Mechanism of Inducing Ferroptosis in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells by Shugan Quyu Jiedu Prescription Based on p53/SLC7A11/GPX4 Pathway / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of Shugan Quyu Jiedu prescription （SGQYJDF） on inducing ferroptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma cells based on the tumor protein 53 （p53）/solute carrier family 7 member 11 （SLC7A11）/glutathione peroxidase 4 （GPX4） pathway. MethodMHCC97H cells were divided into the blank serum group （10% blank serum medium）， SGQYJDF-containing serum low concentration group （5% SGQYJDF-containing serum and 5% blank serum medium）， SGQYJDF-containing serum medium concentration group （7.5% SGQYJDF-containing serum and 2.5% blank serum medium）， SGQYJDF-containing serum high concentration group （10% SGQYJDF-containing serum medium） and sorafenib group （sorafenib concentration of 10 μmol·L-1 in 10% blank serum medium）. After 24 hours of intervention， the cell survival rate was detected by cell counting kit-8 （CCK-8） assay. The cell proliferation ability was detected by 5-ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine （EdU） staining. The intracellular ferrous ion （Fe2+） level was detected by ferrous ion fluorescent probe （FerroOrange） staining. The intracellular malondialdehyde （MDA） and glutathione （GSH） levels were detected by colorimetric assays. The ultrastructure of mitochondria was observed by transmission electron microscopy. The expression levels of ferroptosis-related proteins p53， SLC7A11 and GPX4 were detected by Western blot. ResultIn terms of cell viability， compared with the blank serum group， the SGQYJDF group showed a dose-dependent decrease in the survival rate of MHCC97H cells. Effect of the medium and high concentrations of SGQYJDF on the survival rate of MHCC97H cells were significantly decreased （P<0.01）. Additionally， the results of the EdU assay showed that both the medium and high concentrations of SGQYJDF were able to inhibit the proliferation ability of MHCC97H cells （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Regarding the biochemical indicators of ferroptosis， compared to the blank serum group， the medium and high concentrations of SGQYJDF were able to dose-dependently increase the intracellular Fe2+ level （P<0.01）. The low， medium， and high concentrations of SGQYJDF were able to dose-dependently decrease the level of GSH in MHCC97H cells （P<0.01） and increase the level of MDA in the cells （P<0.05， P<0.01）. In terms of pathway-related protein expression， compared to the blank serum group， the medium and high concentrations of SGQYJDF could significantly increase the expression of p53 （P<0.01）. The low， medium， and high concentrations of SGQYJDF could significantly decrease the expression of GPX4 （P<0.01）. The high concentration of SGQYJDF could decrease the expression of SLC7A11 （P<0.01）. In terms of the cell morphology of ferroptosis， compared with the blank serum group， transmission electron microscopy revealed that the low concentration of SGQYJDF caused mitochondrial deformation， while the medium and high concentrations of SGQYJDF resulted in reduced mitochondrial volume， increased double-layer membrane density， and decreased mitochondrial cristae. These features were similar to those of sorafenib-induced ferroptosis. Furthermore， compared with the sorafenib group， the high concentration of SGQYJDF showed no statistically significant differences in cell survival rate， proliferation ability， Fe2+ level， MDA level， and GSH level. ConclusionThe results suggest that SGQYJDF may induce ferroptosis and inhibit proliferation in hepatocellular carcinoma MHCC97H cells by upregulating the expression of p53， suppressing the expressions of GPX4 and SLC7A11， downregulating the level of GSH， and leading to the accumulation of intracellular Fe2+ and MDA.

IL-8-induced CXCR2 down-regulation in circulating monocytes in hepatocellular carcinoma is partially dependent on MAGL.

