RESUMEN
Cyclophosphamide (CY) is a chemotherapeutic agent used for cancer and immunological diseases. It induces cytotoxicity of bone marrow and causes myelosuppression and extramedullary haematopoiesis (EMH) in treated patients. EMH is characterized with the emergence of multipotent haematopoietic progenitors most likely in the spleen and liver. Previous studies indicated that a Chinese medicine, ginsenoside Rg1, confers a significant effect to elevate the number of lineage (Lin(-) ) Sca-1(+) c-Kit(+) haematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) and restore the function of bone marrow in CY-treated myelosuppressed mice. However, whether the amelioration of bone marrow by Rg1 accompanies an alleviation of EMH in the spleen was still unknown. In our study, the cellularity and weight of the spleen were significantly reduced after Rg1 treatment in CY-treated mice. Moreover, the number of c-Kit(+) HSPCs was significantly decreased but not as a result of apoptosis, indicating that Rg1 alleviated EMH of the spleen induced by CY. Unexpectedly, the proliferation activity of c-Kit(+) HSPCs was only up-regulated in the spleen, but not in the bone marrow, after Rg1 treatment in CY-treated mice. We also found that a fraction of c-Kit(+) /CD45(+) HSPCs was simultaneously increased in the circulation after Rg1 treatment. Interestingly, the effects of Rg1 on the elevation of HSPCs in bone marrow and in the peripheral blood were suppressed in CY-treated splenectomized mice. These results demonstrated that Rg1 improves myelosuppression induced by CY through its action on the proliferation of HSPCs in EMH of the spleen and migration of HSPCs from the spleen to the bone marrow.
Asunto(s)
Antineoplásicos Alquilantes/farmacología , Médula Ósea/fisiopatología , Ciclofosfamida/farmacología , Ginsenósidos/administración & dosificación , Hematopoyesis Extramedular/efectos de los fármacos , Hematopoyesis , Bazo/fisiopatología , Animales , Movimiento Celular/efectos de los fármacos , Proliferación Celular/efectos de los fármacos , Ginsenósidos/uso terapéutico , Células Madre Hematopoyéticas/efectos de los fármacos , RatonesRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: To detect the levels of serum amyloid A (SAA) and explore the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). METHODS: Polysomnography was performed in 80 patients with OSAS and 20 control subjects matched for age and body mass index. The patients with OSAS were divided into mild OSAS group (n=22), moderate OSAS group (n=23) and severe OSAS group (n=35) according to the apnea hypopnea index (AHI). Serum amyloid A levels were measured in all the subjects by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for correlation analysis. RESULTS: Serum amyloid A levels in mild OSAS group (1.66-/+0.73 microg/ml), moderate OSAS group (2.72-/+1.12 microg/ml) and severe OSAS group (4.08-/+1.85 microg/ml) were significantly higher than those in the control group (0.66-/+0.59 microg/ml) (P<0.05). SAA levels also differed significantly between the 3 OSAS groups (P<0.01), increasing with the severity of OSAS. Correlation analysis indicated that SAA level was positively correlated to AHI (r=0.649, P<0.01) and TSaO(2)<90% (r=0.491, P<0.01), but inversely yo miniSaO(2) (r=-0.499, P<0.01). After 3 months of nCPAP therapy, SAA levels were significantly decreased in the 20 patients with severe OSAS (4.13-/+2.27 microg/ml vs 5.14-/+2.30 microg/ml, P<0.01). CONCLUSION: SAA levels are elevated in OSAS patients in close correlation to the severity of OSAS, which may contribute to the vulnerability of the patients to cardiovascular diseases. nCPAP therapy help reduce the risk for cardiovascular diseases in OSAS patients.
Asunto(s)
Proteína Amiloide A Sérica/metabolismo , Apnea Obstructiva del Sueño/metabolismo , Adulto , Anciano , Enfermedades Cardiovasculares/complicaciones , Enfermedades Cardiovasculares/patología , Estudios de Casos y Controles , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Polisomnografía , Apnea Obstructiva del Sueño/complicaciones , Apnea Obstructiva del Sueño/diagnósticoRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterised by airflow limitation, and has many components including mucus hypersecretion, oxidative stress, and airway inflammation. We aimed to assess whether carbocisteine, a mucolytic agent with anti-inflammatory and antioxidation activities, could reduce the yearly exacerbation rate in patients with COPD. METHODS: We did a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 709 patients from 22 centres in China. Participants were eligible if they were diagnosed as having COPD with a postbronchodilator forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV(1)) to forced vital capacity (FVC) ratio (FEV(1)/FVC) of less than 0.7 and an FEV(1) between 25% and 79% of the predicted value, were aged between 40 and 80 years, had a history of at least two COPD exacerbations within the previous 2 years, and had remained clinically stable for over 4 weeks before the study. Patients were randomly assigned to receive 1500 mg carbocisteine or placebo per day for a year. The primary endpoint was exacerbation rate over 1 year, and analysis was by intention to treat. This trial is registered with the Japan Clinical Trials Registry (http://umin.ac.jp/ctr/index/htm) number UMIN-CRT C000000233. FINDINGS: 354 patients were assigned to the carbocisteine group and 355 to the placebo group. Numbers of exacerbations per patient per year declined significantly in the carbocisteine group compared with the placebo group (1.01 [SE 0.06] vs 1.35 [SE 0.06]), risk ratio 0.75 (95% CI 0.62-0.92, p=0.004). Non-significant interactions were found between the preventive effects and COPD severity, smoking, as well as concomitant use of inhaled corticosteroids. Carbocisteine was well tolerated. INTERPRETATION: Mucolytics, such as carbocisteine, should be recognised as a worthwhile treatment for prevention of exacerbations in Chinese patients with COPD.
Asunto(s)
Carbocisteína/uso terapéutico , Expectorantes/uso terapéutico , Enfermedad Pulmonar Obstructiva Crónica/tratamiento farmacológico , Adulto , Anciano , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Carbocisteína/efectos adversos , China , Método Doble Ciego , Expectorantes/efectos adversos , Femenino , Humanos , Mediciones del Volumen Pulmonar , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Calidad de VidaRESUMEN
Based on the structural characteristics of Cycas trunk, including vegetative leaf base scars, sporophyll concave rings, and average occurrence probabilities of vegetative leaf and sporophyll, a method for the age estimation of Cycas fairylakea population was developed, and the age of each individual was calculated. Three approaches, i.e., age structure diagram, age distribution curve and curve estimation were used to study the age structure of C. fairylakea population at genet and clone population levels. The age structure diagram showed that the clone population of C. fairylakea was stable, but the genet population was in declining. However, both of the clone and genet populations were in declining when using the other two approaches. It was considered that the C. fairylakea population was in declining, and needed an urgent protection.