BACKGROUND: Nowadays stem cells have been isolated successfully from the epithelial tissue of human and rodents such as skin, hair follicle, cornea, oral mucous, intestinal mucosa dental epithelial cells, and salivary glands by the Chinese or foreign researchers. But according to the vaginal mucosa stem cells (VMSCs), it is not known in the field of isolation and application.OBJECTIVE: To find out the suitable method of isolation, identification, and culture of human VMSCs.DESIGN: Observational basic study. SETTING: Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, the Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical College. MATERIALS: This study was performed in the Zhongshan Ophthalmology Center of Zhongshan Medical College from October 2004 to August 2005. Two-week gestation mice were provided by the Experimental Animal Center of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine. The sterile human vaginal mucosa was collected from five patients (25-38 years old) after the plastic operation of vagina from the 3rd Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical College. METHODS: Vaginal mucosa cells could be harvested from human vagina mucosa treated with trypsin-collagenase digesting. The VMSCs were selected by adhesion to type Ⅳ collagen for 20 minutes. The cell cycles of the VMSCs and primary human vaginal mucosa cells were analyzed by flow cytometry. VMSCs were cultured in vitro with 4 different media, including feeder layer cells plus epidermal total culture media, feeder layer cells plus DMEM/F12 (3:1), epidermal total culture media and DMEM/F12 (3:1). At the 12th day, their colony forming efficiency (CFE), CK19 and CK10 positive rates were compared. Then VMSCs were continuously cultured and passaged till they were apoptosis.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: ① Positive rate of CK19 and CK10 and G0/G1 proportion; ② Positive rate of CK19 and CK10, the colony forming efficiency (CFE) and the times be passaged when primary VMSCs were cultured in different media after 12 days. RESULTS: The cells at the G0-G1 phase cell cycle, CK19 and CK10 positive rates between the VMSCs and primary human vaginal mucosa cells were statistical different (P < 0.05). When cultured at 12th day, the VMSCs cultured with feeder layer and epidermal total culture media had the highest CFE and CK19 positive rate and lowest CK10 positive rate. They could be passaged over 15 times in vitro. CONCLUSION: It is an effective way that select VMSCs by adhesion to type Ⅳ collagen for 20 minutes. In this research, culturing VMSCs in vitro with feeder layer and epidermal total culture media was the best way to keep VMSC characteristics.

Objective: Combining spatial independent component analysis (sICA) with temporal correlation analysis to investigate the functional connectivity of human brain using resting state fMRI. Methods: First, activated area was localized by performing sICA on the data from block design run, then one of the activated brain areas was chosen as a region of interest (ROI)and low frequency correlations between ROI and other regions were calculated in resting state to detect the functional connectivity networks. To validate the method, neural connectivity to primary motor cortex was assessed using this method during a resting state. Results: Functional connectivity network of motor cortex was detected, including primary motor cortex (M1), supplementary motor area (SMA), primary sensory cortex (S1), dorsal premotor cortex (PMd) and posterior parietal somatosensory association area (PSAAp). The connectivity implied by the resting state correlation was far more similar to the connectivity established by non-imaging methods. Conclusion: Functional connectivity of human motor primary cortex was investigated by combining sICA with temporal correlation using resting fMRI data. It provided a simple and noninvasive method for the research of brain functional connectivity.

Objective Comparison on the influence of invigorating spleen and restoring virility to the NPY level in brain and gene expression. Method Establishing the spleen insufficiency model of rat by adopting bitter decline diarrhea, wild eating and overworking, to examine the hypothalamus ventral kernel, the hippocampi CA1 area and forehead cortex, the gene expression change of NPY. Result In the model group, the immunoreaction masculine substance of NPY, hypothalamus ventral kernel,hippocampi CA1 area and prefrontal cortex decreases obviously. The immunoreaction masculine substance of NPY on above mentioned parts in the group of invigorating spleen and restoring virility increases distinctly. In the model group, the expression of NPY mRNA on prefronta cortex and hypothalamus ventral kernel decreases obviously, while on the groups of invigorating spleen and restoring virility increases obviously. Conclusion In the model group, the NPY level and gene expression in brain to promote study memory changed. Invigorating spleen and restoring virility may affect study memory by regulating the NPY level and gene expression.

Objective To compare on the influence of invigorating spleen and restoring virility to the SS level and SSR1 gene expression in brain. Method The spleen insufficiency model of rat was established by adopting bitter decline diarrhea, wild eating and overworking. SS level and SSR1 gene expression change of hypothalamus ventral kernel, hippocampi CA1 area and forehead corte were detected by immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization techniques. Result In the model group, the immunoreaction masculine substance of SS and SSR1 mRNA, hypothalamus ventral kernel, hippocampi CA1 area and forehead cortex decreased obviously. The immunoreaction masculine substance of SS and SSR1 mRNA on above mentioned parts in the group of invigorating spleen and restoring virility increased distinctly. Conclusion In the model group, the SS level and SSR1 gene expression in brain to promoting study memory ability changed. Invigorating spleen and restoring virility may affect study memory ability by regulating the SS level and SSR1 gene expression.

