Objective To evaluate the expression of HSP47 in renal tissues of unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) rat model and to determine its role in renal interstitial fibrosis.MethodsSprague-Dawley male rats were randomly divided into Sham and UUO groups (each group：n=8). A UUO model was established by ligation of the left ureter. Rats were killed on the Day 14 after the surgery. In both groups，the proteinuria and serum creatinine levels were examined. Renal morphological changes were observed by Masson’s trichrome stain. Expression of HP47 and CollagenⅣ were detected by immunohistochemistry.ResultsCompared with the Sham group, the serum creatinine levels increased in the UUO group, but there was no significant difference in proteinuria levels between 2 groups. In the UUO group, various degree of tubular dilatation or atrophy, infiltration of inflammatory cells in interstitial areas，expansion of interstitial space and bubble-like degeneration of tubular epithelial cells were observed. The results of Masson’s trichrome stain showed that collagen expression was significantly increased around the renal tubule and in interstitial areas in the UUO rats. Immunohistochemistry assay revealed that the expression of HSP47 and Collagen Ⅳ significantly increased in the renal tissue of UUO rats, especially around the renal tubule and in interstitial areas.Conclusion The HSP47 expression increases in the kidney of UUO rats accompanied by the increased collagen expression, suggesting that HSP47 may be involved in renal interstitial fibrosis through promoting the biosynthesis of collagen.

Objective To explore the effect of high glucose and different concentrations of insulin on the proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and the underlying mechanisms.MethodsThe primary cultures of VSMCs were derived from the thoracic aortae of Wistar rat. The proliferation of VSMCs was induced by high glucose and different concentrations of insulin. The VSMCs were divided into a control, a high glucose, high glucose plus different concentrations of insulin groups. The proliferation of VSMCs was examined by  3- (4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)- 2,5- diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) protein in VSMCs was determined by immunocytochemistry techniques. The expression of PCNA mRNA and the content of nitric oxide (NO) was measured by RT-PCR and commercial available kit, respectively.  ResultsHigh glucose could induce the proliferation of VSMCs, an effect which was enhanced by the insulin in a dose-dependent manner. The maximum effect of insulin was on the 5th day at the concentration of 300 mU/L. High glucose treatment increased the content of PCNA protein accompanied by the increased mRNA expression, which was enhanced by combination with insulin (300 mU/L). High glucose treatment significantly reduced the content of NO, an effect which was enhanced by combination with insulin (300 mU/L). Conclusion Insulin is able to induce the proliferation of VSMCs in a dose-dependent manner, which is related to increasing the PCNA expression and reducing the NO production, and insulin and high glucose show a synergistic reaction.

Objective To investigate the incidence and risk  factors of emergence agitation during recovery from general anaesthesia in patients after surgery. MethodsA total of 1600 patients who underwent surgery with general anaesthesia were enrolled for this study. Patients were interviewed in the post-anaesthesia care unit (PACU) to determine the occurrence of agitation according to the Riker sedation-agitated scale. ResultsOf all the patients,114 (4.7%) patients developed agitation in the PACU. Among them, 15 (13.2%) were diabetes, 86(75.4%) were urethral catheterization after anesthesia induction,19 （16.7%） underwent breast surgery, 35 (30.7%) underwent abdominal surgery, 5（21.9%） underwent urological surgery，and 54（47.4%） received sevoflurane anesthesia and long duration of surgery increased the risk of agitation. Logistic regression analysis showed that emergence agitation was positively correlated with diabetes, urethral catheterization after anesthesia induction, the breast, abdominal,  and urological surgery, the duration of surgery and sevoflurane maintenance.age,sex, body weight, ASA physical status and history of hypertension and pre-surgery did not affect the incidence of emergence agitation.Conclusion Diabetes, urethral catheterization after anesthesia induction,breast, abdominal, and urological surgery, duration of surgery, and sevoflurane maintenance are risk factors for emergence agitation. 

Objective To investigate the endoscopic features of primary gastric malignant lymphoma(PLML) and its clinical diagnosis and therapy.MethodsThe clinical data and endoscopic phenotype in 14 cases of PLML from 1995 to 2009 were retrospectively analyzed.ResultsIn the 14 cases, 5 were male and 9 were female. The median age was 54. Classification by type, 2 were mass, 7 were ulcer, 2 were infiltration, and 3 were nodule. Among them, one patient was Hodgkin’s disease and 13 were non- Hodgkin’s disease (12 cases were B cell source and 1 was T cell source). Ten patients were conducted the surgery. The 2-year survival rate was 54.5%, and the 5-year survival rate was 27.3%. Two patients with mucosa associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma were treated by anti Helicobacter pylori (HP) and chemical therapy.Conclusion Primary gastric malignant lymphoma is difficult to diagnose. Its diagnosis can be  improved by the combination of gastroscope and pathology. The therapeutic effect needs to be monitored by the follow-up observation.  

