Analysis of the factors contributing to endometriosis in China and UK / 南方医科大学学报

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the differences in the factors associated with endometriosis between Chinese and British patients.@*METHODS@#This case-control study was conducted in 387 patients with endometriosis and 199 non-endometriosis patients admitted to John Radcliffe Hospital (Oxford, UK) and in 101 patients with endometriosis and 50 non-endometriosis patients admitted in the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine. The clinical data including height, weight, body mass index, marital status, employment, menstruation, fertility, and operation reasons were collected via a standardized WERF EPHect questionnaire.@*RESULTS@#Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that body mass index, surgery for dysmenorrhea, history of pregnancy, counts of previous surgeries for endometriosis and status of employment were all significantly associated with endometriosis in the UK (P < 0.05), while a history of dysmenorrhea was significantly correlated with endometriosis in Chinese patients (P < 0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#Dysmenorrhea may be the most important common factor associated with endometriosis in China and the UK, but the other factors contributing to endometriosis may differ between these two countries.

Shexiang Tongxin Dropping Pill () Reduces Coronary Microembolization in Rats via Regulation of Mitochondrial Permeability Transition Pore Opening and AKT-GSK3β Phosphorylation / 中国结合医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the protective effects of Shexiang Tongxin Dropping Pill (, STDP) following sodium laurate-induced coronary microembolization (CME) in rats.@*METHODS@#Forty rats were divided into 4 groups: the control (sham) group, CME group, low-dose STDP pretreatment group (20 mg·kg@*RESULTS@#The rats in the CME group showed a significant increase in the fibrinogen-like protein 2 expression level and mitochondrial dysfunction and a decrease in the expression level of antioxidant biomarkers (superoxide dismutase and catalase, P<0.01 for all). In contrast, the rats in the low- and high-dose STDP pretreatment groups showed a significant decrease in coronary microthrombi (P<0.05); moreover, STDP restored the antioxidant-related protein activities and mitochondrial function, inhibited mPTP opening, decreased AKT-Ser473 phosphorylation, and increased GSK3β-Ser9 phosphorylation (P<0.05 or P<0.01).@*CONCLUSION@#STDP may be useful for treatment of CME, possibly via regulation of mPTP opening and AKT/GSK3β phosphorylation.

Effect of Total Flavone of Haw Leaves on Nuclear Factor Erythroid-2 Related Factor and Other Related Factors in Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis Rats / 中国结合医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effect of total flavone of haw leaves (TFHL) on the expression of nuclear factor erythroid-2 related factor (Nrf2) and other related factors in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) rats induced by high-fat diet and then to further discuss the mechanism of TFHL's prevention against NASH.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>High-fat diet was fed to 40 rats to establish the NASH model. Then model rats were intragastrically administrated with 40, 80, 160 mg/(kg•day) TFHL, respectively. The pathological changes of liver tissues in NASH rats were detected by oil red O and hematoxylin-eosin (HE) stainings. The expression of Nrf2 in rat liver was examined through immunohistochemistry. The level of 8-iso-prostaglandin F2α in serum was detected through enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The mRNA and protein levels of Nrf2 and other related factors in liver tissue were measured by real-time reverse transcriptionpolymerase chain reaction and western blot.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Lipid deposition, hepatic steatosis, focal necrosis in lobular inflammation and ballooning degeneration were emerged in livers of NASH rats. The 8-iso-prostaglandin F2α in the serum of NASH rats increased significantly compared with the control group (P<0.05). The mRNA of Nrf2, hemeoxyenase1 (HO-1) and the mRNA and protein levels of quinine oxidoreductase (NQO1) in NASH rats liver tissue showed a striking increase, while the mRNA levels of Keap1, r-glutamylcysteine synthethase (rGCS) and glutathione S-transferase (GST) were significantly decreased compared with the control group (P<0.05). After TFHL treatment, 8-iso-prostaglandin F2α level in serum significantly decreased, and Nrf2 mRNA and protein levels in hepatocytes nucleus enhanced compared with the model group (P<0.05 or 0.01). Meanwhile the Keap1 mRNA, the mRNA and protein levels of HO-1, NQO1 antibody, rGCS antibody, GST increased after TFHL treatment (P<0.05 or 0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Nrf2 and other related factors were involved in development of NASH, and they also served as an important part in its occurrence. By regulating expression of Nrf2 and other related factors, TFHL may play a role in antioxidative stress and prevention of NASH.</p>

