OBJECTIVETo investigate the changes of intestinal microflora in two rat models of Pi-deficiency syndrome (PDS) to study the effect of Sijunzi Decoction (SJZD) on intestinal microflora alteration (IMA).

METHODSWistar rats allocated in Group A and B were established into two kinds of PDS models by Folium Sennae and Radix et Rhizoma Rhei respectively. Fecal samples were collected from the model rats at three phases, i. e. before modeling, after modeling and after treated with SJZD. Total DNA of microbial communities in them was extracted and amplified with ERIC-PCR to generate fingerprints for reflect the intestinal microflora configuration. Shannon-Weaver index (H') was used to analyze the diversity of rats' intestinal microflora, Sorenson pairwise similarity coefficient (Cs) was used to compare the similarity of different ERIC-PCR fingerprints, and Student's t test was used for analyzing the statistical significance of their differences.

RESULTSThe intestinal microflora in both groups obviously changed after modeling and recovered to the primary level after treated with SJZD. The H' of the ERIC-PCR fingerprints at the three phases was 2.20 +/- 0.12, 2.00 +/- 0.10 and 2.27 +/- 0.10 in Group A, and 2.09 +/- 0.02, 1.88 +/- 0.10 and 1.94 +/- 0.10 in Group B respectively, both showing significant differences among different phases (P<0.05). Accumulative curves of Cs showed that the proportion of Cs accounting for less than 60% was 0 in Group A and 19% in Group B before modeling, 75% and 52% for them respectively after modeling, and 4% and 24% after rehabilitation with SJZD.

CONCLUSIONThe H' of intestinal microflora in the two kinds of PDS models were significantly lowered, and could be recovered to the normal level by SJZD treatment (P<0.05). ERIC-PCR fingerprints can be used as a bio-criterion for evaluating intestinal microflora in patients with PDS.

Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Female ; Intestines ; drug effects ; microbiology ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Syndrome

OBJECTIVETo study the diagnostic method for early renal injury in the workers exposed to mercury (Hg).

METHODSThe contents of urinary Hg were determined by chemical method. Urinary microalbumin (mALB), beta(2)-microglodulin (beta(2)-MG) and retinol binding protein (RBP) levels were measured with total quantitative enzyme immunoassay. The activities of urinary N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) and gamma-glutamyl transferase (gamma-GT) were determined by rate methods. Urinary creatinine (Cr) was measured by using picric acid method.

RESULTSThe levels of urinary BRP, beta(2)-MG, NAG and gamma-GT in exposed workers [(439.7 +/- 201.4), (141.4 +/- 56.3) micro g/g Cr and (12.3 +/- 5.7), (60.3 +/- 18.5) U/g Cr respectively] were significantly higher than those in controls (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). The levels were increased gradually with the increasing contents of urinary Hg. The positive detection rate for single or two combined indexes was rather lower whereas that for 4 combined indexes was as high as 85.5%. A positive correlation was noted between the contents of urinary Hg and urinary BRP, beta(2)-MG, NAG and gamma-GT (r: 0.466, 0.379, 0.323, 0.311, P < 0.05). Urinary RBP was correlated to urinary beta(2)-MG, NAG and gamma-GT (r: 0.362, 0.354, 0.332, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONCombined detection of urinary RBP, beta(2)-MG, NAG and gamma-GT is a sensitive method for the diagnosis of early renal injury in the workers exposed to Hg.

Acetylglucosaminidase ; urine ; Adult ; Albuminuria ; urine ; Creatinine ; urine ; Female ; Humans ; Kidney ; injuries ; physiopathology ; Kidney Diseases ; etiology ; urine ; Male ; Mercury Poisoning ; complications ; Middle Aged ; Occupational Exposure ; adverse effects ; Retinol-Binding Proteins ; urine ; gamma-Glutamyltransferase ; urine

PURPOSE: Evidence on the contribution of genes to the hereditary predisposition to pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is limited. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, we hypothesized that single nucleotide variants in vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) gene may alter gene function and expression and may be associated with PAH risk. Five putatively functional loci (rs699947C>A and rs833061T>C in the promoter, rs3025040C>T, rs10434G>A and rs3025053G>A in the 3'-UTR) in the VEGF gene were genotyped and analyzed in a retrospective study of 587 patients with PAH and 736 healthy subjects from southern China. RESULTS: We found that the rs833061T>C polymorphism was significantly associated with PAH risk, while the other single nucleotide polymorphisms were not. Compared to carriers with TT genotype, those with rs833061C variant genotype (CT/CC) had an increased risk of PAH (odds ratio=1.47, 95% confidence interval=1.18–1.83, p=0.001). Functional assays indicated that CT/CC variant genotype had significantly higher mRNA levels of VEGF in peripheral blood mononuclear cells than TT genotype (p=0.021). Luciferase reporter assay indicated that having a C allele conferred a significantly higher transcription activity than that with a T allele. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that the functional polymorphism rs833061T>C in VEGF gene promoter modulates VEGF expression and may be a valuable biomarker for predicting PAH susceptibility.
Alleles ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group* ; China ; Genotype ; Healthy Volunteers ; Humans ; Hypertension* ; Luciferases ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Retrospective Studies ; RNA, Messenger ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A*

