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Unlabelled: BACKGROWND: Macrophage inflammatory protein-1α (MIP-l α/CCL3) belongs to the C-C chemokine family (CCL3), which can be secreted by macrophages, other types of hematopoietic cells and bone marrow stromal cells. Higher levels of MIP-1α were found to be associated with several kinds of hematologic malignancies, including multiple myeloma (MM), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Moreover, MIP-1α has been reported to be an adverse prognostic factor for CLL. However, the impact of MIP-1α on acute myeloid leukemia (AML) has been poorly investigated., Objective: To investigate the influence of MIP-1α on proliferction of AML cells., Methods: Using MLL-AF9 induced AML mouse model, the expression of MIP-1α was measured by real time quantitative RT-PCR. AML cell proliferation was examined by cell counting and colony forming assay (CFC). The influence of blocking the MIP-1α action on the growth and pathogenic ability of AML cells was explored by using the small molecule antagonist for interfering interaction of MIP-1α with its receptor CCR1., Results: The MIP-1α could promote the proliferation and colony formation of AML cells, the blocking MIP-1a could inhibit the growth of AML cells and delay onset of AML., Conclusion: The MIP-1a promotes the occurence and progression of AML, therefore blocking the MIP-1α signal pathway may be served as a strategy to inhibit the growth of AML cells, and MIP-1α can be a potential target for treatment of AML.

In this study, bioleaching was coupled with electrokinetics (BE) to remove heavy metals (Cu, Zn, Cr and Pb) from contaminated soil. For comparison, bioleaching (BL), electrokinetics (EK), and the chemical extraction method were also applied alone to remove the metals. The results showed that the BE method removed more heavy metals from the contaminated soil than the BL method or the EK method alone. The BE method was able to achieve metal solubilization rates of more than 70 % for Cu, Zn and Cr and of more than 40 % for Pb. Within the range of low current densities (<1 mA cm(-2)), higher current density led to more metal removal. However, the metal solubilization rates did not increase with increasing current density when the current density was higher than 1 mA cm(-2). Therefore, it is suggested that bioleaching coupled with electrokinetics can effectively remediate heavy metal-contaminated soils and that preliminary tests should be conducted before field operation to detect the lowest current density for the greatest metal removal.

Hematopoietic stem cells are capable of self-renewal or differentiation when they divide. Three types of cell divisions exist. A dividing stem cell may generate 2 new stem cells (symmetrical renewal division), or 2 differentiating cells (symmetrical differentiation division), or 1 cell of each type (asymmetrical division). This study was aimed to explore an efficient and stable method to distinguish the way of cell division in hematopoietic stem cells. Previous studies showed that the distribution of Numb in a cell could be used to distinguish the type of cell division in various kinds of cells. Therefore, the distribution of Numb protein was detected by immunofluorescence in mitotic CD48(-)CD150(+)LSK cells of mice exploring the relationship between Numb protein and centrosomes. Since CD48 positive marks the HSC that have lost the ability to reconstitute the blood system in mice, CD48 marker could be used to distinguish cell fate decision between self-renewal and differentiation as a living marker. In this study, the CD48(-)CD150(+)LSK cells were sorted from bone marrow cells of mice and the cells were directly labeled with Alexa Fluor (AF) 488-conjugated anti-CD48 antibody in living cultures. After 3 days, the percentage of AF488(+) cells was evaluated under microscope and by FACS. Then colony forming cell assay (CFC) was performed and the ability of cell proliferation were compared between AF488(+) and AF488(-) cells. The results showed that Numb could be used to distinguish different cell division types of hematopoietic stem cells, which was symmetrically or asymmetrically segregated in mitotic CD48(-)CD150(+)LSK cells. The self-labeled fluorochrome could be detected both by FACS as well as microscope. There were about 40% AF488(+) cells after 3 day-cultures in medium titrated with self-labeled AF 488-conjugated anti-CD48 antibody, and the results were consistent between confocal fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry analysis. The colony forming ability of AF488(+) cells was significantly higher than that of AF488(-) cells (P < 0.05). The proliferation ability of AF488(-) cells was also significantly higher than AF488(+) cells (P < 0.05). It is concluded that the expression of CD48 can distinguish cell division of hematopoietic stem cells and can be used as a live marker for the loss of stemness. In comparison with the Numb protein staining, this method can be used in living cells, thus provides greater convenience for subsequent cell culture studies and cell transplantation experiments.

