OBJECTIVETo investigate choline promoting angiogenesis on chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM).

METHODSCAM model was prepared, the choline chloride, human vascular endothelial growth factor (hVEGF) and normal saline were added respectively onto the carrier on the CAM, the state of angiogenesis was observed and the number of new blood vessels was counted.

RESULTSCholine chloride was tested at the concentrations of 0.5 nmol/L - 1 mmol/L in this experiment, when its concentrations were increased to 0.01 micromol/L - 1 000 micromol/L, it could stimulate angiogenesis, the minimum effective concentration was tested as 0.01 micromol/L, and its effect for promoting the angiogenesis was equivalent to that of hVEGF, the potent stimulator for angiogenesis.

CONCLUSIONThe result shows that choline can promote angiogenesis in the chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane.

Animals ; Chick Embryo ; blood supply ; drug effects ; Choline ; pharmacology ; Chorioallantoic Membrane ; blood supply ; drug effects ; Neovascularization, Physiologic ; drug effects

Objective To investigate the better regimen of combined cyclophosphamide pulse therapy with corticosteroids in the treatment of Pemphigus. Methods Intravenous cyclophosphamide was given weekly in a dosage of 600 mg to those Pemphigus patients whose conditions couldn't be improved by corticosteroids (oral prednisone 1.2～1.5 mg/kg/d) alone. Results Ten patients with Pemphigus received weekly cyclophosphomide therapy in addition to corticosteroid. Patients conditions improved quickly, without side effects. Conclusions Cyclophosphamide weekly pulse therapy combined with corticosteroids is a good regimen in the treatment of Pemphigus.

BACKGROUNDNumerous studies have shown that reducing the level of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα) through the use of anti-TNF antibodies or soluble TNF receptor is a safe and efficacious treatment to inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. Therefore, novel approaches to achieve this outcome are desired. The aim of this study was to investigate the characterization of a small molecule inhibitor, Y316, which blocks TNF mRNA upregulation and TNF production by lipopolysaccharides (LPS) stimulated monocytes.

METHODSPeripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from healthy volunteers were plated in 24-well plates and stimulated with LPS (1 µg/ml), phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA) (100 ng/ml), zymosan (10 µg/ml) and Tsst (100 ng/ml). Supernatants were collected after 4-hour culture at 37°C, and quantitative determination of TNFα, interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6, IL-8, IL-10 and IL-2 production in the supernatants was performed by colorimetric enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Total RNA of PBMC was isolated and cytokine mRNA quantitation was performed by using a RNA level measuring kit (R & D Systems). PBMC were pretreated with Y316 (10 µmol/L, 1 µmol/L, 0.1 µmol/L, 0.01 µol/L and 0.001 µmol/L) or dimethyl sulfoxide at 37°C for 10 minutes, and then stimulated with LPS or PMA, protein concentrations of p44.42, IKBα, P38 and Jun NH2-terminal kinase were determined by Western blotting. Cyclic adenosine-3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP) of PBMC was measured by enzyme immunoassay kit (Amersham Pharmacia Biotech).

RESULTSY316 blocked TNF production and inhibited the upregulation of TNF mRNA levels in response to LPS, and also prevented the production of IL-1 and IL-6. In contrast, Y316 augmented the production of IL-10 in LPS-stimulated monocytes. Y316 failed to prevent the production of IL-2 and TNF in antigen-stimulated T cells, suggesting that its effects may be cell-type specific. Y316 prevented the phosphorylation and activation of the MAPK, ERK, and therefore appeared to mediate its effects on TNF by acting at an early point in the signaling cascade induced in response to LPS. There was no effect of Y316 on cAMP levels either alone or in the presence of LPS.

CONCLUSIONSY316 appears to be a small molecule inhibiting TNF production, which may act via a novel mechanism. Identification of the target of Y316 may lead to the development of alternative strategies for achieving selective cytokine inhibition.

