Exosomes carried miR-181c-5p alleviates neuropathic pain in CCI rat models.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) derived exosomes (Exos) are one of the most promising candidate for the treatment of this condition. However, the underlying molecular mechanism remains uncertain. Here we investigated the therapeutic effect of exosomal miR-181c-5p (ExomiR-181c-5p) on a rat model of neuropathic pain induced by sciatic nerve chronic constriction injury (CCI). In this study NP model was established using the CCI method. NP levels were assessed using PWT and PWL. Microarray analysis and RT-PCR were used to determine the relative expression of miR-181c-5p. MSC-derived exosomes were extracted using the total exosome isolation reagent characterized by WB and NTA. MiR-181c-5p was loading into Exos using electroporation. The inflammation response in microglia cells and CCI rats were assessed by ELISA assay respectively. Our study demonstrates that miR-181c-5p expression was obviously decreased in a time-dependent manner in CCI rats. MiR-181c-5p was effectively electroporated and highly detected in MSC-derived Exos. ExomiR-181c-5p internalized by microglia cells and inhibit the secretion of inflammation factors. ExomiR-181c-5p intrathecal administration alleviated neuropathic pain and neuroinflammation response in CCI rats. Taken together, ExomiR-181c-5p alleviated CCI-induced NP by inhibiting neuropathic inflammation. ExomiR-181c-5p may be a valid alternative for the treatment of neuropathic pain and has vast potential for future development.

Lower extremity stiffness in habitual forefoot strikers during running on different overground surfaces.

PURPOSE: Sports surface is one of the known external factors affecting running performance and injury. To date, we have found no study that examined the lower extremity stiffness in habitual forefoot strikers running on different overground surfaces. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate lower extremity stiffness and relevant kinematic adjustments in habitual forefoot strikers while running on different surfaces. METHODS: Thirty-one male habitual forefoot strikers were recruited in this study. Runners were instructed to run at a speed of 3.3 m/s (±5%) on three surfaces, named synthetic rubber, concrete, and artificial grass. RESULTS: No significant differences were found in leg stiffness, vertical stiffness, and joint stiffness in the sagittal plane during running on the three surfaces ( p > 0.05). Running on artificial grass exerted a greater displacement in knee joint angle than running on synthetic rubber ( p = 0.002, 95% CI = 1.52-7.35 degrees) and concrete ( p = 0.006, 95% CI = 1.04-7.25 degrees). In the sagittal plane, peak knee moment was lower on concrete than on artificial grass ( p = 0.003, 95% CI = 0.11-0.58 Nm/kg), whereas peak ankle moment was lower on synthetic rubber than on concrete ( p < 0.001, 95% CI = 0.03-0.07 Nm/kg) and on artificial grass ( p < 0.001, 95% CI = 0.02-0.06 Nm/kg). Among the three surfaces, the maximal ground reaction forces on concrete were the lowest ( p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This study indicated that running surfaces cannot influence lower extremity stiffness in habitual forefoot strikers at current running speed. Kinematic adjustments of knee and ankle, as well as ground reaction forces, may contribute to maintaining similar lower extremity stiffness.

Two new species of Rhabdocoela (Polycystididae and Trigonostomidae) from China.

Two new species of Rhabdocoela, namely Alcha sinensis n. sp. (Polycystididae) and Trigonostomum sinensis n. sp. (Trigonostomidae), were discovered from the intertidal zone of eastern Shenzhen City, China. For A. sinensis n. sp., the stylet consists of two symmetrical triangular plates and one lamellar plate. All three plates are jagged at their posterior ends. The anterior end of the stylet connects to a thick muscular layer, which causes its movement. For T. sinensis n. sp., the copulatory organ consists of a long-tubular stylet and two "T"-shaped plates (plate I and plate II). The stylet bends 120° at 25% of its length from the base and extends straight distally. Two "T" plates are connected to each other and surround the stylet. Plate I is hook-shaped at its distal end, and plate II has a similar length but only half the width of plate I. The phylogenetic (18S rDNA and 28S rDNA) results also support the establishment of these two new species. On the basis of the molecular phylogeny and morphology of the copulatory organ and bursa appendage, we propose a new categorization of the species of Trigonostomum.

Two new brackish-water species of Pogaina (Rhabdocoela: Provorticidae) from China.

