Curcumin prevents experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis by inhibiting proliferation and effector CD4+ T cell activation.

OBJECTIVE: Multiple sclerosis (MS) has affected over 2 million people worldwide and it is thought to be initiated by the activated central nervous system (CNS). Reactive CD4+ T cells (TH1, TH17, and Treg phenotypes) are crucial to MS. The TH1 phenotype can promote major histocompatibility complex-II expression and TH17 can induce inflammatory gene expression. Curcumin, a yellow pigment, is found in turmeric rhizomes and has been reported to have various activities, such as anti-proliferative and anti-inflammatory activity. Curcumin has great potential in MS treatment. Little is known about the effect of curcumin on MS. Therefore, we investigated the effect of curcumin on MS, especially on CD4+ T cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: CD4+ T cells (TH1, TH17, and Treg cells) were cultured in Iscove's Modified Dulbecco's Medium (IMDM) medium. Cell proliferation was evaluated by MTT assay. The ability of individual CD4+ T cells to aggregate into viable colony clusters was assessed by clonogenic survival assay. Apoptosis of CD4+ T cells was determined by flow cytometry. The expression of Bcl-2, Bax, and active caspase-3 was detected by Western blotting. The effect of curcumin on the activation molecule was also evaluated by flow cytometry. RESULTS: MTT assay showed that curcumin significantly inhibited CD4+ T cell viability. Furthermore, TH1, TH17, and Treg all showed a dose-dependent but not time-dependent. The results of clonogenic survival assay revealed that curcumin markedly decreased the colony formation ability of CD4+ T cells. Flow cytometry results indicated that curcumin-induced remarkable apoptosis in TH1, TH17, and Treg cells. After treatment with curcumin, the expression of Bcl-2 was decreased and that of Bax and active caspase-3 was increased. Western blotting results also showed that curcumin-induced apoptosis in CD4+ T cells. Hence, our results demonstrated that curcumin inhibited CD4+ T cell proliferation via inducing apoptosis in CD4+ T cells. Meanwhile, flow cytometry results also showed that curcumin directly inhibited CD4+ T cell activation. CONCLUSIONS: Curcumin could inhibit CD4+ T cell proliferation and effector cell activation.

Ameliorating Effects of Leaf Water Extract of Three Aromatic Plant Species on Ozone-Polluted Snap Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L. 'Jiangjunyoudou').

Ozone (O3) is one of the major pollutants in near-surface air. In order to protect sensitive plants from O3 pollution, many kinds of protectants including synthetic ones, were assessed in previous studies. Although they have certain protective effects, some of them are not environment-friendly. In the present study, leaf water extracts of aromatic plants [Plectranthus hadiensis var. tomentosus (PHT), Pelargonium hortorum (PHB), Tagetes patula (TP)] were compared for mitigating the damages caused by O3 (150 ppb for 3 days, 8 h day-1) on snap bean (Phaseolus vulgaris 'Jiangjunyoudou'). Our results showed that O3 fumigation impaired plasma membrane, decreased chlorophyll content, increased contents of malondialdehyde and superoxide anion, inhibited photosynthesis, and caused visible injury. Leaf water extracts of PHT, PHB or TP ameliorated the negative effects of O3. Among them, extract of PHT showed the greatest potential to alleviate the O3-caused injury, followed by PHB and TP.

[The relationship among depression, anxiety, stress and addictive substance use behavior in 5 935 secondary vocational students].

Objective: To investigate the relationship among depression, anxiety, stress and addictive substance use behavior in secondary vocational students. Methods: Cluster sampling method and the Adolescent Health-related Behaviors Questionnaire were used to collect demographic characteristics, psychological symptoms, and addictive substance usage among 5 935 students in nine vocational schools in Chongqing, Zhaoqing, Ningbo, and Taiyuan. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the relationship between the addictive substance use behavior and psychological factors. Results: The detection rates of depression, anxiety and stress were 46.5% (n=2 762), 58.7% (n=3 483), and 29.8% (n= 1 770), respectively. The prevalence of addictive substances was 74.8% (n=4 440), traditional drugs was 0.8% (n=50), new drugs was 2.8% (n=166), other addictive drugs was 4.1% (n=241). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that compared with the normal psychological states of secondary vocational students, the OR value of mild depression tendency alcohol and tobacco use behavior of secondary vocational students was 1.45; the OR values of mild anxiety, moderate anxiety, severe anxiety and very serious anxiety were 1.46, 1.46, 1.71, and 1.83, respectively; the traditional drugs use behaviors were 5.51, and 2.61, respectively, for the severe anxiety and very serious anxiety. Compared with the normal psychological state of secondary vocational students, the OR values of the severe anxiety and very severe anxiety were 2.56, and 2.66, respectively, for severe anxiety and very serious anxiety. Compared with normal psychological status of secondary vocational students, the OR values of mild, moderate, severe, and very severe anxiety were 2.14, 2.47, 2.39, and 3.45, respectively; all P values <0.05. Conclusion: Anxiety and mild depression were risk factors of tobacco and alcohol use in secondary vocational students; severe and above anxiety were the risk factors of drug use in secondary vocational students; anxiety was the risk factor for other addictive drug use in secondary vocational students.

