Research progress on diagnosis and treatment of gingival pigmentation / 口腔疾病防治

@#Gingival pigmentation(GP) manifests as dark pigmentation spots, such as black or brown spots, in the gums. It is mostly caused by the deposition of melanin particles secreted by melanocytes on the gingival epithelium. The influencing factors may be divided into two categories, exogenous and endogenous. Exogenous factors include heavy metals, tattoos, smoking or drug use, and endogenous factors are related to certain diseases. The clinical grading of GP helps make a reasonable assessment of the necessity of treatment and prognosis. The Dummett-Gupta oral pigmentation index is a commonly used grading method, and the new grading method formed by combining the etiology and clinical manifestations described the patient’s situation more comprehensively. It is necessary to ask for a detailed medical history, complete examination, and correctly differentiate between physiological GP and GP caused by pathological state. Laser treatment is the currenttreatment with a better treatment effect and higher patient acceptance, and it is more comfortable and convenient, including diode laser, Er: YAG laser, and Nd: YAG laser, etc. This article summarizes the formation factors, clinical manifestations and treatment methods of GP to provide ideas for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of GP.

Inhibitory effects of epigallocatechin-3-gallate on the pathogenic properties of P. gingivalis in vitro / 口腔疾病防治

Objective @#To explore the antibacterial activity of epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) on P. gingivalis and the inhibitory effects on matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) production induced by P. gingivalis.@*Methods@# The antimicrobial effect of EGCG against planktonic cultures and biofilms of P. gingivalis was evaluated using microplate dilution assays. The microstructural changes in biofilms were studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The inhibitory effect of EGCG on arginine gingipain (Rgp) and lysine gingipain (Kgp) activity of P. gingivalis was evaluated using synthetic chromogenic peptides and fluorogenic substrates. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and qRT-PCR analysis were used to assess MMP-1 and MMP-2 mRNA expression and secretion by human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs) stimulated with P. gingivalis in the presence or absence of EGCG, respectively. @*Results @# The MIC and MBC of EGCG against P. gingivalis were 62.5 μg/mL and 500 μg/mL, respectively. EGCG can not only inhibit the biofilm formation of P. gingivalis but also has a scavenging effect on mature biofilms and can affect their viability. Additionally, 10 μg/mL and 50 μg/mL of EGCG inhibited the proteinase activities of Rgp and Kgp, respectively (P < 0.05). Finally, the mRNA expression and secretion of MMP-1 and MMP-2 by HGFs stimulated by P. gingivalis were significantly inhibited by 50 μg/mL of EGCG (P < 0.05). @*Conclusion@#EGCG exhibits antimicrobial effects against P. gingivalis and reduces the expression of MMPs by HGFs.

Screening prognosis-related molecules in hepatocellular carcinoma by competing endogenous RNAs regulatory network / 中国肿瘤生物治疗杂志

@#[ [Abstract] ] Objective: To identify the molecules related to the occurrence, development and prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by constructing ceRNA regulatory network of HCC. Methods: Data of HCC transcription group were downloaded from TCGA database. We processed the original data into expression matrix of mRNA, lncRNA and miRNA via Perl language. DGEs of RNA and microRNA were extracted and analyzed from the“Edge”package of R language with the threshold of (|log FC|>2.0 and P<0.01). Through the database comparison, the relationship pairs of different lncRNAs-different miRNAs, different miRNAs-different mRNAs were obtained, and then imported them into the Cytoscape software to construct the ceRNA regulatory network diagram. The survival data of three DGEs were collected and analyzed by“survival”package and Kaplan Meier plotter analysis software. The survival curves were drawn and the genes were obtained by survival analysis. Results: The lncRNArelated ceRNA regulatory network of HCC was successfully constructed. Three regulatory pairs of lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA were obtained by analyzing the interaction and regulatory relationship between DGEs via ceRNA network. Among them, one regulatory pathway (CCDC26-hsa-mir-141-EPHA2) was in accordance with ceRNA theory. The prognostic analyses showed that the survival rate of patients with high expression of 14 mRNAs was lower than those with low expression, which could be used as biomarkers of adverse prognosis of HCC. The survival rate of patients with low expression of 1 lncRNA (TSPEAR-AS1) and 2 mRNA (CPEB3 and PROK2) was lower than those with high expression, which may be the protective gene of HCC. Conclusions:Through screening of HCC lncRNA related ceRNA regulatory network,14mRNAswithhighexpressionmaybetherelevant molecules related to poor prognosisofHCC,while1lncRNAand2 mRNAs with low expression may be the molecules related to good prognosis of HCC, providing reference for HCC treatment and prognosis evaluation.