Two new species of the genus Pogaina Marcus, 1954 (Provorticidae), namely Pogaina sinensis n. sp. and Pogaina shenzhenensis n. sp. are described from brackish water in the intertidal zone of Shenzhen Bay. For P. sinensis n. sp., the tubular stylet is slightly curved at the distal end and a fusiform structure with a flange is present at 66% of the stylet. The flange encircles the stylet, with its ends attached to the midpoint and the distal end of the stylet. For P. shenzhenensis n. sp., the stylet has a N-shaped overall morphology. A band provided with dense needle-like structures is present at the distal end of the stylet. Both the morphological (stylet) and phylogenetic (18S rDNA and 28S rDNA) analyses support the establishment of these two new species.

Macrostomum shenda and M. spiriger, two new brackish-water species of Macrostomum (Platyhelminthes: Macrostomorpha) from China.

In this study, two new brackish-water species of Macrostomum (M. shenda n. sp. and M. spiriger n. sp.) collected from Shenzhen, China, were described based on morphological, histological, and molecular phylogenetic analyses. Macrostomum shenda n. sp. differs from its congeners in the oblique and non-thickening distal opening of its narrow funnel-shaped stylet. In addition, its sperm have neither bristles nor brush, and are surrounded by an undulating membrane in the mid-body region. In M. spiriger n. sp., the stylet is spirally twisted. Its reproductive apparatus has a seminal bursal pore opening exteriorly. Results of the 18S and 28S rDNA phylogenetic analyses also support the establishments of these two new species. Moreover, the 18S and 28S rDNA sequences of some species within Macrostomum in previous studies have been revised to avoid ambiguity, while Macrostomum dongyuanensis Wang Sun, 2015 was re-identified as a new record of M. quiritium Kolasa, 1973 from China.

Two new species and the molecular phylogeny of eight species of Macrostomum (Platyhelminthes: Macrostomorpha) from southern China.

Two new species of Macrostomum (Platyhelminthes: Macrostomorpha), M. shiyanensis n. sp. and M. lankouensis n. sp. are described from Shiyan Reservoir and Lankou Town. Morphological characteristics of the penis stylets and sperm, as well as the phylogenetic analysis using concatenated sequences of 18S and 28S rDNA genes support the establishment of these two new species and indicate that they are closely related to M. sinensis and M. heyuanensis described from different regions of Guangdong province. Finally, the progress of molecular phylogenetics of Macrostomum worldwide is also discussed.

Two new species of Kalyptorhynchia (Koinocystididae and Gnathorhynchidae) from China.

Two new species of Kalyptorhynchia (Rhabdocoela), namely Itaipusa sinensis n. sp. (Koinocystididae) and Prognathorhynchus sinensis n. sp. (Gnathorhynchidae) were described from brackish water near Shenzhen Bay, representing the first records of Koinocystididae and Gnathorhynchidae in China. For I. sinensis n. sp., the U-shaped cirrus contains 50 triangular lamellar spines, with two cuticular (pseudocuticular) hooks situated at both sides of its anterior part. The hook I (right side) is funnel-shaped, while the hook II (left side) is triangular lamellar in shape. For P. sinensis n. sp., the proboscis hook has two hooks situated in an anterior to posterior sequence. The semicircular tubular stylet has a hollow spherical dead end posteriorly to the distal opening. Both the morphological and phylogenetic (18S rDNA and 28S rDNA) analyses support the establishment of these two new species.

Two new brackish-water species of Macrostomum (Platyhelminthes, Macrostomida) from mangrove wetland in southern China.

In this paper, two new brackish-water species of Macrostomum (M. shenzhenensis n. sp. and M qiaochengensis n. sp.) collected from the artificial lake in Overseas Chinese Town mangrove wetland, are described based on the morphology of the penis stylet and on a molecular phylogenetic analysis. M. shenzhenensis n. sp. has an elongate, narrow stylet with torus-shaped distal wall thickening, while M. qiaochengensis n. sp. has a hook-like stylet with a pointed end. Both the 18S and 28S rDNA phylogenetic analyses of M shenzhenensis n. sp. and M qiaochengensis n. sp. support the establishments of these two new species. Finally, categorization of these two new species based on the morphology of sperm and penis stylet, as well as other morphological features of the reproductive system is briefly discussed.

Sexually Dimorphic Expression of Foxl2 and Ftz-F1 in Chinese Giant Salamander Andrias Davidianus.