BACKGROUND: CXC-chemokine receptor 2 (CXCR2) expression was found to be down-regulated on circulating monocytes of cancer patients. Here, we analyze the percentage of CD14+CXCR2+ monocyte subsets in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients, and investigate the mechanisms that regulate CXCR2 surface expression on monocytes and its biological function. METHODS: Flow cytometry was used to analyze the proportion of the CD14+CXCR2+ subset from the total circulating monocytes of HCC patients. Interleukin 8 (IL-8) levels were measured from serum and ascites, and their correlation with the CD14+CXCR2+ monocyte subset proportion was calculated. THP-1 cells were cultured in vitro and treated with recombinant human IL-8 and CXCR2 surface expression was analyzed. CXCR2 was knocked down to examine how it affects the antitumor activity of monocytes. Finally, a monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) inhibitor was added to analyze its effect on CXCR2 expression. RESULTS: A decrease in the proportion of the CD14+CXCR2+ monocyte subset was observed in HCC patients compared with healthy controls. CXCR2+ monocyte subset proportion was associated with the AFP value, TNM stage, and liver function. Overexpression of IL-8 was observed in the serum and ascites of HCC patients, and negatively correlated with CXCR2+ monocyte proportion. IL-8 decreased CXCR2 expression in THP-1 cells, contributing to decreased antitumor activity toward HCC cells. MAGL expression in THP-1 cells was up-regulated after IL-8 treatment, and the MAGL inhibitor partially reversed the effects of IL-8 on CXCR2 expression. CONCLUSIONS: Overexpression of IL-8 drives CXCR2 down-regulation on circulating monocytes of HCC patients, which could be partially reversed by a MAGL inhibitor.

Repeated postoperative adjuvant TACE after curative hepatectomy improves outcomes of patients with HCC.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: To gain a clear picture of the influence of postoperative adjuvant transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) on recurrence after curative resection for HCC. MATERIAL AND METHODS: According to the inclusion criteria and the exclusion criteria, the clinical data of 118 patients with HCC at Qilu Hospital, Shan Dong University between January 2011 and August 2013, who were treated by curative hepatectomy and postoperative TACE (two groups of patients received TACE once or twice, respectively) or by curative hepatectomy alone were retrospectively studied. RESULTS: The three-year survival (RFS) rate was 51.7% for the whole study population. The three-year relapse-free RFS rates were 73.0% and 55.0% for the patients who received two and one postoperative adjuvant TACE treatments, groups respectively, and 29.3% for the hepatectomy alone group. The three-year RFS of the patients who received postoperative adjuvant TACE once was significantly higher than that of the patients who received hepatectomy alone (p = .024). And the outcome of patients with two adjuvant TACE treatments was better than that of patients who received one treatment (p = .033). CONCLUSIONS: Repeated postoperative adjuvant TACE seems to be a promising treatment for HCC that might delay tumor recurrence and improve the RFS rates of patients after curative hepatectomy.

microRNAs carried by exosomes promote epithelial-mesenchymal transition and metastasis of liver cancer cells.

In this study, transforming growth factor-ß1 treatment effectively induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of SMMC-7721 cells, and the expression and function of microRNAs (miRNAs) were determined to understand the processes involved in liver cancer metastasis. Nanoparticle tracking analysis and western blotting were performed to identify exosomes. Transwell and MTS assays were used to assess cell migration and proliferation, respectively. Immunofluorescence microscopy was used to identify the metastasis of exosomes in cells. High-throughput sequencing was used to identify mRNAs and miRNAs in cells and exosomes, respectively. The identified differentially expressed miRNAs (DEmis) were further confirmed using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. An miRNA-target mRNA interaction network was constructed using Cytoscape_V2_8_3. SPSS version 16.0 software with one-way analysis of variance was used for statistical analysis. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The overall size of exosomes in EMT SMMC-7721 cells was smaller than that in normal SMMC-7721 cells. Exosomes of EMT SMMC-7721 cells could promote cell migration and invasion in several cell lines. We identified differentially expressed mRNAs (DEms) and DEmis. Among them, a total of 60 and 78 DEms were upregulated and downregulated, respectively, in EMT SMMC-7721 cells compared with those in SMMC-7721 cells. A total of 709 and 123 DEmis were upregulated and downregulated, respectively, in exosomes in EMT SMMC-7721 cells compared with those in SMMC-7721 cells. hsa-miR-24-3p and hsa-miR-21-5p were further selected for knockdown experiments. Exosomes in cells with hsa-miR-24-3p knockdown could effectively inhibit EMT. hsa-miR-24-3p may be one of the most important molecular markers for EMT in liver cancer, which provides novel clues for the mechanisms involved in liver cancer metastasis.

