To examine the effects of ischemia and anoxia on cell activation and cell cycle of astrocytesin vitro, the cell cycles and the proliferation of astrocytes in different time points after ischemia and anoxia were studied by flow cytometry and BrdU labeling and the expression of GFAP and cyclin D1 was detected by the fluorescence immunochemistry. After ischemia and anoxiain vitro, the astrocytes in S phase were significantly increased as compared with those in the normal group and the proliferating ability of the astrocytes was highest 6 h after the treatment as revealed by BrdU pulse labeling, but the astrocytes in S, phase and proliferating ability were decreased after 6 h. At the early stages of ischemia and anoxia, the positive staining intensity of GFAP was increased, peaked at 6th h, while 12 h after the ischemia and anoxia, the positive staining intensity of GFAP became weak, and the expression of cyclin D1 was gradually increased after the ischemic and anoxic damage. It is concluded that astrocytes are activated to proliferate and enter new cycle events by ischemia and anoxia, and cyclin D1 is implicated in the proliferation and repair of astrocytes. The cell cycle events are closely associated with the proliferation and activation of astrocytes.

The imaging appearances of⁹⁹Tc^m-HL91, a new hypoxic imaging agent, in ischemic myocardium were studied and the value of⁹⁹Tc^m-HL91 in the evaluation of regional ischemic viable myocardium was explored. Acute myocardial ischemia models were made by coronary artery legations in 18 rats and randomly divided into 2 groups:⁹⁹Tc^m-HL91 group and⁹⁹Tc^m-MIBI group. Evan blue infusion during ischemia and TTC staining after operation were used to delineate the area of ischemic and viable myocardium. The isolated heart was sliced in the short axis and then autoradiography was performed. The electron microscopic examination was also done for the myocardial samples.⁹⁹Tc^m-HL91 and⁹⁹Tc^m-MIBI uptake activities (counts/g) were measured in the area of ischemic myocardium (T) and normal myocardium (NT) separately. The uptake ratios of⁹⁹Tc^m-HL91 and that of⁹⁹Tc^m-MIBI in ischemic myocardium were calculated as T/NT. It was found that the normal myocardium was blue and ischemic or infarct myocardium was negative with Evans blue in all experiment rats. Both the normal and ischemic myocardium was in red color with TTC staining. In the⁹⁹Tc^m-HL91 group the ischemic myocardium showed much higher uptake over normal myocardium, that was demonstrated both in the autoradiography and quantitative analysis. The ischemic/normal activity ratios were 1.634±0.354. It was suggested that⁹⁹Tc^m-HL91 might accumulate in ischemic and viable myocardium, which is helpful in the evaluation of hypoxic but viable myocardium and potentially used as a imaging agent to assess myocardial viability.

The crystal structural data of TACE, MMP-1, MMP-2, MMP-3 and MMP-9 were obtained from PDB database, and then their catalytic domains’ properties including conformation, molecular surface hydrophobicity and electrostatic potential were analyzed and compared by using Insight II molecular modeling software. It was found that the conformation and molecular surface hydrophobicity of catalytic domains of TACE and MMPs were not obviously different, but the molecular surface electrostatic potential of catalytic domain of TACE and MMPs had obvious differences. The findings are helpful in the Rational Drug Design of TACE selective inhibitor.

To investigate the RNA interference (RNAi) effect induced by vector-derived small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting the three gatekeeper genes (Rad52, Ku70, Ku80) and screen the more effective target sites from candidates for further research, by using siRNA design tools online, we selected 2 candidate sequences directed to every gatekeeper gene. According to the sequences, six vector-derived siRNAs (denoted psiRNA1-6) and one mocking psiRNA7 were constructed. Among them, psiRNA1 and psiRNA2 targeted Rad52, psiRNA3 and psiRNA4 to Ku70, psiRNA5 and psiRNA6 to Ku80. The mocking psiRNA7 was used as control. After sequence identification, the seven plasmids were transfected into HepG2 cell line. siRNA-induced silencing of gatekeeper genes was determined by using RT-PCR at RNA level and Western Blot at protein level. The results showed that the six plasmids specifically targeting the coding region of gatekeeper genes were successfully designed and constructed. To some extent, the six plasmids could reduce the expression of target gene. Comparatively, the plasmid-derived siRNA psiRNA1, psiRNA4 and psiRNA5 were more effective than their counterparts. The results suggest that the gene silencing efficiency of siRNA is different, depending on their targeted region, and siRNA may provide us with practical tools for further study on the three gatekeeper genes, i.e. Rad52, Ku70, Ku80.

