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italic>Bupleurum L. (Apiaceae) is an economically important genus, in which many species are of medicinal value. In this study, the complete plastid genomes (plastomes) of B. chinense DC. and B. boissieuanum H. Wolff were sequenced and their characteristics were investigated. Comparative and phylogenetic analyses were conducted with other published Bupleurum plastomes. The complete plastomes of B. chinense and B. boissieuanum were 155 458 and 155 800 bp in length, and both exhibited the typical quadripartite circular structure consisting of a large single copy region (LSC, 85 343 and 85 804 bp), a small single copy region (SSC, 17 495 and 17 410 bp), and a pair of inverted repeat regions (IRa/b, 26 310 and 26 293 bp), respectively. A total of 129 genes, including 84 protein-coding genes, 37 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, and eight ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes were identified from each of the two plastomes. Repeat sequences detected were similar in types and distribution patterns, but the numbers were slightly different. Comparative analyses revealed that the Bupleurum plastomes were highly conserved in length, structure, the guanine and cytosine (GC) content, and gene content and order, both intraspecifically and interspecifically, and no obvious expansion or contraction of the inverted repeat regions occurred. Sequence variation was lower within the same species than among different species, noncoding sequences (including intergenic regions and introns) showed a higher divergence than the protein-coding sequences, and sequences in the LSC and SSC regions were more divergent than those in the IR regions. In addition, 11 sequences with higher nucleotide diversity among species were detected in the LSC and SSC regions. All studied Bupleurum species were inferred forming a monophyletic group with a 100% bootstrap value. Bupleurum chinense and B. boissieuanum were phylogenetically closest to B. commelynoideum and B. falcatum, separately, with all three B. chinense accessions clustered into a distinct clade. These results provide genetic information for further species identification, phylogenetic resolution, and will assist in exploration and utilization of medicinal Bupleurum species.
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Objective To investigate treatment option of inguinal lymph node metastasis after inguinal lymph node dissection in patients with penile cancer.Methods To retrospectively analyze the efficacy and prognostic factors of cisplatin combined with fluorouracil in the concurrent chemoradiotherapy of inguinal lymph node metastasis after penile cancer surgery.Twenty-three patients with inguinal lymph node metastasis after inguinal lymph node dissection for penile squamous cell carcinoma from February 2009 to December 2015 were included.Inguinal lymph node metastasis with squamous cell carcinoma were confirmed by pathology or cytology.Metastatic lymph nodes of each patient were fixed,not less than 2,and greater than 4 cm in diameter.All patients received concurrent chemoradiotherapy with cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil.The response rate was evaluated after radiotherapy.The local control rate,survival time and the prognostic factors were also analyzed.Results The median time of postoperative inguinal lymph node metastasis was 6.1 months,and the recurrence rate of the patients within 16 months after the operation was 95％.The response rate was 65.2％ (15/23).After treatment,the local pain was significantly relieved and 7 cases of local hemorrhage was relieved.The 1-,2-year survival rates were 21.3％ and 5.5％,respectively,with a median survival of 6.3 months (95％ CI:3.4-8.1).And local tumor response rate correlated with radiation dose.Cox multivariate analysis showed that N staging and histological grade were independent prognostic factors for survival after treatment.Conclusions Concurrent chemoradiotherapy is effective for postoperative inguinal lymph node metastasis,especially for the local recurrence with symptoms and for patients who are not suitable for surgical salvage regarding the local tumor control,pain relief and tumor hemorrhage.However,the overall survival rate of the patients who received treatment was still low.Lower extremity edema is the main complication of concurrent chemoradiotherapy.N staging and poor differentiation of the tissue are unfavorable prognostic factors.
