AIM:To explore whether the balance between endothelin(ET) and nitric oxide(NO) plays an important role in airway hyperresponsiveness of asthmatic rats. METHODS:The tension of isolated perfused rat tracheal rings was measured after ET-1 stimulation and incubation of JKC 302 and L-NAME. RESULTS:ET-1 constricted isolated rat tracheal ring, produced slowly developing and long-lasting contraction. The ET-1-induced contraction response of asthmatic rat tracheal ring was higher than that of normal control group (P＜0.01). JKC 302, a selective ETA receptor antagonist, partly blocked ET-1-induced contraction in asthmatic rat trachea ring. L-NAME significantly augmented the constriction caused by ET-1. CONCLUSION:The effects of ET on bronchomotor tone may be modified by NO as this is a bronchomotor, and the imbalance between ET and NO may play an important role in asthma pathogenesis.

Objective To investigate the expression of CD24 and FAK in the invasive breast ductal carcinoma tissues and their clin-ical significance. Methods Tissues were obtained from 86 patients with breast carcinoma and 30 non-cancer specimens. The expression of CD24 and FAK was detected by immunohistochemical technique (ElivisionTMPlus) and their correlation with tumor clinicopathological char-acters was analyzed. Results The positive rate of CD24 and FAK expression in 86 cases of breast carcinoma was 87.2% (75/86) and 72.1% (62/86) respectively, which was significantly different from that in control group(P<0.01). Expression of CD24 was significantly correlated with axillary lymph node metastasis(P<0.01). Expression of FAK was correlated with histopathologic grade, axillary lymph node metastasis and clinical stage (P<0.05). There was a positive correlation between the expressions of CD24 and FAK in breast carci-noma tissues (rs = 0.222, P < 0.05). Conclusion Expression of CD24 and FAK are closely correlated with the development of breast carcinoma and there is a markedly positive correlation between CD24 and FAK expression. These indexes can be helpful in understanding the biological behaviors and predicting the prognosis of breast carcinoma.

Objective To investigate the effects and mechanisms of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω-3 PUFA) supplementation on colonic macroscopic and histological score , inflammatory response , and endo-plasmic reticulum stress ( ERS ) response in experimental rat models of colitis .Methods Experimental rat models of colitis were induced by trinitro-benzene-sulfonic acid (TNBS).Totally 100 male SD rats were ran-domly divided into 5 groups according to the random data tables:sham operation group ( Sham group ) , inflam-matory bowel disease group (IBD group),ω-3 PUFA supplementation group (IBD+ω-3 group), 5-aminosali-cylic acid group ( IBD +5-ASA group ) , and ERS activation 2-deoxy-D-glucose group ( IBD +ω-3 +2-DG group).Colonic macroscopic and histological scores were evaluated on days 1, 3, 7 and 14 after modeling.The serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), interleukin (IL) -1, and IL-6 were measured using en-zyme-linked immunosorbent assay , whereas ERS cytokines including glucose-regulated protein 78 ( GRP78 ) , inositol-requiring enzyme 1 (IRE-1), and C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP) were tested by Western blot. Results Compared with the Sham group , colonic macroscopic and histological score , the serum levels of in-flammation relatived factors (TNF-α, IL-1, IL-6) and ERS relatived factors (GRP78、 IRE-1, CHOP) were significantly increased on the rest of the four groups ( all P<0.001 ) .Compared with the IBD group , ω-3 PUFA supplementation reduced colonic macroscopic [7 d: 3.55 ±0.29 vs.4.37 ±0.39, P=0.03, 14 d:2.46 ±0.17 vs.3.86 ±0.21, P=0.04] and histological score [7 d: (2.56 ±0.27) scores vs.(3.45 ± 0.40) scores, P=0.02, 14 d: (2.23 ±0.20) scores vs.(3.06 ±0.26) scores, P=0.04].Meanwhile,ω-3 PUFA supplementation suppressed the expressions of inflammation [TNF-α:(43.71 ±11.39) pg/ml vs. (84.97 ±13.81) pg/ml, P=0.02, IL-1:(38.51 ±10.60) pg/ml vs.(73.04 ±12.48) pg/ml, P=0.01, IL-6:(28.91 ±7.27) pg/ml vs.(53.45 ±9.40) pg/ml, P=0.02] and ERS relatived factors (GRP78:2.41 ±0.29 vs.1.47 ±0.21, P=0.01, IRE-1:2.83 ±0.31 vs.1.23 ±0.20, P<0.001, CHOP:1.89 ± 0.17 vs.1.32 ±0.11 , P=0.04 ) .However , the salutary effects of ω-3 PUFA would been reversed by ERS activation 2-deoxy-D-glucose [ TNF-α: (72.67 ±10.37 ) pg/ml vs.(43.71 ±11.39 ) pg/ml, P =0.02, IL-1:(57.66 ±13.88) pg/ml vs.(38.51 ±10.60) pg/ml, P=0.02, IL-6: (46.10 ±9.67) pg/ml vs. (28.91 ±7.27) pg/ml, P=0.01, GRP78:1.47 ±0.21 vs.1.82 ±0.24, P=0.03, IRE-1:1.23 ±0.20 vs.2.21 ±0.23, P=0.02, CHOP:1.32 ±0.11 vs.1.61 ±0.16, P=0.04].Conclusion The salutary effects of ω-3 PUFA supplementation on the colitis induced by TNBS appear to be mediated by inhibited inflam -matory responses , which may suppress the activation of ERS response .

