Characteristics influencing high-risk sexual behaviours in elderly men.

With the objective of investigating the characteristics influencing high-risk sexual behaviours in elderly men (60-74 years of age) in Chongqing, China, a total of 1433 healthy elderly men with sexual intercourse frequencies of one to six times/month who were willing to participate in the questionnaires were studied at four hospitals. We measured serum testosterone levels and performed follow-ups every six months, with a total of 1128 elderly men followed up after two years. We also investigated socio-economic and demographic characteristics (age, education, income, location, marital status and number of marriages), types of sexual partners, age differences with fixed sexual partners, frequency of sexual intercourse, combined basic age-related diseases, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) education, elderly self-care ability and high-risk sexual behaviours (frequency of sexual intercourse and number of sexual partners) using questionnaires.

[Protective effect of notoginsenoside R1 on neuron injury induced by OGD/R through ATF6/Akt signaling pathway].

Notoginsenoside R1(NGR1),a critical compound in traditional herb Panax notoginseng, is a kind of estrogen receptor agonist.It is reported to exhibit anti-apoptotic,anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory properties activity, so it is widely used for treatment of various diseases.In order to investigate the potential neuroprotective effect of NGR1 in hypoxic-ischemic brain damage(HIBD), primary cortical neurons were used in this study to establish oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation(OGD/R) injury models.

[The effects of graphene quantum dots on hematopoietic system in rats].

Objective: To study the effects of graphene quantum dots (GQDs) on hematopoietic system in rats.

Methods: Thirty male SD rats were randomly divided into three groups (n = 10): control group, high dose group (10 mg/kg · d), low dose group (5 mg/kg · d), The rats in experimental group were intravenous injected with GQDs for 28 days and those in control group were injected with normal saline at the same volume. Routine blood and the function of liver and kidney were detected by instrument analysis.

Neuroprotective effects of ginsenoside Rg1-induced neural stem cell transplantation on hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy.

Ginsenoside Rg1 is the major pharmacologically active component of ginseng, and is reported to have various therapeutic actions. To determine whether it induces the differentiation of neural stem cells, and whether neural stem cell transplantation after induction has therapeutic effects on hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, we cultured neural stem cells in 10-80 μM ginsenoside Rg1. Immunohistochemistry revealed that of the concentrations tested, 20 mM ginsenoside Rg1 had the greatest differentiation-inducing effect and was the concentration used for subsequent experiments.

Molecular modification of Protein A to improve the elution pH and alkali resistance in affinity chromatography.

Protein A of Staphylococcus aureus has been widely used as an affinity ligand for the purification of immunoglobulin. However, the low elution pH and the sensitivity to alkaline condition restricted the large-scale application of antibody purification. To overcome these disadvantages, the B domain was selected and mutated to Z domain and the recombinant Protein A was reconstructed by linking five Z domains.

[Study on molecular target promoting human neural stem cells of ginsenoside Rg1 by gene chip].

Objective: To screen out main molecular target promoting human neural stem cells (NSCs) of ginsenoside Rg1 by using the gene chip technology.

Method: First, MTT assay was adopted to screen out the optimal concentration of Rg1-promoted NSC proliferation (120 mg x L(-1)). Then, on the 7th day after the Rg1-promoted NSC proliferation, the expression of target genes was observed by the gene chip technology.

[Effect of ginsenoside Rg1 on functional expression of human neural stem cells: a patch clamp study].

Objective: To observe the effects of ginsenoside Rg1 on the functional expression of human neural stem cells (hNSCs).

Method: The membrane electrophysiological properties and sodium and potassium ion channels in the hNSCs induced by Rg1 were analyzed using the whole-cell patch-clamp.

Result: On the 7th day, the neuron-like cells derived from ginsenoside Rg1 (20 mg x L(-1))-induced NSCs show: (1) The resting membrane potential: (-45.

[Role of tumor necrosis factor α in endothelial-mesenchymal transition in vitro].

Objective: To observe the role of tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) in endothelial-mesenchymal transition (EnMT), and to explore the mechanism of fibrosis disease.

Methods: Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) from umbilical cord of healthy fetus were isolated by enzymatic digestion and identified by immunofluorescence assay. The third to fifth generations of cultured HUVEC in logarithmic phase were harvested and seeded in 12-well plates and 6-well plates, and they were divided into control group (ordinary culture without any stimulation), 5, 10, 25, 50, and 100 ng/mL TNF-α groups (5, 10, 25, 50, 100 ng/mL of TNF-α was respectively added into the nutrient solution) according to the random number table, with three samples in each group.

