Advances in Eph receptor and its ligand Ephrin in tumor metastasis / 肿瘤

Tumor angiogenesis plays an important role in tumor metastasis. In recent years, many studies found that erythropoietin-producing hepatocellular (Eph) receptor and its ligand Ephrin plays an important role in vascular remodeling and angiogenesis in early embryonic stage. The bi-directional signaling of Eph/Ephrin can modulate the morphology and function of tumor cells, and influence the angiogenesis of tumor, thus affecting the invasion and metastasis of tumor cells. The expression levels of Eph and Ephrin can be used as biomarkers to assess the malignant degree of tumor and predict the prognosis of cancer patients, which make the Eph/Ephrin signaling pathway become a potential target for cancer treatment.

Study on the correlation between Chinese medical syndrome types and serum levels of PLTP and CETP in coronary heart disease patients / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the correlation between the serum levels of phospholipid transfer protein (PLTP), cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP), and Chinese medical syndrome types of coronary heart disease (CHD) patients, thus probing a new pathway for the objectivity of CHD syndrome typing and developing therapeutic drugs.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>201 patients with CHD confirmed by coronary angiography were selected. The comprehensive analysis database by the four examination methods was established using generally accepted standard for Chinese medical syndrome typing. Twenty healthy subjects were randomly recruited as the control group. Serum samples were separated from venous blood. The serum activities of PLTP and CETP were assayed by ELISA. The triglyceride (TG) content was determined using acetic acetone coloring method. Contents of total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were determined using precipitation floating enzyme couplet method.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Serum levels of PLTP, CETP, and TC of CHD patients of all Chinese medical syndrome types were significantly higher than those of the control group, showing statistical difference (P<0.05, P<0.01). Statistical difference existed in serum levels of TG, HDL-C, and LDL-C of all Chinese medical syndrome types when compared with the control group (P<0.05, P<0.01). Statistical difference existed in serum levels of PLTP between the sthenia in superficiality groups of all Chinese medical syndrome types and the asthenia in origin groups of all Chinese medical syndrome types (P< 0.05). Statistical difference existed in serum levels of TG, HDL-C, and LDL-C between the sthenia in superficiality groups of all Chinese medical syndrome types and the asthenia in origin groups of all Chinese medical syndrome types (P<0.05, P<0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The serum PLTP levels of CHD patients of sthenia in superficiality significantly increased. Changes in serum lipids was more significant in CHD patients of the sthenia in superficiality syndrome than in those of the asthenia in origin syndrome.</p>

Bioassay of estrogenic activity of effluent and influent in a farm wastewater treatment plant using an in vitro recombinant assay with yeast cells / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>Environmental estrogens at an elevated concentration are known to produce adverse effects on human and animal life. However, the majority of researches have been focused on industrial discharges, while the impact of livestock wastes as a source of endocrine disrupters in aquatic environments has been rarely elucidated. In order to investigate the contribution of environmental estrogens from livestock, the estrogenic activity in water samples from a farm wastewater treatment plant was analyzed by a recombinant yeast screening method.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The extracts prepared from 15 selected water samples from the farm wastewater treatment plant, among which 6 samples were from pre-treatment section (influents) and 9 from post-treatment section (effluents), were analyzed for estrogenic activity by cellar bioassay. Yeast cells transfected with the expression plasmid of human estrogen receptor and the Lac Z reporter plasmid encoding beta-galactossidase, were used to measure the estrogen-like compounds in the farm wastewater treatment plant.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The wastewater samples from influents showed a higher estrogenic potency than the effluent samples showing a low induction of beta-galactossidase relative to solvent control condition. By comparison with a standard curve for 17 beta-estradiol (E2), estrogenic potency in water samples from the influents was calculated as E2-equivalent and ranged from 0.1 to 150 pM E2-equivalent. The estrogenic potency in water samples from the effluents was significantly lower than that in the influents, and 7 water samples had less detectable limit in the total of 9 samples.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Yeast bioassay of estrogenic activity in most of the samples from the farm wastewater after disposal by traditional sewage treatment showed negative results.</p>

Use W303-1A/hER-ERE-Lac Z to determine estrogenic compounds in traditional Chinese materia medica / 中国中药杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the content of phytoestrogen in dissimilarity herbs.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>The activity of phytoestrogen in heat-clearing drugs, drugs for relieving exterior syndrome, diuretic, anastaltics, tonics and astringents were detected based on the recombinant yeast cell (W303-1A/hER-ERE-Lac Z). The estrogenic activity in traditional Chinese materia medica were assayed quantitatively by determining the expression of beta-galactosidase.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>The phytoestrogen concentration (6.35 x 10(-3) nmol x g(-1) E2 equivalent) in heat-clearing drugs was the highest while that in anastaltic and tonic drugs was the lowest, which was less than the detected limit.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Compared with the other traditional Chinese materia medica, the content of phytoestrogen, which can bind to estrogen receptor, in giant knotweed rhizome, forsythia suspense, ash bark, baical skullcap root and ophiopogonis tuber were higher.</p>