Analysis of clinical characteristics and laboratory findings of 131 cases of neurosyphilis / 中华皮肤科杂志

Objective:To deeply analyze differences in characteristics of neurosyphilis between male and female patients with neurosyphilis, as well as between patients with symptomatic neurosyphilis and those with asymptomatic neurosyphilis, and to provide reference for the prevention and control, clinical diagnosis and treatment of neurosyphilis.Methods:A total of 131 inpatients with neurosyphilis were collected from Department of Dermatology and Venereology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University from June 2015 to December 2019, and their clinical manifestations and laboratory findings were retrospectively analyzed. These patients were grouped according to gender and neurological/psychiatric symptoms. Measurement data were compared by using two-independent-sample t test or Mann-Whitney U test, and enumeration data were compared by using chi-square test and Fisher′s exact test, to analyze differences in clinical characteristics and laboratory indicators between different groups. Results:Among the 131 patients, there were 72 with asymptomatic neurosyphilis (asymptomatic group) and 59 with symptomatic neurosyphilis (symptomatic group). The proportion of patients receiving syphilis treatment was significantly lower in the symptomatic group (10.17%) than in the asymptomatic group (98.61%, OR = 0.002, P < 0.001). The misdiagnosis rate at the first clinical visit was significantly higher in the male patients (50.00%) than in the female patients (24.49%, OR = 3.08, P = 0.004), as well as in the symptomatic patients (89.83%) than in the asymptomatic patients (0, OR = 13.00, P < 0.001). The proportion of symptomatic patients was significantly higher in male patients (57.32%) than in female patients (14.64%, OR = 4.14, P = 0.003). Compared with the female patients, the male patients showed significantly increased positive rates of toluidine red unheated serum test (TRUST) in the cerebrospinal fluid samples (52.44% vs. 26.54%, OR = 3.05, P = 0.004), increased proportions of patients with elevated levels of total protein (> 0.5 g/L) in cerebrospinal fluids (79.27% vs. 59.18%, OR = 2.64, P = 0.01), increased total protein levels in cerebrospinal fluids (0.76 ± 0.41 g/L vs. 0.56 ± 0.25 g/L, P = 0.002), and increased detection rates of brain magnetic resonance imaging abnormalities (72.22% vs. 44.90%, OR = 2.13, P = 0.039). The age at diagnosis of the symptomatic female patients (50.82 ± 9.31 years) was significantly higher than that of the asymptomatic female patients (42.30 ± 12.18 years, P = 0.038). The positive rate of TRUST in the cerebrospinal fluid samples was significantly higher in the patients with symptomatic neurosyphilis (55.93%) than in those with asymptomatic neurosyphilis (31.94%, OR = 2.70, P = 0.006), and so was the total protein level in cerebrospinal fluids (0.79 ± 0.46 g/L vs. 0.60 ± 0.24 g/L, P = 0.003) . Conclusion:The misdiagnosis rate of neurosyphilis is high at the first clinic visit; the condition of male patients is more serious than that of female patients; anti-syphilitic treatment history, gender and age may play some role in the development of neurosyphilis.

Expressions of vascular endothelial growth factor C and cortactin in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and their clinical significance / 医学研究生学报

Objective Vascular endothelial growth factor C (VEGFC) and cortactin (CTTN) have been found to be closely related to the growth of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), but their specific relationship has not been clearly defined up to the present time. This study aimed to investigate the effects of VEGFC and CTTN on the proliferation and apoptosis of ESCC cells. Methods Human ESCC TE1 cells were treated with normal culture medium (the blank control group), MATE transfection reagent ( the MATE group), negative control RNA and MATE reagent (the negative control group), positive control RNA and MATE reagent (the positive control group), VEGFC siRNA and MATE transfection reagent (the VEGFC siRNA group), and CTTN siRNA and MATE transfection reagent (the CTTN siRNA group). The proliferation of the ESCC TE1 cells in different groups was detected by CCK-8 assay and their apoptosis determined by flow cytometry. Results Compared with the blank control group, the ESCC cells of the VEGFC siRNA and CTTN siRNA groups showed significantly decreased expressions of VEGFC mRNA (1.00 ± 0.00 vs 0.13 ± 0.01, P < 0.05) and CTTN mRNA (1.00 ± 0.00 vs 0.29 ± 0.02, P < 0.05). The proliferation rate of the ESCC cells was remarkably lower in the VEGFC siRNA and CTTN siRNA than in the other groups (P < 0.05), and even lower in the VEGFC siRNA than in the CTTN siRNA group ([31.26 ± 5.25]% vs [46.99 ± 4.82]%, P < 0.05), but their apoptosis rate was markedly higher in the former than in the latter group ([48.41 ± 5.37]% vs [36.78 ± 4.29]%, P < 0.05). Conclusion Interfering with the expressions of VEGFC and CTTN can inhibit the proliferation and promote the apoptosis of ESCC cells, and VEGFC has an even better effect than CTTN.

