BACKGROUND: There are some cytokines like interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha as well as neurohormones such as norepinerphrine in serum of patients with congestive heart failure. However, whether they influence the occurrence and development of congestive heart failure is uncertain.OBJECTIVE: To explore the changes and significance of interleukin-6,tumor necrosis factor-alpha and norepinerphrine in order to provide basis for assessing the severity of heart failure and its prognosis.DESIGN: A case control study.SETTING: Department of Cardiology, Shidong Hospital of Shanghai City.INTERVENTIONS: A total of 58 patients with congestive heart failure admitted to Department of Cardiology, Shidong Hospital of Shanghai City from January 2000 to October 2001 were chosen as patient group with 33 males and 25 females. According to NYHA heart function classification,there were 12 cases of level Ⅱ, 32 cases with level Ⅲ and 14 cases of level Ⅳ. Thirty healthy volunteers who took physical examination during the same time were chosen as control group with 18 males and 12 females.ELISA was used to assay the levels of interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factoralpha and norepinerphrine in serum while two-dimension echocardiography was used to test the left ventricular ejection fraction in order to observe the relationship between cytokines and heart function.RESULTS: ① The levels of interleukin-6 [(367.6±78.6), (569.7±117.3)ng/L], tumor necrosis factor-alpha [(395.3±82.4), (583.1±124.8) ng/L] and norepinerphrine [(396.5±85.3),(675.9±136.2) ng/L] in patients with level Ⅰ-Ⅱ, Ⅳ heart function was remarkably higher than those of patients with level Ⅱ heart function and people in control group[(221.5±58.4), (170.2±42.7)ng/L; (205.4±59.2), (180.3±43.8) ng/L; (227.4±65.6),(163.8±41.5) ng/L] (P ＜ 0.05). Compared patients of level Ⅱ heart function with people in the control group, there was no difference on the above indicators (P ＞ 0.05).②There was highly negative correlation between interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, norepinerphrine and left ventricular ejection fraction (r=-0.63, P＜ 0.01; r=-0.54, P＜ 0.05;r=-0.58,P ＜ 0.01). The more severe the heart failure, the higher the levels of interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha and norepinerphrine. There was obviously positive correlation between tumor necrosis factor-alpha and norepinerphrine as well as between interleukin-6 and norepinerphrine (r=0.57,P ＜ 0.01;r=0.51,P ＜ 0.05). The more severe the heart failure, the higher the level of interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha and that there was positive correlation between them (r=0.39, P ＜ 0.05).CONCLUSION: The tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-6 levels in patients with congestive heart failure all increased, especially in patients with moderate or severe congestive heart failure, and represented negative correlation with left ventricular ejection fraction. It suggests that the levels of interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha in serum can be used as indicators to assess the severity and prognosis of congestive heart failure and provide assessment basis for quantitative evaluation of rehabilitation interventions.

Objec ive: o inves iga e he effec s of differen dose of bisoprolol on neurohormonal ac ivi y,cy okines,cardiac func ion,cardiac dea h in chronic sys olic hear failure pa ien s Me hods: One hundred and wen y chronic hear failure pa ien s were randomly divided in o large dose group (average 8 5? 1 2 mg) and small dose group (average 3 5?1 2 mg) he changes of norepinephrine (NE) ,angio ensionⅡ (AngⅡ) ,aldos erone (Ald) ,endo helin (E ) ,in erleukin 6 BF (IL 6) , umour necrosis fac or ? ( NF ?) Q ,plasm rennin ac ivi y (PRA) ,cardiona rin (ANP) ,brain na riure ic pep ide (BNP) ,cardiac func ion,cardiac dea h were observed Resul s:Af er rea men , he hear ra e were decreased in wo groups, p

BACKGROUNDTo get early laboratory study of type specific antigenicity of herpes simplex virus II.

METHODSPCR and prokaryotic expression technique.

RESULTSHerpes simplex virus II type specific gene fragment was expressed in E.coli and the products can be used as specific antigen for the detection of anti\HSV in the recovery sera.

CONCLUSIONSCloning and express of HSVII type specific antigen found the basis for developing specific diagnosis methods and vaccine of HSV.

Antigens, Viral ; immunology ; Cloning, Molecular ; Gene Expression ; Herpesvirus 2, Human ; genetics ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; blood ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Recombinant Proteins ; immunology

Coronary heart disease is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Advanced age is associated with increased prevalence, morbidity and mortality of coronary heart disease. Older adults are at higher risk of complications and accelerated physical deterioration following cardiovascular events than youn-ger patients. In recent years, researchers have proposed that exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation is an im-portant part of the treatment of patients with coronary heart disease, especially contributing to the improve-ment of the quality of life of elderly patients. This review summarizes the current status and influence of car-diac rehabilitation on elderly patients with coronary heart disease.