Expression and clinical significance of obesity-associated gene STEAP4 in obese children.

The aim of this study was to investigate the expression and clinical significance of the obesity-associated gene STEAP4 in obese children. Fifty-three obese children and 33 children with a standard body weight (control) from our hospital were recruited to this study. The expression of STEAP4 mRNA and protein in the adipose tissue were detected by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, respectively, in order to analyze the relationship between STEAP4 mRNA and protein levels and blood pressure, blood lipid profile, blood glucose levels, and inflammation in obese children. Obese children showed significantly lower levels of STEAP4 mRNA and protein in the adipose tissue compared to the control subjects (P < 0.05). The obese subjects exhibited significantly higher diastolic blood pressure (DBP), systolic blood pressure (SBP), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), interleukin (IL)-6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α levels, and a significantly lower high-density lipoprotein (HDL) level, compared to the control subjects (P < 0.05). Correlation analysis revealed that STEAP4 expression was negatively correlated with the DBP, SBP, TC, TG, LDL, FPG, IL-6, and TNF-α levels, and was positively correlated with the HDL level (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the expression of STEAP4 was significantly downregulated in the adipose tissue of obese children and was closely related to the blood pressure, blood lipid, blood glucose, and inflammation in these patients; therefore, these results could provide a theoretical basis for the treatment of childhood obesity.

Adipose tissue-derived stem cells promote pancreatic cancer cell proliferation and invasion.

To explore the effects of adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ADSCs) on the proliferation and invasion of pancreatic cancer cells in vitro and the possible mechanism involved, ADSCs were cocultured with pancreatic cancer cells, and a cell counting kit (CCK-8) was used to detect the proliferation of pancreatic cancer cells. ELISA was used to determine the concentration of stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1) in the supernatants. RT-PCR was performed to detect the expression of the chemokine receptor CXCR4 in pancreatic cancer cells and ADSCs. An in vitro invasion assay was used to measure invasion of pancreatic cancer cells. SDF-1 was detected in the supernatants of ADSCs, but not in pancreatic cancer cells. Higher CXCR4 mRNA levels were detected in the pancreatic cancer cell lines compared with ADSCs (109.3 ± 10.7 and 97.6 ± 7.6 vs 18.3 ± 1.7, respectively; P<0.01). In addition, conditioned medium from ADSCs promoted the proliferation and invasion of pancreatic cancer cells, and AMD3100, a CXCR4 antagonist, significantly downregulated these growth-promoting effects. We conclude that ADSCs can promote the proliferation and invasion of pancreatic cancer cells, which may involve the SDF-1/CXCR4 axis.

Adipose tissue-derived stem cells promote pancreatic cancer cell proliferation and invasion

To explore the effects of adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ADSCs) on the proliferation and invasion of pancreatic cancer cells in vitro and the possible mechanism involved, ADSCs were cocultured with pancreatic cancer cells, and a cell counting kit (CCK-8) was used to detect the proliferation of pancreatic cancer cells. ELISA was used to determine the concentration of stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1) in the supernatants. RT-PCR was performed to detect the expression of the chemokine receptor CXCR4 in pancreatic cancer cells and ADSCs. An in vitro invasion assay was used to measure invasion of pancreatic cancer cells. SDF-1 was detected in the supernatants of ADSCs, but not in pancreatic cancer cells. Higher CXCR4 mRNA levels were detected in the pancreatic cancer cell lines compared with ADSCs (109.3±10.7 and 97.6±7.6 vs 18.3±1.7, respectively; P<0.01). In addition, conditioned medium from ADSCs promoted the proliferation and invasion of pancreatic cancer cells, and AMD3100, a CXCR4 antagonist, significantly downregulated these growth-promoting effects. We conclude that ADSCs can promote the proliferation and invasion of pancreatic cancer cells, which may involve the SDF-1/CXCR4 axis.

Left atrial diameter, flow-mediated dilation of brachial artery and target organ damage in Chinese patients with hypertension.