Effect of propofol and operative trauma on neurodevelopment and cognitive function of developing brain in rats / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effect of propofol and operative trauma on the neurodevelopment and cognitive function of the developing brain and its mechanism.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 104 postnatal day 13 Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: control group (treated by 7.5 mL/kg saline and sham surgery), propofol group (treated by 75 mg/kg propofol), surgery group (with abdominal surgery under local anesthesia) and propofol+surgery group (with abdominal surgery under local anesthesia plus 75 mg/kg propofol anesthesia). Thirteen rats from each group were randomly selected for detecting the content of TNF-α in the hippocampus and the expression levels of caspase-3 and c-fos in the brain. Morris Water Maze test was used to detect the cognitive ability of the other rats at 60 days old, after which TNF-α content in the hippocampus and caspase-3 and c-fos expressions in the brain were detected.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In 13 day-old rats, TNF-α level and caspase-3 and c-fos expressions differed significantly between the surgery group and the other 3 groups (P<0.05) and were similar among the control group, propofol group and propofol+surgery group (P>0.05). In 60-day-old rats, Morris water maze test results, TNF-α level or expressions of caspase-3 and c-fos showed no significant differences among the 4 groups.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Abdominal surgery can induce inflammation in the hippocampus and neuroapoptosis in neonatal rats rather than adult rats. Single-dose propofol anesthesia does not significantly affect neurodevelopment of young rats, and can relieve central inflammatory reaction induced by surgical trauma.</p>

Mechanism of the synergistic analgesic effect between choline and acetaminophen / 药学学报

This study was designed to investigate the synergistic analgesic effect between choline (Cho) and acetaminophen (Ace). Mice were treated with 0.6% acetic acid solution by intraperitoneal injection to build acetate writhing model. The KM mice were randomly divided into four groups:control group (n=10), Cho group (n=50), Ace group (n=50), combination group (Cho+Ace group, n=40), then the writhing times were counted respectively. OriginPro8.5 was used to calculate ED 50. The isobolographic analysis was used to test the interaction of Cho and Ace. To explore the mechanism, forty KM mice were randomly divided into control group, Cho group, Ace group and Cho + Ace group. Blood was collected for detection of TNF-α, IL-6, PGE2 and NF-κB content using ELISA kits. The result ED 50 was calculated as followings. ED50 of Cho and Ace was 19.47 mg·kg-1 and 20.56 mg·kg-1. The concentrations were 2.94 mg·kg-1 for Cho and 3.15 mg·kg-1 for Ace in the combination test. The levels of TNF-α, IL-6, PGE2 and NF-κB in Cho group and Ace group were lower than those in the control group (Pα, IL-6, PGE2, NF-κB in Cho + Ace group were reduced further (P< 0.05). The results revealed that Cho and Ace have synergistic analgesic effects, which may associate with inhibition of the NF-κB signaling pathway.

Choline improves lipopolysaccharide-induced central nervous system inflammatory response and cognitive dysfunction in mice / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To assess the effect of choline in ameliorating lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced central nervous system inflammation and cognitive deficits in mice and explore the underlying mechanism.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Seventy-two mice were randomized into saline control group, LPS group, choline intervention group and choline control group. In the latter two groups, the mice received pretreatment with intraperitoneal injections of choline (40 mg/kg, 3 times daily for 3 consecutive days) prior to microinjection of LPS into the lateral cerebral ventricle to induce central nervous system inflammation; in saline and LPS groups, the mice were pretreated with saline in the same manner before intraventicular injection of artificial cerebrospinal fluid. Choline treatment was administered in the mice till the end of the experiment. The locomotor activity and spatial learning and memory capacity of the mice were examined. The expressions of Iba1 protein and proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-α and IL-β) I the hippocampal dentate gyrus, and the expressions of α 7nAchR, p38 MAPK and phosphorylated p38 MAPK in the hippocampus of the mice were detected.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Water maze test showed that compared with the saline control group, the mice in LPS group exhibited significantly reduced platform crossings (P<0.05), which was significantly increased by choline pretreatment (P<0.05). The mice pretreated with LPS expressed obviously increased levels of IBA-1 protein, TNF-α, and IL-1β in the hippocampus (P<0.01), and choline pretreatment significantly lowered the expressions of IBA-1 protein and IL-1β (P<0.05). The phosphorylation level of p38 MAPK increased significantly after LPS pretreatment (P<0.05), and was reduced by choline pretreatment (P<0.05); α 7nAchR expression increased significantly in choline intervention group as compared with that in the other 3 groups (P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Choline can probably antagonize LPS-induced hippocampal p38 MAPK phosphorylation in mice via the α 7nAchR signaling pathway to protective against LPS-induced neuroinflammation and cognitive impairment in mice.</p>