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Objective@#To investigate treatment option of inguinal lymph node metastasis after inguinal lymph node dissection in patients with penile cancer.@*Methods@#To retrospectively analyze the efficacy and prognostic factors of cisplatin combined with fluorouracil in the concurrent chemoradiotherapy of inguinal lymph node metastasis after penile cancer surgery. Twenty-three patients with inguinal lymph node metastasis after inguinal lymph node dissection for penile squamous cell carcinoma from February 2009 to December 2015 were included.Inguinal lymph node metastasis with squamous cell carcinoma were confirmed by pathology or cytology. Metastatic lymph nodes of each patient were fixed, not less than 2, and greater than 4 cm in diameter. All patients received concurrent chemoradiotherapy with cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil.The response rate was evaluated after radiotherapy. The local control rate, survival time and the prognostic factors were also analyzed.@*Results@#The median time of postoperative inguinal lymph node metastasis was 6.1 months, and the recurrence rate of the patients within 16 months after the operation was 95%.The response rate was 65.2% (15/23). After treatment, the local pain was significantly relieved and 7 cases of local hemorrhage was relieved. The 1-, 2-year survival rates were 21.3% and 5.5%, respectively, with a median survival of 6.3 months(95% CI: 3.4-8.1). And local tumor response rate correlated with radiation dose. Cox multivariate analysis showed that N staging and histological grade were independent prognostic factors for survival after treatment.@*Conclusions@#Concurrent chemoradiotherapy is effective for postoperative inguinal lymph node metastasis, especially for the local recurrence with symptoms and for patients who are not suitable for surgical salvage regarding the local tumor control, pain relief and tumor hemorrhage. However, the overall survival rate of the patients who received treatment was still low. Lower extremity edema is the main complication of concurrent chemoradiotherapy. N staging and poor differentiation of the tissue are unfavorable prognostic factors.
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Objective To investigate the radiosensitization effect of stattic on the xenograft of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma ( ESCC ) ECA109 cells in nude mouse and explore the underlying mechanisms. Methods Male nude mice inoculated subcutaneously with ECA109 cells were used to examine the radiosensitization effect of stattic in vivo. When average volume of tumors was about 150 mm3 , mice were randomly divided into 4 groups:control group, 25 mg/kg stattic alone group, ionizing radiation (IR) (6 Gy) alone group, and 25 mg/kg stattic plus IR group. During the term of treatment, the volume of tumors was measured every 2 days. On 25 days after treatment, the mice were killed and the expressions of pSTAT3, STAT3, HIF-1α and VEGF in ECA109 xenografts were assessed by Western blot and immunohistochemistry analysis. Results The volume of tumor in nude mice was (705. 1 ± 75. 5) mm3 in stattic plus IR group, which was significantly smaller than that in IR group (113. 5 ± 101. 4) mm3 and stattic alone group(1696.5 ±100.6)mm3(t=4.35, 14.14,P<0.0). The inhibition rate was (66.1 ± 3. 2)％ in stattic plus IR group. The expression levels of pSTAT3, HIF-1α and VEGF were obviously decreased in the stattic plus IR group compared with other groups (t=17. 07, 5. 05, 3. 54, P<0. 05). Conclusions Stattic play a radiosensitization role in the xenograft of esophageal carcinoma in nude mice probably by inhibiting the signaling pathways of pSTAT3, HIF-1α and VEGF.
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<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the antioxidative effect and mechanism of luteolin on rat cardiomyocytes and isolated hearts followed by simulated ischemia/reperfusion (SI/R) injury.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The left ventricular cardiomyocytes and the isolated hearts from adult rats were subjected to SI/R injury. The experiment groups included control, SI/R, luteolin + SI/R (Lut + SI/R), vitamin E (Vit E) + SI/R, and LY294002 + luteolin + SI/R (LY + Lut + SI/R) groups. Cell viability, shortening amplitude, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA), expression levels of Akt, phosphorylated Akt, NOX2 (gp91phox), NOX2 mRNA, mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) and phosphorylated p38MAPK were all measured after 3-h simulated ischemia and 2-h simulated reperfusion procedure in cardiomyocytes. Vit E was used as a standard control. The contractile function of isolated hearts was further observed after they were subjected to 30-min global ischemia and 120-min reperfusion.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Pretreatment with 8-μmol/L luteolin substantially increased cell viability and shortening amplitude, while reducing evidence of oxidative stress-induced damage in the cells. In addition, the expression of NOX2, NOX2 mRNA and phosphorylation of p38MAPK were all downregulated. Furthermore, pretreatment with 40-μmol/L luteolin improved the recovery of myocardial contractile function following SI/R-induced injury, and luteolin markedly increased phosphorylation of Akt. However, all of the above effects were partially inhibited by the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitor, LY294002.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Luteolin prevents SI/R-induced myocardial damage by reducing oxidative stress-induced injury in isolated rat hearts and cardiomyocytes, and the cardioprotection induced by luteolin was partially mediated by the PI3K/Akt pathway.</p>
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Objective To investigate the radiosensitivity of ESCC by signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) inhibitor Stattic,since the radioresistance of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(ESCC) remains an obstacle for the effective radiotherapy of ESCC.Methods ECA109 cell line was exposed to hypoxia and treated with Stattic or radiation,alone or in combination.Cell proliferation,colony formation,apoptosis,and double-stranded DNA breaks (DSBs) were examined.The levels of STAT3,pSTAT3,hypoxiainduciblefactor1α (HIF-1α),and vascular endothelial growthfactor (VEGF) in ESCC cells were detected by Western blot.Results Stattic efficiently inhibited the proliferation of ECA109 cells in time-dependent and dose-dependent fashions with an IC50 of 5.499 μmol/ L.Clonogenic survival assay showed that stattic (1.0 μmol/L) sensitized ECA109 cells to ionizing radiation and its SERDo was 1.20 (in normoxia) or 1.28 (in hypoxia).Under hypoxic condition,stattic combined with IR disrupted the repair of DSBs and increased the apoptosis(t =7.33,P ＜ 0.05) in ESCC cells compared to that of radiation treatment alone.Moreover,Western blot assay showed that stattic inhibited STAT3 activation and downregulated the expression level of pSTAT3 and HIF-1α and VEGF.Conclusions Stattic confers radiosensitivity in ESCC cells in vitro and is a potential adjuvant for the radiotherapy of ESCC in the clinical setting.
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Objective To investigate the radiosensitiation effect of berberine on human nasopharyngeal carcinoma ( NPC) in hypoxia condition and explore the underlying mechanisms. Methods MTT assay, clonogenic assay and flow cytometry were performed to analyze cell proliferation, colony formation and apoptosis, respectively. Male nude mice inoculated subcutaneously with CNE-2 cells were used to examine the radiosensitization effect of berberine in vivo. The expressions of HIF-1α and VEGF were assessed by Western blot. Results Berberine efficiently inhibited the proliferation of CNE-2 cells in time-dependent and dose-dependent fashions with an IC50 of ( 14?9 ± 2?2 ) μmol/L. Clonogenic survival assay showed that berberine ( 5 μmol/L ) sensitized CNE-2 cells to ionizing radiation in hypoxia and its SERD0 was 1?27. Under hypoxic condition, berberine alone (5, 15 μmol/L) could induce apoptosis (t=5?01, 9?02,P<0?05) and it further promoted 8 Gy radiation-induced apoptosis (t =5?31, 9?91,P <0?05). Moreover, berberine significantly delayed the tumor growth in the combination group (berberine +irradiation) compared with the mice received irradiation alone or PBS (t =2?96, 14?52, P <0?05). Immunobloting assay showed that berberine inhibited the upregulation of HIF-1α and VEGF induced by hypoxia in CNE-2 cells. Conclusion Berberine confers radiosensitivity on hypoxic NPC in vitro and in vivo, which is probably associated with the downregulation of HIF-1α and VEGF expressions.
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Ictal semiology is essential for the pre-operative evaluation of candidates for epilepsy surgery. We propose an ictal sign of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) termed tonic-automotor (TA), defi ned as contralateral tonic spasm of upper limb associated with ipsilateral hand automotor seizure and often accompanied ipsilateral head turning. We assessed the occurrence and lateralizing/localizing value of TA in TLE, we analyzed 129 seizures in 41 patients with TLE: 90 seizures in 30 patients with TLE of hippocampal sclerosis (TLE/HS) and 39 seizures in 11 patients with TLE of other lesions (TLE/ non-HS). When compared with unilateral automotor seizure and unilateral tonic spasm, TA occurred more frequently in TLE/HS patients (40% vs 10% and 16.7%). In addition, 24 seizures in 12 patients with TA were observed only in TLE/HS patients and contralateral to the seizure focus based on the side of tonic spasm. However, there was no signifi cant difference in the TLE/HS between dominant side and nondominant side. In addition, TA sign occurred relatively early in the ictal phase. Thus, TA may be a more reliable lateralizing sign of epileptogenic zone and a semiologic marker of TLE/ HS patients.
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<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the pathological changes of pulmonary fibrosis induced by SiO2 in rats and pigs.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The silicosis models in rats and pigs were established by non-exposure method. The pathologic changes in lung tissues of rats and pigs were observed with HE staining under a light microscopy and under a transmission electron microscopy (TEM), the expression of cytokines was detected by immunohistochemistry.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>(1) The main pathologic changes of silicosis models in rats and pigs included: in 7 ∼ 15 days after treatment, silica dusts, dust cells, a lot of macrophages, lung epithelial cells, a few neutrophils, macrophage alveolar inflammation and nodules of stage I were found in alveolar space; in 30 ∼ 90 days after treatment, many nodules of stage I-III or IV with lymphocytes infiltration were observed in respiratory bronchioles, alveoli, interlobular septa, the subpleural and around blood vessels and bronchi. (2) The expression levels of CK protein, SP-A protein, CD68, b-FGF, TNF-α, IL-6, TGF-β1, NFKappa/P50, Kappa/P65 and VEGF reduced with exposure time, but still were higher than those of the control. (3) The shed alveolar type I cells, proliferation of alveolar type II cells or macrophages and activated cellular function induced by silica were observed under TEM.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The development of pulmonary fibrosis in silicosis models corresponded with the process from macrophages alveolar inflammation to pulmonary fibrosis.</p>
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Animals , Female , Male , Rats , Cytokines , Metabolism , Disease Models, Animal , Epithelial Cells , Metabolism , Lung , Cell Biology , Pathology , Macrophages, Alveolar , Metabolism , Neutrophils , Metabolism , Rats, Sprague-Dawley , Silicosis , Pathology , SwineABSTRACT
Objective To evaluate the efficacy of the soft-shell technique with domestic materials during the cataract phacoemulsification. Methods Eighty-two eyes of 76 patients with the mature cataract phacoemulsification were divided into 3 groups randomly, including 28 eyes using the soft-shell technique with sodium tvlose and sodium hyaluronate (the domestic group),and 28 eyes using DuoVisc (Viscoat+ProVisc) (the import group), and 26 eyes using sodium hyaluronate (the common group). Results The average naked vision was 0.50 ± 0.22,0.51 ± 0.27,0.27 ± 0.21 respectively on the first day after operation.There was no signiticant difference between the domestic group and the import group (P＞0.05 ), while the first two groups and the common group had significant difference (P ＜ 0.05). The average naked vision was 0.61 ± 0.17,0.63 ± 0.18,0.58 ± 0.18 respectively 7 days after operation. There was no statistical difference among the three groups (P ＞ 0.05 ). The rate of corneal endothelial cells 1 month after operation was 7.1% in the domestic group,7.0% in the import group and 15.9% in the common group. It was clear that the rate in the domestic group and the import group was much lower than that in the common group. Meanwhile, the difference existed statistically between the two groups and the common group (P ＜ 0.01 ). However, the difference between the domestic group and the import group had no statistical significance. Conclusion The soft-shell technique with domestic materials is as safe and effective as that with the import materials in protecting the corneal endothelial cells during the cataract surgery in patients with the mature cataract.
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Objective To study the function of hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor(HGF/SF) in the (proliferation) of colorectal cancer cells.Methods The expression of c-met,the receptor of HGF,was(detected) in Caco-2 and Colo320 cell lines by Western blot.The activation of p42/p44MAPK and p38MAPK induced by HGF in these two cell lines was observed.Observation of the effect of the inhibitor of p42/p44MAPK(PD98059),p38MAPK(SB203580) on the inhibition of HGF-induced proliferation of Caco-2 and Colo320 cells were made by Using -TdR,MTT assay.Results(1)Both cell lines(expressed) the c-met.(2)HGF activated p42/p44MAPK and p38MAPK,and 20ng/ml HGF treated cells showed maximum activity in both to be within 10min.(p42/p44MAPK,2.28?0.01;p38MAPK,2.25?0.01).(3)HGF was found to significantly increase thymidine incorporation(P