Shengjiang Powder ameliorates myocardial injury in septic rats by downregulating the phosphorylation of P38-MAPK

Sepsis is the systemic inflammatory response caused by infection. Cardiac dysfunction is an acknowledged result of sepsis.Shengjiang Powder, a prescribed traditional Chinese medicine, showed anti-infection and antipyretic functions in ourprevious study. In this study, we established a septic rat model via cecal ligation puncture (CLP) to evaluate the effects ofShengjiang Powder on sepsis and the involvement of P38 mitogen activated protein kinase (P38-MAPK) signaling. The 10main ingredients of Shengjiang Powder were identified by LC–MS. The results of this study indicated that ShengjiangPowder at a concentration of 3.0 g/kg with SB203580 (an inhibitor of P38-MAPK) could improve myocardial injury,ameliorate the histopathological abnormalities, decrease apoptosis and upregulate proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA)levels in myocardial tissues. Further, cytokine mRNA expression levels (tumor necrosis factor - alpha, TNF-a and interleukin 6, IL-6) were decreased by Shengjiang Powder and SB203580 in the myocardial tissues. Furthermore, the p-P38protein level in myocardial tissues was upregulated in septic rats but decreased upon treatment with Shengjiang Powder andSB203580; however, the relative protein level of P38 showed no significant changes. Collectively, Shengjiang Powdershowed a myocardial protective effect on rats with CLP-induced sepsis.

Association of Connexin Gene Polymorphism with Essential Hypertension in Kazak and Han Chinese in Xinjiang, China / 华中科技大学学报（医学）（英德文版）

Essential hypertension (EH) is affected by both genetic and environmental factors.The polymorphism of connexin (Cx) genes is found associated with the development of hypertension.However,the association of the polymorphism of Cxs with EH has not been investigated.This study aimed to investigate the association of the polymorphism of connexin (Cx) genes Cx37,Cx40,and Cx43 with EH in Kazak and Han Chinese in Xinjiang,China.Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) were used to analyze the polymorphism of Cx genes in Kazak and Han EH patients as well as their normotensive controls.The results showed that there were no significant differences in the frequencies of different three genotypes (A/A,A/G,and G/G) and A and G alleles of Cx40 rs35594137 and rs11552588 between EH patients and normotensive controis.However,in Kazak EH patients,the frequencies of three genotypes (A/A,A/G;and G/G) of Cx37 rs1630310 were 24.8％,47.2％ and 28.0％,respectively,which were significantly different from those in Han EH patients.In Han EH patients,the frequencies of the three genotypes (C/C,C/G and G/G) of Cx43 rs1925223 were 6.4％,35.6％ and 58.0％,respectively.Frequencies of the other four genotypes had no statistical differences among Kazak and Hart EH patients and their normotensive controls.These results suggest polymorphisms of Cx37 rs 1630310 and Cx43 rs 1925223 genes may be associated with the pathogenesis of EH.Carrying Cx37 rs1630310-A or Cx43 rs1925223-G genotypes may protect against the development of EH.

Comparison of the Outcomes of Modified Artificial Chordae Technique for Mitral Regurgitation through Right Minithoracotomy or Median Sternotomy / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Right minithoracotomy (RM) has been proven to be a safe and effective approach for mitral valve surgery, but the differences of artificial chordae technique between RM and median sternotomy (MS) were seldom reported. Here, we compared the outcomes of modified artificial chordae technique for mitral regurgitation (MR) through RM or MS approaches.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>One hundred and eighteen consecutive adult patients who received mitral valve repair with artificial chordae and annuloplasty for MR through RM (n = 58) or MS (n = 60) from January 2006 to January 2015 were analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>All of the selected patients underwent mitral valve repair successfully without any complication during the surgery. There was no significant difference between RM group and MS group in cardiopulmonary bypass time, aortic cross-clamp time, and early postoperative complications. However, compared with the MS group, the RM group had shorter hospital stay and faster surgical recovery. At a mean follow-up of 44.8 ± 25.0 months, the freedom from more than moderate MR was 93.9% ± 3.5% in RM group and 94.8% ± 2.9% in MS group at 3 years postoperatively. Log-rank test showed that there was no significant difference in the freedom from recurrent significant MR between the two groups (χ2 = 0.247, P = 0.619). Multivariate analysis revealed that the presence of mild MR at discharge was the independent risk factor for the recurrent significant MR.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Right minithoracotomy can achieve the similar therapeutic effects with MS for the patients who received modified artificial chordae technique for treating MR.</p>

