Search

Objective: To investigate the effects of spinal manipulation (SM) on brain functional activity in patients with lumbar disc herniation (LDH)., Methods: Eleven patients with LDH were recruited in the study. All patients received 6 times of lumbar SM treatment and then clinical efficacy was evaluated. All patients received brain functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans before and after SM treatment., Results: Three subjects dropped out and 8 subjects completed the study, among whom 4 cases were effective and 4 ineffective after SM treatment. The required pressure value producing the same level (VAS 50) pain was (7.43 ± 1.47) kg and (10.53 ± 0.55) kg before and after SM treatment in effective patients(P<0.05); however, there was no significant difference in ineffective patients (P>0.05). Compared to pre-treatment level, the brain functional activity in effective patients was mainly inhibited, the inhibited areas were located in the right side of prefrontal cortex and cerebellum; while the brain functional activity was generally enhanced in ineffective patients., Conclusion: SM can affect the brain functional activity of patients with LDH, the inhibited areas is mainly located in prefrontal cortex and cerebellum when SM treatment is effective.

The ZFX (zinc finger protein, X-linked) gene located on the human X chromosome controls the self-renewal of embryonic and hematopoietic stem cells as a transcriptional regulator. Recently, studies have affirmed that ZFX is associated with several human cancers, including lymphoma, laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma, prostate cancer, and liver cancer, which suggests ZFX as a potential therapeutic target in cancer. However, the functional role of ZFX in human renal cancer remains unclear. Herein, we detected the expression of ZFX in 42 patients with renal cancer and found the expression of ZFX was specifically upregulated in cancer tissues at the mRNA and protein levels. Moreover, we employed lentivirus-mediated short hairpin RNA (shRNA) to knock down ZFX expression in two human renal cell carcinoma cell lines, 786-0 and ACHN. Functional analysis indicated that ZFX silencing significantly inhibited renal cell carcinoma cell proliferation and cell cycle progression, probably because of suppression of CDK4 and cyclin D1, and induced apoptosis via activation of Bax, Caspase 3, and PUMA in a p53-dependent manner. Our findings suggest that knockdown of ZFX by shRNA may be a potential therapeutic approach for the treatment of renal cancer., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

An automatic versatile system which integrated solid phase extraction (SPE) with ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) was developed. Diverse commercial SPE columns can be used under an ambient pressure in this online system realized by a dual-dilution strategy. The first dilution enabled the direct injection of complex samples with minimal pretreatment, and the second dilution realized direct introduction of large volume of strong eluent into the UHPLC column without causing peak broadening or distortion. In addition, a post-column compensation mode was also designed for the matrix-effects evaluation. The features of the online system were systematically investigated, including the dilution effect, the capture of desorption solution, the column-head stacking effect and the system recovery. Compared with the offline UHPLC system, this online system showed significant advantages such as larger injection volume, higher sensitivity, shorter analysis time and better repeatability. The feasibility of the system was demonstrated by the direct analysis of three auxins from different plant tissues, including leaves of Dracaena sanderiana, buds and petals of Bauhinia. Under the optimized conditions, the whole analysis procedure took only 7min. All the correlation coefficients were greater than 0.9987, the limits of detection and the limits of quantitation were in the range of 0.560-0.800ng/g and 1.80-2.60ng/g, respectively. The recoveries of the real samples ranged from 61.0 to 117%. Finally, the post-column compensation mode was applied and no matrix-effects were observed under the analysis conditions. The automatic versatile system was rapid, sensitive and reliable. We expect this system could be extended to other target analytes in complex samples utilizing diverse SPE columns., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To investigate the clinical effectiveness of dutasteride in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia by meta-analysis., Materials and Methods: Several databases were searched from inception to June 2013 for prospective clinical studies comparing dutasteride vs placebo. The continuous outcomes of therapeutic efficacy included International Prostate Symptom Score/American Urological Association Symptom Index, maximum flow rate, total prostate volume, and acute urinary retention (AUR). The dichotomous outcomes included surgery risk and the rate of sexual dysfunction. The relative risk for dichotomous outcome and the weighted mean difference for continuous outcomes were estimated using fixed effects model., Results: Four studies met the inclusion criteria and were included, in which a total of 6460 patients received dutasteride and 6475 received placebo treatment. The average symptom score was improved by 1.98 with 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.77-2.19 (P <.00001); the average maximum flow rate was increased by 1.16 mL/s with 95% CI 0.63-1.70 (P <.0001); the total prostate volume was reduced by 13.86 mL (95% CI 12.76-14.96; P <.00001); the odds ratio for AUR was 0.35 (95% CI 0.27-0.47; P <.00001). The major side effect for dutasteride was the increased rate of sexual dysfunction compared with placebo, with odds ratio of 0.41 (95% CI 0.31-0.54; P <.00001)., Conclusion: Dutasteride is highly effective in mitigating benign prostatic hyperplasia symptoms and reducing the size of enlarged prostate and the risks of AUR and surgical intervention. However, dutasteride therapy is related to an increased rate of sexual dysfunction., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Upregulation of sphingosine kinase 1 (SPHK1) protein has been reported to be associated with a poor prognosis in a variety of malignant tumors. However, the role of SPHK1 in bladder cancer (BC) has not been thoroughly elucidated. The purpose of this study was to assess SPHK1 expression and to explore its contribution to BC. Real-time quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was conducted to detect SPHK1 mRNA expression in 37 pairs of fresh-frozen BC tissues and corresponding noncancerous tissues. Results showed that SPHK1 mRNA expression level in BC tissues was significantly higher than that in corresponding noncancerous tissues. To investigate the association between SPHK1 protein expression and clinicopathological characteristics of BC, immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed in 153 archived paraffin-embedded BC samples. Interestingly, high SPHK1 expression was significantly associated with histologic grade (P = 0.045) and tumor stage (P < 0.001) of patients with BC. The Kaplan-Meier survival curve showed that patients with high SPHK1 expression had significantly reduced overall 5-year survival rates (P < 0.001). Multivariate Cox regression analysis further suggested that the increased expression of SPHK1 was an independent poor prognostic factor for this disease. In conclusion, our data offer the convincing evidence for the first time that the increased expression of SPHK1 may be involved in the pathogenesis and progression of BC. SPHK1 might be a potential marker to predict the prognosis in BC.

