AIM:To explore the role of tumor n ecrosis factor alpha(TN F-?) in the pathogenesis of liver fibrosis. METHODS:The proliferation and apoptosis of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) in vitro were detected with flow cytometry, electron microscopy and TUNEL. RESULTS:The flow cytometry analysis showed that the cell pr oliferation index (PI) in the TNF-?(0.5 ?g/L, 2.0 ?g/L, 8.0 ?g/L) groups was evidently l ower than that in the control group ( P

Objective To analyze the risk factors and early prognosis factors of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST). Methods 68 patients with CVST were analyzed retrospectively. The patients were divided into early favorable prognosis group and early unfavorable prognosis group according to modified Rankin Scale (mRS). The clinical data and prognosis were analyzed by univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results and Conclusion On discharge, there were 37(54.4%) cases and 31(45.6%) cases in the early favorable prognosis group and the early unfavorable prognosis group respectively. Univariate analysis showed that 8 factors, including pregnancy-associated factors, central nervous system infection, hyperhomocysteinemia, ocular symptoms, disturbance of consciousness, limb paralysis,secondary cerebral infarction and ventricular compression/midline shift/encephaledema were associated with the early prognosis.Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that pregnancy-associated factors, central nervous system infection, hyperhomocysteinemia,disturbance of consciousness and ventricular compression/midline shift/encephaledema were the independent factors.

Based on sciences of medicine, electronics and computer, this paper details such information of the portable monitor of HRV as the designing principles and essentials of the software and hardware designs. The monitor has a lot of virtues including being lightweight, integrative, visual and controllable. It can not only suit the test of physical and mental work intensity but also offer important HRV parameter for clinical diagnoses of cardiocerebral vascular diseases. It can also be used by individuals, families and service stations.

Objective:To analyse the behavioral problems of children with chronic tic disorders(CTD).Methods:Children with CTD only and with comorbid attention deficit hyperactivity disorder(ADHD)as well as ADHD and normal controls were assessed by Child Behavior Checklist(CBCL).The rates and scores of behavioral problems between groups were compared.Results:The rate of behavioral problems,total score and most subscales scores in CTD comorbid ADHD group and ADHD group were significantly higher than those of CTD only and control group.There were no significant differences between CTD only and control group except obsessive compulsive problem,hyperactivity behavior,aggressive behavior and total score.Conclusion:The present study suggests that comorbid ADHD was associated with more behavioral problems.

Objective To investigate and compare the clinical effects of intraarticular injection of sodium hyaluronate and diprospan on knee osteoarthritis. Methods 94 patients with knee osteoarthritis were divided into two groups, the HA group and Cortieosteroid group. Each patient in the HA group was treated with intra-articular injection of sodium hyaluronate at 2.5 ml every week for 5 weeks, and each patient in the Corticosteroid group was treated with intra-articular injection of diprospan at 1ml on the first and fourth week. The clinical assessments included pain,joint effusion,and Lequesne Index. Assessments were done at baseline, at week 4, and week 12. Results 88 cases were followed up for 3 months. A significant decrease in VAS scores for pain and in Lequesne Index was found in both groups at week 4 when compared to baseline and there were no significant differences between the two groups. However,at 12 week improvement in pain score and Lequesne Index was found in favour of hyaluronic acid. In addition,diprospan seemed to have preferable short-term effect on patient with joint effusion. Conclusion Both intra-articular injection of sodium hyaluronate and diprospan provided clinically significant improvement in short-term and demonstrated that hyaluronic acid had a more long-term beneficial effect in patients with knee osteoarthritis.

Objective To identify the genotype of clinical stenotrophomonas maltophilia(SMA) isolates and investigate the characteristics of SMA in nosocomial infections.Methods Totally 165 strains of SMA were clinically isolated during the period of 2004 to 2007.Disc diffusion test(K-B method) was used for antibiotic susceptibility.qacE△1 gene was detected by polymerase chain reation(PCR).The gene homology in the SMA strains was analyzed by pulsed field gel electrophoresis(PFGE).Results Among the tested SMA strains 87.9% sourced from low respiratory tract infection.The antibiotics with more than 80% of sensitive rate against SMA were minocycline,trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and levofloxacin.The positive rate of qacE△1 gene was 13.3% in 60 tested strains.The analysis of gene homology for the 11 clinical strains showed that two genotypes from identical clone were found in both respiratory ICU and emergency ICU respectively.Conclusions SMA was an important pathogenic bacterium in nosocomial infections.The treatment for SMA infection is very difficult since its multi-drug resistance.More attention for effective sterilization and isolation of patients must be paid to prevent the transmission of SMA from same clone.

Objective To investigate the protective effect of caffeine citrate on white matter damage in 2-day-old neonatal rats induced by postnatal infection.Methods Forty-eight 2-day-old SD rats were randomly divided into the control group (group A,n =16),lipopolysaccharide(LPS) infection group (group B,n =16),and caffeine citrate intervention group (group C,n =16) according to the random table method.The newborn rats of group B and C were continuously injected LPS 0.6 mg/kg intraperitoneally for 5 days from 2 days old,and the newborn rats of group A were continuously injected by an equal volume of 9 g/L saline intraperitoneally.Group C was continuously injected by caffeine citrate 10 mg/kg intraperitoneally for 7 days from 4 days old;equal volume of 9 g/L saline was injected into group A and B for 7 days continuously.At 12 days old,8 rats of each group were sacrificed randomly to evaluate the expression of myelin basic protein(MBP) subcortical white matter by immunohistochemical method.Both sides of hippocampus of the rest 8 rats of each group were taken out in ice surface rapidly.The left hippocampus was used to detect the expression of MBP and Caspase-3 by Western blot method,and the right hippocampus was used to evaluate the MBP and Caspase-3 protein level by quantitative real-time PCR(qPCR) method.Results The mean integral optical density (IOD) of subcortical MBP positive expression in group A,group B and group C were 132.64 ± 1.94,102.43 ± 2.12,114.25 ± 2.04,and the difference was statistically significant among 3 groups (F =22.912,P ＜ 0.05).The relative expression levels of MBP mRNA of 3 groups in hippocampus were 0.79 ± 0.01,0.39 ± 0.03,0.55 ± 0.02,and the difference was statistically significant among 3 groups (F =18.584,P ＜ 0.05).The relative expression levels of MBP protein of 3 groups in hippocampus were 0.64 ± 0.03,0.31 ± 0.03,0.51 ± 0.05,and the difference was statistically significant among 3 groups (F =25.780,P ＜ 0.05).The relative expression levels of Caspase-3 mRNA of 3 groups in hippocampus were 0.34 ± 0.02,0.74 ± 0.03,0.57 ± 0.04,and the difference was statistically significant among 3 groups (F =6.105,P ＜ 0.05).The relative expression of Caspase-3 protein of 3 groups in hippocampus were 0.11 ± 0.03,0.36 ± 0.02,0.23 ± 0.03,and the difference was statistically significant among 3 groups (F =40.541,P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions Caffeine citrate has showed protective effect on white matter damage in neonatal rats of 2 days old induced by postnatal infection.The mechanism may be related to inhibition of inflammatory response and reducing apoptosis.

OBJECTIVE:To prepare epirubicin hydrochloride solid lipid nanoparticle(EPI-SLN) and investigate its physicochemical property. METHODS: EPI-SLN was prepared by ultrasonic dispersion technique with glyceryl behenate as matrix,and the appearance,particle size,? electric potential,and entrapment efficiency of the SLN were evaluated and its stability at 3 month storing at 4 ℃ was investigated. RESULTS: EPI-SLN assumed spherical shape with a particle diameter of (212.8?6.2) nm,? electric potential of (-24.7?0.3) mV and entrapment efficiency of 82 %. The EPI-SLN at 4 ℃ was stable after storing for 3 months,showing no marked change in mean diameter,? electric potential or entrapment efficiency. CONCLUSION: The prepared EPI-SLN is up to the standard.

BACKGROUND:Preliminary studies have showed that vacuum sealing drainage based on wound surface dressing biomaterials is a good method to cover the wound as succedaneous peau when the soft tissuedefects along with open fracture cannot be completely repaired during the first operation. OBJECTIVE:To explore the efficacy of vacuum sealing drainage based on wound surface dressing biomaterials in repair of soft tissue defects of foot and ankle. METHODS:Fourteen patients with soft tissue defects of foot and ankle were treated using free skin graft combined with vacuum sealing drainage technique. Meanwhile, the traditional skin graft after wound dressing changes was applied in another 11 patients. The clinical outcomes were compared between two groups. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The transplanted skin in 10 cases of the vacuum sealing drainage group survived. The total survival rate was 71%, and surgical dressing change was applied in the left four patients to finaly cover the wound. By comparison, the transplanted skin in four cases of the traditional group survived. The total survival rate was 54%. To finish the wound, three of the left patients were turned to surgical dressing change and two of them stil needed skin graft operation once more. The total survival rate between the two groups has no statistical significance(P > 0.05). The therapeutic procedure noted that the time waiting for the secondary surgical visit, times for dressing change before the second intervention and the time for final union between the two groups were statisticaly different (P < 0.05). So the vacuum sealing drainage based on wound surface dressing biomaterials may accelerate the repair of soft tissue defects of foot and ankle when using the free skin graft operation.

BACKGROUND:Chitosan is wel known as good biocompatibility and biodegradability;however, its extensive use in biomedical applications is restricted due to its poor transfection efficiency. OBJECTIVE:To prepare the polyethyleneimine-chitosan/DNA nanoparticles loading enhanced green fluorescent protein gene, and to detect their physicochemical properties and gene transfection efficiency towards chondrocytes in vitro.
METHODS:Low molecular weight polyethyleneimine was covalently linked to chitosan backbone to construct chitosan-graft-polyethyleneimine;then the chitosan-graft-polyethyleneimine was mixed with DNA nanoparticles, which loaded enhanced green fluorescent protein gene, by a complex coacervation method. The nanoparticle morphology was observed under a scanning electron microscopy. The sizes and zeta-potentials of the
nanoparticles were measured by a Marven-nano laser diffractometer. The binding capacity of plasmid DNA was evaluated by agarose gel electrophoresis analysis. The gene transfection experiments in vitro were performed towards rabbit’s chondrocytes. The gene transfection efficiency was measured with flow cytometry and under fluorescence microscope. How marked DNA entered into the nucleus of chondrocytes mediated by the nanoparticles was detected by laser scanning confocal microscopy.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The prepared nanoparticles were mainly spherical, with an average size of (154.6±18.6) nm, and zeta-potential of (24.68±6.82) mV. The agarose gel electrophoresis analysis confirmed that the nanoparticles could effectively protect plasmid DNA from DNase Ⅰ-induced degradation. Gene transfection in vitro proved that the nanoparticles were efficient in transfecting rabbit’s chondrocytes and the expression of green fluorescent proteins was observed under fluorescent microscope, with a transfection efficiency of (23.80±1.74)%that was significantly higher than that of the naked plasmid DNA and chitosan/DNA nanoparticles (P<0.05). But no significant differences were observed between polyethyleneimine-chitosan/DNA nanoparticles and LipofectamineTM 2000. These findings indicate that the polyethyleneimine-chitosan/DNA nanoparticles can effectively protect plasmid DNA from nuclease degradation, and exhibit the favorable transfection ability towards articular chondrocytes.