AIM To investigate effects of petroleum ether fraction from Derris eriocarpa How on glucose and lipid metabolism in a mouse model of metabolic syndrome(MS).METHODS KM mice were fed a high-fat diet and administered streptozotocin intraperitoneally to establish MS models.The MS mice were then randomly assigned to the model group,the metformin hydrochloride group,the lovastatin group,the ursolic acid group,and the high-,medium-and low-dose D.eriocarpa petroleum ether fraction groups,with 10 mice in each group.Ten additional mice maitained on a normal diet served as the normal control group.After 4 weeks of intragastric administration,glucose and lipid metabolism indicators were measured.Hepatic pathological changes were assessed using HE staining and oil red O staining.Liver tissue mRNA expressions of ATF3,PEPCK,FXR,CYP7A1,HNF4ɑ,CYP8B1 and SRB1 were quantified by RT-qPCR.Hepatic protein expressions of ATF3,HNF4ɑ,PEPCK,FXR and CYP7A1 was analyzed by Western blot in MS mice.RESULTS Compared to the model group,the high-dose D.eriocarpa petroleum ether fraction group exhibited significant glucose tolerance improvement(reduced OGTT-AUC,P＜0.01);favorable serum lipid modulation in terms of increased HDL-C levels(P＜0.01)and decreased TG,TC,LDL-C(P＜0.01);reduced renal biomarkers(BUN,SCR)and hepatotoxic indicators of TBA,AST and ALT activities(P＜0.01);alleviated hepatic lipid accumulation and histopathological damage;downregulated mRNA and protein expressions of ATF3,HNF4ɑ and PEPCK,as well as CYP8B1 mRNA expression(P＜0.01);and upregulated mRNA and protein expressions of FXR and CYP7A1,along with SRB1 mRNA expression(P＜0.01).CONCLUSION D.eriocarpa petroleum ether fraction ameliorates glucose and lipid metabolism dysregulation in MS mice by modulating the ATF3/HNF4ɑ/CYP7A1 signaling pathway,consequently eliciting hypoglycemic,hypolipidemic,hepatoprotective and nephroprotective effects.

AIM To investigate effects of petroleum ether fraction from Derris eriocarpa How on glucose and lipid metabolism in a mouse model of metabolic syndrome(MS).METHODS KM mice were fed a high-fat diet and administered streptozotocin intraperitoneally to establish MS models.The MS mice were then randomly assigned to the model group,the metformin hydrochloride group,the lovastatin group,the ursolic acid group,and the high-,medium-and low-dose D.eriocarpa petroleum ether fraction groups,with 10 mice in each group.Ten additional mice maitained on a normal diet served as the normal control group.After 4 weeks of intragastric administration,glucose and lipid metabolism indicators were measured.Hepatic pathological changes were assessed using HE staining and oil red O staining.Liver tissue mRNA expressions of ATF3,PEPCK,FXR,CYP7A1,HNF4ɑ,CYP8B1 and SRB1 were quantified by RT-qPCR.Hepatic protein expressions of ATF3,HNF4ɑ,PEPCK,FXR and CYP7A1 was analyzed by Western blot in MS mice.RESULTS Compared to the model group,the high-dose D.eriocarpa petroleum ether fraction group exhibited significant glucose tolerance improvement(reduced OGTT-AUC,P＜0.01);favorable serum lipid modulation in terms of increased HDL-C levels(P＜0.01)and decreased TG,TC,LDL-C(P＜0.01);reduced renal biomarkers(BUN,SCR)and hepatotoxic indicators of TBA,AST and ALT activities(P＜0.01);alleviated hepatic lipid accumulation and histopathological damage;downregulated mRNA and protein expressions of ATF3,HNF4ɑ and PEPCK,as well as CYP8B1 mRNA expression(P＜0.01);and upregulated mRNA and protein expressions of FXR and CYP7A1,along with SRB1 mRNA expression(P＜0.01).CONCLUSION D.eriocarpa petroleum ether fraction ameliorates glucose and lipid metabolism dysregulation in MS mice by modulating the ATF3/HNF4ɑ/CYP7A1 signaling pathway,consequently eliciting hypoglycemic,hypolipidemic,hepatoprotective and nephroprotective effects.

Objective:In Shanghai Advanced Proton Therapy Facility (SAPT) of Ruijin Hospital Proton Therapy Center, the calculation accuracy of the commercial proton treatment planning system RayStation (V10), especially the accuracy of the proton range calculation, was measured and verified, aiming to provide reference for the clinical application of the treatment planning system.Methods:A head phantom was used to verify the calculation accuracy of RayStation. The phantom CT was imported into treatment planning system (TPS). The phantom was followed closely by a water tank with a one-liter cubic target. A single field verification plan with the prescribed dose of 200 cGy (relative biological effectiveness) was designed and implemented. Then, the measured distribution results were compared with the calculation results.Results:When the verification plan of the phantom was designed with the default settings of RayStation, the measured longitudinal dose distribution was approximately 4 mm deeper than that of TPS, indicating that RayStation overestimated the water equivalent thickness (WET) of the tissue substitute materials in the phantom. To study the range error, the actual beam was used to measure the WET of the soft tissue substitute material. The default setting of RayStation was fine-tuned according to the measured results. It was found that the error between the measured SOBP and TPS calculations was reduced to only 2 mm.Conclusions:Using the default setting of RayStation to calculate the stopping power of the phantom may cause a large range error. A method that combines tissue segmentation with the measured WET of the tissue substitute material is proposed to improve the range calculation accuracy of the TPS. The results show that the proposed method can improve the dose and range accuracy of the commercial TPS including RayStation for tissue substitute materials.

The transition from spermatogonia to spermatocytes and the initiation of meiosis are key steps in spermatogenesis and are precisely regulated by a plethora of proteins. However, the underlying molecular mechanism remains largely unknown. Here, we report that Src homology domain tyrosine phosphatase 2 (Shp2; encoded by the protein tyrosine phosphatase, nonreceptor type 11 [Ptpn11] gene) is abundant in spermatogonia but markedly decreases in meiotic spermatocytes. Conditional knockout of Shp2 in spermatogonia in mice using stimulated by retinoic acid gene 8 (Stra8)-cre enhanced spermatogonial differentiation and disturbed the meiotic process. Depletion of Shp2 in spermatogonia caused many meiotic spermatocytes to die; moreover, the surviving spermatocytes reached the leptotene stage early at postnatal day 9 (PN9) and the pachytene stage at PN11-13. In preleptotene spermatocytes, Shp2 deletion disrupted the expression of meiotic genes, such as disrupted meiotic cDNA 1 (Dmc1), DNA repair recombinase rad51 (Rad51), and structural maintenance of chromosome 3 (Smc3), and these deficiencies interrupted spermatocyte meiosis. In GC-1 cells cultured in vitro, Shp2 knockdown suppressed the retinoic acid (RA)-induced phosphorylation of extracellular-regulated protein kinase (Erk) and protein kinase B (Akt/PKB) and the expression of target genes such as synaptonemal complex protein 3 (Sycp3) and Dmc1. Together, these data suggest that Shp2 plays a crucial role in spermatogenesis by governing the transition from spermatogonia to spermatocytes and by mediating meiotic progression through regulating gene transcription, thus providing a potential treatment target for male infertility.
Animals ; Cell Cycle Proteins/genetics* ; Cell Line ; Cell Survival ; Chondroitin Sulfate Proteoglycans/genetics* ; Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone/genetics* ; Gene Expression Regulation ; Gene Knockdown Techniques ; Infertility, Male ; Male ; Meiosis/genetics* ; Mice ; Mice, Knockout ; Mice, Transgenic ; Phosphate-Binding Proteins/genetics* ; Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase, Non-Receptor Type 11/genetics* ; Rad51 Recombinase/genetics* ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Spermatocytes/metabolism* ; Spermatogenesis/genetics* ; Spermatogonia/metabolism*

Objective To study the effect of vibration environments on patients with posterior lumbar interbody fusion in daily life. Methods Finite element models of an intact lumbar spine and a postoperative model with fixed L4-5 segments were established. Subsequently, a 40-kg mass point was applied to the upper end plate of the L1 segment to perform a modal analysis. Results In comparison with an intact lumbar spine, the resonance frequency for each order of the whole lumbar spine was reduced after posterior lumbar interbody fusion, and the primary movement of the corresponding modes were also changed. The first two inherent frequencies of the modal in the fusion model were 2.94 Hz and 3.81 Hz, which were close to the vibration frequencies in daily life. In the first three order vibrations, the mode amplitudes of the posterior elements for the L2 and L3 segments increased in the fusion model, which could increase the risk of postoperative degeneration at such locations. In addition, the vibration amplitude of the intervertebral disc of the L3-4 segments clearly increased, particularly at the part of the disc near the L3 vertebral body, which could lead to increased stress and strain and further accelerate its degeneration. Conclusion sBased on the modal analysis of a lumbar spine after posterior lumbar interbody fusion, the investigation of the vibration characteristics of the postoperative lumbar spine will provide some theoretical guidance for the recovery and healthy life of the patients after the corresponding surgery.

OBJECTIVETo provide a theoretical basis for designing of lumbar intervertebral disc prosthesis by collecting the data of the lumbar endplate morphology.

METHODSA total of 100 healthy adults were measured about the following parameters: lumbar lordosis, the Cobb angle of each segment, the concavity depth (ECD) of the endplate, the location of concavity apex (ECA) of the endplate. And a correlation analysis on lumbar lordosis and ECD, ECA was made, respectively.

RESULTSIn total, 100 volunteers were measured. The mean age of the volunteer was 40 years (range 20 - 50 years); the average depth of ECD was (2. 37 ± 1. 42) mm, the average location of ECA was (52. 21 ± 9. 70) %; the average depth of ECD of inferior endplate (IEP) was (2. 81 ± 1. 52) mm (0. 54 - 7. 60 mm), and the parameter of the superior endplate (SEP) was (1. 94 ± 1. 16)mm(0. 39 - 6. 10 mm). The average depth of ECD of the IEP was bigger than of the SEP for each lumbar vertebral body. Most of the location of ECA was at the back of the intervertebral body, the average location of ECA of IEP was (49. 60 ± 8. 78) % (22. 57% - 75. 58%), and the parameter of the SEP was (55. 03 ± 9. 90) % (16. 03% -75. 58%); the mean angle of lumbar lordosis was 39. 760 11. 25°(13. 8° - 72. 00°). There was no obvious correlation between the lumbar lordosis and the ECD (r -0. 193, P =0. 195), neither was the location of ECA(r =0. 080, P =0. 592).

CONCLUSIONMost of the location of ECA is at the back of the intervertebral body, the average depth of ECD is 2. 37 mm, the average location of ECA is 52. 21%.

Adult ; Humans ; Intervertebral Disc ; Lumbar Vertebrae ; anatomy & histology ; Lumbosacral Region ; anatomy & histology ; Middle Aged ; Prostheses and Implants ; Reference Standards ; Spine ; anatomy & histology ; Young Adult

BACKGROUNDOveractive bladder (OAB) is a series of symptoms with high prevalence in elderly people. This study was conducted using the overactive bladder symptom score (OABSS) to evaluate the efficacy of solifenacin succinate for the treatment of OAB.

METHODSThis was a prospective, multicenter, single-arm, 12-week study that enrolled 241 OAB patients. The patients received 5-10 mg/day solifenacin. Changes in OABSS, symptoms from voiding diary, perception of bladder condition (PPBC) score, international prostate symptom score (IPSS) and quality of life (QOL) were evaluated at weeks 0, 4, and 12. The relationship between OABSS and PPBC score or parameters of voiding diary was also evaluated.

RESULTSAt baseline, the mean OABSS for all patients was 9.41 ± 2.40, and was reduced significantly at week 12 (-3.76 points; 61.21%, P < 0.0001). The OABSS subscore, PPBC score, IPSS, and QOL were also significantly reduced during the study (P < 0.0001). The overall incidence of adverse events was 19.91% (44 cases). The gastrointestinal system was the most commonly affected (11.31%). Around 5.88% of the cases had adverse events related to the genitourinary system. There was a strong correlation between OABSS and urinary symptoms that was recorded in the 3-day voiding dairy.

CONCLUSIONSWe showed that solifenacin was clinically effective for relieving OAB symptoms, considering the balance between efficacy, patients' well-being, and tolerability. OABSS integrates four OAB symptoms into a single score and can be a useful tool for research and clinical practice.

Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Muscarinic Antagonists ; therapeutic use ; Prospective Studies ; Quality of Life ; Quinuclidines ; therapeutic use ; Solifenacin Succinate ; Tetrahydroisoquinolines ; therapeutic use ; Treatment Outcome ; Urinary Bladder, Overactive ; drug therapy

OBJECTIVETo assess the value of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and bacterial artificial chromosome FISH (BAC-FISH) for the diagnosis for patients with marker chromosomes.

METHODSSixteen patients with marker chromosomes were analyzed with technologies including GTG-banding, Q-banding, multiplex FISH and BAC-FISH.

RESULTSThe marker chromosomes in the 16 patients were verified as der(Y) (2 cases), psu dic(Y) (1 case), psu dic(15) (1 case), dic(15) (1 case), del(Y) (1 case), r(X) (5 cases), i(14 or 22) (2 cases), i(18) (1 case).

CONCLUSIONFISH and BAC-FISH can both verify the origin of marker chromosomes and provide accurate information for the diagnosis and treatment of patients.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Child ; Chromosome Aberrations ; Female ; Genetic Diseases, Inborn ; diagnosis ; genetics ; Genetic Markers ; genetics ; Humans ; In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence ; methods ; Male ; Young Adult