Effects of continuous low frequency noise on the emotion and behavior of rats / 第二军医大学学报

Objective To explore the effects of continuous low frequency noise on the emotion and behavior of rats. Methods Forty rats were randomly divided into normal control (NC) group and noise exposure(NE) group, with 20 rats in each group. Rats in NE group were exposed to 100 Hz, 70 dB noise for 1 hour at early, middle and late time of the day in a daily manner for 8 weeks. Rats in NC group were raised in normal background noise in an environment with a noise less than 40 dB. The body mass measurement, sucrose preference test, handling test and open field test were done to evaluate the emotion and behavior of rats at the beginning and 2, 4, 6, 8 weeks of experiment. Results (1)The body mass change trends were significant between the two groups at different time points(P<0.05). The body mass gain of rats in NE group was greatly less than that of the NC rats. (2)Regardless of the impact of time, the main effects in sucrose preference test were significantly different between the two groups (P<0.01). The change trends of sucrose preference were significantly different between the two groups at different time points(P<0.05), with the percentage of sucrose preference of NE rats greatly decreased with time. (3) The tension stimulation score and pain score of handling test in NE rats were significantly higher than those in NC rats(P<0.05 or P<0.01). (4) The horizontal and vertical movement abilities in NE rats were significantly decreased with the noise exposure period compared with the control group; the effects of time, groups and interaction were all significantly different (P

Preparation and antitumor activity of mitoxantrone conjugated D-α-tocopherylpolyethylene glycol 1000 succinate prodrug micelle / 中国药科大学学报

@#To improve the theraputic effect of chemotherapeutic drugs, D-α-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate(TPGS)was employed as a carrier of mitoxantrone(MTO). MTO was successfully conjugated to TPGS via succinic anhydride to prepare TPGS-MTO prodrug. The prodrug was then self-assembled into TPGS-MTO micelle, with the particle size of(25. 61±0. 92)nm, the polydispersity of 0. 22±0. 04 and the Zeta potential of -(3. 98±0. 09)mV. The micelle was homogeneous spheres under the observation of transmission electron microscope(TEM). The drug loading capacity(DLC)was(18. 61±0. 24)% by HPLC. Meanwhile, the particle size of TPGS-MTO micelle remained stable in 24 h. TPGS-MTO showed a controlled drug release profile with only 9. 04% MTO being detected in 24 h in neutral conditions, and faster release was achieved by decreasing pH in media. Cellular uptake experiments showed that micelle was 1. 18 times more effective than parent drug after 6 h incubation on MCF-7 cells. The cytotoxicity of micelle on MCF-7 and MCF-7/MDR cells was detected by MTT, both with anti-tumor activity, especially on MCF-7/MDR cells. In conclusion, TPGS-MTO prodrug micelle could be a potential formulation of higher therapeutic effects and fewer side-effects than MTO itself.

Engineered mesenchymal stem cells as targeting therapeutic carriers in cancer therapy / 中国药科大学学报

@#Mesenchymal stem cells(MSCs)were derived from the early development stage of mesoderm and ectoderm and considered as one of the important members of stem cells family. Besides that, MSCs can be isolated easily and don′t have a limitation of moral and ethical problems. Moreover, MSCs can be expanded in vitro which make it possible to use in industrial preparation. Moreover, MSCs possess low immunogenicity and has the ability to home to damaged tissues, tumors, and metastases. Therefore, MSCs possess a set of fairly unique properties which make them ideally suited for clinical applications. This review summarizes the main properties of MSCs and its new progress in drug delivery system in the field of cancer therapy as a basis of further utility of engineered MSCs in the design of targeting drug delivery system.

Cell penetrating peptide TAT and brain tumor targeting peptide T7 dual modified liposome preparation and in vitro targeting evaluation / 药学学报