Puma (P53 upregulated modulator of apoptosis) is a BCL-2 homology 3 (BH3)-only BCL-1 family member and a critical mediator of P53-dependent and -independent apoptosis. Puma plays an essential role in the apoptosis of hematopoietic stem cells exposed to irradiation without an increased risk of malignancies. This study was purposed to develop an effective lentiviral vector to target Puma in human hematopoietic cells and to investigate the effect of Puma gene knockdown on the biological function of human cord blood CD34(+) cells. SF-LV-shPuma-EGFP and control vectors were constructed, and packaged with the pSPAX2/pMD2.G packaging plasmids via 293T cells to produce pseudo-type lentiviruses. SF-LV-shPuma-EGFP or control lentiviruses were harvested within 72 hours after transfection and then were used to transduce human cord blood CD34(+) cells. GFP(+) transduced cells were sorted by flow cytometry (FCM) for subsequent studies. Semi-quantitative real time RT PCR, Western blot, FCM with Annexin V-PE/7-AAD double staining, Ki67 staining, colony forming cell assay (CFC), CCK-8 assay and BrdU incorporation were performed to determine the expression of Puma and its effect on the cord blood CD34(+) cells. The results showed that Puma was significantly knocked down in cord blood CD34(+) cells and the low expression of Puma conferred a radio-protective effect on the cord blood CD34(+) cells. This effect was achieved through reduced apoptosis and sustained quiescence after irradiation due to Puma knockdown. It is concluded that knockdown of puma gene in CD34(+) hematopoietic stem cells of human cord blood possesses the radioprotective effect, maintains the cells in silence targeting Puma in human hematopoietic cells may have a similar effect with that on mouse hematopoietic cells as previously shown, and our lentiviral targeting system for Puma provides a valuable tool for future translational studies with human cells.

Larp4b is a member of the LARP family, which can interact with RNA and generally stimulate the translation of mRNA. Abnormal expression of Larp4b can be found in leukemia patients in our previous study. This study was purposed to detect the relative expression of Larp4b mRNA in different subpopulations of mouse hematopoietic cells, to construct lentivirus vector containing shLarp4b targeting mouse gene Larp4b and to explore its effects on mouse Lin(-) cells infected with shLarp4b by lentivirus. SF-LV-shLarP4b-EGFP and control vectors were constructed and two-plasmid lentivirus packing system was used to transfect 293T cells. After 48 h and 72 h, lentivirus SF-LV-shLarp4b-EGFP was harvested and was used to infect Lin(-) cells. After 48 h, EGFP(+) cells was sorted by flow cytometry (FCM). Meanwhile, semi-quantitative real time-PCR, AnnexinV-PE/7-AAD staining, PI staining and colony forming cell assay (CFC) were performed to determine the expression of Larp4b and its effect on the proliferation of hematopoietic progenitor cells. The results showed that Larp4b was highly expressed in myeloid cells. SF-LV-shLarp4b-EGFP was successfully constructed according to the restriction endonuclease digestion assay. RT-PCR confirmed that Larp4b was efficiently knockdown in mouse Lin(-) cells. The low expression of Larp4b did not affect the colony forming number, the apoptosis and cell cycle of Lin(-) cells. It is concluded that knockdown of Larp4b in mouse Lin(-) cells do not contribute to the colony forming ability and the growth of Lin(-) cells in vitro. This useful knockdown system will be used to study in vivo Larp4b in future.