With the public hospitals expanding,the nurses at age of marriage or bearing are enrolled and account for large part of all health care workers in China.A significant percentage of nurses in the period of pregnancy or lactation,especially abortion and sterility,deteriorate the shortage of nursing human resources and the nurses' health.It is essential to cope with the matter in order to maintain the nurses and contribute to the professional development.In this paper,we review the human resource management of the nurses during the periods at home and abroad from the human resources,occupational protection and management approaches,which is contributed to supplement the human resource.

Objective To observe the effect of cigarette smoking on cutaneous wound healing in rats.Methods Healthy adult SD rats,weight 200-250 g,were randomly divided into 4 groups:control group (group C),low tar content group (group L),middle tar content group (group M) and high tar content group (group H),ten rats each group.4 full thickness dermal excision wound models with the diameter of 2.0 cm were established on the back of 40 healthy male or female SD rats.The wound spacing was greater than 2 cm.Group C did not do any intervention treatment,Groups L,M and H rats were put,respectively,into homemade smoke box in 0.1,0.5,and 0.8 mg different-grade tar content of cigarettes and smoked,and the time of wound healing was observed.The wound granulation tissue was taken in 3 and 7 days after surgery.The expression of CD68+ macrophages was detected by immunohistochemical method.The wound healing rate was observed on the days 7 and 16.Results Compared with group C,wound healing time in groups L,M and H was extended (P＜ 0.05).Immunohistochemical results showed that macrophage numbers in groups L,M and H wound were significantly less than that of group C.The wound healing rates 7 days and 16 days after surgery in the three group smoked were significantly lower than that of group C.Conclusions Cigarette smoking leads to wound healing delay,and wound healing rate is reduced at fixed time point,with the decrease in the number of macrophages.

The superior imaging manner of intravascular ultrasound becomes more and more widely used in the diagnosis of coronary heart disease and intervention therapy. However, as the frequency of ultrasound increases, strong speckled echo signal from blood may significantly decrease the contrast of lumen and arterial wall structure, which may make it difficult for doctor to diferentiate and measure geometrical parameters and physical parameters of lumen and plaque. In this paper a novel noise reduction method is introduced, which utilizes the temporal and spatial information of IUVS, that is blood echo speckles have higher temporal and spatial variation than the arterial wall. When signals transferred into the frequency field, tissue and blood present different frequency spectrum, then a radio of high frequency energy and low frequency energy is introduced to determine speckles or tissue. Result showed that the method can remarkably remove the speckle noise, increase the contrast and help doctor differentiate the arterial wall from the around tissues.
Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary ; instrumentation ; Coronary Vessels ; diagnostic imaging ; Humans ; Image Enhancement ; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted ; Ultrasonography, Interventional ; instrumentation

The Chan and Vese (C-V) model using one level set function can only represent one object and one background by the sign of the level set function and is not able to express multiple sub-objects of the object region in three-dimensional (3-D) medical images. To deal with the problem, the two-dimensional (2-D) C-V model is firstly extended to the 3-D model. Secondly, a key technique,designated as the technique of painting background, ensures that the evolving curve stops only inside the object following the theory of simultaneous brightness contrast. Thirdly, a pyramidal multiphase level set algorithm for segmentation is developed by the 3-D C-V model and the proposed technique. Finally, experimental results show that the proposed algorithm is able to partition a given image into multiple objects (n-1 level sets for n objects). Also, the algorithm is especially effective for the detection of sub-objects with weak boundaries.
Algorithms ; Diagnostic Imaging ; methods ; Humans ; Image Enhancement ; Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted ; Imaging, Three-Dimensional ; methods

The study of pulse wave, including its quantitative analysis and propagation, is one of the hot topics in the fields of clinical medicine, such as how to detect cardiovascular diseases and make early diagnosis without harm. In this paper are discussed a new type of automatic cardiovascular diagnosis method and the corresponding test instrument. The cardiovascular system parameters can be achieved through the wave changes, related data processing and analyzing. This system includes piezo-film transducer, signal amplifier, data collecting and data analyzing equipment. Various pulse diagrams can be shown in omnidirectional and multifunctional ways. The measurement error can be reduced effectively by introducing Mini-wave analysis in the design of software. The research indicates that combination of this equipment with the traditional Chinese medicine will provide wide practical application.
Algorithms ; Animals ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted ; instrumentation ; methods ; Dogs ; Equipment Design ; Pulse ; instrumentation ; methods ; Software Design

Fractal dimension has been widely used in medical images processing and analysis. The neurite growth of cultured dorsal root ganglion (DRG) was detected by fluorescent immunocytochemistry treated with nerve regeneration factor (0.1, 0.5, 2.0 mg/L). A novel method based on triangular prism surface area (TPSA) was introduced and adopted to calculate the fractal dimension of the two-dimensional immunofluorescent images. Experimental results demonstrate that this method is easy to understand and convenient to operate, and the quantititve results are concordant with the observational findings under microscope. This method can be guidelines for analyzing and deciding experimental results.
Cells, Cultured ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique ; methods ; Fractals ; Ganglia, Spinal ; cytology ; Humans ; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted ; methods ; Nerve Growth Factors ; pharmacology ; Neurites ; physiology