The purpose of this study is to prepare T7 and TAT dual modified liposomes (T7-TAT-LIP) to penetrate through blood brain barrier and target to brain tumor cells. The liposomes were prepared with CFPE, T7 modified PEG-DSPE, TAT modified PEG-DSPE, soybean phospholipid, PEG-DSPE and cholesterol. The CFPE was used to track the cellular uptake efficiency. The density of T7 and TAT and the length of PEG were optimized, and then the liposomes were characterized by particle size, zeta potential, morphology and stability. Afterwards, the cellular uptake by bEnd.3 and C6 cells were evaluated. The results showed that the optimized parameters were 6% of T7, 0.5% of TAT, the molecular weight of PEG for T7 was 2000 and the molecular weight of PEG for TAT was 1000. After optimization, the particle size of T7-TAT-LIP was 118 nm, the zeta potential was -6.32 mV and the particles were spherical. The turbidity and particle size of liposomes were not obviously changed after 24 h incubation in PBS at 37 °C. The particle size and polydispersity index were also stable during 1 month incubation at 4-8 °C. The cellular uptake by both bEnd.3 and C6 cells of T7-TAT-LIP was higher than that of T7 or TAT modified liposomes, suggesting dual modified liposomes possessed better blood brain barrier targeting ability and brain tumor targeting ability than the single ligand modified liposomes.

Effect of Nrf2 and related factors on the progression of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis / 中国应用生理学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the role of NF-E2-related factor 2(Nrf2) and its related factors in the progression of nonalcoholi steatohepatitis (NASH) by investigating the alterations of lipid metabolism and liver histopathology as well as the changes of mRNA and protein expression levels of Nrf2 and its related factors in rats during NASH progression.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Male SD rats were randomly divided into normal group and model group, which were administrated with high fat diet to establish nonalcoholic steatohepatitis model. The rats from both groups were randomly killed at the end of 4, 12 weeks respectively. The levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were detected in the serum and liver tissue; Changes in fat deposition in liver tissue were determined by oil red O staining. HE staining were used to observe the pathological changes of liver tissue and to calculate nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) activity score (hepatic steatosis, inflammation and ballooning degeneration of liver cells). The expression of Nrf2 in liver was detected by immunohistochemical staining. The mRNA and protein levels of Nrf2 and related factors in liver were determined by Realtime PCR and Western blot, respectively.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>After 4 weeks of high fat diet, the levels of ALT, AST, TC in rat serum and TC, TG, LDL-C in liver were significantly increased compared with that of the normal group (P < 0.01, P < 0.05). After 4 weeks of high fat diet, the levels of ALT, AST, TC, TG in serum and TC, TG, LDL- C in liver increased further (P < 0.01, P < 0.05). Until the 12th week, the content of HDL-C in liver was significantly lower than that of the normal group (P < 0.05). At the end of the 4th or the 12th week, lipid droplets in the model rat liver cells were heavily dyed red and hepatic steatosis increased severely, with ballooning degeneration of liver cells. With the extension of high fat diet feeding time, fat deposition in the liver tissue, hepatic steatosis, NAFLD score, Nrl2 expression were significantly increased (P < 0.01). Expression levels of mRNA and protein of Nrf2, heme oxyenase 1(HO1), NADPH quinone oxidoreductase 1(NQO1), γ-glutamylcysteine synthethase (γ-GCS), glutathione S-transferase (GST) in the model rats increased or decreased at the end of the 4th or the 12th week differentially, (P < 0.01, P < 0.05) with the more significant changes at the end of the 4th week than the 12th week.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Nrf2 and its related factors may be involved in the occurrence and development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, which may play an important role in the process of NASH formation.</p>

Effects of sleep deprivation on polysomnography and executive function in patients with depression / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Sleep deprivation (SD) has been used in treatment of depression disorder, and could effectively improve the patients' depressive symptoms.The aim of the study was to explore the effects of SD on electroencephalographic (EEG) and executive function changes in patients with depression.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Eighteen depression patients (DPs) and 21 healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled in the present study. The whole night polysomnography (PSG) was recorded by Neurofax-1518K (Nihon Kohden, Japan) system before and after 36 hours of SD. The level of subjects' depression state was assessed by Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), and the executive function was assessed by Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Significantly decreased sleep latency (SL; before SD: (31.8 ± 11.1) minutes, after SD: (8.8 ± 5.2) minutes, P < 0.01) and REM sleep latency (RL; before SD: (79.8 ± 13.5) minutes, after SD: (62.9 ± 10.2) minutes, P < 0.01) were found after SD PSG in depression patients. Decreased Stage 1 (S1; before SD: (11.7 ± 2.9)%, after SD: (7.3 ± 1.1)%, P < 0.01) and Stage 2 (S2, before SD: (53.8 ± 15.5)%, after SD: (42.3 ± 14.7)%, P < 0.05) of non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, and increased Stage 3 (S3, before SD: (11.8 ± 5.5)%, after SD: (23.6 ± 5.8)%, P < 0.01) and Stage 4 (S4, before SD: (8.8 ± 3.3)%, after SD: (27.4 ± 4.8)%, P < 0.01) NREM sleep were also found. After SD, the depression level in patients decreased from 6.7 ± 2.1 to 2.9 ± 0.7 (P < 0.01). In WCST, the patients showed significantly decreased Response errors (Re, before SD: 22.3 ± 2.4, after SD: 18.3 ± 2.7, P < 0.01) and Response preservative errors (Rpe, before SD: 11.6 ± 3.6, after SD: 9.3 ± 2.9, P < 0.05). Depression patients' RE (t = 2.17, P < 0.05) and Rpe (t = 2.96, P < 0.01) also decreased significantly compared to healthy controls.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>SD can improve depression symptom and executive function in depression patients.</p>