Foxl2 and FTZ-F1 play a crucial role in the regulation of gonad development in fish and mammals, but studies of their function in amphibians are scarce. We isolated the full length of Foxl2 (adFoxl2) and Ftz-F1 (adFtz-f1) cDNA from the Chinese giant salamander Andrias davidianus and quantified its expression in various tissues and developing gonads. The adFoxl2 gene encodes 301aa including a conserved forkhead box, and the adFtz-f1 gene encodes 467aa containing an Ftz-F1 box. The amino acid sequences showed high homology with other amphibians. adFoxl2 expression was high in ovary, whereas adFtz-f1 was higher in testis, moderate in pituitary, ovary, and kidney; and low in the remaining tested tissues. Expression of adFoxl2 gradually increased from 1Y to 5Y in ovary, whereas adFtz-f1 expression gradually decreased in testis. In addition, adFoxl2 and adFtz-f1 were detected in granulosa cell in ovary and in spermatocytes in testis. The adFoxl2 transcription was inhibited in brain and ovary after treatment with methyltestosterone and with letrozole, whereas adFtz-f1 expression was upregulated. High-temperature suppressed the expression of adFxl2 in ovary and enhanced the transcription of adFtz-f1. These results suggest that adFoxl2 functioned in ovary differentiation, whereas adFtz-f1 played a role in testis development, which lays a foundation for study of the sex differentiation mechanism in A. davidianus.

A meta-analysis of the association between Behçet's disease and MICA-A6.

Behçet's disease (BD) is a multi-system inflammatory condition with unknown cause, characterized by a triple-symptom complex of recurrent oral aphthous ulcers, genital ulcers, and uveitis and skin lesions. It predominantly affects people living around the Mediterranean basin and in Japan. The effects of the major histocompatibility complex class I chain related gene A (MICA) A6 allele on susceptibility to Behçet's disease (BD) have been reported previously, however, their results have been unreliable. The present study aimed to determine whether an association between the MICA-A6 allele and BD susceptibility exists. A total of 12 case-control studies, examining the association between MICA-A6 and BD and involving 752 cases and 1,175 controls were included in the present meta-analysis. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. The results of meta-analysis revealed that the frequency of the MICA-A6 allele in the case group was significantly higher than those in the control groups (P<0.001, OR=2.43, 95% CI: 1.99-2.97). Sub-group analysis by ethnicity indicated that the association between of MICA-A6 gene to BD remained in Asian populations (5 cases and 731 controls) and Caucasian populations (242 cases and 444 controls) with OR=2.65, 95% CI: 2.07-3.38 and OR=2.23, 95% CI: 1.37-3.62, respectively. These findings demonstrate that MICA-A6 gene is associated with susceptibility to BD. The MICA-A6 gene may serve as an early diagnostic marker for BD in the future.

Imperatorin derivative OW1 inhibits the upregulation of TGF-ß and MMP-2 in renovascular hypertension-induced cardiac remodeling.

Chronic hypertension induces vascular and cardiac remodeling. OW1 is a novel imperatorin derivative that was previously reported to inhibit vascular remodeling and improve kidney function affected by hypertension. In the present study, the effect of OW1 on the cardiac remodeling induced by hypertension was investigated. OW1 inhibited vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) proliferation and the phenotypic modulation of VSMCs induced by angiotensin II (Ang II). The OW1-induced vasodilatation of rat cardiac arteries was evaluated in vitro. Renovascular hypertensive rats were developed using the two-kidney one-clip method and treated with OW1 (40 or 80 mg/kg/day) or nifedipine (30 mg/kg per day) for 5 weeks. OW1 markedly reduced the systolic and diastolic blood pressure compared with that in the hypertension group or the respective baseline value during the first week. OW1 also reduced cardiac weight, and the concentrations of Ang II, aldosterone and transforming growth factor-ß1 (TGF-ß1). Histological examination demonstrated that OW1 exerted an inhibitory effect on vascular and cardiac remodeling. These inhibitory effects were associated with decreased cardiac levels of Ang II, matrix metalloproteinase-2 and TGF-ß1 in the hypertensive rats. In summary, OW1 exhibited a clear antihypertensive effect. More importantly, it inhibited vascular and cardiovascular remodeling, which may reduce the risk of hypertension-induced cardiovascular diseases. These results have potential implications in the development of new antihypertensive drugs.

Calcium efflux from the endoplasmic reticulum regulates cisplatin-induced apoptosis in human cervical cancer HeLa cells.

