Objective To detect the effect of the antiphospholipid antibodies on the Schwann cells in vitro and to find if the Extract of Ginkgo biloba 761(EGb761)has any protective effects.Methods The immunoglobulins(Ig)were extracted from the serum of the patient with autoimmune polyneuropathies and those with controls.Ig only or Ig plus calf serum(served as complement)were added into the culture solutions of the Schwann cells.The density of the cell in one high power field,the cell perimeter and area were detected and compared to those blank and those controls.Results The shape of the Schwann cells in both the Ig and Ig plus calf serum solution were greatly changed.The densities of the cells in them were both lower than the blank ones,with more severe in the cells with calf serum.There was no significant different between the solutions with or without EGb761.Conclusion Ig from the patients with autoimmune polyneuropathies could attack the Schwann cells in vitro,with the existence of complements,the destruction was even more severe.No protection of EGb761 could be found in these situations.

Objective To investigate the drug resistance of side population cells in human gallbladder cancer cell line GBC-SD and explore its mechanism. Methods Drug sensitivity assays of 5chemotherapeutic agents were performed on side population cells (SP) and non-SP cells of GBC-SD.GBC-SD was cultured and then treated with the chemotherapeutic agent gemcitabine. The frequency of SP by FACS was measured. RT-PCR and Western blotting were used to detect the expression of AB-CG2 in both the SP and the corresponding non-SP subsets. Results After 1 d treatment with 4 chemotherapeutic agents (gemcitabine, cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil and mitoxantrone) in IC50 concentration to GBC-SD cell line, the reproductive ability of SP was higher than that of non-SP (P<0.05). However, statistical significance was not achieved when compared with epirubicin (P>0.05). The percentage of SP in GBC-SD treated with chemotherapeutic agent gemcitabine after 3 weeks was sharply elevated by FACS (8.02% ±0.13% vs 0.62% ±0.08%, P<0.05), and the expression of ABCG2mRNA and protein were increased in SP as compared with non-SP. Conclusion SP from human gallbladder cancer cell line GBC-SD, like stem cell, showed a heighten resistance to drugs. Increased expression of ABCG2 was largely responsible for the multi-drug resistance.

Water soluble extract (WSE) is an important index for the quality evaluation of Astragali Radix (AR). In this study, the WSE of the wild AR from Shanxi province (SX) and the cultivated AR from Gansu Province (GS) were compared. The WSEs of two types of AR were determined according to the appendix of Chinese pharmacopoeia. Then the WSEs were subjected to NMR analysis, and the obtained data were analyzed using HCA, PCA, OPLS-DA, microarray analysis, and Spearman rank analysis. In addition, the Pearson correlation of differential metabolites were also calculated. The results showed that the WSE content of GS-AR (37.80%) was higher than that of SX-AR (32.13%). The main constituent of WSE was sucrose, and other 18 compounds, including amino acids, organic acids, were also detected. Multivariate analysis revealed that SX-AR contained more choline, succinic acid, citric acid, glutamate, taurine and aspartate, while GS samples contained more sucrose, arginine and fumaric acid. In addition, the Pearson correlations between different metabolites of the two types of AR also showed apparent differences. The results suggested that the WSE of two types of AR differs not only in the content, but also in the chemical compositions. Thus, the cultivation way is important to the quality of AR. This study supplied a new method for the comparison of extract of herbal drugs.
Arginine ; analysis ; Aspartic Acid ; analysis ; Choline ; analysis ; Citric Acid ; analysis ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; analysis ; chemistry ; Fumarates ; analysis ; Glutamic Acid ; analysis ; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ; Multivariate Analysis ; Phylogeography ; Plant Roots ; chemistry ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Succinic Acid ; analysis ; Sucrose ; analysis ; Taurine ; analysis