Protective effect of dexmedetomidine against glutamate-induced cytotoxicity in PC12 cells and its mechanism / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the protective effects of dexmedetomidine (Dex) against glutamate-induced cytotoxicity in PC12 cells and its mechanism.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>PC12 cells were treated with varying concentrations of dexmedetomidine 1 h before exposure to a high concentration of glutamate. The cell viability was measured by MTT assay, and LDH release, MDA content and SOD activity were measured. The level of ROS was tested by DCFH-DA staining and flow cytometry. The level of intracellular Cawas detected by Fluo-8 staining and flow cytometry, and the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) was determined with JC-1 staining and flow cytometry.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Within the concentration range of 0.01 to 100 µmol/L, Dex dose-dependently protected PC12 cells against glutamate-induced cytotoxicity. Treatment with 100 µmol/L Dex significantly increased the cell viability to (86.6∓2.2)% of that of the control cells (P<0.01) and decreased LDH release to 1.4∓0.1 folds of the control level (P<0.01). In PC12 cells exposed to glutamate, Dex pretreatment significantly reduced MDA content (P<0.01), enhanced SOD activity (P<0.01), inhibited ROS overproduction (P<0.01), reduced intracellular Calevel (P<0.01) and maintained a stable MMP (P<0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Dexmedetomidine can protect PC12 cells against glutamate-induced injury possibly in relation with its anti-oxidative activity, inhibitory effect on intracellular calcium overload and protective effect of the mitochondria.</p>

Synergistic analgesic effect of choline and parecoxib sodium in mice and the mechanism / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the synergistic analgesic effect of choline and parecoxib sodium and study its mechanism.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>In male Kunming mice with acetic acid-induced writhing, the EDof choline and parecoxib sodium (administered via the tail vein at 2 h and 30 min before modeling, respectively) and their combined use were determined. In saline (control) group, EDcholine (C) group, EDparecoxib sodium (P) group, and 1/2EDcholine and parecoxib sodium (1/2[C+P]) group, blood samples were collected from the eyeball 10 min after intraperitoneal administration of acetic acid to detect the levels of IL-1, TNF-α, PGE2, NF-κB, and I-κB levels using ELISA kits.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In the acetic acid-induced writhing model, the EDof choline and parecoxib sodium was 8.64 and 6.33 mg/kg, and when combined, their ED50 was 2.13 and 1.56 mg/kg, respectively. The isobolograms of parecoxib sodium and choline showed that the measured EDof the two drugs combined was below the theoretical EDvalue (P<0.05) with a combination index (CI) of <0.9. Compared with the control group, C group, P group, and 1/2 (C+P) group all showed significantly lowered IL-1 and TNF-α levels (P<0.05), especially in 1/2 (C+P) group (P<0.05). PGE2 level was significantly lower in P group and 1/2 (C+P) group compared with the control group (P<0.05). NF-κB and I-κB levels were significantly lowered in C, P, and 1/2 (C+P) groups (P<0.05), and the reduction was the most obvious in 1/2 (C+P) group (P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Choline and parecoxib sodium has a synergistic analgesic effect, and their interactions may involve the in vivo expression of NF-κB.</p>

Application of 3D digital orthopedic techniques in treatment of acetabular fracture / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the therapeutic effect of three-dimensional digital orthopedic techniques in treatment of acetabular fractures.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We retrospectively analyzed 50 cases of acetabular fracture treated between March, 2007 and December, 2013. The lamellar CT scanning data were imported into Mimics software, and 3D anatomical models of the pelvic and proximal femur were reconstructed. Computer-assisted analysis was carried out to understand the condition of fractures and simulate fracture reduction. The pelvic models were manufactured by rapid prototyping technique for definite diagnosis and typing of acetabular fractures and subsequent surgical treatment.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Three-dimensional reconstruction images and rapid prototyping pelvic models faithfully represented the findings in operations. Preoperative simulation of the operation shortened the time of operation and reduced the volume of bleeding in the operation. All the patients were followed up for 6 to 24 months. According to Matta imaging score, anatomical reduction was achieved in 41 cases and satisfactory reduction in 9 cases. According to the Harris functional criteria, 32 patients had excellent, 12 had good and 6 had acceptable outcomes with a rate of excellent and good outcomes of 88%.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Three-dimensional digital orthopedic techniques allow accurate display of the acetabulum and the spatial relation of the anatomic structures to assist in fracture diagnosis, typing and treatment.</p>

Use of Acellular Dermal Matrices in One-stage Implant-based Breast Reconstruction / 中国医学科学院学报

Implant-based breast reconstruction is the most common choice in breast cancer patients. Recently,the acellular dermal matrix (ADM) technique has been widely used in implant-based breast reconstruction in the western countries. This article briefly reviews the biological characteristics,history,types,surgical techniques,and postoperative complications of ADM.

Effect of repeated hypoxic preconditioning on renal ischemia-reperfusion-induced hepatic dysfunction in rats / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the effect of repeated hypoxic preconditioning (RHP) on renal ischemia-reperfusion-induced hepatic dysfunction in rats and the underlying mechanism.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 120 normal SD rats were randomly divided into 4 groups (n=40), namely RHP surgical group, RHP sham-operated (RHPS) group, nonhypoxic surgical group (IRI group), and nonhypoxic sham-operated group (S group). The rats in the hypoxic groups were exposed to hypoxia in a hypoxic chamber for 5 days prior to establishment of renal ischemia-reperfusion model by resection of the right kidney and clamping the left renal hilum. Serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), IL-17 A, TNF-a, liver superoxide dismutase (SOD) and nitric oxide (NO) were detected at 2, 8 and 24h after reperfusion, and Western blotting was used to determine the expression of p-PI3K and p-AKT;HE staining was used to observe the structural changes in the liver.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with IRI group, RHP group showed significantly milder hepatic damage, lower ALT levels and higher NO levels at 2, 8, and 24 after reperfusion (P<0.05); TNF-a levels were lowered at 24 h (P<0.05) and SOD increased at 8 h after the reperfusion (P<0.05). Compared with S group, IRI group and RHP group showed significantly higher IL-17A levels (P<0.05) but without significant difference between the latter two groups (P>0.05). The expressions of p-PI3K and P-Al<t in RHP group were significantly higher than those in IRI group (P<0.05), especially at 8 h after reperfusion (P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Repeated hypoxic preconditioning can attenuate hepatic injury induced by renal ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats.</p>

Effects of sirolimus on ultraviolet B irradiation-induced premature senescence of skin fibroblasts / 中华皮肤科杂志

Objective To observe the effect of sirolimus,an autophagy enhancer,on premature senescence in fibroblasts induced by repeated exposure to a subtoxic dose of ultraviolet B (UVB).Methods Skin fibroblasts from foreskin tissue of healthy adolescents were classified into six groups:control group cultured in Dulbecco's modified Eagles' medium (DMEM) containing 1％ calf serum,UVB group receiving UVB irradiation only,sirolimus group treated with sirolimus of 10 mg/L (added after daily exchange of culture medium),and three combined groups receiving UVB irradiation immediately followed by overnight treatment with sirolimus of 0.1,1.0 and 10.0 mg/L respectively.UVB irradiation was given at a dose of 10 mJ/cm2 once a day for five successive days.After five days of treatment,cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) was used to evaluate cell viability,β-galactosidase staining to detect senescent ceils,Western blot to quantify the expressions of p53,LC3-B and beclin 1 in these fibroblasts.Autophagy level was determined by acridine orange staining followed by fluorescence microscopy and transmission electron microscopy.Data were processed by the SPSS 16.0 software,and statistical analysis was done by one-way analysis of variance,t test and least significance difference.Results Sirolimus significantly increased the proliferative activity of fibroblasts in a dose-dependent manner,with the absorbance value at 450 nm being 0.27 ± 0.02,0.36 ± 0.04 and 0.39 ± 0.04 for fibroblasts irradiated with UVB followed by treatment with sirolimus of 0.1,1.0 and 10 mg/L respectively,compared to 0.26 + 0.01 for fibroblasts irradiated with UVB only (all P ＜ 0.05).Significant differences were also observed between the fibroblasts irradiated with UVB followed by treatment with sirolimus of 0.1,1.0 and 10 mg/L and those irradiated with UVB only in the percentage of β-galactosidasepositive fibroblasts (92.50％ ± 0.34％,42.40％ ± 0.53％ and 6.20％ ± 0.39％ vs.95.10％ ± 0.32％,all P ＜ 0.05)and intracellular intensity of acridine orange-induced fluorescence (36.43 ± 0.24,45.25 ± 0.33 and 48.69 ± 0.37 vs.33.99 ± 0.32,all P ＜ 0.05).Moreover,the expressions of p53,LC3-B and beclin 1 in the three combined groups differed significantly from those in the UVB group (all P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion Sirolimus can inhibit UVBinduced premature senescence likely via upregulation of autophagy in fibroblasts.