Objective To analyze the multiple factors that affect the duration of mechanical duration of ventilation in the infants with tetralogy of Fallot and to seize the opportunity for extubation and to improve surgical effect. MethodsA total of 130 infants with tetralogy of Fallot treated by the operation in 2009 from January to December were retrospectively studied to seek the factors affecting the duration of ventilation. The factors including the gender, age, body weight, incorporative malformation, McGoon index, size of ventricular septal defect (VSD), percentage of aortic overriding, cardiopulmonary bypass time, cross cramp aortic time, and left ventricular end-diastolic volume index were analyzed by the stepwise logistic regression. ResultsThe duration of mechanical ventilation was 5-192（47.59±9.42）hours. The stepwise logistic regression analysis indicated that McGoon index and cardiopulmonary bypass time were significantly correlated to the duration of mechanical ventilation. Conclusion It increases the duration of mechanical ventilation when McGoon index <1.5 and cardiopulmonary bypass time > 100 min.

Objective To explore the risk factors for hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) in asphyxiated newborn infants. MethodsA retrospective study was carried out in 98 asphyxiated newborn infants (gestational age 37≥ weeks) from January 2008 to the end of June 2009 in our hospital. Among them, 32 newborn infants were complicated with HIE. The clinical data of the HIE group (n=32) were compared with those of the HIE negative group (n=66).ResultsThe inappropriate antenatal care, prolapsed cord and abruptio placenta were more common in the HIE group (P＜0.05). The incidence of HIE was higher in male and post-term gestation. The 1- and 5-minute Apgar scores were significantly lower in the HIE group than those in the HIE negative group (P＜0.05). A 5-minute Apgar score of 3 or less in infants had a high risk of neonatal death in HIE infants and asphyxiated infants (P＜0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed gender, gestational age, placental abruption, prenatal examination, 1-minute Apgar score were the risk factors of HIE in asphyxiated newborn infants （χ2=58.456，P=0.000）. Conclusion Asphyxiated newborn infants with the above-mentioned risk factors should be given with appropriate intervention and good neonatal resuscitation, thereby may prevent the perinatal asphyxia and minimize the occurrence of HIE.

Objective To observe the effect of octreotide on severe acute pancreatitis and on the level of D-dimer.MethodsEighty patients with severe acute pancreatitis were randomly divided into a control group (n=40) and an octreotid treatment group (n=40).The clinical efficacy was evaluated and the level of D-dimer was determined. ResultsCompared with the control group, the clinical efficacy was significantly improved accompanied with the decreased levels of D-dimer in the octreotid treatment group (P＜0.05).Conclusion It is safe and effective to treat severe acute pancreatitis with octreotid, and the mechanism is related to the decrease in D-dimer levels.

MicroRNA is a class of short non-coding RNA that has important role in gene regulation. Recent studies have demonstrated that microRNA closely relates to insulin production, secretion, action, and pancreatic islet development, which is crucial for the pathogenesis of diabetes. It has been suggested that microRNA may have potential diagnostic and therapeutic applications in diabetes.

Pirfenidone is a novel drug of anti-fibrosis with broad-spectrum. Currently, pirfenidone is in the Phase Ⅱ clinical trial stage for liver fibrosis treatment. It has been shown that pirfenidone exerted the effect of anti-fibrosis through multiple mechanisms including inhibiting lipid peroxidation, inflammation, hepatic stellate cell activation and proliferation, and regulating the  extracellular matrix synthesis and degradation. This article summarized the progress of pirfenidone in treating liver fibrosis and the potential mechanisms.

As a key protein kinase in cell, glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) is widely involved in the life processes such as development, aging, tumor formation, apoptosis and so on. Phosphory-lation of the sites in GSK-3β-Ser9 and GSK-3α-Ser21 is the major mechanism to regulate the GSK-3 activity. It has been shown that GSK-3 participates in the over phosphorylation of tau, abnormal aggregation of Aβ and the apoptosis of neuron, which is closely related to the pathogenesis of Alzheimermer’s disease. Therefore, the research on the regulation of GSK-3 activity attracts great attention due to its key role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases.

Many chemical carcinogens require metabolic activation to form ultimate carcinogens, which can bind with DNA and other biological macromolecules and then exert a carcinogenic effect. The development of cancer is a complicate process that multiple genes and multiple stages are involved. Ultimate carcinogens can cause DNA damage and initiate gene mutation at all stages of the formation of can-cer. In addition to cytochrome P450 and prostaglandin synthase, the most common metabolic pathways, lipoxygenase also involves in activation of carcinogen.

