Objective To explore the effects of Nimodipine on oncogene c-fos and c-jun mRNA expressions in dorsal root ganglia of rats following acute sciatic nerve injury.Methods Nimodipine at a dose of 10 mg/kg at 5,15,30,60 and 120 min and at a different dose of 2.5,5 and 10 mg/kg at 60 min was given to each rat through intraperitoneal injection before transection of sciatic nerve.Using reverse transcription PCR(RT-PCR) technique,the c-fos and c-jun mRNA expressions were detected at 5,15,30,60 and 120 min after injection of Nimodipine and following acute sciatic nerve injury.Results Compared with control group,the expressions of c-fos mRNA in injury group were obviously increased at 30,60 and 120 min after injury(all P

Objective:To investigate the levels of periphreal blood free carnitine and amino acids in healthy pregnant women in the third trimester and their association with maternal, fetal, and neonatal cardiac function and structure.Methods:This prospective descriptive study included healthy singleton pregnancies who underwent routine obstetric examination and delivered in two district maternal and child health hospitals (one in the urban and one in the suburb an area) in Beijing from June 2017 to February 2018. All recruiters had serology Down's syndrome screening test at (18±1) gestational weeks. Besides measurement of amino acids and free carnitine levels in whole blood and urine samples by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, all cases underwent maternal and fetal echocardiography at (35±1) weeks of gestation. And neonatal echocardiography was performed after delivery to assess the heart function and structure. Antenatal factors were also collected, including maternal education background, age at first marriage and conception, gravidity, and folic acid supplement in early pregnancy. Statistical analysis was performed using t-test, ANOVA, Chi-square test, Pearson correlation coefficient, and Kappa test. Results:A total of 493 mother-neonate dyads were enrolled in this study. Blood free carnitine levels in the healthy pregnant women in the third trimester ranged from 5.09 to 59.17 μmol/L (reference value: 10.00-50.00 μmol/L) with an average value of (13.03±3.87) μmol/L. None was found with structural abnormalities by cardiac ultrasound, showing an average left ventricular end diastolic diameter (LVEDD) and end systolic diameter (LVESD) of (45.70±3.08) mm and (29.17±3.12) mm, respectively, and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) of all cases were over 55%. No cardiac malformation was detected by the third-trimester fetal echocardiography. The average birth weight of the 493 newborns was (3 340±313) g. Those whose birth weight <2 500 g and >4 000 g were accounted for 1.0% (5 cases) and 3.0% (15 cases) with the average maternal blood free carnitine level of (13.25±2.17) μmol/L (10.46-19.21 μmol/L) and (12.64±2.50) μmol/L (8.78-17.73 μmol/L) ( t=0.42, P>0.05). The average LVEDD and LVESD of the 493 newborns were (17.21±1.27) mm and (11.03±1.30) mm, respectively. For the 64 newborns (13.0%) whose LVEF<60%, the maternal blood free carnitine level was (12.93±2.78) μmol/L (7.34-22.13 μmol/L), showing no statistical difference ( t=-0.29, P>0.05) with those 59 neonates (12.0%) whose LVEF over 75% and maternal carnitine level of (13.09±3.24) μmol/L (8.66-27.49 μmol/L). All cases were divided into four groups based on the quartiles of maternal blood free carnitine level and no significant difference in maternal or neonatal LVEDD or LVEF was observed among these groups (all P>0.05). Conclusions:Blood free carnitine concentration in healthy pregnant women in the third trimester is at the lower limit of normal range, and no significant effect on maternal cardiac function and fetal cardiac structure is seen. However, the effect of low maternal carnitine level in the third trimester on children's myocardial function and whether carnitine should be supplemented in the third trimester are worthy of further investigation with larger sample size.