BACKGROUND: The contraction behaviors of cardiomyocytes (CMs), especially contraction synchrony, are crucial factors reflecting their maturity and response to drugs. A wider field of view helps to observe more pronounced synchrony differences, but the accompanied greater computational load, requiring more computing power or longer computational time. METHODS: We proposed a method that directly correlates variations in optical field brightness with cardiac tissue contraction status (CVB method), based on principles from physics and photometry, for rapid video analysis in wide field of view to obtain contraction parameters, such as period and contraction propagation direction and speed. RESULTS: Through video analysis of human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived CMs labeled with green fluorescent protein (GFP) cultured on aligned and random nanofiber scaffolds, the CVB method was demonstrated to obtain contraction parameters and quantify the direction and speed of contraction within regions of interest (ROIs) in wide field of view. The CVB method required less computation time compared to one of the contour tracking methods, the LucasKanade (LK) optical flow method, and provided better stability and accuracy in the results. CONCLUSION This method has a smaller computational load, is less affected by motion blur and out-of-focus conditions, and provides a potential tool for accurate and rapid analysis of cardiac tissue contraction synchrony in wide field of view without the need for more powerful hardware.

BACKGROUND: The contraction behaviors of cardiomyocytes (CMs), especially contraction synchrony, are crucial factors reflecting their maturity and response to drugs. A wider field of view helps to observe more pronounced synchrony differences, but the accompanied greater computational load, requiring more computing power or longer computational time. METHODS: We proposed a method that directly correlates variations in optical field brightness with cardiac tissue contraction status (CVB method), based on principles from physics and photometry, for rapid video analysis in wide field of view to obtain contraction parameters, such as period and contraction propagation direction and speed. RESULTS: Through video analysis of human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived CMs labeled with green fluorescent protein (GFP) cultured on aligned and random nanofiber scaffolds, the CVB method was demonstrated to obtain contraction parameters and quantify the direction and speed of contraction within regions of interest (ROIs) in wide field of view. The CVB method required less computation time compared to one of the contour tracking methods, the LucasKanade (LK) optical flow method, and provided better stability and accuracy in the results. CONCLUSION This method has a smaller computational load, is less affected by motion blur and out-of-focus conditions, and provides a potential tool for accurate and rapid analysis of cardiac tissue contraction synchrony in wide field of view without the need for more powerful hardware.

BACKGROUND: The contraction behaviors of cardiomyocytes (CMs), especially contraction synchrony, are crucial factors reflecting their maturity and response to drugs. A wider field of view helps to observe more pronounced synchrony differences, but the accompanied greater computational load, requiring more computing power or longer computational time. METHODS: We proposed a method that directly correlates variations in optical field brightness with cardiac tissue contraction status (CVB method), based on principles from physics and photometry, for rapid video analysis in wide field of view to obtain contraction parameters, such as period and contraction propagation direction and speed. RESULTS: Through video analysis of human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived CMs labeled with green fluorescent protein (GFP) cultured on aligned and random nanofiber scaffolds, the CVB method was demonstrated to obtain contraction parameters and quantify the direction and speed of contraction within regions of interest (ROIs) in wide field of view. The CVB method required less computation time compared to one of the contour tracking methods, the LucasKanade (LK) optical flow method, and provided better stability and accuracy in the results. CONCLUSION This method has a smaller computational load, is less affected by motion blur and out-of-focus conditions, and provides a potential tool for accurate and rapid analysis of cardiac tissue contraction synchrony in wide field of view without the need for more powerful hardware.

BACKGROUND: The contraction behaviors of cardiomyocytes (CMs), especially contraction synchrony, are crucial factors reflecting their maturity and response to drugs. A wider field of view helps to observe more pronounced synchrony differences, but the accompanied greater computational load, requiring more computing power or longer computational time. METHODS: We proposed a method that directly correlates variations in optical field brightness with cardiac tissue contraction status (CVB method), based on principles from physics and photometry, for rapid video analysis in wide field of view to obtain contraction parameters, such as period and contraction propagation direction and speed. RESULTS: Through video analysis of human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived CMs labeled with green fluorescent protein (GFP) cultured on aligned and random nanofiber scaffolds, the CVB method was demonstrated to obtain contraction parameters and quantify the direction and speed of contraction within regions of interest (ROIs) in wide field of view. The CVB method required less computation time compared to one of the contour tracking methods, the LucasKanade (LK) optical flow method, and provided better stability and accuracy in the results. CONCLUSION This method has a smaller computational load, is less affected by motion blur and out-of-focus conditions, and provides a potential tool for accurate and rapid analysis of cardiac tissue contraction synchrony in wide field of view without the need for more powerful hardware.

