Contribution and Regulation of Forkhead Transcription Factor O1 during the Renal Fibrosis / 中国生物化学与分子生物学报

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) has become a chronic disease that cannot be ignored all over the world. Renal fibrosis is the final result and key pathological features of CKD. The whole process of renal fibrosis is associated with the repair and healing of kidney damage, and this long-term chronic stimulation promotes the renal fibrosis to the kidney failure, it is characterized by continuous activation of myofibroblasts and excessive production and deposition of extracellular matrix. Renal fibrosis is a synergistic process mediated by a variety of signaling pathways, and TGF-β / Smad and Wnt / β-catenin signaling pathways are two of the most classic ones. FoxO1 is an important transcription factor in the human body, which is expressed in a variety of cell types and plays an important role in a variety of cell life activities. Current researches have shown that FoxO1 plays an important role in renal fibrosis. FoxO1 regulates the occurrence and development of renal fibrosis through various signaling pathways such as STAT, SIRT1, Wnt / β-catenin, PI-3K / Akt. For example, FoxO1 / STAT regulates TIF and renal tubule apoptosis, SIRT1 / FoxO1 regulates oxidative stress response and lipotoxicity, FoxO1 / β-catenin inhibits the Wnt / β-catenin signaling pathway. In addition, some related studies suggest that FoxO1 / Smad may play a role in renal fibrosis. The contribution and regulation of FoxO1 in the renal fibrosis are reviewed here in order to further clarify the pathogenesis of renal fibrosis, which may bring new clues and prospects for the treatment of CKD.

Effects of L-Arginine and α / 中国医学科学院学报

Kidney is one of the important organs of the body.With both excretory and endocrine functions,it plays a vital role in regulating the normal physiological state.As a precursor of the nitric oxide(NO)synthesis

Roles of Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis and Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Ovary Axis in the Abnormal Endocrine Functions in Patients with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome / 中国医学科学院学报

Polycystic ovary syndrome(PCOS) is a common reproductive endocrine disease in women of childbearing age. While it can be affected by a variety of factors,its pathophysiology remains unclear. Its clinical features mainly include anovulation,hyperandrogenism,and hyperinsulinemia,which are closely related with abnormal neuroendocrine system. Hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis(HPG) plays a crucial regulatory role in various life activities in mammals. In particular,hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal(HPA) axis and hypothalamus-pituitary-ovary(HPO) axis can be abnormal in PCOS patients. The corresponding abnormalities include abnormal gonadotropin releasing hormone pulse frequency,increased luteinizing hormone/follicle-stimulating hormone ratio,and excessive excretion of adrenal and ovarian androgens. Meanwhile,insulin and leptin also play key roles in endocrine dysfunction in PCOS patients. This article systematically reviews the role of HPA axis and HPO axis in the neuroendocrine dysfunction in PCOS patients.

Effects of phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase/protein kinase b/bone morphogenetic protein-15 pathway on the follicular development in the mammalian ovary / 中国医学科学院学报

In mammals, ovarian follicle is made of an oocyte with its surrounding granulosa cells and theca cells. Follicular growth and development is a highly coordinated programmable process, which guarantees the normal oocyte maturation and makes it having the fertilizing capacity. The paracrine and autocrine between oocytes and granulosa cells are essential for the follicular development to provide a suitable microenvironment. Phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase /protein kinase B is one of these important regulatory signaling pathways during this developmental process, and bone morphogenetic protein-15 an oocyte-specific secreted signal molecule, which regulates the follicular development by paracrine in the mammalian ovary. The present article overviewed the role of phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase / protein kinase B signaling during the follicular development based on our previous investigation about protein kinase B /forkhead transcription factor forkhead family of transcription factors -3a, and then focused on the regulatory effects of bone morphogenetic protein-15, as a downstream signal molecule of phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase / forkhead family of transcription factors -3a pathway, on ovarian follicular development, which helped to further understand the molecular mechanism regulating the follicular development and to treat ovarian diseases like infertility.

MRI finding of the lumbar foraminal stenosis and its clinical significance / 中国骨伤

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe morphological changes of lumbar intervertebral foramen and pathologic changes around the nerve root and to explore the main evaluation index for lumbar foraminal stenosis (LPS) in parasaggital MRI finding.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>From Jan. 2007 to Aug. 2009, MRI finding in 35 patients with the LPS that were confirmed by surgery was retrospectively analyzed. This group including 27 males, 8 females; aged from 35 to 82 years with the mean of 54.5 years; the course was from 4 months to 8 years with the mean of 32 months. At the same time compared with another group including 37 cases whose MRI finding of foramen were normal. To find out the differences between two groups in effective foraminal height, effective superior foraminal width, the effective ratio of nerve root cross-sectional area and foramen cross-sectional area by analyzing the parasaggital MRI finding of L4.5 or L5S1 foramen. To analyze the main factors that included LPS.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Effective foraminal height and effective superior foraminal width in L(4,5) or L5S1 foramen in LPS group was smaller than that of control group (P < 0.01). The effective ratio in LPS group was larger than that of control group (P < 0.01). A variety of interacting factor were included LPS. Degeneration of the vertebral disk and hypertrophic ligamentum flavum were the main factors of soft tissue. Hypertrophy of the articular process and osteophyte on border of the vertebral body were the main factors of bone tissue. The edema and adhesion of nerve root with adjacent tissue were the main factors of nerve root.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The compound factors of soft tissue, bone tissue and nerve root resulted in LPS. MRI can adequately demonstrate anatomic structure of the foramen and pathologic changes of LPS. Effective foraminal height, effective superior foraminal width and the effective ratio can regard as the main evaluation index for LPS in parasaggital MRI finding.</p>