BACKGROUND: There are a lot of researches on the protective action of calcium channel blocker(CCB) on diabetic peripheral neuropathy, but the dosage and the effect on injured nerve need to investigate further in clinical application.OBJECTIVE: To observe the results of electrophysiologic assessment of the effect of CCB flunarizine at different dosages on Bell' s palsy after 1-month treatment.DESIGN: Randomized grouping, blank control and l-month follow up.SETTING: Department of Neurology, First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University.PARTICIPANTS: Totally 35 patients with Bell' s palsy, including 19males and 16 females aged from 16 to 58 and the mean age of 32. 8, were selected from Outpatients of the Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital to Nanjing Medical University from November 1999 to May 2001. The course of disease was ≤ 3 days. Patients were without any treatment, and all of the facial nerve palsy was complete. According to random samplings, all patients were divided randomly into control group (basic treatment group) with 12 cases and treatment groups with 10 cases in first subgroup and 13 in second subgroup.METHODS: Basic treatment: 1 mg/kg per day prednisone(the maximal dosage ≤ 60 mg/day) was taken once every day and reducing dosage by half every 5 days, with a course of therapy for 15 days. 500 μg methycobal was taken orally three times a day and 25 mg fursulthiamine also orally three times a day. Ultrashort wave physiotherapy was taken once a day for 15 days. On the basis of the basic treatment, patients in the first subgroup accepted 5 mg flunarizine once every night, and 10 mg flunarizine once every night was given to the patients in the second subgroup. The latency and amplitude of Blink response were checked before treatment and after 1-month treatment.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The latency and amplitude of Blink response in every group after 1-month treatment.RESULTS: According to the imagery analysis, 35 patients entered the resulting analysis. Before treatment, the 3 groups of blink responses were all efferential blocking in facioplegic side, and in addition, R1 and R2 all disappeared. After treatment for 1 month, Blink response of R1, R2 appeared. The latency of R1 and R2 in the second treatment group was better than that in control group[ (9. 608 ± 0. 575) ms, (31. 869 ± 2. 934) ms,(11.208±1.490) ms and (37. 583 ±5. 408) ms, P ＜0.01], but there were no differences in this respect between the first treatment group and the control group. The ipsilateral amplitudes of Blind response in the three groups were not different after 1-month treatment.CONCLUSION: After 1-month treatment with flunarizine(10 mg/day),the recovery of facial nerve function can be promoted, but the protective effect of flunarizine(5 mg/day) on peripheral nerve is not superior to that with normal treatment. The mechanism and the proper dosage are not observed further in this study.

ObjectiveTo assess gene chip application value in detecting pathogenic bacteria in intracranial infection cases.MethodsPrimers and probes aiming at the specific DNA sequences of 4 kinds of common pathogenic bacteria and 6 kinds of common drug resistance genes (DRGs) were designed and used to identify the bacteria and DRGs among 30 cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) specimens (12 positive,18negative in CSF culture) from patients with intracranial infection using multiplex polymerase chain reaction (mPCR) and gene chip.The results of gene detection were compared with those of CSF culture and drug sensitivity testing.ResultsBacteria were identified and DRGs were detected in 15 specimens; DRGs and 16S gene were detected in 8 specimens; neither bacterium nor DRG was detected in 7 specimens.ConclusionGene chip technique is characterized by its relative sensitivity and rapidity of detecting the pathogenic bacteria in CSF of intraeranial infection cases.

Objective To analyze the value of conventional T2WI combining with breath-hold Cartesian VIBE sequence, and compared with Blade combining with breath-free radial VIBE sequences in pre-operative T staging of potentiallly resectable esophageal carcinoma. Methods Sixty-five cases of esophageal carcinoma were concluded prospectively. All patients had received pathological examination of gastroscope biopsy before MRI. Patients received MR examination, including T2WI, breath-hold VIBE, Blade, and breath-free radial VIBE sequences. Two radiologists with more than five years experiences in the diagnosis of chest, performed T staging in MRIby referring to the the 7th edition of UICC-AJCC TNM classification. The results of MRI T staging and the postoperative pathological T staging were analyzed byχ2 test. Results Sixty-five patients were included. Diagnostic coincidence rates of the preoperative T staging by using conventional T2WI combining with breath-hold Cartesian VIBE sequences and Blade combining with breath-free radial VIBE sequences were 51%(33/65) and 88%(57/65) ,with 32 and 8 cases overstaging or understaging respectively, and the statistical differences were significant(χ2=20.80, P<0.05). The former diagnostic accuracy of esophageal carcinoma in situ, muscularis violation and esophageal fiber membrane were 42%(8/19), 54%(14/26), 55%(11/20), and the latter were 89%(17/19), 88%(23/26), and 85%(17/20). Conclusions Diagnostic coincidence rate of the preoperative T staging by using Blade combining with breath-free radial VIBE sequences is much higher than conventional T2WI combining with breath-hold Cartesian VIBE sequences. Blade combining with breath-free radial VIBE sequences could be used as non-invasive imaging method in preoperative T staging of potentially resectable esophageal carcinoma.

OBJECTIVETo analyze the clinical characteristics and diagnosis of 2 cases with chylothorax due to primary lymphatic dysplasia and to elevate pediatrician's recognition level for this disease.

METHODClinical manifestations of the children were retrospectively analyzed. Primary lymphatic dysplasia was diagnosed by lymphoscintigraphy.

RESULTThe first patient was a male aged 2-year-7-month who presented with a history of tachypnea for 43 days, fever and sore throat for 5 days at the early stage of the illness. He had a history of external injury before his illness. Physical examination showed his left chest bulging and left side diminished breath sound. His pleural effusion showed dark red (It was divided into two layers after standing, the upper layer turned into milky white, and the lower turned into hemorrhagic liquid) . White blood cell (WBC) count was 9 000×10(6)/L, mononuclear cell was 0.9, polykaryocytes was 0.1, triglyceride was 12.37 mmol/L in the pleural effusion. Contrast-enhanced lung CT (revascularization) showed pericardial effusion and a massive left sided pleural effusion. The second patient was a male aged 9 years and 6 months, who presented with a history of cough for 24 days, intermittent fever, vomiting, abdominal pain for 19 days, and edema of lower limbs for 4 days. Physical examination showed edema in both eyelids, lower extremities and scrotum. The level of albumin was 14 g/L and the titer of Mycoplasma pneumoniae IgM was 1: 320 in the serum. His hydrothorax pleural effusion showed milk white. White blood cell (WBC) count was 74×10(6)/L, mononuclear cell was 0.78, polykaryocytes was 0.22, triglyceride was 1.01 mmol/L in the pleural effusion. Chyle test showed positive in his pleural effusion and seroperitoneum. High-resolution CT of the lung revealed bilateral interstitial and parenchymal infiltration and both sided pleural effusion. Abdominal ultrasound showed giant hypertrophy of the gastric mucosa and massive ascites. Gastroscopy showed giant hypertrophy of the gastric mucosa. Lymphoscintigraphy revealed primary lymphatic dysplasia in both children.

CONCLUSIONPrimary lymphatic dysplasia might occur in children and result in dropsy of serous cavity (chylothorax, chylopericardium, chylous ascites). Dropsy of serous cavity showed bloody or milk white. WBC count might elevate with lymphocyte increasing mostly, triglyceride was often higher than 1.0 mmol/L in dropsy of serous cavity. Primary lymphatic dysplasia can be diagnosed by lymphoscintigraphy.

Child ; Child, Preschool ; Chylothorax ; diagnosis ; etiology ; pathology ; Humans ; Leukocyte Count ; Lymphatic Abnormalities ; complications ; diagnosis ; pathology ; Lymphoscintigraphy ; Male ; Pericardial Effusion ; diagnosis ; etiology ; Pleural Effusion ; diagnosis ; etiology ; pathology ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed