The focal hepatic lesion caused by local injection of absolute alcohol in rats was evaluated with ultrasonic contrast agent and pathologic examination. Twenty adult Wistar rats weighing about 200 g were injected with absolute alcohol (0.05-0.1 mL each one) on the exterior left lobe of the liver under the monitoring of ultrasound. Pulse inversion harmonic imaging was used to evaluate the focal lesion after bolus injection of ultrasonic contrast agent (0.05 mL/200 g) through caudal vein. Seven days later, the focal lesion was studied again as before. The exterior left lobe of liver with focal lesion was incised and underwent pathologic examination. The results showed that all of the focal lesions could be defined clearly after bolus injection of the ultrasonic contrast agent under the mode of pulse inversion harmonic imaging. There was good correlation between the size of the focal lesion measured by ultrasound on the 7th day after the "ablation" under the mode of pulse inversion harmonic imaging and that gotten by pathologic examination (P = 0.39). The focus size measured by ultrasound right after the ablation was larger than that gotten by pathologic examination (P = 0.002). It was concluded that ultrasonic contrast agent plus pulse inversion harmonic imaging could be used to assess the size of the focal hepatic lesion caused by local injection of absolute alcohol in rats.

The value of color Doppler flow imaging (CDFI) and intravenous contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) for assessing the transplanted liver and early diagnosing complications by examining hemodynamic changes was discussed. Seventy-five patients with orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) underwent CDFI. The following parameters were measured: peak systolic velocity (PS), resistance index (RI) and Doppler perfusion index (DPI) of the hepatic artery (HA), time average velocity (TAV) of portal vein (PV) and velocity of hepatic vein (HV) in different stages postoperation. And 11 patients of them received CEUS. Thirty healthy subjects were enrolled as controls. The results showed that: (1) In 23 patients without obvious complications, TAV of PV within 15 days post-operation was significantly higher than in controls (P<0.05), PS and DPI of HA within 7 days postoperation were lower, but RI was higher than in controls (P<0.05); (2) When the hepatic artery thrombosis (HAT) occurred, PS and DPI of HA were obviously decreased, but TAV of PV significantly increased like a high saw-tooth wave; (3) While rejection occurred, both TAV of PV and PS of HA were decreased with the increase in RI of HA, and the triphasic wave of HV disappeared and displayed as saw-tooth wave; (4) The incidence of biliary complications in liver transplantation was increased when DPI was reduced; (5) Seven cases of hepatic carcinoma relapse after OLT demonstrated hyperecho in the arterial phase and hypoecho in the portal and later phase on CEUS; (6) In 2 cases of HA thrombus, there was no visualized enhancement in arterial phase of CEUS, but enhancement during the portal vein and parenchymal phase. It was concluded that the hemodynamic changes of PV, HA and HV in the transplanted liver are valuable for assessing the transplanted liver and early diagnosing complications on CDFI and CEUS.
Bile Ducts/pathology ; Contrast Media/*administration & dosage ; Hemodynamics ; Hepatic Artery/pathology ; Infusions, Intravenous/*methods ; Liver Transplantation/*adverse effects ; Liver Transplantation/*methods ; Liver Transplantation/ultrasonography ; Perfusion ; Postoperative Complications ; Ultrasonography/*methods ; Ultrasonography, Doppler/*methods

Objective To assess the clinical efficacy and safety of uniport video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery in treatment of pulmonary bulla.Methods Clinical data of 38 patients with pulmonary bulla treated with uniport video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery were analyzed.Results 30 patients under general anesthesia and double-chamber tracheal intubation anesthesia and 8 patients under general anesthesia and single-chamber tracheal intubation and tracheal plugger anesthesia underwent the resection of their pulmonary bulla through the surgery with uniport video-assisted thoracoscope, and 2 patients therein were simultaneously treated with bilateral resection of pulmonary bulla.36 patients were treated successfully;1 patient was given another exploratory thoracotomy after his unilateral surgery because of progressive hemothorax and substantial pneumothorax;and 1 patient underwent respiratory failure after his unilateral surgery and was improved in respiration 2 days after the help of a respirator.The average time of operations were 52 minutes.It averagely took 3.2 days to remove closed thoracic drainage pipes.The post-operation hospital stays took 6 days.The post-operation follow-up took 7-39 months,without relapse and other compli-cations.No death occurred in this group.Conclusion It is safe and reliable to treat pulmonary bulla by the surgery with uniport video-assisted thoracoscope,which is in line with the concept of minimally invasive surgery and therefore deserves promotion.