Objective To identify the characteristics of the subtype of PMA-induced THP-1 macrophages by flow cytometry analysis. Methods THP-1 monocytic cells differentiate into macrophages promoted by PMA, then induced into M1 and M2 by adding different cytokines, such as LPS,IL-6 and IFN-γ for THP-1-M1, IL-4,IL-13 and IL-6 for THP-1-M2. Morphology of cells were observed under a microscope and the expression of CD14, CD68, CD16, CD80, CD86, CD163, CD206, CD209, CD83, CD1a, CD11c, HLA-DR were detected by flow cytometry. Results The macrophages stimulated by PMA became adherent;THP-1-M1 and THP-1-M2 lost their spherical morphology, appeared more irregular with many obvious projections. The expression of CD83, CD1a, CD11c, HLA-DR which had the function of antigen presenting on the surface of THP-1-Mφwere very low, and most of them were negative, but those of THP-1-M1 and THP-1-M2 were very high. Conclusions The macrophages differentiated from THP-1 stimulated by PMA are weak in antigen presenting function.

BACKGROUND: Noninvasive monitoring of intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) by measuring abdominal wall tension (AWT) was effective and feasible in previous postmortem and animal studies. This study aimed to investigate the feasibility of the AWT method for noninvasively monitoring IAP in the intensive care unit (ICU). METHODS: In this prospective study, we observed patients with detained urethral catheters in the ICU of Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital between April 2011 and March 2013. The correlation between AWT and urinary bladder pressure (UBP) was analyzed by linear regression analysis. The effects of respiratory and body position on AWT were evaluated using the paired samples t test, whereas the effects of gender and body mass index (BMI) on baseline AWT (IAP<12 mmHg) were assessed using one-way analysis of variance. RESULTS: A total of 51 patients were studied. A significant linear correlation was observed between AWT and UBP (R=0.986, P<0.01); the regression equation was Y=–1.369+9.57X (P<0.01). There were significant differences among the different respiratory phases and body positions (P<0.01). However, gender and BMI had no significant effects on baseline AWT (P=0.457 and 0.313, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: There was a significant linear correlation between AWT and UBP and respiratory phase, whereas body position had significant effects on AWT but gender and BMI did not. Therefore, AWT could serve as a simple, rapid, accurate, and important method to monitor IAP in critical y il patients.

OBJECTIVESTo investigate the relationship between the expression of transgelin-2 and the clinicopathological factors of colorectal carcinoma and evaluate the value of transgelin-2 in prognostic assessment of the colorectal cancer patients.

METHODSUsing tissue microarray and immunohistochemical methods, we examined transgelin-2 of 120 colorectal cancer patients received surgical treatment from September 2002 to April 2004, including 74 male and 46 female, age from 26 to 89 years. Analyzed the relationship between transgelin-2 and both the clinicopathological features and prognosis of the colorectal cancer by using χ² test and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. Cox proportion hazard regression analysis was used to study the independent prognostic factors.

RESULTSThe positive rate of transgelin-2 expression was 69.2% in colorectal carcinoma. The transgelin-2 expression correlated with differentiation degree (χ² = 5.420), lymph nodes metastasis (χ² = 45.577), distant metastasis (χ² = 12.009), and TNM staging (χ² = 47.577). The survival time was (39 ± 5) months in patients with positive expression of the transgelin-2, while (59 ± 3) months in patients with negative expression. The patient's survival time was statistically correlated with the transgelin-2 expression (P = 0.003). Distant metastasis (RR = 8.318, 95%CI: 4.119 - 16.790), lymph nodes metastasis (RR = 2.794, 95%CI: 1.246 - 6.263) and transgelin-2 expression (RR = 1.834, 95%CI: 1.118- 2.973) were independent prognostic factors in patients with colorectal cancer (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSThe expression of transgelin-2 is correlated with clinicopathological features and prognosis in colorectal cancer, may be the potential marker of metastasis and the prognosis of colorectal cancer patients.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Male ; Microfilament Proteins ; metabolism ; Middle Aged ; Muscle Proteins ; metabolism ; Prognosis ; Regression Analysis