The present study is to establish Caco-2/HT29-MTX co-cultured cells and investigate the transport capability of PLGA nanoparticles with different surface chemical properties across Caco-2/HT29-MTX co-cultured cells. PLGA-NPs, mPEG-PLGA-NPs and chitosan coated PLGA-NPs were prepared by nanoprecipitation method using poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) as carrier material with surface modified by methoxy poly(ethylene glycol) and chitosan. The particle size and zeta potential of nanoparticles were measured by dynamic light scattering. Coumarin 6 was used as a fluorescent marker in the transport of nanoparticles investigated by confocal laser scanning microscopy. The transport of furanodiene (FDE) loaded nanoparticles was quantitively determined by high performance liquid chromatography. Colchicine and nocodazole were used in the transport study to explore the involved endocytosis mechanisms of nanoparticles. Distribution of the tight junction proteins ZO-1 was also analyzed by immunofluorescence staining. The results showed that the nanoparticles dispersed uniformly. The zeta potential of PLGA-NPs was negative, the mPEG-PLGA-NPs was close to neutral and the CS-PLGA-NPs was positive. The entrapment efficiency of FDE in all nanoparticles was higher than 75%. The transport capability of mPEG-PLGA-NPs across Caco-2/HT29-MTX co-cultured cells was higher than that of PLGA-NPs and CS-PLGA-NPs. Colchicine and nocodazole could significantly decrease the transport amount of nanoparticles. mPEG-PLGA-NPs could obviously reduce the distribution of ZO-1 protein than PLGA-NPs and CS-PLGA-NPs. The transport mechanism of PLGA-NPs and mPEG-PLGA-NPs were indicated to be a combination of endocytosis and paracellular way, while CS-PLGA-NPs mainly relied on the endocytosis way. PEG coating could shield the surface charge and enhance the hydrophilicity of PLGA nanoparticles, which leads mPEG-PLGA-NPs to possess higher anti-adhesion activity. As a result, mPEG-PLGA-NPs could penetrate the mucus layer rapidly and transport across Caco-2/HT29-MTX co-cultured cells.
Biological Transport ; Caco-2 Cells ; Chitosan ; chemistry ; Coated Materials, Biocompatible ; chemistry ; Coculture Techniques ; Drug Carriers ; Furans ; administration & dosage ; chemistry ; metabolism ; HT29 Cells ; Heterocyclic Compounds, 2-Ring ; administration & dosage ; chemistry ; metabolism ; Humans ; Lactic Acid ; chemistry ; Nanoparticles ; Particle Size ; Polyethylene Glycols ; chemistry ; Polyglycolic Acid ; chemistry ; Zonula Occludens-1 Protein ; metabolism

Heart failure has become a global public health problem that seriously threatens human health. Due to "multi-target" effect, traditional Chinese medicine has unique advantages in the treat-ment of heart failure. Astragaloside Ⅳ is one of the main active ingredients of astragalus membrana-ceus.It has the functions of protecting the heart and neovascularization,anti-inflammation,anti-oxida-tion, regulating energy metabolism, neuroprotection and anti-cancer effects. This article reviews the recent progresses of astragaloside Ⅳ in the treatment of heart failure.Data show that astragaloside Ⅳcan inhibit heart fibrosis,attenuate excessively activation of renin-angiotensin system,increase energy metabolism, promote positive inotropic action, inhibit myocardial cell apoptosis, etc, which are all involved in the protective role of astragaloside Ⅳ in rodents or cellular models of heart failure.Astragalo-side Ⅳ may be a potential active ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of heart failure.

Objective To investigate the prognostic factors of cervical high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions treated by cold knife conization with negative margin.Methods Two hundred and sixty-six women with cervical high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions treated by cold-knife conization with negative margins at Beijing Hospital between Jan 1999 and Jan 2004 were analyzed retrospectively.All patients were followed up with cytology,high-risk human papillomavirus(HPV)test and eolposcopy if necessary.Results The cervical CIN recurrence rate was 8.6% with no incidence of invasive cervical cancer after a median follow-up of 46 months.The recurrence was related to the grade of lesions and gland involvement pathologically.One of 20(5.0%)cases with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia(CIN)Ⅱ,9 of 164(5.5%)cases with CIN Ⅲ(excluding carcinoma in situ,CIS)and 13 of 82(15.8%)cases with CIS recurred(P

The whole herb of Solanum nigrum L. can be used as the herbal drug. In this study, UHPLC-Q Exactive high resolution mass combined with GNPS molecular network was used for the rapid characterization of the components in the leaves of S. nigrum L. A total of 157 compounds were identified, including 30 steroid alkaloids, 61 steroid saponins, 35 flavonoids, and 31 other compounds (amino acids and organic acids), by comparison with the data reported in the literature, and mass fragmentation characteristics analysis, as well as the correlation of known and unknown nodes in the GNPS molecular network. Compared with the fruits and stems, the leaves of S. nigrum L was rich in a variety of steroidal saponins, steroidal alkaloids, and flavonoids, and the results lay the foundation for the precise resources utilization of S. nigrum L.

