Medicine in Future and Advantages of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine / 中国结合医学杂志

The history of medical development shows that oriental medicine, or traditional medicine, was born through medical practice during the times when science and technology were immature and underdeveloped, whereas with the development of science and technology, Western medicine, or modern medicine, was born through experimental analysis and research. With the development of medicine, the pros and cons of both medical systems become increasingly evident. How to integrate them and learn from each other will be the direction of future development of medicine. The formation and development of integrated medicine will, inevitably, usher in a new era for medicine.

Effect of rosmarinic acid from Sarcandra glabra in inhibiting proliferation and migration and inducing apoptosis of MDA-MB-231 cells via regulation of expressions of Bcl-2 and Bax / 中国中药杂志

Rosmarinic acid is one of anti-tumor ingredients in the Sarcandra glabra. After treatment with 0, 10, 30, 90, 270 and 810 μmol·L⁻¹ rosmarinic acid for 24, 48, 72 hours respectively, the inhibitory effects on MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells were observed by CCK-8 and cell wound healing test. No significant inhibition effecton proliferation and migration was observed in MCF-7 cell. However, 90, 270 and 810 μmol·L⁻¹ rosmarinic acid could inhibit the proliferation and migration of MDA-MB-231 cells in a dose-dependent and time-dependent manner. Flow cytometry was further used to detect apoptosis ratios of MDA-MB-231 cells after Annexin V-FITC/PI staining, and significant apoptosis was observed after rosmarinic acid treatment. Real-time PCR and Western blot tests were carried out to detect the expressions of apoptosis-related genes. The down-regulation of the Bcl-2 expression and the up-regulation of the Bax expression were observed in MDA-MB-231 cells after rosmarinic acid treatment. The results suggested that rosmarinicacid can inhibit the proliferation and migration, and induce the apoptosis of MDA-MB-231 cells, which may be correlated with the down-regulation of Bcl-2 gene and the up-regulation of Bax gene.

OTX1 Contributes to Hepatocellular Carcinoma Progression by Regulation of ERK/MAPK Pathway

Orthodenticlehomeobox 1 (OTX1) overexpression had previously been associated with the progression of several tumors. The present study aimed to determine the expression and role of OTX1 in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The expression level of OTX1 was examined by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) in 10 samples of HCC and paired adjacent non-cancerous tissues, and by immunohistochemistry (IHC) analysis in 128 HCC samples and matched controls. The relationship between OTX1 expression and the clinicopathological features werealso analyzed. Furthermore, the effects of OTX1 knockdown on cell proliferation and migration were determined in HCC cell lines. Axenograft mouse model was also established to investigate the role of OTX1 in HCC tumor growth. TheqRT-PCR and IHC analyses revealed that OTX1 was significantly elevated in HCC tissues compared with the paired non-cancerous controls. Expression of OTX1 was positively correlated with nodal metastasis status (P = 0.009) and TNM staging (P = 0.001) in HCC tissues. In addition, knockdown of OTX1 by shRNA significantly inhibited the proliferation and migration, and induced cell cycle arrest in S phase in vitro. Tumor growth was markedly inhibited by OTX1 silencing in the xenograft. Moreover, OTX1 silencing was causable for the decreased phosphorylation level of ERK/MAPK signaling. In conclusion, OTX1 contributes to HCC progression possibly by regulation of ERK/MAPK pathway. OTX1 may be a novel target for molecular therapy towards HCC.

Effects of recombinant human erythropoietin on brain-derived neurotrophic factor expression in different brain regions of aging rats / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the effect of recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO) on expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in different brain regions of aging rats.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Forty male SD rats were randomized equally into negative control group, D-galactose group, EPO treatment group, and positive control group. Rat models of subacute aging were established by continuous subcutaneous injection of 5% D-galactose. Immunohistochemical staining was used to analyze the variation of BDNF expressions in different brain regions of the aging rats with different treatments.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Significant brain region-specific differences in BDNF expression were found among the rats in different groups. Compared with those in the negative control group, the numbers of BDNF-positive cells in the hippocampal CA1 region, CA3 region, dentate gyrus (DG) and frontal cortex were all decreased obviously in D-galactose group (P<0.05) but increased in both EPO group and the positive control group (P<0.05) without significant differences between the latter two groups. In the rats in the same group, the number of BDNF-positive cells varied markedly in different brain regions (P<0.05), and the expression level of BDNF was the highest in the frontal cortex followed by the hippocampal CA3 region and the dentate gyrus, and was the lowest in the hippocampal CA1 region.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Treatment with rhEPO enhances the expression of BDNF in rat neural cells, suggesting that rhEPO may protect the nervous system from aging by regulating the BDNF pathway.</p>