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of Chinese herbs for supplementing qi, nourishing yin and activating blood circulation on heart function of patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) after successful percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

METHODSOne hundred patients with ACS after successful PCI were randomly assigned to a Western medicine (WM) treatment group (WMG) and a combined treatment group (CMG) treated by Chinese herbs for supplementing qi, nourishing yin and activating blood circulation, besides Western medicine treatment, with 50 cases in each group. Both treatment courses were 6 months. The followup was scheduled at baseline, 6 months and 1 year after PCI, and New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class, Chinese medicine (CM) symptom scores, blood stasis syndrome scores, and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) were observed, serum levels of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and hyper-sensitivity C-reactive protein (Hs-CRP) were measured, an echocardiogram was conducted to examine left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), left ventricular end-diastolic volume (LVEDV), left ventricular end-systolic volume (LVESV), inter-ventricular septal thickness (IVST), left ventricular posterior wall thickness (LVPWT), and ventricular wall motion index (VWMI).

RESULTSCompared with the baseline, LVEF significantly increased (P<0.01), and CM symptom scores, blood stasis syndrome scores, VWMI, LVEDV, LVESV, NT-proBNP, and Hs-CRP all decreased (P<0.01) in both groups at 6 months and at 1 year after PCI. There were no significant differences in all the above parameters at 1 year vs those at 6 months after PCI (P>0.05). VWMI, LVEDV, LVESV, NT-proBNP, Hs-CRP, LVEF, and CM symptom and blood stasis syndrome scores were all improved obviously in CMG than those in WMG (P<0.05 or P<0.01) at 6 months and at 1 year after PCI. There were no significant differences in NYHA functional class between CMG and WMG at different follow-up timepoints; it was notable that value was 0.054 when comparing the cases of NYHA functional class between the two groups at 1-year follow-up. During the 1-year follow-up, 3 MACE and 11 MACE occurred in CMG and WMG, respectively; the MACE rate in CMG was lower than that in WMG (6% vs 22%, P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONChinese herbs for supplementing qi, nourishing yin and activating blood circulation could improve heart function, reduce the CM symptom scores and blood stasis syndrome scores, and decrease the incidence of MACE in patients with ACS after successful PCI.

Acute Coronary Syndrome ; blood ; drug therapy ; physiopathology ; surgery ; C-Reactive Protein ; metabolism ; Cardiotonic Agents ; adverse effects ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; China ; epidemiology ; Coronary Circulation ; drug effects ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; adverse effects ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Heart Function Tests ; drug effects ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Natriuretic Peptide, Brain ; blood ; New York ; Peptide Fragments ; blood ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention ; adverse effects ; Postoperative Complications ; epidemiology ; etiology ; Qi ; Societies, Medical ; Syndrome ; Ultrasonography ; Yin-Yang

OBJECTIVE: To compare different types of peritoneal fibrosis models in rats. METHODS: Thirty-four SD rats were divided into 5 groups: control group (Group 1), normal saline group (Group 2), high glucose group (4.25% peritoneal dialysate, 4.25% PDF, Group 3), high glucose + lipopolysaceharides (LPS) group (4.25% PDF + LPS, Group 4), high glucose + erythromycin group (4.25% PDF + lactobionate erythromycin, Group 5). A 2-hour peritoneal equilibration test (PET) was performed after 5 weeks. Then animals were humanely killed. Dialysate-to-plasma urea ratio (D/ Purea), glucose reabsorption (D2/D0), net ultrafiltration (UF) volume were determined. The level of fibronectin in peritoneal tissues was measured by immunohistochemical method. Peritoneal membrane histology was evaluated by light microscopy. RESULTS: The D2/D0 ratio and net ultrafiltration volume in Groups 3, 4, and 5 were significantly lower than those in Groups 1 and 2 (P < 0.05) . The D/Purea ratio in Groups 3, 4 and 5 were significantly higher than that in Groups 1 and 2 (P < 0. 05 ). The level of fibronectin in Groups 3, 4 and 5 were significantly higher than that in Groups 1 and 2 (P < 0.05 ). CONCLUSION Different types of peritoneal fibrosis models in rats has been established. The best model is high clusion glucose + erythromycin.
Animals ; Disease Models, Animal ; Fibrosis ; chemically induced ; etiology ; Male ; Peritoneal Dialysis ; adverse effects ; Peritoneum ; pathology ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

