BACKGROUND:Because of the deficiency of researches on connective tissue growth factor associated with orthopedic diseases, very little attention has been paid to the studies on connective tissue growth factor in the intervertebral disc.
OBJECTIVE:Through exploring the role and mechanism of connective tissue growth factor in disc degeneration, to provide new evidence for biotherapy of disc degeneration.
METHODS: A computer-based search of PubMed and CNKI was performed by the first author to retrieve articles relevant to the effect and mechanism of connective tissue growth factor on degenerative disc and its related tissues published from January 1997 to October 2014. The keywords were “intervertebral disc; CTGF; TGF-β;hypoxia; disc degeneration” in Chinese and English, respectively, which appeared in the title, abstract or keywords. Articles published recently or in authoritative journals were preferred, and finaly 34 articles were included in result analysis.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Recentlyin vivo and in vitro studies on the intervertebral disc have clearly demonstrated the anabolic role of connective tissue growth factor in stimulating matrix production from nucleus pulposus cels and revealed that the transforming growth factorβ-connective tissue growth factor axis was of great importance to celular matrix productionviaregulations and stimulations to transforming growth factor β and hypoxia, while the regulation of hypoxia for connective tissue growth factor was another in a specific cel and tissue manner.

Objective To explore the influence of telephone follow-up on home rehabilitation for patients with schizophrenia. Methods 200 patients with schizophrenia were assigned into experimental group and control group with 100 cases in each group. During their hospitalization,all patients were given conventional treating and nursing and were treated with atypical antipsychotic drugs. After getting a clinical recovery and discharge, the experimental group received telephone follow-up for 2 years while the control group received outpatient service follow-up. Results There was significant difference in scores of Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) in both groups with time (F=85.943, P=0.000). There was a significant interaction effect between intervention and time (F=6.458, P=0.000) and there was also a significant difference (F=26.012, P=0.000) between both groups on the scores of PANSS. At the end of the 6th, 12th, 18th and 24th month after discharge, the PANSS scores were significantly less in the experimental group than in the control group (P<0.05). The accumulative total relapse rate and frequency were significantly lower in the experimental group than in the control group anytime after discharge (P<0.05).Conclusion The telephone follow-up can significantly improve the effect of home rehabilitation for the patients with schizophrenia. It is beneficial for the patients to control disease and reduce the relapse.

Objective To understand the relationship between the dietary patterns and metabolic syndrome among elderly people in Zhejiang province,in order to provide scientific basis and reference for nutrition interventions.Methods Data were obtained from the 2010-2012 Chinese National Nutrition and Health Survey,and factor analysis was used to obtain food patterns among elderly people in Zhejiang province.The Logistic regression was used to explore the association of the food patterns with metabolic syndrome and its components.Results The intakes of bean products,nuts,fruits,eggs,and milk in elderly people were generally low,and the intakes of livestock and poultry meat,cooking oil and salt were relatively high.5 dietary patterns were derived by factor analysis:high-quality protein diet,mediterranean diet,condiments diet,traditional dietary pattern and western dietary pattern.The medical test results in 780 elderly people showed that the standardized prevalence of metabolic syndrome in the elderly was 28.8％,standardized central obesity rate was 41.2％,standardized hypertension rate was 50.3％ and standardized hyperglycemia rate was 39.5％.Logistic regression analysis showed that different dietary patterns had different effects on the metabolic syndrome and its components.Conclusions The prevalence rate of metabolic syndrome and the abnormal rates of its components are high in the elderly in Zhejiang.The intakes of fruits and milk are generally low,and intakes of livestock and poultry meat,cooking oil and salt are relatively high.The relationship between dietary patterns and MS or its components is complicated,so it is necessary to guide the elderly people to adopt reasonable diet by referring to the Diet Pagoda in order to reduce the risk of MS or its components.

Objective To study the levels of soluble thrombomodulin (sTM)in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and evaluate its clinical significance. Method Measured the sTM levels with enzyme linked immunosorbent assay, and described the characteristics of coronary arteriography, risk factors of coronary heart disease, and adverse events in a case-control study of 48 ACS patients (ACS group)and 10 normal people (control group). Results The level of sTM in ACS group was (3.67±1.71) μg/L, and (2.34±0.43)μg/L in control group (P<0.05). The level of sTM in the patients of risk factors or impaired vessels number more than 2 increased significantly than those in the patients of risk factors or impaired vessols number inferior or equal to 2, (4.93±2.76) μg/Lvs (3.13±0.81) μg/L, P<0.05, (4.60± 2.83) μg/L vs (2.91±0.23) μg/L, P < 0.05 respectively. The incidence of cardiac events in the patients of sTM more than 3.2 μg/L (70.0%)was higher significantly than that in the patients of sTM inferior or equal to 3.2 μg/L(35.7%), P< 0.05. Conclusions The levels of sTM are valuable markers to evaluate the impaired degree and scope of endothelial cells in ACS. They are also associated with the number of risk factors, and useful in predicting the extent and prognosis of the disease.

Abstract Hyperuricemia (HUA) is a metabolic disorder syndrome caused by purine metabolism dysregulation, and its prevalence increases year by year. The development and progression of HUA are accompanied by significant alterations in the composition of intestinal microbiota, making probiotics a potential and safe method to reduce serum uric acid. Probiotics ameliorate HUA through three pathways: competing with intestinal epithelial cells for purine absorption to decrease uric acid synthesis, inhibiting xanthine oxidase activity through modulation of inflammatory cytokines to reduce the conversion of purine to uric acid, as well as restoring and maintaining an orderly state of the gut microbiota to facilitate normal uric acid excretion. This article reviews the role of probiotics in ameliorating HUA, so as to provide the reference for the application of probiotics in the prevention and intervention of HUA.

The comparative analysis of the biological characterization and the genetic background study of EV71 circulating strains is commonly recognized as basic work necessary for development of an effective EV71 vaccine. In this study, we sequenced five EV71 circulating strains, isolated from Fuyang, Hefei, Kunming and Shenzhen city of China and named them FY-23, FY-22, H44, K9 and S1 respectively. The sequence alignment demonstrated their genotypes be C4. The genetic distance of the VP1 gene from these isolates suggested that they were highly co-related with genetic identity similar to other previously reported EV71 strains in China. Additionally, these strains were identified to display some obvious proliferation dynamics and plaque morphology when propagated in Vero cells. However, a distinctive difference in pathogenic ability in neonatal mice was found. Some differences in cross neutralization test & immunogenic analysis were also found. All these results are related to the biological characterization of circulating EV71 strains in China and aid in the development of an EV71 vaccine in the future.

AIM: To explore the roles of heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) in the blockage of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) against chemical hypoxia-mimetic agent (cobalt chloride, CoCl_2)-induced oxidative stress injuries in H9c2 cardiac cell. METHODS: H9c2 cells were treated with CoCl_2 to set up the chemical hypoxia-induced the model of cardiomyocyte injury. Sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS, a H2S donor) was added into medium for 30 min before CoCl_2 treatment. ATP content was detected by high performance liquid chromatogram (HPLC). Mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) was measured by rhodamine123 (Rh123) staining and photofluorography. The activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) was observed using a SOD kit. The expression of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) was evaluated by Western blotting. RESULTS: CoCl_2 at concentration of 600 μmol/L significantly reduced SOD activity, ATP level and MMP, and enhanced the expression of HO-1 in H9c2 cells. Pretreatment with 400 μmol/L NaHS dramatically inhibited the cytotoxicity induced by CoCl_2, increased SOD activity, ATP level and MMP, decreased HO-1 expression. 17-allylamino-17 demethoxygeldanamycine(17AAG), an inhibitor of HSP90, obviously blocked the inhibitory effect of H2S on the CoCl_2-induced cytotoxicity, reduced the levels of ATP and MMP, increased HO-1 expression. However, no significantly influence on SOD activity was observed. CONCLUSION: HSP90 may mediate the cardioprotection of H2S via inhibiting the oxidative stress induced by chemical hypoxia.

Objective To evaluate the effect of the Parasep? feces centrifuge tube method on detecting schistosome eggs. Methods A total of 803 residents aged from 6-65 years were selected in 2 schistosomiasis endemic villages Jiangling Coun-ty Hubei Province and their stool samples were collected and detected parallelly by the Kato-Katz technique nylon silk egg hatching method and Parasep? feces centrifuge tube method at the same time. Results Among the 803 people 15 cases were found of schistosome egg positive and the positive rate was 1.87%. The positive rates of the Kato-Katz technique nylon silk egg hatching method and Parasep? feces centrifuge tube method were 0.75% 1.49% and 1.12% respectively. The schistosome eggs got with the Parasep? feces centrifuge tube method were clear and easy to identify. Conclusion In low endemic areas of schistosomiasis the Parasep? feces centrifuge tube method can be used as schistosomiasis japonica etiology diagnosis method.

Objective To evaluate the value of the TIMI risk index in predicting 30-day and one-yosr mortality and incidence of heart failure in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).Method Data of 229 patients with STEM1 from August 1999 to March 2006 in the First Affiliated Hospital,Sun Yat-sen University,were retrospeclively collected,analyzed and scored with TIMI risk index.When categorized into quintiles(≤12.5,12.5～17.5,17.5～22.5,22.5～30,>30) and modeled as a continuous variable,difference of prediction of 30day and one-year mortality and 30-day incidence of heart failure of patients were compared respectively.Results When categorized into quintilos and modeled as a continuous variable,30-day and one-year mortality and 30-day incidence of heart failure were increasing with increasing score of risk index (P<0.05).The area under the recewer operating characteristic curve were 0.65,0.68,0.67 and 0.70,0.72,0.70,respectively.Conclusions The TIM1 risk index can be used as a simple,rapid and practical tool to risk-stratify patients with STEMI.

Objective To understand the spatial distribution characteristics of wild feces in schistosomiasis endemic areas of Jiangling County,Hubei Province and further explore the source of infection efficiently,so as to provide the evidence for the development of corresponding monitoring and response technology. Methods In 2011,the fresh wild feces were investigated every two months in the selected 15 villages by the severity of historical endemic in Jiangling County. The schistosome miracidi-um hatching method was used to test the schistosome infection of the wild feces. The descriptive analysis and spatial analysis were used for the description of the spatial distribution of the wild feces. Results Totally 701 wild feces samples were collected with the average density of 0.0556/100 m2,and the positive rate of the wild feces was 11.70%(82/701). The results of the re-gression analysis showed a positive spatial correlation between the positive rate of wild feces and the rate of human infection,the area with infected Oncomelania hupensis and the number of fenced cattle,and the corrected R2 of the model was 0.58. Conclu-sion The infection rate of wild feces is positively correlated with the rate of human infection,area with infected O. hupensis and number of fenced cattle in space in Jiangling County,so the prevention and control measures could be conducted according to the spatial distribution of the positive wild feces.