Pancreatic cancer is a rapidly progressive and highly malignancy of the digestive system. In recent years, the diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic cancer has been in a slow stage of development, and the 5-year survival rate of patients remains very low. The main objective of translational medicine is to remove the barriers between basic medical research and clinical medical applications, to achieve practical integration between laboratory and clinic, and to accelerate the translation of the results obtained from basic research into clinical diagnosis, evaluation and treatment of diseases, thus promoting the development of life sciences. With the rapid development of the concept and technology of translational medicine, its application in the early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer can bring new hope for effectively improving the overall prognosis of patients. The authors comprehensively analyzed the latest research progress of translational medicine in the early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer in order to improve the early diagnosis and long-term survival of pancreatic cancer patient.

Objective:To observe the protective effects of Clostridium butyricum and butyrate on pancreas, liver and intestinal mucosa in rats with acute necrotizing pancreatitis (ANP), and to explore the possible mechanism.Methods:Forty Sprage-dawley rats were randomly divided into control group, ANP group，Clostridium butyricum treated group(CB group) and butyrate treated group(SB group), with 10 rats in each group by random number method. The ANP rat models were prepared by retrograde injection of sodium taurocholate into the biliopancreatic duct. Rats in CB and SB group were given intragastic administration of Clostridium butyricum 1×10 9 CFU or sodium butyrate (100 mg/kg) in 10 days once a day before modeling. Serum amylase (SAMY), lypase, ALT, AST, TBil, tumor necrosis factor alpha(TNF-α), IL-6 and HMGB1were measured after 24 h. Protein from intestinal mucosa was extracted and Western Blotting was used to measure expression of tight-junction proteins ZO-1, claudin-1 and occludin. Pancreas and liver tissues were stained with hematoxylin-eosin and scored by pathology. Results:The levels of amylase [(9365.1±716.5), (5947.3±512.0), (6517.7±269.6)U/L], lipase[(8343.7±1041.4), (6600.4±899.7), (6754.4±1046.4)U/L], AST[(560.5±72.7), (432.0±76.2), (429.8±40.5)U/L], ALT[(499.9±65.2), (385.7±46.0), (395.8±45.8)U/L], TBil[(134.2±56.2), (74.3±65.2), (81.3±35.3)U/L], TNF-α[(162.0±14.4), (100.4±6.3), (119.2±12.5)ng/L], IL-6[(161.4±26.0), (104.8±15.2), (105.5±12.7)ng/L], HMGB1[(100.1±6.7), (58.0±7.7), (63.4±7.2)ng/L] in ANP group, CB group and SB group were detected; and the pathological scores of pancreas[(11.2±1.08)，(9.45±1.06), (9.04±0.89)] and liver[(2.89±0.73), (2.09±0.49), (2.12±0.52)] in ANP group，CB group and SB group were higher than those in control group[(100.6±5.20)U/L, (966.5±301.9)U/L，(30.2±6.3)U/L, (27.6±5.9)U/L, (2.4±0.6)U/L, (29.5±4.8)ng/L，(36.9±7.6)ng/L，(35.5±5.7)ng/L，(1.18±0.05)，(0.56±0.09)]. However, those indexes in CB group and SB group were lower than those in ANP group, and the difference was statistically significant (all P<0.05). The expression of ZO-1 in control group, ANP group, CB group and SB group was 1.83, 0.79, 1.25 and 1.16. The expression of claudin-1 in control group, ANP group, CB group and SB group was 0.58, 0.13, 0.43 and 0.37. The expression of occludin in control group, ANP group, CB group and SB group was 1.06, 0.38, 0.82 and 0.79. The expression of TJ proteins in ANP group was significantly lower than that in other groups and the difference was statistically significant (all P<0.05). Conclusions:Clostridium butyricum and metabolites butyrate can alleviate the inflammatory response in ANP rats with liver injury, maintain the function of intestinal mucosal barrier and prevent the liver injury.