A novel magnetically separable laccase immobilized system was constructed by adsorbing laccase into bimodal carbon-based mesoporous magnetic composites (CMMC). A large adsorption capacity (491.7 mg g(-1)), excellent activity recovery (91.0%) and broader pH and temperature profiles than free laccase have been exhibited by the immobilized laccase. Thermal stability was enhanced to a great extent and operational stability was increased to a certain extent. The shift of kinetic parameters indicated affinity change between enzyme and substrate. Application of the immobilized system in phenol and p-chlorophenol removal was investigated in a batch system. Adsorption effects of the support were responsible for the quick removal rate in the first hour, and up to 78% and 84% of phenol and p-chlorophenol were removed in the end of the reaction, respectively, indicating that the magnetic bimodal mesoporous carbon is a promising carrier for both immobilization of laccase and further application in phenol removal., (Crown Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) are the source of all blood cells, which can differentiate into various hematopoietic hierarchy cells. Physiological level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) plays an important role in regulating functions of HSC as excessive ROS is harmful to HSC. Oxidative reductases and antioxidants can eliminate cellular ROS to maintain ROS homeostasis and thus avoid excessive ROS-caused damages. There are several types of oxidative reductases in cells such as catalase, manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD), glutathione peroxidase 1 (GPX1), thioredoxin reductase 1 (Txrnd1) and Nqo1 [NAD(P)H dehydrogenase quinone 1]. However, the functional roles of various oxidative reductases in regulating ROS level in hematopoietic cells remain unclear. This study was to investigate the expression patterns of these oxidative reductases in mouse hematopoietic cells that were sorted out via flow cytometry and to find out important oxidative reductases involving in HSC ROS regulation. The expression of various oxidative reductases was detected by semi-quantitative real-time PCR. The results showed that the expression level of catalase in T cell population was 0.14 times that in LT-HSC population (P < 0.05). The expression levels of MnSOD in CLP population and myeloid cells were 0.56 and 0.47 times that in LT-HSC population respectively (P < 0.05). The expression levels of GPX1 in ST-HSC, GMP, Myeloid cells, MEP, T lymphocytes and B lymphocytes were 1.79, 2.96, 2.07, 0.58, 0.10, 0.6 times that in LT-HSC population respectively (P < 0.05). The expression levels of Txrnd1 in ST-HSC, MPP, CMP, GMP, Myeloid cells, T lymphocytes and B lymphocytes were 3.36, 3.18, 4.19, 6.39, 4.27, 0.016, 0.56 time that in LT-HSC population, respectively (P < 0.05). The expression levels of Nqo1 in ST-HSC, MPP, CMP, GMP, CLP and B cell were 0.30, 0.17, 0.25, 0.10, 0.04, 0.01 times that in LT-HSC population, respectively (P < 0.05). It is concluded that the expression levels of oxidative reductases (catalase, MnSOD, GPX1, Txrnd1 and Nqo1) in hematopoietic hierarchy cells are cell-type specific. It suggests that reductases may play divergent roles in various hematopoietic cell populations. More importantly, the expression level of Nqo1 in LT-HSC population significantly increased as compared with other cell populations, thereby suggesting its unique regulatory role in HSC.

This research investigated the adsorption of zinc and lead from binary metal solution with tunable selectivity. A nano adsorbent was prepared by introducing imine groups onto the surface of stability enhanced magnetic nanoparticles and then characterized by TEM and FTIR. Binary metal components adsorption was carried out in different concentration of metal and EDTA solution. Due to the interaction between metals and adsorbent in the presence of EDTA, the selective adsorption of zinc and lead could be achieved with 100% selectivity. To only remove zinc from binary metals, the solution condition was [EDTA]/[M(2+)] = 0.7 with pH of 6, and its saturated adsorption capacity was 1.25 mmol/g. For selective adsorption of lead, an equilibrium adsorption capacity of 0.81 mmol/g was obtained under the condition of [EDTA]/[M(2+)] = 0.7 and pH of 2. The exhausted adsorbent could be regenerated by simple acid or alkali wash, and high purity lead and zinc salt solutions were recovered and concentrated.

Aeginetia indica Linn. (Guan-Jen-Huang, GJH), a traditional Chinese herb, has the potential to be an immunomodulatory agent. The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of GJH in the treatment of renal cancer. Concentration-effect curves for the influence of GJH on cellular proliferation showed a biphasic shape. Besides, GJH had a synergistic effect on cytotoxicity when combined with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)which may be due to the alternation of the chemotherapeutic agent resistance-related genes and due to the synergistic effects on apoptosis. In addition, treatment with GJH extract markedly reduced 786-O cell adherence to human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and decreased 786-O cell migration and invasion. In a xenograft animal model, GJH extract had an inhibitory effect on tumor cell-induced metastasis. Moreover, western blot analysis showed that the expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) in 786-O cells was significantly decreased by treatment with GJH extract through inactivation of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB). These results suggest that GJH extract has a synergistic effect on apoptosis induced by chemotherapeutic agents and an inhibitory effect on cell adhesion, migration, and invasion, providing evidence for the use of water-based extracts of GJH as novel alternative therapeutic agents in the treatment of human renal cancer.

Picloram is a widely used chlorinated herbicide, which is quite persistent and mobile in soil and water with adverse health and environmental risks. A simple and efficient method with high sensitivity and good selectivity was developed in this work to analyze picloram. The aldehyde group functionalized quartz glass plate was used to catch picloram by Schiff base reaction, and reacted with the liposomes-labeled antibody. The fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) solution was encapsulated in the liposomes. After being released from the liposomes, the fluorescence of FITC was measured by a fluorimeter. It was found that the fluorescence intensity is linearly correlated to the logarithm of picloram concentration, ranging from 1.0 × 10(-4) to 100 ng mL(-1), with a detection limit of 1.0 × 10(-5) ng mL(-1). Picloram concentration in real wastewater samples were accurately measured by the proposed method and HPLC, the results of the two methods were approximately the same. The proposed method showed high sensitivity and good selectivity, and could be an efficient tool for picloram quantitative analysis., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To evaluate the main performance of BS-200 automatic biochemistry analyzer., Methods: To evaluate the repeatability, linearity, precision and accurate Of the BS-200 automatic biochemistry analyzer by 8 items that contain all wavelength (ALT, GGT, Cl-, Cr, Glu, TP, Alb. APOA1. TBil), and carry on the contrast experiment with Hitachi 7170., Results: The daytime run CV,within-run CV between-run CV and total CV are under 4.0%, the duplication is well, the accuracy is high, the linear scope is wide, and the contrast experiment correlation is good., Conclusion: This instrument each appraisal target is good, and worth in the small or middle-sized hospital promotion application.

Objective: To establish human bronchial epithelial cell lines over expressing oncogene and to investigate its application in detection of carcinogen-induced cell transformation., Methods: Mediated by retrovirus infection, human telomerase catalytic subunit, hTERT was introduced into immortal human bronchial epithelial cells (16HBE) and followed by introduction of the oncogenic allele H-Ras(V12), or c-Myc or empty vector, creating cell lines 16HBETR, 16HBETM and 16HBETV, respectively. Biological characteristics of these cell lines including morphology, proliferation, and chromosomal aberration were examined to access whether they were transformed. Soft agar experiment and nude mice subcutaneous injection were performed using pre-transformed 16HBE cells induced by known carcinogens, nickel sulfate (NiSO4) and 7, 8, -dihydrodiol-9, 10-epoxide benzo[a] pyrene (BPDE)., Results: With detection of telomerase activity and Western blotting, the expression of target proteins was verified. Thus, the transgenic 16HBE cell lines were successfully established. Cells expressing oncogene H-Ras or c-Myc grew 30.3% or 10.4% faster than control cells. However, these cells failed to form colonies in soft agar or form tumor in nude mice. 16HBETR, 16HBETM cells obtained transformed phenotype at 5 wks, 11 wks, respectively after treatment with BPDE, which are 15 wks and 9 wks earlier than control cells 16HBETV (20 wks). Meanwhile, 16HBETR, 16HBETM cells obtained transformed phenotype at 11 wks, 14 wks, respectively after treatment with nickel sulfate, which are 21 wks and 18 wks earlier than control cells (32 wks)., Conclusion: With the advantage of shorter latency, transgenic human cell transformation models could be used in potent carcinogen screening and applied to chemical-carcinogenesis mechanism study.

Objective: To monitor the changes of symptom scores, airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR, represented by PC(35) sGaw), FEV(1)% and PEF% in patients with mild and moderate persistent asthma who received combined therapy of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) and long-acting beta(2) agonists (LABA) and to evaluate the clinical significance of PC(35) sGaw and other parameters in guiding the adjustment of asthma stepwise therapy., Methods: Patients with asthma were allocated randomly to group A (22 subjects), B (22 subjects), and C (21 subjects). The initial regimens for all patients in the first three months included ICS (fluticasone) plus LABA (salmeterol). For patients in group A, a fixed dosage was maintained for 18 months, while those in group B received tailored dosage or withdrawal of therapy according to the clinical control level (well or total control). The regimens for patients in group C included step-down or withdrawal according to PC(35) sGaw besides the clinical control. All subjects were followed-up for 18 months and the symptom scores, PC(35) sGaw, FEV(1)% and PEF% were measured and analyzed. The asthma clinical control levels of the three groups at end point were compared., Results: A total of 65 subjects were enrolled and 46 completed the study. From the first to the third month after treatment, the symptom scores, FEV(1)% and PEF% improved significantly (t = 9.54, 13.17, 14.27, 12.4, 6.72, 6.59, 8.31, 5.22, and 5.96, respectively, all P < 0.01), and then maintained at relatively normal levels in a narrow range without significant progressive improvement during the later phases of the study. Meanwhile AHR declined abruptly in the first three months (t = 9.71, 12.04, and 14.31 in group A, B, C, respectively, all P < 0.01), followed by a slow but continuous improvement from the third to ninth month, and then maintained at a very low level. AHR disappeared in 4 cases but relapsed in 1 case after therapy withdrawal. The asthma clinical control level at the end point of group A, group B and group C were 93.3%, 53.3% and 93.8%, respectively (group A and group C versus group B, P < 0.01, respectively; group A versus group C, P > 0.05). There were fewer patients who underwent step-down therapy or withdrawal in group C compared to group B. However, patients in group C gained better asthma control and experienced less exacerbations compared to those in group B., Conclusions: (1) Combined therapy with ICS plus LABA significantly improves symptoms, lung function and AHR of asthmatic patients. (2) Adjustment of therapy based only on clinical parameters may lead to early step-down or withdrawal and therefore asthma exacerbations. (3) PC(35) sGaw, an index of AHR, may be valuable in assessing asthma severity, evaluating the efficacy of treatment and guiding medication adjustment.

Objective: To analyze the correlations between NO(3)(-)/NO(2)(-), eosinophil counts in induced sputum and airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) and therefore to explore the clinical significance of these parameters in severity assessment and medication adjustment in patients with mild to moderate asthma., Methods: From February 2003 to June 2004, 35 outpatients with mild to moderate persistent asthma (mild: 9, moderate: 26) from Huaxi Hospital asthma clinic were treated with combined medications of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) plus long-acting beta(2) agonist (LABA) for one year. The symptom scores were recorded, and AHR (represented by PC(35)sGaw), eosinophil counts and NO(3)(-)/NO(2)(-) concentrations in induced sputum were measured at regular intervals. Fifteen healthy volunteers served as control and eosinophil counts and NO(3)(-)/NO(2)(-) concentrations in induced sputum were measured., Results: A total of 35 subjects were enrolled, of whom 26 completed one-year or longer follow-up. PC(35)sGaw of 26 subjects before treatment was 0.08 g/L, which became 1.40 g/L at the third months, and then maintained at a very low level (2.64 g/L) after the seventh month. NO(3)(-)/NO(2)(-) decreased from [(734 +/- 72) x 10(-3) g/L] to [(230 +/- 41) x 10(-3) g/L] by the third month (q = 6.26, P < 0.05), and [(137 +/- 27) x 10(-3) g/L] by the seventh month, which showed no significant difference with normal control (136 +/- 20) x 10(-3) g/L, q = 3.77, P > 0.05). Eosinophil counts decreased from (0.016 +/- 0.008) to (0.014 +/- 0.007) by the third month, which was not significantly different from normal control (q = 2.94, P > 0.05). In the first fifth months the concentration of NO(3)(-)/NO(2)(-) in induced sputum exhibited a significant negative correlation with PC(35)sGaw (r(1) = -0.872, r(2) = -0.653, r(3) = -0.639, r(4) = -0.656, all P < 0.05). But eosinophil counts had no correlation with PC(35)sGaw in the first three months (r(1) = 0.237, r(2) = 0.536, r(3) = 0.675, all P > 0.05)., Conclusion: The parameters related to airway inflammation including PC(35)sGaw and sputum NO(3)(-)/NO(2)(-) may be useful in assessing asthma severity, evaluating the efficacy of treatment and adjusting medication regimens.