This study aims to investigate the efficacy and possible mechanisms of melatonin in treating interstitial cystitis (IC), as melatonin is involved in anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects and plays an important role in neuroprotection. IC was induced by intraperitoneal injection of cyclophosphamide (CP) with melatonin pretreatment or vehicle pretreatment. On day 7, the voiding behaviors were observed. Bladders were harvested for histologic examination, analysis of the expressions of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) by Western blotting, and also processed for immunohistochemical staining of substance P (SP). Proinflammatory cytokines were measured by ELISA immunoassays. L6-S1 spinal cords were harvested for measurement of SP by radioimmunoassay. CP injection resulted in severe cystitis with increase in voiding behaviors, histological damage, mast cell proliferation, SP, and proinflammatory cytokine expression, which were significantly downregulated by melatonin pretreatment. Pretreatment with melatonin further enhanced the expression of HO-1 and significantly reduced iNOS expression. Melatonin significantly improved bladder symptoms and histological damages in rats with CP-induced cystitis by diminishing bladder oxidative stress, blocking iNOS, upregulation of HO-1, and downregulating the expression of SP.

Purpose: Transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) has a high failure rate in patients with small volume benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) with bladder outlet obstruction (BOO). We describe and report the results of an alternative surgical method, selective transurethral resection of the prostate (STURP) in combination with transurethral incision of the bladder neck (TUIBN)., Methods: Patients were randomized to receive TURP or STRUP+TUIBN in combination with TUIBN. Maximum urinary flow rate (Qmax), voided volume, and post voiding residual volume (PVR) were assessed at baseline and at 1, 3, and 6 months after surgery. Efficacy of treatment was assessed by lower urinary tract symptoms and IPSS., Results: Sixty three patients received STRUP+TUIBN and 61 received TURP. Surgical time, amount of prostate tissue resected, and blood loss was the same in both groups (all, p>0.05). The mean duration of follow-up was 9.02 and 8.53 months in patients receiving TURP and STRUP+TUIBN, respectively. At 6 months postoperatively, IPSS was 4.26±1.22 and 4.18±1.47 in patients receiving TURP and STRUP+TUIBN, respectively (p>0.05), and the Qmax in patients receiving STRUP+TUIBN was markedly higher than in those receiving TURP (28.28±6.46 mL/s vs. 21.59±7.14 mL/s; p<0.05). Bladder neck contracture and urinary tract infections were observed in 3 and 5 patients receiving TURP, respectively, and none in STURP., Conclusions: STRUP+TUIBN may offer a more effective and safer alternative to TURP for small volume BPH patients.

Global DNA hypomethylation has been associated with increased risk for cancers of the colorectum, bladder, breast, head and neck, and testicular germ cells. The aim of this study was to examine whether global hypomethylation measured at BLCA-4 repeat regions through bisulfite pyrosequencing in blood leukocyte DNA is associated with the risk of bladder cancer(BC). A total of 312 bladder cancer patients and 361 healthy control subjects were included in Chongqing, China. Global methylation in blood leukocyte DNA was estimated by analyzing BLCA-4 repeats using bisulfite-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and pyrosequencing. The median methylation level in BC cases (percentage of 5-methylcytosine (5 mC) = 75.7 %) was significantly lower than that in controls (79.7 % 5 mC) (P = 0.002, Wilcoxon rank-sum test). The odds ratios (ORs) of BC for individuals in the third, second, and first (lowest) quartiles of BLCA-4 methylation were 1.2 (95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.8-1.9), 1.6 (95 % CI 1.1-2.3), and 2.7 (95 % CI 1.5-3.8) (P for trend <0.001), respectively, compared to individuals in the fourth (highest) quartile. A 2.1-fold (95 % CI 1.5-2.8) increased risk of BC was observed among individuals with BLCA-4 methylation below the median compared to individuals with higher (>median) BLCA-4 methylation. Our results demonstrate for the first time that individuals with global hypomethylation measured in BLCA-4 repeats in blood leukocyte DNA have an increased risk for BC. Our data provide the evidence that BLCA-4 hypomethylation may be a useful biomarker for poor prognosis of patients with BC.

The aberrant expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) has been found in various types of cancer. The present study found miR-20a to be significantly upregulated in prostate cancer compared with normal prostate tissues. The proliferation and colony formation assays revealed that the downregulation of miR-20a by miR-20a inhibitor suppresses the proliferation of MDA-PCa-2b cells in vitro and also inhibits tumor growth in vivo. Furthermore, a gap junction protein, α 1 (CX43), was identified as a direct target gene of miR-20a. The upregulation of CX43 was detected in MDA-PCa-2b cells after treatment with miR-20a inhibitor both in vitro and in vivo. In conclusion, the findings show that miR-20a significantly contributes to the progression of prostate cancer by targeting CX43.

The genome of Banana bunchy top virus (BBTV) consists of six segments of single-stranded DNA of approximately 1 kb in length. We identified and sequenced the complete genomes of two BBTV isolates, one with and one without satellite DNA, from Haikou, Hainan, China. The Haikou-2 isolate contains six genomic segments and an additional satellite DNA while the Haikou-4 isolate contains only six genomic segments. Typical of other babuviruses, each genomic segment encodes a single open reading frame and contains the highly conserved stem-loop and major common regions. Phylogenetic analysis of the two Haikou isolates together with existing sequence records in GenBank confirmed the grouping of BBTV into two large groups and further refined the geographical distribution of each group. To accommodate the changes in the BBTV geographical distribution, the two groups are proposed as the Southeast Asian group and the Pacific-Indian Oceans group. Both the Haikou-2 and Haikou-4 isolates belong to the newly proposed Southeast Asian group.

Objectives: To evaluate the association between BLCA-4 tissue expression and patients' prognosis in bladder cancer (BC)., Methods: BLCA-4 expression was analyzed using immunohistochemical staining methods on tissue samples from a consecutive series of 325 BC patients who underwent resections between 2000 and 2006. The correlation of BLCA-4 expression and patients' clinicopathological parameters was evaluated. Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox's proportional hazards model., Results: BLCA-4 was highly expressed in 54.8% of the BC patients. BLCA-4 overexpression was significantly associated with tumor grade (P<0.001), and stage (P<0.001). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that high expression level of BLCA-4 resulted in a significantly poor prognosis of BC patients. Multivariate analysis revealed that the BLCA-4 expression level was an independent prognostic parameter for the overall survival rate of BC patients., Conclusions: These findings provide evidence that high expression level of BLCA-4 serves as a poor prognostic biomarker for BC. BLCA-4 may be a potential target of antiangiogenic therapy for BC.