To study the inhibitory effect of oxymatrine (OM) on quartz-induced secretion of TNF-α in the fibroblast proliferation, a given amount of quartz powder and OM of different concentrations were put into the media of pure culture containing macrophages. After 24 h of the culture, the TNF-α in the media was measured by double-antibody sandwich ELISA. The TNF-α (10 ng/mL) and OM of different concentrations were added into the media containing the fibroblasts of the 4th generations from neonate rats. The γ values of cAMP and cGMP in fibroblasts were determined by the radioimmunoassay and the concentrations of cAMP and cGMP were calculated according to standard curve. The intracellular Ca²⁺ was determined by flow cytometry and cell proliferation was detected by MTT. Our results showed that at the concentrations between 200 μg/ mL-1600 μg/mL, OM inhibited the secretion of TNF-α by alveolar macrophages (AM) in a dose-dependent manner. Especially, there were significant differences, to various degrees, in the inhibitory effect of OM between the concentration range of 800 μg/mL-1600 μg/mL and the concentration of 10 ng/mL TNF-α. When compared with 10 ng/mL TNF-α, OM of different concentrations could dose-independently increased the level of intracellular cAMP and decreased the level of cGMP, thereby raising the ratio of cAMP/cGMP and lowering the concentrations of intracellular Ca²⁺. Moreover, OM of 800 μg/mL had the strongest inhibitory effect on cell proliferation and at this concentration, the cAMP/cGMP was highest and Ca²⁺ was at the lowest level. We are led to conclude that OM can antagonize the damaging effect of quartz on the membrane of AM and the effect of TNF-α promoting the proliferation of fibroblasts. It achieves its inhibitory effect on the promoting effect of TNF-α on fibroblast proliferation by elevating the cAMP level and decreasing the release of Ca²⁺.

To study the effects of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α on matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 expression and activity in alveolar macrophages (AM) and to investigate the role of NF-κB in the induction, AM were collected from bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of healthy subjects and patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). MMP-9 expression and activity were detected by semi-quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), Western blotting and zymography. NF-κB activity was detected by electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA). MMP-9 expression and activity induced by TNF-α in AM from healthy subjects or patients with COPD were significantly increased in a dose-dependent manner (P<0.05). NF-κB activity induced by TNF-α was significantly increased in AM from patients with COPD, and pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC) and N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) significantly inhibited the activation of NF-κB induced by TNF-α (P<0.05). The presents study suggested that the expression and activity of MMP-9 from AM can be induced by TNF-α, and TNF-α/NF-κB signal pathway may play an important role in the induction.

In current study, the expressions of protein kinase C (PKC)-α, βI and βII as well as their correlation to the expression of transforming growth factor-βI (TGF-βI) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were investigated in glomeruli of normal renal tissues taken from human kidney tumors and kidney tissues from patients with diabetic nephropathy (DN). The accumulation of glomerular extracelluar matrix (ECM) was determined by PAS staining, the expressions of PKC-α, PKC-βI, PKC-βII, TGF-βI and VEGF were measured by semi-quantitative immunohistochemistry. Our results showed that in glomeruli of normal renal tissues, PKC-α and βII had a strong expression whereas the expression of PKC-βI was weak; in glomeruli of DN patients, the expressions of PKC-α, PKC-βI, VEGF and TGF-βI and the accumulation of ECM increased significantly, but the expression of PKC-βII decreased markedly. Meanwhile, the expressions of PKC-α and βI had a positive correlation to the expressions of VEGF and TGF-βI respectively, whereas PKC-βII showed no correlation to VEGF and TGF-βI. It is concluded that the expressions of PKC-α, βI and βII in glomeruli of normal subjects and DN patients are different. PKC-α seems to play a critical role in human DN by up-regulating VEGF expression, whereas PKC-βI is relatively important for the up-regulation of TGF-βI and the accumulation of ECM under diabetic conditions.

To investigate the effects of impaired glucose metabolism (IGM) on cardiovascular autonomic nervous systems in essential hypertensive (EH) patients by comparing heart rate variability (HRV) and blood pressure variability (BPV) in EH patients with or without type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Simultaneous 24-h recordings of ambulatory ECG and blood pressure monitoring were performed in 36 male old patients with simple EH and 33 male old patients with EH combined with T2DM. HRV analysis included time domain parameters such as SDNN, SDANN, SDNNi, rMSSD and pNN50, and total spectral power (TP) of HRV, which mainly consists of VLF, LF and HF component along with LF/HF ratio, was also obtained. The value of ambulatory blood pressure was represented as the mean blood pressure (mean systolic/mSBP, diastolic/mDBP and pulse pressure/mPP) during different periods (24 h/24 h, day time/d and night time/n). Standard deviation (SD) as well as coefficient of variance (CV) of blood pressure during each above-mentioned period were obtained to reflect the long-term BPV. Our result showed that SDNN, SDNNi, SDANN, rMSSD, PNN50, TP and HF of HRV in cases of EH with T2DM were all significantly lower than those in simple EH subjects (P<0.05). No significant differences in VLF or LF was found between the two groups (P>0.05), while LF/HF ratio was significantly higher in EH with T2DM patients than in simple EH subjects (P<0.01). Moreover, dmSBP, 24 h-mPP and dmPP were all significantly higher in EH with T2DM patients than in simple EH subjects (P<0.05), while nmSBP, 24 h-mSBP, 24 h-mDBP, dmDBP, nmDBP or nmPP showed no significant difference between this two groups of patients (P>0.05). And dSBPSD, dSBPCV and 24 h-SBPSD were all significantly higher in EH with T2DM patients than in simple EH subjects (P<0.05), while the other BPV indexes showed no significant difference between this two groups (P>0.05). It is concluded that the cardiovascular autonomic nervous systems in EH patients was further impaired by T2DM, displaying lowering of HRV and enlargement of BPV, which in turn induced abnormal structural and functional changes of cardiovascular systems. Therefore, improving cardiovascular autonomic nervous systems might reduce the occurrence of cardiovascular complications in the EH patients with IGM.