The function of calcium efflux from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in cisplatin-induced apoptosis is not fully understood in cancer cells. The present study used western blot analysis, flow cytometry, immunofluorescence and 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide assay to investigate calcium signaling in human cervical cancer cells exposed to cisplatin. In the present study, treatment with cisplatin increased free Ca2+ levels in the cytoplasm and mitochondria of human cervical cancer HeLa cells, which further triggers the mitochondria-mediated and ER stress-associated apoptosis pathways. Notably, blocking calcium signaling using the calcium chelating agent bis-(o-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetra-acetic acid acetoxymethyl ester inhibited cisplatin-induced apoptosis via downregulation of the calcium-dependent proteases, the calpains, and innate apoptosis proteins, such as caspsae-3, caspase-4 and C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP). In addition, use of the inositol triphosphate receptor inhibitor, 2-aminoethyl diphenylborinate, to inhibit calcium efflux from the ER resulted in similar effects. This data indicated that calcium efflux from the ER plays a significant role in cisplatin-induced apoptosis in human cervical cancer HeLa cells, which provides further mechanistic insights into the tumor cell-killing effect of cisplatin and potential therapeutic strategies to improve cisplatin chemotherapy.

ERß overexpression results in endocrine therapy resistance and poor prognosis in postmenopausal ERα-positive breast cancer patients.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of estrogen receptor (ER) ß in the prognosis of ERα-positive breast cancer in postmenopausal women, and its effect on the efficacy of endocrine therapy. Tissue specimens from 195 patients with postmenopausal breast cancer were analyzed. ERß expression levels were detected using immunohistochemical staining. Kaplan-Meier analysis was performed to assess patient survival, and the difference in survival was analyzed using the log-rank test. Cox regression was utilized to evaluate prognostic factors. The results revealed that the disease-free survival rate decreased dramatically as ERß expression levels increased in all postmenopausal ERα-positive breast cancer patients, and ERß expression was identified to be an indicator of poor prognosis in cases of this disease. Similarly, in postmenopausal ERα-positive breast cancer patients undergoing endocrine therapy, high ERß expression levels reduced the disease-free survival rate and were correlated with poor patient prognosis. However, in such patients who were not treated with endocrine therapy, disease-free survival rate and prognosis were not significantly affected by ERß expression. In conclusion, ERß overexpression led to endocrine therapy resistance and poor prognosis in postmenopausal ERα-positive breast cancer patients, suggesting that ERß may affect breast cancer prognosis via an increase in endocrine therapy resistance.

Rheb phosphorylation is involved in p38-regulated/activated protein kinase-mediated tumor suppression in liver cancer.

Ras homolog enriched in brain (Rheb) is a key regulator of mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1). The Rheb-mTORC1 axis is a pivotal pathway that mediates cell growth. It was previously reported that upon energy-stress stimulation, the phosphorylation of Rheb at serine 130 by p38-regulated/activated protein kinase (PRAK) results in the impaired nucleotide binding ability of Rheb and inhibits Rheb-mediated mTORC1 activation. However, the role of Rheb phosphorylation in cancer development remains to be elucidated. The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of Rheb phosphorylation on tumor growth in vitro and in vivo. In addition, tissue samples were obtained from 70 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients in order to determine any associations between Rheb phosphorylation and the clinicopathological characteristics of patients. In vitro and ex vivo kinase assays were performed to determine the phosphorylation of Rheb by PRAK. A xenograft assay was performed to assess tumorigenicity of MEF cell lines. In addition, western blot and immunohistochemical analyses were performed to detect Rheb protein expression and phosphorylation. The results of the present study revealed that Rheb phosphorylation may be induced through Ras overexpression. In addition, kinase-dead PRAK and dominant-negative PRAK mutation were demonstrated to abolish the Rheb phosphorylation induced by Ras overexpression. Xenograft assays in nude mice revealed that Rheb phosphorylation was involved in PRAK-mediated tumor suppression. Of note, the clinicopathological analysis of 70 HCC samples determined that Rheb phosphorylation was associated with poor proliferation and the progression of HCC. In conclusion, the results of the present study suggested that Rheb phosphorylation may have an important role as an intracellular barrier to cancer development.

Palliative chemotherapy followed by methylation inhibitor in high-risk acute myeloid leukemia: An in vitro and clinical study.