Tight junction is the structural and functional basis of blood brain barrier. It is a complicated cyto-system with auto-regulatory function. Recent research has found that ischemia reperfusion has an impact on the structure and distribution of tight junction via different pathways. Clarification of the molecular structure, the alteration of tight junction during cerebral trauma and the underlying regulatory mechanism of blood brain barrier permeability may provide a novel idea for the treatment and prevention of cerebral trauma.

Metadherin (MTDH) was reported as a novel oncogene in recent years. Overexpression of MTDH is frequently observed in a variety of tumors (such as breast, prostate, esophageal and liver cancer neuroblastoma and malignant melanoma) and can enhance the effects of colonization of breast cancer cells in the lungs. MTDH is able to enhance invasiveness of tumor cells and increase the expression of adhesion molecules via NF-κB pathway. MTDH is a  downstream target gene of the oncogene Ha-ras, which induces the expression of MTDH through the PI3K/AKT/GSK3β/c-Myc signaling pathway. MTDH plays an important role in the occurrence and development of tumors, and is expected to become the site of tumor target for therapy

The metastasis of maligant tumors is a key factor leading to the death of patients. Signal-induced proliferation-associated gene 1 (Sipa1) is a candidate for the metastasis efficiency modifier locus Mtes1. It regulates the tumor metastasis through regulating cell proliferation including the inhibition of cell cycle progress, cell adhesion, and the maintenance of cell shape. This article reviewed the structure, the main functions, and the role of Sipal in the invasiveness and metastasis of tumors.

Delta drosophila homolog-like 1 (DLK1) is a member of the epidermal growth factor family. As an important factor in regulation of  cell differentiation, DLK1 has a wide rang of biological functions. Recently, many studies have shown that the expression of DLK1 is up-regulated in many tumor tissues, which may be involved in the occurrence and development of neoplasms through a variety of mechanisms.

Tumor is a common disease that damages the health and life of human beings. The pathogenesis of tumor is still not fully understood. Both Wnt and Notch signaling pathways play an important role in regulating the growth and development of organisms and have been proved to be involved in neoplasms. There exist direct or indirect cross-talks between these 2 pathways. In the genesis and development of tumors, the interaction between Wnt and Notch shows either synergetic or antagonistic effect depending on the type of tissues. Clarification of the cross-talks between Wnt and Notch signaling pathways and its role in tumorgenesis is of great significance in both basic and clinical neoplasm studies. This article reviewed the essential components of Wnt and Notch signaling pathways, the cross-talks between these two pathways and the correlation with the development of the tumors including lung cancer, skin cancer, breast cancer, leukemia, and melanoma.

Voltage-gated chloride channels play an important role in the cell membrane potential, cell volume regulation, organelle acidification, and cell proliferation and apoptosis in different cell types. They are composed of 2 identical pores which form a homodimeric membrane protein and appear a typical double-barrel structure. In recent years, it has been reported that voltage-gated chloride channels are closely related to the proliferation, invasion, apoptosis, and multidrug resistance of tumor cells. Therefore, voltage-gated channels might be a potential anticancer target.

Heart failure is a major reason for the death of the cardiovascular complication in patients with diabetes. Diabetes have been thought as an independent risk factor for heart failure. Nowadays, exploration of the mechanism of diabetes-induced heart failure has become a hot spot in basic research because it is of great significance for the prevention and therapy of the disease. In this article, we reviewed the progress in the studies on the pathogenesis and therapy for diabetes-induced heart failure.

The transient receptor potential (TRP) of ion channels belongs to  the  selective cation  channels superfamily located at cell membranes. TRP channels are widely distributed  and activated by multiple stimuli. Meanwhile, as the sensor to the changes in cellular local environments, TRP channels have multiple  functions, including thermal, mechanical and taste sensing, as well as  ion homeostasis maintaining. They can regulate muscle contractions, transmitter release, cell multiplication, cell differentiation, genetic transcription, apoptosis and molecular death. TRPM8, a nonselective cation channel, was originally cloned as a prostate-specific protein. Now, TRPM8 is found in carcinoma of colon, lung cancer, mammary cancer, and cutaneum carcinoma. TRPM8 can be activated by cold and menthol and is able to regulate and control the senses heat and pain, as wells as vasoconstriction and anapetia. TRPM8 plays an important role in cellular growth and death, which provides an important clue for the study on genesis and development of tumor.

c-Jun N-terminal kinase(JNK) family is a member of mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK) superfamily. The JNK signal pathway can be activated by cytokines, growth factors, stresses and so on. JNK plays important roles in regulating cell proliferation and differentiation, apoptosis and stress reaction. Many studies have demonstrated that JNK pathway is closely associated with many diseases. In this review, we mainly focus on the essential components and regulating manner of JNK pathway and its role in the development of various diseases.