Study on treatment effect and mechanism of Hirsutella sinensis mycelium in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in rats / 中国中药杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study and discuss the effect and mechanism of Hirsutella sinensis mycelium (HSM) on idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in rats.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>Forty Wistar rats were divided into five groups: the normal control group, the model control group, the high-dose group (1.0 g x kg(-1) HSM), the low-dose group (0.5 g x kg(-1) HSM), and the positive control group (10 mg x kg(-1) hydrocortisone). In addition to rats in the normal control group, the pulmonary fibrosis model was established by injecting 5 mg x kg(-1) bleomycin into rat tracheas for consecutively 28 days, in order to observe their lung function, lung tissue hydroxyproline, cytokines and pathology.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>After rats were administered with HSM, 0.5 g x kg(-1) and 1.0 g x kg(-1) HSM could significantly decrease lung index and hydroxyproline content (P<0.01), while notably improving pulmonary function, alveolus inflammation and fibrosis degree (P<0.05, P<0.01); 1.0 g x kg(-1) HSM could decrease significantly protein expressions of TNF-alpha, IL-1beta and TGF-beta1 in lung tissues, while increasing significantly protein expressions of IFN-gamma (P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>HSM have better effect in treating idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in rats. Its treatment effect and mechanism are related to the regulation of TNF-alpha, IL-1beta and TGF-beta1 and IFN-gamma imbalance.</p>

Chinese medicine for menopausal syndrome: current status, problems and strategies / 中国结合医学杂志

The use of Chinese medicine (CM) for the management of: menopausal syndrome is considered effective both at home and abroad, and more and more clinical studies are confirming its efficacy. However, many problems still exit in current studies, such as the standard of CM syndrome differentiation, the design methodology and criteria to assess the quality of clinical trials and the efficacy of interventions. In this paper, the authors present the CM research and treatment strategies for menopausal syndrome with concepts explaining the CM understanding of the mechanism of the disorder. It is concluded that CM is effective for menopausal syndrome, but improvement in both study methodology and treatment strategy is needed. In detail, it is firstly necessary to conduct clinical studies to evaluate the difference of various CM treatments for menopausal syndrome manifesting different symptoms, so as to establish a comprehensive treatment protocol of CM. Secondly, an acknowledged evaluation system needs to be founded, which embodies the characteristics of CM, and covers appropriate endpoint indices and parameters to objectively evaluate the effect and study quality of CM. Finally, an epidemiological survey with large sample size should be implemented with robust statistical design and CM expertise to collect data for establishing diagnostic criteria for menopause in different stages and with different symptoms.

No association of AhR gene 1661G/A and ARNT gene 567G/C polymorphisms with endometriosis in southern Han Chinese women / 中华医学遗传学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the association between the arylhydrocarbon receptor gene (AhR) 1661G/A or arylhydrocarbon nuclear translocatorgene (ARNT) 567G/C polymorphism and endometriosis in southern Han Chinese women.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The polymorphisms of AhR gene 1661G/Aand ARNT gene 567G/C in 431 cases of endometriosis and 499 healthy women were genotyped by fluorescence quantitative PCR-based high resolution melting.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The frequencies of genotypes AA, AG, GG and alleles A and G in controls were 12.0%, 41.9%, 46.1%, 33.0% and 67.0%, respectively, which were not significantly different from those in patients with endometriosis (9.7%, 44.6%, 45.7%, 32.0% and 68.0%, respectively). The genotype frequencies of GG, GC, CC and alleles C and G in controls (15.6 %, 51.7%, 32.7%, 58.5%, 41.5%) were not significantly different from those in patients with endometriosis (13.5%, 47.8%, 38.7%, 62.6%, 37.4%), either. And no interaction of AhR 1661G/A and ARNT 567G/C on endometriosis was found.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>No association between AhR 1661G/A and ARNT 567G/C genetic polymorphisms and endometriosis was found in the southern Han Chinese women in this study.</p>