Influence of palmitic acid on the proliferation of and production of inflammatory mediators by a human keratinocyte line HaCaT / 中华皮肤科杂志

Objective To estimate the influence of palmitic acid (PA) on the proliferation of and production of inflammatory mediators by a human keratinocyte line HaCaT.Methods Cultured HaCaT cells were treated with PA of eight concentrations (0-200 μmol/L) for 3-24 hours followed by the evaluation of cell proliferation by using the cell counting kit-8.According to the proliferation assay,four concentrations (75,100,125,150 μmol/L) of PA were selected and used to treat HaCaT cells for 24 hours,then,fluorescence-based immunohistochemical staining was performed to observe the nuclear translocation of nuclear factor (NF)-κB p65,enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to determine the level of interleukin (IL)-6 in the supernatant of culture medium,real-time PCR to detect the mRNA expressions of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor oα (PPARα) and IL-6,and Western blot to quantify the protein expressions of PPARα as well as total and nuclear NF-κB p65.Those HaCaT cells receiving no treatment served as the control group.Statistical analysis was carried out by one-factor analysis of variance using the GraphPad Prism 5.0 software.Results The HaCaT cells treated with PA of 50-175 μ mol/L showed accelerated proliferation compared with the control HaCaT cells (all P ＜ 0.05).PA from 75 to 150 μmol/L enhanced the nuclear translocation of NF-κB p65,mRNA and protein expressions of PPARα,as well as the mRNA expression and supernatant level of IL-6 in a dose-dependent manner.The relative expression level of nuclear NF-κB p65 protein was 0.4536 ± 0.0173,0.5184 ± 0.0206,0.5333 ± 0.0231,0.6160 ± 0.0297,and the supernatant level of IL-6 was (31.5677 ± 0.2268),(32.3773 ± 0.4156),(32.9837 ± 0.0029) and (33.6890 ± 0.0936) ng/L,in HaCaT cells treated with PA of 75,100,125 and 150 μmol/L,respectively,compared to 0.3237 ± 0.0114 (all P ＜ 0.01) and (30.4577 ± 0.5131) ng/L (all P ＜ 0.01) in the control HaCaT cells,respectively.Conclusions PA can accelerate the proliferation of HaCaT cells,enhance NF-κB nuclear transfer,PPARα expression and IL-6 secretion in a dose-dependent manner within a certain concentration range,and may exert a promoting role in the activation and expression of some inflammatory factors.

Expression of translationally controlled tumor protein in squamous cell carcinoma tissue and cell lines A431 and SCL-1 / 中华皮肤科杂志

Objective To detect the expression of translationally controlled tumor protein (TCTP) in squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) tissue and cell lines A431 and SCL-1,and to evaluate the effect of TCTP on apoptosis in and proliferation of SCC cells.Methods An immunohistochemical method was used to measure the expression of TCTP in tissue specimens from 65 patients with SCC.Western blot was performed to detect the expression of TCTP in A431 and SCL-1 cells.Three small interference RNAs (siRNAs) targeting the TPT1 gene were designed,synthesized,and transfected into A431 cells.Then,reverse transcription (RT)-PCR and Western blot were conducted to measure the expression of TPT1 mRNA and TCTP,respectively,methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay and flow cytometry were carried out to detect cell proliferation and apoptosis,respectively.Results TCTP was overexpressed in SCC tissue specimens,and the expression level was positively correlated with the histologic grading of SCC (P ＜ 0.05).Western blot showed that TCTP was expressed in both A431 and SCL-1 cells,and the expression was relatively high in A431 cells.The transfection efficiency of siRNAs varied from 90％ to 95％.A decrease in the expression of TPT1 mRNA and TCTP was induced by the siRNAs in A375 cells (all P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion The downregulation of TCTP expression may increase the apoptosis in and suppress the proliferation of A431 cells.

