Adult ; Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury ; Dimethylformamide ; poisoning ; Humans ; Liver ; pathology ; Liver Diseases ; blood ; pathology ; Male ; Necrosis ; Occupational Diseases ; therapy ; Poisoning ; pathology ; therapy

OBJECTIVETo study the role of apelin in the prevention of pulmonary hypertension induced by hypoxia in rats.

METHODSThe animal model of hypoxic pulmonary hypertension was established by exposing the rats to isobaric hypoxic chamber for 4 weeks (8 h/d, 6 d/ w). Forty male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into control group (NC), hypoxic group(HH), hypoxic with low-dose apelin (5 nmol/(kg x d) group(LA) and high-dose apelin (10 nmol/(kg x d) (HA). [pGlu]apelin-13 was administered into the rats of apelin groups by mini-osmotic pump subcutaneously. The mean pulmonary arterial pressure(mPAP) and the mean carotid arterial pressure (mCAP) were measured by either right or left cardiac catheterization, and the weight ratio of right ventricule/left ventricule plus septum (RV/(LV + S)) were calculated. The Masson's trichrome stained lung specimens were examined by light microscope to examine the vessel wall area/total area (WA/TA), vessel cavity area/total area (CA/TA) and media thickness of pulmonary arterioles (PAMT). Meanwhile, the lung homogenates were assayed for the activity of supeeroxide dismutase (SOD) and the content of malondialdehyde (MDA).

RESULTS(1) mPAP and RV/(LV + S) of HH group were significantly higher than those of NC group. mPAP of LA and HA groups were lower than those of HH group. The RV/(LV + S) of HA group was significantly lower than that of HH group, but there was no significant difference between HH group and LA group. (2) Masson's trichrome staining revealed that WA/TA and PAMT of HH group were higher than those of NC group. Administration of apelin significantly eliminated WA/TA and PAMT in LA and HA groups. (3) CA/TA of HH group was lower than that of NC group. Administration of apelin significantly elevated CA/TA in LA and HA groups. (4) The activity of SOD and content of MDA in HH group was, respectively, lower and higher than those in NC group. Apelin treatment increased the activity of SOD in LA and HA groups while decreased the content of MDA.

CONCLUSIONSApelin could play an important role in treatment of hypoxic pulmonary hypertension of rats and the mechanisms of protection were associated with vasodilation of pulmonary artery and inhibition of oxidative stress.

Animals ; Cardiotonic Agents ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Hypertension, Pulmonary ; etiology ; physiopathology ; prevention & control ; Hypoxia ; complications ; physiopathology ; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Male ; Oxidative Stress ; drug effects ; Pulmonary Artery ; physiopathology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Vasodilation ; drug effects

Objective To detect the resistance index and esterase activity of each generation of DDVP-resistant Culex mosquitoes and analyze the relationship between insecticide resistance and esterase. Methods WHO bioassay and micro-plate measurement were used for the detection. Results The resistance index increased to 12.17 after 43 generations' insecticide selection compared to 1.00 as sensitive isolate. The nonspecific esterase(NSE) activity of the mosquitoes became strengthened with the extension of the generations, and the individual frequency of those with OD values no less than 0.9 increased gradually, consistent basically to the bioassay. The AChE average inhibition rate decreased with the extended generation and increased resistance, and the individual frequency of those with inhibition rate less than 30% became strengthened with the extension of generations, showing a positive correlation. Conclusion The activity of NSE and AChE shows a correlation with DDVP resistance.

OBJECTIVETo study the replantation methods and clinical results of amputated fingertip.

METHODSFrom October 2007 to June 2011, 18 fingers of 13 cases were replanted with anastomosis of palm vein and retaining the nail, including 9 males and 4 females,with an average age of 26 years old ranging from 17 to 45 years old. The time from injury to therapy was from 30 min to 5 h, time of broken finger ischemia was from 1.5 to 7 h. All broken fingers were preservation under normal temperature.

RESULTSAll fingers were survived, no vascular crisis happened. All cases were followed up from 3 to 24 months with an average of 14 months. The length and shape of replanted fingers were similar to that of the healthy side. The new nails were smooth, the function was perfect,the sense of pain and touched sensation had been recovered. Their two-piont discriminations ranged from 3 to 6 mm with an average of 5 mm. According to the assessment standard of Chinese Medical Association of Hand Surgery, the results were excellent in 14 cases, good in 3 cases, poor in 1 case.