Objective To explore the effects of P85,microbubbles and ultrasound on plasmid DNA skeletal muscle gene transduction of mice in vivo. Methods Plasmid encoding green fluorescent protein (GFP) ,which conjugated with 0.05% P85 and/or microbubbles, 10% Optison,was injected into the tibialis anterior(TA) muscle of mice with or without ultrasound irradiation (1 MHz, 1 W/cm2 2 min,20% duty cycle). Mice were killed 1 week after injection. The TA muscles were removed and snap-frozen immediately in isopentane cooled by liquid nitrogen and sections 7 μm thick were cut at intervals. One set of sections mounted with DAPI were used to assess the transfection efficiency by counting the number of GFP-positive fibers under fluorescence microscopy,and the other set of sections were stained with haematoxylin and eosin to assess the tissue damage area. Results The P85 and Optison significantly enhanced the plasmid DNA skeletal muscle gene delivery in vivo separately (P<0.01, P<0.05).Ultrasound exposure could significantly enhance the efficiency of P85 induced gene delivery(P<0.01) but not of Option(P>0.05).The gene delivery efficiency induced by P85 was higher than that by Optison no matter with or without ultrasound irradiation(P<0.01). When the P85 conjugated with Optison, they could further significantly enhance gene delivery efficiency with ultrasound exposure (P<0.01). Meanwhile, ultrasound exposure could increase the muscle damage areas in the groups with microbubbles (P<0.01). Conclusions The P85,microbubbles and ultrasound exposure display synergistic effect to enhance plasmid DNA transduction in skeletal muscle of mice in vivo.

The focal hepatic lesion caused by local injection of absolute alcohol in rats was evaluated with ultrasonic contrast agent and pathologic examination. Twenty adult Wistar rats weighing about 200 g were injected with absolute alcohol (0.05-0.1 mL each one) on the exterior left lobe of the liver under the monitoring of ultrasound. Pulse inversion harmonic imaging was used to evaluate the focal lesion after bolus injection of ultrasonic contrast agent (0.05 mL/200 g) through caudal vein.Seven days later, the focal lesion was studied again as before. The exterior left lobe of liver with focal lesion was incised and underwent pathologic examination. The results showed that all of the focal lesions could be defined clearly after bolus injection of the ultrasonic contrast agent under the mode of pulse inversion harmonic imaging. There was good correlation between the size of the focal lesion measured by ultrasound on the 7th day after the "ablation" under the mode of pulse inversion harmonic imaging and that gotten by pathologic examination (P=0.39). The focus size measured by ultrasound right after the ablation was larger than that gotten by pathologic examination (P= 0.002). It was concluded that ultrasonic contrast agent plus pulse inversion harmonic imaging could be used to assess the size of the focal hepatic lesion caused by local injection of absolute alcohol in rats.