BACKGROUND: The contraction behaviors of cardiomyocytes (CMs), especially contraction synchrony, are crucial factors reflecting their maturity and response to drugs. A wider field of view helps to observe more pronounced synchrony differences, but the accompanied greater computational load, requiring more computing power or longer computational time. METHODS: We proposed a method that directly correlates variations in optical field brightness with cardiac tissue contraction status (CVB method), based on principles from physics and photometry, for rapid video analysis in wide field of view to obtain contraction parameters, such as period and contraction propagation direction and speed. RESULTS: Through video analysis of human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived CMs labeled with green fluorescent protein (GFP) cultured on aligned and random nanofiber scaffolds, the CVB method was demonstrated to obtain contraction parameters and quantify the direction and speed of contraction within regions of interest (ROIs) in wide field of view. The CVB method required less computation time compared to one of the contour tracking methods, the LucasKanade (LK) optical flow method, and provided better stability and accuracy in the results. CONCLUSION This method has a smaller computational load, is less affected by motion blur and out-of-focus conditions, and provides a potential tool for accurate and rapid analysis of cardiac tissue contraction synchrony in wide field of view without the need for more powerful hardware.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of Danzhi Xiaoyaosan on the phosphorylation of tau protein and different sites of glycogen synthase kinase-3β （GSK-3β） and phosphoseryl/suanyl phosphate protein phosphatase 2A （PP2A） in the hippocampus of rats with Alzheimer's disease （AD） and its mechanism. MethodThe rat model of AD was established by injecting okadaic acid into the bilateral hippocampus of 90 male Wistar rats in SPF grades. The rats with successful modeling were selected and randomly divided into model group， aricept group （0.5 mg·kg^-1）， and Danzhi Xiaoyaosan high， medium， and low groups （17.55， 8.77， and 4.38 g·kg^-1）， and then gavaged for 42 d， once a day. Morris water maze was used to detect the learning and memory ability of rats， Nissl's staining was used to observe the morphological structure of neurons in the hippocampus， and Real-time polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was used to detect the mRNA expression levels of tau protein， GSK-3β， and PP2A. Western blot was used to determine the protein expression levels of tau protein， GSK-3β， and PP2A. ResultAs compared with the control group， the learning and memory abilities of the rats in the model group were significantly decreased （P<0.01）， and the hippocampal CA3 region cells had abnormal structure， disorderly arrangement， and decreased number. The expression levels of GSK-3β mRNA， GSK-3β， p-GSK-3β-Tyr216， p-PP2A， and p-tau were increased in the model group as compared with the control group （P<0.01）， and those of p-GSK-3β-Ser9 and PP2A decreased significantly （P<0.01）. As compared with the model group， the learning and memory ability of the Aricept group and the Danzhi Xiaoyaosan groups were improved （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and the cell morphology and the number of hippocampal CA3 regions were better. The mRNA expression levels of PP2A and tau in the Aricept group were significantly up-regulated （P<0.05）， the mRNA expression level of GSK-3β was significantly down-regulated （P<0.01）， and the protein expression levels of GSK-3β， p-GSK-3β-Tyr216， and p-PP2A were down-regulated （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and the protein expression level of PP2A was significantly up-regulated （P<0.01）. As compared with the model group， the mRNA expression level of PP2A in the high-dose Danzhi Xiaoyaosan group was significantly up-regulated （P<0.01）， and that of GSK-3β was significantly down-regulated （P<0.01）， whereas the protein expression levels of p-PP2A， p-GSK-3β-Tyr216， and p-tau were down-regulated （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and the protein expression level of PP2A was significantly up-regulated （P<0.01）. As compared with the model group， the mRNA expression level of GSK-3β was significantly down-regulated in the medium-dose Danzhi Xiaoyaosan group （P<0.01）， the protein expression levels of GSK-3β， p-GSK-3β-Tyr216， and p-tau were down-regulated （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and the protein expression level of PP2A was significantly up-regulated （P<0.01）. As compared with the model group， the mRNA expression level of PP2A was significantly up-regulated in the low-dose Danzhi Xiaoyaosan group （P<0.01）， and that of GSK-3β was significantly down-regulated （P<0.01）， whereas the protein expression levels of GSK-3β and p-GSK-3β-Tyr216 were down-regulated （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and those of p-GSK-3β-Ser9 and PP2A were significantly up-regulated （P<0.01）. ConclusionDanzhi Xiaoyaosan can improve the learning and memory ability of rats with AD， and its mechanism may be related to the regulation of the activities of GSK-3β and PP2A protein-related sites and the phosphorylation of tau protein.