To investigate the relationship between left atrial (LA) size, endothelial dysfunction and different markers of target organ damage (TOD), we measured left atrial diameter (LAD) and endothelial function in hypertensive patients with or without TOD. In this study, 197 patients with hypertension were divided into four groups as follows: no TOD (Group I, n=40), one TOD (Group II, n=76), two TOD (Group III, n=46) and ≥3 TOD (Group IV, n=35). Endothelial function was assessed by endothelium-dependent vasodilatation (flow-mediated dilation, FMD) of the brachial artery. We also assessed serum creatinine, the urinary albumin-creatinine ratio (UACR), the intima-media thickness (IMT) of the common carotid, carotid to femoral pulse wave velocity (cf-PWV) and left ventricular mass index (LVMI). Our results were as follows: LA size was increased in 50.8% of patients and was associated with the number of TOD. LAD was larger in the patient groups with ≥3 TOD as compared with patients with two TOD, one TOD and no TOD. FMD was lower in patients with LAD enlargement. LAD exhibited significant relationships with serum creatinine, UACR, cf-PWV, IMT and LVMI. In stepwise multivariate regression analysis, LVMI (ß=0.37, P<0.001), BMI (ß=0.33, P<0.001), duration of hypertension (ß=0.20, P=0.001) and FMD (ß=-0.17, P=0.006) were the independent predictors of LAD. FMD significantly correlated with LAD (ß=-0.26, P=0.001), male sex (ß=-0.23, P=0.004) and pulse pressure (PP) (ß=-0.16, P<0.05). In conclusions, enlargement of LAD may be an important predictor of endothelial dysfunction and may be considered to be an indicator for evaluating TOD in hypertensive patients.

The impact of iodine excess on thyroid hormone biosynthesis and metabolism in rats.

Thyroid function ultimately depends on appropriate iodine supply to the gland. There is a complex series of checks and balances that the thyroid uses to control the orderly utilization of iodine for hormone synthesis. The aim of our study is to evaluate the mechanism underlying the effect of iodine excess on thyroid hormone metabolism. Based on the successful establishment of animal models of normal-iodine (NI) and different degrees of high-iodine (HI) intake in Wistar rats, the content of monoiodotyrosine (MIT), diiodotyrosine (DIT), T(4), and T(3) in thyroid tissues, the activity of thyroidal type 1 deiodinase (D1) and its (Dio1) mRNA expression level were measured. Results showed that, in the case of iodine excess, the biosynthesis of both MIT and DIT, especially DIT, was increased. There was an obvious tendency of decreasing in MIT/DIT ratio with increased doses of iodine intake. In addition, iodine excess greatly inhibited thyroidal D1 activity and mRNA expression. T(3) was greatly lower in the HI group, while there was no significant difference of T(4) compared with NI group. The T(3)/T(4) ratio was decreased in HI groups, antiparalleled with increased doses of iodine intakes. In conclusion, the increased biosyntheses of DIT relative to MIT and the inhibition of thyroidal Dio1 mRNA expression and D1 activity may be taken as an effective way to protect an organism from impairment caused by too much T(3). These observations provide new insights into the cellular regulation mechanism of thyroid hormones under physiological and pathological conditions.

Attention to the hiding iodine deficiency in pregnant and lactating women after universal salt iodization: A multi-community study in China.

BACKGROUND: Monitoring of iodine nutrition depends chiefly on the urinary iodine concentration in representative samples from the population. International groups have recommended school-age children as a convenient group for surveys, because of their accessibility and young age, but the relevance of this group to others, especially pregnant women, is not well established. OBJECTIVE: The purpose was to compare different approaches to assessing iodine nutrition within communities, especially for pregnant and lactating women. DESIGN: In an urban and a rural site from each of the 11 Chinese provinces, covering a wide geographic and socioeconomic range, we measured the iodine content of household salt and drinking water, the thyroid volume in school children, and the urinary iodine concentration in five population subsets; in some sites we also assessed iodine in breast milk and thyroid size in adult women. RESULTS: The median urinary iodine concentrations for pregnant and lactating women were well below those of the schoolchildren from the same community in most study sites, the difference between medians, at overall level, being about 50 microg/l for the pregnant and 40 microg/l for the lactating, respectively. When ranked by median urinary iodine concentrations at overall level, the order of the groups was: all infants, schoolchildren, women of childbearing age, lactating women and pregnant women in both urban and rural sites. This relative distribution was constant among the study sites. From it, we derived a relationship to predict the median values for other groups, based on the data of schoolchildren. The median iodine content of salt was 30.9 ppm in urban sites and 31.3 ppm in rural sites, respectively, close to the nationally mandated 35 mg/kg. Water had low iodine content (3.7 microg/l) in both urban and rural sites except in a rural site from Tianjin. Ultrasonography showed that 6.5% of 1329 children in urban sites and 5.3% of 1431 children in rural sites had thyroid enlargement. Breast milk had a median iodine content of 135.9 microg/l in the urban and 157.5 microg/l in the rural. The goiter prevalence by palpation was low (2.0%) among all women examined (3367), but higher in pregnant women (2.7%) than in lactating women or other adult women. CONCLUSIONS: An effective iodized salt program has brought iodine sufficiency to most of China, but pregnant women in some areas may still risk deficiency and need further supplements. We suggest other countries and international agencies pay more attention to pregnancy, where iodine deficiency has its worst consequences.

[Effects of the combination of Astragalus membranaceus (Fisch.) Bge. (AM), Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels (TAS), Cyperus rotundus L. (CR), Ligusticum chuangxiong Hort (LC) and Peaonìa veitchii lynch (PV) on the hemorheological changes in "blood stagnating" rats].

The "blood stagnating" rat model was built with adrenaline and cold stimulation. Its hemorrheological character was an increase in the viscosity, thickness and liability to coagulate. The experimental result showed that AM and TAS could decrease the whole blood specific viscosity, but at the same time increase the plasma specific viscosity. The qi-regulating drug CR and two blood-activating drugs LC and PV could improve the hemorrheological changes in "blood stagnating" rats. The combination of qi-regulating drugs and blood-activating drugs had more favorable effect.

[Effects of the combination of Astragalus membranaceus (Fisch.) Bge. (AM), tail of Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels. (TAS), Cyperus rotundus L. (CR), Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort. (LC) and Paeonia veitchii Lynch (PV) on the hemorrheological changes in normal rats].

The results showed that AM and TAS had significant effects of enriching the blood. CR, a Qi-regulating drug, LC and PV, two blood-activating drugs, could improve all hemorrheological indexes, such as the whole blood specific viscosity, the plasma specific viscosity, erythrocyte electrophoresis, etc. The combination of Qi-regulating drug and blood-activating drug displayed more favorable effect. This experiment has provided some pharmacological evidence for the theory of "Qi Xue Xiang Guan" (correlation of vital energy with blood circulation) in traditional Chinese medicine.

Rehepatectomy of primary liver cancer.

From January 1960 to July 1991, 72 patients underwent reoperation for recurrence of liver cancer. Hepatectomy was performed twice in 59 cases, three and four times each in nine and three cases. The 1, 3, and 5-year survival rates after the first operation were 98.6%, 69.9%, and 49.5%, respectively, while after the second operation these rates were 90.8%, 53.5%, and 36.1%, respectively. The 1,2, and 3-year survival rates after the third operation were 100%, 85.6%, and 36.7%, respectively. The preliminary results of rehepatectomy are thus encouraging. The indications for reintervention, types of operation, prophylactic measures against tumor recurrence and metastases, and evaluation of rehepatectomy are discussed.

[Effect of anoxia on the growth of cultured neurons from embryonic chick forebrain].

Pure neurons from embryonic day 8 chick forebrain were cultured under anoxic condition (95% N2 and 5% CO2). After 24, 48 and 72 h in culture, MTT colorimetric microassay showed a reduced production of formazan, indicating that the neurons were seriously damaged. In addition, the glucose of the cultured media was significantly depleted. Even when glucose concentration was increased to 800-1,200 mg/100 ml, anoxia still caused neurons to die. The results indicate that brain neurons in embryo are sensitive to anoxia, and any protective influence of glia on anoxic neurons could not be mediated by supplying the latter with glycogen.

[Effect of trace elements in traditional Chinese medicine in the light of Chinese medicinal theory].

This paper presents a survey of the study on the relationship between trace elements and effect of treatment in traditional Chinese medicine. The authors have made a review in the light of Chinese medicinal theory.

[Comparison of promoting the proliferation and fusion of myoblast between conditioned media from fibroblasts of chick embryo and fetal mouse].

Conditioned media were prepared by using the collected media which had cultured fibroblasts from muscle tissue of fetal mouse (ICR) or chick embryo (Leghorn chicken). The effects of these media on the proliferation and fusion in mouse or chick myoblast were studied quantitatively. The results were as follows: (1) the conditioned medium from fibroblasts of fetal mouse promoted the proliferation of mouse or chick embryonic myoblasts by 2.65 times (P less than 0.001) or 2.35 times (P less than 0.01) as compared with control groups respectively. (2) The conditioned medium from fibroblasts of embryonic chicken promoted the proliferation of chick or mouse embryonic myoblasts by 2.66 times (P less than 0.01) or 2.17 times (P less than 0.01) respectively. (3) The conditioned medium from fibroblasts of fetal mouse enhanced the fused rate of mouse or chick myoblasts by 1.9 or 2.6 times respectively. The conditioned medium from fibroblasts of embryonic chick enhanced the rate of chick myoblast fusion by 2.1 times, but the effect on the mouse myoblast fusion was not remarkable. The results suggest that the effect of fibroblast conditioned media on myoblast proliferation is similar in the two species, but the effect on the fusion of myoblasts is somewhat species-specific.