半夏厚朴汤及其组成中药抗焦虑和抑郁研究进展

目的：综述半夏厚朴汤及其组成中药抗焦虑和抑郁研究进展。方法：查阅国内外近年来有关文献结合相关的研究成果，从半夏厚朴汤对动物焦虑和抑郁行为、神经生化机制、免疫系统功能、血脂代谢、机体氧化防御系统等层次进行阐述。结果与结论：半夏厚朴汤及其组成中药抗焦虑和抑郁具有一定的科学性。     

Self-assembled nanoparticles of hydrophobically-modified polysaccharide bearing vitamin H as a targeted anti-cancer drug delivery system.

Vitamin H (biotin) was incorporated into a hydrophobically modified polysaccharide, pullulan acetate (PA), in order to improve the cancer-targeting activity and internalization of self-assembled nanoparticles. The biotinylated pullulan acetate (BPA) nanoparticles were prepared by a diafiltration method and the mean diameter was approximately 100 nm. Three samples of biotinylated pullulan acetate (BPA), comprising 7 (BPA 1), 20 (BPA 2), and 39 (BPA 3) vitamin H groups per 100 anhydroglucose units of PA, were synthesized. The critical aggregation concentrations (CAC) of the BPA nanoparticles in distilled water were 3.1 x 10(-3), 4.3 x 10(-3) and 6.8 x 10(-3) mg/ml for BPA 1, BPA 2, and BPA 3, respectively. Adriamycin (ADR) was loaded into the BPA nanoparticles as a model drug. The loading efficiencies and ADR content in the BPA nanoparticles decreased with increasing vitamin H content due to a lower hydrophobicity. The RITC-labeled BPA nanoparticles exhibited very strong adsorption to the HepG2 cells, while the RITC-labeled PA nanoparticles did not show any significant interaction. The degree of the interaction increased with increasing vitamin H content. Confocal laser microscopy also revealed that internalization of the BPA nanoparticles into the cancer cells depended on the vitamin H content.     

Interleukin-6 activates phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase, which inhibits apoptosis in human prostate cancer cell lines

BACKGROUND: A number of recent studies have identified interleukin (IL)-6 as an important regulator of prostate cancer growth. Here, we investigate the potential interaction of IL-6 with phosphatidylinositol (PI)-3 kinase, a key growth regulatory enzyme, in prostate cancer cell lines. METHODS: Tyrosine phosphorylation of p85, the regulatory subunit of PI-3 kinase, in the human prostate cancer cell lines LNCaP and PC-3 was assessed by sequential immunoprecipitation with anti-p85 antibody and immunoblotting with anti-phosphotyrosine. The effects of wortmannin, an inhibitor of PI-3 kinase, and/or IL-6 on cell growth were assessed by MTT assays. DNA laddering experiments were performed to assay for programmed cell death. RESULTS: Tyrosine phosphorylation of p85 is upregulated by IL-6 in both LNCaP and PC-3. IL-6 promotes coprecipitation of p85 with gp130, the signal-transducing component of the IL-6 receptor. Inhibition of PI-3 kinase with wortmannin induces programmed cell death in PC-3 cells. In contrast, wortmannin has no effect on LNCaP growth when used alone; however, combined with IL-6, wortmannin promotes apoptosis in these cells. CONCLUSIONS: PI-3 kinase is involved in IL-6 signal transduction and delivers an antiapoptotic signal in human prostate cancer cell lines.     

Effect of duration of treatment on treatment outcome for patients with clear-cell sarcoma of the kidney: a report from the National Wilms' Tumor Study Group.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of conventional and standard (ST) versus pulse-intensive (PI) chemotherapy and short-duration versus long-duration chemotherapy on relapse-free survival (RFS) and overall survival rates of patients with clear-cell sarcoma of the kidney (CCSK) entered onto the National Wilms' Tumor Study (NWTS)-4. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The 5-year and 8-year RFS rates were determined for patients with CCSK treated on the NWTS-4. After August 6, 1986, 40 previously untreated children younger than 16 years with CCSK were randomly assigned, after the completion of 6 months of chemotherapy, to discontinue (short) or continue 9 additional months (long) of treatment with chemotherapy regimens that included vincristine and either divided-dose (ST) courses (5 days) or single-dose (PI) treatment with dactinomycin and divided-dose (ST) courses (3 days) or single-dose (PI) treatment with doxorubicin. RESULTS: For patients with CCSK, the 5- and 8-year RFS rates were 65.2% and 60.6%, respectively, for patients randomly assigned to the short chemotherapy and 87.8% (both 5- and 8-year RFS) for patients randomly assigned to the long chemotherapy (P =.08). The overall survival rates for patients at 5 and 8 years were 95.5% and 85.9%, respectively, for the short chemotherapy and 87.5% (both 5- and 8-year overall survival) for the long chemotherapy (P =.99). In NWTS-4, the overall survival rates for patients with CCSK improved from NWTS-3 (83% v 66.9% at 8 years, respectively; P <.01). CONCLUSION: CCSK patients exhibit an improved RFS from a longer course of therapy when using vincristine, doxorubicin, and dactinomycin, but their long-term survival is unchanged compared with patients receiving 6 months of therapy. The overall survival rates for patients with CCSK have improved from NWTS-3.     