Objective: To explore the roles of interleukin-5 (IL-5) and eotaxin in signal transmission between lung and bone marrow in rat asthmatic models and to investigate the effects of different interventions on the signal transmission., Methods: Forty Wistar rats were randomly assigned to a control group and an asthma group (20 in each group). The asthmatic model were established by ovalbumin (OVA) sensitizing and challenging. The animals were sacrificed 30 min, 6 h, 12 h, 24 h, and 48 h after challenging, respectively. Slides were prepared from peripheral blood, bone marrow, and lung tissue respectively, and stained with HE. Then the total number and percentage of eosinophils (EOS) were counted. The concentrations of IL-5 and eotaxin in the lung homogenate at the different time points were determined by Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The bone marrow cells of the control rats and sensitized rats were incubated with lung homogenate of the different time points, and treated with dexamethasone (DXM), Galectin-3, anti-IL-5 polyclonal antibody, and montelukast, respectively. The bone marrow cell slides were stained with anti-IL-5 polyclonal antibody, anti-IL-5Ralpha polyclonal antibody, anti-eotaxin polyclonal antibody, anti-CD(34) polyclonal antibody, and anti-CCR(3) polyclonal antibody, respectively. The EOS and immunoactive cells were counted and represented as percentages of the total cells., Result: The percentages of EOS in peripheral blood, bone marrow, and lung tissue from the asthma group were 0.0200 +/- 0.0020, 0.023 +/- 0.003, 0.0250 +/- 0.0090, and those from the control group were 0.0100 +/- 0.0030, 0.009 +/- 0.003, 0.0090 +/- 0.0020 respectively. The differences were significant between the two groups (t = 2.547, 2.718, 2.718, all P < 0.05). The peak levels of IL-5 and eotaxin were (89.3 +/- 2.4) pg/ml at 6 h and (4.9 +/- 0.5) pg/ml at 12 h after allergy challenge, respectively, then the levels returned to the baseline value after 48 h (1.45 +/- 0.23) pg/ml. Except at 30 min, all other lung homogenate samples induced the increase of percentages of IL-5(+), IL-5Ralpha(+), eotaxin(+), CD(34)(+) and CCR(3)(+) immunoactive cells. After treatment with Galectin-3, the percentages of IL-5(+), IL-5Ralpha(+), eotaxin(+), CD(34)(+) and CCR(3)(+) immunoactive cells decreased to 0.021 +/- 0.005, 0.074 +/- 0.007, 0.138 +/- 0.014, 0.067 +/- 0.010, 0.040 +/- 0.005, 0.087 +/- 0.012., Conclusion: Galectin-3, a selective inhibitor of IL-5 mRNA transcription, potentially suppresses eosinophilic inflammation and might be a promising specific anti-asthma agent.

Objective: To elucidate the roles of interleukin-5 (IL-5), Eotaxin, and CCR-3 in eosinophilic inflammation in guinea pig asthma models and investigate the inhibitory effects of Galectin-3., Methods: Thirty-two guinea pigs were randomly assigned to control group, asthma group, Galectin-3 intervention group, and dexamethasone (DXM) intervention group. Asthma models were established by sensitizing-challenging the animals with ovalbumin(OVA). The asthmatic animals were treated with Galectin-3 at 0.5 mg/kg, or DXM at 1 mg/kg, respectively,by peritoneally injection one hour before each aerosol challenge from the 14th day to 16th day after sensitization while the control animals were treated with normal saline. The specimens of peripheral blood, bone marrow, and lung tissue on slides were prepared respectively and stained with HE. Then the total number and percentage of eosinophils (EOS) were counted. The lung tissue slide was stained immunochemically with anti-IL-5 polyclonal antibody, anti-Eotaxin polyclonal antibody, and anti-CCR-3 polyclonal antibody, respectively. The immunoactive cells were counted and represented as percentages in total cells., Results: The amounts of EOS in peripheral blood, bone marrow,and lung tissue as well as percentages of IL-5, Eotaxin,and CCR-3 immunoactive cells in the lung tissue from asthma group were increased significantly, compared to those from control group. DXM significantly decreased the amounts of EOS, percentages of IL-5, Eotaxin, and CCR-3 immunoactive cells (P < 0.05). Galectin-3 had an equivalent suppressive effects on the amounts of EOS and IL-5+ cells with DXM (P > 0.05) and down-regulated CCR-3 expression (P < 0.05) to a less extent when compared to DXM (P < 0.05), but had minimal effect on Eotaxin expression (P > 0.05)., Conclusion: This study provides further evidence for an eosinophil recruitment from bone marrow to circulation blood to lung in asthmatic response, in which overexpression of IL-5, Eotaxin, and CCR-3 could be involved. Galectin-3, a selective inhibitor of IL-5 mRNA transcription, might potentially suppress eosinophilc inflammation and be a compromising specific anti-asthma reagent.

Objective: To study on the inhibitory effects of juice of tomato on the growth of human prostate carcinoma PC-3 cells and its possible mechanism., Methods: PC-3 cells were treated with the juice of tomato in different concentration (40, 80, 120 ul/ml) for 48h; the proliferation of PC-3 cells were measured by MTT assay, the comet assay was used to measure the DNA damage of PC-3 cells., Results: Juice of tomato could inhibit the proliferation of PC-3 cells, the growth inhibitory rate of experimental groups were significantly higher than that of control group, with very statistical significance; and it could induce the breakage of DNA single strand of PC-3 cells and resulted in comet cells with tail, Rate of DNA tail and the tail length of DNA increased with the increasing of concentration of juice of tomato, showing the obvious dose effect relationship., Conclusion: Juice of tomato could lead to DNA damage of PC-3 cells, it was related to that could inhibit the proliferation of PC-3 cells.