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Abstract: The present study investigated the protective effects of ginsenoside Rb1 (GRb1) against genotoxicity induced by cyclophosphamide (CP). Single cell gel electrophoresis, flow cytometry assay with annexin V-FITC/propidine iodide (PI) and acridine orange (AO)/ethidium bromide (EB) staining assay were employed to measure DNA damage and cell apoptosis, respectively. The activities of total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and the malondialdehyde (MDA) content were also investigated by a number of colormetric methods. The results showed that the CP produced significant DNA damage and cell apoptosis in mouse bone marrow cells or peripheral blood leukocytes, markedly inhibited the activities of T-SOD and GPx, and markedly increased the MDA content. GRb1 significantly inhibited DNA damages and cell apoptosis in mouse bone marrow cells or peripheral blood leukocytes induced by CP and antagonized the reduction of CP-induced T-SOD and GPx activities, and inhibited the increase in MDA content induced by CP. The anti-tumor study of GRb1 showed that GRb1 did not affect the anti-tumor activities of CP. In conclusion, GRb1 had significant protective effects against DNA damage and apoptosis induced by CP. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

PURPOSE: To evaluate the clinical effect of edgewise appliance in the fixation of dislocated permanent anterior teeth caused by trauma. METHODS: 69 traumatically avulsed teeth without fracture in 37 patients were treated by fixing the teeth with Edgewise appliance. There were three kinds of dislocated permanent anterior teeth: half dislocated teeth, complete dislocated teeth and embedding avulsed teeth. The half dislocated teeth were gently reset instead of violence and fixed for 2-4 weeks or so. The complete dislocated teeth were replanted after the traumatic teeth and alveolus dens were appropriately treated and fixed for 4-6 weeks or so, the last kind of teeth with definitive dental root could be gently drew, reset and fixed with Edgewise appliance in which traction curve was added to. The embedding or traumatic avulsed teeth were appropriately fixed for 6-8 weeks. RESULTS: Patients were followed up for 3 years. Among the 69 traumatic teeth treated with Edgewise appliance, the treatment result was excellent in 32 teeth, fair in 35 teeth, failed in 2 teeth. The overall effective rate was 97.10%. CONCLUSIONS: Edgewise appliance is safe, effective, and feasible for patients with traumatically dislocated permanent anterior teeth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

d-Pantolactone is a key chiral intermediate for the synthesis of d-pantothenic acid and its derivatives. Biocatalytic kinetic resolution of d,l-pantoyl lactone using d-lactonase is an efficient route to synthesize d-pantolactone. In this study, we report the expression of a novel d-lactonase TSDL in Escherichia coli host. The recombinant TSDL exhibited high hydrolysis activity and enantioselectivity toward d-pantolactone. The reaction conditions of the recombinant TSDL-catalyzed kinetic resolution of d,l-pantolactone was systematically investigated by whole cell biocatalysis. In addition, a preparative-scale reaction for bioproduction of d-pantoic acid was examined under optimized reaction conditions. This study presented an alternative enzymatic process for kinetic resolution of d,l-pantolactone., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Background: That nimodipine (NMD) is potentially useful for ophthalmic treatment. However, the effect of NMD is unknown on retinal degenerative diseases., Objective: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of NMD on N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU)-induced retinal degeneration (RD) and elucidate its possible mechanisms., Materials and Methods: Morphological observation of NMD on MNU-induced RD was evaluated by light microscopy and electron microscopy. Nonenzymatic antioxidant glutathione (GSH) was measured by a colorimetric method. Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Telomerase was detected by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)., Results: The significantly protective effect of NMD on MNU-induced RD was demonstrated morphologically. NMD increased the content of GSH and decreased the level of TGF-β in rat retina. RT-PCR analysis demonstrated that NMD treatment significantly decreased mRNA level of telomerase., Conclusion: These data suggest that NMD inhibit MNU-induced RD in rats. The expressions of TGF-β, telomerase and GSH contents might partially contribute to its protective effects on MNU-induced RD.

Objective: To study the effect of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) on the proliferation of endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) isolated from human umbilical cord blood; to further explore its effect on prevention and development of atherogenesis., Methods: EPC isolated by density gradient centrifugation were cultured in a M200 medium. Immunofluorescence staining for CD133, CD34, KDR and Factor VIII were adopted respectively as the specific markers for identification. The effect of HDL on EPC proliferation was estimated on the 7th day of cell cultivation using MTT assay, confocal microscopy and fluorescence activated cell sorting., Results: HDL, when incubated with EPC, was able to promote remarkably the proliferation rate of EPC, dose- and time-dependent. HDL participated in the transcriptional regulation of cell cycle by affecting the regulatory proteins such as cyclin D1., Conclusions: A subtype of progenitor cells was isolated from human cord blood with a potential of differentiating into mature endothelial cells (known as endothelial progenitor cells). HDL plays an important role on EPC fluorescence activated cell sorting differentiation and proliferation. Further studies are required to identify the signal pathway and the molecular mechanism of HDL effect on EPC proliferation.