Chilli ringspot virus (ChiRSV), a novel potyvirus, was recently found in Hainan, China with high prevalence. The genomic sequence of the ChiRSV-HN/14 isolate was determined by sequencing overlapping cDNA segments generated by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction with degenerate and/or specific primers. ChiRSV genome (GenBank Acc. no. JN008909) comprised of 9,571 nucleotides (nt) excluding the 3'-terminal poly (A) tail and contained a large open reading frame of 9,240 nt encoding a large polyprotein of 3,079 amino acids with predicted Mr of 349.1 kDa. A small, overlapping PIPO coding region was also found to span from nt 2,913 to 3,095, with a capacity to encode a peptide of 60 amino acids. ChiRSV shares sequence identities of only 48.5-65.4 and 42.9-68.7% with closely related potyviruses at the nucleotide and the amino acid levels, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis of the genomic sequences provided further evidence that ChiRSV is a distinct species of the Potyvirus genus. ChiRSV-HN/14 is most closely related to Tobacco vein banding mosaic virus and two other pepper-infecting potyviruses.

Background: The prognosis for thyroid cancer differs between metastatic and non-metastatic cases. To identify biomarkers useful for thyroid cancer diagnosis and to establish a marker panel for the early detection of metastatic thyroid carcinoma, this study compared histomorphological features and biomarker expression profiles in thyroid carcinomas according to pathological diagnoses., Patients and Methods: Thyroid carcinoma samples were obtained from 113 consecutive patients who underwent resection at multiple centers between 2001 and 2008. These cases included 63 metastatic thyroid tumors (34 papillary carcinomas, 20 follicular carcinomas, 9 undifferentiated carcinomas) and 50 non-metastatic thyroid tumors (36 papillary carcinomas, 14 follicular carcinomas). Tissue microarrays constructed using the 113 samples were analyzed by immunohistochemistry for the expression of 16 protein markers: MMP9, VEGF-C, E-cadherin, MMP2, PPARγ, PCNA, CXCR4, PTEN, C-myc, PTTG, HBME-1, p16, p53, FHIT, bFGF and hTERT. The clinicopathological variables with diagnostic significance were determined by multivariate analysis, and the predictive values of the identified biomarkers for metastasis in thyroid carcinoma were determined by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis., Results: The expression of six proteins, VEGF-C, MMP2, CXCR4, PTTG, HBME-1 and bFGF, was up-regulated in metastatic compared to non-metastatic thyroid carcinoma. Multiple factor binary ordinal logistic regression analysis showed that MMP2, PTTG, VEGF-C, CXCR4 and bFGF were independent factors associated with the metastatic status of thyroid carcinoma. ROC curve analysis of these five proteins revealed that VEGF-C and bFGF were the most useful protein markers for the diagnosis of metastatic thyroid cancer., Conclusion: MMP2, PTTG, VEGF-C, CXCR4 and bFGF are potential cellular tumor markers for identifying thyroid cancer with greater risk for metastasis and the novel combination of VEGF-C and bFGF as biomarkers may improve the accuracy of early detection and the differential diagnosis between metastatic and non-metastatic thyroid carcinoma.

Renal angiomyolipoma is a type of benign tumor that occurs sporadically in addition to being associated with tuberous sclerosis. Preoperative embolization of large tumors is important to avoid excessive blood loss during surgery. We reported a patient with a 5505-g giant renal angiomyolipoma in a solitary kidney. The patient was treated with preoperative embolization and radical nephrectomy without complications. This type of treatment for an enormous angiomyolipoma can reduce the risk of uncontrolled hemorrhage caused by rupture of the tumor during the operation and should be considered for the treatment of similar tumors.

