ABSTRACT
Hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 alpha (HNF4α), a member of the nuclear receptor superfamily, has a high expression level in mature hepatocytes. HNF4α can regulate hepatocyte-specific gene expression at a transcriptional level, promote hepatocyte development and differentiation, participate in establishment and maintenance of hepatocyte polarity, and enhance the synthetic, metabolic, and detoxifying functions of the liver. Through inhibiting the activation of hepatic stellate cells, reversing epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and inhibiting the proliferation, invasion, and metastasis of hepatoma cells, HNF4α may be involved in the development and progression of various liver diseases including liver fibrosis, liver cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. This paper elaborates on the biological functions of HNF4α, and summarizes and analyzes the research advances in the mechanisms of action of HNF4α in the pathological process of liver diseases, in order to provide references for further investigation of the potential targeted therapies for liver diseases.
ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the effect of meridian-warming and unblocking acupuncture and moxibustion on the quality of life in patients with osteoporotic vertebral body compression fractures. Method Two hundred and eighty patients meeting the criteria of osteoporotic vertebral body compression fractures were enrolled and randomly allocated to treatment and control groups. The treatment group received meridian-warming and unblocking acupuncture and moxibustion and the control group, complex treatment of Western medicine. The Visual Analogue Scale (0-10 marks) score and the SF-36 score were recorded before and after treatment. The clinical therapeutic effects were evaluated. Result The pain score was decreased, the SF-36 score was increased and the clinical therapeutic effect was improved more in the treatment group than in the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion Meridian-warming and unblocking acupuncture and moxibustion helps to relieve the pain and improve the quality of life in osteoporosis patients.
ABSTRACT
Objective To study the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) in the brain tissue after the brain injury caused by acute organophosphate poisoning,and the interventional effect and mechanism of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy.Methods Sixty healthy male Sprague-Dawley rats randomly divided into a control group (n=6),a poisoning group (n=18),a routine group (n=18) and an HBO group (n=18) according to a random number table.Acute organophosphate poisoning was induced into all rats except those in the control group.The routine group was given penehyclidine hydrochloride and pralidoxime chloride for once,while the HBO group was provided with HBO therapy immediately on the basis of routine treatment.At 1,3 and 7 hours after acute organophosphate poisoning was induced,six rats were sacrificed at each time point and the blood samples were taken from inferior caval vein to measure the content of Malondialdehyde (MDA).The expression of HIF-1α mRNA in the brain tissue was detected by the quantitative real-time PCR,and that of HIF-1 protein was evaluated by immunohistochemical method.Meanwhile,pathologic changes of the brain tissues were observed using hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining.Results Compared with the poisoning group,the pathological damage to cerebral tissues lessened in the HBO group.The expression of HIF-1 protein and HIF-1 mRNA of the poisoning and the HBO groups was significantly higher than the control group at 3 different time points.After the HBO treatment,the protein expression of HIF-1 lowered from 226.57 ± 57.49,to 205.91 ± 30.36 and further to 187.67 ± 29.25,while the MDA content decreased from 7.74 ± 0.14,to 7.40 ± 0.13 and later to 6.10 ±0.08,both were significantly lower than those of the poisoning group at all time points,with HIF-1 being 1305.67 ± 167.17,2667.83 ± 367.79 and 1709.24 ± 199.07,along with MDA content being 9.48 ± 0.05,11.56 ± 0.13 and 12.26 ± 0.14,and those in the routine group at the time points of 1 and 3 hour later (P ＜ 0.05).A positive correlation was found between the expression level of HIF-1 mRNA and level of MDA in the serum (r =0.909,P=0.000).Conclusion HIF-1 plays an important role in the development of brain injury caused by acute organophosphate poisoning.The efficacy of hyperbaric oxygen intervention against AOPP-induced brain injury is better than that of the routine treatment and its mechanism may be its antioxidation and inhibition of HIF-1 expression.