Expression profiles and differential diagnostic value of serum Golgi protein-73 in patients with liver cirrhosis and primary hepatic carcinoma / 中华肝脏病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the expression profiles of serum Golgi protein-73 (GP73) in liver cirrhosis and primary hepatic carcinoma (PHC) and determine its clinical value for differential diagnosis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Serum protein expressions of GP73 and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and chemiluminescence assay, respectively, in patients with PHC (n=80), liver cirrhosis (n=65), and healthy controls (n=50). Inter-group changes were assessed by Kruskal-Wallis test, and significance of these differences was assessed by Mann-Whitney test. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted to evaluate the diagnostic efficiency and determine the cut-off values for GP73 and AFP. Sensitivity and specificity were compared by the Chi-squared test. Correlation between serum GP73 expression and clinical parameters was determined by Spearman's rank correlation analysis.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The PHC group showed significantly higher serum GP73 (282.0 mug/L) than the liver cirrhosis group (211.8 mug/L) and control group (58.3 mug/L) (H = 93.30, P less than 0.01). For differential diagnosis of PHC and liver cirrhosis, the cut-off value was 318.1 mug/L for GP73 and 13.4 mug/L for AFP. Sensitivity of GP73 was lower than AFP (45% (36/80) vs. 65% (52/80); X2 = 8.02, P less than 0.05). Specificity of GP73 was lower than AFP but no significance was found (83.1% (54/65) vs. 87.7% (57/65); X2=0.27, P more than 0.05). The areas under the ROC curves were not significantly different between GP73 and AFP (0.65 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.54~0.72) vs. 0.75 (95% CI: 0.67~0.83); Z = 1.88, P more than 0.05). The area under the ROC curves increased but not significantly (0.80 (95% CI: 0.73~0.88) vs. 0.75 (95% CI: 0.67~0.83); Z=2.61, P more than 0.05). Serum GP73 was correlated with liver cirrhosis (r=0.27), vascular invasion (r=0.29), and TNM staging (r=0.27) (all P less than 0.05), but not with sex (r=0.13), age (r=0.10), enhanced AFP (> 13.4 mug/L; r=0.03), tumor size (r=0.18), or distant metastasis (r=0.04), all P less than 0.05.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Serum GP73 and AFP have comparable diagnostic efficiency, but the sensitivity of AFP is superior for differential diagnosis of liver cirrhosis and primary hepatic carcinoma. Elevated serum GP73 may be correlated with liver tumor load and aggressiveness.</p>

Curative effect of radiotherapy at various doses on subcutaneous alveolar echinococcosis in rats / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Alveolar echinococcosis (AE) is a disease in human and animals, and the cure rate is unsatisfactory. This study aimed to investigate the curative efficacy of different doses of locally applied radiotherapy on alveolar echinococcosis in rats.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Rats infected with Echinococcus multilocularis were randomly divided into 4 groups of 15 rats each: low-, middle-, and high-irradiation groups and a control group. Rats in the control group underwent no treatment, while rats in the irradiation groups received 6-MeV radiotherapy at 20 Gy/8 f, 40 Gy/8 f, and 60 Gy/8 f respectively, once every 3 days for a total of 8 times. One month after radiotherapy, wet weight and AE vesicle inhibitory rate were detected in rats of each group. Histopathologic and ultrastructural observations of tissues with AE lesions were performed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In the treatment groups, an obvious inhibitory effect was found in AE rats; the inhibitory rates were 50%, 72%, and 82%, respectively. There were also statistical differences in pathological changes and average wet weight of the lesions compared with the control group (P < 0.05). In the treatment groups, injuries of various degrees were found in the ultrastructure of the laminated and germinal layers in the capsular wall of AE, and injury was most severe in the high-dose group.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Radiotherapy has a dose-dependent inhibitory effect on the growth of AE.</p>

Expression of EphA2 and EphrinA1 in human renal cell carcinoma and its relationship with angiogenesis / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the expression of EphA2 and EphrinA1 and its relationship with angiogenesis in renal cell carcinoma and its relevance to clinicopathologic features.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The expression of the EphA2 and EphrinA1 was detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in the tissues samples from 68 renal cell carcinomas and 24 normal kidneys, and quantitatively analyzed. The microvessel density (MVD) was determined by CD34 immunostaining of microvascular endothelial cells. Statistical analysis was performed using the software SPSS (version 13.0).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The expression of EphA2, EphrinA1 and MND in the cancerous tissues were significantly higher (P<0.01) than that in the normal ones. Significantly increased expression of EphA2, EphrinA1 and MVD (P<0.01) was detected in cancer tissues with higher grade differentiation, more advanced stage and more lymph node metastasis, respectively (P<0.05 for each group). Expression of the EphA2 and EphrinA1 protein was shown to be positively associated with the MVD assessed by Spearman's correlation and factor analysis (r=0.555, r=0.485, P<0.01). The MVD was also significantly correlated with the diameter of the tumor (P<0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>EphA2 and EphrinA1 are highly expressed in renal cell carcinoma, and positively correlated with histological differentiation, clinical stage and angiogenesis in the cancer.</p>

Promotion of medical students' professional quality in higher vocational schools based-on evaluation from employment institutions / 上海第二医科大学学报

Objective To understand the evaluation on graduates' professional quality from the employment institutions,and to provide the references for the higher vocational schools in improving students' training model and strengthening students' professional quality. Methods The questionnaires designed independently were answered by the employment institutions hiring 2003-2005 four majors(namely nursing,laboratory science,dental technology,optometry) graduates from Shanghai Institute of Health Sciences. Results The overall evaluation of employment institutions on the graduates was quite good,but the evaluation on graduates' professional ability was low. Conclusion With strengthening the student' specialized knowledge and skill training,higher vocational schools must pay more attention to the students' professional ability education.

