Objective To evaluate the clinical significance of the changes of plasma B-type natriuretic paprid and NT-pro BNP levels in patients with chronic heart failure(CHF).Methods 120 consecutive patients hospitalized for CHF were retrospectively studied.NT-pro BNP and LVEDD,LVESD,LVEF were measured and compared in 120 patients and 50 normal control subjects before medical treatment and on discharge.Results The plasma NT-pro BNP levels in patients with CHF were significantly higher than controls( P <0.05).The plasma NT-pro BNP levels in patients with cardiac function NYHA Ⅰ were significantly higher than controls( P < 0.05).As the cardiac function deteriorated from NYNA Ⅰ to NYNA Ⅳ,the NT-pro BNP levels increased consecutively with significant differences from each other ( P < 0.05).The plasma NT-pro BNP levels was low when CHF was cured ( P < 0.05 ).Conclusion Determination of plasma NT-pro BNP levels in patients with CHF were helpful to study the severity and prognosis of disease.

Though there is a great progress in research of medical ethics in China, a gap still remains between China and the developed countries now. Medical ethics committees are established one after another in many hospitals, but the level of standardization construction and ethical review level differ in thousands ways. The construction of ethical review platform on TCM can standardize the construction and investigation procedure, and can further enhance the ethical review level of medical ethics committee. Among them, institutional improvement of regulations and procedures can be acquired in short time, but the enhancement of ethical review level needs a long way to go. This article aimed to probe the thinking and methods on the enhancement of ethical review level through the practice and experience of the construction of TCM ethical review platform.

ObjectiveTo investigate the clinical efficacy of bidirectional Glenn shunt with noncardiopulmonary bypass(CPB) for treating congenital heart disease.MethodsThe clinical data of forty-four patients receiving bidirectional Glenn shunt from August 2005 to August 2011 were analyzedretrospectively,twenty-three cases of which were treated by bidirectional Glenn shunt with non-CPB (non-CPB group) and twenty-one with CPB (CPB group).The duration of ventilator-assisted breathing,chest drainage volume,amount of blood product usage,postoperative hospital stay and pulse oxygen saturation (SpO2) before leaving the hospital were compared and analyzed between two groups.ResultsForty-four patients were all cured.The duration of ventilator-assisted breathing,chest drainage volume and the amount of blood product usage of non-CPB group were less than those of CPB group [ (4.5 ± 1.3 ) h vs.(6.7 ± 1.5 ) h,(4.6 ± 1.4 ) ml/kg vs.(7.7 ± 3.1 ) ml/kg,( 221.8 ± 97.6 ) ml vs.( 423.4 ± 149.7 ) ml,P ＜ 0.05 ].There was no significant difference of the postoperative hospital stay and SpO2 before leaving the hospital between non-CPB group and CPB group[ (7.4 ± 2.3 ) d vs.(7.8 ± 1.9) d,0.91 ± 0.05 vs.0.88 ± 0.39,P ＞ 0.05 ].Conclusion Bidirectional Glenn shunt with non-CPB is a safe and feasible surgical approach,which is worthy of promotion.

The gut-brain axis (GBA) is a nerve-endocrine mediated bidirectional communication system between the gut and brain, which links the cognition and emotion in brain to peripheral intestinal function. In recent years, many researches have showed that colonized intestinal microbiota plays an important role in the communication between gut and brain. On one hand, microbiota can influence the development and function of brain via GBA. On the other hand, brain can also change the composition of gut microbiota. These findings gradually become a novel medical research highlight, i.e. the microbiota-gut-brain axis. This paper reviews the interaction between gut microbiota and brain via GBA in order to provide supports for studying functions of gastrointestinal tract and brain, as well as the treatment of related diseases.

Objective To investigate the application and needs' survey of mobile App health software in the patients with respiratory chronic disease. To make mobile App health software development more targeted and practical in the near future. To provide the foundation for continuous nursing service. Methods A survey research method was adopted in which self-designed questionnaires were administered to 163 patients with respiratory chronic disease from respiratory ward and outpatient clinic. Results Totally 119(73.0%) patients used smartphone, the mean score of experience in using mobile phones was (32.4 ± 14.1), which was in the medium range. There were 80 patients had ever installed and used this kind of App. The frequency of use of mobile App health software was Breathing Exercises App, Healthy Exercise App, Healthy Diet App and Medicine Remind App. The major reason for using of these App was disease prevention, self health care, disease and health monitoring and rehabilitation exercises. There were 120 patients would like to install App health software specific to respiratory chronic disease. They hope the characters of these App were simple operated, practical and without product placement. These App health software should include following function:timely feedback and guidance, providing practical method and help to register. Conclusion Most patients with respiratory chronic disease had the hardware basis and experience basis of using mobile App health software. More targeted and practical mobile App health software for the patients with respiratory chronic diseases should be developed to provide the foundation for continuous nursing service and patient′s self-management.

Objective To detect the expression of Zbtb7 gene in Phorbol esters(PMA) induced differentiation of leukemia cell lines.Methods 50 nmol/L PMA was used to induce the differentiation of U937 and K562 cell lines.The expression of Zbtb7 was detected by real-time PCR in the cells after induction on day 0,1,3 and 5,respectively. Results The expression of Zbtb7 in leukemia cell lines was markedly enhanced after treated by PMA(P

Whole embryo culture (WEC) is an experimental tool, which is made use of embryos in vitro to replace whole animals to investigate the growth and development of early organs, the embryo toxicity of chemical materials and the mechanism of the occurrence of embryo toxicity. Compared with experiment with whole animals, WEC could reduce the number of experimental animals, shorten experimental time, decrease experimental expenses, eliminate disturbing factors and control dosage more exactly. So it is generally received that WEC tool is a good experimental method to match the principles of replacement, reduction, refinement and responsibility. This article is a review of the WEC tool of rat and mouse, including the development of this tool, announcements, and the application in the development of organs, the embryo toxicity of environmental pollution and heavy metal, safety evaluation of medicine and the embryo toxicity of traditional Chinese medicine and its mechanism. There is also a discussion of the application of this tool in the investigation of the embryo toxicity of traditional Chinese medicine.
Animals ; Culture Media ; Embryo Culture Techniques ; methods ; Embryonic Development ; drug effects ; Environmental Pollutants ; toxicity ; Metals, Heavy ; toxicity ; Mice ; Rats

Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) are widely distributed in many plants including medicinal herbs. The hepatotoxicity of PAs has been known academically for a long time, however, their reproductive toxicity, mutagenesis and carcinogenicity have been less researched. This article is an overview of the clinical and experimental reports of the reproductive toxicity, mutagenesis and carcinogenicity of PAs, the effective factors and generating mechanism of the toxicity.
Animals ; Biomedical Research ; Humans ; Plant Extracts ; analysis ; toxicity ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; toxicity ; Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids ; analysis ; toxicity

Recombinant protein SMB(PRG4) containing two Somatomedin B domains and a small amount of glycosylation of repetitive sequences of proteoglycan 4 was cloned according to PGR4 gene polymorphism. Mature purification process was established and recombinant protein SMB(PRG4), with high-level expression was purified. By using size-exclusion chromatogaraphy and dynamic light scattering, we found that the recombinant protein self-aggregate to dimeric form. Structure prediction and non-reducing electrophoresis revealed that SMB(PRG4), was a non-covalently bonded dimer.
Glycosylation ; Protein Multimerization ; Proteoglycans ; chemistry ; Recombinant Proteins ; chemistry ; Somatomedins ; chemistry