Expression of CLAUDIN-11 in the testicular tissue of the patient with non-obstructive azoospermia and its clinical significance / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>Objective</b>To study the expression of CLAUDIN-11 in the testis tissue of non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) patients with different severities and investigate its clinical significance.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Sixty-two NOA patients were divided into a hypospermatogenesis (HS) group (n = 30) and a Sertoli cell only syndrome (SCO) group (n =32). The expression of CLAUDIN-11 in the testicular tissue of the patients was detected by immunohistochemistry, that of CLAUDIN-11 mRNA determined by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), and the levels of serum reproductive hormones measured by chemiluminescent immunoassay.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Immunohistochemistry showed that the expression of CLAUDIN-11 was mainly in the cytoplasm of the Sertoli cells around the seminiferous tubule wall in the HS group, but diffusely distributed in the membrane of the Sertoli cells in the SCO group. RT-qPCR revealed a significantly lower expression of CLAUDIN-11 mRNA in the HS than in the SCO group (0.008 ± 0.001 vs 0.013 ± 0.002, t = 10.616, P<0.01). The level of serum luteotropic hormone (LH) was also markedly lower in the HS than in the SCO group (［3.62 ± 1.34］ vs ［4.96 ± 3.10］ IU/L, P<0.05) and so was that of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) (［5.36 ± 2.80］ vs ［10.65 ± 9.18］ IU/L, P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The up-regulated expression of CLAUDIN-11 in Sertoli cells may play an important role in the development and progression of spermatogenic dysfunction in NOA patients.</p>

Wuling san ameliorates urate under-excretion and renal dysfunction in hyperuricemic mice / 中国天然药物

AIM@#The present study was undertaken to characterize the effects of Wuling San on urate excretion and renal function, and explore its possible mechanisms of action in hyperuricemic mice.@*METHODS@#Mice were administered with 250 mg·kg(-1) potassium oxonate by gavage once daily (10 animals/group) for seven consecutive days to develop a hyperuricemia model. Different doses of Wuling powder were orally initiated on the day 1 h after oxonate was given, separately. Allopurinol was used as a positive control. Serum and urine levels of uric acid and creatinine, and fractional excretion of uric acid (FEUA) were measured in hyperuricemic mice treated with Wuling San and allopurinol. Simultaneously, renal mRNA and protein levels of urate transporter 1 (mURAT1), glucose transporter 9 (mGLUT9), organic anion transporter 1 (mOAT1), as well as organic cation/carnitine transporters mOCT1, mOCT2 and mOCTN2, were assayed by semi-quantitative RT-PCR and Western blot methods, respectively.@*RESULTS AND CONCLUSION@#Compared to the hyperuricemia control group, Wuling San significantly reduced serum uric acid and creatinine levels, increased 24 h urate and creatinine excretion, and FEUA in hyperuricemic mice, exhibiting its ability to enhance urate excretion and improve kidney function. Wuling San was found to down-regulate mRNA and protein levels of mURAT1 and mGLUT9, as well as up-regulate mOAT1 in the kidney of hyperuricemic mice. Moreover, Wuling San up-regulated renal mRNA and protein levels of mOCT1, mOCT2 and mOCTN2, leading to kidney protection in this model.

Reduced intensity conditioning regimen for related and unrelated allogeneic peripheral blood hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in chronic myeloid leukemia / 中华血液学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the overall efficacy and transplant-related mortality (TRM) of related and unrelated allogeneic peripheral blood hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-PBSCT) in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients conditioned with fludarabine-busulfan (FB) reduced intensity regimen.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Forty-four patients received FB (Flud 30 mgxm(-2)xd(-1) x 5 d, BU 4 mgxkg(-1)xd(-1) x 3 d) conditioning followed by allo-PBSCT. Of them, 29 patients were transplanted with related donor and 15 unrelated donor (URD). All patients received mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), CsA and MTX for acute GVHD (aGVHD) prophylaxis. 5 mg/kg rabbit-antithymocyte globulin (ATG-Fresenius) was incorporated in 15 URD recipients.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>All patients were successfully engrafted. The median times to ANC above 0.5 x 10(9)/L in related (RG) and unrelated groups (URG) were 13.7 (9 - 18) d and 13.6 (12 - 17) d, and PLT above 20 x 10(9)/L were 15.3 (9 - 20) d and 14.7 (10 - 26) d, respectively. Two patients in RG. 1 in URG developed graft rejection 5 - 8 months after transplantation. One of the two patients in RG received second transplantation and engrafted. The cumulative incidence of aGVHD and cGVHD were 13.8% (4/29) and 46.4% (13/28) in RG, and were 33.3% (5/15) and 57.1% (8/14) in URG respectively. Two patients in RG relapsed after transplantation, and obtained CR again after donor stem cell infusion (DSI). Median time of follow-up was 34.7 (2 - 73) months. Thirty-four patients were alive and 10 died. The main causes of death were IP, GVHD, graft rejection and infection. The 5-year overall survival (OS) probability was 77.0%, and the disease-free-survival (DFS) was 73.9%, of which, 79.0% and 74.1% were in RG, and 73.3% and 73.3% in URG, respectively.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Fludarabine-busulfan based reduced intensity conditioning for allo-PBSCT with either related or unrelated donors is a safe, less toxic and curative approach to CML.</p>

New 3D amino acid structure descriptors and its application to the polypeptide QSAR / 药学学报

<p><b>AIM</b>To establish a new amino acid structure descriptor that can be applied to polypeptide QSAR studies.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The new amino acid structure descriptor c-scales were derived from a principal components analysis of 167 amino acid structure descriptor indexes by theoretic calculation. The c1,c2,c3-scales were related to 3D structural features of amino acid such as steric, electronic and conformation properties etc. G/PLS regression method was used to find out the relationship between the c-scales and the biological activity and developed QSAR models of the polypeptides.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Using the established method, we developed accordingly QSAR models of Bitter tasting dipeptide, ACE inhibitors and bradykinin-potentiating pentapeptides and their r2 and XV-r2 were more than 0.70.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The c-scales can quantitatively describe the 3D structural features of any coded and non-coded amino acid and can be used to establish a QSAR model of good predictability.</p>

A continuous-monitoring procedure of alkaline phosphatase activity with p-acetylphenylphosphace as substrate / 中华检验医学杂志

Objective To establish a new determination method for the measuring of alkaline phosphatase activity (ALP) with p-acetyl phenyl phosphace (PAP-PNa_2) as substrate.Methods With the help of Vital semiautomatic analyzer,researched a continuous-monitoring procedure and set up experimental parameters.Results When using this assay,the wavelength of PAP's absorption was 325 nm and the Km of ALP was 0.376 mmol/L.The molecular extinction coefficient of PAP at 340 nm was 23 390 L?mol~(-1)? cm~(-1) and the concentration of citrate buffer was 0.438 mol/L.During the process,we found that the optimum pH of enzyme was 10.4,and the concentration of substrate was 5.0 mmol/L.The time of linear reaction was 900 seconds,and the linear range was 0-1 110 U/L.Serum total ALP were 63.1-118.3 U/ L(male) and 52.5-89.0 U/L(female),based on results from 60 heath adults.Conclusions The method is practical in its repetition and convenience,saves time and is not liable to be affected by bilirubin in serum.It is especially suited to the use of automatic analyzers.