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Objective: To evaluate the value of flow cytometry (FCM) for the differential diagnosis between myelodysplasia (MDS) subtype refractory cytopenia with multiple dysplasia (RCMD) and aplastic anemia (AA)., Methods: The flow cytometric data of bone marrow samples from 168 cases of RCMD and 77 cases of AA were analyzed retrospectively in blind, and its results were compared with gold standard to evaluate its diagnosis values., Results: The specificity of abnormal of single immunophenotype in the surface of granulocytes and myeloblasts was high (range 75.3%-100%), but the sensitivity was very low (range 5.4%-50%). In parallel tests, the sensitivity and specificity of the combination of CD34+ cells≥1%, myeloblasts≥3%, abnormal expression of CD117 in granulocytes and loss of CD13 in myeloblasts or increased intensity of CD33 in granulocytes were higher than other combinations. The sensitivity and specificity of above combination were more than 62% and 92%, respectively. In the scoring method, different score was given to 8 markers according to different diagnostic value, which were CD34+ cells≥1%, myeloblasts≥3%, abnormal expression of CD117 in granulocytes, loss of CD13 in myeloblasts, increased intensity of CD33 in granulocytes, loss of CD13 in granulocytes, loss of CD10 in granulocytes, and decreased SSC in granulocytes. The sensitivity and specificity were both high if we defined that the total score≥1.5 was RCMD and the score<1.5 was AA., Conclusions: The value of abnormal of single immunophenotype for differential diagnosis between RCMD and AA is low. Parallel tests can increase the diagnostic sensitivity obviously and not decrease the specificity. CD34+ cells≥1%, myeloblasts≥3% and abnormal expression of CD117 in granulocytes were the most important markers. The scoring method is precise to distinguish RCMD from AA.

Objective: To investigate the effects of simvastatin on inhibiting cell phenotype and potential mechanism in PASMC induced by PDGF-BB., Methods: PASMC isolated from SD rats and cultured in vitro were induced by PDGF-BB and then intervened by simvastatin and Y-27632. Flow cytometry were performed to detect cell proliferation. Fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR was performed to detect alpha-SM-actin mRNA expression and Western blot was applied to detect the expression of alpha-SM-actin, SM22alpha and RhoA protein., Results: Simvastatin and Y-27632 obviously increased the level of mRNA of alpha-SM-actin and promoted the protein expression of alpha-SM-actin, SM22alpha while inhibiting the proliferation of PASMC induced by PDGF-BB. Simultaneously, inhibited expression of RhoA induced by simvastatin and Y-27632 was also observed., Conclusion: The inhibited effect of simvastatin on the proliferation of PASMC induced by PDGF-BB may be achieved by inhibiting conversion of cell phenotype. And the potential mechanism may through the RhoA/Rho kinase signaling pathway.

The comparative effectiveness of aluminum hydroxide and aluminum chloride has been studied in the development of bacterial wilt infection on leaves of Nicotiana rustica cv. Gansu yellow flower. We have analyzed the changes of foliar H(2)O(2) content, as well as of non-enzymatic and enzymatic antioxidants under aluminum stress. Pretreatment with aluminum hydroxide before pathogen challenge reduced the development of Ralstonia solanacearum infection and decreased the extent of leaf injury. The pretreatment also reduced the Al uptake in comparison to pretreatment with aluminum chloride. H(2)O(2) generation was significantly enhanced by pretreatment with aluminum hydroxide. Increased NADPH oxidase and superoxide dismutase activities were correlated with limited infection. Aluminum hydroxide pretreatment shifted the leaf redox homeostasis of AsA/DHA and GSH/GSSG toward oxidation, yielding higher oxidant levels than aluminum chloride before bacterial inoculation. The results support the idea that aluminum hydroxide induced H(2)O(2) accumulation through non-enzymatic and enzymatic regulation, ultimately resulting in resistance to tobacco wilt disease., (Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Epigenetic gene silencing due to promoter methylation is observed in human cancers like acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Little is known about aberrant methylation in myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a heterogeneous clonal stem cell disorder with a approximately 30% risk of transformation into secondary AML. Recent evidence demonstrated that ID4, a negative regulator of transcription, may act as a tumor-suppressor gene. To clarify the role of ID4 in MDS, we employed methylation-specific PCR (MSP) to examine the methylation status of ID4 in 144 adult de novo MDS patients. We found that ID4 methylation was present in 35.4% (n=51) of these MDS patients and methylaiton was correlated significantly with World Health Organization (WHO) subtypes and International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS) risk groups. Patients with advanced stages of WHO subtypes (45.8% vs. 21.3%, P=0.002) and higher risk IPSS subgroups (45.7% vs. 26.0%, P=0.014) exhibited a significantly higher frequency of ID4 methylation. The median survival of patients with ID4 methylation was shorter than patients without ID4 methylation (12.2 months vs. 26.9 months, P=0.005). Multivariate analysis indicated that ID4 methylation status was the independent factor that impacted leukemia-free survival (LFS). Disease in patients with ID4 methylation progressed more rapidly than those without ID4 methylation (P=0.047, HR=2.11). Our results suggest that ID4 may be a therapeutic target in MDS., (Copyright (c) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To investigate the possible mechanism of local hyperthermia in the treatment of warts through detecting the differences in CD1a/CD83 of Langerhans cells (LCs) in émigrés from HPV-infected skin, as compared to normal skin., Methods: Confocal microscopy were performed on Condyloma Accuminatum (CA)and normal skin; Freshly taken biopsies of CA and normal skin were subjected to surface heating at 37 degrees C, 42 degrees C and 45 degrees C respectively, for 30 mins. Flow cytometry was used to determine the CD1a/ CD83 changes of LCs in émigrés from CA and normal skin., Results: By confocal microscopic observation, there were practically no CD1a+ LCs that expressed CD83 in the epidermis of both normal skin and CA. The proportions of CD1a+/CD83 LCs were significantly increased with increased temperatures in émigrés from both normal skin and CA. At each given temperature, the numbers of LCs in émigrés from CA were greater than those from normal skin., Conclusion: Local hyperthermia can promote migration and maturation of LCs in HPV-infected skin and accordingly stimulate the immune system to treat warts.