To study the variation and significance of plasma coagulation factor VII (FVII) in different kinds of ischemia heart disease (IHD) and examine its relation with plasma lipid and gene polymorphism. FVIIa was determined with one stage clotting assay by using a recombinant soluble tissue factor (rsTF). FVIIc was measured with one stage clotting assay. FVIIag was quantified with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Polymorphism was analyzed with PCR-urea-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Our results showed that FVIIa in stable angina (SA), unstable angina (UA), obsolete and acute myocardial infraction (OMI, AMI) patients was higher than those of normal group with the differences being significant within any two groups. FVIIag in UA, OMI and AMI was higher than those in SA and normal groups. There were positive correlations between FVIIa and serum triglycerides, FVIIa and FVIIc, FVIIc and FVIIag. FVII-323 0/10 bp polymorphism analysis was performed in 60 patients and 0/10 bp polymorphism was found in 5 cases. FVIIc and FVIIag were much lower in cases of 0/10 bp groups than those in cases of 0/0 bp groups. It is concluded that there was activation of extrinsic coagulation pathway in every kind of IHD to different extent. FVIIa was the risk factor in the development of IHD, and more sensitive in reflecting the severity of cardiovacutar disease than FVIIc or FVIIag. FVIIa was higher in OMI, which may be one of the risk factors of re-infraction. Serum triglyceride may indirectly lead to the development of IHD by increasing the level of FVIIa. FVII-323 0/10 by polymorphism was present in Chinese patients with IHD and it was correlated with the level of FVIIc, FVIIag in plasma. 10 bp allelomorphic gene was a protective factor against thrombogenesis.

Multiplex reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (M-RT-PCR) has been proved to possess great clinical potential for simultaneous screening of 29 chromosomal translocations in acute leukemia. To evaluate the clinical value of M-RT-PCR in hematologic malignancies, bone marrow samples from 90 patients with various hematologic malignancies, including 25 acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), 22 acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), 27 chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), 4 myeloproliferative diseases (MPD), 3 chronic lymphoblastic leukemia (CLL), 3 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL), 3 myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), 2 multiple myeloma (MM) and 1 malignant histocytosis (MH) were subjected to both M-RT-PCR and chromosome karyotypic analysis. Some of cases were subjected to follow-up examination of M-RT-PCR during the period of clinical complete remission (CR) for detection of minimal residual leukemia. In our hand, 12 of 29 chromosomal translocation transcripts including TEL/PDGFR, DEK/CAN, MLL/AF6, AML1/ETO, MLL/AF9, BCR/ABL, MLL/MLL, PML/RARα, TLS/ERG, E2A/HLF, EVI1 and HOXI1 were detected in 57 cases (63.3 %) of the 90 samples, which were in consistence with the results of karyotypic analysis. Furthermore, M-RT-PCR had also shown good clinical relevance when used as an approach to detect minimal residual leukemia. We concluded that M-RT-PCR could be used as an efficient and fast diagnostic tool not only in the initial diagnosis of hematologic malignancies but also in subsequent monitor of minimal residual leukemia.

To explore the expression and clinical significance of molecular chaperone heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and plasma level of interleukin-6 (IL-6) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), HSP90 was detected in PBMC by Western blot assay and the plasma level of IL-6 was measured by ELISA in 38 SLE patients and 20 normal controls. The correlation analysis was performed between the SLE disease activity index (SLE-DAI) and the expression of HSP90 and IL-6. The results showed that there was increased expression of HSP90 in the SLE patients. The active SLE group exhibited higher HSP90 levels (0.82±0.10) than the inactive SLE group (0.54±0.09) (P<0.01). The expression of HSP90 in normal control group (0.37±0.11) showed significant statistical difference as compared to both the inactive and active SLE groups (P<0.01, P<0.01, respectively). The plasma level of IL-6 exhibited a significant increase in both the inactive and active SLE groups (28.99±1.74 pg/mL 44.58±9.15 pg/mL, respectively) compared with normal control group (P<0.01, P<0.01, respectively). The expression of HSP90 and IL-6 in SLE patients showed significant positive correlation with SLEDAI scoring (r=0.80, P<0.01; r=0.74, P<0.01, respectively). In addition, there was a positive correlation between the level of IL-6 and HSP90 in SLE patients (r= 0.86, P<0.01). The increased expression of molecular chaperone HSP90 and IL-6 may play an important role in the pathogenesis of SLE by regulating autoimmunity.