Aims: Purple sweet potato (PSP) pigments were proved to protect murine thymocytes from (60)Co γ-ray-induced mitochondria-mediated apoptosis in our previous study. In this study, we further investigated the effect of PSP pigments on apoptosis related ROS, p53 and Bcl-2 family., Methods: Cell viability was analyzed by MTT. Apoptosis was certified by DNA ladder detection. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) were detected using 2',7',- dichlorofluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA) probe. P53, Bcl-2 and Bax proteins were analyzed by western blot. The activities of caspase-3 and caspase-9 were determined by fluorogenic substrates detection., Results: PSP pigments treatment prior to 4Gy (60)Co γ-ray irradiation increased the cell viability and decrease the apoptosis. In the presence of PSP pigments, ROS was scavenged and followed by a p53-depression. A shift in Bcl-2/Bax ratio towards anti-apoptosis was observed as a result of p53-depression. The activities of caspase-9 and caspase-3 were reduced by PSP pigments pretreatment., Conclusions: PSP pigments have a cytoprotective activity against γ radiation. The protective effect of PSP pigments may be involving ROS scavenging, p53 depression and Bcl-2/Bax modulation in a caspase-dependent mitochondrial way., (Copyright © 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Objectives: To determine whether caveolin-1 expression is associated with bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis (BPS/IC) and to better understand the pathogenesis of BPS/IC., Methods: The study population was composed of 19 women with BPS/IC and 7 healthy women as controls. Midstream urine specimens were collected before cystoscopy and cold cup bladder biopsies were obtained from the trigone of the bladder. Caveolin-1 protein expression was determined by indirect immunofluorescence and Western blot analysis in cases and controls, using a rabbit polyclonal antibody against caveolin-1. χ(2) test and Student's t test were used in the statistical analysis., Results: A statistical difference of caveolin-1 protein expression was observed between BPS/IC and healthy controls (p < 0.05, χ(2) test). Western blot analysis showed that the mean relative integrated density value of caveolin-1 in (BPS/IC) patients was significantly higher than that in the control group (p < 0.001, Student's t test)., Conclusions: The results of our study demonstrate that there is a relationship between the raised levels of caveolin-1 expression and BPS/IC. This preliminary study may provide a basis for further investigation of the role of caveolin-1 in the pathogenesis of BPS/IC., (Copyright © 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Testicular microlithiasis (TM) in infertility is an uncommon pathologic condition of unclear etiology that is characterized by calcium deposits within the seminiferous tubules. Nanobacteria (NB), as novel microorganisms mediating tissue calcification, have been discovered in some diseases. In this study, we hypothesized that NB may participate in the pathogenesis of TM, particularly in infertility. Seventeen infertility patients with TM detected by scrotal color Doppler ultrasonography and 17 infertility patients without TM as controls were enrolled in the study. The NB were isolated and cultured from semen samples and urine samples. After 3 to 6 weeks of culture, 10 of 17 (58.8%) semen samples and 2 urine samples from infertile patients with TM showed the growth of white granular microbes that firmly attached to the bottom of the culture flask and were visible to the naked eye. In the control group, only 1 of 17 (5.9%) semen samples from infertile patients without TM showed the growth of white granular microbes. The cultured microbes were identified by indirect immunofluorescent staining (IIFS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and 16s rRNA gene expression. IIFS and TEM revealed NB to be coccoid and 100 to 500 nm in diameter. The BLAST result revealed that the 16s rRNA gene sequence from the cultured microbes was 97% the same as that of the known NB. Our results showed that NB may be linked to the development of TM, which may provide a potential target for the diagnosis and treatment of infertility with TM.

Early diagnosis and treatment of thyroid cancers are critical for better prognosis and better survival rates. The purpose of this study was to identify potential diagnostic markers for papillary thyroid carcinomas with distant metastasis. Fifty-eight papillary thyroid tumor specimens (27 papillary thyroid carcinomas with distant metastasis and 31 without metastasis) were examined, and protein expression of pituitary tumor-transforming gene (PTTG), E-cadherin, p27kip1, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-C, metalloproteinase (MMP) 2, MMP9, chemokine receptor CXCR4, and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) in these tumors was assessed by immunohistochemistry. The clinicopathological variables with diagnostic significance were determined by multivariate analysis, and their diagnostic values were evaluated by ROC curve analysis. PTTG, VEGF-C, MMP2, MMP9, CXCR4, and bFGF were overexpressed in metastatic papillary thyroid carcinomas, whereas p27kip1 expression was elevated only in carcinomas lacking metastasis. Multiple-factor binary ordinal logistic regression analysis revealed that PTTG, VEGF-C, MMP2, and bFGF were independently related to biological metastatic behavior in thyroid tumors, suggesting their potential use as biomarkers. ROC curve analysis showed that among these four proteins, VEGF-C and bFGF were the best diagnostic biomarkers. A VEGF-C and bFGF cluster was the most useful factor for the differential diagnosis between metastatic and non-metastatic papillary thyroid cancers. Thus, the combined use of VEGF-C and bFGF as biomarkers may improve the diagnostic accuracy of papillary thyroid carcinoma and may be useful in multimodal screening programs for the clinical diagnosis of papillary thyroid carcinoma and early detection of papillary thyroid carcinoma with distant metastasis.