We report results of a hospital-based case control study of 137 consecutive patients diagnosed with aplastic anemia (AA) in participating hospitals over a 4-year period. Diagnoses were made by a single laboratory, subjects were age- and gender-matched to two controls and interviewed concerning previous disease, work histories and exposures to potential etiologic agents. Analysis was conducted on two distinct subgroups: severe aplastic anemia (SAA) and moderate aplastic anemia (MAA). In univariate regression models, the strongest associations were observed for exposure to benzene and SAA (OR=3.12, 95% CI=1.12-8.65) and life on a farm and MAA (OR=3.08, 95% CI=1.44-6.56). Benzene exposure did not show a strong dose-response relationship with either subtype. When accounting for all of the potential confounders we considered in conditional regression models, the previous relationships persisted. Other explanatory variables included hair-dye use for MAA and farm exposures, such as livestock for SAA, although most of these additional variables fell just short of statistical significance. Adjusted R-squared values were only 10% for each subtype, leaving 90% of AA occurrence unexplained. Our results suggest that: (a) benzene exposure is more strongly related to SAA than MAA, (b) farm and livestock exposures are related to both forms of AA, confirming some previous results, and (c) a large percentage of AA remains unexplained, which may indicate that individual susceptibility has a major influence on AA occurrence., (Copyright (c) 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

We characterized the prevalence of hematopoietic and lymphoid disease for 2923 consecutive patients presenting at 29 hospitals from August 2003 to June 2007. Diagnoses were made in our laboratory using WHO criteria based on morphologic, immunophenotypic, cytogenetic, FISH and molecular data. A total of 611 subjects (322 males/289 females) were prospectively diagnosed with MDS using WHO (2001) criteria. Update and re-evaluation of cases using MDS (2008) criteria resulted in 649 MDS cases. Using WHO (2008) criteria, refractory cytopenia with multilineage dysplasia (RCMD) accounted for 68% of total cases, refractory anemia with excess blasts (RAEB), 16.3%; refractory anemia (RA), 6.5%; refractory cytopenia with unilineage dysplasia (RCUD), 4%; and MDS-unclassifiable (MDS-U), 4.5%. Subjects were administered questionnaires and information on previous disease, work histories and exposures to potential etiologic agents such as benzene (BZ) was obtained. A total of 80/649 (13.2%) were determined to have some BZ exposure. The frequency of clonal cytogenetic abnormalities in all MDS was 30%, the most common being +8>del(20)q>del(7q)>del(5q), while the analogous frequency in BZ-exposed cases was only 24%. To further investigate the characteristics of MDS associated with BZ, we identified a subset of cases with high BZ exposure. These BZ signal cases were each matched by age and gender to two cases with no known BZ exposure. When contrasting BZ signal cases vs matched cases with no BZ exposure, we found a high odds ratio (OR) for the WHO subtype MDS-U (OR=11.1), followed by RAEB and RCUD (OR=1), RA (OR=0.7) and RCMD (OR=0.6). Multilineage dysplasia with abnormal eosinophils (MDS-Eo) was strongly associated with BZ exposure, whereas the relative risk of clonal cytogenetic abnormalities was reduced for high BZ-exposed cases (OR=0.5). These findings are strongly indicative that MDS subtypes are influenced by BZ exposure, and taken together with previous studies, the features of MDS-Eo suggest that altered immune regulation plays a major role in the pathogenesis of MDS following chronic exposure to BZ., (Copyright (c) 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The significance of TLR expression and Tregs in HBV infection has not been clearly described. In this report, flow cytometry was performed to assess TLR2/4 expression on monocytes and circulating CD4(+)CD25(+)CD127(low/-) Tregs frequency of 16 acute hepatitis B (AHB), 42 chronic hepatitis B (CHB), 22 asymptomatic HBV carriers (AsC), and 20 normal controls (NC). We found that TLR2 and TLR4 were overexpressed on CD14(+) monocytes in HBV-infected patients as compared with NCs. Upregulation of TLR2 in NCs and TLR4 in CHBs was observed following HBeAg incubation. However, TLR2 and TLR4 expression decreased after HBcAg stimulation. The difference in the proportion of Tregs between NCs and CHBs was significant. Both Pam3Csk4 (TLR2 agonist)- and lipopolysaccharide (TLR4 agonist)-activated CD4(+)CD25(+) Tregs showed enhanced suppression function in CHBs. These results suggest that overexpression of TLR2 and TLR4 may modulate the suppressive function of Tregs, which contribute to the immunotolerance of chronic HBV infection., (Copyright 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Clonal chromosomal abnormalities are observed in 30-50% of primary myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) patients. Although the prognostic relevance of cytogenetics is generally appreciated, the prognostic value of cytogenetic evolution has rarely been evaluated. In this study, we retrospectively analyzed cytogenetic features at diagnosis and during follow-up in 85 patients with primary MDS. Cytogenetic evolution occurred in 18 of the 85 patients (21%), with chromosomes 8, 5, and 1 most often involved. Patients with higher levels of marrow blasts (P = 0.034), more advanced stages of World Health Organization (WHO) subtypes (44% vs. 16%, P = 0.035), and higher risk International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS) subgroups (47% vs. 16%, P = 0.021) had higher incidences of developing cytogenetic evolution. Furthermore, the median survival of patients in the group with cytogenetic evolution was 25.8 months, compared with 45.4 months for patients in the group without cytogenetic evolution (P = 0.01). The same result was also found for time to progression: patients with cytogenetic evolution progressed more rapidly than those without cytogenetic evolution (P = 0.007). Knowledge of cytogenetic evolution offers useful information for clinicians to make more accurate prognostic assessments for patients with MDS., (Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: Current prognostic models for myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) do not consider the prognostic value of a bone marrow blast level that is <5%. Exploring the prognostic value of the International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS) and a marrow blast level that is <5% may lead to better risk-adapted therapeutic strategies., Methods: According to the World Health Organization classification, most of our patients (65.5%) fell into the new category 'refractory cytopenia with multilineage dysplasia' (RCMD). We evaluated the prognostic value of the IPSS in 435 adult patients with de novo MDS and in the 285 of them that had RCMD in a Chinese population. We also analyzed the prognostic value of bone marrow blast levels in patients with RCMD and in different IPSS risk groups., Results: We found a significant difference in survival times between RCMD patients with a marrow blast level of 3.5% or higher vs. those with a blast level of <3.5%, with median survival times of 23.7 and 40.8 months, respectively. In addition, application of a marrow blast level cutoff of 3.5% in patients with RCMD could identify patients with a lower IPSS risk but with a potentially worse prognosis. Multivariate analysis showed marrow blast level (using 3.5% as the cutoff) to be an independent factor that impacted survival times of patients with RCMD. Furthermore, we also found that IPSS had strong prognostic value in Chinese RCMD population., Conclusion: In patients with RCMD, a higher percentage of marrow blasts was associated with a worse prognosis.