Value of cardiac troponin I measurement in prediction of anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity in breast cancer patients / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the value of cardiac troponin I (CTnI) measurement in predicting anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity in patients with breast cancer.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>This study was conducted among 186 breast cancer patients receiving anthracycline-based chemotherapy. Serum cTnI concentrations before and after each cycle of the chemotherapy and the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) before and at the 2nd, 4th and 6th months of the treatment were recorded. According to serum cTnI concentration, the patients were divided into CTnI+ group (with serum CTnI concentration of no less than 0.1 ng/ml, n=60) and CTnI- (<0.1 ng/ml) group (n=126).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>No patients in this series experienced cardiac heart failure (CHF). The number of patients with a LVEF reduction by over 10% from the baseline was 16 (26.7%) in CTnI+ group, as compared to 7 (5.6%) in CTnI- group, showing a significant difference between the two groups (P<0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>CTnI can be a useful marker for early prediction of anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity in patients with breast cancer.</p>

Scavenger of reactive oxygen metabolites reverses the ROM induced inhibition of NK cell-mediated killing effect on K562 cell in vitro / 中国实验血液学杂志

To investigate the effect of a new reactive oxygen metabolites (ROM) scavenger as immune adjuvant in NK cell-mediated killing effect on K562 cell, IL-2 and PHA were used to activate monocyte to produce ROM, and different concentrations of tiopronin as ROM scavenger was used in the cultivated systems with different ratio of monocytes plus NK cells and K562 cells, while histamine dihydrochloride (DHT) with different concentrations was used as positive control. The reuslts indicated that after IL-2 and PHA were supplemented in the cultivated systems mixing with NK cells and K562 cells as the E/T ratio was 10/1, the ROM production increased from 33.17 +/- 25.02 U/ml to 223.59 +/- 59.41 U/ml (P < 0.05) while K562 cell inhibition rate (KIR) increased from 65.56% to 85.89% (P < 0.05). When the monocytes as the E/MO ratios of 10/2, 10/5 and 10/10 were supplemented respectively, ROM production increased correspondingly (ROM production was 389.79 +/- 43.83 U/ml, 456.74 +/- 42.77 U/ml, 601.42 +/- 21.92 U/ml, respectively), and KIR was on the other round (KIR was 82.36%, 81.36%, 48.09% respectively). Tiopronin, DHT were used in the K562 + NK + MO + IL-2/PHA cultivated systems as the E/MO ratio was 10/2, the ROM production also decreased from 389.79 +/- 43.83 U/ml to -1.20 +/- 60.70 U/ml, 50.21 +/- 22.4 U/ml (P < 0.05), respectively, however KIR increased from 82.53% to 96.09% and 94.64% either (P < 0.05). Higher concentrations of tiopronin and DHT were used, ROM production decreased accordingly. There showed a reverse correlation between ROM production and KIR (r = -0.518). When E/MO ratio was 10/5 or 10/10, tiopronin at any testing concentration and DHT at the higher testing concentration could reduce the ROM production (P < 0.05), but did not improve KIR significantly (P > 0.05). Tiopronin was as good as DHT in ameliorating KIR (P > 0.05) and better than DHT in scavenging ROM (P < 0.05). It is concluded that (1) Monocytes are the major resources of ROM, and the ROM derived from monocytes can disable NK cells in killing neoplasm cells (K562 cells); (2) A new ROM scavenger, tiopronin, can scavenge ROM effectively, and reverse the ROM induced inhibition of NK cell-mediated killing of K562 cell in a certain extent. And tiopronin is better than DHT in scavenging ROM, and as good as DHT in up-regulating KIR. The new ROM scavenger tiopronin with less side effect may take the place of DHT as adjuvant during the adoptive immuno-therapy in leukemia.