To study the protective effect of rosuvastatin on ischemic brain injury and its mechanism, focal cerebral ischemia/reperfusion was induced by occlusion of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) using the intra-luminal filament technique. The cerebral blood flow was monitored with laser-Doppler flowmetry (LDF). The slices of brain tissue were stained with cresyl-violet. The cerebral volume of infarction and edema were quantified with ImageJ software. The expressions of endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) and activated caspase-3 were detected with Western blot. The inducible NO synthase (iNOS) positive cells were immunohistochemically observed. The results demonstrated that rosuvastatin (20 mg/kg) could remarkably decrease infarct volume and cerebral edema after MCAO 90 min/reperfusion 24 h. Western blots showed that the expression of eNOS in cerebral cortex before and after ischemia was (100±43.3) %, (1668.9±112.2) % respectively (P<0.001), rosuvastatin significantly up-regulated the expression of eNOS in non-ischemic cortex (P<0.001), whereas in ischemic cortex of rosuvastatin group the expression of eNOS was (1678.8±121.3) %. There was no expression of activated caspase-3 in non-ischemic cortex, nonetheless the expression of activated caspase-3 increased after ischemia, and rosuvastatin significantly diminished it (P<0.01). Immunohistochemistry revealed no iNOS-positive cells in non-ischemic brain area, while in ischemic brain area the number of iNOS positive cells went up, and rosuvastatin could significantly reduced them. Consequently, the mechanisms of rosuvastatin’s neural protection on ischemic brain injury are to enhance expression of eNOS, to inhibit expression of iNOS and activated caspase-3.

To examine the ability of intrastriatal gene transfer of vascular endothelial growth factor 165 mediated by adenoviral vector to rescue dopaminergic neurons in a rat model of Parkinson’s disease (PD), we constructed recombinant replication-deficent adenoviral vectors carrying the gene of VEGF165 (Ad-VEGF), and injected Ad-VEGF (or Ad-LacZ and PBS as controls) into the striatum of rats 7 days after the lesion by 6-hydroxydopamine. The rat rotational behavior analysis and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) immunohistochemistry were performed to assess the change of dopaminergic neurons. Our results showed that the rats receiving Ad-VEGF injection displayed a significant improvement in apomorphine-induced rotational behavior and a significant preservation of TH-positive neurons and fibers compared with control animals. It is concluded that intrastriatal gene transfer by Ad-VEGF may rescue the dopaminergic neurons from degeneration in a rat model of PD.

Apoptosis of cancer cells between the gastric and intestinal-type human gastric carcinoma were compared in terms of the expression of oncogene MDM2 and CD68, the histological types, the infiltration depth, and lymph node metastasis. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl trans-ferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end-labeling (TUNEL) assay was employed to stain apoptotic cells. Histochemical method(AB-PAS) was applied to stain mucus that is neutral or acidic in nature. Immunohistochemical method (SABC) was used to detect expression of MDM2 and CD6. The results showed that the mean apoptosis index (AI) of total 48 cases was 8.60±2.60. AI in the 30 intestinal type cases was significantly higher than that in the 18 gastric type cases (t=4.67, P<0.01). In the 30 intestinal type cases, the spontaneous apoptosis index of MDM2 negative cases was significantly higher than that of the positive cases (t=7.16, P<0.01). And in the 18 gastric type cases, the same result was found. (t=11.39, P<0.01). The MDM2 positive ratio in gastric type cases was higher than that in intestinal type cases (x²=4.68, P<0.05). There is no significant difference in AI between cases of lymph node metastasis and non-metastasis cases in intestinal type cases (t=0.26, P>0.05). But in the gastric type cases, a significant difference existed (t=5.87, P<0.01). A significant difference in lymph node metastasis ratio was found between the two gastric carcinoma types (x²=4.48, P<0.05). The CD68 expression ratio in the 30 intestinal type cases was much lower than that in the 18 gastric type cases (t=4.29, P<0.01). AI of 25 MDM2-positive cases was much lower than that of the 23 MDM2-negative cases (t=7.80, P<0.01). CD68 positive ratio in the 25 MDM2-negative cases was much lower than that in the 23 negative cases. The difference was statistically significant (t=10.90, P<0.01). Except for few cells scattering within the cancer nest, most CD68 positive cells infiltrated in the interstitium around the cancer tissue. In the high-AI cases, CD68-positive cells increased. And the CD68-positive cells decreased in low-AI cases (r=0.96, P<0.01). Logistic regression analysis suggested that among the control variables, only AI was a statistically significant factor in the regression model (x²=9.64, P<0.01). We concluded that (1) the spontaneous apoptosis index in gastric-type cases of gastric carcinoma was significantly lower than that in intestinal type cases; (2) AI in the two types was influenced by the expression of MDM2 and lymph node metastasis, but no visible connection was found between AI and the infiltration depth or histological types; (3) in the intestinal type cases, AI and the CD68-positive cells increased in MDM2-negative cases.