The clinical, cytogenetic and molecular features of chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL), a disease previously considered to be rare in Asia, were examined in consecutive series of 70 cases diagnosed by our laboratory over a 30-month period. Clonal abnormalities were observed in 80% of CLL/SLL cases using a combination of conventional cytogenetic and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis. Those involving 14q32/IGH were the most frequent (24 cases), followed by trisomy 12 and 11q abnormalities. IgV(H) gene usage was non-random with over-representation of V(H)4-34, V(H)3-23 and a previously unreported increase in V(H)3-48 gene use. Somatic hypermutation (SHM) of IgV(H) germline sequences was observed in 56.5% of cases with stereotyped patterns of SHM observed in V(H)4-34 heavy chain complimentary-determining (HCDR1) and framework region CFR2 sequences. These findings in a Chinese population suggest subtle geographical differences in IgV(H) gene usage while the remarkably specific pattern of SHM suggest that a relatively limited set of antigens may be involved in the development of this disease worldwide. IgV(H) gene mutation status was a significant predictor of initial survival in CLL/SLL. However, an influence of karyotype on prognosis was not observed.

Objective: The epidemiological characteristics of congenital heart disease (CHD) in children aged from 4 to 18 years were investigated in Qinghai province., Methods: Altogether 288 066 children inhabiting at 6 prefectures and 3 counties were examined by the following three steps: pre-screening, re-examination and diagnosis with color Doppler. And the entity distribution was analyzed while the differences were compared by age, gender, altitudes and nationalities respectively., Results: Altogether 1633 cases of CHD were discovered. The total prevalence of CHD was 5.71 per thousand. The prevalence of CHD was found to increase with the increase of altitude by 4.89 per thousand at the altitude of 2535 m, 5.71 per thousand at 3600 m, and 8.74 per thousand at 4200 m respectively. There were significant differences among different altitude (chi(2) = 54.696, P < 0.001). chi(2) trend analysis showed the increase with chi(2) = 41.826(P < 0.001). The total incidence of CHD in females was 6.95 per thousand, which was significantly higher than that in males with 4.54 per thousand (chi(2) = 73.79, P < 0.001). There were significant differences between males and females at the altitude of 3000 m (chi(2) = 84.733, P < 0.001) and 4000 m (chi(2) = 16.313, P < 0.001) except at the altitude of 2000 m (chi(2) = 0.807, P > 0.05). The prevalence of CHD in different age groups was statistically significant at the every altitude of 2000 m (chi(2) = 18.138, P < 0.001), 3000 m (chi(2) = 18.544, P < 0.001) and 4000 m (chi(2) = 27.535 P < 0.001). The prevalence of CHD was increasing with the increase of age groups at the altitude of 3000 m (chi(2) = 19.230, P < 0.001) and 4000 m (chi(2) = 26.894, P < 0.001) except at the altitude of 2000 m. Within the prevalence of CHD of different nationalities, there was a significant difference with chi(2) = 24.456 (P < 0.001). Within the constituent rate of CHD, the prevalence of atrial septal defect (ASD) was as high as 37.42%, followed by the prevalence of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) as 28.47% and ventricular septal defect (VSD) as 26.01%. Regarding the four categories of CHD, the constituent rate varied at different altitudes. For example, the prevalence rate of ASD constituted 37% at the altitude of 2000 m and 3000 m, and that of PDA accounted for 46.36% at the altitude of 4200 m., Conclusion: The epidemiological characteristics of CHD in Qinghai children were possibly associated with altitude levels.

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) 2 and 4 play a key role in chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. However, the role of TLRs in the pathogenesis of HBV-related liver cirrhosis and their regulation of the innate immune response of patients with liver cirrhosis remain unknown. To assess the contribution of TLR2/4 in HBV-related liver cirrhosis, we examined the expression of circulating TLR2 and TLR4 on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), CD4(+)CD25(+)CD127(low/-) Treg proportions, and CD3(+)/CD4(+)/CD8(+) T-cell counts in 30 liver cirrhosis patients, 21 chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients, and 16 normal controls (NC). Furthermore, we analyzed the relationship between TLR2/4 expression and Treg proportions and T-cell counts. We show that the expression of TLR2 and TLR4 was significantly upregulated in patients with liver cirrhosis compared to NC. TLR4 expression was significantly increased in patients with liver cirrhosis compared to patients with CHB, and for TLR2 expression there were no differences between them. TLR4 expression showed a significant positive correlation with the frequency of Tregs in liver cirrhosis patients. TLR2 expression negatively correlated with CD3(+)/CD4(+)/CD8(+) T-cell counts and HBV viral load in patients with liver cirrhosis. These findings indicate that TLR may be involved in the pathogenesis of HBV-related liver cirrhosis, and may interact with Tregs and CD3(+)/CD4(+)/CD8(+) T cells in the immune response during HBV-related liver cirrhosis.

We characterized the prevalence, clinical and cytogenetic characteristics and survival of 435 patients diagnosed with de novo MDS in a single laboratory according to WHO criteria, and compared the utility of different scoring systems to predict survival for individual subtypes of MDS. The mean follow-up period was 25.1 (5.5-53.2) months. Our results confirm major differences in the age-distribution and prevalence of individual subtypes of MDS between Asian and Western patients with a median age of 58 years and a predominance of RCMD (69.9%). Survival rates were similar to those reported in the West: the 3-year survival rate for MDS was 46.7% with a median survival time for RCMD of 38 months and RAEB, 10 months. We found that the IPSS and WPSS scoring systems, which are weighted heavily by blast cell count and karyotype, were not independent predictors for survival in RCMD patients. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that a scoring system based on age (> or =60 years), ANC (<1.0 x 10(9)/L), Hb (<90 g/L), number of cytopenias and complex karyotype is a more useful predictor of survival in RCMD.

Objective: To investigate the prognostic factors of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) in cases diagnosed with WHO classification and evaluate the validity of International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS) and WHO Classification-Based Prognostic Scoring System (WPSS) so as to establish a new score system for Chinese MDS patients., Methods: Four hundred and thirty-five patients diagnosed as primary MDS in Sino-US Leukemia Cooperative Group of Shanghai were studied prospectively to identify the prognostic factors by Log-rank test and Cox regression model., Results: The 3-year survival rate of MDS was 46.7%. The median survival time of refractory cytopenia with multilineage dysplasia (RCMD) subtype was 38 months and that of refractory anemia with excess blasts (RAEB) subtype was 10 months. Four hundred and twenty-four patients have successful karyotyping. According to the IPSS score, low risk, intermediate risk- I, intermediate risk-II and high risk group accounted for 38/424 (9.0%), 282/424 (66.5%), 74/ 424 (17.5%) and 30/424 (7.1%). Multivariate analysis of Cox model showed old age, lower neutrophil absolute count (NAC), lower hemoglobin, lower platelet count and IPSS group were independent factors associated with overall survival time (OS). WPSS was not an independent prognostic factor. For cases with RCMD, platelet count, IPSS score, IPSS cytogenetics group and chromosome abnormality were not independent prognostic factors; whereas age (> or = 60 years old), NAC (< 1.0 x 10(9)/L), Hb (< 90 g/L) and degree of cytopenia were independent factors. A new score system was established based on these factors. It had better ability to predict OS for RCMD patients as it was proved by univariate and multivariate analysis., Conclusion: The survival rate and median survival time of MDS in Chinese are similar to those in Western. IPSS score can predict prognosis for all MDS patients and it is better than WPSS. However, both of them have no validity for the prognostication of RCMD subtype. A new score system which can distinguish the different prognoses for RCMD patients is suggested.

Objective: To investigate the effect of polycythemia on hypoxia induced pulmonary hypertension and pulmonary vascular remodeling in rats., Methods: The healthy female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: normoxia control group (C group), hypoxia group (H group), hypoxia + different doses of human recombine hemopoietin (rEPO) group. All rats in hyoxia groups were exposed to hypoxia, 8 hours every day, for 21 days. The rEPO groups were injected sc with different doses of rEPO (300 U/kg, 600 U/kg, 900 U/kg, 1200 U/kg) thrice weekly. Blood samples were taken for the measurement of RBC, Hb, Hct, plasma EPO concentration, whole blood/plasma viscosities, the animals were then catheterized to record mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP) and demised to calculate the ratio [RV/(LV+S)]. Percentage of vascular wall thickness and muscularization of non-muscular pulmonary arteriole were examined microscopically., Results: (1) As the dosage of exogenous rEPO increased, blood concentration of EPO increased correspondingly, as RBC, Hb, Hct and whole blood/plasma viscosities increased in various degrees. (2) There was positive correlation between whole blood viscosity and Hct at both high and low shears and linear correlation between mPAP and whole blood viscosity at high shear. (3) The degree of pulmonary hypertension, reflected by mPAP increased in accordance to rEPO dosage increment. However, the extent of pulmonary vascular remodeling alleviated somehow as the rEPO dose increased and so did right ventricular hypertrophy., Conclusion: Polycythemia induced by exogenous EPO increases the blood viscosity and the pulmonary vascular resistance, which contributes to the formation of hypoxia induced pulmonary hypertension.

Vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation has been known to be predominant in vascular remodeling of pulmonary hypertensive. The GATA family proteins, a group of zinc finger transcription factors, play an important role during cell proliferation. The aim of present study was to investigate the expression of GATA-6 gene in experimental pulmonary hypertensive rats and explore the effect of regulation of GATA-6 expression by simvastatin on pulmonary vascular remodeling. The male Sprague-Dawley rats model was established with receiving pneumonectomy and monocrotaline (MCT) administration. Right pulmonary artery remodeling in these animals was compared with untreated rats or rats receiving simvastatin. The level of GATA-6 mRNA and protein expression was detected by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blotting, respectively. Pneumonectomized, MCT-treated rats had significantly increased mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP), RV/(LV + S) ratio (ratio of the right ventricular to left ventricular and septum weights), vascular occlusion scores (VOSs), and percent media wall thickness on day 35, all the indices were significantly decreased after simvastatin administration in these rats. The level of GATA-6 mRNA and protein were markedly decreased in these pneumonectomy and MCT-treated rats, and they were significantly up-regulated in these rats after receiving simvastatin. These results indicate that the development and progression of pulmonary hypertension is prevented by simvastatin by up-regulating GATA-6 expression in the lung tissue.

Stomach cancer is still the fourth most common cancer; thus, it remains an important public health burden worldwide, especially in developing countries. The remarkable geographic variations in the rates of stomach cancer indicate that dietary factors, including a range of food groups to which salt and/or nitrates have been added, may affect stomach cancer risk. In this paper, we review the results from ecologic, case-control and cohort studies on the relationship between salt or salted foods and stomach cancer risk. The majority of ecological studies indicated that the average salt intake in each population was closely correlated with gastric cancer mortality. Most case-control studies showed similar results, indicating a moderate to high increase in risk for the highest level of salt or salted food consumption. The overall results from cohort studies are not totally consistent, but are suggestive of a moderate direct association. Since salt intake has been correlated with Helicobacter pylori (H pylori) infection, it is possible that these two factors may synergize to promote the development of stomach cancer. Additionally, salt may also cause stomach cancer through directly damaging gastric mucus, improving temporary epithelial proliferation and the incidence of endogenous mutations, and inducing hypergastrinemia that leads to eventual parietal cell loss and progression to gastric cancer. Based on the considerable evidence from ecological, case-control and cohort studies worldwide and the mechanistic plausibility, limitation on salt and salted food consumption is a practical strategy for preventing gastric cancer.

The moss Physcomitrella patens has been shown to tolerate abiotic stresses, including salinity, cold, and desiccation. To better understand this plant's mechanism of desiccation tolerance, we have applied cellular and proteomic analyses. Gametophores were desiccated over 1 month to 10% of their original fresh weight. We report that during the course of dehydration, several related processes are set in motion: plasmolysis, chloroplast remodeling, and microtubule depolymerization. Despite the severe desiccation, the membrane system maintains integrity. Through two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and image analysis, we identified 71 proteins as desiccation responsive. Following identification and functional categorization, we found that a majority of the desiccation-responsive proteins were involved in metabolism, cytoskeleton, defense, and signaling. Degradation of cytoskeletal proteins might result in cytoskeletal disassembly and consequent changes in the cell structure. Late embryogenesis abundant proteins and reactive oxygen species-scavenging enzymes are both prominently induced, and they might help to diminish the damage brought by desiccation.

Cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6) has been well shown to be elevated in brain injury and diseases. However, the significance of IL-6 production in such neuropathologic states remains controversial, and the intracellular signal-transduction pathways involved in the brain IL-6 action are primarily unclear. We previously indicated that exogenous IL-6 protected neurons against glutamate and N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) attacks and the effects of IL-6 was blocked by anti-gp130 antibody. Here, we provide further evidence for the IL-6 neuroprotection and show signal molecules transducing the IL-6 message. The cerebellar granule neurons from postnatal 8-day infant rats were exposed to IL-6 for 8 days, and also pretreated chronically with Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor AG490 and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) inhibitor PD98059. NMDA stimulated the cultured neurons for 30 min to induce neuronal injury and death. Cell counting kit-8 assay and Western blot were employed to measure neuronal vitality and cleaved caspase-3 expression, respectively. The chronic IL-6 exposure prevented the suppression of the neuronal vitality and the enhancement of the cleaved caspase-3 level induced by NMDA. The neuroprotective effect of IL-6 depended on IL-6 concentration and neuronal damaged degree. IL-6-induced STAT3 phosphorylation was inhibited by AG490 but not by PD98059; and IL-6-induced ERK1/2 activation was blocked by PD98059 but not by AG490. Either AG490 or PD98059 blocked the IL-6 protection against the NMDA-elicited neuronal vitality decrease and caspase-3 activation increase. These findings suggest that IL-6 protects neurons from NMDA-induced excitoxicity and the IL-6 neuroprotection may be transduced by both JAK/STAT3 and RAS/MAPK pathways.