Association of single nucleotide polymorphism in CYP17 and ERα genes with endometriosis risk in southern Chinese women / 中华医学遗传学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the association of single nucleotide polymorphisms in cytochrome P450 17 (CYP17) and estrogen receptor alpha (ERα ) genes with the risk of endometriosis among southern Chinese women.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Two SNPs rs743572 (CYP17 gene 34T/C) and rs9322331 (ERα gene -397T/C) were genotyped by high resolution melting curve in 432 endometriosis patients and 499 matched controls.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>There was no significant difference in the genotype frequencies of the two loci between endometriosis patients and the control subjects (P> 0.05). And there was no significant interaction effect of these two genes on the disease either.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>CYP17 gene and ERα gene may not be genetic risk factors for endometriosis among southern women in China.</p>

Association of the IL-6 gene 634C/G polymorphism with susceptibility to endometriosis / 中华医学遗传学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the association of interleukin 6 gene (IL-6) promoter region 634C/G (rs1800796) single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) with the genetic susceptibility to endometriosis (Ems) in south Han Chinese women.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A case-control study was performed in 432 Ems patients and 499 control women to evaluate the SNP of IL-6 634C/G by using a fluorescent quantitative PCR-based high resolution melting (HRM) method.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>There were statistical significances in the IL-6 634C/G alleles, whether or not to carry allele G and genotype distributions between Ems patients and control women (P=0.032, 0.014 and 0.045, respectively). Allele C enhanced the risk of Ems 1.057 times while allele G reduced the risk of Ems 0.835 time. Carrying allele G reduced the risk of Ems 0.822 time, whereas not carrying allele G enhanced the risk of Ems 1.143 times. Compared with genotype CC, the risk of Ems with genotype CG reduced 0.704 time (95% CI: 0.533-0.931). There was no significant difference in whether or not carrying allele G distribution between Ems patients and control women (P=0.729).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The present study demonstrated significant association between the SNP of IL-6 634C/G and genetic susceptibility to Ems in south Han Chinese women.</p>

Distribution of Candida albican genotype and Candida species is associated with the severity of vulvovagianl candidiasis / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the distribution of pathogenic C.albican genotype and Candida species in association with the severity of vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) of the internal transcribed spacer analysis was employed to identify the Candida species isolated from the vaginal secretions of 198 patients with acute VVC. SSCP and GeneScan analyses of microsatellite locus I polymorphism were used to determine the genotypes of the clinical isolates of C. albican associated with VVC. All the patients were scored for clinical signs and symptoms to evaluate the severity of VVC.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>A total of 198 Candida strains were isolated from VVC patients, including 140 (70.7%) C. albicans strains and 58 (29.3%) non-albicans strains. In the 95 patients with severe VVC and 103 with mild-moderate VVC, C.albican was detected in 62.1% and 76.6% of the patients, respectively (P=0.011). Thirty-eight microsatellite locus I genotypes were detected in 140 unrelated C. albican strains, among which the dominant genotypes 30-45 (44 strians, 31.43%) and 32-46 (23 strains, 16.43%) were the most common, followed by genotypes 30-46 (4 strains, 2.86%) and 32-47 (9 strains, 6.42%). The overall frequencies of the 4 genotypes were significantly higher in severe VVC than in mild-moderate VVC cases (77.9% vs 42.0%, P<0.001).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>C. albicans remains the most common pathogenic Candia species in patients with VVC, but the non-alibcans species seem more likely to cause severe VVC. The dominant genotypes of C. albicans with a tropism for the vagina are correlated to the severity of VVC.</p>

Preparation and in vitro evaluation of diclofenac potassium delayed-sustained release pellets / 中国药科大学学报

Diclofenac potassium delayed-sustained release pellets were prepared by double-layer coating method with ethylcellulose aqueous dispersion.The effects of release condition and pellet compositions on the in vitro drug release were evaluated.The formulation was optimized by the central composite design-response surface methodology.It was shown that the pH of the media greatly affected the in vitro drug release of the pellets while the viscosity of the media had little influence.Drug release from the pellets was related to the proportion of the inner coat to the outer coat and the amount of pore forming agent in the outer coat.The optimization of the formulation could be achieved by the central composite design-response surface methodology.