CONCLUSIONFingertip replantation with anastomosis of palm vein and retaining the nail is regained satisfactory appearance and function of the digits with a high survival rate.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Anastomosis, Surgical ; methods ; Female ; Fingers ; surgery ; Hand ; blood supply ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nails ; surgery ; Replantation ; methods ; Veins ; surgery ; Young Adult

Objective:To study the replantation methods and clinical results of amputated fingertip. Methods:From Oc-tober 2007 to June 2011,18 fingers of 13 cases were replanted with anastomosis of palm vein and retaining the nail , including 9 males and 4 females,with an average age of 26 years old ranging from 17 to 45 years old. The time from injury to therapy was from 30 min to 5 h, time of broken finger ischemia was from 1.5 to 7 h. All broken fingers were preservation under normal tem-perature. Results:All fingers were survived, no vascular crisis happened. All cases were followed up from 3 to 24 months with an average of 14 months. The length and shape of replanted fingers were similar to that of the healthy side. The new nails were smooth, the function was perfect,the sense of pain and touched sensation had been recovered. Their two piont discriminations ranged from 3 to 6 mm with an average of 5 mm. According to the assessment standard of Chinese Medical Association of Hand Surgery,the results were excellent in 14 cases,good in 3 cases,poor in 1 case. Conclusion:Fingertip replantation with anasto-mosis of palm vein and retaining the nail is regained satisfactory appearance and function of the digits with a high survival rate.

Objective:In chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients with previous 96-week treatment with tenofovir amibufenamide (TMF) or tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF), we investigated the efficacy of sequential TMF treatment from 96 to 144 weeks.Methods:Enrolled subjects who were previously assigned (2:1) to receive either 25 mg TMF or 300 mg TDF with matching placebo for 96 weeks received extended or switched TMF treatment for 48 weeks. Efficacy was evaluated based on virological, serological, biological parameters, and fibrosis staging. Statistical analysis was performed using the McNemar test, t-test, or Log-Rank test according to the data. Results:593 subjects from the initial TMF group and 287 subjects from the TDF group were included at week 144, with the proportions of HBV DNA<20 IU/ml at week 144 being 86.2% and 83.3%, respectively, and 78.1% and 73.8% in patients with baseline HBV DNA levels ≥8 log10 IU/ml. Resistance to tenofovir was not detected in both groups. For HBeAg loss and seroconversion rates, both groups showed a further increase from week 96 to 144 and the 3-year cumulative rates of HBeAg loss were about 35% in each group. However, HBsAg levels were less affected during 96 to 144 weeks. For patients switched from TDF to TMF, a substantial further increase in the alanine aminotransferase (ALT) normalization rate was observed (11.4%), along with improved FIB-4 scores.Conclusion:After 144 weeks of TMF treatment, CHB patients achieved high rates of virological, serological, and biochemical responses, as well as improved liver fibrosis outcomes. Also, switching to TMF resulted in significant benefits in ALT normalization rates (NCT03903796).

Objective:In chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients with previous 96-week treatment with tenofovir amibufenamide (TMF) or tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF), we investigated the safety profile of sequential TMF treatment from 96 to 144 weeks.Methods:Enrolled subjects that previously assigned (2:1) to receive either 25 mg TMF or 300 mg TDF with matching placebo for 96 weeks received extending or switching TMF treatment for 48 weeks. Safety profiles of kidney, bone, metabolism, body weight, and others were evaluated.Results:666 subjects from the initial TMF group and 336 subjects from TDF group with at least one dose of assigned treatment were included at week 144. The overall safety profile was favorable in each group and generally similar between extended or switched TMF treatments from week 96 to 144. In subjects switching from TDF to TMF, the non-indexed estimated glomerular filtration rate (by non-indexed CKD-EPI formula) and creatinine clearance (by Cockcroft-Gault formula) were both increased, which were (2.31±8.33) ml/min and (4.24±13.94) ml/min, respectively. These changes were also higher than those in subjects with extending TMF treatment [(0.91±8.06) ml/min and (1.30±13.94) ml/min]. Meanwhile, switching to TMF also led to an increase of the bone mineral density (BMD) by 0.75% in hip and 1.41% in spine. On the other side, a slight change in TC/HDL ratio by 0.16 (IQR: 0.00, 0.43) and an increase in body mass index (BMI) by (0.54±0.98) kg/m 2 were oberved with patients switched to TMF, which were significantly higher than that in TMF group. Conclusion:CHB patients receiving 144 weeks of TMF treatment showed favorable safety profile. After switching to TMF, the bone and renal safety was significantly improved in TDF group, though experienceing change in metabolic parameters and weight gain (NCT03903796).

