Search

This study was aimed to investigate the effects of Wenyangbushen formula on the mRNA and protein expression of VEGF, OPG, RANK, and RANKL in the steroidinduced avascular necrosis of the rabbit femoral head (SANFH) and to further explore the potential mechanism of this formula on the treatment of SANFH. One hundred and thirty six New Zealand rabbits were randomly divided into 5 groups (n=24 rabbits in each group): normal group, model group, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Wenyangbushen decoction at low, moderate and high dose group. The normal group and positive control group were intragastrically (i.g.) administered with saline. The TCM group was treated with Wenyangbushen decoction at the indicated dosage. After treated for eight weeks, the mRNA and protein expression of VEGF, OPG, RANK, and RANKL in the femoral head tissues was determined by RT-PCR and Western blotting, respectively. Wenyangbushen decoction treatment can effectively promote bone cells, osteoblasts and chondrocytes growth, as well as prevent the cell apoptosis in SANFH. The mRNA and protein expression of OPG and VEGF was increased while the levels of RANK and RANKL were reduced in the necrotic tissue of model group compared with those in the normal rabbits. And Wenyangbushen treatment prevented those changes, as manifested by up-regulation of VEGF and OPG, while down-regulation of RANK and RANKL levels in a dose-dependent manner. Wenyangbushen Formula treatment can alleviate necrosis of femoral head induced by steroid. It can promote bone cells, osteoblasts and chondrocytes growth, as well as prevent the cell apoptosis. Meanwhile, it up-regulates OPG and VEGF while inhibits RANK and RANKL expression. This may be one of the mechanisms for the effective treatment of SANFH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pomacea canaliculata is an important invasive species worldwide. However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms behind species displacement, adaptational abilities, and pesticide resistance, partly because of the lack of genomic information that is available for this species. Here, the transcriptome sequences for the invasive golden apple snail P. canaliculata and the native mudsnail Cipangopaludina cahayensis were obtained by next-generation-sequencing and used to compare genomic divergence and identify molecular markers. Results: More than 46 million high quality sequencing reads were generated from P. canaliculata and C. cahayensis using Illumina paired-end sequencing technology. Our analysis indicated that 11,312 unigenes from P. canaliculata and C. cahayensis showed significant similarities to known proteins families, among which a total of 4,320 specific protein families were identified. KEGG pathway enrichment was analyzed for the unique unigenes with 17 pathways (p-value < 10-5) in P. canaliculata relating predominantly to lysosomes and vitamin digestion and absorption, and with 12 identified in C. cahayensis, including cancer and toxoplasmosis pathways, respectively. Our analysis also indicated that the comparatively high number of P450 genes in the P. canaliculata transcriptome may be associated with the pesticide resistance in this species. Additionally, 16,717 simple sequence repeats derived from expressed sequence tags (EST-SSRs) were identified from the 14,722 unigenes in P. canaliculata and 100 of them were examined by PCR, revealing a species-specific molecular marker that could distinguish between the morphologically similar P. canaliculata and C. cahayensis snails. Conclusions: Here, we present the genomic resources of P. canaliculata and C. cahayensis. Differentially expressed genes in the transcriptome of P. canaliculata compared with C. cahayensis corresponded to critical metabolic pathways, and genes specifically related to environmental stress response were detected. The CYP4 family of P450 cytochromes that may be important factors in pesticide metabolism in P. canaliculata was identified. Overall, these findings will provide valuable genetic data for the further characterization of the molecular mechanisms that support the invasive and adaptive abilities of P. canaliculata. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a case study of a 9-year-old boy who is diagnosed with hemiconvulsion-hemiplegia-epilepsy syndrome. It states that the boy suffered from convulsions at 1 month old, epileptic seizure at 4 years of age and left hemiparesis. It says that Wada test results and clinical manifestations confirmed affected cerebral hemisphere impaired function. It also adds that the patient is treated by hemispherectomy.

The article discusses cases of hyperinsulinism/hyperammonemia (HI/HA) syndrome in two Chinese patients with heterozygous mutations in GLUD1 gene. According to the article, H1/HA syndrome is caused by excessive activity of glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) encoded by GLUD1 gene. A study of the cases identified two heterozygous mutations. It concludes that heterozygous mutations in GLUD1 gene can cause HI/HA syndrome and is sensitive to the leucine.

Unlabelled: Fat hypertrophy, intravascular coagulation, and fat emboli are important risk factors of steroid-induced ischemic bone necrosis (SI-IBN) which may develop during the initial one year after commencing the use of steroids. This pathology is best studied by MRI, particularly for its staging. The cautious strategies such as low dose, oral route, short duration of steroid usage, use of steroid sparing agent, and alcohol avoidance should be followed as a traditional therapy. The objective of this review article was to recognize and evaluate various Treatment strategies for steroid-induced ischemic bone necrosis of femoral head., Literature Search: Various electronic databases including PubMed, Google and Cochrane library were comprehensively searched for articles on steroid-induced ischemic bone necrosis of femoral head and its treatment strategies. Ninety four articles were reviewed, examined and importantly appraised and the most appropriate 32 papers were used to write this review article., Conclusion: Bisphosphonates, alendronate, and hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) treatments have been reported to be effective against IBN. To recommend the regular use of bisphosphonate in IBN patients, more evidences with a larger number of patients are required to verify its therapeutic effectiveness. Core decompression, osteotomy, bone graft and tantalum rod are the surgical approaches for the management of IBN. Advance form of IBN (bone tissue collapse) is advised to be treated with arthroplasty which should be durable, particularly in young patients.