Past and present of parasitology in China

Comparison was made of the parasitological institutions, personnel and work betweenthe periods before and after the founding of the People's Republic. There were 3 nationalinstitutions concerned with parasitology before the 50s, i.e. the Institute of TropicalMedicine of Zhejiang Province, the Fan Memorial Institute of Biology and the CentralHealth Station which was the precursor of the National Institute of Health. In contrast,     

Assessment of resin perfusion in hepatic failure in vitro and in vivo

AIM:To observe the adsorbent effect of resin on endotoxin,cytokine,bilirubin in plasma of patients with hepatic failureand to determine the resin perfusion as an artificial liversupport system in the treatment of hepatic failure.METHODS:One thousand milliliters of discarded plasmawas collected from each of 6 severe hepatitis patients treatedwith plasma exchange.The plasma was passed through aresin perfusion equipment for 1-2 h via extracorporealcirculation,and then absorbent indicators of transaminase,bilirubin,blood ammonia,endotoxin and cytokines wereexamined.In the meantime,study of in vivo resin plasmaperfusion was performed on 7 severe hepatitis patients tocompare the changes of endotoxin and cytokines in bloodbefore and after perfusion.RESULTS:The levels of total bilirubin,endotoxin,interleukin1β and TNF-α in plasma were significantly decreased afterin vitro resin plasma perfusion.The levels of interleukin 1β,TNF-α and endotoxin in blood were also evidently declinedafter in vivo resin plasma perfusion.Nevertheless,no obviouschanges in IL-6,creatinine (Cr) and urea nitrogen (UN),bloodammonia and electrolytes were found both in vitroand in vivo.CONCLUSION:Bilirubin,endotoxin and cytokines in plasmaof patients with hepatic failure can be effectively adsorbedby resin in vitro.Most cytokines and endotoxin in plasma canalso be effectively removed by resin in vivo.It demonstratesthat resin perfusion may have good treatment efficacy onhepatic failure and can be expected to slow down theprogression of hepatic failure.     

Inhibitory effect of dimeric β peptide on the recurrence and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma in vitro and in mice

AIM：To block the adhesion of tumor cells to the extracellular matrix, and prevent tumor metastasis and recurrence, the dimer of the β peptide （DLYYLMDLSYSMKG- GDLYYLMDLSYSMK, β2） was designed and synthesized and its anti-adhesion and anti-invasion effects on hepa- tocellular carcinoma cells were assessed. Additionally, its influence on the metastasis and recurrence of mouse hepatocellular carcinoma was measured.
METHODS：The anti-adhesion effect of β2 on the highly metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma cell line HCCLM6 cells and fibronectin （FN） was assayed by the MTT as- say. The inhibition of invasion of HCCLM6 cells by β2 was observed using a Transwell （modified Boyden chamber） and matrigel. Using the hepatocellular carcinoma metas- tasis model and LCI-D20 nude mice, the influence of β2 on the metastasis and recurrence of hepatocellular carci- noma after early resection was investigated.
RESULTS：HCCLM6 cells co-incubated with 100 mmol/L, 50 mmol/L, 20 mmol/L or 10 mmol/L β2 for 3 h showed an obvious decrease in adhesion to FN. The adhesion inhibition ratios were 11.8%, 21.7%, 29.6% and 48.7%, respectively. Additionally, HCCLM6 cells cultured with 100 mmol/L β2 had a dramatic decrease in cell invasion. β2 was also observed to inhibit the incisal edge recur- rence and the distant metastasis of nude mice hepato- cellular carcinoma after early resection （P 〈 0.05）.
CONCLUSION：The β2 peptide can specifically block the adhesion and invasion of HCCLM6 cells, and can inhibit HCC recurrence and metastasis of LCI-D20 model pos-thepatectomy in vivo. Thus, β2 should be further studied as a new anti-tumor drug.     

