A combined clinicopathologic analysis of 658 urothelial carcinoma cases of urinary bladder / 中国医学科学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the clinicopathological features of patients with urothelial carcinoma of the urinary bladder (UCB), and analyze the association of clinicopathological characteristics with tumor recurrence and progression.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Altogether 658 UCB cases in Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center were collected from January 2006 to December 2010. The histopathologic materials and the clinical records were reviewed. Univariate and multivariate analyses were preformed to detect the association.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The mean age of the patients was 61.97 +/- 12.97 years (range, 20-90 years). Male to female ratio was about 5:1. A total of 517 cases (78.6%) were superficial at the time of diagnosis (stage Ta/T1). The mean follow-up period was 22.36 +/- 24.92 months. Twenty-five patients lacking follow-up information were excluded in calculating recurrence and progression rates, the recurrence rate was about 37.0% (234/633), and progression rate about 6.2% (39/633). Three variables (grade, tumor growth pattern, and pathological stage) were found to be significant risk factors for tumor progression in univariate and multivariate analyses (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Most of the newly diagnosed UCB cases may be superficial diseases. Grade, tumor growth pattern, and pathological stage are associated with tumor progression of UCB.</p>

Butylphthalide improves learning and memory abilities of rats with Alzheimer's disease possibly by enhancing protein disulfide isomerase and inhibiting P53 expressions / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To determine the effect of butylphthalide on the expressions of protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) and P53 in the brain tissue of rats with Alzheimer's disease (AD).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Sixty male adult rats were randomly divided into AD model group, butylphthalide group and control group (n = 20). AD models were established by injecting beta-amyloid protein 1-42 into the hippocampus of rats. Sixty days later, the learning and memory abilities of the rats were evaluated using Y-maze test, and the expressions of PDI and P53 in the brain tissue of the rats were measured by immunohistochemistry.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with the control group, the rats in AD model group exhibited significantly reduced learning and memory abilities, lowered expressions of PDI in the hippocampus and increased expression of P53 in the cortex (P > 0.01). In comparison with the model group, the rats in the butylphthalide group showed significantly increased PDI-positive cells in the hippocampus and decreased expression of P53 in the cortex (P < 0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Butylphthalide improves the learning and memory abilities of rats with experimental AD, the mechanism of which may involve inhibition of P53 expression and enhancement of PDI expression in the brain tissues.</p>

Butyl-p-hydroxybenzoate stimulates cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator Cl- transport / 药学学报

This study is to investigate the activation effect of butyl-p-hydroxybenzoate (Bpb) on cAMP-dependent cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) chloride channel gating. A stably transfected Fischer rat thyroid (FRT) epithelial cell lines co-expressing human CFTR and a green fluorescent protein mutant with ultra-high halide sensitivity (EYFP) were used to measure CFTR-mediated iodide influx rates. Bpb was identified as an effective activator of wild-type CFTR chloride channel, it can correct delta F508-CFTR gating defects but not processing defect. Bpb can't potentiate G551D-CFTR channel gating. The activity was reversible and dose-dependent. The study also provided clues that Bpb activates CFTR chloride channel through a direct binding mechanism. Our study identified Bpb as a novel structure CFTR activator. Bpb may be useful for probing CFTR channel gating mechanisms and as a lead compound to develop pharmacological therapy for CFTR-related disease.