Clinical Evaluation on Patients with Bronchial Asthma in Remission Based on Four Diagnostic Information / 世界科学技术-中医药现代化

This study was aimed to observe bronchial asthma patients in remission after treatment of traditional Chi-nese medicine(TCM) with four diagnostic information, syndrome differentiation and changes oflung function indicators, in order to explore the efficacy evaluation with TCM characteristics. TCM tongue manifestation instrument, TCM in-quiry scale, pulse-taking instrument, acoustic diagnostic information collection system, and spirometer were used in thecollection of 33 bronchial asthma cases in remission before and after treatment (1~5 months) basedon four diagnos-tic information and lung function indexes. Single-factor analysis of variance and other methods were used in the analysis of four diagnostic parameters and lung function indexes before and after treatment. The results showed that after TCM treatment, there were significant changes on indexes such as facial complexion, tongue sub-region color, color of tongue coating and other parameters. There was significant difference in the acoustic parameters before and after treatment. After TCM treatment, the frequency of lung system symptom such as nasal obstruction was decreased. There was no significant difference on changes of pulse-taking indexes among asthma patients before and after treat-ment. After treatment, the FEV1.0% of asthma patients was increased,whichindicated that asthma ventilatory function had been improved to some extent. It was concluded that TCM objective test provide an effective basis for the diag-nosis of bronchial asthma on aspects such as TCM syndrome, disease change observation and clinical evaluation.

Effect of SU11248 on leukemia cell line K562 and its molecular mechanisms / 中国实验血液学杂志

This study was aimed to investigate the effect of SU11248 on proliferation and apoptosis of leukemia cell line K562 in vitro and its mechanism. The inhibitory effect of 3.2 µg/ml SU11248 on K562 proliferation was tested by MTT assay. The ability of SU11248 to induce apoptosis of K562 cells was examined by TUNEL and DNA ladder. The expression of C-MYC, hTERT and BCR-ABL mRNA in K562 cells was detected by RT-PCR. The protein expression of Akt and p-Akt in K562 cells was detected by Western blot. The results showed that the proliferation of K562 cells was obviously inhibited by 3.2 µg/ml SU11248 in a time-dependent manner. SU11248 could induce K562 cells apoptosis in dose-and time-dependent manner. The mRNA expression of C-MYC, hTERT and BCR-ABL was reduced significantly by SU11248 in a time-dependent manner (P < 0.05). Western blot detection showed that the expression of p-Akt protein in K562 cells decreased in dose-and time-dependent manner after SU11248 treatment, but the expression of Akt was not significantly changed. It is concluded that SU11248 can inhibit the growth of K562 cells efficiently through inducing apoptosis, its mechanism may be closely relate with the expression down-regulation of C-MYC, hTERT, BCR-ABL and the inhibition of Akt phosphorylation.

The application of peer education in experimental education for medical graduate students / 中华医学教育探索杂志