The Re-emergence and Control of Plague in Yunnan

云南鼠疫流行历史悠久，１９５６年流行被控制后，经调查证实存在家、野两型鼠疫自然疫源地。１９８２年起家鼠鼠疫开始复燃，到１９９６年底，全省已先后从３３个县市检出鼠疫菌，８个县查出鼠疫血凝抗体（ＩＨＡ），９个县市发现鼠疫放免（ＲＩＰ）阳性。其中１９个县市发生人间腺鼠疫病人２２６例，死亡２例。经努力防治，避免了鼠疫的大流行及肺鼠疫的发生，但鼠疫仍以年均增加３个县的速度继续复燃。先后从４种鼠、６种蚤、１种蜱及患者检出鼠疫菌。经调查研究鼠疫的主要宿主是黄胸鼠（Ｒａｔｕｓｆｌａｖｉｐｅｃｔｕｓ），主要传播媒介是印鼠客蚤（Ｘｅｎｏｐｓｙｌａｃｈｅｏｐｉｓ）。鼠疫菌不发酵甘油、发酵麦芽糖，提取出８种分子量质粒，同时还发现有规范化质粒单个缺失菌株。质粒图谱类型和生化特性与分离宿主、媒介和年代无关而有明显的地理分布特征。鼠疫病人中腹股沟淋巴腺肿占６０６２％，３０岁以下年龄组占６２８３％，农民占９２４８％，汉族占７０３５％。传统使用抗菌素及中草药治疗病人有效，但药敏试验以羧苄青霉素、复方新诺明最敏感，链霉素排到第１１位。采取建立鼠疫监测网、早期发现疫情、灭鼠、灭蚤和疫区处理等综合防治措施。目前缺乏有效的免疫菌苗，经济的灭     

Combined effects of Cantide and chemotherapeutic drugs on inhibition of tumor cells＇ growth in vitro and in vivo

AIM: To investigate the combination effect of hTERT antisense oligonucleotide "Cantide" and three chemotherapeutic drugs (cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and adriamycin (ADM)) on inhibiting the proliferation of HepG2, BGC and A549 cell lines in vitro, and to investigate the efficacy of Cantide used in combination with cisplatin (DDP) in vivo. METHODS: Cantide was transfected into these tumor cells by Lipofectin, and cell growth activity was calculated by microcytotoxicity assay. In vivo study, cells of HepG2 were implanted in Balb/c nude mice for 4 d. Then Cantide, DDP and Cantide+DDP were given intra peritonea Ily for 24 d respectively. The body weights of the tumor-bearing animals and their tumor mass were measured later to assess the effect of combination therapy in the nude mice. To evaluate the interaction of Cantide and these chemotherapeutic drugs, SAS software and Jin Zhengjun method were used. RESULTS: Combination treatments with 0.1μmol/L Cantide reduced the IC50 of DDP, 5-FU and ADM from 1.07, 4.15 and 0.29 μg/mL to 0.25,1.52 and 0.12 μg/mL respectively. The inhibition ability of DDP, 5-FU and ADM respectively in combination with Cantide in these tumor cells was higher than that of these drugs alone (P<0.0001). And synergism (Q≥1.15)was observed at the lower concentration of DDP (≤1μg/mL) and ADM (≤0.1 μg/mL) with combination of Cantide. In vivo, combination treatment with Cantide and DDP produced the greater growth inhibition of human liver carcinoma cells HepG2 in nude mice (0.65±0.19 g tumor) compared with that when only one of these drugs was used (Cantide group: 1.05±0.16 g tumor, P= 0.0009<0.001; DDP group: 1.13±0.09 g tumor, P= 0.0001<0.001). CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that Cantide may enhance therapeutic effectiveness of chemotherapeutic drugs over a wide range of tumor cells in vitro, and the combination use of Cantide and DDP can produce much higher inhibition rates, as compared with when either of these drugs was used only in vivo.     

Overproduction of nitrate and S-nitrosothiols in diabetic patients

Objective The present study was designed to investigate changes in serum or plasma concentrations of nitric oxide and its derivatives in diabetic patients.Methods Serum nitrate concentration of 84 diabetic patients was measured by using an enzyme kinetic method,and the plasma S-nitrosothiols concentration of 10 cases was measured by using HPLC technique.Results Serum nitrate concentration and plasma S-nitrosothiols concentration in the diabetics were significantly higher than in control group (P＜0.01 andP＜0.05,respectively).The serum nitrate concentration in diabetics also had a significant positive correlation with the serum glucose concentration (R=0.7256,P＜0.05),but this correlation was not found in control group.Conclusion These data showed that NO and its derivatives are overproduced in the diabetic patients.(J Geriatr Cardiol 2008;5:25-27)     

Achievements and challenges in PCI of elderly patients

The very elderly patient population ( > 80 years) represents a rapidly increasing segment of our demographics, a consequence of the longer life expectancy and aging of the 'baby boom' generation. Coronary artery disease remains a major cause of mortality and morbidity among octogenarians with an estimated 30% of them having symptomatic heart disease and 50% eventually dying from it.     

Effect of AndoSan(™) on expression of adhesion molecules and production of reactive oxygen species in human monocytes and granulocytes in vivo

Abstract Background. Oral intake (60 ml daily) over 12 days in eight healthy volunteers of an immunostimulatory extract based on the medicinal mushroom Agaricus blazei Murill (AbM (AndoSan(?))), reduced the monocyte and granulocyte release of mainly proinflammatory cytokines in vivo, suggesting an anti-inflammatory effect. In this foremost in vivo study, the aim was to examine the effect of such AndoSan(?) consumption on the expression of adhesion molecules CD11b, CD11c and CD62L and production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in leukocytes. Methodology/Principal findings. As shown by flow cytometry, there was a significant increase of CD62L expression on monocytes and granulocytes from before (day 0) compared with 12 days after daily AndoSan(?) consumption. However, only minor alterations and no clear trend in the expression of CD11b and CD11c were detected. Intracellular ROS (mainly superoxide ion) were significantly reduced in these cells from days 0 to 12. Conclusions/Significance. These results support that oral intake of AndoSan(?) exhibits an anti-inflammatory effect in humans in vivo.     

Multimerization and interaction of Toll and Spätzle in Drosophila

The Toll family of receptors is required for innate immune response to pathogen-associated molecules, but the mechanism of signaling is not entirely clear. In Drosophila the prototypic Toll regulates both embryonic development and adult immune response. We demonstrate here that the host protein Sp?tzle can function as a ligand for Toll because Sp?tzle forms a complex with Toll in transgenic fly extracts and stimulates the expression of a Toll-dependent immunity gene, drosomycin, in adult flies. We also show that constitutively active mutants of Toll form multimers that contain intermolecular disulfide linkages. These disulfide linkages are critical for the activity of one of these mutant receptors, indicating that multimerization is essential for the constitutive activity. Furthermore, systematic mutational analysis revealed that a conserved cysteine-containing motif, different from the cysteines used for the intermolecular disulfide linkages, serves as a self-inhibitory module of Toll. Deleting or mutating this cysteine-containing motif leads to constitutive activity. This motif is located just outside the transmembrane domain and may provide a structural hindrance for multimerization and activation of Toll. Together, our results suggest that multimerization may be a regulated, essential step for Toll-receptor activation.     

Implications of TNF-α in the pathogenesis and management of GVHD

Clinical graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) symptoms are the result of a complex set of interactions between cellular and soluble factors. One of the key soluble factors is the proinflammatory cytokine, TNF-α, which participates in the initiating events that culminate in GVHD as well as amplifies the disease process once established. The importance of TNF-α in this process has been supported by a series of clinical experiments demonstrating strong correlation between TNF receptor-1 levels and GVHD. TNF-α has both indirect effects, through activating and proliferation pathways of T cells, the main cellular effector of GVHD, and direct effects leading to apoptosis, on GVHD target tissues. Accordingly, TNF-α has been used as a therapeutic target in experimental GVHD prevention and treatment strategies with promising clinical results. TNF-α can be pharmacologically inhibited using soluble TNF receptors or monoclonal antibodies. The optimal dosing and duration of TNF inhibition to prevent or treat GVHD remains under investigation.     

Mechanisms of Protective Effects of Captopril and Lisinopril in Isolated Rat

实验研究血管紧张素转换酶抑制剂（ＡＣＥＩ）赖诺普利和卡托普利对离体大鼠心脏缺血再灌损伤的保护作用。结扎大鼠冠状动脉左前降枝１５ｍｉｎ，以造成大鼠心脏缺血再灌，赖诺普利（０．１μｍｏｌ／Ｌ）和卡托普利（２００μｍｏｌ／Ｌ）明显减少了缺血再灌所致室颤的发生。两种ＡＣＥＩｓ还抑制缺血１５ｍｉｎ分别再灌１和５ｍｉｎＬａｎｇｅｎｄｏｒｆｆ大鼠心脏去甲肾上腺素（ＮＡ）的释放，同时也降低了缺血再灌大鼠心脏钙离子的浓度。卡托普利（２００μｍｏｌ／Ｌ）不仅降低了缺血１５ｍｉｎ再灌５ｍｉｎ大鼠心脏自由基的浓度，还能清除由光照核黄素所产生的超氧阴离子，抑制率分别为２８．８０％和４１．６４％。而赖诺普利对自由基无任何影响。结果表明赖诺普利和卡托普利均能减少缺血再灌对心肌的损伤作用。这种作用可能是抑制了ＮＡ的释放，和降低钙离子浓度有关。赖诺普利无自由基清除作用可能是因其分子结构中不含巯基，卡托普利含巯基所致。     

Efficacy of esomeprazole and flupentixol and melitracen in treatment of non-erosive gastroesophageal reflux disease with depression and anxiety

Objective To investigate the efficacy of esomeprazole (Esomeprazole) and flupentixol and melitracen (Deanxit) in treatment of non-erosive gastroesophageal reflux disease (NERD) with depression and anxiety. Methods The diagnosis of NERD was based on the results of esomeprazole scale (reflux diagnostic questionnaires, RDQ) and endoscopy, the degree and frequency of symptoms were graded and scored. Hamilton depression scale was used to evaluate depression and anxiety status. Sixty-three patients were randomly divided into group A (esomeprazole 20 mg qd),B (Deanxit 1 tab     

Analysis of the Roles of ��Serious Games�� in Helping Teach Health-Related Knowledge and Skills and in Changing Behavior

Researchers are developing sophisticated games specifically targeted to teach health-related knowledge and skills and to change health-related behaviors. Although these interventions, generally called “serious games,” show promise, there has been limited evaluation of their effectiveness. This article offers a broad “consumer guide” for evaluating such health education interventions. Improving the development and evaluation of healthrelated serious games and educating potential purchasers of such products to be knowledgeable, demanding consumers will help move the field of serious games from “looks promising” to determining where such interventions will be effective and where they will not.For centuries, games have been used to impart knowledge and skills. The potential for using games as teaching tools has increased with the development of computer technologies, which have allowed games to become more complex while making game-based approaches easier to implement. Many games have been developed specifically to teach health-related knowledge and skills and to change health-related behaviors.¹ “Serious games”— those that teach real-word knowledge and skills—have been developed in many health-related areas, including hygiene, public safety, healthy eating, AIDS education, obesity prevention, and diabetes treatment.Although there has been research and development in the area of serious games, there has been limited evaluation of the effectiveness of such games to attain their goals, i.e., causing the players to increase their knowledge or to change their behavior. The article by Dr. Thompson and colleagues in this issue of Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology provides a clear example of both how a theory based game intervention might be developed in an area of health and how such a game might be evaluated. The article describes the theoretical framework, design, and alpha testing of personal computer-based video games that seek to teach preadolescents knowledge and skills and to change behaviors regarding diet and physical activity. The authors'' objective in developing these interventions is to decrease obesity and type 2 diabetes in adolescents using the game via building skills in goal setting and then reviewing their success in meeting their goals, with interactive feedback. The authors note that other game-based interventions have been used to promote youth dietary change, food acceptance, and physical activity. The study included a built-in evaluation component. The developers of these games used focus groups to test basic elements of the game (e.g., characters, story lines), and they reported on the initial testing of key aspects of games, including the setting and review of health-related goals and the usability and comprehensibility of the games. Follow-on work planned by the team will involve quantitative analyses of learning, and eventually of behavioral change.The Thompson study highlights the importance of getting feedback from the target audience early in the design process and provides an example of best practices in game-based interventions by showing the close integration of game development and evaluation. This integrated framework can be used by both game developers and consumers.     

MRI of gastric carcinoma： Results of T and N-staging in an in vitro study

AIM： To determine the accuracy of 1.5-T magnetic resonance imaging （MRI） in the evaluation of gastric wall invasion and perigastric lymph node metastasis in gastric adenocarcinoma.
METHODS： Twenty resected gastric specimens containing 20 tumors were studied with a 1.5-T MR system using a commercial head surface coil. MR scanning was performed with a T1 weighted image （TR/TE = 500/20）, and a T2 weighted image （TR/TE = 2500/90）. MR findings were compared with pathologic findings.
RESULTS： A T1-weighted image demonstrated three layers in the normal gastric wall. All of the gastric tumors were well demonstrated by lesions and location. In a MRI findings of gastric wall invasion, there was 1 case of T1, 7 of T2, 11 of T3. Pathologic results of resected specimens included 3 cases of pT1, 4 of pT2, and 12 of pT3. The accuracy of T staging with MRI was 74% （14 of 19）. MRI findings of lymph node metastasis included 6 cases of NO, 13 cases of N1. The accuracy of the N staging with MRI was 47% （9 of 19）.
CONCLUSION： MRI has a high diagnostic accuracy in the evaluation of the T staging of gastric cancerin vitro and thus potentially enables preoperative histopathologic staging.     

Current status of basic and clinical research studies in the field of gastroenterology in China

ＣｕｒｅｎｔｓｔａｔｕｓｏｆｂａｓｉｃａｎｄｃｌｉｎｉｃａｌｒｅｓｅａｒｃｈｓｔｕｄｉｅｓｉｎｔｈｅｆｉｅｌｄｏｆｇａｓｔｒｏｅｎｔｅｒｏｌｏｇｙｉｎＣｈｉｎａＷＵＸｉｅＮｉｎｇＳｕｂｊｅｃｔｈｅａｄｉｎｇｓＧａｓｔｒｏｅｎｔｅｒｏｌｏｇｙＣｌｉｕ...     

The Value of PAPP-A and MMP-9 in the Diagnosis and Outcome of ACS Patients

Objectives To investigate the value of pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A （ PAPP-A ） and matrix metallo proteinase-9 （MMP-9） in the diagnosis and outcomes evaluation of acute coronary syndrome （ACS） patient. Methods 100 ACS patients were divided into UAP group （ 64 cases ） and AMI group （ 36 cases）, and 50 healthy cases served as control group. The levels of PAPP-A, MMP-9, Hs-CRP, CK-MB and cTnI were obtained. The ACS patients with normal CK-MB and cTnI concentration were followed up. During 6 months, the total rates of major cardiovascular events （MACE） were recorded. Results Compared to control group, the PAPP-A, MMP-9, Hs-CRP, CK-MB, cTnI levels of ACS patients were significantly increased （ P 〈 0.01 ）, but the levels of PAPP-A, MMP-9 did not correlate well with CK-MB and cTnI. The ACS patients with normal CK-MB and cTnI concentration were followed up 6 months, the levels of PAPP-A, MMP-9 were significantly associated with the MACE （ P 〈 0.01 ）. Conclusions The levels of PAPP-A, MMP-9 of ACS patients were not associated with myocardial ischemic necrosis, but could serve as predictor of unstable atherosclerotic plaque, and as valuable index for prognosis monitoring in ACS patients.     

Mechanisms of acupuncture and moxibustion in regulation of epithelial cell apoptosis in rat ulcerative colitis

AIM:To investigate the effect of acupuncture and moxibustionon epithelial cell apoptosis and expression of Bcl-2,Bax,fasand FasL proteins in rat ulcerative colitis.METHODS:A rat model of ulcerative colitis was estabelishedby immunological methods and local stimulation.All ratswere randomly divided into model control group (MC),electro-acupuncture group (EA),herbs-partition moxibustiongroup (HPM).Normal rats were used as normal controlgroup (NC).Epithelial cell apoptosis and expression ofBcl-2,Bax,fas and FasL proteins were detected by TUNELand immunohistochemiscal method respectively.RESULTS:The number of epithelial cell apoptosis in MCwas significantly higher than that in NC,and was markedlydecreased after the treatment with herbs-partitionmoxibustion or electro-acupuncture.The expression of Bcl-2,Bax,fas and FasL in colonic epithelial cells in MC was higherthan that in NC,and was markedly down-regulated by herbs-partition moxibustion or electro-acupuncture treatment.CONCLUSION:The pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis in ratsinvolves abnormality of apoptosis.Acupuncture andmoxibustion can regulate the expression of Bcl-2,Bax,fasand FasL proteins and inhibit the apoptosis of epithelial cellsof ulcerative colitis in rats by Bcl-2/Bax,fas/FasL pathways.     

Volume and echostructure of the thyroid and ioduria in an urban population of adults in the southeastern Polish city of Rzeszów

The aim of this work was to determine the volume and echostructure of the thyroid and to examine urinary iodine excretion in an adult population of residents of Rzeszów, a city located in the Carpathian endemic region for goiter, after the introduction of mandatory iodine prophylaxis in 1997. 984 subjects, aged 19-60, were examined (540 females and 394 males). The mean level of urinary iodine in the examined population was 104.17 microg/l (+/- 85.22). Higher urinary iodine levels were seen in the group of males (p = 0.005) and in those who were taking medication containing iodine (p = 0.002). The mean volume of the thyroid in the examined group was 18.69 (+/- 10.01) ml and was larger in the group of males than females (p < 0.005). Nodular lesions were found in 17% of the examined thyroids and a statistically significant prevalence in the group of females (20.8%) over the group of males (11.4%) was found (p < 0.0005). The occurrence of nodules increased with age and was significantly higher in the 40-60 year age group than in the 19-25 years age group (p = 0.001). In single--and multi--factor analysis, a correlation was found between the occurrence of nodules and the female gender (r-2.04, 3.48; p < 0.005, < 0.0005) and the occurrence of nodules and the volume of the thyroid (r-1.1, 1.11; p < 0.005, < 0.0005). The occurrence of nodules did not correlate with ioduria (r-1, p = 0.8). Iodine prophylaxis was shown to be highly effective, although the examined region does not yet meet the criteria for the elimination of iodine deficiency as formulated by the ICCIDD.     

Can the changes in dietary fat intake reduce the risk of onset and development of atherosclerosis and of ischemic cardiopathy in particular?

In this review we have collected data from epidemiologic studies and clinical trials published from 1968 to 1989 on the relationship between dietary fat and risk of coronary heart disease. Although the reported observational studies of diet and coronary heart disease provide general support for the classic diet-heart hypothesis, evidence of specific dietary lipids is weak. A positive association with saturated fat intake was seen in two prospective studies. A positive association with cholesterol intake was found in only two cohort studies, and an inverse relationship with polyunsaturated fat intake in only one. Clear evidence from dietary trials in the prevention of coronary heart disease has not been found. The analysis of trends in coronary heart disease and stroke mortality of developed countries has shown a discrepancy between fat intakes, cholesterol levels and mortality. The reduction in intake of certain foods "at high risk" such as meat, eggs, milk and cheese, as a preventive intervention, is based on weak scientific evidence. A strategy program has to emphasize the maintenance of ideal body weight by caloric control, an adequate level of physical activity, and the control of other risk factors such as hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and diabetes.