The value of color Doppler flow imaging (CDFI) and intravenous contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) for assessing the transplanted liver and early diagnosing complications by examining hemodynamic changes was discussed. Seventy-five patients with orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) underwent CDFI. The following parameters were measured: peak systolic velocity (PS), resistance index (RI) and Doppler perfusion index (DPI) of the hepatic artery (HA), time average velocity (TAV) of portal vein (PV) and velocity of hepatic vein (HV) in different stages post-operation. And 11 patients of them received CEUS. Thirty healthy subjects were enrolled as controls. The results showed that: (1) In 23 patients without obvious complications, TAV of PV within 15 days post-operation was significantly higher than in controls (P<0.05), PS and DPI of HA within 7 days postoperation were lower, but RI was higher than in controls (P<0.05); (2) When the hepatic artery thrombosis (HAT) occurred, PS and DPI of HA were obviously decreased, but TAV of PV significantly increased like a high saw-tooth wave; (3) While rejection occurred, both TAV of PV and PS of HA were decreased with the increase in RI of HA, and the triphasic wave of HV disappeared and displayed as saw-tooth wave; (4) The incidence of biliary complications in liver transplantation was in-creased when DPI was reduced; (5) Seven cases of hepatic carcinoma relapse after OLT demonstrated hyperecho in the arterial phase and hypoecho in the portal and later phase on CEUS; (6) In 2 cases of HA thrombus, there was no visualized enhancement in arterial phase of CEUS, but enhancement during the portal vein and parenchymal phase. It was concluded that the hemodynamic changes of PV, HA and HV in the transplanted liver are valuable for assessing the transplanted liver and early diagnosing complications on CDFI and CEUS.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of cardiomyopeptidin for injection on energy metabolism in isolated hearts of young rats after ischemia-reperfusion injury. METHODS: Fifty young healthy SD rats(aged 20 +/- 3 days and weighing 50-70 g) were randomly divided into 5 groups: a normal control group (NC group, n = 10 ): the isolated hearts were stable for 20 min, and then 150 min continuous perfusion; a normal + cardiomyopeptidin group (NCMP group, n = 10): the same as the normal control group, but K-H buffer solution was added with 50 mg/L cardiomyopeptidin, and 3 ischemia-reperfusion injury model groups, including a model control group (n = 10): the isolated rat hearts were perfused with K-H buffer and then arrested with cardioplegic solution; a CMP1 group (n = 10): the ST.Thomas'II cardioplegic solution was added with 100 mg/L cardiomyopeptidin; CMP2 group (n=10): K-H buffer and ST.Thomas'II cardioplegic solution was added with 50 mg/L and 100 mg/L cardiomyopeptidin respectively. The cardiac functional indexes were monitored, including heart rate, myocardial contractility and diastolic function, peak systolic and diastole myocardial velocities and coronary flow. In the 3 ischemia-reperfusion injury model groups, myocardial ultrastructure was observed through transmission electron microscopy; the creatine kinase isoenzyme (CK-MB) concentration was measured in the fluid outflow of coronary; the content of Na+-K+ ATPase, Ca2+-Mg2+ ATPase, total ATPase, superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide(NO), total nitric oxide synthase (TNOS), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and aldosereductase were measured in the myocardium tissue; the relative expression levels of iNOS, eNOS, and Akr1b4 mRNA in the myocardial tissue were also detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR. RESULTS: In the NC group, after prolonged perfusion, the cardiac function of isolated hearts had no significant change. Cardiomyopeptidin for injection had no significant effect on normal isolated hearts. Compared with the model control group, the cardiac function indexes and coronary flow in the groups treated with cardiomyopeptidin decreased much less. Cardiac myofibrillar fragmentation and mitochondrial swelling were observed in the control group, while in the CMP groups, the myocardial structure was nearly complete, and only mild mitochondria swelling and degeneration could be seen. After the reperfusion, the content of CK-MB was increased in the control group. Compared with the model control group, the CK-MB content was lower in the CMP1 and CMP2 groups. There was a slight decline in the contents of Na+-K+ ATPase, Ca2+-Mg2+ ATPase, and Total ATPase in the CMP1 and CMP2 groups, and an increase in SOD activity (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05). The concentration of NO and MDA produced after the ischemia-reperfusion injury was much lower in the CMP1 and CMP2 groups. The activity of iNOS and aldosereductase was inhibited, the expression levels of iNOS, and Akr1b4 mRNA were significantly down-regulated in the CMP1 and CMP2 groups. These changes were more prominent in the CMP2 group (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05). The eNOS mRNA levels in the CMP2 group was up-regulated (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION Cardiomyopeptidin for injection may improve the energy metabolism, improve coronary blood flow and cardiac function after the reperfusion, thus protecting immature myocardial against ischemia-reperfusion injury in young rats. Administration of it in both K-H buffer and ST.Thomas'II cardioplegic solution is better than adding it in cardioplegic solution alone. The mechanism may be associated with the inhibition the mRNA expression of iNOS and Akr1b4 in cardiomyocytes, the inhibition activity of iNOS and aldosereductase, and the decrease of NO production.
Aldehyde Reductase ; genetics ; metabolism ; Animals ; Energy Metabolism ; drug effects ; Female ; In Vitro Techniques ; Male ; Myocardial Reperfusion Injury ; metabolism ; Myocardium ; metabolism ; ultrastructure ; Nitric Oxide ; biosynthesis ; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II ; genetics ; metabolism ; Peptides ; pharmacology ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

Objective To investigate the therapeutic mechanism of Tujia medicine Toddalia asiatica alcohol extract(TAAE)for synovial pannus formation in rats with college-induced arthritis(CIA).Methods Sixty male SD rats were randomized into normal control group,CIA model group,TGT group,3 TAAE treatment groups at low,medium and high doses(n=10).Except for those in the normal control group,all the rats were subjected to CIA modeling using a secondary immunization method and treatment with saline,TGT or TAAE by gavage once daily for 35 days.The severity of arthritis was assessed using arthritis index(AI)score,and knee joint synovium pathologies were examined with HE staining.Serum levels of TNF-α,IL-6,and IL-1β were detected with ELISA;the protein expressions of PI3K,Akt,p-PI3K,p-Akt,VEGF,endostatin,HIF-1α,MMP1,MMP3,and MMP9 in knee joint synovial tissues were determined using Western blotting,and the mRNA expressions of TNF-α,IL-6,IL-1β,VEGF,HIF-1α,PI3K,and Akt were detected with RT-PCR.Results Treatment of CIA rat models with TAAE and TGT significantly alleviated paw swelling,lowered AI scores,and reduced knee joint pathology,neoangiogenesis,and serum levels of inflammatory factors.TAAE treatment obviously increased endostatin protein expression,downregulated p-PI3K,p-Akt,MMP1,MMP3,MMP9,VEGF,and HIF-1α proteins,and reduced TNF-α,IL-6,IL-1β,PI3K,Akt,VEGF,and HIF-1α mRNA levels in the synovial tissues,and these changes were comparable between high-dose TAAE group and TGT group.Conclusion TAAE can improve joint symptoms and inhibit synovial pannus formation in CIA rats by regulating the expressions of HIF-1α,VEGF,endostatin,MMP1,MMP3,and MMP9 via the PI3K/Akt signalling pathway.

