Gall Bladder Polyps : A Paradigm Shift – Need for Reappraisal of Guidelines

Background : Gall Bladder Polyps are mucosal lesions that project from the Gall Bladder wall into the Gallbladder lumen. They form morphologically distinct lesion/s with internal characteristics different than that of neighboring structures as verified by microscopic examination. About 4-6% are picked up clinically, 2-12% in Cholecystectomy specimens and 4% on Ultrasound. Materias and Methods : A three calendar year retrospective single surgical unit study compromised of 1442 cholecystectomies performed for benign Gall Bladder Disease. The patient were subjected to Ultrasound of abdomen for diagnosis and routine clinic work up. The Gall Bladders Harboring Polyps were examined grossly for site ,number, and microscopy for histological details. Results : In a total number of 40 cases of Gall Bladder Polyp, females outnumbered males. This series spreads over age groups of 3rd decade - 9th decade, most of the patients were seen in 6th decade of life. Youngest patients were 27 years old and oldest one was 85 years old. Incidentally, none of the old patients had evidence of malignancy on histopathology in their Gall Badder Polyp, only 2% were necessitated for a pre-operative diagnosis of Gall Bladder Polyps alone. Rest required it for presence of Gallstones with or without Polyp. None of >10mm size showed any malignant change on histopathological examination. On the Contrary, among the polypoid lesions <10mm size, one polypid lesion (7mm) showed a malignant change (Carcinoma in situ) Conclusion : A predictive model for neoplastic potential of Gall Bladder Polyp may support clinical decision to achieve an ideal therapeutic outcome. Hence a need for reappraisal of management guidelines.

Effect and mechanism of total flavonoids of Lichi Semen on CCl_4-induced liver fibrosis in rats, and prediction of Q-marker / 中国中药杂志

This paper was to investigate the effect of total flavonoids of Lichi Semen(TFL) on carbon tetrachloride(CCl_4)-induced liver fibrosis in rats, analyze and predict its mechanism of action and potential quality markers(Q-marker). Firstly, male SD rats were taken and injected subcutaneously with a 40% CCl_4-vegetable oil solution twice a week for 8 consecutive weeks to establish a rat model of liver fibrosis. The rats with liver fibrosis were randomly divided into model group, silybin group(43.19 mg·kg~(-1)), Fuzheng Huayu Capsules group(462.75 mg·kg~(-1)), and TFL groups(100 mg·kg~(-1) and 25 mg·kg~(-1)), with normal rats as a blank group, 10 rats in each group. Except for the blank group, the rats in the other groups were subcutaneously injected with 40% CCl_4-vegetable oil solution of a maintenance dose, once a week. The rats in various treatment groups received corresponding doses of drugs, while the rats in the blank group and model group received the same volume of normal saline once a day for 4 weeks. At the end of the experiment, blood was collected from the abdominal aorta and the liver tissues were collected. The levels of total bilirubin(TBiL), direct bilirubin(DBiL), indirect bilirubin(IBiL), alanine aminotransferase(ALT), and aspartate aminotransferase(AST) in serum were detected by using an automatic biochemical detector. Masson staining was used to observe the histopathological changes of rat liver. Then, the chemical compositions of TFL were collected, and the action targets of these chemical compositions were predicted through SWISS database and reverse molecular docking server(DRAR-CPI). After screening of disease targets of liver fibrosis by Gene Cards database, the protein-protein interaction was analyzed with use of STRING database, and GO(gene ontology) analysis and KEGG(Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes) enrich analysis were also carried out. Moreover, an iTRAQ proteomics technology was used to determine protein expression in liver tissues of rats in TFL, model and blank groups to verify the targets. Furthermore, Cytoscape software was used to establish and visualize the network of chemical components, targets and pathways, and predict the potential Q-marker of TFL. The results showed that the levels of TBiL, DBiL, IBiL, ALT, and AST in the model group were significantly higher than those in the blank normal group(P<0.05), and the above levels in the treatment groups were lower than those in the model group, but with no significant differences. Masson staining showed that the liver damage and the degree of fibrosis were severe in the model group, and were relieved to different degrees in the treatment groups. Then, 74 chemical components were screened, which could act on 865 targets such as EGFR and SRC, participating in the regulation of cancer pathways, PI3 K-Akt signaling pathway, HIF-1 signaling pathway and other signaling pathways closely related to liver fibrosis. Pinocembrin, quercetin, epicatechin, procyanidin A2, naringenin, nobiletin, phlorizin and rutin showed the highest correlation with liver fibrosis-related targets and pathways. Proteomics results showed that a total of 18 proteins among the 45 proteins predicted by internet pharmacology were identified, among which 6 proteins were significantly expressed, including 5 up-regulated proteins and 1 down-regulated protein. The protein expression of ALB, PLG, HSP90 AA1, EGFR and MAP2 K1 was significantly returned to a normal state in the TFL treatment groups. In conclusion, TFL may demonstrate the anti-hepatic fibrosis and potential hepatoprotective effects by regulating the expression of ALB, PLG, HSP90 AA1, EGFR and MAP2 K1, which may be associated with the regulation of multiple signaling pathways related to liver fibrosis such as PI3 K-Akt pathway. Pinocembrin, quercetin, epicatechin, procyanidin A2, naringenin, nobiletin, phlorizin and rutin could be regarded as potential Q-markers of TFL for quality control.

Comparison of Enterococcus faecium Bacteremic Isolates from Hematologic and Non-hematologic Patients: Differences in Antimicrobial Resistance and Molecular Characteristics

BACKGROUND: Enterococcus faecium, especially vancomycin-resistant E. faecium (VREfm), is a major concern for patients with hematologic diseases. Exposure to antibiotics including fluoroquinolone, which is used as a routine prophylaxis for patients with hematologic (MH) diseases, has been reported to be a risk factor for infection with vancomycin-resistant eneterocci. We compared the characteristics of E. faecium isolates according to their vancomycin susceptibility and patient group (MH vs non-MH patients). METHODS: A total of 120 E. faecium bacteremic isolates (84 from MH and 36 from non-MH patients) were collected consecutively, and their characteristics (susceptibility, multilocus sequence type [MLST], Tn1546 type, and the presence of virulence genes and plasmids) were determined. RESULTS: Among the vancomycin-susceptible E. faecium (VSEfm) isolates, resistance to ampicillin (97.6% vs 61.1%) and high-level gentamicin (71.4% vs 38.9%) was significantly higher in isolates from MH patients than in those from non-MH patients. Notably, hyl, esp, and pEF1071 were present only in isolates with ampicillin resistance. Among the VREfm isolates, ST230 (33.3%) and ST17 (26.2%) were predominant in MH patients, while ST17 (61.1%) was predominant in non-MH patients. Plasmid pLG1 was more prevalent in E. faecium isolates from MH patients than in those from non-MH patients, regardless of vancomycin resistance. Transposon analysis revealed five types across all VREfm isolates. CONCLUSIONS: The antimicrobial resistance profiles and molecular characteristics of E. faecium isolates differed according to the underlying diseases of patients within the same hospital. We hypothesize that the prophylactic use of fluoroquinolone might have an effect on these differences.

Preparation process and in vitro release of exenatide-loaded long-acting microspheres / 中国药学杂志

OBJECTIVE: To develop an easy to scale-up preparation process for exenatide-loaded long-acting microspheres, and develop a method that can be used to rapidly evaluate the in vitro release properties of the microspheres. METHODS: The primary emulsion could be made by high shear emulsification process combined with high pressure homogenization method, then exenatide-loaded microspheres were prepared by a modified coacervation method. In the coacervation step, static mixer was used for mixing the primary emulsion and the coacervation reagent. RESULTS: High pressure homogenization could reduce the size of the primary emulsion to about 200 nm. The encapsulation efficiency of microspheres was greater than 96.8%, and the amount of burst release in 1 h was less than 0.5%. When the scale of microspheres preparation was magnified by five times, the characteristics of the obtained microspheres was the same as the small scale batch. The in vitro release curves showed that the continued release time lasted for nearly 4 weeks after the 17 d lag phase. The drug release rate at 45℃ was as high as 2.5 times of that at 37℃, with same release curves. CONCLUSION: The established preparation process of exenatide-loaded long-acting microspheres, which uses static mixer for mixing the primary emulsion and coacervation reagent, is easy for scaling-up and industrialization. Accelerated test at 45℃ can be used to rapidly evaluate the in vitro release profile of the microspheres.

Chlorogenic Acid Maintains Glucose Homeostasis through Modulating the Expression of SGLT-1, GLUT-2, and PLG in Different Intestinal Segments of Sprague-Dawley Rats Fed a High-Fat Diet / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To reveal the effects and related mechanisms of chlorogenic acid (CGA) on intestinal glucose homeostasis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Forty male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly and equally divided into four groups: normal chow (NC), high-fat diet (HFD), HFD with low-dose CGA (20 mg/kg, HFD-LC), and HFD with high-dose CGA (90 mg/kg, HFD-HC). The oral glucose tolerance test was performed, and fast serum insulin (FSI) was detected using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The mRNA expression levels of glucose transporters (Sglt-1 and Glut-2) and proglucagon (Plg) in different intestinal segments (the duodenum, jejunum, ileum, and colon) were analyzed using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. SGLT-1 protein and the morphology of epithelial cells in the duodenum and jejunum was localized by using immunofluorescence.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>At both doses, CGA ameliorated the HFD-induced body weight gain, maintained FSI, and increased postprandial 30-min glucagon-like peptide 1 secretion. High-dose CGA inhibited the HFD-induced elevation in Sglt-1 expression. Both CGA doses normalized the HFD-induced downregulation of Glut-2 and elevated the expression of Plg in all four intestinal segments.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>An HFD can cause a glucose metabolism disorder in the rat intestine and affect body glucose homeostasis. CGA can modify intestinal glucose metabolism by regulating the expression of intestinal glucose transporters and Plg, thereby controlling the levels of blood glucose and insulin to maintain glucose homeostasis.</p>

Zinc-Triggered Induction of Tissue Plasminogen Activator and Plasminogen in Endothelial Cells and Pericytes

Cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) is common in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and may contribute to cerebral hemorrhage. We previously demonstrated that tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) and plasminogen (PLG) accumulated at the periphery of compact amyloid-cored plaques and in the walls of CAA-containing blood vessels in the brains of Tg2576 mice, a widely used AD mouse model. We had also observed that zinc-triggered tPA and PLG induction were observed in mouse cortical cultures. Because zinc also accumulates in amyloid plaques and blood vessel walls in AD brains, we examined whether zinc increases mRNA and protein levels of tPA and PLG in brain endothelial cells and pericytes. Four hours after the exposure of brain endothelial cells (bEnd.3) to 40 microM zinc, the mRNA and protein expressions of tPA and its substrate PLG were significantly increased. In the case of brain pericyte cultures, increases in tPA and PLG expression were also detected 2 hr after treatment. However, amyloid-beta (Abeta)1-42 oligomers did not augment tPA and PLG expression in bEnd.3 cells and pericytes, suggesting that zinc but not Abeta induces tPA and PLG accumulation in CAA found in the AD brain.