Objective In this study,we aim to investigate and evaluate the application of peer education on the teaching of medical graduate students and to evaluate the teaching effect,in order to provide the basis for subsequent practice reform.Methods 49 graduate students majoring Internal Medicine-Pulmonology were randomly divided into traditional teaching(24) and peer education groups (25).We chose the primary culture technology of rat distal pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells to be the teaching contents.For the traditional teaching group,we used the mode of class lecture giving and experimental skills learning under the assistance of the teachers; while in the peer education group,students benefited from the combination of class lecture given by the teacher and the seniors fixed teaching in which seniors help younger students.We selected the experimental operating time,cell purity and the practicing time to reach a standard culture as the evaluation indexes by filling a follow up questionnaire.The SPSS 13.0 was applied to the related data forx2 or t test.Results In the traditional teaching group,the average time to reach three times of standard culture was(3.2 ± 0.5) hour,which was(2.3 ± 0.4) hour in the peer education group.The cell purity was 80.1 ± 3.6％ in the traditional teaching group,while(85.4 ± 5.9)％ in the peer education group.The average practicing time was(6.3 ± 1.0) in the traditional teaching group,while(4.9 ± 0.6) in the peer education group.The peer education group master the teaching content better than the traditional teaching group (P=0.00).95.8％(23/24)of the students in the peer-education group considered the teaching contents simple,which was statistically higher(P=0.00) than traditional group (62.5％,15/24).Meanwhile,95.8％ (23/24)of the students in the peer-education group considered the teaching methods easy to accept,which was also statistically higher(P=0.02) than traditional group(70.8％,17/24).The difference was statistically significant (P=0.02).Conclusion The application effect of peer education is good and there is high degree of acceptance among the students.Besides,peer education accords with the medical postgraduate experiment teaching rules,and can cultivate medical graduate students' spirit of cooperation and communication ability in the process of implementation.

Electrophysiological characteristics of cardiomyocyte-like cells from rat bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells by four inductors / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMdMSCs) can differentiate into cardiomyocyte-like cells induced by different inductors individually or collectively. In this study, by inducing BMdMSCs with p53 inhibitor (p-fifty three inhibitor-alpha, PFT-α), 5-azacytidine (5-AZA), angiotensin-II (Ang-II) and bone morphogenic protein-2 (BMP-2) we compared the influences of four inductors on the differentiation of rat BMdMSCs into caridomyocyte like-cells.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>BMdMSCs were collected from the bone marrow of Sprague Dawley rats and after the fourth generation, the purified cells were divided into five groups: 5-AZA (10 µmol/L), Ang-II (0.1 µmol/L), PFT-α (20 µmol/L), BMP-2 (10 µg/L) and control. The purity of the BMdMSCs and the cardiac differentiation rates were obtained by flow cytometry. The expressions of cTnT in the BMdMSCs after four weeks of induction were detected by immunofluorescence and the expressions of cTnI and Cx43 detected by Western blotting. The green fluorescent levels reflecting intracellular calcium transient function were determined by laser scanning confocal microscopy. The total potassium current levels of cells were measured on patch clamp.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>All inductors affected to a different degree the differentiation of BMdMSCs into cardiomyocyte-like cells and the expressions of cTnT, cTnI and Cx43 suggesting that the combination of inductors could be an improved method for cardiac regenerative medicine. In addition, the total potassium current level and calcium transient in PFT-α cardiomyocyte-like cells were higher than other groups.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The cardiac differentiation of BMdMSCs induced by PFT-α, 5-AZA, Ang-II and BMP-2 has been improved at different levels. PFT-α has an advantage of differentiation rate and electrophysiological function over other inductors.</p>

Management of Kasabach-Merritt syndrome by drug therapy and surgery / 中华整形外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To summarize the characters of Kasabach-Merritt syndrome (KMS) and to evaluate the therapeutic effect of drug therapy combined with surgery.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>From 2004 to 2010, 59 cases with KMS, who underwent drug therapy and surgery, were retrospectively studied. The average age of the patients, including 33 male and 26 female (male/female, 1.269/1), was 2.9 months (range, 7 days-2.5 years). 28 cases with maxillofacial lesions were treated with the ligation of external carotid artery and injection of carbonyldiamide and methylprednisolone. 31 cases with lesions at trunks and extremities were treated by excision of lesions. All the patients were followed up for 2.8 years (range, 6.5 months -7.3 years). Therapeutic outcomes were assessed by evaluating platelet counts,size of lesion, function of trunk and limb.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>58 cases were cured except for one dead case. Emergency operation was given in 4 cases, and selective operation was performed in other cases (55 cases). The thrombocyte count, hemoglobin and blood coagulation function returned to normal within 1-2 weeks. The mental condition, appetite, body weight,sleeping were greatly improved one week after treatment. The size of the lesions decreased gradually after the management of ligation of external carotid artery including 18 cases within 6-12 months and 10 cases within 13-24 months. Long term follow-up studies indicated that there was no recurrent case, and the weight, height, immunity of the patients with good function activities were in keeping with the normal counterparts.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The drug combined with surgery therapy is a very reliable management with high curative rate, short disease period and minimum side-effect.</p>