To investigate the protective effect of curcumin on endotoxin-induced acute lung injury in rats, and explore the underlying mechanisms, 24 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 4 experimental groups: sham-vehicle (S), sham-curcumin (C), lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-vehicle (L), and curcumin-lipopolysaccharide (C-L) groups. The wet/dry (W/D) weight ratio of the lung and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid protein content were used as measures of lung injury. Neutrophil recruitment and activation were evaluated by BAL fluid cellularity and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity in cell-free BAL and lung tissue. The levels of cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant-1 (CINC-1) in lung tissues were measured by ELISA. The histopathological changes of lung tissues were observed by using the HE staining. Our results showed that lung injury parameters, including the wet/dry weight ratio and protein content in BALF, were significantly higher in the L group than in the S group (P<0.01). In the L group, higher numbers of neutrophils and greater MPO activity in cell-free BAL and lung homogenates were observed when compared with the S group (P<0.01). There was a marked increase in CINC-1 levels in lung tissues in response to LPS challenge (P<0.01, L group vs S group). Curcumin pretreatment significantly attenuated LPS-induced changes in these indices. LPS caused extensive morphological lung damage, which was also lessened after curcumin pretreatment. All the above-mentioned parameters in the C group were not significantly different from those of the S group. It is concluded that curcumin pretreatment attenuates LPS-induced lung injury in rats. This beneficial effect of curcumin may involves, in part, inhibition of neutrophilic recruitment and activity, possibly through inhibition of lung CINC-1 expression.

To investigate the expressions and significance of the tumor suppressor gene phosphatase and tensin homlog deleted on chromosome ten protein (PTEN) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and to analyze the relationship between their expressions and the tumor’s invasion and their pericarcinomatous tissues, the correlation of their expressions with the tumor’s clinicopathological characteristics and invasion potential were studied. Our study showed that the expression level of PTEN in HCC was remarkably lower than that in pericarcinomatous liver tissues, while the expressions of both VEGF and MVD were higher than that in pericarcinomatous liver tissues. Correlation analysis revealed that the expression of PTEN was negatively related to the progression of the pathological differentiation and invasion of tumor, whereas the expressions of VEGF and MVD were positively related. Moreover, there was a negative relationship between the expression of PTEN and the expressions of VEGF and MVD, and a positive one between VEGF and MVD. The expressions of PTEN and VEGF may reveal the degree of differentiation and the invasive potential of HCC tissues. The mechanism by which the lack of PTEN expression probably induces abnormal hyperexpression of VEGF may play an important role in the invasion and metastasis of HCC.

To observe the effects of Danshen on the growth of hepatocellular carcinoma in the SD rats, a model of malignant obstructive jaundice was established by inoculation of transplanted tumor into the hepatic portal with the walker-256 hepatocarcine line, which resulted in the obstruction by the infiltration and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma. SD rats were divided into 4 groups: the rats were treated by 0.9 % NS (n=24, control group), inosine+vitamin C (n=40, InV group), Danshen (n=40, DS group) and 5-FU (n=40, 5-FU group), respectively. The liver function, morphological changes and the expressions of PCNA, VEGF and ICAM-1 in carcinoma foci, peri-carcinoma tissues, adjacent lobe (left-internal lobe) and lung tissues were observed after the treatment with the 4 agents. Our results showed that the protective effect of Danshen on liver function was significantly better than that of NS and 5-FU (P<0.01). No significant difference in protective effect was observed between DS group and InV group (P>0.05). Danshen also provided protective effect on the morphological damage of liver caused by obstructive jaundice. The rates of carcinoma-inhibition and metastasis inhibition were significantly higher than those of NS and inosine+vitamin C (P<0.01). No significant difference in this regard existed between DS group and 5-FU group (P>0.05). The expressions of PCNA, VEGF and ICAM-1 PCNA, VEGF and ICAM-1 in carcinoma foci, peri-carcinoma tissues, adjacent lobe (left-internal lobe) and lung tissues were lower than those in control group and InV group, with the differences being significant (P<0.01). No significant differences were found between DS group and 5-FU group in the expression levels of PCNA and VEGF (P>0.05) but ICAM-1 (P<0.05). It is concluded that Danshen injection not only has protective effects on liver injury caused by obstructive jaundice, but can inhibit the proliferation and growth of hepatocarcinoma, interfere with the vascularization of tumors, prevent recurrence and metastasis of hepatocarcineoma.

In order to study the cardioprotective effects of diazoxide on the myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury of rats and mechanisms, the healthy SD rats were randomly divided into 2 groups: the rats in the experimental group were injected with diazoxide for preconditioning with the dosage of 12.5 mg/kg through the right femoral vein and those in the control group was only administered with the equal volume of media. After 10 min, a left thoracotomy was performed and the left anterior descending branch was occluded for 2 h. Two h later, the left anterior descending branch was reperfused for 2 h and then the heart was quickly excised to be used for measurement of MDA, SOD and the infarct size, in situ cell apoptosis detection and observation of the cell ultrastructure by electron microscopy. The results showed that as compared with the control group, MDA, the infarct size and cell apoptosis in the experimental group were greatly reduced (P<0.05). And the cell ultrastructure was obviously improved. But the activity of SOD had no change (P>0.05). It was concluded that diazoxide could protect the rats from myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury, which might be contributed to the reduction of lipid peroxidation and cell apoptosis.

Data from 736 patients undergoing prosthetic heart valve replacement surgery and concomitant surgery (combined surgery) from January 1998 to January 2004 at Union Hospital were retrospectively reviewed. Univariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify risk factors for prolonged mechanical ventilation. The results showed that prolonged cardiopulmonary bypass duration, prolonged aortic cross clamp time and low ejection fraction less than 50 percent (50 %) were found to be independent predictors for prolonged mechanical ventilation. Meanwhile age, weight, and preoperative hospital stay (days) were not found to be associated with prolonged mechanical ventilation. It was concluded that, for age and weight, this might be due to the lower number of old age patients (70 years and above) included in our study and genetic body structure of majority Chinese population that favor them to be in normal weight, respectively.

To probe into the influence of transplantation of allogenic bone marrow mononuclear cells (BM-MNCs) on the left ventricular remodeling of rat after acute myocardial infarction (AMI), 60 male Wistar rats were evenly divided into three groups at random: control group 1, control group 2 and transplantation group. In control group 1, chest was opened without ligation of coronary artery; in control group 2 and transplantation group, the left anterior descending branch of coronary artery was ligated to establish AMI model. Prepared culture medium and allogenic BM-MNCs suspension were respectively implanted the surrounding area of infracted cardiac muscle via epicardium of control group 2 and transplantation group. Four weeks after the operation, the osteopontin gene (OPN mRNA, P<0.01), type collagen (P<0.01) and angiotensin (Ang, P<0.01) content in the left ventricular non-infracted myocardium, and the Ang density in blood plasma (P<0.05) of transplantation group and control group 2 were all significantly higher than that of control group 1. In the transplantation group, the myocardial OPN mRNA, type I collagen and Ang II content of non-infracted zone in left ventricle, and the Ang II concentration in blood plasma were all significantly lower than those of control group 2 (P<0.05 for all). It is concluded that allogenic BM-MNCs transplantation may ease left ventricular remodeling after AMI by inhibiting the synthesis of type I collagen in the cardiac muscle and down-regulating the expression of Ang II and OPN gene.

This study examined the implication of EMT induced by TGF-β1 in pancreatic cancer invasion. TGF-β1 expression was determined in 29 cases of human pancreatic carcinoma (PC) by immunohistochemistry and the results were compared with those of pathological examination. Moreover, the effects of TGF-β1 on the phenotype and invasion of pancreatic cancer cell line Panc-1 were also investigated. TGF-β1 was detected in 12 cases (41.4 %) of PC. Significant correlation was found between the expression of TGF-β1 and lymph node involvement (P=0.047) and the depth of invasion (P=0.035). TGF-β1 obviously promoted EMT of Panc-1 cell lines and their invasion ability was substantially enhanced. TGF-β1 may promote the malignancy of pancreatic cancer by triggering EMT.

To investigate the effects of anti-sense peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) targeting Ki-67 gene on modulation of the proliferation and apoptosis of human renal carcinoma cell lines, human renal carcinoma cell line 786-0 cells were treated with anti-sense PNAs at different concentrations (1.0 mol/L, 2.0 mol/L, 10.0 mol/L). The Ki-67 expression of 786-0 cells was detected by immunohistochemical technique and Western blot method respectively. The proliferation of 786-0 cells was studied by cell growth curves and ³H-thymidine incorporation. The apoptosis of 786-0 cells was detected by TUNEL assay. The control groups were treated with anti-sense oligonucleotide (ASODNs) targeting Ki-67 gene. Our results showed that the Ki-67 expression of 786-0 cells treated with anti-sense PNAs (16.9±0.7) was significantly inhibited as compared with that of the control groups (28.6±0.4) (P<0.01). The Ki-67 protein rate of 786-0 cells treated with anti-sense PNAs (42.1±2.2) was significantly reduced when compared with that of the control groups (83.6±1.4) (P<0.01). Proliferation of 786-0 cells treated with anti-sense PNAs (20.7±1.5) was significantly inhibited as compared with that of the control groups (58.6±1.4) (P<0.01). The apoptosis rate of 786-0 cells treated with anti-sense PNAs (28.7±2.3) was significantly increased higher compared with that of the control groups (13.8±1.0) (P<0.01). From these finds we are led to conclude that anti-sense PNAs targeting Ki-67 gene have stronger effects on the inhibition of the proliferation and induction of apoptosis of human renal carcinoma cells than ASODNs targeting Ki-67 gene. The strategies using anti-sense PNAs targeting Ki-67 gene may be a promising approach for the treatment of renal cell carcinoma.

In this study, the expression of HSP70 during experimental tooth movement was dynamically observed and the relationship between HSP70 and orthodontic periodontal tissue remodeling were observed. The orthodontic appliance was placed between the right maxillary first molar and maxillary central incisors of adult SD rats to establish a rat molar movement model. Immunohistochemistry was performed 1, 3, 5, 7 and 14 day(s) after orthodontic force application to observe the expression and localization of inducible HSP70. The expression of HSP70 was strongly positive in the early stage of the tooth movement, became gradually less positive, and was weakly positive in the restoration stage. There was difference in staining pattern between different parts of PDL during the same period. These results suggest that the expression of HSP70 and difference in staining pattern among different parts of PDL during orthodontic tooth movement in rats may be implicated in stress response and remodeling of periodontal tissue.

To study the expression of neurocyte apoptosis and the changes of caspase-3 and Fas after spinal cord injury (SCI) in rats, improved Allen’s method was used to make model of acute SCI at the level of T9 and T10. The animals were divided into six groups: a control group and 5 injury groups. The segments of injured spinal cords were taken 6, 24, 48 h and 7, 15 days after injury for morphological studies, including HE staining, Hoechst33258 staining and TUNEL labeling. The expression of caspase-3 was detected by immunohistochemical staining and RT-PCR. TUNEL-positive cells began to appear in the compression region 6 h after the injury, mostly located in the gray matter. TUNEL-positive cells were found in both gray and white matter, reaching a peak at the 3rd day. They began to decrease at the 7th day, distributed mostly in the white matter. Fas increased at the 6th h and peaked at the 3th day. Caspase-3 mRNA increased at the 6th h, peaking 48 h after the trauma, and decreased after 7 days. The protein expression of caspase-3, as revealed by immunohistochemical staining, was similar to TUNEL in time. It is concluded that apoptosis takes place after spinal cord injury, and caspase-3 mRNA and protein expressions were enhanced in the apoptosis. The expression of caspase-3 has a positive correlation with Fas expression.

To determine the effect of straight-leg-raising (SLR) movement on epidural fibrosis after laminectomy, 40 adult New Zealand rabbits were selected as laminectomy models in the study. They were divided into 2 groups: a SLR group (group S) and a control group (group C) randomly, with each group having 20 animals. All rabbits were subjected to total laminectomy in the site of S₁. Every 5 rabbits in each group selected randomly were killed at the 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 8th week after the surgery. Segments of spines from L₇ to S₂ were removed en bloc. After gross evaluation, specimens were sliced up. The slices were stained by HE and Masson’s trichrome methods respectively for histological examination. Our results showed that formation process of scar in group S was retarded as compared with that of group C at the time of the 2nd-week, but there was no statistical difference between groups in the adhesion degree (P 0.05). At the 4th and 8th week, the epidural fibrosis of group S was more serious than that of group C. Since the 2nd-week, the area of scar in group S was larger than that of group C. The number of fibroblasts and inflammatory cells in group S were larger than those of group C at early stage. But in later stage, there was no statistical significance between the two groups. It is concluded that SLR movement after laminectomy may promote the formation of epidural fibrosis and retard the maturity of scar. SLR movement can also aggravate scar adhesion.

