Down-regulation of microRNA-144 in air pollution-related lung cancer.

Air pollution has been classified as a group 1 carcinogen in humans, but the underlying tumourigenic mechanisms remain unclear. In Xuanwei city of Yunnan Province, the lung cancer incidence is among the highest in China, owing to severe air pollution generated by the combustion of smoky coal, providing a unique opportunity to dissect lung carcinogenesis. To identify abnormal miRNAs critical for air pollution-related tumourigenesis, we performed microRNA microarray analysis in 6 Xuanwei non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLCs) and 4 NSCLCs from control regions where smoky coal was not used.

Tobacco smoke induces production of chemokine CCL20 to promote lung cancer.

Tobacco kills nearly 6 million people each year, and 90% of the annual 1.59 million lung cancer deaths worldwide are caused by cigarette smoke. Clinically, a long latency is required for individuals to develop lung cancer since they were first exposed to smoking.

Proteomic characterization of the possible molecular targets of pyrrolizidine alkaloid isoline-induced hepatotoxicity.

Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) are distributed in plants worldwide including medicinal herbs or teas. In the present study, we investigated the effects of isoline, which is a retronecine-type PA isolated from traditional Chinese medicinal herb Ligularia duciformis, on mouse liver proteins by using proteomic approaches. Firstly, our results showed that 110mg/kg isoline increased alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activities in serum, and hepatic tissue pathological observation further confirmed isoline-induced liver injury.

[Primary safety evaluation of sulfated paeoniae radix alba].

The paper is to report the development of a method of quantitative analysis of multi-components by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for simultaneously determining paeoniflorin sulfonate (PS), paeoniflorin (PF) and albiflorin (AF) in sulfated Paeoniae Radix Alba. Moreover, the cytotoxicity of paeoniflorin sulfonate by MTT-assay and the acute toxicity of mice by administration of paeoniflorin sulfonate were evaluated. Chromatographic separation of paeoniflorin sulfonate, PF and AF were performed on a SHISEIDO CAPCELL PAK C18 column (250 mm x 4.

Antitumor activity of Dioscorea bulbifera L. rhizome in vivo.

Antitumor activities of water extract (fraction A), ethanol extract (fraction B), ethyl acetate extract (fraction C), non-ethyl acetate extract (fraction D) and compound diosbulbin B isolated from Dioscorea bulbifera L. (DB) were investigated in vivo in this present study. The results showed that fractions B and C both decreased tumor weight in S180 and H22 tumor cells bearing mice, while fractions A and D had no such effect.

[The cryosurgery of central lung cancer by rigid bronchoscopy].

Objective: To evaluate the method and effectiveness of rigid-bronchoscopic cryosurgery for advanced central lung cancer.

Methods: Forty-eight patients were enrolled in this study from June 2002 to December 2008, including 33 male and 15 female. The average age was 70 years (ranged from 45 to 83 years old).

Pyrrolizidine alkaloid isoline-induced oxidative injury in various mouse tissues.

Isoline is a retronecine-type pyrrolizidine alkaloid (PA) isolated from the traditional Chinese medicinal herb Ligularia duciformis. The present investigation was carried out to evaluate isoline-induced oxidative injury in various important mouse organs. Various tissue samples were collected after mice were administrated with 100mg/kg isoline for 36h, and then lipid peroxidation (LPO) level, total antioxidant capacity, glutathione-S-transferase (GST), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and catalase (CAT) activities were determined to evaluate the oxidative injury.

[Results of unilateral lung volume reduction surgery in twenty-five patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease].

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of unilateral lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Methods: The follow-up data of 25 patients with COPD who had underwent unilateral LVRS between January 1996 to December 2002 in department of thoracic surgery, China-Japan friendship hospital were analyzed retrospectively. The operative target was determined by pre-operative CT and pulmonary ventilation-perfusion (V/Q) scintigraphy.