Therapeutic effects of aspiration with a directional soft tube and conservative treatment on mild hemorrhage in the basal ganglion / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To compare the therapeutic effects of aspiration via a directional soft tube and conservative treatment in patients with mild hemorrhage in the basal ganglion.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Seventy-five patients with mild cerebral hemorrhage (10~30 ml) were randomly divided into two groups for aspiration treatment with minimally invasive directional soft tube placement (minimally invasive group, n=36) and conservative treatment (medication group, n=39). The patients in the two groups had comparable mean GCS scores of 11-15 on admission. The clinical outcomes of the patients were compared between the two groups.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In the minimally invasive group, complete removal or absorption of the hematoma occurred within an average of 3.8 days, significantly shortened in comparison with the 24 days in the medication group. The short-term (1 month) follow-up of the patients showed good neurological recovery in 58% of the patients in the minimally invasive group, significantly greater than the rate of 29% in the medication group; 6 months after the treatment, good neurological recovery was achieved in 50% of the patients in the minimally invasive group, but only 16% in the medication. No death occurred in the minimally invasive group, and 2 patients died in the medication group. The cost of hospitalization averaged 5136.3 Yuan in the minimally invasive group and 11843.6 Yuan in the medication group.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Compared with conservative treatment, the minimally invasive treatment with soft tube placement can significantly shorten the hospital stay, promote neurological function recovery, lower the mortality rate, and reduce the cost of hospitalization.</p>

Berbamine selectively induces apoptosis of human acute promyelocytic leukemia cells via survivin-mediated pathway / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Currently, resistance and relapse are still major problems in acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) cases. Thus, new agents that override the resistance are crucial to the development of curative therapies for APL. In this study, we investigated the effects of berbamine on the proliferation of APL cell line NB4 and its possible mechanisms.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>NB4 cells were treated with berbamine at different concentrations (0-64 microg/ml) for 72 hours. MTT assay was used to determine proliferation inhibition of NB4 cells. Cell apoptosis was evaluated by both flow cytometry (FCM) and morphological examination. PML/RAR-alpha and survivin mRNAs were measured by nested-RT-PCR and RT-PCR, respectively. Activated-caspase 3 was determined by FCM.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Berbamine greatly inhibited the proliferation of NB4 cells in dose- and time-dependent manners, and its IC50 value was 3.86 microg/ml at 48 hours. Both morphological observations and FCM results showed that berbamine induced apoptosis of NB4 cells with concomitant increase of activated caspase-3 and decrease of survivin mRNA. After treatment with berbamine at 8 microg/ml for 48 hours, the percentage of apoptotic cells increased from 2.83% to 58.44% (P<0.01), and the percentage of cells with activated-caspase 3 elevated from 2.06% to 70.89% (P<0.01), whereas, level of survivin mRNA was reduced to 38.24% of control (P<0.01). However, no significant change was observed in PML/RAR-alpha mRNA.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Berbamine induces caspase-3-dependent apoptosis of leukemia NB4 cells via survivin-mediated pathway, suggesting that berbamine may be a novel potential agent against APL with a mechanism distinct from that of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and arsenic trioxide (ATO).</p>

Effects of berbamine on growth of leukemia cell line NB4 and its mechanism / 浙江大学学报·医学版

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To determine effects of berbamine on the growth of leukemia cell line NB4 and explore its possible mechanisms.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The growth of NB4 cells was examined with MTT assay. Morphological analysis and DNA agarose electrophoresis were used to detect apoptosis in NB4 cells, and the apoptosis rate was measured by flow cytometry. The PML/RAR alpha mRNA was determined by nested-PCR, and the Survivin mRNA was tested by RT-PCR. The expression of caspase 3 protein in NB4 cells was evaluated by flow cytometry.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>The growth of NB4 cells was inhibited significantly after treated with berbamine at different concentrations for different time points, the IC(50)value was 3.860 microg/ml at 48 hours. Morphology analysis showed the characteristics of apoptosis, and the DNA agarose electrophoresis showed the typical DNA ladder. The apoptosis rate increased from 2.83% to 58.44% after treated with berbamine at 12 microg/ml for 48 hours. The expression of PML/RAR alpha mRNA presented no significant changes, however, Survivin mRNA was decreased dramatically. The protein expression of Caspase 3 increased significantly from 2.06% to 70.89% after treated with berberine at a concentration of 12 mug/ml for 48 hours.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Berbamine could inhibit the growth of leukemia cell line NB4. The induction of cell apoptosis may be one of the mechanisms for suppressing the growth of leukemia cell line NB4. Inhibition of Survivin mRNA and upregulation of Caspase 3 protein might be also involved in cell apoptosis.</p>