A comprehensive prevention programs on AIDS, HBV and syphilis among pregnant women and couples experienced premarital medical examination / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective To evaluate the effect of comprehensive prevention programs on HIV,HBV and syphilis transmission from mother to child and between premarital couples. Methods HIV, HBV and syphilis were screened among pregnant women with interventional measure for infected women; HIV, HBV and syphilis (TP) were screened among premarital couples with medical advice. Results The HIV,HBsAg and TP positive rates were 8.4‰(111/13 280) ,54‰(711/13 186)and 12.8‰( 159/12 401 ) respectively among pregnant women and the total positive rate of the three diseases was 73.8‰ which was significantly higher than HIV positive rate (P＜0.001). The positive rates of HIV, HBsAg and TP were 17.6‰(464/26 324), 95.3‰( 1826/19 152) and 18.6‰(355/19 099) respectively among premarital couples and the total positive rate of the three diseases was 131.5‰ which was significantly higher than HIV positive rate alone (P＜0.001).Comprehensive prevention was more economical than prevention for HIV alone. Conclusion The comprehensive strategies for prevention of HIV, HBV and syphilis was feasible, effective and economical that could help to actively conduct the preventive measures.

Effect of gene polymorphism of TNF-beta on the concentration of TNF in serum of patient with endometriosis / 中南大学学报(医学版)

OBJECTIVE@#To determine the polymorphism in +252 site of tumor necrosis factor-beta(TNF-beta) gene in patients with or without endometriosis, to evaluate the levels of TNF-alpha and TNF-beta in the serum with or without endometriosis, to explore the relation between polymorphism of TNF-beta gene and the genetic susceptibility of endometriosis, and to explore the pathogenic mechanism of endometriosis at gene level.@*METHODS@#By polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method, polymorphism on +252 site of TNF-beta gene was measured in 82 patients with endometriosis (the endometriosis group) and 80 patients without endometriosis (the control group). With the sandwich-enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), the levels of TNF-alpha and TNF-beta in the serum of the two groups were determined.@*RESULTS@#The TNF-beta level in the serum in the endometriosis group with TNF-beta gene +252 site AA genotype significantly increased, compared with GG genotype (t=2.029, P<0.05); while TNF-alpha and TNF-beta level in the serum had no statistical significance in patients with other genotypes in TNF-beta gene +252 site in the endometriosis group and the control group.@*CONCLUSION@#TNF-beta gene +252 site AA genotype might be enhance TNF-beta level in the serum of patients with endometriosis.

Chitosan nanoparticles as gene vector: effect of particle size on transfection efficiency / 药学学报

The aim was to investigate the effect of particle size on transfection efficiency of chitosan (CS)-based nanoparticles. Nanoparticles were synthesized through complex coacervation CS with plasmid DNA (pDNA). Three kinds of pDNA/CS nanoparticles with different sizes (250, 580 and 1300 nm) were prepared by altering the adding rate and the vortexing time. The particle size, zeta potential and the stability in cultural medium were evaluated by zetasizer. The association efficiency was determined by spectrofluorophotometer. The combination of chitosan with pDNA as well as the ability to protect pDNA from nuclease degradation was analyzed by gel electrophoresis. The transfection efficiency of pDNA/CS nanoparticles in HEK293 cells was investigated by flow cytometry. Using CS grafted fluorescein isothiocyanate as a fluorescent marker, the adsorption features of the nanoparticles were visualized by fluorescence microscopy and the cellular uptake percent was quantitated by flow cytometry. The internalization process of the nanoparticles was visualized by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) using nanoparticles of the size of 250 nm. Results showed that the three kinds of pDNA/CS nanoparticles had no differences in zeta potential, association efficiency, protection ability, stability and transfection efficiency in HEK293. The nanoparticles were all adsorbed on cell surface in the form of aggregates, and similar cellular uptake percent as well as quantities were observed 4 h post-incubation with HeLa cells. CLSM images showed that the aggregates below 2 microm could be internalized by endocytosis. These results suggest that the transfection efficiency of pDNA/CS nanoparticles does not depend on particle size in the range from 250 nm to 1300 nm.