Objective To elucidate the molecular basis for induced resistance of N. gonorrhoeae to ceftriaxone in vitro. Methods The reference strain ATCC49226 and clinical isolate ZSSY00205 of N. gon-orrhoeae were exposed to subinhibitory concentration of ceftriaxone for the induction of resistance. Then,suppression subtractive hybridization was performed with the pre-induction parent strains as drivers and post-induction mutant strains as testers to create a subtractive cDNA library. Following that, a total of 192 clones were randomly selected from the library, and arrayed by spotting onto nylon membranes. Finally, dif-ferentially expressed genes were screened by hybridization with labeled-RsaI restriction fragments from the sensitive and resistant N.gonorrhoeae strains respectively, and analyzed by sequencing and homology research using Blast program. Results A subtractive library for these resistant N.gonorrhoeae strains was generated by SSH technique. Microarray analysis and homology research confirmed 5 genes related to ceftriaxone resistance, i.e. mtrR, mtrC, gyrB, rpsJ and PJD1. Conclusions The induced resistance of N. gonorrhoeae to ceftriaxone may be associated with mtrR, mtrC, gyrB, rpsJ and PJD1 genes which probably mediate the resistance by enhancing the activity of efflux pump system.

Objective To investigate the incidence, clinical patterns, and species distribution of pathogenic fungi of onychomyeosis in patients with chronic viral hepatitis (CVH), and to analyze the relationship between onychomycosis and CVH. Methods From November 2005 to October 2006, direct microscopy and fungal culture were performed on nail samples from CVH patients with clinically suspected onychomycosis in the two largest institutions for communicable disease control in Guangzhou city. The incidence, clinical patterns, and species distribution of pathogenic fungi of onychomycosis were assessed based on the findings in mycologic examinations. Results The study randomly recruited 995 patients with CVH, and onychomycosis was diagnosed in 116 patients. The incidence of onychomycosis was 11.66% in total, 6.20%, 8.59%, 14.09%, 19.67% in patients with mild, moderate, severe and extremely severe CVH respectively, 7.09%, 17.29%, 19.13% and 27.27% in patients with a clinical course of CVH of 0.5-9 years, 10-19 years, 20-29 years, ≥30 years respectively. The most common clinical pattern was distal and lateral subungual onychomycosis (DLSO, 69.83%), followed by total dystrophic onychomycosis (TDO, 14.66%). Among the pathogenic fungi, dermatophytes amounted to 71.43%, yeasts 21.43%, moulds 7.14%, and Trichophyton rubrum was the most frequently isolated fungus (42.86%). Conclusions The incidence of onychomycosis in patients with CVH is correlated with the severity and course of CVH. Among these patients, the most common clinical pattern is DLSO with the most frequent fungal species being dermatophytes and predominant fungal isolate being Trichophyton rubrum.

