We observed the effects of testosterone (T) on myosin ATPase activity and its isoenzyme distribution of noninfarcted myocardium in male infarcted rats. 21 days after myocardial infarction (MI), both myocardial fiber diameter and myosin ATPase activity were increased in T treated MI group when compared with that of the MI group (P

The evolutionarily conserved Notch family widely exists in vertebrates and invertebrates and plays crucial roles in several biological processes such as embryogenesis, cell proliferation, apoptosis, as well as the differentiation and function of immune cell.Being different from Th1 and Th2 cell subsets, Th17 cells are new subset of CD4+ T cells and can secrete many kinds of cytokines, such as IL-17, IL-17F, IL-21 and IL-22.Recently, Th17 cells are considered to play important roles in asthma, rheumatic arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus and malignant tumor.This review focuses on the research progress of Notch signaling pathway and its regulatory roles on Th17 cells.

Infection can complicate different stages of acute pancreatitis.The probability of infection is related to the existence and extent ofpancreatic necrosis: up to 30% of patients with pancreatic necrosis develop infection.The timing of infection is variable and usually peaks in the second to fourth week after the onset of pancreatitis.IPN(infected pancreatic necrosis)is the most common type of secondary pancreatic infection.Infectious complications in severe acute pancreatitis are associated with considerable morbidity and mortality.Antimicrobial therapy is one of the fundamental elements of therapy.Diagnosis of secondary pancreatic infection is challenging and radiologic characteristic (air bubble sign) and CT guided fine-needle aspiration (FNA) are reliable diagnostic strategies.Antibioticuse should be rational in terms of a rational indication, a rational spectrum, and a rationalduration.Prophylactic antibiotics are not beneficial in improving prognosis.The only rational indication for antibiotics is documented infection.The empirical antibiotics should cover common microbials of hospital-acquired intra-abdominal infection and with good pancreatic penetration.Also, fungal infections are often present in thesepatients, and early diagnosis and antifungal coverage should be considered.Duration is in fact largely determined by the presence and efficacy of source control.When there is no or minimal residual infection left after a source control procedure, a duration of 7 to 10 days is probably sufficient.On the other hand, if the source of infection has not been removed completely, prolonged courses until the residual necrosis has been sterilized are necessary.

Heart ; Myocardium ; cytology ; Stem Cells

As one of the serious complications of diabetes, diabetic retinopathy( DR) has become a main eye disease which causes blindness. The occurrence and development of DR is related to many factors. The pathogenesis is complicated, and the mechanism has not been clear. Early data suggest that the occurrence and development of DR has relations with many factors such as blood sugar level, diabetes duration and the environment. Among the factors, mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress is the important mechanisms of DR and has become research focus in recent years. Consequences of mitochondrial dysfunction within cells include elevation of the rate of reactive oxygen species( ROS) production due to damage of electron transport chain proteins, mitochondrial DNA ( mtDNA ) damage, and loss of metabolic capacity. Clear understanding on the mechanism of mitochondrial functional change under high sugar level and oxidative stress response in the occurrence and development of DR is of great significance on prevention and cure of DR. ln this article, the development of mitochondrial metabolism and oxidative stress of DR is reviewed.

BACKGROUND:It is confirmed that the characteristics of soft and hard tissue development vary largely in different vertical facial types, which reflect the development trend of the patients and the control ing degree on anchorage.
OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the influence of different vertical facial types on the aesthetic evaluation of facial profiles in young females, and analyze the perception of facial attractiveness from different people.
METHODS:Three beautiful females, with high, average and low mandibular angle, respectively were selected according to the measurement data of projection and the orthodontist’s aesthetic appreciation. They were yel ow race, bilateral facial appearance was basical y symmetrical, and no other maxil ofacial disease was found. They also received no orthodontic or orthognathic treatment. The profile digital photographs and cephalograms of three females were col ected. The positions of soft tissue lip and soft tissue chin were altered incremental y with Dolphin Imaging and Management software. Twenty-five new pictures were generated by the smal scale (2 mm per unit) modification in the sagittal direction. By using“acceptable facial appearance”as a filter, 15 orthodontists selected 11 from 25 pictures. Fifty parents of orthodontic patients, 50 orthodontic patients, and 50 amateurs were taken as the evaluators for subjective aesthetic ratings and for the assessment of the influence of vertical facial types on the facial profile attractiveness.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:With low and average angle, straight profile, slightly protrude chin was perceived to be beautiful. With high angle, straight profile, slightly protrude profile was perceived to be beautiful, and evaluation results are consistent between men and women. Evaluators are in agreement when it comes to evaluating the perception of facial attractiveness of three different vertical facial types profile in young females. They also have certain difference in aesthetic tendencies, but when it comes to straight profile they share the same preference. Although different vertical facial types profile has an impact on the profile of lip and chin, but it can’t represent the aesthetic preference of al evaluators.