To evaluate the validity of osteoarthritis model induced by bilateral ovariectomy in guinea pig, 32-month-old female guinea pigs were randomly divided into two groups: a sham operation group (control group) and an ovariectomized group (OVX group). The animals were killed 6 or 12 weeks after the operation and the degeneration of the knees were assessed microscopically and histologically by scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and light microscope. The serum levels of estrogen and gestone were detected by immune contest assay. The scoring of articular cartilage histopathology of tibial plateau was performed by histopathological examination. The blood serum levels of estrogen and gestone were decreased significantly in the OVX group as compared with the control group 6 or 12 weeks after the operation. Joint cartilage degeneration as detected by SEM and TEM could be found at the 6th week, but severe degenerative lesions were observed at the 12th week in the OVX group as compared with the control group (P<0.01). The histopathological score of articular cartilage in tibial plateau in OVX group was higher than that of control group, which was coincident with the changes of estrogen and the ultrastructure (P<0.01). The findings suggested that bilateral ovariectomy in guinea pig can induce the severe osteoarthritis that is similar to the aging-induced OA in human. Therefore, the model of the osteoarthritis by bilateral ovariectomy in guinea pig in this study is valid.

This study examined the cytotoxicity of a new implant material modified by microarc oxidation technique. Cells on different surfaces of the implant were evaluated 2, 4 and 6 days after treatment. The results showed that cell attachment, cell morphology, and cell proliferation were influenced by the different surface treatments, and a significant increase in the osteoblast cell activity was observed on the porous MAO-Ti coating. Our results suggest that the porous MAO-Ti surface has a better biocompatibility and electrochemical performance than pure titanium surface.

To investigate the technique of sorting high-purity precartilaginous stem cells from rat’s perichondrium, neonatal rat’s perichondrium cells suspensions were incubated with monoclone antibody of anti-fibroblast growth factor receptor-3 (anti-FGFR-3), and the labeled cells were separated from the suspension in the magnetic field by immuno-beads coated with the second antibody. Purity of the sorted neural stem cells was found to be 93.0 %–99.0 %, with living cells amounting to 80 %–85 %. The magnetic cell sorting system could effectively separate precartilaginous stem cells from perichondrium cell suspensions.

In order to evaluate the value of magnetic resonance cholangiography (MRC) and dynamic examination of duodenal fluid in the differential diagnosis between extrahepatic biliary atresia (EHBA) and infantile hepatitis syndrome (IHS), 52 patients with infantile cholestatic jaundice were examined by MRC and duodenal fluid examination. Original interpretations were compared with clinical outcome. Calculated sensitivity of duodenal fluid examination in diagnosis of EHBA was 100 %, and specificity was 91.1 %. Sensitivity of MRC in the diagnosis of EHBA was 94.4 % and specificity 88.24 %. The sensitivity of MRC and examination of duodenal fluid combined in diagnosis of EHBA was 94.4 % and specificity 97.06 %. We are led to conclude that MRC and dynamic examination of duodenal fluid are useful in the differential diagnosis between IHS and EHBA and the combined use of the two techniques yield better resutls.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of using TRAIL gene to treat breast cancer mediated with a novel carrier — magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (polyMAG-1000) coated with PEI. The magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles were used as gene carrier to transfect TRAIL gene into MCF-7 cells. The polyMAG-1000 without TRAIL gene was transfected into the tumor cells as negative control. TRAIL gene transfection with liposome as carrier served as positive control. The apoptosis of cells was detected with TUNEL method. The apoptosis ratio of tumor cells was measured with flow cytometry (FCM). It was found that the apoptosis occurred in the tumor cells after transfection of TRAIL gene mediated by both polyMAG-1000 and liposome. The apoptosis ratio in the group with polyMAG-1000 as gene carrier was (25.11 ± 2.85) %, whereas it was (5.06 ± 1.05) % in the control group with polyMAG-1000 (P<0.01). The apoptosis ratio was as low as (18.31 ± 2.44) % in the group with liposome as gene carrier (P<0.05, as compared with the group with polyMAG-1000 as gene carrier). It is suggested that TRAIL gene may induce apoptosis in MCF-7 breast cancer cells. The magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles coated with PEI may be a potential gene carrier with high transfection efficacy for cancer gene therapy.

In this study, we examined the effects of aspirin on the growth rates, subcellar distribution of-catenin protein, the expression of-catenin/TCF signaling pathway target gene cyclinD1 mRNA, and cell cycle of Jurkat cell line (Human T-acute lymphoblastic leukemia). Our results showed that the treatment with aspirin inhibited the growth of Jurkat cell line. Jurkat cells treated with 3 mmol/L of aspirin could significantly decrease nuclear localization of β-catenin, and at 5 mmol/L of aspirin, the nuclear localization of β-catenin was undetectable. QRT-PCR showed that the target gene cyclinD1 mRNA expression was gradually decreased with the dosage of aspirin. Aspirin induced G₀/G₁ cell cycle arrest in Jurkat cells. We are led to conclude that aspirin acts through β-catenin-independent mechanisms. The effects of aspirin include down-regulation of β-catenin nuclear localization and G₀/G₁ cell cycle arrest, which might serve as a means of growth inhibition in aspirin-treated human Jurkat cell line.