Effect of the topical application of calcipotriol on the expression levels of zinc finger protein A20 and nuclear factor-κB in the skin lesions of patients with psoriasis vulgaris.

The aim of the present study was to explore the effect of the topical application of calcipotriol on the expression levels of zinc finger protein A20 and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) in the skin lesions of patients with psoriasis vulgaris. The calcipotriol ointment was topically applied twice a day for 6 weeks by 26 patients with psoriasis vulgaris. At the end of weeks 2, 4 and 6 after the first application of calcipotriol ointment, the clinical efficacy and Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) score were compared with those prior to treatment. The expression of zinc finger protein A20 and NF-κB in the skin lesions prior to and following treatment with calcipotriol was measured by immunohistochemical staining and western blotting. At the end of week 6, the clinical effectiveness rate of calcipotriol was higher compared with that at the end of weeks 2 and 4 (χ2=8.12 and 9.06, respectively; P<0.05). The PASI score declined significantly at the end of weeks 2, 4 and 6 (t=9.37, 10.54 and 12.43; P<0.05, 0.05 and 0.001, respectively). At the end of week 6, the expression levels of zinc finger protein A20 and NF-κB were significantly lower compared with those prior to treatment (χ2=3.65 and 4.17, respectively; P<0.01). The expression levels of the two proteins were higher in the skin lesions of patients with psoriasis vulgaris prior to the initiation of treatment than in the skin of a normal control group. Following the 6-week treatment with calcipotriol, the expression levels of the two proteins in the psoriasis skin lesions were significantly lower than they were prior to treatment (P<0.01). Thus, the present study found that in addition to the typical pathway of NF-κB being targeted in the treatment of psoriasis with calcipotriol, the zinc finger protein A20 may also modulate the inflammatory response of psoriasis.

Effect of Wujia Shenghua capsule on uterine bleeding following medically-induced incomplete abortion in rats during early pregnancy.

The Wujia Shenghua capsule (WSC) is derived from Sheng-Hua-Tang, a well-known traditional Chinese medicine compound prescription that has been widely applied during the postpartum period in Chinese communities for a number of years. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of WSC on uterine bleeding following medically-induced incomplete abortion in rats during early pregnancy. Incomplete abortions were induced in Wistar rats during early pregnancy using mifepristone combined with misoprostol. The effects of WSC treatment were investigated in terms of the duration and volume of uterine bleeding, the uterine index and shape, and various hemodynamic indexes. In addition, blood samples were collected to measure the levels of estradiol (E2), fibronectin (FN) and laminin (LM) via a radioimmunoassay or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, while the expression levels of FN, estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) in the uterine tissues were determined by immunohistochemistry. The in vivo results demonstrated that WSC treatment markedly shortened the duration and reduced the volume of uterine bleeding when compared with the model group. Furthermore, WSC treatment significantly elevated the E2 level in the serum and the expression of the ER and PR in the uterine tissues, while notably decreasing the FN and LM levels in the serum and uterine tissues. In addition, the hemodynamic indexes were shown to improve with WSC treatment. These results demonstrated that WSC exerted an inhibitory effect on the bleeding caused by medical abortion, possibly through modulating the E2, ER, PR, FN and LM levels.

Clinical value of black-blood high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging for intracranial atherosclerotic plaques.

The present study evaluated the value of black-blood high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (HRMRI) for the visualization of intracranial atherosclerosis (ICAS) plaques. A total of 110 patients with cerebral artery or vertebrobasilar stenosis, vessel occlusion or a significantly weakened signal in black-blood magnetic resonance angiography (MRA; three-dimensional time-of-flight) were examined. Black-blood MRA was used to observe whether plaques were present in the abnormal vascular walls. Among the 110 patients with cerebral infarction, 16 cases presented with no significant abnormality of the lumen and walls, while plaques were observed in 94 cases. The plaques were categorized according to their signal characteristics, which resulted in the identification of four cases of type I and II plaques, 15 cases of type III, 26 cases of type IV and V, 23 cases of type VI, 11 cases of type VII, 14 cases of type VIII and one case of a mixed plaque. In summary, 3.0 T black-blood HRMRI was demonstrated to objectively exhibit characteristics of various types of ICAS plaques. Therefore, this imaging technique may be applied as a key method for the clinical non-invasive determination of ICAS plaques.

Effects of fentanyl, midazolam and their combination on immune function and mortality in mice with sepsis.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of fentanyl and/or midazolam on the immune function and mortality of septic mice. Mice were randomly divided into sham-operated, model, fentanyl-, midazolam- and combination-treated groups. The body weights and locomotor activities of the mice were measured, prior to and following surgery, and the mortality rates following surgery were recorded and compared among these groups. The organ weights and the corresponding coefficients were measured and calculated. Leukocyte numbers in peritoneal and thoracic cavity lavage fluid were counted, and the serum levels of the inflammation-related cytokines interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-10, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The results demonstrated that the locomotor activities were reduced in septic mice, and medication led to significant declined body weights in these model animals. Importantly, the mortality rates of the septic mice were reduced by fentanyl and/or midazolam, and the histopathological changes were influenced by the medication. Moreover, in the medication-treated groups, the leukocyte numbers in the peritoneal cavity lavage fluid were lower than those in the model group, while the medication slightly increased the numbers of leukocytes in the thoracic cavity lavage fluid. ELISA indicated that the levels of proinflammatory cytokines were reduced by fentanyl and/or midazolam, which may contribute to the beneficial effects of these medications in septic mice. Analgesic and/or sedative drugs could reduce inflammatory responses in septic mice, and immunosedation may have contributed to the improved mortality rates in these models. These results provide a theoretical basis for further clinical studies concerning the treatment of sepsis with these medications.