Chigger mites are parasites of rodents and other vertebrates, invertebrates, and other arthropods, and are the only vectors of scrub typhus, in addition to other zoonoses. Therefore, investigating their distribution, diversity, and seasonal abundance is important for public health. Rodent surveillance was conducted at 6 districts in Shandong Province, northern China (114–112°E, 34–38°N), from January to December 2011. Overall, 225/286 (78.7%) rodents captured were infested with chigger mites. A total of 451 chigger mites were identified as belonging to 5 most commonly collected species and 3 genera in 1 family. Leptotrombidium scutellare and Leptotrombidium intermedia were the most commonly collected chigger mites. L. scutellare (66.2%, 36.7%, and 49.0%) was the most frequently collected chigger mite from Apodemus agrarius, Rattus norvegicus, and Microtus fortis, respectively, whereas L. intermedia (61.5% and 63.2%) was the most frequently collected chigger mite from Cricetulus triton and Mus musculus, respectively. This study demonstrated a relatively high prevalence of chigger mites that varied seasonally in Shandong Province, China.
Animals ; Arthropods ; Arvicolinae ; China* ; Cricetinae ; Cricetulus ; Humans ; Invertebrates ; Mice ; Mites* ; Murinae ; Neptune ; Parasites ; Prevalence ; Public Health ; Rats ; Rodentia* ; Scrub Typhus ; Seasons ; Trombiculidae* ; Vertebrates ; Zoonoses

Objective To explore the characteristics of gene sequence of mtDNA-COⅠof Culex pipiens pallens from differ-ent geographical regions in Shandong Province and different resistant strains from the lab and five common mosquito species, and analyze the genetic diversity of these mosquitoes.Methods Adult mosquitoes were collected from Jinan,Jining,Qingdao cities and other places in Shandong Province.The sensitive,dichlorvos-resistant,pyrethroid-resistant and propoxur-resistant strains were reared in the lab.Five species of mosquito(Cx.pipiens pallens,Cx.tritaeniorhynchus,Anopheles sinensis,Aedes al-bopictus,and Armigeres subalbatus)were collected from Jining City and identified in the lab.mtDNA-COⅠwas specifically am-plified by PCR and sequenced.The gene sequences were compared and analyzed by the biological information systems,and the phylogenetic tree was constructed.Results The amplified mtDNA-COⅠfragments of Cx.pipiens pallens from eight different cit-ies and four different resistant strains were 528 bp in length,with 67.4% A+T contents and two mutation sites.The nucleotide se-quence homology among the different geographic strains was 99.95% and the gene sequences of the four resistant strains were the same,showing a high homogeny.The amplified mtDNA-COⅠfragments of the five species of mosquitoes were 528 bp with 408 conserved sites,120 variable sites,42 parsimony informative sites and 78 singleton sites. The A+T contents were between 65.7% and 68.0%.The nucleotide sequence homology among the different mosquito species was between 86.17% and 92.05%,and the molecular identification was consistent with the traditional morphological identification. The molecular phylogenetic study showed that the different species were clustered at their own branch at the species and genus levels,while genera Armiger-es was distantly related to the others.Conclusion mtDNA-COⅠcould not serve as the molecular marker to analyze the popula-tion genetic variation and phylogenesis of Cx.pipiens pallens from different geographical regions and different resistant strains, but it has species and genus specificities,which could be used for the identification of the mosquito species and genus.

BACKGROUNDThe Dextroscope system by Volume Interactions (Singapore) had been applied to minimally invasive neurosurgery in many units. This system enables the neurosurgeon to interact intuitively with the three-dimensional graphics in a direct manner resembling the way one communicates with the real objects. In the paper, we explored its values in pre-operation surgical planning for intracranial meningiomas resection.

METHODSBrain computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and magnetic resonance venography (MRV) were performed on 10 patients with parasagittal and falcine meningiomas located on central groove area; brain CT, MRI and magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) were performed on 10 patients with anterior skull base meningiomas and 10 patients with sphenoid ridge meningiomas. All these data were transferred to Dextroscope virtual reality system, and reconstructed. Then meningiomas, skull base, brain tissue, drainage vein and cerebral arteries were displayed within the system, and their anatomic relationships were evaluated. Also, the simulation operations were performed.

RESULTSFor parasagittal and falcine meningiomas, the relationships of tumor with drainage vein and superior sagittal sinus were clearly displayed in the Dextroscope system. For anterior skull base and sphenoid ridge meningiomas, the relationships of tumor with bilateral internal carotid arteries, anterior cerebral arteries, middle cerebral arteries and skull base were vividly displayed within the virtual reality system. Surgical planning and simulation operation of all cases were performed as well. The real operations of all patients were conducted according to the simulation with well outcomes.

CONCLUSIONSAccording to the virtual reality planning, neurosurgeons could get more anatomic information about meningioma and its surrounding structures, especially important vessels, and choose the best approach for tumor resection, which would lead to better prognosis for patients.

Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Angiography ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Meningioma ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; surgery ; Middle Aged ; Neurosurgical Procedures ; methods ; Radiography