood ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Triglycerides ; blood ; Young Adult

AIMTo study the effect of antiparallel phosphorothioate triplex-forming oligonucleotide (apsTFO) matching with the shear stress response element (SSRE) of tissue factor (TF) gene promoter region on the expression of TF in endothelial cells (ECs) of rat common carotid artery stenosis.

METHODSThe model of common carotid artery middle segment stenosis was established by silica gel pipe loop ligation in SD rats. The mRNA expression and protein synthesis of TF, early growth response-1 (Egr-1) and specificity protein 1 (Sp1) were measured by in situ hybridization (ISH) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) technique. GT21-apsTFO, GT20-apsTFO, GT20-psTFO and FITC-labeled apsTFO, matching with the SSRE of TF gene promoter region, were designed, and intravenously injected into rats at 0.5 h before operation. TFO was detected 4 h after the operation, and the mRNA expression and protein synthesis of TF, Egr-1 and Sp1 were detected 6 h after the operation.

RESULTSThere were much fluorescence in vascular tissue, especially in the nuclear of ECs 4.5 h after the injection of apsTFO. The mRNA expression and protein synthesis of TF reduced by 22% - 23% with injection of GT20-apsTFO 6.5 h after stenosis (P < 0.01) and by 10% - 11% with GT21-apsTFO at the same time (P < 0.05). The inhibition by GT20-apsTFO was stronger than that of the GT21-apsTFO (P < 0.05). The expression of TF was not inhibited by the GT20-psTFO (P > 0.05). The mRNA expression and protein synthesis of Egr-1 and Sp1 did not change in the rat treated with GT20-apsTFO, GT20-psTFO and GT21-apsTFO (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONapsTFO could mero-inhibit the expression of TF gene but could not change the expression of Egr-1 and Sp1 protein.

Animals ; Carotid Stenosis ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; Early Growth Response Protein 1 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Endothelial Cells ; drug effects ; metabolism ; pathology ; Gene Expression ; drug effects ; Immunohistochemistry ; In Situ Hybridization ; Male ; Oligonucleotides ; chemical synthesis ; pharmacology ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Shear Strength ; Sp1 Transcription Factor ; genetics ; metabolism ; Stress, Mechanical ; Thromboplastin ; genetics ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo study the expression of CD138 and heparinase in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and its relationship with tumor development, progression, metastasis and recurrence.

METHODSTissue microarray and immunohistochemical study (EnVision method) for CD138 and heparinase was performed on tissue microarray which consisted of 197 cases of HCC, including adjacent non-neoplastic liver tissues, and 66 cases of HCC metastases.

RESULTSThe rates of CD138 expression in HCC and adjacent non-neoplastic liver tissues were 48.7% (96/197) and 65.0% (128/197, P < 0.05) respectively. In early-stage and late-stage tumors, the expression rates were 61.7% (29/47) and 44.7% (67/150, P < 0.05) respectively. The rate in patients with metastasis was 33.3% (22/66), as compared with 53.6% (45/84, P < 0.05) in patients without metastasis. In patients with tumor recurrence occurring within or after 1 post-operative year, the expression rates were 23.3% (7/30) and 61.1% (11/18, P < 0.05) respectively. On the other hand, the rates of expression of heparinase in HCC and adjacent non-neoplastic liver tissues were 35.5% (70/197) and 12.7% (25/197, P < 0.05) respectively. In early-stage and late-stage tumors, the expression rates were 29.8% (14/47) and 37.3% (56/150, P > 0.05) respectively. The rate in patients with metastasis was 48.5% (32/66), as compared with 28.6% (24/84, P < 0.05) in patients without metastasis. In patients with tumor recurrence occurring within or after 1 post-operative year, the expression rates were 50.0% (15/30) and 44.4% (8/18, P > 0.05) respectively. In the 66 cases of metastatic HCC studied, the expression rate of CD138 was lower in the heparinase-positive subgroup (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSLoss of CD138 expression is related to HCC development, progression, metastasis and recurrence. Overexpression of heparinase, when coupled with loss of CD138 expression, may take part in tumor metastasis of HCC.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; metabolism ; secondary ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Heparin Lyase ; metabolism ; Humans ; Liver ; metabolism ; Liver Neoplasms ; metabolism ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; Neoplasm Staging ; Neoplastic Cells, Circulating ; metabolism ; Peritoneal Neoplasms ; metabolism ; secondary ; Portal Vein ; Syndecan-1 ; metabolism ; Tissue Array Analysis