Anti-Inflammatory Agents ; pharmacology ; Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases ; metabolism ; Humans ; Interleukin-1 ; antagonists & inhibitors ; biosynthesis ; Interleukin-6 ; antagonists & inhibitors ; biosynthesis ; Lipopolysaccharides ; pharmacology ; Monocytes ; drug effects ; immunology ; Phosphorylation ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; antagonists & inhibitors ; biosynthesis

BACKGROUNDGlucocorticoid signaling exerts major roles in inflammation, metabolism and depression, which are three crucial factors accompanying or underlying coronary heart disease. Although accumulating evidence indicates the influence of glucocorticoids on the pathology and treatment of coronary heart disease, there is still a dearth of pharmaceutical mechanisms for this relationship. This study aimed to investigate the influence of drug treatment on glucocorticoid receptor levels in coronary heart disease.

METHODSEighty hospitalized patients (average age (59.0 +/- 7.5) years, 46 male and 34 female) with coronary heart disease were categorized into four groups with 20 members in each according to one of the four drugs they were treated with. The four drugs were: nitrated derivative isosorbide dinitrate, the beta-adrenergic receptor blocker metoprolol, the calcium antagonist nifedipine, and the HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor lovastatin. Glucocorticoid receptor protein levels of peripheral blood lymphocytes were tested using immunoblotting analysis before and after one month of treatment.

RESULTSImmunoblotting analysis showed increased glucocorticoid receptor levels after treatment with metoprolol and nifedipine. There were no statistically significant changes of glucocorticoid receptor levels after treatment with isosorbide dinitrate or lovastatin, although there were trends of up-regulation of glucocorticoid receptor expression after both treatments.

CONCLUSIONSBoth the beta-blocker and the calcium blocker can increase glucocorticoid receptor levels after chronic administration. This effect suggests a mechanism for their anti-inflammatory and other therapeutic roles for coronary heart disease and comorbid disorders.

Aged ; Blotting, Western ; Coronary Disease ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Isosorbide Dinitrate ; therapeutic use ; Lovastatin ; therapeutic use ; Male ; Metoprolol ; therapeutic use ; Middle Aged ; Nifedipine ; therapeutic use ; Receptors, Glucocorticoid ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo study the impacts of exposure to electromagnetic radiation (EMR) on liver function in rats.

METHODSTwenty adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into normal group and radiated group. The rats in normal group were not radiated, those in radiated group were exposed to EMR 4 h/ d for 18 consecutive days. Rats were sacrificed immediately after the end of the experiment. The serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and those of malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione (GSH) in liver tissue were evaluated by colorimetric method. The liver histopathological changes were observed by hematoxylin and eosin staining and the protein expression of bax and bcl- 2 in liver tissue were detected by immunohistochemical method. Terminal-deoxynucleotidyl transferase mediated nick and labelling (TUNEL) method was used for analysis of apoptosis in liver.

RESULTSCompared with the normal rats, the serum levels of ALT and AST in the radiated group had no obvious changes (P>0.05), while the contents of MDA increased (P < 0.01) and those of GSH decreased (P < 0.01) in liver tissues. The histopathology examination showed diffuse hepatocyte swelling and vacuolation, small pieces and focal necrosis. The immunohistochemical results displayed that the expression of the bax protein was higher and that of bcl-2 protein was lower in radiated group. The hepatocyte apoptosis rates in radiated group was higher than that in normal group (all P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONThe exposure to 900 MHz mobile phone 4 h/d for 18 days could induce the liver histological changes, which may be partly due to the apoptosis and oxidative stress induced in liver tissue by electromagnetic radiation.

Animals ; Apoptosis ; Cell Phone ; Electromagnetic Radiation ; Liver ; pathology ; radiation effects ; Male ; Oxidative Stress ; Proteomics ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Staining and Labeling

BACKGROUNDLactate dehydrogenase (LDH) is a crucial regulator of energy metabolism in many organs including the heart. Lovastatin is widely used in prevention and treatment of coronary heart disease and is a drug with substantial metabolic influences. Our study aimed to determine the activities of the lactate dehydrogenase A and B (LDHA and LDHB) genes following lovastatin treatment.

METHODSThe rat myocardial cell line H9c2(2-1) in culture was exposed to 100 nmol/L lovastatin for 24 hours or for five days. The functions of the LDHA and LDHB genes were examined at the transcriptional (mRNA) level with quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (Q-RT-PCR), and at the translational (protein) level with immunoblotting.