Content of gentiopicroside and loganic acid in Radix gentianae and their fingerprints / 药学学报

To develop a HPLC-DAD-ESI-TOF/MS analysis method for the determination of gentiopicroside and loganic acid in Radix gentianae samples and for the research of their fingerprints. The samples were extracted using ASE for 10 min under 100 degrees C and 9.65 MPa, and divided into water phase and chloroform phase and analyzed them with HPLC-DAD-ESI-TOF/MS method respectively. Based on this method, the HPLC fingerprints of Radix gentianae were established. Comparing the spectrogram and mass spectrum of the chromatogram peak with the reference value, three compounds in water phase were identified as gentiopicroside, asafetida acid and loganic acid. There is no report of the compounds in chloroform phase. The content of gentiopicroside and loganic acid in samples of different groups were determined, separately. The fingerprints were compared by the software of the similarity evaluation system for chromatographic fingerprint. The water phase fingerprint congruence coefficients of samples from six different areas were above 0.90, however, the chloroform phase fingerprint congruence coefficients were within 0.62 -0.99. This method can be used for determination of potent component in Radix gentianae and its quality control. Radix gentianae from different producing areas have the largest diversities, and the diversities embodied in the content of chloroform phase compounds.

Effects of tonifying shen recipe on advanced glycation end products, amyloid-beta peptide in telencephalon and hippocampus of ovariectomized rats / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the effect of Tonifying Shen recipe (TSR) on advanced glycation end products (AGEPs), amyloid-beta peptide (A beta P) in telencephalon and hippocampus of ovariectomized rats.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Female SD rats, 9 months old, were randomly divided into 3 groups: the sham operation (Sh) group, the ovariectomized (OV) group and the TSR group. Medication via gastrogavage 4 weeks was given after ovariectomy consecutively for 16 weeks. Competitive ELISA and radioimmunoassay (RIA) was used to detect AGEPs and A beta P level in rats' telencephalon and hippocampus; florescent assay was used to determine the serum and urinary soluble AGE-peptide level; and also the rats' behavioral alteration and hippocampal morphological change were observed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with those in the Sh group, the correct escape rate in the OV group was significantly lower (P < 0.05), content of A beta P in telencephalon and serum soluble AGE-peptide levels significantly higher (P < 0.05), contents of AGEPs in telencephalon and hippocampal tissue showed an increased tendency, but without significance (P > 0.05), argyrophil stain showed that nerve fiber thickened, senile plaques appeared in temporal cortex. In the TSR group after treatment, contents of AGEPs in telencephalon, A beta P in telencephalon and hippocampus significantly decreased (P < 0.05), the urinary soluble AGE-peptide level significantly increased (P < 0.05) and with markedly improvement of learning memory capability and above-mentioned pathological changes.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>TSR could reduce the accumulation of AGEPs in telencephalon and the contents of A beta P in telencephalon and hippocampal tissue, and improve the impaired ability of learning and memory caused by lack of estrogen. Its mechanism might be based on the elevation in excretion of AGE-peptide via kidney.</p>

Evaluation of characteristics of cerebral vascular lesion in hypertensive patients by transcranial Doppler / 解放军医学杂志

Objective To investigate the degree of vascular damage in patients with hypertension in various stages with transcranial Doppler (TCD), so as to provide references for the prevention and treatment of obstructive cerebral vascular disease. Methods TCD was adopted to examine bilateral anterior cerebral arteries (ACA), terminal internal carotid arteries (TICA), vertebral arteries (VA) and basal arteries (BA) in patients with hypertension (n=176) and normotensive individuals as control group (n=60). The hemodynamic data of two groups were analyzed statistically. Results In patients with stage Ⅰ hypertension, the blood stream velocity was increased in all intracranial vessels, especially in MCM and TICA. In patients with stage Ⅱ and Ⅲ hypertension, the elevation of blood pressure was followed by the decrease of blood stream velocity, especially in MCA, TICA and BA. The rate of abnormality as detected by TCD was 90 and 96 in patients with stage Ⅱ and Ⅲof hypertension, respectively. Conclusions The abnormal findings of cerebral vessels as detected by TCD seem to coincide with the clinical characters of stroke. TCD findings may be used as an early forewarning index of obstructive cerebral disease.