Background: Congenital heart disease (CHD) is a common heart condition which does considerable harm to the health of children and adolescents. CHD epidemiological characteristics of Tibetan children whose ages ranged from 4 to 18 years were investigated in Qinghai Province., Methods: A total of 32 578 Tibetan children, living at altitudes of 2535 m, 3600 m and 4200 m, were examined using a three-stage protocol: prescreening, rechecking and diagnosis using a color Doppler. The distribution of CHD at different altitudes was analyzed together with differences in occurrence according to age and gender., Results: A total of 235 CHD cases were discovered. The total prevalence of CHD was 7.21 per thousand. Prevalence of CHD has been shown to increase along with increase in altitude with 5.45 per thousand at an altitude of 2535 m, 6.80 per thousand at 3600 m and 9.79 per thousand at 4200 m. There were no statistically significant differences between the prevalence at 2535 m and 3600 m (chi(2) = 1.594, P > 0.05). However, there was a significant difference between the prevalence at 2535 m and 4200 m (chi(2) = 7.002, P < 0.01). Also, apparent differences existed between the prevalence at 3600 m and at 4200 m (chi(2) = 5.540, P < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in prevalence according to age at an altitude of 2535 m, but the rate of CHD increased significantly along with increasing age at 3600 m and 4200 m. The total prevalence ratio of children aged from 16 to 18 years was significantly higher than that of children from 4 to 7, and from 8 to 12 with chi(2) values of 10.79 (P < 0.005), and 5.60 (P < 0.05) respectively. Within the constituent ratio of CHD, the prevalence of atrial septal defect (ASD) was the highest at 39.10%, followed by the prevalence of ventricular septal defect (VSD) at 32.8% and patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) at 24.7%. Furthermore the proportion of the four categories of CHD varied at different altitude levels: at 2535 m, of those diagnosed with CHD, the prevalence rate of VSD was the highest at 43.5%, at 3600 m ASD was the highest at 42.8% and at 4200 m, PDA was the highest at 50.8%., Conclusion: The epidemiological characteristics of CHD in Tibetan children may be associated with altitude levels.

Background: Patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) display a very diverse pattern. In this study, we investigated prognostic factors and survival rate in adult patients with MDS refractory anaemia (MDS-RA) diagnosed according to French-American-British classification and evaluated the International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS) for Chinese patients., Methods: A multi-center study on diagnosis of MDS-RA was conducted to characterize the clinical features of Chinese MDS patients. The morphological criteria for the diagnosis of MDS-RA were first standardized. Clinical data of 307 MDS-RA patients collected from Shanghai, Suzhou and Beijing from 1995 to 2006 were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier curve, log rank and Cox regression model., Results: The median age of 307 MDS-RA cases was 52 years. The frequency of 2 or 3 lineage cytopenias was 85.6%. Abnormal karyotype occurred in 35.7% of 235 patients. There were 165 cases (70.2%) in the good IPSS cytogenetic subgroup, 44 cases (18.7%) intermediate and 26 cases (11.1%) poor. IPSS showed 20 (8.5%) categorized as low risk, 195 cases (83.0%) as intermediate-I risk and 20 cases (8.5%) as intermediate-II risk. The 1-, 2-, 3-, 4- and 5-year survival rates were 90.8%, 85.7%, 82.9%, 74.9% and 71.2% respectively. Fifteen cases (4.9%) transformed to acute myeloid leukaemia (median time 15.9 months, range 3 - 102 months). Lower white blood cell count (< 1.5 x 10(9)/L), platelet count (< 30 x 10(9)/L) and cytogenetic abnormalities were independent prognostic factors by multivariate analysis, but age (= 65 years), IPSS cytogenetic subgroup and IPSS risk subgroup were not independent prognostic factors associated with survival time., Conclusions: Chinese patients were younger, and had lower incidence of cytogenetic abnormalities, more severe cytopenias but a more favourable prognosis than Western patients. The major prognostic factors were lower white blood cell count, lower platelet count and fewer abnormal karyotypes. The international prognostic scoring system risk group was not an independent prognostic factor for Chinese myelodysplastic syndrome patients with refractory anaemia patients.

The frequency of subtypes of lymphoid neoplasms was determined in a prospective series of 831 patients presenting at 29 Shanghai hospitals over a 4-year period. Diagnosis and classification was established in a single laboratory according to the 2001 WHO classification system. The frequency of non-Hodgkin lymphoma was 87.6% (n = 728) and Hodgkin lymphoma was 12.4% (n = 103). The most prevalent NHL subtypes diagnosed using WHO criteria were diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL), precursor B lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL). Although a low incidence has been reported in some Asian populations, CLL/SLL was commonly encountered, indicating that chronic lymphoid neoplasms are not rare in Shanghai. Consistent with previous reports, our findings indicate a decrease in the frequency of follicular lymphoma and an increase in T cell neoplasms compared to the West. Precursor T lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma, anaplastic large T cell lymphoma, aggressive NK cell leukemia, angioimmunoblastic T cell lymphoma and peripheral T cell lymphoma were prominent subtypes of T cell NHL.

Objective: To investigate the WHO classification and cytogenetic characteristics of primary myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) in adults of Shanghai area and then compare them with those of western countries., Methods: The consecutive samples of 435 patients with MDS in Sino-US Shanghai Leukemia Cooperative Group were collected prospectively and diagnosed with WHO classification. Cytogenetic analysis was performed using chromosome G-banding and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) techniques., Results: The median onset age in the patients was 58 (18-90) years. The proportion of cases with refractory cytopenia with multilineage dysplasia (RCMD) was highest ,accounting for 69.6% (303/435). Other subtypes were refractory anemia with excess blasts (RAEB) 24.1% (105/435), refractory anemia (RA) 2.3% (10/435), myelodysplastic syndrome, unclassifiable (MDS-U) 2.3% (10/435), refractory anemia with ringed sideroblasts (RAS) 1.2% (5/435) and 5q-syndrome 0.5% (2/435) in turn. The proportions of RA, RAS and 5q-syndrome were higher in western countries and RCMD subtype was lower. Eleven cases had failure of chromosome analysis. In the remaining 424 cases with success the frequency of chromosome abnormality was 38.7%, with the highest in RAEB- I (62.5%), and then RAEB-II (48.4%) and RCMD (34.5%) in turn. The sequence of common chromosome abnormalities was + 8 (12.7% ), complex karyotype (9.0%), chromosome translocation (7.8%), - 20q (6.6%), -7/-7q (5.2%), -5/-5q (4.2%) and- Y(2.4%), while the sequential order in western countries -5/-5q, -7/-7q, +8, 11q and 12p/12q. Chromosome prognosis was grouped according to International Prognosis Scoring System (IPSS), 289 cases were in the group with good chromosome prognosis (68.2%), 81 cases in group with medium prognosis (19.1%) and 54 cases in group with poor prognosis (12.7%). Seventeen patients had normal chromosome examination because of lower percentage of abnormal cells. However, the detection sensitivity of abnormality with FISH may sometimes be high., Conclusions: The WHO subtype and chromosome abnormality distributions of MDS in Shanghai were different from those in western countries. The combination of FISH and conventional chromosome examination could improve the detection sensitivity.