RESULTSWhen compared with control levels, the LDHA mRNA went up by (151.65 ± 16.72)% (P = 0.0132) after 24 hours and by (175.28 ± 56.54)% (P = 0.0366) after five days of lovastatin treatment. Although 24 hours of lovastatin treatment had no significant effects on LDHB mRNA levels, when the treatment was extended to five days, LDHB mRNA levels were significantly down-regulated to (63.65 ± 15.21)% of control levels (P = 0.0117). After 24 hours of treatment with lovastatin, there were no significant changes in protein levels of either LDHA or LDHB. When treatment time was extended to five days, the protein levels of LDHA were up-regulated by (148.65 ± 11.81)% (P = 0.00969), while the protein levels of LDHB were down-regulated to (64.91 ± 5.47)% of control levels (P = 0.0192).

CONCLUSIONSLovastatin affects gene activities of LDHA and LDHB differently, which may reveal novel pharmacological effects of lovastatin.

Animals ; Anticholesteremic Agents ; pharmacology ; Blotting, Western ; Cell Line ; Isoenzymes ; genetics ; metabolism ; L-Lactate Dehydrogenase ; genetics ; metabolism ; Lovastatin ; pharmacology ; Myocytes, Cardiac ; drug effects ; enzymology ; Rats ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction

AIM:To investigate the effects of exosomes secreted by pancreatic cancer cells on the viability and function of βcells and the possible mechanism .METHODS:ExoQuick-TC kit was used to extract exosomes in the super-natants of mouse pancreatic cancer Pan 02 and MPC-83 cells, and the extracted exosomes were identified by transmission electron microscopy.Fluorescence-labeled exosomes were incubated with mouse insulinoma MIN 6 cells for 48 h to detect whether exosomes secreted by pancreatic cancer cells were uptaken by MIN 6 cells.MTT and glucose-stimulated insulin se-cretion ( GSIS) assays were conducted to examine cell viability and insulin secretion of MIN 6 cells after incubating with ex-osomes.The expression of miR-204 and Bcl-2 mRNA in MIN6 cells was detected by qPCR .The protein expression of Bcl-2, Bax, caspase-3 and cytochrome C (Cyt-C) in MIN6 cells was determined by Western blot .RESULTS:The results of transmission electron microscopy showed that both Pan 02 cells and MPC-83 cells secreted exosomes , and Pan02 cells secre-ted more.The co-incubation results of fluorescence-labeled exosomes and MIN6 cells confirmed that MIN6 cells were able to ingest large amounts of exosomes secreted by pancreatic cancer cells .The results of MTT and GSIS assays showed that the viability and the level of high glucose-stimulated insulin secretion of MIN 6 cells in exosome treatment group significantly decreased compared with nontreatment group (P<0.01).The results of qPCR showed that the exosomes secreted by pan-creatic cancer cells were rich in miR-204, and the mRNA expression of Bcl-2 in MIN6 cells was significantly down-regula-ted by exosome incubation ( P<0.01) .The results of Western blot showed that the protein expression of Bcl-2 in the MIN6 cells treated with exosomes was significantly down-regulated (P<0.05), and the protein levels of Bax, cleaved caspase-3 and Cyt-C in exosomes treatment group were significantly up-regulated ( P<0.01 ) .CONCLUSION: Pancreatic cancer cells secrete exosomes .The exosomes secreted by pancreatic cancer cells are ingested by βcells, and reduce the viability and insulin secretion of βcells.The mechanism may be related to the increase in exosomal miR-204 in the βcells.In-creasing miR-204 may inhibit the expression of Bcl-2 and promote the activation of mitochondrial apoptosis in βcells.

