Resveratrol down-regulates Myosin light chain kinase, induces apoptosis and inhibits diethylnitrosamine-induced liver tumorigenesis in rats.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a serious healthcare problem worldwide because of its increasing morbidity and high mortality rates. However, our understanding of the mechanism of liver tumorigenesis remains incomplete. We report the expression of myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) in the livers of rats with diethylnitrosamine (DENA)-induced HCC and investigated the correlation between MLCK and liver tumorigenesis by observing the expression of MLCK in a rat model of HCC. HCC was induced in rats by an intraperitoneal injection of DENA, and resveratrol-treated rats were orally administered resveratrol with 50 mg/kg body weight/day. The livers of rats were excised after 20 weeks and immersed in 10% formaldehyde prior to immunohistochemical and Western blot analyses for determining the level of MLCK expression. These analyses indicated that the MLCK expression was higher in the livers of HCC rats than in normal and resveratrol-treated rats. High level of MLCK expression was responsible for proliferation and anti-apoptotic effects. However, resveratrol down-regulated the expression of MLCK, which induced cell apoptosis and inhibited liver tumorigenesis in rats with DENA-induced HCC. Our results suggest that the over expression of MLCK may be related to the development of liver tumorigenesis.

Efficacy and safety of tacrolimus in Osserman grade III and Osserman grade IV Myasthenia Gravis.

OBJECTIVE: A retrospective observational cohort study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of tacrolimus in Osserman grade III and Osserman grade IV myasthenia gravis (MG) patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: MG patients admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine between June 2011 and January 2017 with grade III and grade IV according to the modified Osserman scale were recruited and received a telephone follow-up in September 2017. Patients treated with tacrolimus plus prednisone were compared with those treated without tacrolimus. The efficacy of tacrolimus was assessed using MG-activities of daily living (MG-ADL) score, Osserman classification, Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America (MGFA) post intervention status (PIS), the number of hospitalizations, the number of myasthenic crises and deaths. The adverse drug effects of tacrolimus were monitored. RESULTS: A total of 124 patients were included. The tacrolimus group had a significantly lower MG-ADL score than the control group at follow-up (1.90 ± 2.27vs 2.97 ± 2.78, p = 0.029). The difference of MG-ADL score between baseline and after follow-up was significantly greater in the tacrolimus group than the control group (-7.20 ± 2.95 vs -5.52 ± 2.91, p = 0.003). Fewer patients were hospitalized in the tacrolimus group (p = 0.011). The Osserman classification, MGFA PIS, the number of myasthenic crises and deaths did not differ significantly between the two groups. Nineteen patients in the tacrolimus group had adverse drug reactions, but no severe adverse effects appeared. CONCLUSION: Our study suggested that tacrolimus could be an effective and safe treatment for Osserman grade III and Osserman grade IV MG patients.

[Clinical study on treatment of liver fibrosis by different dosages of Salvia injection].

OBJECTIVE: To find the optimal dosage of Salvia injection in treating chronic hepatitis B caused liver fibrosis. METHODS: Sixty-four patients, whose diagnosis was confirmed as chronic hepatitis B caused liver fibrosis and differentiated by TCM typing as blood stasis blocking Collaterals type, were selected and randomly divided by lottery method into the large, middle and small dose of SI treated groups and the control group. All the patients were treated with modified Gexia Zhuyu Decoction, to the patients in the SI groups, 24 ml, 16 ml and 8 ml of SI were additionally administered by intravenous dripping respectively. The therapeutic course was 45 days. The clinical symptoms and signs; liver functional indexes as alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and albumin (ALB); and liver fibrosis indexes as procollagen type III (PC-III), collagen type IV (C-IV) and hyaluronic acid (HA), were measured before and after treatment. RESULTS: Different dosages of SI all could improve the clinical symptoms, and lower levels of ALT, AST, HA, PC-III and C-IV. Treatment of large dosage SI showed the best efficacy, superior to that of middle and small dosage SI, but no significant difference was found between the efficacy of the latter two. CONCLUSION: Anti-liver fibrosis effect of large dosage SI is better than that of middle or small dosage SI.