Objective To investigate the therapeutic mechanism of Tujia medicine Toddalia asiatica alcohol extract(TAAE)for synovial pannus formation in rats with college-induced arthritis(CIA).Methods Sixty male SD rats were randomized into normal control group,CIA model group,TGT group,3 TAAE treatment groups at low,medium and high doses(n=10).Except for those in the normal control group,all the rats were subjected to CIA modeling using a secondary immunization method and treatment with saline,TGT or TAAE by gavage once daily for 35 days.The severity of arthritis was assessed using arthritis index(AI)score,and knee joint synovium pathologies were examined with HE staining.Serum levels of TNF-α,IL-6,and IL-1β were detected with ELISA;the protein expressions of PI3K,Akt,p-PI3K,p-Akt,VEGF,endostatin,HIF-1α,MMP1,MMP3,and MMP9 in knee joint synovial tissues were determined using Western blotting,and the mRNA expressions of TNF-α,IL-6,IL-1β,VEGF,HIF-1α,PI3K,and Akt were detected with RT-PCR.Results Treatment of CIA rat models with TAAE and TGT significantly alleviated paw swelling,lowered AI scores,and reduced knee joint pathology,neoangiogenesis,and serum levels of inflammatory factors.TAAE treatment obviously increased endostatin protein expression,downregulated p-PI3K,p-Akt,MMP1,MMP3,MMP9,VEGF,and HIF-1α proteins,and reduced TNF-α,IL-6,IL-1β,PI3K,Akt,VEGF,and HIF-1α mRNA levels in the synovial tissues,and these changes were comparable between high-dose TAAE group and TGT group.Conclusion TAAE can improve joint symptoms and inhibit synovial pannus formation in CIA rats by regulating the expressions of HIF-1α,VEGF,endostatin,MMP1,MMP3,and MMP9 via the PI3K/Akt signalling pathway.

AIM:To investigate whether Miaoyao Tongfeng prescription(MTP)attenuates oxidative stress in-jury in gouty arthritis rats by regulating Kelch-like epicklorohydrin-related protein 1(Keap1)/nuclear factor E2-related fac-tor 2(Nrf2)signaling pathway.METHODS:Fifty male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into control group,model group,MTP group,Nrf2 inhibitor all-trans retinoic acid(ATRA)group and MTP+ATRA group.The 3%potassium oxonate solution(10 mL/kg)was injected intraperitoneally twice a day for 1 week,and then 0.2 mL sodium urate suspen-sion(25 g/L)was injected into the right knee joints to establish the gouty arthritis model.All rats were sacrificed 48 h af-ter modeling.Grades of swelling in the knee joints were evaluated,and HE staining was used to observe the pathological changes of knee joints.Serum levels of superoxide dismutase(SOD),malondialdehyde(MDA)and interleukin-1β(IL-1β)were detected using kits.The mRNA levels of Nrf2,Keap1,heme oxygenase-1(HO-1),IL-1β,NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1(NQO1)in the synovial membrane of the knee joints were detected by qRT-PCR.Western blot was used to detect the expression of Nrf2,Keap1 and NQO1 in the synovial membrane of the knee joints.RESULTS:Compared with model group,MTP significantly reduced the degree of knee joint swelling,and attenuated the pathological injury of knee synovial membrane.It also inhibited the expression of MDA and IL-1β,but increased the expression of SOD.The mRNA expression of HO-1,and the mRNA and protein expression of Nrf2 and NQO1 in synovium were up-regulated,while the levels of IL-1β mRNA,Keap1 mRNA and Keap1 protein were down-regulated.CONCLUSION:Miaoyao Tongfeng prescription shows promise in the prevention and treatment of gouty arthritis through regulating Nrf2 and down-stream anti-oxidation genes.