[Experimental study of repairing rabbit femur defect with NPP/C-HA/ rhBMP-2].

PURPOSE: To investigate the osteogenic effect of nano-grade pearl powder(NPP)/chitosan-hyaluronic acid (C-HA)/recombinant human bone morphology protein-2 (rhBMP-2) artificial bone. METHODS: A bone defect model with a diameter of 7 mm and a height of 10 mm was made at the distal end of the femur. NPP/C-HA stent containing rhBMP-2 was prepared according to the shape of the defect. No material was implanted in the defect as blank group. NPP/C-HA was used as the control group, NPP/C-HA/rhBMP-2 was implanted into the experimental group. At 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks, the bone effects of each component were detected by cone-beam CT(CBCT), H-E and Masson staining. Serum ALP activity and OCN in tissues to determine the osteogenic differentiation and osteogenesis maturity were detected. SPSS 18.0 software package was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: At 12 weeks, the defect was completely repaired in the experimental group. No immunological side effects such as inflammation and rejection were observed. At 8 and 12 weeks, CBCT showed that the experimental group had a higher CT value (Hounsfield units, HU) compared with the control group and the blank group(P<0.05). H-E and Masson staining showed that the experimental group had obvious new bone formation compared with the control group and the blank group at 8 weeks and 12 weeks, and ALP activity of the experimental group was significantly different from the control group and the blank group at 8 weeks. OCN immunohistochemical scoring of the experimental group was significantly different from the control group and the blank group(P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: NPP/C-HA/rhBMP-2 has good tissue fusion, osteoinductivity, osteoconductivity and osteogenicity, which is expected to provide more effective treatment for bone repair.

Fascin-1 as a novel diagnostic marker of triple-negative breast cancer.

In some cases of breast cancer, diagnosis of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) requires further fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for determining human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) status. However, few cases undergo FISH in China, leading to difficulty regarding subsequent treatment decisions. Here, we used immunohistochemical analysis to explore expression of fascin-1, an actin-bundling protein, as a diagnostic marker of TNBC. A total of 457 cases of breast cancer were divided into four molecular subtypes, including 82 cases (17.9%) of TNBC, 81 (17.7%) of HER2-enriched, 185 (40.5%) of luminal A, and 109 (23.9%) of luminal B. Positive fascin-1 expression was seen in 144 cases (31.5%), including 77 (16.8%) strong positive cases. Rates of positive and strong positive expression of fascin-1 were significantly higher in cases of TNBC than in the other molecular subtypes. In all cases of breast cancer, the sensitivities and specificities of positive and strong positive fascin-1 expression for predicting TNBC were 87.8% and 80.8%, and 78.0% and 96.5%, respectively. In cases of hormone receptor-negative breast cancer, the sensitivities and specificities of positive and strong positive fascin-1 expression for predicting TNBC were 87.8% and 61.7%, and 78.0% and 92.6%, respectively. In 24 cases with estrogen receptor (ER)-, PR-, and HER2 2 +  equivocal status who underwent FISH, the sensitivity and specificity of strong positive fascin-1 expression for predicting TNBC were 71.4% and 90.0%. These results suggest that strong positive fascin-1 expression can be used as a diagnostic marker of TNBC.

[Effects of bushen zhuyun decoctlon on the reproductive capacity of mice: an experimental research].

OBJECTIVE: To study the effects of Bushen Zhuyun Decoction (BZD) on the reproductive capacity of mice. METHODS: Totally 60 female Kunming mice were randomly divided into the experimental group and the control group. BZD was perfused by gastric tube to mice in the experimental group, twice daily. Meanwhile, mice in the control group were administered with normal saline by gastrogavage. Mice were sacrificed on the 10th day and the 20th day of medication respectively, 15 mice each time in each group. The serum levels of estradiol and progesterone were detected by radioimmunoassay. The morphological changes of uterus and ovary were observed using HE staining. The expressions of leukaemia inhibitory factor (LIF), epidermal growth factor (EGF), and calcitionin (CT) were determined using immunohistochemical assay. RESULTS: Compared with the control group at the same time point, the weights of uterus and ovary increased, the serum levels of estradiol and progestogen increased, the expressions of LIF, CT, and EGF increased in the experimental group on the 10th day and the 20th day of medication (P <0.05, P <0.01). Better results were shown on the 20th day of medication (P <0.05). Histological results showed increased ovarian follicle numbers, increased endometrial gland numbers, endometrial hyperplasia (stratiform arranged), and increased stromal cells in the experimental group, especially on the 20th day of medication. CONCLUSION: BZD could improve the reproductive capacity by advancing the development of generative organs, promoting the secretion of estradiol and progestogen and the follicular growth, and increasing the receptivity of endometrium.

Simultaneous quantification of five major active components in capsules of the traditional Chinese medicine 'Shu-Jin-Zhi-Tong' by high performance liquid chromatography.

A simple and reliable high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method has been developed for the simultaneous quantification of five major bioactive components in 'Shu-Jin-Zhi-Tong' capsules (SJZTC), for the purposes of quality control of this commonly prescribed traditional Chinese medicine. Under the optimum conditions, excellent separation was achieved, and the assay was fully validated in terms of linearity, precision, repeatability, stability and accuracy. The validated method was applied successfully to the determination of the five compounds in SJZTC samples from different production batches. The HPLC method can be used as a valid analytical method to evaluate the intrinsic quality of SJZTC.