Decitabine (5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine; DAC) is a well-tolerated alternative to aggressive chemotherapy for leukemia, which induces differentiation and apoptosis of leukemic cells as a DNA hypomethylating agent. The aim of the present study was to investigate the feasibility of DAC sequentially combined with chemotherapy to reverse drug resistance. HL-60/ADR multidrug-resistant leukemia cells cultured in 96-well plates were pretreated with DAC for 72 h; varying concentrations of aclacinomycin (ACLA) were then added to the wells, cell proliferation was tested using the Cell Counting Kit-8 assay, and DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) protein expression was detected by western blot analysis. Furthermore, we analyzed the therapeutic efficacy in 7 patients with high-risk acute myeloid leukemia (AML) receiving induction therapy with DAC sequentially combined with cytarabine, ACLA and granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (CAG regimen). The proliferation inhibition rate of HL-60/ADR cells treated with DAC at concentrations of 0.5 and 1.0 µmol/l sequentially combined with ACLA was significantly higher compared with that with ACLA alone (P<0.001 for both). DNMT1 expression was significantly repressed following treatment with 1.0 µmol/l DAC. Of the 11 patients, 8 (72.7%) received induction therapy with DAC sequentially combined with CAG agents and achieved complete remission (CR) after 2 cycles of treatment; however, 3 (27.3%) patients did not achieve remission. Myelosuppression was observed in all 11 patients and pulmonary infections developed in 9 patients (81.8%) during the course of the study. At the last follow-up, 7 of the 8 patients who achieved CR remained in remission. The median follow-up was 6 months (range, 3-18 months). Therefore, pretreatment with DAC may increase the sensitivity of HL-60/ADR cells to ACLA via the epigenetic modulation of demethylation and the sequential administration of DAC and CAG regimen appears to be safe and effective for the treatment of patients with high-risk AML.

Aortic wall proteomic analysis in spontaneously hypertensive rats with a blood pressure decrease induced by 6-week load-free swimming.

Decreased arterial compliance is one of the earliest detectable manifestations of adverse structural and functional changes within the vessel wall in hypertension. The proteomic approach is a powerful technique to analyze a complex mixture of proteins in various settings. Physical activity level was negatively associated with blood pressure. Sixteen 4-week-old male spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and 16 Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats were randomly divided into four groups: i) SHR exercise group, ii) SHR rest group, iii) WKY exercise group and iv) WKY rest group. In the SHR and WKY exercise groups, rats were treated with a 6-week load-free swimming protocol (1 h/day, 5 days/week). The blood pressure of the rats was tested by the CODATM2 single non-invasive blood pressure measurement appliance. After the 6-week swimming protocol, the total aorta excluding abdominal aorta was extracted. The proteins were separated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and identified via LC-mass spectrometry (MS)/MS. After 6-week load-free swimming, blood pressure decreased in the SHRs. Compared with sedentary SHRs, 11 spots on the 2D-gel showed a significant difference in exercised SHRs. Nine of these were chosen for further identification. There were 5 upregulated proteins (long-chain specific acyl-CoA dehydrogenase, heat shock protein ß-1, isocitrate dehydrogenase subunit α, actin, α cardiac muscle 1 preprotein and calmodulin isoform 2) and 4 downregulated proteins (adipocyte-type fatty acid-binding protein, tubulin ß-2C chain, 78 kDa glucose-regulated protein precursor and mimecan). Proteomics is an effective method to identify the target proteins of exercise intervention for hypertension.

Does Anterior Fat Pad Removal Reduce the Incidence of Atrial Fibrillation after CABG? A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common complication after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Several prospective randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have evaluated the effect of intact and removed anterior fat pads on the incidence of AF after CABG with conflicting results. We collected these RCTs and conducted a meta-analysis to determine whether anterior fat pad removal is effective in preventing the new onset of AF after CABG. METHODS AND RESULTS: Prospective RCTs were collected for analysis and the main outcomes include the occurrence of AF after CABG, total hospital stay, and major complications. Statistical analysis was conducted using RevMan 5.0.18 software (The Cochrane Collaboration), and pooled estimates of the effect were reported as risk ratios (RRs) or mean differences (MDs) with their 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The results of this meta-analysis indicate that anterior fat pad removal was not associated with a decreased risk of occurrence of AF after CABG (RR = 1.34, 95% CI: 0.88-2.03; P = 0.18), and it also did not increase the risk of major complications (RR = 1.05, 95% CI: 0.75-1.47; P = 0.79) or lengthen total hospital stay (MD = 0.06, 95% CI: -0.46 to 0.58; P = 0.83) compared with the control group. CONCLUSION: Anterior fat pad removal did not decrease the risk of the occurrence of AF after CABG despite its safety and convenience, and it should not be used to prevent new-onset AF after CABG unless new evidence is provided.