Introduction and Hypothesis: This study was designed to detect whether nanobacteria (NB) reside in urine and bladder tissue samples of patients with interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome (IC/PBS) and whether antibiotic therapy targeting these organisms is effective in reducing NB levels and IC/PBS symptoms., Methods: Twenty-seven IC/PBS patients underwent cystoscopy. Bladder biopsies and urine samples were obtained and cultured for NB, which were identified by indirect immunofluorescent staining and transmission electron microscopy., Results: Eleven bladder samples showed growth of microbes that were identified to be similar to NB. Homologous study of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene suggested that the NB could be the pathogen. For enrolled 11 patients, NB levels decreased dramatically after tetracycline treatment, and they reported significant reduction in the severity of IC/PBS symptoms., Conclusions: A high prevalence of NB was observed in female IC/PBS, and anti-NB treatment effectively improved the symptoms, which suggest that NB may cause some cases of IC/PBS.

Biology presents incomparable, but desirable, characteristics compared to engineered systems. Inspired by biological development, we have devised a multi-layered design architecture that attempts to capture the favourable characteristics of biological mechanisms for application to design problems. We have identified and implemented essential features of Genetic Regulatory Networks (GRNs) and cell signalling which lead to self-organization and cell differentiation. We have applied this to electronic circuit design.

When 85 cervical type spondylosis patients randomly lay on one's back and on one's right side the 8 different tresles and pillows. We survey indexes of the cervical spine anatomy, for example cervical arcs and angles of cervical spine and level line. We appraise relation of balance between different trestle or pillow and cervical spine. liquid needle-free injection, jet power, stagnation pressure

Objective: To observe the expressions of the substance P (SP) mRNA and neurokinin-1 receptor (NK-1R) in the posterior horn of the L5 - S2 spinal cord in the rat model of chronic prostatitis pain, and to investigate the changes in the activation of astrocytes and influence of SP on this activation in rat spinal cord astrocytes cultured in vitro., Methods: The rat model of chronic prostatitis pain was established by injection of complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) and assessed by the tail flick threshold test, the control rats injected with sodium chloride and all observed at 0, 14 and 28 days. Changes in the expressions of SP mRNA, NK-1R, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in the posterior horn of the L5 - S2 spinal cord were detected by RT-PCR and Western blot. Rat spinal cord astrocytes were cultured in vitro and divided into a control group, cultured with ITS cell culture fluid, and two experiment groups, with Group 1 stimulated with SP at the concentration of 10(-9) - 10(-6) mol/L for 12 hours followed by determination of the expressions of TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, NO and NOS by ELISA and nitrate reductase and colorimetric methods, and Group 2 at 10(-7) mol/L for 0, 24, 48 and 72 hours followed by detection of the GFAP expression by Western blot., Results: The expressions of SP mRNA, NK-1 R, GFAP, TNF-alpha and iNOS in the posterior horn of the L5 - S2 spinal cord were obviously higher in the rat prostatitis pain models than in the controls, successively higher at 28 than at 14 and 0 d (P < 0.01), and so was the expression of GFAP at 28 than at 14 d in the experiment groups (P < 0.05). SP induced a gradual increase at 10(-7) mol/L in the expression of GFAP in the spinal cord astrocytes at 0 -72 h, significantly different from that of the control group (P < 0.01), and it promoted the excretion of TNF-alpha and IL-1beta and the activity of NO and NOS at 10(-9) - 10(-6) mol/L at 12 h in a concentration-dependent manner, with marked differences between the experiment and control groups (P < 0.01, P < 0.05). But a decreased excretion of IL-1 beta was observed in the 10(-6) mol/L group, though with no significant difference from the control (P > 0.05)., Conclusion: Chronic prostatitis pain could upregulate the expressions of the excitatory transmitter SP and receptor in the L5 - S2 spinal cord, and result in the activation of astrocytes and increased excretion of proinflammatory cytokines, which may be associated with the persistence and generalization of prostatitis pain.