Objective To explore the relationship between interleukin 1 receptor accessory protein-like 2 (IL1RAPL2) gene and cognitive abilities of children in Qin-Ba mountainous region. Methods Four tagged SNPs (rs5962434,rs5916817, rs3764765 and rs5962298 ) in IL1RAPL2 were selected, and then genotyped by PCR-SSCP method in a 320 children sample aged from six to fourteen years old. Results The results showed the rs5962434, rs5916817 ,rs3764765 and rs5962298 had no deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (P＞0.05),and there were no significant statistical differences in the average psychometric scores of general cognitive ability(P=0.81,0.53,0.79,0.90) ,verbal comprehension (P=0.58,0.47,0.69,0.87 ) ,memory and concentration (P=0.69,0.35,0.76,0.90) among the compared genotype groups at each of the markers. Furthermore,the results also indicated that the four SNPs were not associated with perceptual organization in males and females respectively (P = 0.70,0.85,0.76,0.90,0.65,0.22,0.98,0.90 ). Conclusion The present work suggests that the human general cognitive ability, the three cognitive factors of C-WISC scale are not influenced manifestly by the genetic variations in IL1RAPL2.

Objective To evaluate the effect of enteral nutritional support for the liver cancer patients with precise hepatetomy under fast track process model. Methods 82 patients were prospectively randomized into enteral nutrition group (n = 41) and parenteral nutrition (n = 41). The hemoglobin (HB), total protein (TP), albumin (ALB) and total lymphocyte count (TLC) were measured on 3 days before operation and 7 days after operation respectively. The two groups were compared in terms of time for anal exhaust and defecation after surgery , the postoperative hospital stay, the gastrointestinal adverse reactions and complications after surgery. Results The nutrition and immunity indicators on day 7 after operation were significantly poorer and lower than on day 3 before operation in the parenteral nutrition group (P<0.05); the declines of TP and ALB were significantly contained in the enteral nutrition group (P<0.05). The time for anal exhaust and defecation in the enteral nutrition group was advanced 15.1 h and 27.9 h on average, compared to the parenteral nutrition group and control group, respectively. The rate of adverse reaction was significantly lowered (17.3%vs. 40.4%, P<0.05). The rate of complications in the enteral nutrition group was significantly lower than the parenteral nutrition group (P>0.05). Conclusion Enteral nutritional support under fast track process model for the liver cancer patients undergoing precise resection could improve clinical outcome.

Objective To analyze the causes of failed transcatheter closure for ventricular septal defects (VSD)in children. Methods One thousand two hundred and eighty children aged 13 to 141 months who underwent transcatheter closure from June 2009 to September 2013 in Guangdong General Hospital were selected. There were 43 failures(3. 36% ). The clinical data including transthoracic echocardiograph( TTE),radiography,interventional ap-proach and surgical findings were analyzed. Results Forty - three patients included 25 male and 18 female. The pa-tients' ages ranged from 13 to 141(43. 0 ± 31. 9)months and their weight ranged from 10 to 35(16. 3 ± 5. 59)kg. The causes of failure including doubly committed subarterial VSD misdiagnosed as perimembranous VSD(PMVSD)or intracristal VSD were in 6 patients. The size of occluder was too small in 13 cases,and there were statistical differences between three measurements of size of VSD(F = 19. 134,P = 0. 001). The size of VSD measured by left ventricular an-giography was significantly smaller than that measured by TTE,and there was statistical difference[(4. 78 ± 1. 11) mm vs(6. 48 ± 1. 43)mm,t = 4. 50,P = 0. 001]. The dimension of VSD measured by left ventricular angiography was significantly smaller than that measured by surgical findings,and there was statistical difference[(4. 78 ± 1. 11) mm vs(7. 02 ± 1. 08)mm,t = 5. 92,P = 0. 001]. But,the size of VSD measured by TTE had no significant difference compared with that measured by surgical findings(t = 1. 42,P = 0. 168). Aortic regurgitation occurred in 14 cases;atrioventricular block or left bundle branch block in 3 patients;tricuspid stenosis in 2 cases and residual shunt in 5 pa-tients. Conclusions Doubly committed subarterial VSD may be misdiagnosed as PMVSD or intracristal VSD. In the ca-ses of VSD concomitant with aortic valve prolapse,size of the occluders should be referred to VSD dimensions measured by TTE. In the cases of VSD adjacent to aortic valve,suitable occluders should be selected and operation technique should be improved to avoid aortic regurgitation.