[The effect of TSPG in vivo on transplantation of neural stem cells in treatment of Parkinson's disease mouse].

Aim: To observe the effect for the model of PD and the transplantation of NSCs after injection of TSPG into mouse in advance.

Methods: Firstly, we divided the mouse into 5 groups. For the group of 1-4, we established the model of PD with MPTP.

[Effect of TSPG on proliferation and differentiation of human embryonic neural stem cell into dopaminergic neuron].

Objective: To investigate the effects of total saponins of panax ginseng (TSPG) on proliferation and differentiation of human embryonic neural stem cell (NSC) into dopaminergic neuron.

Method: Isolation, cultivation and identification of human embryonic NSC from cerebral cortex of 7-12 week abortus. By using flow cytometry and MTT assay, the effects of various concentration of TSPG and TSPG cooperating with cytokines( EGF, bFGF) in NSC culture media for 3 days on proliferation of human embryonic NSC has studied.

[Synergistic effects of total saponins of panax ginseng in combination with hematopoietic growth factor on proliferation and differentiation of CD34(+) cells ex vivo].

To investigate the effects of total saponins of panax ginseng (TSPG) in combination with hematopoietic growth factors (HGF) on proliferation and differentiation of CD34(+) cells ex vivo, the purified CD34(+) cells from cord blood and bone marrow were expanded by various concentrations of TSPG with combination of cytokines in liquid culture systems and the expanded cell number, CD34(+) cell number, CD33(+) cell ratio, the numbers of total CFC and hematopoietic progenitor cell number were detected. The results showed that TSPG (10 - 70 microg/ml) could raise the expanded cell number, CD34(+) cell number, and the numbers of total CFC, TSPG 50 microg/ml was identified as the most potent stimulating concentration, and increased total nucleated cells to (2470.5 +/- 79.

[Signal transduction of IL-3 in regulating hematopoietic stem cell proliferation and differentiation].

IL-3 is also called as multi-lineage colony stimulating factor, which can positively regulate proliferation and differentiation of hematopoietic stem cell. After binding to its receptor on target cell, IL-3 can regulate hematopoietic stem cell to survive, proliferate, differentiate or to mature by transmitting growth, proliferation and differentiation signals. This paper is to summarize the signal transduction pathways of IL-3 in regulating hematopoietic stem cell proliferation and differentiation.

[Experimental study on expression of GM-CSF from human endothelial cells and monocytes induced by total saponins of panax ginseng].

Objective: To study the effect of total saponins of Panax ginseng (TSPG) on the expression of granulocytemacrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) from human endothelial cells and monocytes and the relationship between TSPG and human granulocytopoiesis and monocytopoiesis modulation.

Methods: Adopting the hematopoietic progenitor cells culture in vitro, hematopoietic growth factor biological assay, immunocytochemistry and nucleic acid in situ hybridization, the GM-CSF expression in the endothelial cells and monocytes were detected.

Results: The conditioned cultural media of endothelial and monocytes induced and prepared by TSPG, could significantly promote the proliferation and differentiation of human colony forming unit-granulocyte macrophage (CFU-GM), and enhance the protein and mRNA expression of GM-CSF in endothelial cells and monocytes.

[Modulation of expression of human GM-CSF and GM-CSFRalpha by total saponins of Panax ginseng].

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the biological mechanism for modulating granulocytopoiesis by Panax ginseng. The techniques of culture of hematopoietic progenitor cells and hematopoietic stromal cells in vitro, biological assay of hematopoietic growth factor (HGF), immunocytochemistry, in situ hybridization of nucleic acid, immunoprecipitation and Western blot were used to explore the effect of total saponins of Panax ginseng (TSPG) on the expression of human granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor receptor alpha (GM-CSFRalpha). The results indicated that (1) bone marrow stromal cell (BMSC), thymocyte (TC), splenocyte (SC), endothelial cells (EC), and monocyte (MO) conditioned media prepared with TSPG (50 microg/ml) could significantly enhance the proliferation of CFU-GM; (2) the expressions of GM-CSF in protein and mRNA level in BMSC, TC, SC, EC and MO induced by TSPG (50 microg/ml) were much higher than that of the control; (3) the expression of GM-CSFRalpha protein in hematopoietic cells induced by TSPG (50 microg/ml) was stronger than that of the control; (4) TSPG (50 microg/ml) could stimulate the transient tyrosine phosphorylation of GM-CSFR and Shc protein.