Objective To summarize the characteristics of acupoints selection in acupuncture-moxibustion treatment of primary dysmenorrhea (PD) based on data mining. Method Clinical literatures published in the recent 10 years related to acupuncture-moxibustion treatment of PD were collected to establish a prescription database by using Excel. The descriptive analysis, association rules analysis and clustering analysis were conducted by Python and Clementine12.0. Result A total of 74 acupoints were involved with a total frequency of 1072. The leading three meridians were Spleen Meridian (325 times), Conception Vessel (260 times) and Bladder Meridian (158 times); the leading acupoints were Sanyinjiao (SP6, 174 times), Guanyuan (CV4, 111 times), Diji (SP8, 79 times), Ciliao (BL32, 73 times) and Qihai (CV6, 67 times). The utilization of the specific acupoints accounted for 66.22% (49/74). The crossing acupoints were predominant (393 times), especially Sanyinjiao, Guanyuan and Zhongji (CV3), followed by the five-Shu points (195 times), Front-Mu points (195 times) and Yuan-Primary points (99 times). The association rules analysis showed that Guanyuan and Sanyinjiao had the most significant correlation. The clustering analysis figured out 8 core clustering groups. Conclusion The characteristics of acupoints selection revealed in this study provide ideas and references for acupuncture-moxibustion treatment of PD in clinic.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) on ACAT-1 expression and cholesterol content in THP-1-derived macrophages and foam cells.

METHODSTHP-1 cells were induced to differentiate into macrophages and further into foam cells. The macrophages and foam cells were exposed to different concentrations (0, 3.75, 7.5, 15, and 30 µmol/L) of ADMA for varying time lengths (6, 12, and 24 h), and the changes in ACAT-1 mRNA and protein levels in the cells were measured with RT-PCR and Western blotting. The cellular cholesterol content was measured with enzyme-linked colorimetry assay.

RESULTSIn THP-1-derived macrophages and foam cells, the expression levels of ACAT-1 mRNA and protein and cellular cholesterol content increased significantly in response to ADMA treatment in a time- and concentration-dependent manner.

CONCLUSIONADMA may play an important role in inducing foam cell formation from macrophages. ACAT-1 inhibition targeting the macrophages and foam cells may serve as a potential therapeutic target in the treatment of atherosclerosis.

Acetyl-CoA C-Acetyltransferase ; metabolism ; Arginine ; analogs & derivatives ; pharmacology ; Cell Line ; Cholesterol ; analysis ; Foam Cells ; cytology ; metabolism ; Humans ; Macrophages ; cytology ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Monocytes ; cytology ; drug effects ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; Up-Regulation

OBJECTIVETo investigate the incidence of nosocomial infections of newborn infants in neonates and to explore the risk factors and strategies of infection control.

METHODSThere were 433 confirmed cases of nosocomial infection in the neonatal ward of the authors' hospital from January 2007 to December 2009. Their data of epidemiological and clinical characteristics, results of etiological examinations and antibiotic resistance were retrospectively analyzed.

RESULTSDuring the study, the number of hospitalizations were 6437. Nosocomial infection occurred in 433 patients 513 times. The overall nosocomial infection rate was 6.82%. The overall hospitalization days were 73 663 and nosocomial infection patient-day rates were 6.96‰. The VAP infection rate was 28.7‰. The CRBSI rate was 3.5‰. Gestational age (OR = 1.049), mechanical ventilation (OR = 1.810), umbilical vein catheter (OR = 1.106), hospitalization days (OR = 1.081), premature rupture of membrane (OR = 1.433) were the risk factors for the development of nosocomial infection. There were 197 (38.4%) cases of pneumonia, which was the most common nosocomial infection in Neonatal Ward. There were 129 cases of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), which accounts for 65.5% of pneumonia and 24.4% of cases treated with ventilator. The next was sepsis, 124 cases (24.2%) and 64 cases of diarrheal disease (12.7%). One hundred and eighty two (54.4%) strains of isolates were Gram-negative bacteria, which accounted for the highest proportion. The predominant pathogens of Gram-negative bacteria were Klebsiella pneumoniae (19.6%), followed by Acinetobacter baumannii (8.1%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (7.2%), Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (4.8%) and Escherichia coli (4.8%). The isolation rates of Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli with positive extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) were 91.4% and 75%, respectively. Those two bacteria were universally resistant to cephalosporins. The rate of resistance to imipenem of Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were 1.5%, 11.1% and 41.7%. The isolation rates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative Staphylococcus were 28.6% and 95.5%.

CONCLUSIONIt is important to identify the high risk factors for nosocomial infections in newborn infants. To shorten time for mechanical ventilation and hospitalization days, removal of the central venous catheter as early as possible would be conducive to reducing the morbidity of nosocomial infection. The main pathogens were Gram-negative bacteria. The multidrug resistance of Enterobacteriaceae and Non-fermenters is serious.

Cross Infection ; epidemiology ; microbiology ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant, Newborn ; Intensive Care Units, Neonatal ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors