Evaluation of liver fibrosis by investigation of hepatic parenchymal perfusion using contrast-enhanced ultrasound: an animal study.

Purpose: To investigate the value of assessing the hepatic parenchymal perfusion in contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) for evaluating liver fibrosis, using an animal model.

Methods: Seventy Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into experimental (n = 35) and control (n = 35) groups. In the experimental group, liver fibrosis was induced by intraperitoneal injection of carbon tetrachloride.

The in vivo Therapeutic Effect of Free Wanderer Powder ( xiāo yáo sǎn, Xiaoyaosan) on Mice with 4T1 Cell Induced Breast Cancer Model.

In the present study, we investigated the therapeutic effect of a classical TCM formula, Free Wanderer Powder ( xiāo yáo sǎn), in a breast cancer mouse model induced with estrogen-insensitive breast cancer 4T1 cells. Ovariectomized Balb/c mice (6-8 weeks) or sham mice were injected into the fourth mammary fat pad with 4T1 cells in which tumors were palpable 7 days after injection. On the eighth day, the mice were divided into 4 groups and tubefed daily with vehicle, Free Wanderer Powder ( xiāo yáo sǎn) formula or tamoxifen for 28 days.

Real-time ultrasonic assessment of progressive proteoglycan depletion in articular cartilage.

The loss of proteoglycan (PG) is regarded as one of the early signs of osteoarthritis (OA), thus observing the progress of PG loss would be useful for the early detection of OA. In this study, high-frequency ultrasound was used to monitor and analyze the trypsin-induced progressive degeneration in articular cartilage. Full thickness cartilage-bone specimens (n = 10) prepared from normal bovine patellae were digested using 0.

Expression of ferroportin1, hephaestin and ceruloplasmin in rat heart.

Iron-mediated injury plays an important role in a number of heart disorders. Studies on heart iron are therefore crucial for understanding the causes of excessive heart iron. Heart cells have the ability to accumulate transferrin-bound-iron via the transferrin receptor and non-transferrin-bound-iron probably via the L-type Ca2+ channel and the divalent metal transporter1.