Mechanism of action of Sini powder in treatment of liver cancer based on network pharmacology and molecular docking / 临床肝胆病杂志

ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanism of action of Sini powder in the treatment of liver cancer based on network pharmacology and molecular docking. MethodsTraditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform was used to obtain the compound and target of Sini powder, and the corresponding gene Symbol was obtained through Uniprot. The disease genes of liver cancer were obtained from Human Genome Database, and the genes with intersection with the target genes of Sini powder were screened out. Cytoscape3.7.1 software was used to draw the map of “traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)-compound-target” network. STRING was used to construct a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, R studio software was used to conduct gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses on therapeutic targets, and then the results were visualized. The active component with the highest number of targets was selected as the ligand, and the target with the highest degree in the PPI network was selected as the receptor, so as to predict the structure of receptor-ligand complex and the amino acid residues that bind to each other. ResultsIn this study, 91 core targets and 141 relevant active components of Sini powder were screened out, among which quercetin and kaempferol were the main active components in the treatment of liver cancer. TP53 and HSP90AA1 were the main therapeutic targets. The GO enrichment analysis obtained 1007 items which met the screening criteria, which were mainly involved in the biological processes of antioxidation reaction, activity regulation of protein serine and threonine kinase, and cellular stress response. The KEGG enrichment analysis obtained 102 pathways, which mainly regulated the hepatitis B pathway and the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway in the prevention and treatment of liver cancer. The results of molecular docking showed a synergistic antitumor effect between the crystal structure domains VAL147, CYS220, GLU221, and PRO222 of quercetin-TP53. ConclusionThis study reveals the mechanism of action of Sini powder in the treatment of liver cancer by acting on multiple targets and signaling pathways, which provides a theoretical basis for biological experiments.

Mechanism of Erzhiwan on Hepatocellular Carcinoma Based on Network Pharmacology / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective::To explore the possible mechanisms of Erzhiwan in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) based on the network pharmacology. Method::The candidate active components and targets of Ligustri Lucidi Fructus and Ecliptae Herba were obtained through retrieval of the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) systems pharmacology database (TCMSP) and literatures. Through Uniprot database and the human genome database (GeneCards), the overlapping genes of Erzhiwan and hepatocellular carcinoma were collected. The " candidate active components-targets" network of Ligustri Lucidi Fructus and Ecliptae Herba was built with Cytoscape 3.6.0 software. Drug target proteins and disease targets were mapped, and Venn map was drawn by Omicshare database. Major targets interaction network was formed by using String database and " Generate style from statistics" tool in Cytoscape 3.6.0 software. Molecular docking with active components was carried out by Systems Dock Web Site. The Gene Ontology (GO) classification enrichment analysis and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis for the targets were carried out in DAVID database. Result::Totally 21 active components, including beta-sitosterol, quercetin, luteolin, demethylwedelolactone, kaempferol, and 151 targets, including tumor necrosis factor (TNF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), N-terminal kinase (JUN), proto-oncogene (c-MYC), matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) of Erzhiwan were collected. Erzhiwan exerts its effects on HCC mainly by acting on signal pathways, including Hepatitis B, TNF, Phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K/Akt), tumor suppressor gene p53 and Toll-like receptor. Conclusion::Based on the methodology of network pharmacology, this study preliminarily predicted the major targets and pathways of Erzhiwan in the treatment of HCC, providing a direction for further studies.

Application of pancreaticojejunostomy with one-layer suture in pancreaticoduodenectomy: A retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) is the most common critical complication after pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) and a primary reason for increased mortality and morbidity after PD. To perform a safe pancreaticojejunostomy (PJ), a fast and simple technique of duct-to-mucosa PJ with one-layer suture was devised at our institution. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 81 successive cases of PD performed at our hospital from March 2012 to August 2016. Data of perioperative parameters were collected for all PD cases. RESULTS: A total of 17 (21.0%) cases of morbidity occurred after PD, including 5 (6.1%) cases of POPF (grade A), 8 (9.8%) cases of delayed gastric emptying, 1 (1.2%) case of abdominal infection, and 3 (3.7%) cases of incision infection. The median operative time for the PJ was 7 min. No mortality or relaparotomy was observed. CONCLUSION: Our technique could significantly reduce the incidence of POPF and other complications after PD and may be a promising technique for pancreaticoenteric anastomosis.

HEAD-US-C quantitative ultrasound assessment scale in evaluation of joint damage in patients with moderate or severe hemophilia A received on-demand versus prophylaxis replacement therapy / 中华血液学杂志

Objective: To explore the evaluation of joint injury by HEAD-US-C (Hemophilic Early Arthropathy Detection with UltraSound in China, HEAD-US-C) in patients with moderate or severe hemophilia A treated with prophylaxis vs on-demand. Methods: The patients from June 2015 to July 2017 with moderate or severe hemophilia A were examined by ultrasound imaging of the elbows, knees and ankles; Meanwhile the HEAD-US-C ultrasound assessment scale and hemophilia joint health score scale 2.1 (HJHS2.1) were used to score the joint status. The correlation between the HEAD-US-C and HJHS score was performed in prophylaxis group and on-demand group patients, respectively. Results: A total of 925 cases of joint ultrasonography were conducted in 70 patients with moderate or severe hemophilia A. Among patients with moderate hemophilia, the median (IQR) of HEAD-US-C score and HJHS score in on-demand group were significantly higher than those in the prophylaxis group[1 (0, 6) vs 0.5 (0, 3) , z=0.177, P=0.046],[2 (0, 4) vs 2 (0, 3) z=0.375, P=0.007], even though there was no significant difference of the median (IQR) number of annualized target joints bleeding episodes between on-demand and prophylaxis groups[1 (0, 7) vs 1 (0, 5) , z=1.271, P=0.137]. Unlike in moderate cases, on-demand treatment group had more annualized target joints bleeding episodes than prophylaxis group among patients with severe hemophilia[3 (0, 8) vs 2 (0, 8) , z=0.780 P=0.037]. The prophylaxis group compared favorably with on-demand therapy group in terms of HEAD-US-C score[1 (0, 6) vs 4 (0, 7) , z=2.189, P=0.008], and HJHS score[2 (0, 5) , 4 (1, 6) , z=3646, P<0.001]for the severe hemophilia patients. The positive correlation between HEAD-US-C score and HJHS score was identified (P<0.05) , whether on-demand treatment or prophylaxis groups. The correlation coefficient between HEAD-US-C score and HJHS score in on-demand treatment and prophylaxis groups were 0.739 (95% CI 0.708-0.708) , 0.865 (95% CI 0.848-0.848) respectively, and 95% CI didn't overlap (P<0.05) , indicating that the correlation coefficient in prophylaxis group had stronger correlation than that in on-demand group. Conclusions: Clinical effects of prophylaxis were significantly better than those of on-demand treatment in patients with moderate or se-vere haemophilia A. HEAD-US-C scoring system could effectively evaluate joints damage in hemophilia A patients treated with on-demand or prophylaxis, companied by significantly positive correlation with HJHS clinical evaluation system, and provided objective index for clinical effect assessment.

Impact of anchorage implant design factors on its primary stability / 中华口腔医学杂志

During the past decade, the anchorage implants have been widely used in the orthodontic treatment. Many scholars have studied the influence of different factors on anchorage implant's primary stability, including anchorage implant's material properties, structural design, surgical procedure, bone condition, loading force's magnitude and direction. This article is to review the influence of anchorage implant's shape, dimension, neck design and thread design on its primary stability.

[Urban industrial contaminated sites: a new issue in the field of environmental remediation in China].

Contamination of urban industrial lands is a new environmental problem in China during the process of upgrade of industrial structure and adjustment of urban layout. It restricts the safe re-use of urban land resources, and threatens the health of surrounding inhabitants. In the paper, the market potential of contaminated-site remediation was known through analysis of spatial distribution of urban industrial sites in China. Remediation technologies in the Occident which were suitable for urban industrial contaminated sites were discussed and compared to evaluate their superiority and inferiority. And then, some advices of remediation technologies for urban industrial contaminated sites in China were proposed.

[Chemical oxidants for remediation of soils contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons at a coking site].

Different oxidants were evaluated for removal of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from contaminated soils at industrial coking sites with the use of simulating device, and the fate of pollutants during the treatment was investigated. Permanganate showed the highest PAHs removal rate (96.2%) of the oxidants studied. Most of the PAHs were oxidized and only < 1% of PAHs volatilized and transferred to the solvent. The removal of PAHs by activated persulfate reached 92%. Modified Fenton reagent could remove 80% of PAHs, and < 2% of PAHs volatilized and transferred to the solvent after treatment with activated persulfate and modified Fenton reagent. The efficiencies of hydrogen dioxide and Fenton reagent for removal of PAHs were both < 60% ,and up to 6% of PAHs volatilized and transferred to the solvent. In summary, permanganate and activated persulfate are the most effective and environment-friendly oxidants for removing PAHs from contaminated soils. The chemical oxidants could easily remove ANY, ANT, BaP, DahA, BghiP and IcdP, but FLE, CHR and Fla were relatively resistant to chemical oxidation.

Hepatocyte infusions improve the results of liver transplantation in rats.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The results of liver transplantation were influenced by miscellaneous factors. The aim was the notion that hepatocyte infusions might improve results of liver transplantation in rats. METHODOLOGY: Survival, serum analytes, FasL production, and histologic degree of rejection of transplanted rats pretreated with hepatocyte infusions (Hepatocyte) was compared to that of rats pretreated with either bone marrow cell infusions (Marrow) or saline infusions (Control). RESULTS: Hepatocyte rats had longer median survivals, less biochemical evidence of liver damage, more albumin production, a lower degree of histologic rejection, and increased FasL production than did either Marrow or Control rats (p < 0.05 for each analysis), which did not differ from one another (p > 0.05 for each analysis). CONCLUSIONS: Hepatocyte infusions improve the results of liver transplantation in rats.

[Preliminary study on the association of lanthanum and phosphorous loss from soil].

Through laboratory lysimeter experiments and artificial rainfall experiments, characteristics of P and La transportation from both vertical and horizontal directions are investigated. The association between La and P loss from soil is preliminarily discussed. Results of lysimeter experiment show that both La and P are difficult to transport vertically. Downward depths are no deeper than 6-8 cm for all forms of La and P. With the increasement of exogenous La amount, the amount of Water soluble P, NaHCO3-extractable P and NaOH-extractable P decrease, while HCl-extractable P and residual form of P increase. Results of artificial rainfall experiment show that majority of La and P transport with fine soil particles in runoff, which is more than 95%. Loss of total P and La in runoff from the manure-applied soil are correlated significantly, both in loss rate and loss amount.

Loss expression of active fragile sites genes associated with the severity of breast epithelial abnormalities.

BACKGROUND: WWOX and FHIT are two candidate tumor suppressor genes located in active fragile sites, the damage of which has been associated with the development of breast cancer. The association of the expression of these genes and the development of breast cancer has not been fully explored. We evaluated mRNA and protein expression of WWOX and FHIT in breast tissue with normal histological appearances, atypical ductal hyperplasia, ductal carcinoma in situ, and invasive cancer to see if a progressive decline in expression was present. METHODS: Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting were used to evaluate the specimens for mRNA and protein expression, including 28 specimens with normal tissue, 28 specimens with atypical ductal hyperplasia, 33 specimens with ductal carcinoma in situ, and 51 specimens with invasive ductal carcinoma. RESULTS: Compared with in situ and invasive cancer specimens, both normal and atypical hyperplasia specimens had greater rates of detectable mRNA (WWOX rate ratio = 2.95, 95% CI 1.24 - 7.08; FHIT rate ratio = 4.58, 95% CI 1.82 - 11.81) and Western blotting detectable protein (WWOX rate ratio = 4.12, 95% CI 1.63 - 10.73; FHIT rate ratio = 3.76, 95% CI 1.44 - 10.06). For both proteins, differences between normal and atypical hyperplasia specimens and between in situ and invasive carcinoma specimens were explainable by chance (P > 0.05 for each analysis). Within each histological category, differences among fractions of specimens showed that FHIT and WWOX mRNA and protein expression were explainable by chance (P > 0.05 for each analysis). CONCLUSION: Expression of FHIT and WWOX decreases along with breast tissue progress from a normal histological appearance to atypical ductal hyperplasia, in situ cancer, and the final invasive cancer.

[Comparison of characteristics of heavy metals in different grain sizes of intertidalite sediment by using grid sampling method].

384 surface sediment samples were collected from mud flat, silt flat and mud-silt flat of Bohai Bay by 1 m and 10 m interval using grid sampling method. Concentrations of Al, Fe, Ti, Mn, Ba, Sr, Zn, Cr, Ni and Cu in each sample were measured by ICP-AES. To figure out the random distribution and concentration characteristics of these heavy metals, concentration of them were compared between districts with different grain size. The results show that varieties of grain size cause the remarkable difference in the concentration of heavy metals. Total concentration of heavy metals are 147.37 g x kg(-1), 98.68 g x kg(-1) and 94.27 g x kg(-1) in mud flat, mud-silt flat and silt flat respectively. Majority of heavy metals inclines to concentrate in fine grained mud, while Ba and Sr have a tendency to concentrate in coast grained silt which contains more K2O * Al2O3 * 6SiO2. Concentration of Sr is affected significantly by the grain size, while concentration of Cr and Ti are affected a little by the grain size.

Ileal transposition controls diabetes as well as modified duodenal jejunal bypass with better lipid lowering in a nonobese rat model of type II diabetes by increasing GLP-1.

OBJECTIVE: Modified duodenal jejunal bypass (MDJB) and ileal transposition (IT) were compared as surgeries for glucose control. Initial conclusions might be formed with respect to the possibility of (1) whether duodenal exclusion is essential for the control of diabetes and (2) application as a low morbid procedure. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: IT, MDJB, sham-IT, and sham-MDJB procedures were performed on 10- to 12-week-old Goto-Kakizaki (GK) rats, nonobese animals who spontaneously develop type 2 diabetes. Rats were observed for 24 weeks after surgery. Glucose, insulin, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), glucose tolerance, insulin sensitivity, cholesterol, triglycerides, and free fatty acid levels were measured. RESULTS: MDJB and IT rats, when compared with sham-operated rats, showed reduced blood-glucose levels (P < 0.001); but IT- and MDJB did not differ from one another (P < 0.05). Compared with sham-operated rats, IT- and MDJB rats showed increased GLP-1 secretion (P < 0.01), with a more rapid and higher secretion in IT operated than in MDJB rats (P < 0.05). After 6 months, sham-operated rats weighed more than IT or MDJB rats (P < 0.01), but the weights of IT- and MDJB rats were similar to one another (P > 0.05). In terms of both operative time (P < 0.001) and postoperative recovery time (P < 0.001), MDJB took longer than did IT. CONCLUSION: In nonobese spontaneously diabetic rats, IT is equivalent to MDJB in terms of glucose control and weight secondary to significant increases of GLP-1. IT is faster to perform and yields a shorter recovery period than does MDJB.

Influence of estrogen and androgen on the outcome of liver transplantation.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: To assess influence of sex hormone on outcome of orthotropic liver transplantation (OLT). METHODOLOGY: Adult female Wistar rats were used as donors and male Wistar rats as recipients. Two experimental series were established. The first series consisted of the orchectomized (ORC) group. 17beta-estradiol (E2) treated-ORC group and recipient Sham-ORC group; the second series consisted of the ovariectomized (OVX) group, dihydrotestosterone (DHT)-treated OVX group and donor Sham-OVX group. Recipients were sacrificed on postoperative day 7 (POD 7); the survival rate (SVR), histomorphological damage score of liver, graft-recipient weight ratio (GRWR) and the levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (AKP) and albumin (ALB) on POD 7 were detected. RESULTS: The histomorphological damage score and the level of ALT and AKP in the E2-treated ORC group, OVX group and DHT-treated OVX group was significantly lower compared with their respective sham group (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Estrogen in recipient rats was responsible for the observed beneficial effects of liver transplantation, but at the same time, influence on liver of estrogen for a long time decreased the adaptability of graft to environment change. In contrary, androgen had less influence than estrogen.

Hemodialysis-induced hyperglycemia after liver transplantation.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: One might hypothesize that hemodialysis, by cleansing the blood of metabolic waste, might elevate the patient's sensitivity to insulin. The results of this study show that hypothesis is untrue in the case of liver transplant patients. METHODOLOGY: Glucose levels of five liver transplant patients, whom underwent 24 hemodialysis sessions in total, were compared with that of five non-liver transplantation patients, whom had undergon 21 hemodyalisis sessions in total. RESULTS: For liver transplant patients, Glucose levels at two, four, six and eight hours but the ten hours were significantly higher compared with that at the onset of the sessions (p<0.05). In contrast, this phenomenon could not be found in non-liver transplant patients (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The patients who have undergone liver transplantation are more likely to experience hyperglycemia during hemodyalisis than patients who have not undergone liver transplantation.

Loss expression of active fragile sites genes associated with the severity of breast epithelial abnormalities / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>WWOX and FHIT are two candidate tumor suppressor genes located in active fragile sites, the damage of which has been associated with the development of breast cancer. The association of the expression of these genes and the development of breast cancer has not been fully explored. We evaluated mRNA and protein expression of WWOX and FHIT in breast tissue with normal histological appearances, atypical ductal hyperplasia, ductal carcinoma in situ, and invasive cancer to see if a progressive decline in expression was present.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting were used to evaluate the specimens for mRNA and protein expression, including 28 specimens with normal tissue, 28 specimens with atypical ductal hyperplasia, 33 specimens with ductal carcinoma in situ, and 51 specimens with invasive ductal carcinoma.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with in situ and invasive cancer specimens, both normal and atypical hyperplasia specimens had greater rates of detectable mRNA (WWOX rate ratio = 2.95, 95% CI 1.24 - 7.08; FHIT rate ratio = 4.58, 95% CI 1.82 - 11.81) and Western blotting detectable protein (WWOX rate ratio = 4.12, 95% CI 1.63 - 10.73; FHIT rate ratio = 3.76, 95% CI 1.44 - 10.06). For both proteins, differences between normal and atypical hyperplasia specimens and between in situ and invasive carcinoma specimens were explainable by chance (P > 0.05 for each analysis). Within each histological category, differences among fractions of specimens showed that FHIT and WWOX mRNA and protein expression were explainable by chance (P > 0.05 for each analysis).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Expression of FHIT and WWOX decreases along with breast tissue progress from a normal histological appearance to atypical ductal hyperplasia, in situ cancer, and the final invasive cancer.</p>