Distribution of endothelin-1 and endothelin receptors in the brain of ischemia-reperfusion rats / 医学研究生学报

Objective Endothelin-1 (ET-1) is expected to be a new therapeutic target for cerebral ischemic stroke (CIS). The content of plasma is known to increase after stroke, but the changes in the brain remain unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression and distribution of ET-1 and endothelin receptors (ETR) in the brain after CIS in rats and their relationship with related brain injury. Methods We established a model of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO)-reperfusion in 12 male SD rats, 6 with nylon filament inserted through the left internal carotid artery (the ischemia-reperfusion [IR] group) and the other 6 without (the sham operation group). We observed the distribution of ET-1 and ETRs in different regions of the brain by immunohistochemistry. Results Compared with the sham operation group, the IR group showed significantly higher expressions of ET-1 in the cortex (0.107 ± 0.005 vs 0.230 ± 0.019, P < 0.05), caudate putamen (0.110 ± 0.028 vs 0.198 ± 0.008, P < 0.05) and hippocampus (0.101 ± 0.005 vs 0.183 ± 0.002, P < 0.05), ETR-A in the bilateral choroid plexus (0.086 ± 0.009 vs 0.131 ± 0.001, P < 0.05), pial vessels (0.063 ± 0.003 vs 0.132 ± 0.005, P < 0.05) and middle cerebral arteries (0.079 ± 0.003 vs 0.121 ± 0.008, P < 0.05), and ETR-B in the infarcted cortex (0.032 ± 0.003 vs 0.187 ± 0.025, P < 0.05) and hippocampus (0.029 ± 0.002 vs 0.226 ± 0.019, P < 0.05) of the ischemic hemisphere. Conclusion After cerebral IR, ET-1 and ETRs are selectively expressed in different brain regions, and their distribution may be related to IR-induced brain injury.

Strategies of preserving urinary continence in transurethral plasmakinetic enucleation of the prostate for benign prostate hyperplasia / 中华男科学杂志

Objective@#To explore the strategies of preserving urinary continence in transurethral plasmakinetic enucleation of the prostate (PKEP) for benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH).@*METHODS@#We treated 65 BPH patients by PKEP with preservation of urinary continence (UC-PKEP), which involved protection of the external urethral sphincter in the beginning of surgery, proper preservation of the anterior lobe of the prostate to protect the internal urethral sphincter in the middle, and preservation of the integrity of the bladder neck towards the end. We compared the postoperative status of urinary continence of the patients with that of the 54 BPH cases treated by complete plasmakinetic enucleation of the prostate (Com-PKEP).@*RESULTS@#All the operations were performed successfully with the urinary catheters removed at 5 days after surgery. In comparison with Com-PKEP, UC-PKEP achieved evidently lower incidence rates of urinary incontinence at 24 hours (31.49% vs 13.85%, P 0.05), and 3 months (3.70% vs 0%, P >0.05) after catheter removal. Compared with the baseline, the maximum urinary flow rate (Qmax) was significantly improved postoperatively in both the Com-PKEP (［7.43 ± 3.26］ vs ［20.58 ± 3.22］ ml, P <0.05) and the UC-PKEP group (［8.04 ± 2.28］ vs ［20.66 ± 3.08］ ml, P <0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#Transurethral PKEP is a safe and effective method for the management of BPH, during which the strategies of avoiding blunt or sharp damage to the external urethral sphincter in the beginning, properly preserving the anterior lobe of the prostate in the middle and preserving the integrity of the bladder neck towards the end may help to achieve rapid recovery of urinary continence.

Analysis of anti-platelet aggregation components of Rhizoma Zingiberis using chicken thrombocyte extract and high performance liquid chromatography / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>The conventional procedure for screening bioactive components from traditional Chinese medicine is time-consuming, expensive and low efficient. Therefore, some alternative strategies are needed urgently. A novel method for screening anti-platelet aggregation components from oleoresins was developed using chicken thrombocyte extract and high performance liquid chromatography.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The anti-platelet aggregation components of oleoresins were combined with receptors, channels and enzymes of chicken thrombocytes under physiological environment. Unbound substances were washed away and bound compounds were eluted using specific phosphate buffered solution (PBS). Compounds released from target sites were collected and analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography and LC-MS. The activity of three compounds which were screened from this model was confirmed using platelet aggregation pharmacology in vivo.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>There were four typical compounds that bound to the thrombocytes: 6-gingerol, 8-gingerol, 6-shogaol and 10-gingerol, and all had shown anti-platelet aggregation activities. Eight-gingerol displayed the best anti-platelet aggregation effect.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Chicken thrombocyte extract can be used to isolate chemicals that are ligands of the receptor or other bio-targets on the platelet. This may therefore be a simple and efficient method to screen for anti-platelet aggregation compounds from traditional Chinese medicine.</p>

Relation of plasma brain natriuretic peptide to serum creatine kinase MB level in patients with acute myocardial infarction following primary percutaneous coronary intervention / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the relation between plasma brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and serum creatine kinase MB (CK-MB) level in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) following primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Sixty-three consecutive patients with AMI were divided into two groups according to the timing of PCI, namely direct PCI and indirect PCI groups. Plasma BNP levels were measured in all patients on admission and at 4, 24 and 48 h after admission. The CK-MB level was measured every 3 h on the first day of hospitalization, every 6 h on the second day and every 12 h on the third day.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>BNP level increased gradually following admission and began to decrease 48 h after admission in the two groups of patients. The peak BNP level occurred at 24 h after admission, and the BNP levels in patients of indirect PCI group were significantly higher than that of direct PCI group at 4, 24 and 48 h after admission. The peak CK-MB level of the direct PCI group occurred significantly earlier than that of the indirect group.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Plasma BNP level may serve as an important objective indicator for recanalization of the infarct-related arteries following PCI in the early stage of AMI, which can help in the decision on clinical treatment plans for AMI.</p>

Expression of Smad4 and transforming growth factor-beta1, transforming growth factor-beta receptor II in cholangiocarcinoma tissue and its biological significance / 中华外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the expression of Smad4 and transforming growth factor-beta(1) (TGFbeta(1)), transforming growth factor-beta receptor II (TGFbetaRII) in cholangiocarcinoma tissue and its relationship with the biological behaviour and prognosis of the disease.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The expressions of Smad4, TGFbeta(1) and TGFbetaRII were detected by immunohistochemical technique in 47 specimens of cholangiocarcinoma and the normal bile duct tissue adjacent to the tumor. The expressions of Smad4, TGFbeta(1) and TGFbetaRII were compared with the clinical stages and pathological grades of the patients.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The expression of TGFbeta(1) was positive in 36 cholangiocarcinomas (76.6%), which was higher than that in the normal tissue adjacent to the lesion. The positive expressions of Smad4 and TGFbetaRII were 14 (29.8%) and 28 (59.6%) in the carcinoma tissues, respectively (P < 0.05). The expression of TGFbeta(1) was related to the clinical stage, metastasis of lymph node and liver of the tumor (P < 0.05), but not with the histological grade (P > 0.05). There was positive correlation between TGFbetaRII expression and the clinical stage (P < 0.05), but no correlation between the TGFbetaRII expression and histological grade or metastasis of lymph node and liver (P > 0.05). The expression of Smad4 was associated with the histological grade, clinical stage and metastasis of lymph node and liver (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The expressions of Smad4, TGFbeta(1) and TGFbetaRII correlate with the histological grading, clinical staging and metastasis of the lymph node and liver in cholangiocarcinoma. Combined detection of Smad4, TGFbeta(1) and TGFbetaRII may be helpful in the determination of the malignant degree and the prognosis of this disease.</p>