OBJECTIVE: To determine the mechanism of peritoneal fibrosis of peritoneal mesothelial cells by high glucose. METHODS: The third passage human peritoneal mesothelial cells (HPMCs) from primary culture were divided into a control group (F(12)) and high glucose groups (F(12)+4% glucose) in different times (24, 48 h). The cell proliferation was assayed by the method of MTT (methylthiazoletetrazolium). The cell damage was measured by LDH (lactate dehydrogenase). The protein expression of fibronectin (FN), transforming growth factor-beta1(TGF-beta(1)) and connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) were detected by ELISA. The mRNA expression of FN, TGF-beta(1) and PAI-1 were detected by RT-PCR. RESULTS: High glucose suppressed the cell proliferation. The result of MTT showed that compared with the control group, the value of OD of high glucose groups at 24 or 48 h decreased significantly (P<0.01 or 0.01); The cell damage was enhanced in high glucose groups, at 24 or 48 h compared with the control group at the same time (all P<0.01). The protein expressions of TGF-beta(1), CTGF and FN in supernate fluid of cell culture were significantly enhanced when high glucose stimulated the HPMCs in the high glucose groups at 24 or 48 h compared with the control group at the same time (P<0.05 or 0.001). The expressions of FN, TGF-beta(1) and PAI-1 mRNA were upregulated in 24 h high glucose group compared with that of 24 h control group. CONCLUSION High glucose can suppress the HPMC proliferation and damage HPMCs. Increase of TGF-beta(1), CTGF, FN and PAI-1 of HPMCs stimulated by high glucose can promote the synthesis and decreased degradation of extracellular matrix, which might be related with the mechanism of peritoneal fibrosis of peritoneal mesothelial cells by high glucose.
Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Cells, Cultured ; Epithelial Cells ; metabolism ; pathology ; Fibronectins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Glucose ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Peritoneal Dialysis ; Peritoneum ; metabolism ; pathology ; Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1 ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; RNA, Messenger ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Transforming Growth Factor beta ; biosynthesis ; genetics

BACKGROUNDCoronary artery in-stent restenosis (ISR) and late stent thrombosis remain as important complications of stenting. The inflammation reactions to sirolimus and paclitaxel-eluting stents were investigated in a swine stenosis model induced by interleukin (IL)-1β.

METHODSMini pigs (n = 12; 2-3 months old and weighing 25-30 kg) were subjected to thoracotomy. Segments (10 mm) of the mid left anterior descending coronary artery and left circumflex coronary artery were exposed and aseptically wrapped with a cotton mesh soaked with IL-1β (5 µg). After 2 weeks, the animals were anesthetized and quantitative coronary arteriography (QCA) was performed. The stenosis sites were randomized into three groups for stent insertion: a sirolimus-eluting stent (SES) group (Firebird(TM), n = 7), a paclitaxel-eluting stent (PES) group (TAXUS(TM), n = 9), and a bare-metal stent (BMS) group (YINYITM, Dalian Yinyi Biomaterials Development Co., Ltd, China, n = 8). The three different stents were randomly implanted into stenosis segments. Expression of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), P-selectin and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) was determined by reverse transcription-coupled polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).

RESULTSQCA showed severe stenosis in IL-1β treated segments. The SES and PES groups showed lower 1-month angiographic late lumen loss (LLL) within the stent and the lesion compared with BMS (P < 0.05) by follow-up QCA. The SES showed lower LLL than that of PES in reducing 1-month inflammation lesions in pigs by follow-up QCA ((0.15 ± 0.06) mm vs. (0.33 ± 0.01) mm, P < 0.0001). The neointimal hyperplasia areas in SES and PES showed lower than those of BMS (SES (11.6 ± 1.7) mm(2), PES (27.2 ± 1.6) mm(2) vs. BMS (76.2 ± 1.3) mm(2), P < 0.0001). The mRNA expression of MCP-1 by RT-PCR in SES and PES showed lower than that of BMS at 30 days after stenting (SES 0.20 ± 0.03, PES 0.48 ± 0.49 vs. BMS 0.58 ± 0.07, P < 0.05). Levels of VCAM-1 in SES were significantly lower than those of PES and BMS (SES 0.35 ± 0.08 vs. PES 0.65 ± 0.13, BMS 0.70 ± 0.06, P < 0.05). Histochemical immunostaining of vessel walls showed lower inflammatory chemokine MCP-1 expression in the SES and PES groups compared with BMS.

CONCLUSIONSESs were superior in reducing 1-month angiographic LLL in inflammation lesions in pigs, strongly suggesting that SESs can suppress inflammatory reactions in ISR at multiple points.

Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary ; adverse effects ; Animals ; Coronary Restenosis ; prevention & control ; Drug-Eluting Stents ; adverse effects ; Inflammation ; prevention & control ; Interleukin-1beta ; pharmacology ; Male ; Paclitaxel ; administration & dosage ; Sirolimus ; administration & dosage ; Swine