The understanding of iron metabolism in humans, especially of its mechanism involved in controlling iron absorption in the proximal small intestine, is of great importance since diseases associated with iron deficiency or overload are very common worldwide. Recent study on hepcidin which is senthesized by liver has showed that this originally identified as a circulating antimicrobial peptide is a putative iron regulatory hormone. It plays a central role in the regulation of small intestine iron absorption and body iron homeostasis. The increased expression of hepcidin in the liver, induced by inflammation, might be an initial cause of the anemia of infection or chronic diseases and the iron-overload diseases might be tightly associated with the decreased hepcidin expression in the liver.

Objective To compare the value of transrectal real -time elastography ( TRTE) with dynamic contrast material -en-hanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) for prostate cancer detection.Methods A total of 60 men (mean age 71years, range 43 to 83) with serum PSA levels of greater than 4.0ng/ml were assessed using gray -scale transrectal ultrasound (TRUS), transrectal real-time elastography ( TRTE ) and dynamic contrast material -enhanced magnetic resonance imaging ( DCE -MRI ) .Subsequently , these patients underwent systematic sextant transrectal biopsy and additional biopsies for positive sites on gray -scale TRUS, TRTE and DCE-MRI.The cancer detection rates of the 3 techniques were compared .Results Cancer was detected in 23 of the 60 patients (23/60,38.3%).TRTE and DCE-MRI had a higher sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of 73.9%,78.3%,87.0%,80.1%,75.1%, 89.2%,78.3%,76.7%,88.3%respectively.TRTE and DCE-MRI guided targeted biopsy improve the positive detection rate of pros-tate cancer, compared with TRUS (P<0.05).Conclusion TRTE and DCE-MRI can improve the detection rate of the increase of ser-um PSA in patients with prostate cancer , so as to improve the positive rate of prostate biopsy diagnosis ,provide strong support for clinical diagnosis

Objective To study the influence of ion concentration change out of cells on calcium transportation and the relationship between the rising of calcium concentration in the Caco-2 cells and its apoptosis to offer the theoretical and experimental bases for clinical study and digestive tract physiology and patholoogy. Methods Confocal laser scanning microscope(CLSM) and flow cytometry(FCM) were used in this study. Results (1) Diversion of Ca 2+ into cells was increased with the decrease of Fe 3+ concentration out of Caco-2 cells(the final consistence of DFO was 100-300??mol/L),but was hindered with the increase of Fe 3+ concentration out of them(the final consistence fo FAC was 10-100??mol/L) as observed under CLSM; (2) The cell state was fine and its viability was more than 90% as observed under CLSM after treated by A 23187 and Fluo-3/AM(examined with FDA);(3) The Ca 2+ concentration in the Caco-2 cells was increased by A 23187 and this function was dose depended.The Caco-2 cell apoptosis was induced by the increase of Ca 2+ in cells,which was examined with FCM.Conclusion The Ca 2+ transportation was increased with the decrease of Fe 3+ concentration out of Caco-2 cells but was hindered with the increase of Fe 2+ concentration out of them.The Caco-2 cell apoptosis was induced by the increase of Ca 2+ concentration in them.

More and more medical devices can capture different features of human body and form three dimensional (3D) images. In clinical applications, usually it is required to fuse multiple source images containing different and crucial information into one for the purpose of assisting medical treatment. However, traditional image fusion methods are normally designed for two dimensional (2D) images and will lead to loss of the third dimensional information if directly applied to 3D data. Therefore, a novel 3D magnetic image fusion method was proposed based on the combination of newly invented beyond wavelet transform, called 3D band limited shearlet transformand (BLST), and four groups of traditional fusion rules. The proposed method was then compared with the 2D and 3D wavelet and dual-tree complex wavelet transform fusion methods through 4 groups of human brain T2* and quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) images. The experiments indicated that the performance of the method based on 3D transform was generally superior to the existing methods based on 2D transform. Taking advantage of direction representation, shearlet transform could effectively improve the performance of conventional fusion method based on 3D transform. It is well concluded, therefore, that the proposed method is the best among the methods based on 2D and 3D transforms.
Algorithms ; Brain ; anatomy & histology ; Humans ; Imaging, Three-Dimensional ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Wavelet Analysis

Objective To analyze the usual death causes of cardiovascular disease and the differences in gender and age .Methods By adopting the retrospective study method ,the clinical data of death cases in cardiovascular disease were collected and analyze on the situation suffering from cardiovascular disease ,direct death causes ,gender and age difference .Results (1) among 181 cases of cardiovascular disease death ,coronary heart disease(115/181 ,64% ) and hypertension(96/181 ,53% ) were the most common dis-ease ,lung infection(104/181 ,57% ) was the most common complication ;(2)There was no significant difference in the situation suf-fering from basic diseases between male and female(P>0 .05);(3)The basic diseases in cardiovascular death cases aged over 60 years old were dominated by coronary heart disease and hypertension ;the proportion of complicating pulmonary infection was grad-ually increased with age increase ;(4) in the direct death causes ,the top 3 places were sudden cardiac death (44/181 ,24 .3% ) ,multi-ple organ dysfunction syndrome(24/181 ,13 .3% ) and cardiogenic shock(24/181 ,13 .3% ) .Conclusion Strengthening the manage-ment of diagnosis and treatment on elderly patients with coronary heart disease ,hypertension ,especially those complicating diabe-tes ,strengthening the treatment intervention of lung infection in cardiovascular disease population and conducting the emphasis pro-tection on the target organ function may reduce the mortality of cardiovascular inpatients .

BACKGROUND:Neural stem cells transplanted into the infarct region can promote the recovery of damaged nerve cells after cerebral infarction.
OBJECTIVE:To analyze the relevant influential factors of neural stem celltransplantation in the treatment of cerebral infarction.
METHODS:In this paper, we analyzed the experimental studies concerning neural stem celltransplantation for cerebral infarction published in recent years based on database search. There were main two aspects for discussing the progress in neural stem cells and cerebral infarction, the Chinese clinical trial registration and basic experimental studies.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:After cerebral infarction, neural stem cellproliferation and differentiation is closely related to the brain microenvironment. Large amount of nerve cellloss can be found in the infarct region. Cytokines can play a role in the neural stem celltransplantation to repair neurological injury after cerebral infarction, and also can induce neural stem cellproliferation, differentiation and migration, including epidermal growth factor, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, insulin-like growth factor 1, nerve growth factor, and basic fibroblast growth factor. Acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine can promote the proliferation, migration and differentiation neural stem cells in the subependymal zone after cerebral infarction. Neural stem celltransplantation in the treatment of cerebral infarction has yielded progress, but there are stil many issues that need to be resolved in the future.

AIM: To develop a HPLC method to determine emodin and chrysophanol in Shierwei Chiyinkang Powder (Gypsumseu Calcitum, Radix et Rhizoma Rhei, Herba Asari, Rhizoma Chuanxiong, Rhizoma et Radix Notopterygii, Radix Gentianae, Pericarpium Zanthoxyli, etc.). METHODS: The sample was made referring to China Pharmacopoeia(2000) and determined by HPLC. The separation was performed on a Shim pack CIC ODS column (150mm?5mm, 4.5?m) with a mobile phase of methanol 0.1% H 3PO 4 solution (40∶9). The flow rate was 1.3mL?min -1 and the detective wavelength was set at 254nm. RESULTS: The emodin and chrysophanol in sample were separated. The square linear ranges were 0.52～5.28?m?mL -1 ( r =0.9999) and 0.96～9.60?m?mL -1 ( r=0.9999 ), respectively, and the average recoveries were 98.62% and 98.57% for emodin and chrysophanol, respectively. CONCLUSION: This method is sensitive and accurate for the determination of emodin and chrysophanol in the sample.

BACKGROUND:Sufentanil exerts protective effects on tissues, but its roles in the repair of nervous system injury and the underlying mechanism are stil unknown.
OBJECTIVE:To explore the protective effect of sufentanil preconditioning in the repair of spinal cord injuries and the underlying mechanism.
METHODS:Mouse models of spinal cord injuries were prepared through clipping spinal cord fol owed by intraperitoneal injection of 3 and 6μg/kg sufentanil, respectively.
RESULTS AND CONCLUISON:(1) Western blotting, ELISA and TUNEL assays showed that 6μg/kg sufentanil significantly down-regulated the protein expression levels of TLR4, nuclear factor-κBp65, cleaved-caspase 3, tumor necrosis factor-αand interlenkin-1βin the spinal cord of mice (P<0.05);at the same time, the number of apoptotic neurons was significantly decreased (P<0.05). (2) Furthermore, high-dose sufentanil preconditioning significantly ameliorated the recovery of limb function at 14 days after injury (P<0.05). (3) These results administrate that the neuroprotection provided by 6μg/kg sufentanil preconditioning for spinal cord injuries in mice maybe related to the TLR4/nuclear factor-κB signaling pathway inactivation.

Objective:To observe the clinical efficacy and safety of compound Bletilla Striata cream in the treatment of patients with second degree hand rhagadia. Methods: Totally 146 patients with second degree hand rhagadia were randomly divided into the treatment group and the control group with 73 cases in each. The treatment group was treated with compound Bletilla Striata cream, while the control group was treated with urea ointment. The treatment course was 10 days. The time of paln disappearance, keratoder-ma softening and rhagadia healing were compared between the two groups, and the efficacy and adverse drug reactions of the two groups were also observed and compared. Results:After the first treatment course, the curative rate of the treatment group was 94. 5%, which was higher than that of the control group (82. 2%) with statistical significance (P<0. 05). The total effective rate of the two groups was both 100% without statistical significance (P>0. 05). The time of keratoderma softening and rhagadia healing in the treatment group was significant shorter than that in the control group (P<0. 05), while the time of paln disappearance showed no significant difference between the two groups(P>0. 05). Conclusion: Compound Bletilla Striata cream in the treatment of second degree hand rhagadia is effective and safe, which shows good prospect for clinical application.

OBJECTIVE: In order to understand the effect of stimulator of Fe transport(SFT) on Fe metabolism and its abnormality(absence or overloading),this study reviews the research development of SFT at home and abroad and focused on the relationship among expression,structure,physiological function,expressing controlling and expressing abnormality with brain iron metabolism.DATA SOURCES: Electronic literature search of NCBI related to SFT was performed using the terms "stimulator of iron transport" or "stimulator of Fe transport",and the language was restricted in English. And simultaneously CNKI database was searched with the word "brain iron metabolism" and"stimulator of Fe transport" in Chinese from January 1997 to October 2004.STUDY SELECTION: Articles that reported the structure,expression regulation of SFT and its relationship to brain iron metabolism diseases were included.DATA EXTRACTION: Twenty pieces of SFT-related literatures and 1300pieces of literatures related to brain iron metabolism were found,among which 21 pieces were included.DATA SYNTHESIS: From the 21 pieces of literatures,the structure,distribution,biological function,expression regulation of SFT and its relationship with brain iron metabolism were mainly discussed.CONCLUSION: SFT can stimulate both transferrin- and nontransferrin-bound iron uptake. The expression of SFT can be regulated transcriptionally and post-transcriptionally,mainly regulated in response to different cellular iron levels. So SFT plays an important role in brain iron metabolism.