Objective: To explore the role of expression of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) in pulmonary vascular remodeling of pulmonary hypertensive rats, and investigate the regulation of CTGF expression by simvastatin in this animal model., Methods: Eighty male Sprague-Dawley rats (350 to 400 g) were randomized to 7 groups. The rats in group PM(1 - 21) (n = 10) and PM(1 - 35) (n = 12) were treated with pneumonectomy + monocrotaline (MCT), and sacrificed at the 21st or 35th experimental day;those in groups PMS(1 - 35) (n = 12), PMS(21 - 35) (n = 12), PMV(1 - 35) (n = 12) and PMV(21 - 35) (n = 12) were given daily lavage of simvastatin (or vehicle) as intervention measure which began from the 1st and 21st experimental days, respectively; additional 10 rats were used as control without any intervention. The animals were sacrificed at the end of experiment (35 th day) as hemodynamic measurements and study on the morphological parameters relevant to pulmonary vascular remodeling were performed on each group of rats. The expression of ET-1 mRNA, CTGF mRNA and protein, and synthesis of collagen in these pneumonectomized, MCT-treated rats were compared between control and rats treated with simvastatin., Results: Rats in PM(1 - 35) Group developed severe PAH (mPAP = 39.75 +/- 3.62 mm Hg) (1 mm Hg = 0.133 kPa), right ventricular hypertrophy [RV/(LV + S) ratio = 0.627 +/- 0.040], and arterial medial hypertrophy (WT% = 61.73 +/- 5.39), these parameters of the control animals were 17.10 +/- 1.20 mm Hg, 0.262 +/- 0.018 and 14.71 +/- 1.16, respectively. CTGF mRNA and protein were mainly located in pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells and interstitial macrophage shown by in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry, respectively. The expression of ET-1 mRNA and CTGF mRNA detected by fluorescent quantitative RT-PCR in Group PM(1 - 35) were significantly increased in comparison with controls, and so did the CTGF protein expression determined by Western blotting in these diseased rats. The content of hydroxyproline (1.30 +/- 0.19 microg/mg wet lung) was remarkably higher than that of control animals (0.56 +/- 0.10 microg/mg wet lung). The up-regulation of ET-1 and CTGF gene expression, and elevated synthesis of hydroxyproline were reversed in rats intervened with simvastatin. The pulmonary hypertension, right ventricular hypertrophy and medial hypertrophy were attenuated in all simvastatin-treated rats no matter the intervention was initiated from the beginning or midway of the study., Conclusion: The up-regulation of CTGF gene expression may play an important role in the development of pulmonary vascular remodeling in PAH. Simvastatin can prevent and, to some extent, reverse the vascular remodeling via down-regulation of CTGF gene expression.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between histopathological subtype of non-Hodgkin' s lymphoma(NHL) and chromosomal abnormalities, and compare the difference of chromosomal abnormalities between China and the West., Methods: Routine G banding chromosome analysis and fluorescent in situ hybridization( FISH) were performed on lymph node specimens from 155 NHL patients., Results: Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma( DLBCL) constituted 38.1% of the cases followed by follicular lymphoma(FL) 17.4% , small lymphocytic lymphoma( SLL) 10.3% , peripheral T-cell lymphoma ( PTCL) ( unspecified) 8.4%, and angioimmunoblastic lymphoma 7.1%. One hundred nineteen patients (76. 8%) had clonal chromosomal abnormalities. The incidence of chromosomal abnormalities among FL, SLL, DLBCL, anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) and precursor T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma (TLBL) was 96.3% , 87.5% , 86.4%, 83.3% and 83.3%, respectively. Complex karyotype was 86. 3% in DLBCL. The most frequent structural abnormalities in DLBCL involved chromosomes 3, 6, 14 and 1, with had high frequencies of 3q27 (41.2%) and 6q21, 6q23, 6q25 involvement (23.5%). But only 2 cases of DLBCL had classical t( 14; 18) (q32;q21) which was lower than that in the West (20%). The positive rate of IgH rearrangement was 40. 1% in DLBCL by FISH. No 13q14 deletion was found in 16 cases of SLL. Normal karyotype was observed in 8/11 cases with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma patients., Conclusions: The distribution of the histopathological subtypes of NHL is different among different geographical areas. The chromosomal abnormalities in DLBCL was comparable between China and the West, but t( 14; 18) was infrequent in the former. The chromosomal abnormalities in SLL was different from the West. The incidence of chromosomal abnormalities in angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma was lower than that in the West.

Objective: To summarize the diagnostic experience of primary myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) in order to improve the diagnostic level., Methods: Using prospective cohort study to collect consecutive samples. Diagnoses of 282 MDS cases were defined according to FAB and WHO classification., Results: The median age at MDS onset was 56. 19.5% and 24.5% of cases occurred at age 50 - 59 and 70 - 79, respectively. Presence of immature granulocytes and erythroblasts in peripheral blood (PB) were found in 67% and 48% of the MDS patients, respectively. The percentage (68%) of FAB-RA and WHO-RCMD patients in China is relatively high compared to that in western countries. The abnormality of chromosome (31.2%) was lower than that in the West, and similar to that in Japan. Eighty nine percent of the MDS patients could be diagnosed on cell morphology in PB and bone marrow (BM) aspirate. Ninety four percent of MDS could be diagnosed by combination of BM aspirate and core biopsy. Ninety seven percent of the patients could be recognized by combination of bone marrow aspirate, core biopsy and cytogenetics., Conclusions: The subtypes and clinical features of Chinese MDS patients were somewhat different from the West, but similar to that in Japan. Diagnostic efficiency can be extremely improved by combination of bone marrow aspirate, core biopsy and cytogenetics.

Aim: To investigate the role of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and endothelin-1 (ET-1) on pulmonary vascular structural remodeling in rats and pika., Methods: The Wistar rats which reside at 2 260 m were carried to 3 417 m. After they were fed 24 hours,2 weeks and 3 weeks respectively, the level of VEGF and ET-1 were measured using a kit by ELISA method. Pulmonary tissue was taken out to stain with elastica-Van Gieson. The amount of pulmonary arteries (< 100 microm) and the component ratio of MA, PMA,and NMA were calculated by using a light microscope. The ratio of right ventricle weight to left ventricle plus septum weight (RV/LV + S) were measured., Results: The ET-1 was significantly different in pika as compared with 24 h, 2 weeks, 3 weeks hypoxic rats (P < 0.01) respectively. The levels of VEGF in 2 weeks, 3 weeks rats were much higher than that of pika but no difference was found between pika and 24 h hypoxic rats. The ratio of MA, PMA obviously increased, and NMA decreased significantly, right ventricular hypertrophy was developed in differ groups of hypoxic rats., Conclusion: The VEGF and ET-1 participate the muscularization of pulmonary vessels during hypoxia and play an important role in the process of hypoxic pulmonary hypertension in rats, however the VEGF and ET-1 may be maintainable only normal organic function in pika.

Hematotoxicity following chronic benzene exposure has been recognized for over a century, although the mechanism remains unknown. We describe a novel form of bone marrow dysplasia in 23 workers exposed to high concentrations of benzene. Distinguishing features of benzene-induced dysplasia include: marked dyserythropoiesis, eosinophilic dysplasia and abnormal cytoplasmic granulation of neutrophilic precursors. Hematophagocytosis, stromal degeneration and bone marrow hypoplasia are also seen. Severe bone marrow dysplasia is frequently accompanied by clonal T cell expansion and alterations in T lymphocyte subsets. No clonal cytogenetic abnormalities were observed. These results suggest that autoimmune-mediated bone marrow injury is an early or predisposing event in the pathogenesis of benzene-induced persistent hematopoietic disease.

Objective: To investigate the effect of truncated PDGF-alpha receptor on proliferation expression of c-sis mRNA of pulmonary artery vascular smooth muscular cells(VSMC)., Methods: Tissue mass culture was done to get vascular smooth muscular cells of pulmonary artery. Different concentrations of truncated PDGF-alpha receptor and adenoviral recombined body (Ad5CMV-PalphaRtr, ACP) were added into the cultures. VSMC proliferation curves were obtained using MTT test. The expression of c-sis mRNA was detected by PCR., Results: ACP at 5 ml/L and 10 ml/L concentrations restrained the proliferation of VSMC apparently with the peak of cell growth being attenuated or eliminated. The curve presented ascending tendency only after 7 days. Affected by 5 ml/L ACP, PDGF-BB exerted no significant accelerating effect on the proliferation of VSMC. The expression of c-sis mRNA was up-regulated under the effect of ACP. Affected by 5 ml/L ACP and PDGF-BB, the expression of c-sis mRNA was down-regulated., Conclusion: ACP at 5 ml/L and 10 ml/L concentration powerful inhibitor of cellular proliferation for pulmonary artery VSMC. It can increase c-sis mRNA expression significantly and the increase seems to be ACP dosage dependent.

Aim: To determine serum leptin levels and investigate their correlations with anthropometric and metabolic parameters and biochemical liver function in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and their potential clinical implications., Methods: Forty-two chronic HCV-infected patients without anti-viral treatment were enrolled in this study, 30 patients had chronic hepatitis C, 10 had cirrhosis, and 2 had hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Thirty age- and sex-matched healthy individuals served as controls. Serum leptin levels were determined by ELISA. The biochemical liver function and serum lipids were determined at the same time. The height and body weight of patients and controls were measured, and body mass index (BMI) and body fat were calculated simultaneously. The correlations of serum leptin levels with anthropometric and metabolic parameters and biochemical liver function were assessed statistically., Results: The mean of serum leptin levels in patients with chronic hepatitis C, HCV-associated cirrhosis, HCV-associated HCC and control groups was (6.13+/-3.94), (5.25+/-4.21), (4.17+/-0.28), and (3.59+/-3.44) ng/mL, respectively. The serum leptin level in patients with chronic hepatitis C was significantly higher than that in controls. The serum leptin levels between cirrhotic patients and controls and between male and female cirrhotic patients had no significant difference. Serum leptin levels were positively-correlated with body fat, BMI, and apolipoprotein B (Apo B) in patients with chronic HCV infection. The serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels were closely-correlated with BMI in patients with chronic hepatitis C., Conclusion: HCV infection interferes with fat and lipid metabolism in patients with chronic HCV infection and leptin may play a role in hepatosteatosis.

Yellow River water transfer for Tianjin is important in solving the water shortage in Tianjin, which facilitate economic development and social progress for many years. Fresh water drawn from Yellow River (i.e., Yin-Huang water) becomes saltier and saltier when being stored in the Bei-Da-Gang reservoir. We qualitatively analyze the water salinization mechanism based on mass transfer theory. The main factors are salinity transfer of saline soil, evaporation concentrating, and the agitation of wind. A simulative experimental pond and an evaporation pond were built beside the Bei-Da-Gang reservoir to quantitatively investigate the water salinization based on water and solute balance in the simulative pond. 80% of increased [Cl-] is due to the salinity transfer of the saline soil and the other 20% is due to evaporation concentrating, so the former is the most important factor. We found that the salinization of Yin-Huang water can be described with a zero-dimension linear model.

Objective: To study the effect of 20(R)-ginsenoside Rg3 [20(R)-Rg3] on the differential expression of cell signaling genes and other related genes in human lung adenocarcinoma cell line A549., Methods: The cell line A549 was cultured with 20(R)-Rg3 (10(-6) mol/L) for 72 h, RNA was extracted, and the differential expression of cell signaling genes and other related genes were detected with DNA microarray., Results: A total of 3 490 genes were detected, and the expression of 24 genes were changed after the addition of 20(R)-Rg3. Two cell signaling genes & transducin genes were up-regulated. Two cystoskeleton & locomotion genes were up-regulated. Three proto-oncogene & anti-oncogene genes were down-regulated. Two of the translation & synthetical genes were down-regulated, and 1 of them was up-regulated. One DNA recombination gene and one metabolism gene were down-regulated., Conclusion: 20(R)-Rg3 showed significant effect on the differential expression of cell signaling genes and other related genes in human lung cell line A549.

The title compound, [Nd(C(7)H(3)O(6)S)(H(2)O)](n) or [Nd(SSA)(H(2)O)](n) (H(3)SSA is 5-sulfosalicylic acid), was synthesized by the hydrothermal reaction of Nd(2)O(3) with H(3)SSA in water. The compound forms a three-dimensional network in which the asymmetric unit contains one Nd(III) atom, one SSA ligand and one coordinated water molecule. The central Nd(III) ion is eight-coordinate, bonded to seven O atoms from five different SSA ligands [Nd-O = 2.405 (4)-2.612 (4) angstroms] and one aqua O atom [Nd-OW = 2.441 (4) angstroms].

In the title compound, [[Zn(C8H4O5)(C12H8N2)].H2O]n or [[Zn(OH-BDC)(phen)].H2O]n (where OH-H2BDC is 5-hydroxyisophthalic acid and phen is 1,10-phenanthroline), the Zn atoms are coordinated by two N atoms from the phen ligands and by four O atoms from hydroxyisophthalate ligands in a highly distorted octahedral geometry, with Zn-O distances in the range 2.042 (4)-2.085 (5) A and Zn-N distances of 2.133 (5) and 2.137 (5) A. The [[Zn(OH-BDC)(phen)].H2O]n infinite zigzag polymer forms a helical chain of [Zn2(OH-BDC)2]n units. Face-to-face pi-pi interactions (3.60-3.75 A) occur between two phen rings belonging to the same helical chain. Consolidation of the packing structure is achieved by O-H...O hydrogen-bonding interactions between the carboxylate O atoms, the hydroxyl group and the water molecule, forming two-dimensional sheets.

Aim: To clone and express G protein competitive inhibitory polypeptide (GCIP) gene and investigate the prophylactic effects of GCIP on myocardial hypertrophy in vitro., Methods: The pIVEX2.3MCS-GCIP plasmid expressing GCIP was constructed by inserting double-stranded oligonucleotide into pIVEX2.3-MCS plasmid vector. Recombinant plasmid was expressed in Rapid Translation System 500 (RTS500). The expression of GCIP was identified by SDS-PAGE and Western blotting. The purification of GCIP with 6xHis tag was carried out on a Ni-NTA agarose column. The prophylactic effects of GCIP was observed on cardiomyocytes isolated from newborn Wistar rats. Protein synthesis rate were assessed by [3H]Leu incorporation. Protein contents were measured by Lowry method., Results: The plasmid pIVEX2.3MCS-GCIP was successfully constructed. The expression of GCIP was about 2.43 % of total protein. GCIP was purified on Ni-NTA agarose column. The purity of the purified GCIP peptide was about 98 %. The contents of total protein and the rate of [3H]Leu incorporation were significantly decreased in (100 microg/L, 1 mg/L, and 10 mg/L) GCIP-treated groups in myocardial cellular hypertrophy model (P<0.01)., Conclusion: The pIVEX2.3MCS-GCIP expression vector has been constructed successfully. The GCIP was expressed in RTS500 system and was purified with Ni-NTA agarose. GCIP was able to inhibit myocardial hypertrophy concentration-dependently in vitro.

Objective: To assess the quality of life (QOL) in long-term survivors with acute leukemia (AL)., Methods: Ninety-five long-term survivors with AL drawn from 29 hospitals in Shanghai during the period 1984 - 1994 were studied. Questionnaire FACT-G was completed in order to assess the QOL for long-term survivors with AL., Results: Questionnaires assessing QOL were filled in by 95 long-term survivors with AL. Majority of the survivor turned out having normal QOL. The average QOL score was 85. Patients aged over 60 years old and illiterate had higher QOL score. About 50% of the patients had returned to full-time job or school. 12.6% of the patients had had secondary diseases due to chemotherapy. Nearly half of the married patients were not satisfied with their sexual life., Conclusion: Thus, prevention of having secondary diseases and to keep sexual function must call for serious attention during chemotherapy. The biggest challenge was to prevent relapse and the affordability to treatment.

The blue-sheep, pika, and yak live in the Tibetan highlands at an altitude of 6,100 m and are typical mammals adapted to high-altitudes. These animals have a long history of habitation at high-altitudes and are considered to be "animals completely adapted to high-altitudes" because of their physiological and morphological traits that are well adapted to high-altitude environments. To evaluate the physiological characteristics of high-altitude adaptation in the blue-sheep, changes in the pulmonary hemodynamics during exposure to simulated-altitudes at 0, 2,300, and 4,500 m were examined by means of a climatic chamber in Qinghai Province, China (altitude 2,300 m). Seven blue-sheep inhabiting the mountains (3,000 m) of Qinghai Province, China, were compared with 5 pigs raised in the same area as controls. The primary items of measurement were the body weight (BW), systemic arterial pressure (Psa), pulmonary artery pressure (Ppa), hematocrit (Ht), left ventricular weight (LVW), right ventricular weight (RVW), and blood gas profile. The principal findings of this study are: (1) Ht, an index of right ventricular hypertrophy (RVW/LVW), and oxygen consumption (Vdot;O(2)) were significantly lower in the blue sheep compared with the pigs; (2) When the animals were exposed to simulated-altitudes at 0, 2,300, and 4,500 m, Ppa increased significantly in tandem with altitude elevation in both species, but the increases were significantly smaller in the blue-sheep; and (3) Ppa/Psa, an index of the right ventricular load, increased with the altitude in both species, but the increases were smaller in the blue sheep. From these observations, low Ht and RVW/LVW and significant attenuation of hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction (HPV) in the blue-sheep is considered to be characteristics of animals completely adapted to high-altitudes, such as the pika.

Objective: To investigate luciferase gene expression and pathological changes of submandibular glands (SMG) of rats after adenovirus-mediated gene transfer., Methods: Adenovirus-mediated luciferase gene (AdCMVLuc, 10(8) pfu in 50 microl) was injected in to SMG of forty wistar rats. The SMGs were harvested for gene expression measurement and pathological study after 3 days, 1,2,4 and 8 weeks., Results: Peak expression was observed in three days following administration of the vector however, gene expression in submandibular glands decreased rapidly. the pathological changes induced by retrograde injection of AdCMVLuc included: after 3 days to one week, compression of acini, dilation of terminal ducts; after two weeks, slight atrophy of a part of acini, increase of iteracinar distance and focal lymphocyte infiltration in lobules and interlobular ducts; after 4 weeks, recovery evidence was found in acini; after 8 weeks, normal acini and ducts were found. The ultrastructural changes included: 3 days, much more rough endoplasmic reticulum was found both in acini and duct epithelial cell; a lot of mucus drops were found in acini; after 1 week, microvillus decreased in duct epithelial cells, mitochondria increased significantly in acini; intercellular space was enlarged., Conclusions: Adenovirus-mediated gene transfer can produce biological proteins and induce marked inflammatory changes in rat SMG. The ultrastructural changes suggest high protein synthesis activity in the acinar cells after gene transfer.