A novel inhibitor of Rho GDP-dissociation inhibitor α improves the therapeutic efficacy of paclitaxel in Lewis lung carcinoma.

Molecular-targeted therapies are considered a promising strategy for the treatment of most types of human cancer. Rho GDP-dissociation inhibitor α (RhoGDIα), which functions mainly by controlling the cellular distribution and activity of Rho GTPases and is associated with tumor progression and poor prognosis of cancer patients, has become a new promising target for anticancer treatment. Recently, a specific RhoGDIα inhibitor (no. SKLB-163) was developed via computer-aided drug design and de novo synthesis. Previous studies have shown that SKLB-163 had extremely good antitumor activities against diverse cancer cell lines. In the present study, SKLB-163 was used in combination with paclitaxel in order to determine the synergistic effect of the antitumor activity. The findings showed that the combination therapy clearly inhibited cell proliferation and induced apoptosis of LL/2 in vitro. The LL/2 mice model also showed that the combination therapy inhibited tumor growth in vivo. Proliferative cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) immunohistochmeistry and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end-labeling showed that combination therapy inhibited cell proliferation and increased apoptosis compared to the treatment with SKLB-163 or paclitaxel alone. The data suggests that the combination therapy exerted synergistic antitumor effects, providing a novel way to augment the antitumor efficacy of cytotoxic chemotherapy.

Effect of Shenkang granules on the progression of chronic renal failure in 5/6 nephrectomized rats.

Shenkang granules (SKGs) are a Chinese herbal medicinal formula, consisting of rhubarb (Rheum palmatum L.), Salvia miltiorrhiza, milkvetch root [Astragalus membranaceus (Fisch.) Bunge] and safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.). The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of SKG on chronic renal failure (CRF) in 5/6 nephrectomized (5/6 Nx) rats. The rats were randomly divided into seven groups (n=10 per group) as follows: (i) 5/6 Nx (model group; 2.25 ml/kg/day normal saline); (ii) SKGL (low dose; 5/6 Nx treated with 2 g crude drug/kg/day SKG); (iii) SKGM (moderate dose; 5/6 Nx treated with 4 g crude drug/kg/day SKG); (iv) SKGH (high dose; 5/6 Nx treated with 8 g crude drug/kg/day SKG); (v) benazepril treatment group (5/6 Nx treated with 5 mg/kg/day benazepril); (vi) Shenkang injection (SKI) group (5/6 Nx with 13.3 ml/kg/day SKI); and (vii) sham-operated group (2.25 ml/kg/day normal saline). After 30 days, the levels of microalbumin, total protein, serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen and serum lipid were found to be significantly decreased in the SKGL and SKGM rats, showing histological improvement compared with the untreated 5/6 Nx rats, as determined by hematoxylin and eosin, and Masson's trichrome staining. In addition, SKG was found to significantly improve the levels of glutathione peroxidase and reduce the damage caused by free radicals to the kidney tissues. Furthermore, SKG prevented the accumulation of extracellular matrix by decreasing the expression of collagen I and III and inhibiting the expression of matrix metalloproteinases-2 and -9 in the renal tissue, as determined by western blot analysis. SKG was also shown to decrease the concentrations of serum transforming growth factor-ß1, as determined by ELISA, and kidney angiotensin II, as determined using a radioimmunoassay kit. In conclusion, SKG was demonstrated to ameliorate renal injury in a 5/6 Nx rat model of CRF. Thus, SKG may exert a good therapeutic effect on CRF.

Malignant conversion of a solitary squamous cell papilloma in the trachea treated by radiotherapy: A case report.

The present study described a rare case of malignant conversion of a solitary papilloma in the trachea, in addition to reviewing the current literature. A 54-year-old male presented with a cough, sputum and dyspnea. Chest computed tomography revealed a mediastinal soft-tissue mass in the trachea. A tumor biopsy, performed using a flexible bronchofiberscope, identified a squamous cell papilloma with moderate to severe atypical hyperplasia, as well as the formation of squamous cell carcinoma. Polymerase chain reaction analysis did not detect presence of human papilloma virus in the tumor. The patient was subsequently treated with radiotherapy and no evidence of recurrence was observed during a two-year follow-up period. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to describe the malignant conversion of a solitary papilloma in the trachea, which was subsequently treated with radiotherapy.