Objective: To explore the changes of substance P in cornu dorsal medullae spinalis effected by activation of astrocytes in rats with pain from chronic prostatitis., Methods: Sixty SD rats were randomized into three groups: the control group (n=20), the chronic prostatitis pain model group (n=20) and the interference group (n=20). The model was induced by injection of complete Freund adjuvant and 3% carrageenan into the prostate. Propentofylline was given with PE-10 in the spinal cord of the rat models. The activation of astrocytes and the distribution of substance P in the spinal cord were detected with immunofluorescence and the changes of substance P observed by radioimmunoassay., Results: The activation of astrocytes was significantly increased in the models compared with controls, but significantly reduced in interfered group in comparison with the pain model group (P < 0.01), and such was the case with substance P (P <0.01)., Conclusion: The activation of astrocytes was one important reason for the changes of substance P excreted from cornu dorsal medullae spinalis in the chronic prostatitis rats.

Objective: To elucidate the details of operative technique of anastomotic posterior urethroplasty for traumatic posterior urethral strictures in attempt to offer a successful result., Methods: We reviewed the clinical data of 106 patients who had undergone anastomotic repair for posterior urethral strictures following traumatic pelvic fracture between 1979 and 2004. Patients'age ranged from 8 to 53 years (mean 27 years). Surgical repair was performed via perinea in 72 patients, modified transperineal repair in 5 and perineoabdominal repair in 29. Follow-up ranged from 1 to 23 years (mean 8 years)., Results: Among the 77 patients treated by perineal approaches, 69 (95.8%) were successfully repaired and 27 out of the 29 patients (93.1%) who were repaired by perineoabdominal protocols were successful. The successful results have sustained as long as 23 years in some cases. Urinary incontinence did not happen in any patients while impotence occurred as a result of the anastomotic surgery., Conclusions: Three important skills or principles will ensure a successful outcome, namely complete excision of scar tissues, a completely normal mucosa ready for anastomosis at both ends of the urethra, and a tension-free anastomosis. When the urethral stricture is below 2.5 cm long, restoration of urethral continuity can be accomplished by a perineal procedure. If the stricture is over 2.5 cm long, a modified perineal or transpubic perineoabdominal procedure should be used. In the presence of a competent bladder neck, anastomotic surgery does not result in urinary incontinence. Impotence is usually related to the original trauma and rarely (5.7%) to urethroplasty.

Polypeptide from Chlamys farreri (PCF) has been identified as a potent antioxidant and photoprotective agent. In this study, we investigated whether PCF could inhibit apoptosis of murine thymocytes induced by ultraviolet B (UVB) and modulate UVB induced the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) cascade in vitro. Our results show that PCF inhibit UVB-induced apoptotic cell death in murine thymocytes. We also found that PCF potently stimulated the phosphorylation of ERKs, which is involved in the cell survival-signaling cascade. Furthermore, the specific inhibition of the ERKs pathways by PD98059 reduced the cytoprotective effect of PCF. On the other hand, the JNKs and p38 inhibitor SP600125 and SB203580 additively enhanced the cytoprotective effect of PCF. We concluded that the activation of JNKs and p38 kinase played an important role in UVB-induced apoptosis, and PCF likely exerted its cytoprotective effect in thymocytes through ERKs activation. These suggested that part of the antiapoptotic effect of PCF might be mediated by its ability to modulate the MAPKs cascade.

Studies of Rho GTPases in Drosophila and Xenopus suggest that Rho family proteins may play an important role in embryogenesis. A reverse genetic approach was employed to explore the role of Rho GTPases in murine cardiac development. Cardiac-specific inhibition of Rho family protein activities was achieved by expressing Rho GDIalpha, a specific GDP dissociation inhibitor for Rho family proteins, using the alpha-myosin heavy chain promoter, active at embryonic day (E)8.0 during morphogenesis of the linear heart tube. RhoA, Rac1 and Cdc42 activities were significantly inhibited, as shown by decreased membrane translocation of these proteins in the transgenic hearts. Transgenic F1 mice for each of two independent lines expressing the highest levels of the transgene, died around E10.5. Homozygotes of the middle copy-number lines, in which Rho GDIalpha expression was increased four-fold over normal levels, were also embryonic lethal. Cardiac morphogenesis in these embryos was disrupted, with incomplete looping, lack of chamber demarcation, hypocellularity and lack of trabeculation. Cell proliferation was inhibited in the transgenic hearts, as shown by immunostaining with anti-phosphohistone H3, a marker of mitosis. In addition, ventricular hypoplasia was associated with up-regulation of p21, an inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinases, and with down-regulation of cyclin A, while cell survival was not affected. These results reveal new biological functions for Rho family proteins as essential determinants of cell proliferation signals at looping and chamber maturation stages in mammalian cardiac development.