Increased immunohistochemical expression of YKL-40 in the spleen of patients with portal hypertension

YKL-40 has been identified as a growth factor in connective tissue cells and also a migration factor in vascular smooth muscle cells. To a large extent, the increase of serum YKL-40 is attributed to liver fibrosis and asthma. However, the relationship of the expression and clinical/prognostic significance of YKL-40 to the splenomegaly of patients with portal hypertension is unclear. In the present study, the expression of YKL-40 was studied by immunohistochemistry in 48 splenomegaly tissue samples from patients with portal hypertension and in 14 normal spleen specimens. All specimens were quickly stored at -80°C after resection. Primary antibodies YKL-40 (1:150 dilution, rabbit polyclonal IgG) and MMP-9 (1:200 dilution, rabbit monoclonal IgG) and antirabbit immunoglobulins (HRP K4010) were used in this study. The relationship of clinicopathologic features with YKL-40 is presented. The expression of YKL-40 indicated by increased immunochemical reactivity was significantly up-regulated in splenomegaly tissues compared to normal spleen tissues. Overexpression of YKL-40 was found in 68.8 percent of splenomegaly tissues and was significantly associated with Child-Pugh classification (P = 0.000), free portal pressure (correlation coefficient = 0.499, P < 0.01) and spleen fibrosis (correlation coefficient = 0.857, P < 0.01). Further study showed a significant correlation between YKL-40 and MMP-9 (correlation coefficient = -0.839, P < 0.01), indicating that YKL-40 might be an accelerator of spleen tissue remodeling by inhibiting the expression of MMP-9. In conclusion, YKL-40 is an important factor involved in the remodeling of spleen tissue of portal hypertension patients and can be used as a therapeutic target for splenomegaly.

Cardiac differentiation and electrophysiology characteristics of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To review the progress of cardiac differentiation and electrophysiological characteristics of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells.</p><p><b>DATA SOURCES</b>The databases of PubMed, Springer Link, Science Direct and CNKI were retrieved for papers published from January 2000 to January 2012 with the key words of "bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, cardiac or heart, electrophysiology or electrophysiological characteristics".</p><p><b>STUDY SELECTION</b>The articles concerned cardiac differentiation and electrophysiological characteristics of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells were collected. After excluding papers that study purposes are not coincident with this review or contents duplicated, 56 papers were internalized at last.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>For the treatment of myocardial infarction and myocardiac disease, the therapeutic effects of transplantation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells which have the ability to develop into functional myocardial cells by lots of methods have been proved by many researches. But the arrhythmogenic effect on ventricles after transplantation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells derived myocardial cells is still controversial in animal models. Certainly, the low differentiation efficiency and heterogeneous development of electrical function could be the most important risk for proarrhythmia.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Many studies of cardiac differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells have paid attention to improve the cardiac differentiation rate, and the electrophysiology characteristics of the differentiated cells should be concerned for the risk for proarrhythmia as well.</p>

Acupuncture for chronic pelvic pain syndromes (CPPS) and its effect on cytokines in prostatic fluid / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the effect of acupuncture on chronic pelvic pain syndromes (CPPS), and its therapeutic mechanism.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Fourty-seven cases of CPPS were treated with electroacupuncture on Zhongji (CV 3), Guilai (ST 29), Yinlingquan (SP 9), Sanyinjiao (SP 6), Guanyuan (CV 4), Shuidao(ST 28), Xuehai (SP 10) and Taichong (LR 3) as main acupoints. Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index (CPSI) was adopted to grade the severity of pain or discomforts. Additionally, the levels of Interleukin-8 (IL-8), Interleukin-10 (IL-10) and Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in prostate fluid were detected and the correlation between those changes and pain score was analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>After treatment, pain or discomfort score in CPSI decreased remarkably as compared with that before treatment (P < 0.01). The levels of IL-8, IL-10 and TNF-alpha were lower than those before treatment (P < 0.01, P < 0.05). The positive correlation was obtained between IL-10 level and pain score (P < 0.05). The total effective rate was 89.4% (42/47).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Acupuncture has significant efficacy on CPPS through reducing IL-10 level to ease pain, and reducing the levels of IL-8 and TNF-alpha to relieve inflammatory reaction.</p>

In vitro Anti-Hepatitis B Virus Effect of Hypericum perforatum L / 华中科技大学学报（医学）（英德文版）