Objective:To investigate the blood pressure variability and its clinical significance in patients with acute cerebral infarction who combined with H type hypertension.Methods: 95 patients with acute cerebral infarction who combined with H type hypertension were enrolled in the perspective study. According to the homocysteine(Hcy) level of patients, they were divided into observation group ( Hcy ≥10mmol/L, 51cases) and control group (Hcy<10mmol/L, 44cases). The blood pressure variability and main clinical features of these patients in the two groups in 24h were observed. At the same time, the correlation between blood pressure variability and main clinical feature in observation group were analyzed.Results: The 24h systolic pressure variability, 24h diastolic pressure variability, carotid intima-media thickness and national institute of health stroke scale (NIHSS) of observation group were 14.57±4.62, 18.57±5.38, 13.39±4.85 mm and 1.27±0.17, respectively. While they were 12.48±3.78, 16.12±5.74, 11.34±4.32 mm and 1.09±0.13 in the control group, respectively. And the differences of them between the two groups were statistical significance (t=2.389,t=2.146,t=2.160,t=5.725,P<0.05). Besides, there was obvious positive correlation between 24h systolic pressure variability and NIHSS of patients with acute cerebral infarction (r=0.254,P<0.05), and there was also obvious positive correlation between 24h systolic pressure variability and thickness of carotid intima-media (r=0.256,P<0.05).Conclusion: Increased blood pressure variability in patients with acute hypertensive cerebral infarction combined with H type hypertension may be related to poor prognosis of patients and vascular intima thickness.

A total of 7 Cronobacter strains were isolated from 703 fecal samples collected in Jinan from June 13 to December 30, 2011, with the positive rate of Cronobacter spp. being 1.0% (95% confidence interval 0.6%-1.4%). Three Cronobacter sakazakii stains were isolated from 157 fecal samples of healthy neonates (95% confidence interval 0.4%-5.5%). This number was slightly higher than that isolated from 273 fecal samples of healthy adults, in which 1 strain of C. sakazakii and 1 strain of Cronobacter malonaticus were isolated, and that from 173 fecal samples of adults with acute diarrhea, in which 1 strain of C. sakazakii and 1 strain of C. malonaticus were isolated, but the differences were not statistically significant (P>0.05). The Cronobacter isolates were all from different genetic sources. It should be noted that Cronobacter carriage may cause infection under certain conditions, especially in neonates.
Bacterial Typing Techniques ; Cronobacter ; Cronobacter sakazakii ; Food Microbiology ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn

OBJECTIVESTo investigate the efficacy of by combining a 12-week course of lamivudine in those HBeAg-positive hepatitis B patients receiving peginterferon alfa-2a (peg-IFN alpha-2a) therapy.

METHODSA total of 58 patients initiated a 52-week course of peginterferon alfa-2a were enrolled and divided into 3 groups. The patients with HBV DNA undetectable or HBeAg negative at week 12 were divided into group A, in this group treatment continued to week 52 with peg-IFN alpha-2a alone; The rest patients were divided into group B1 and B2, in group B1, lamivudine was combined at a course of 12 weeks, while in group B2 treatment continued to week 52 with peg-IFN alpha-2a alone. Clinical responses were assessed at week 52.

RESULTS8 out of 58 patients achieved undetectable HBV DNA or HBeAg loss at week 12 and divide into group A. In this group the HBV DNA loss rate, HBeAg seroconversion rate, HBsAg loss rate and ALT normalization rate were 100% (8/8), 75% (6/8), 0% (0/8) and 100% (8/8) respectively at the end of treatment. In this group the HBV DNA loss rate, HBeAg seroconversion rate, HBsAg loss rate and ALT normalization rate were 100% (8/8), 75% (6/8), 0% (0/8) and 100%(8/8) respectively at the end of treatment. The rest 50 patients without early response to peg-IFN alpha-2a at week 12 were divided into group B1 (24 patients enrolled) and B2 (26 patients). At the end of treatment, the HBV DNA loss rate, HBeAg seroconversion rate, HBsAg loss rate and ALT normalization rate in Group B1 were 50% (12/24), 38% (9/24), 4% (1/24) and 63% (15/24) respectively, and 31% (8/26), 27% (7/26), 0% (0/26) and 35% (9/26) respectively in group B2.

CONCLUSIONThose patients with early responses to peg-IFN alpha-2a therapy can achieve high clinical responses at the end of 52-week treatment. The combining therapy of lamivudine for a course of 12-weeks can improve the clinical responses for the patients without early responses to peg-IFN alpha-2a.

Adult ; Antiviral Agents ; therapeutic use ; DNA, Viral ; blood ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Female ; Hepatitis B e Antigens ; blood ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; blood ; drug therapy ; Humans ; Interferon-alpha ; therapeutic use ; Lamivudine ; therapeutic use ; Male ; Pilot Projects ; Polyethylene Glycols ; therapeutic use ; Recombinant Proteins ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult