Discussion on Pathogenesis of Major Depressive Disorder from Correlation of "Brain-Heart-Triple Energizer" / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Major depressive disorder （MDD） is an affective disorder characterized by significant and long-lasting depression， hypoactivity， and thinking and cognitive retardation. Some patients may conduct self-hram or suicide and have delusion， hallucination， and other mental symptoms. MDD is believed to be correlated with brain and heart， but there is no complete theory or mechanism fully explaining the pathogenesis of MDD. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） holds that the brain and heart dominate the formation of and change in mind， and MDD falls into the category of mental disease. It is mainly diagnosed as depression， visceral agitation， or Lily disease. Triple energizer is a key zang-fu organ that governs Qi transformation. There has always been some controversy about its anatomical structure. In recent years， important progress has been made in the research on the substantive structure of triple energizer. It is found that the structure and function of triple energizer are highly consistent to those of "mesenchyme"， a fluid space supported by a complex network of collagen fibers and widely distributed throughout the body. Different from known tissues and organs， it is a large organ responsible for information communication， material exchange， and energy metabolism. The triple energizer is partially contained in the structure of brain and heart and connects with the brain and heart， thus forming a "brain-heart-triple energizer" system with close physiological and pathological connections. With the association of "brain-heart-triple energizer" as the basis and Qi transformation as the core link， this paper elucidated the pathogenesis of MD and put forward that MDD resulted from "brain and heart Yang deficiency and Qi depression due to triple energizer obstruction"， so as to improve TCM understanding of the pathogenesis of MDD and perfect the TCM theories of encephalopathy and triple energizer.

Protective effect of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes against the reproductive toxicity of cyclophosphamide is associated with the p38MAPK/ERK and AKT signaling pathways / 亚洲男科学杂志(英文版)

Spermatogenic dysfunction caused by cyclophosphamide (CP) chemotherapy has seriously influenced the life quality of patients. Unfortunately, treatments for CP-induced testicular spermatogenic dysfunction are limited, and the molecular mechanisms are not fully understood. For the first time, here, we explored the effects of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes (BMSC-exos) on CP-induced testicular spermatogenic dysfunction in vitro and in vivo. BMSC-exos could be taken up by spermatogonia (GC1-spg cells). CP-injured GC1-spg cells and BMSC-exos were cocultured at various doses, and then, cell proliferation was measured using 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. In addition, photophosphorylation of extracellular-regulated kinase (ERK), p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38MAPK), and protein kinase B (AKT) proteins was evaluated by western blotting as well as apoptosis in GC1-spg cells measured using flow cytometry. Treatment with BMSC-exos enhanced cell proliferation and reduced apoptosis of CP-injured GCI-spg cells. Phosphorylated levels of ERK, AKT, and p38MAPK proteins were reduced in CP-injured spermatogonia when co-treated with BMSC-exos, indicating that BMSC-exos acted against the reproductive toxicity of CP via the p38MAPK/ERK and AKT signaling pathways. In experiments in vivo, CP-treated rats received BMSC-exos by injection into the tail vein, and testis morphology was compared between treated and control groups. Histology showed that transfusion of BMSC-exos inhibited the pathological changes in CP-injured testes. Thus, BMSC-exos could counteract the reproductive toxicity of CP via the p38MAPK/ERK and AKT signaling pathways. The findings provide a potential treatment for CP-induced male spermatogenic dysfunction using BMSC-exos.

Advances in biosynthesis of indigo in plants / 中国中药杂志

Natural indigo, as one of the oldest dyes, is also a pivotal dye utilized in cotton fabrics today. A diversity of plants rich in indigo compounds belong to traditional Chinese herbal medicines. Indigo compounds have a variety of biological and pharmacological activities, including anticonvulsant, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral and anticancer activities. A substantial progress in indigo biosynthesis has been made lately. This paper summarizes the value of indigo from the aspects of cultural history, biosynthetic pathways and the medicinal activities of its related derivatives involved in the pathways. In addition, the latest research advancements in indigo biosynthetic pathways is demonstrated in this paper, which would lay the theoretical foundation for the exploration and utilization of natural indigo.

Expression of p-AKT and p-mTOR in pediatric Burkitt lymphoma and their correlation with prognosis / 中华病理学杂志

To evaluate the expression of p-AKT and p-mTOR, the key proteins in PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway in pediatric Burkitt lymphoma (BL), and to investigate the clinical and prognostic significance. Fifty-eight cases of pediatric BL and thirty cases of reactive hyperplastic lymphadenitis (RH) were collected at Children's Hospital of Fudan University from September 2011 to July 2018. Paraffin sections of tissues were immune stained for p-AKT and p-mTOR, and the expression was assessed and correlated with the clinical features and prognosis. A total of 58 cases were diagnosed and 6 cases lost the follow-up. Of the remaining 52 BL patients including 43 males and 9 females, the median age was 5 years (range: 2 to 14 years). Regarding to the correlation between the two biomarkers, Spearman test showed that p-mTOR was positively associated with the expression of p-AKT (0.759, 0.001). Of all BL patients, the positive rates of p-AKT and p-mTOR were 62.1% (36/58) and 60.3%(35/58) respectively, both significantly higher than control group (0.011, 0.035 respectively). The presence of p-AKT was significantly associated with higher lactate dehydrogenase (LDH≥573 IU/L) level in patients of the disease (0.006), while p-mTOR was increased both in the higher LDH and lower ratio of albumin to globulin (A/G) group (0.006, 0.034 respectively). Expression of p-AKT and p-mTOR did not show any statistical correlation with sex, age, St.jude stage, tumor size, B-symptom present or not, number of extra-nodal sites or international prognostic index (IPI) (0.05). Fifty-two patients had a median follow-up of 40 months (range: 5-87 months). Univariate analysis showed that p-AKT expression was significant in predicting both inferior OS (5-year estimate, 72.7% . 94.7%, (2)=4.123, 0.042) and PFS (5-year estimate, 66.7% . 94.7%, (2)=5.822, 0.016). The 5-year OS rate was 71.0% (22/31) for the p-mTOR positive cohort of patients compared to 95.2% (17/21) for p-mTOR negative group ((2)=4.881, 0.027); however, there was no statistical significance in 5-year PFS rate (0.05). Especially, the 5-year OS and PFS rate of p-AKT/p-mTOR double-positive group were significantly lower than negative control group (including absence of single p-AKT or p-mTOR expression, and absence of both) (OS: 69.0% . 95.7%, (2)=6.285, 0.012; PFS: 65.5% . 91.3%, (2)=5.405, 0.020). The results of multivariate COX proportional risk regression analysis indicated that p-AKT/p-mTOR double-positive, higher LDH and IPI score 3-5 were independent prognostic factors for both OS and PFS, and the bulky tumor (>10 cm) for PFS of pediatric BL. The expression of p-AKT and p-mTOR may be a potential reference for diagnosis and the independent prognostic indicators of pediatric BL.

Clinical application of minimal residual disease detection in childhood acute leukemia / 中国当代儿科杂志

In recent years, great progress has been made in the treatment outcome of childhood acute leukemia with the improvement of chemotherapy regimens and the introduction of risk-stratified therapy; however, minimal residual disease (MRD) is still a difficult problem which affects the prognosis of acute leukemia. MRD influences the selection of chemotherapy regimens and recurrence risk stratification, and meanwhile, it can be used for prognostic prediction. At present, flow cytometry and polymerase chain reaction are mainly used for MRD detection. The next-generation sequencing also plays an important role in MRD detection, especially in MRD detection after stem cell transplantation. This article reviews the methodology and significance of MRD detection in childhood acute leukemia.

Changes of retinal circulation time before and after panretinal laser photocoagulation in patients with diabetic retinopathy / 眼科新进展

Objective To observe the changes of preoperative and postoperative retinal circulation time in partretinal laser photocoagulation (PRP) in patients with diabetic retinopathy (DR).Methods Together 16 patients (16 eyes) were collected as the subjects in this study,who was diagnosed as severe non-proliferative and proliferative DR by fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA) examination and had PRP indications for undergoing pan-retinal laser photocoagulation.Then retinal arterial and venous cir culation time in all patients was recorded using FFA before and 1 to 3 months after treatment.Meanwhile,it was necessary to observe the following variables,including the developing duration and complete filling time of the four branches of the retinal artery,as well as the duration of the laminar flow and complete filling time of the four branches of the venous artery,followed by calculating mean transition time of retinal artery,retinal capillary,retinal vein,retinal arteriovenous flow for comparison and analysis of changes in transit time of retina in different time-periods before and after treatment.Results The mean transition time of the retinal capillary in patient was (1.58 ± 0.99) s before treatment and (2.19 + 1.23)s after treatment,and the difference was statistically significant(P =0.011),but there was no significant difference in the mean transition time of the retinal artery,retinal vein and arteriovenous flow (all P ＞ 0.05).Conclusion The transit time of the retinal capillary at 1 to 3 months after PRP is significantly longer than that before treatment.

Changes of retinal circulation time before and after panretinal laser photocoagulation in patients with diabetic retinopathy / 眼科新进展

Objective To observe the changes of preoperative and postoperative retinal circulation time in partretinal laser photocoagulation (PRP) in patients with diabetic retinopathy (DR).Methods Together 16 patients (16 eyes) were collected as the subjects in this study,who was diagnosed as severe non-proliferative and proliferative DR by fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA) examination and had PRP indications for undergoing pan-retinal laser photocoagulation.Then retinal arterial and venous cir culation time in all patients was recorded using FFA before and 1 to 3 months after treatment.Meanwhile,it was necessary to observe the following variables,including the developing duration and complete filling time of the four branches of the retinal artery,as well as the duration of the laminar flow and complete filling time of the four branches of the venous artery,followed by calculating mean transition time of retinal artery,retinal capillary,retinal vein,retinal arteriovenous flow for comparison and analysis of changes in transit time of retina in different time-periods before and after treatment.Results The mean transition time of the retinal capillary in patient was (1.58 ± 0.99) s before treatment and (2.19 + 1.23)s after treatment,and the difference was statistically significant(P =0.011),but there was no significant difference in the mean transition time of the retinal artery,retinal vein and arteriovenous flow (all P ＞ 0.05).Conclusion The transit time of the retinal capillary at 1 to 3 months after PRP is significantly longer than that before treatment.

Measles Outbreak in Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Patients in Shanghai, 2015 / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Despite substantial progress toward measles control are making in China, measles outbreaks in immunocompromised population still pose a challenge to interrupt endemic transmission. This study aimed to investigate the features of measles in pediatric hematology and oncology patients and explore the reasons behind the outbreak.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We collected demographic, epidemiological, and clinical data of immunocompromised measles children. All suspected measles cases were laboratory-confirmed based on the presence of measles IgM and/or identification of measles RNA. The clinical data were statistically analyzed by t-test for continuous variables and Fisher's exact test for categorical variables.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>From March 9 to July 25 in 2015, a total of 23 children with malignancies and post hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (post-HSCT) were notified to develop measles in Shanghai. Of these 23 patients with the median age of 5.5 years (range: 11 months-14 years), 20 (87.0%) had received 1-3 doses of measles vaccine previously; all patients had fever with the median fever duration of 8 days; 21 (91.3%) had cough; 18 (78.3%) had rash; 13 (56.5%) had Koplik's spot; 13 (56.5%) had complications including pneumonia and acute liver failure; and five (21.7%) vaccinated patients died from severe pneumonia or acute liver failure. Except the first patient, all patients had hospital visits within 7-21 days before measles onset and 20 patients were likely to be exposed to each other.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The outcome of measles outbreak in previously vaccinated oncology and post-HSCT pediatric patients during chemotherapy and immunosuppressant medication was severe. Complete loss of protective immunity induced by measles vaccine during chemotherapy was the potential reason. Improved infection control practice was critical for the prevention of measles in malignancy patients and transplant recipients.</p>

Preparation and characterization of salvianolic acids-tanshinones composite powder for inhalation via co-micronized method / 中国中药杂志

Salvianolic acids and tanshinones are main hydrophilic and lipophilic extracts from Salvia Miltiorrhiza with significant anti-pulmonary fibrosis effects. The aim of this study was to prepare a co-micronized salvianolic acids-tanshinones composite powder for inhalation using a planetary ball mill. The micronization process parameters were optimized by central composite design (CCD) and response surface methodology (RSM). Treatment time, rotation speed and the ball/sample weight ratio were selected as the independent variables, and the volume fraction of particle size in 1-5 μm was taken as the dependent variable. The powder properties were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), laser diffraction and X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD). The powder flow and hygroscopicity were determined with repose angle, compressibility index and critical relative humidity(CRH). According to the results, the salvianolic acids-tanshinones composite powder produced in optimal conditions had a narrow and unimodal particle size distribution and a smaller D₅₀ of 2.33 μm. The volume fraction of particle size in 1-5 μm was 80.82%. The repose angle was (50.60±1.13) °, and the critical relative humidity is about 77%. After being micronized, the particle size significantly reduced, and the number of amorphous substances slightly increased, with no significant changes in powder flow and hygroscopicity. These findings indicate that the grinding method with a planetary ball mill can be used to co-micronize various components with different properties and prepare composite drug powders for dry powder inhalation.

Cytogenetic characteristics of 163 children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia / 中国实验血液学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To further understand the cytogenetic characteristics of pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Cytogenetic abnormalities of 163 children with newly diagnosed ALL (0-17 years of age) were evaluated by conventional cytogenetic analysis and fluorescent in situ hybridization findings.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Chromosome abnormalities were detected in 87.7% of patients (143/163). The ploidy levels most frequently observed among ALL patients were high hyperdiploidy (51-67 chromosomes) (45 cases, 27.6%), Chromosomes X and 21 were gained in 100% of these cases. The most common genetic alterations were t(12;21)/ETV6/RUNX1 (26 cases, 16.0%), followed by t(1;19)/TCF3/PBX1 (13 patients, 8.0%), t(4;11)/MLL rearrangement and t(8;14) IGH/MYC (6 cases, 3.7%), t(9;22)/BCR/ABL(2 cases, 1.2%), and iAMP21 (1 patient, 0.6%). The no-classical structural abnormalities included dup(1q) in 20.2%, del(6q) and del(9p) in 10.4%, del(12p) in 12.9% and del(13q) in 5.5%. The incidences of t(12;21), t(1;19), t(9;22) and high hyperdiploidy were consistent with reports in Western children (P>0.25). The incidence of (9;22) seemed to be much lower in our study than that in Korea (1.5% vs 9.5%, P<0.005).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Cytogenetic findings of childhood ALL patients are similar to that of Western countries, it seems no more adverse risk factors.</p>

Research advances in the role of JAK2 mutations in acute leukemia / 中国当代儿科杂志

The Janus kinase -signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK-STAT) pathway plays pivotal roles in the regulation of cell proliferation, differentiation, migration and apoptosis, which is closely related with the development of hematopoietic cells and some hematological diseases. As an important signaling axis in JAK-STAT pathway, abnormally activated JAK2-STAT signaling is involved in the development of the hematological malignancies. JAK2V617F mutation is the important molecular pathogenesis of myeloproliferative disorders. Recent studies have demonstrated that JAK2 mutations are present in different acute leukemia subtypes and the frequency of mutations is different and that JAK2 mutations might be closely correlated with acute leukemia formation, treatment and prognosis. The pathogenic mechanism of JAK2 mutations has not been completely elucidated. JAK2 mutations might lead to JAK-STAT overactivation, resulting in the excessive proliferation, apoptosis resistance and differentiation blocking of blood cells. JAK2 inhibitors have been rapidly developed as targeted therapies for hematological disorders with JAK2 mutations. This article mainly focuses on recent studies about the role of JAK2 mutations in the pathogenesis, clinical characteristics and targeted therapies of acute leukemia.

Long-term stimulation of areca nut components results in increased chemoresistance through elevated autophagic activity.

BACKGROUND: We previously demonstrated the autophagy-inducing activity in the crude extract of areca nut (ANE) and its 30-100 kDa fraction (ANE 30-100 K). This study aimed to analyze whether chronic ANE and ANE 30-100 K stimulations lead to higher stress resistance and autophagic activity in oral cells, and whether the resulting autophagic status in stimulated cells correlates with stress resistance. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Malignant cells from the mouth oral epidermoid carcinoma Meng-1 (OECM-1) and blood (Jurkat T) origins were stimulated with non-cytotoxic ANE and ANE 30-100 K for 3 months. Sensitivity to anticancer drugs of and autophagy status in stimulated cells, analyzed respectively by XTT assay and calculating microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3-II LC3-II/ß-actin ratios from Western blot, were compared to non-treated cells. Autophagy inhibitors, 3-methyladenine (3-MA) and chloroquine (CQ), were used to assess whether autophagy inhibition interferes the altered chemoresistance. RESULTS: Areca nut extract-stimulated (ANE-s) and ANE 30-100 K-stimulated (30-100 K-s) OECM-1 and Jurkat T cells generally exhibited higher cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) resistances, compared to non-stimulated cells. Most stimulated cells expressed significantly higher levels of LC3-II and Atg4B proteins. Interestingly, these cells also showed stronger tolerances against hypoxia environment and expressed higher LC3-II levels under glucose-deprived and hypoxia conditions. Finally, both 3-MA and CQ alleviated, albeit to different degrees, the increased chemoresistance in ANE-s and/or 30-100 K-s cells. CONCLUSIONS: Chronic stimulations of ANE or ANE 30-100 K may increase tolerance of oral cancer and leukemia T cells to anticancer drugs, as well as to glucose deprivation and hypoxia conditions, and cause an elevation of autophagy activity responsible for increased drug resistance.

Optimization and characterization of curcumin-piperine dual drug loaded self-microemulsifying drug delivery system by simplex lattice design / 中国中药杂志

The objective of the study was to prepare and evaluate the quality of curcumin-piperinedual drug loaded self-microemulsifying drug delivery system(Cur-PIP-SMEDDS). Simplex lattice design was constructed using optimal oil phase, surfactant and co-surfactant concentration as independent variables, and the curcumin and piperine were used as model drugs to optimize Cur-PIP-SMEDDS formulation. In the present study, the drug loadings of curcumin and piperine, mean particle size of Cur-PIP-SMEDDS were made as indicators, and the experiment design, model building and response surface analysis were established using Design Expert 8. 06 software to optimize and verify the composition of SMEDDS formulation. The quality of Cur-PIP-SMEDDS was evaluated by observing the appearance status, transmission electron microscope micrographs and determining particle diameter, electric potential, drug entrapment efficiency and drug loading of it. As a result, the optimal formulation of SMEDDS was CapryoL 90-Cremophor RH40-TranscutoL HP (10:60:30). The appearance of Cur-PIP-SMEDDS remained clarified and transparent, and the microemulsion droplets appeared spherical without aggregation with uniform particle size distribution. The mean size of microemulsion droplet formed from Cur-PIP-SMEDDS was 15.33 nm, the drug loading of SMEDDS for Cur and PIP were 40.90 mg · g(-1) and 0.97 mg · g(-1), respectively, the drug entrapment efficiency were 94.98% and 90.96%, respectively. The results show that Cur-PIP-SMEDDS can increase the solubility and stability of curcumin significantly, in the expectation of enhancing the bioavailability of it. Taken together, these findings can provide the reference to a preferable choice of the Cur formulation and contribute to therapeutic application in clinical research.

Comparison of the efficacy of CCCG-97 and BFM-90 protocols in the treatment for children with mature B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of the CCCG-97 and BFM-90 protocols in the treatment of pediatric patients with B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (B-NHL) retrospectively, and to explore the optimal therapeutic strategy.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Forty-five consecutive untreated patients (age of 18 years or less) with newly diagnosed B-NHL (including Burkitt Lymphoma and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma), treated in our hospital between July 1999 and December 2008 were enrolled in this study. The patients were classified into 2 groups by different protocols. From July 1999 to December 2004, twenty-one 3- to 13.8-year-old children were enrolled in the CCCG-97 group, with 1 in stage I/II, and 20 in stage III/IV(St Jude staging). From January 2005 to December 2008, twenty-four 2.8- to 14.1-year-old cases were enrolled in the BFM-90 group, with 3 in stage I/II, and 21 in stage III/IV (St Jude staging). The survival rates were evaluated by Kaplan-Meier analysis.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Forty of the 45 patients (88.9%) reached complete response (CR) after 2 courses of chemotherapy. In the CCCG-97 group, the CR rate was 95.2% (20/21 pts), while that in the BFM-90 group was 83.3% (20/24 pts). At a median follow-up time of 62 (17 to 131) months, the 5-year event-free survival (EFS) was 71.8% for all patients, and 69.1% for Stage III/IV, respectively. In the CCCG-97 group, the 3-year EFS was 76.2%. In the BFM-90 group, it was 75.0%. There was no significant difference in survival rates between the CCCG-97 and BFM-90 groups (P=0.975). Unfavorable events recorded were as follows: Death of progression before achieving CR during induction therapy in 4 cases, and relapse after achieving CR in 6 cases. The relapse rates were 19.0% (4/21 pts) in the CCCG-97 group and 8.3% (2/24 pts) in the BFM-90 group, with a non-significant statistical difference (P=0.292). Major toxicities were myelosuppression and mucositis, especially in the BFM-90 group, but were tolerable and manageable. five patients in the BFM-90 group received rituximab, 2 patients (Stage III) achieved CR, while the other 3 patients (Stage IV) had progressive disease or relapse.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Short-pulse and intensive chemotherapy, stratified according to stage of disease, can improve the survival rate of pediatric mature B-NHL. The efficacy of the CCCG-97 protocol and BFM-90 protocol is comparable and the toxicity is tolerable.</p>

Autophagy induction by the 30-100kDa fraction of areca nut in both normal and malignant cells through reactive oxygen species.

Areca nut (AN) is an addictive carcinogen used by about 200-600 million people worldwide. Some AN components are shown to induce apoptosis; however, we previously demonstrated that AN extract (ANE) and the 30-100kDa fraction of ANE (ANE 30-100K) induced autophagy-like responses, such as swollen cell morphology, empty cytoplasm, acidic vesicles, and LC3-II accumulation, in an oral cancer cell line, OECM-1. To further assess the responses of other cell types to ANE 30-100K, we used both normal and malignant cells as the targets of ANE 30-100K and found that normal oral fibroblasts (CMT415), peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs), Jurkat leukemia T cells, and esophageal carcinoma cells (CE81T/VGH) exhibited similar responses after ANE 30-100K challenge. ANE 30-100K drastically increased acidic vesicle-containing PBLs isolated from two independent donors (from 0.1% to 92.1% and 2.9% to 64.2%). Furthermore, both ANE- and ANE 30-100K-induced LC3-II accumulation in CMT415 and CE81T/VGH was further increased in the presence of the lysosomal protease inhibitors (pepstatin A, E64d, and leupeptin). On the other hand, ANE 30-100K also increased the level of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), and the ROS scavengers, N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and Tiron, inhibited ANE 30-100K-induced cell death and LC3-II accumulation. Collectively, these results suggest the existence of an autophagy-inducing AN ingredient (AIAI) in ANE 30-100K, which renders ANE as an autophagic flux inducer through ROS in both normal and malignant cells.

Expression and clinical significance of Ezrin and E-cadherin in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma / 癌症

<p><b>BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE</b>It has been proven that Ezrin protein may interact with E-cadherin protein and take part in metastasis of tumor cells. This study was to investigate the expressions of Ezrin and E-cadherin in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and their relationship with the clinicopathologic factors, and analyze their diagnostic values for ESCC.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The expression of Ezrin and E-cadherin in 72 specimen of ESCC and the paracancer normal squamous epithelium was detected using tissue array with SP immunohistochemistry. Their correlations to the clinicopathologic factors were analyzed statistically.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The positive rate of Ezrin was significantly higher in ESCC than in para-cancer normal squamous epithelium (90.7% vs. 46.0%, P < 0.001); the positive rate of E-cadherin was significantly lower in ESCC than in para-cancer normal squamous epithelium (27.6% vs. 97.4%, P < 0.001). Ezrin expression was related to the invasiveness and lymph node metastasis of ESCC (P < 0.05); E-cadherin expression was related to the differentiation and lymph node metastasis of ESCC (P < 0.05). The high expression of Ezrin was related to the low expression of E-cadherin (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The activation of Ezrin and the absence of E-cadherin contribute to the tumorigenesis and metastasis of ESCC.</p>

Effect of temperature, chloride ions and sulfide ions on the electrochemical properties of 316L stainless steel in simulated cooling water / 药物分析学报

The influence of temperature, chloride ions and sulfide ions on the anticorrosion behavior of 316L stainless steel in simulated cooling water was studied by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and anodic polarization curves. The results show that the film resistance increases with the solution temperature but decreases after 8 days' immersion, which indicates that the film formed at higher temperature has inferior anticorrosion behavior; Chloride ions and sulfide ions have remarkable effects on the electrochemical property of 316L stainless steel in simulated cooling water and the pitting potential declines with the concentration of chloride ions; the passivation current has no obvious effect; the rise of the concentration of sulfide ions obviously increases the passivation current, but the pitting potential changes little, which indicates that the two types of ions may have different effects on destructing passive film of stainless steel. The critical concentration of chloride ions causing anodic potential curve's change in simulated cooling water is 250 mg/L for 316 L stainless. The effect of sulfide ions on the corrosion resistance behavior of stainless steel is increasing the passivation current density Ip. The addition of 6mg/L sulfide ions to the solution makes Ip of 316 L increase by 0.5 times.

Relationship between tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin-6 and erythropoietin in children's with chronic anemia and influence of recombinant human tumor necrosis factor alpha on erythropoietin gene expression / 中华儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>The anemia of chronic disease (ACD) is usually defined as mild to moderate anemia occurring during the chronic infection, inflammation, neoplasm or trauma. It is the most common anemia among in-hospital adults. The insufficient endogenous erythropoietin (EPO) production is probably one of the pathogenic mechanisms of ACD. Inflammatory cytokines play an important role in the ACD pathogenesis. But nowadays there are few published papers on the childhood ACD in the world. This study aimed to detect the EPO levels in children's ACD, to explore the relationship between EPO and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) and, to evaluate the effect of recombinant human TNF alpha (rhTNF-alpha) on EPO gene expression.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Sixty children were divided into ACD group (20 children), non-anemia (NA) group (19 children) and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) group (21 children) according to clinical diagnosis. Serum TNF alpha and IL-6 levels were detected with ELISA method. The EPO level was detected by chemical immulite method. The effect of rhTNF alpha on the expression of EPO gene was studied by culturing Hep G2 cell line and RT-PCR method.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Serum EPO levels were different among the 3 groups (F = 44.68, P < 0.01). Serum EPO levels in ACD group were higher than those in NA group, while the hemoglobin levels were similar between the two groups. Serum EPO levels in ACD patients were lower than those in IDA patients. Serum TNF alpha levels were different among the 3 groups (F = 25.15, P < 0.01), and serum IL-6 levels were also different among the 3 groups (F = 13.16, P < 0.01). Serum TNF alpha and IL-6 levels in ACD group were higher than those in NA group. In ACD group, serum levels of both TNF alpha and IL-6 were not correlated to the serum level of EPO (r = -0.35, P > 0.05 and r = -0.05, P > 0.05, respectively). In vitro, rhTNF alpha inhibited the expression of EPO mRNA in hypoxia, and the inhibitory effects became stronger with the increase of rhTNF alpha (F = 64.20, P < 0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>EPO levels increased incompensatively in ACD children, which may be a cause of ACD. TNF alpha may cause anemia by inhibiting EPO production.</p>

The expression and its clinical significance of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor receptor in acute myelocytic leukemia / 中国实用内科杂志

Objective To investigate the expression of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor receptor(G-CSFR,CD114)in acute myelocytic leukemia(AML)bone marrow CD34+cells and evaluate G-CSF's secutiy of applying to the patients of AML after chemotherapy.Methods From March 2008 to January 2009,62 AML patients[33 deno-vo or relapsed AML patients,29 AML patients in complete remission(CR)]and 16 normal controls in the General Hospital,Tianjin Medical University were detected for the expression of G-CSFR in CD34+cells by Fluorescence-activated cell sorer(FCM)and Semi-quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR).Results The ratio of CD114+CD34+/CD34+ in the deno-vo or relapsed group,CR group and the control group were(11.69?2.91)%,(31.84?8.62)%,(32.87?8.44)% respectively(P0.05),G-CSFR mRNA expression in BMNNCs of the deno-vo or relapsed group,CR group and the control group were(30.52?6.21)%,(85.13?21.25)%,(91.57?18.64)% respectively(P0.05).13 AML patients were followed up.The ratio of CD114+CD34+/CD34+ before treatment and in CR were(12.58?2.00)% and (30.13?7.09)% respectively.The ratio before treatment was lower than that in CR(P