The anti-hepatitis B virus(HBV)effects and its mechanisms of the ethanol extracts of Hypericum perforatum L.(EHP)in vitro were explored.HepG2 2.2.15 cells,a stable HBV-producing cell line,were cultured as the model system to observe the anti-HBV effect.The viral antigens of cellular secretion,HBsAg and HBeAg,were determined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA).The quantity of HBV-DNA released in the supernatant was assayed by real-time PCR.In order to understand the mechanisms of the suppression of HBV replication,all HBV promoters(Cp,Xp,S1p,S2p and Fp)with luciferase reporter gene were transfected into HepG2 cells respectively.Then the activities of viral promoters were examined by luciferase reporter assay.It was found EHP effectively suppressed the secretion of HBsAg and HBeAg from HepG2 2.2.15 cells in a dose-dependent manner,as well as the extracellular HBV DNA.And EHP could selectively inhibit the activity of HBV promoter Fp.Our data suggest that EHP exerts anti-HBV effects via inhibition of HBV transcription,which helps to elucidate the mechanism underlying the potential therapeutic value of EHP.

Tea Polyphenols Exerts Anti-hepatitis B Virus Effects in a Stably HBV-transfected Cell Line / 华中科技大学学报（医学）（英德文版）

In this study,the anti-HBV effects of tea polyphenols (TP) were examined.After cells were exposed to TP for 3,6,9 days,amounts of HBsAg,HBeAg and HBV-DNA released into the supernatant of the cultured HepG2 2.2.15 cells were detected.TP,to some extent,inhibited the secre-tion of HBsAg and strongly suppressed the secretion of HBeAg in a dose-dependent (P<0.01) and time-dependent manner,with 50% maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) value being 7.34 μg/mL on the 9th day,but the time-dependence was not significant (P=0.051).Expression of HBV-DNA in the supernatant of the cell culture also was significantly decreased in a dose-dependent fashion (P<0.01).The IC50 of TP in inhibiting HBV DNA was 2.54 μg/mL.It concluded that TP possessed potential anti-HBV effects and may be used as a treatment alternative for HBV infection.

Induction of G2 /M phase arrest and apoptosis of MCF-7 cells by novel benzofuran lignan via suppressing cell cycle proteins / 药学学报

In the present study, a newly synthesized benzofuran lignan 4-formyl-2-(4-hydroxy-3methoxyphenyl)-5-(2-methoxycarbonyethyl)-7-methoxy-benzo [b] furan (ERJT-12) was tested for its antiproliferative activity on human tumor cells. The related mechanisms were also investigated. In vitro growth inhibitory effects of ERJT-12 on various cancer cell lines were determined by MTT assay. Cell cycle distribution and apoptosis were detected by flow cytometry. The integrity of DNA was assessed by agarose gel electrophoresis. Activation of Caspase-3/7 and Caspase-6 was measured by colorimetric assay. The expressions of cell cycle proteins cell divide cycle 25c (Cdc25c), cyclin dependent kinase 1 (CDK1), CyclinB1 and apoptosis-related proteins Bax and Bcl-2 were detected by Western blotting. MTT assay showed that ERJT-12 inhibited the proliferation of several cancer cell lines including multidrug resistant cells. MCF-7 cells were markedly arrested at gap2/mitosis (G2/M) phase after treatment with ERJT-12 and progressed into apoptosis. The increased activities of Caspase-3/7 and Caspase-6 in MCF-7 cells were observed. The expression of CyclinB1 was down-regulated. The activities of Cdc25c and CDK1 protein were suppressed and Bcl-2 protein was phosphorylated. ERJT-12 displays potent antiproliferative activity towards cancer cells through suppressing cell cycle proteins, arresting cell cycle at G2/M phase and inducing apoptosis. It might be a novel candidate for cancer therapy.

Impaired Glucose Tolerance and Carotid Artery Atherosclerosis / 国际脑血管病杂志

Impaired glucose tolerance is the prediabetic state of diabetes mellitus,and its main manifestation is postprandial hyperglycemia.Studies in recent years have suggested that the large vascular disease of the impaired glucose tolerance state is similar to diabetes mellitus.The relationship between impaired glucose tolerance and atherosclerotic disease is increasingly receiving attention.This article reviews the relationship between both of them.