Objective To investigate the effect of different Chinese herbs on cell proliferation and cartilage oligomeric matrix protein(COMP)expression in chondrocyte culture.Methods Chondrocytes isolated from rabbit knee cartilage were cultured for 3 generations with the density of 2?10~4/cm~2 and were verified by collagenⅡimmunohistochemical staining.Rabbit sera containing herbs were obtained after animals orally ad- ministrated herbs at the dosage equivalent to human.At 5% and 10% serum density,cells were cultured in the medium that contained liver-softening herbal compound sera.Subgroups setting at 1,3 and 5 hours after herb intervention were observed.Rabbit and bovine sera were control groups.Seven days after intervention,chon- drocytes proliferation was observed using the MTT assay kit.For the study of COMP expression,chondrocytes were isolated from human knee cartilage supematant.Superuatant COMP level was tested by enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assays(ELISA)after directly adding compound and extract from liver-softening herbs to the culture at the final concentration of 10 mg/ml for 3 days.Results Liver-softening herbal compound group had significant effect on cell proliferation compared to control,of which,3-hour subgroup was more significant than 1-and 5-hour subgroups(P

Objective To investigate the diagnosis and treatment of idiopathic chronic colonic pseudo-obstruction(ICCPO). MethodsIn this study 69 patients admitted for “constipation” were finally found falling into one of the 4 groups: 11 cases of outlet obstructive constipation, 16 cases of slow transit constipation, 26 cases of mixed type, and 16 of ICCPO. ResultsThe main symptoms of these 16 ICCPO cases were intractable constipation, compared with that in other entities ICCPO tends to affect patients at younger age, with shorter clinical course, and often needs surgical intervention due to intractable bowel obstruction, usually total colectomy. ConclusionsICCPO, STC and mixed constipation are different clinical entities. The differentiation of ICCPO from other entities is sometimes very difficult especially when patients are suffering from acute onset of bowel obstruction.

Holmium ; Humans ; Kidney ; Lithotripsy, Laser ; Shock, Hemorrhagic ; Ureteroscopy

Objective To investigate the developmental feasibility of early human fetal testes (<3 months) using xenografting technique and to acquire an accessible donor derivation that is essential for studying human germ cell development. Methods Nine testes from 10-13 weeks aborted fetus were grafted under the back skin of 6 castrated nude mice. Grafts were collected at different time point according to the growth of the donor tissues and the health condition of the recipients. Morphological and histological analyses were performed for the observation of the development of grafted immature testicular tissues. Results The mass of grafts was increased from about 5-7mg to 84.1mg (the biggest). Six of 9 testes were to be in developing. Histological observations showed a significant expansion of seminiferous tubules from (44.26±3.14)μm to (77.69±7.47)μm. Cells dispersedly distributed in seminiferous cords at the time of grafting migrated towards the basal part of seminiferous epithelium. Some germ cells with spermatogonium-like characteristics located on the basement membrane. Sertoli cells were in stages from immature into matured with abundant cytoplasm which were orderly arranged around spermatogonia forming a niche-like structure. Conclusion Testes from early aborted human fetus grafted under the back skin of castrated nude mice showed further development and therefore could be used as an easier accessible donor tissues for the investigation of human spermatogenetic mechanism.

BACKGROUND: Considerable debate exists which factors influence the outcomes of the vitrified frozen-thawed embryo transfer because lack of clinical applications.OBJECTIVE: To explore the factors influencing the outcomes of the vitrified frozen-thawed embryo transfer in assisted reproductive technology.METHODS: A retrospective statistical analysis was performed in Reproductive Medicine Center, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University of 142 patients, 154 thawing cycles. The patients were grouped according to the age of patients, embryonic development, fertilization methods, endometrial preparation programs, the endometrial thickness, the process of transplantation and the survival cell ratio of embryo recovery, the implantation rate and clinical pregnancy rate were compared between various groups.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Among the groups of the different age, fertilization methods, endometrial preparation programs, endometrial thickness and the process of embryo transfer embryo implantation rate and clinical pregnancy rate were no significant difference (P > 0.05); between the two groups of the second day fertilized embryos (D2) and the third day (D3)fertilized embryos, the clinical pregnancy rate was not significant (P> 0.05), but the embryo implantation rate of D3 group was significantly higher than D2 group. The survival cell ratio of embryo recovery has a significant effect on implantation rate and clinical pregnancy rate (P < 0.05). Ln the frozen-thawed embryo transfer cycles, embryo quality plays a major role in pregnancy rate, and preparation for appropriate endometrial thickness can improve the clinical pregnancy rate.

In this paper, miRNAs features were briefly introduced and agreeable points were discussed from 4 aspects: organs relationship, syndrome research, Chinese medical pathogeneses, and actions of Chinese herbs. miRNAs, as information media for organs interrelation, was believed to explain Chinese medical pathogeneses and reveal partial molecular mechanisms of Chinese medicine. miRNAs in the body fluid could be taken as one of biological bases of syndromes.
Biomedical Research ; China ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; trends ; MicroRNAs ; Syndrome

Carbon-nitrogen lyases (E.C.4.3) are a group of enzymes that release ammonia, amidine or amino group etc, and also show ability to form double bond or ring structure. Specifically, enzymes forming amino group are called amine-lyases (E.C.4.3.3), which are critical in the industrial production of many medicine intermediates. In this review is a summary of four major amine-lyases in terms of their source, enzymatic characteristics and their applications in preparation of pharmaceutical intermediates.

Microbial lipase,one of important industrial biocatalysts,has been used widely in many industrial and agricultural fields.It is always the research focus to screen,mine and develop the microbial lipases with novel catalytic activity and high stability.This paper introduces briefly the pathways and methods to mine novel microbial lipase resources from six aspects,including extremophile,metagenome,genome database,protein engineering,immobilization,chemical modification,etc.

Microbial lipases are important industrial biocatalysts with the character of stereoselectivity,site selectivity and high catalytic activity with few side effects.They have been used widely in many industrial and agricultural fields.The technology of protein engineering has been successfully applied to improve the activity and stability of microbial lipases,which will raise the competitive capacity of microbial lipase preparations and enlarge theirs application fields.The strategies,the problems and the prospects of protein engineering technology which have been applied to modify the microbial lipases was surveied.

Tautomycin is one of well-known specific protein phosphatase inhibitors and exhibiting potent antifungal ability, especially to Sclerotinia sclerotiolum. This article reviews the recent research progress of tautomycin, focusing on its inhibition region and biosynthesis.