Objective To determine if aquaporin1 ( AQP1) and aquaporin5 ( AQP5) are expressed in the alveolar-capillary membrane in rats, and to investigate the changes of AQP1 and AQP5 expression in the rat with acute lung injury.Methods The distribution of AQP1 and AQP5 in alveolar capillary membrane was investigated by immunohistochemistry and immunoelectron microscopy with affinity-purified antibodies to human AQP1 and AQP5.The possibility that alveolar capillary membrane AQP1 and AQP5 undergo altered regulation was studied by a rat model established using intra-tracheal instillation of lipopolysaccharide (LPS).Results Immunolabelling showed that AQP1 was stained primarily in the microvascular endothelium of normal lungs, while AQP5 was expressed in type I pneumocytes. Immunohistochemical analysis showed a significant decrease in the expression of AQP1 and AQP5 in injured lungs at 4 -48 h after LPS instillation.AQP1 protein was resumed partly at 24 h after LPS instillation and steroid administration, whereas AQP5 was unchanged.Conclusions The decreased expressions of AQP1 and AQP5 in injured lungs suggest that both of them may play a role in abnormal fluid transportation.

Diversity-oriented synthesis (DOS) aims to efficiently generate collections of small molecules with diverse appendages, functional groups, stereochemistry and skeletons, thus yielding diverse biological activities capable of modulating a wide variety of biological processes. In this review, we discussed the common strategies employed in DOS with specific examples from recent literature, including reagent-based approach, substrate-based approach, build-couple-pair strategy and privileged substructure-based DOS. The application of some DOS libraries in drug discovery is also presented.
Drug Design ; Drug Discovery ; Small Molecule Libraries

Objective To estimate the effects of nasal continuous positive airway pressure(nCPAP)therapy on patients with OSAS in prethrombotic state.Methods One group of 30 patients with OSAS who were diagnosed from Sep.2003 to Sep.2005,one healthy control group of 30 cases.Blood samples were taken from people in the supine position in the morning immediately after overnight polysomnography and nCPAP theraphy(only in OSAS group).Results Compared with the normal controls,the level of the molecular marker GMP-140 increased in the blood of patients with OSAS,the levels of APTT,AT-Ⅲ decreased,and the level of t-PA decreased as well.The level of PAI increased.Compared with the healthy controls,datum indicated statistical differences between the two groups.Datum of the patients with OSAS were improved after nCPAP therapy:AHI decreased from 63.21?23.23 to 0.56?0.84;the nocturnal lowest of SaO_2 increased from 0.68?0.07 to 0.90?0.02;GMP-140 and PAI decreased to (17.07?7.97)% and (95.83?5.91)% respectively;AT-Ⅲ and t-PA increased to(95.20?6.67)% and (5.45?1.61)?g respectively.Conclusion Prethrombotic state is present in patients with OSAS.nCPAP therapy can decrease OSAS-related thrombotic complications.

Fifty-one patients with bee-sting poisoning were divided into slight poisoning group (n =22),moderate poisoning group (n =20) and severe poisoning group (n =9).And 30 healthy persons were selected as control group.The levels of interleukin-8 (IL-8),Von Willebrand factor (vWF),prothrombin time (PT),activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT),fibrinogen (FIB),thrombin time (TT) and D-dimer were measured.The levels of all parameters in slight poisoning group were no significantly different from with control group (P ＞ 0.05).The levels of PT,APTT,IL-8 and vWF were significantly higher in moderate and severe poisoning groups than those in the control group (P ＜0.01).But the levels of APTT,IL-8 and vWF in severe poisoning group were much higher than those in moderate poisoning group (P ＜0.01).The injury of vascular endothelial cell by IL-8 and vWF caused the change of coagulative function and promoted the progress of inflammation.