Prognostic significance of c-kit mutation in localized gastrointestinal stromal tumors.

PURPOSE: Constitutive mutational activation of c-kit has been found to be associated with the pathogenesis of gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs). The prognostic significance of c-kit mutations, however, is still controversial. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: We examined 86 patients curatively resected for localized GIST. Genomic DNA was extracted from paraffin-embedded tumor tissues. Exons 9, 11, 13, and 17 of the c-kit gene were amplified by PCR and sequenced. RESULTS: Mutations in exon 11 were detected in 61 tumors, and mutations in exon 9 were observed in three tumors, whereas no mutations were detected in exons 13 or 17. The overall c-kit mutation frequency was 74%. Amino acid alterations in the 61 tumors with exon 11 mutations were deletion in 33 tumors, substitution in 20, both deletion and substitution in 4, insertion in 1, and duplication in 3. Histologically, tumors with c-kit mutations showed higher mitotic counts and higher cellularity. The 5-year relapse-free survival (RFS) in patients having GISTs with c-kit mutations was 21%, compared with 60% in those without c-kit mutations. Significantly higher RFS rates were observed in patients with tumors having mitotic counts < 5 mitoses/50 high power field, spindle-cell histology, tumor size < 5 cm, or gastric GISTs. Multivariate analyses indicated association of poorer RFS with a higher mitotic count > or = 5 of 50 high power fields; odds ratio (OR) = 3.0], presence of c-kit mutations (OR = 5.6), and a larger tumor size (> or = 5 cm; OR = 4.2). CONCLUSIONS: The presence of c-kit mutation, along with high mitotic count and larger tumor size, was an independent factor for poor prognosis in patients with localized GISTs.     

Epithelioid trophoblastic tumor of the uterus in a postmenopausal woman: a case report and review of the literature

We report an epithelioid trophoblastic tumor (ETT), a recently delineated type of gestational trophoblastic tumor (GTT), discovered in the uterus of a 66-year-old woman. She had been treated for a hydatidiform mole 17 years previously without chemotherapy. The resected uterus contained a solid/cystic tumor located entirely within the myometrium. Microscopically, there was an epithelial-like growth pattern. The tumor was circumscribed, with a pushing border, and the tumor cells grew in cords, nests, and sheets within which were aggregates of hyaline material and necrotic debris. Most tumor cells were mononuclear and had an epithelioid appearance with distinct cell borders, eosinophilic cytoplasm, and nuclei with occasional indistinct nucleoli. Scattered multinucleated cells consistent with syncytiotrophoblastic cells were also present. Immunohistochemical staining revealed strong diffuse reactivity for cytokeratins (CK7, AE1/AE3, CAM 5.2, CK18) and epidermal growth factor receptor, and focal reactivity, mainly in syncytiotrophoblastic cells, for beta-human chorionic gonadotropin, human placental lactogen, and inhibin-alpha. The histologic and immunohistochemical features were characteristic of ETT, and helped to distinguish the tumor from other trophoblastic tumors and squamous cell carcinoma. An unusual observation was a high mitotic count, reflected in a Ki-67 proliferative index of 68.6%. Our findings indicate that ETT, like other types of GTT, can occur in postmenopausal women, even years after a gestational event.     

外周原始神经外胚层肿瘤形态学免疫表型及临床预后研究

目的：探讨外周原始神经外胚层肿瘤(PNET)的临床表现，病理及免疫组织化学特点及预后。方法：对15例外周原始神经外胚层肿瘤进行临床资料及预后，病理组织形态学和超微结构特点及免疫组化表型研究。结果：患者以男性为主，男女之比约为6．5：1，年龄6～35岁，年龄中位数为16，发生部位较多，可发生在直肠，腹膜后，腹股沟，淋巴结，胸壁，睾丸，鼻腔及骨组织等；免疫组化：肿瘤均弥漫表达CD99，并不同程度地表达NSE，SYN，CgA等，但不表达CK，Desmin，LCA等，其中1例表达组织化学染色PAS，随访最长时间为24月。结论：PNET是一种发生在年轻男性，进展迅速，预后非常差的恶性小圆细胞肿瘤，认识其临床病理特点及免疫组化表型对于该恶性肿瘤的诊断及临床治疗意义重大。