Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; China ; epidemiology ; Dust ; Female ; Humans ; Lung Diseases ; epidemiology ; prevention & control ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Occupational Diseases ; epidemiology ; prevention & control ; Pneumoconiosis ; prevention & control ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo explore material bases and neurobiological mechanisms of "Shen storing will" by observing learning and memory capacities and N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptor expressions in Shen deficiency constitution (SDC) rats.

METHODSTotally 40 SD rats were randomly divided into the model group, the Zuogui Pill (ZP) group, the Yougui Pill (YP) group, the blank control group (consisting of normal pregnant rats), 10 in each group. SDC young rat model (inherent deficiency and postnatal malnutrition) was prepared by the classic way of "cat scaring rat". Medication started when they were scared by cat. Rats in the ZP group and the YP group were administered by gastrogavage with ZP suspension 0.1875 g/mL and YP suspension 0.0938 g/mL respectively. Equal volume of normal saline was administered to rats in the blank control group and the model group by gastrogavage. All medication was given once per day, 5 days in a week for 2 consecutive months. Learning and memory capacities were detected by Morris water maze test. Expressions of NMDA receptor subunits NR2A and NR2B in hippocamus were detected by immunohistochemical method.

RESULTSCompared with the blank control group, the latency period, total distance in Morris water maze test were longer in the model group (P < 0.05). All the aforesaid indices all decreased in the ZP group and the YP group, with statistical difference when compared with the model group (P < 0.05). The protein expressions of NR2A and NR2B in hippocamus were lower in the model group than in the blank control group (P < 0.05). But when compared with the model group, they were obviously higher in the ZP group and the YP group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSSDC rats had degenerated learning and memory capacities and lowered NMDA receptor expressions. ZP and YP could up-regulate learning and memory capacities and NMDA receptor expressions, thereby improving deterioration of brain functions in SDC rats.

Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Female ; Learning ; drug effects ; Memory ; drug effects ; Pregnancy ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate ; metabolism ; Up-Regulation

OBJECTIVETo explore the therapeutic effectiveness of Ilizarov technique in treatment of infected tibial defects combined with overlaying skin defects.

METHODSTwenty-one cases with infected tibial defects combined with skin defects were treated between 2001 and 2008 includeing 18 males and 3 females with an average age of 31 years ranging from 19 to 43 years. The length of bone defect ranged from 3 to 13 cm (means 6 cm). Skin defect area was from 3 cm x 3 cm to 6 cm x 10 cm; 11 cases combined with drop foot, 5 cases with arthrocleisis of knee. Preoperative X-ray of the affected limb was performed and zone of skin necrosis was marked, then the point and length of osteotomized bone, and scope of bone and soft tissue need for removing were determined. The internal fixation were removed. Opening irrigation, vacuum sealing drainage (VSD), and dressing changing were appllied. The skin was fixed with Kirschner wire and bone was transferred with Ilizarov technique in all patients. The lengthening of bone and skin was carried out for 4 to 7 days after surgery, 1/6 to 1/4 mm once, 4 to 6 times a day. The clinical effectiveness was determined mainly through wound and lengthening of skin.

RESULTSAll patients were followed up for from 6 to 62 months (means 49.5 months). Fourteen of 21 cases received one stage treatment, there was still secretion from end of bone in 3 patients whose bone healed after debridement, the other 4 patients were cured via trimming end of bone and compression fusion. The defects of bone were extended to full length in 18 patients. Abutting end was slightly absorbed and became rattailed in 2 cases, there was lack of blood supply to abutting ends in one patient who was cured via bone graft from iliac bone. Skin defects was cured in 18 patients with one stage treatment, the other 3 patients were cured after infection was controlled. The deformity of drop foot were corrected in 11 patients, and function of knee was improved in five patients. The external fixator was removed at 1.2 to 2.6 years after surgery. At last, bone infections were cured, defects of bone and skin recovered in all patients.

CONCLUSIONOne stage treatment of infected tibial defects combined with skin defects using Ilizarov technique has minimal invasion with less complex surgeries, could reduce the time and expense of treatment.

Adult ; Female ; Fractures, Open ; surgery ; Humans ; Ilizarov Technique ; Male ; Necrosis ; Postoperative Complications ; surgery ; Skin ; pathology ; Soft Tissue Injuries ; surgery ; Tibia ; surgery ; Tibial Fractures ; pathology ; surgery

Aged ; CDX2 Transcription Factor ; Cysts ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Homeodomain Proteins ; metabolism ; Humans ; Keratin-20 ; metabolism ; Mucous Membrane ; pathology ; Peritoneal Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Pseudomyxoma Peritonei ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Rupture ; Splenic Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery

OBJECTIVETo explore the potential effect of Guizhi plus Gegen Decoction (GGD) in improving learning and memory of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) induced neuroinflammatory mice and its possible mechanisms.

METHODSTotally 63 male ICR mice were randomly divided into 5 groups, i.e., the normal control (n = 13), the model group (n = 13), the low dose GGD group (n = 10), the high dose GGD group (n = 14), and the positive control group (n = 13). Mice were intraperitoneally injected with LPS (0.33 mg/kg) to induce Alzheimer's disease (AD) model. Mice in the high and the low dose GGD groups were administered with 12 g/kg or 6 g/kg by gastrogavage for 4 successive weeks. Mice in the control group were intraperitoneally injected with minocycline (50 mg/kg) for 3 days. By the end of treatment LPS were injected 4 h before behavior test each day, and then behavior test was conducted in mice of each group. Effect of GGD on learning and memory of AD mice was observed by using open field test, novel object recognition task, and Morris water maze.

RESULTSOpen field test showed there was no statistical difference in the movement time and the movement distance among all groups (P > 0.05), suggesting that LPS and GGD had no effect on locomotor activities of mice. In novel object recognition test, AD mice spent significantly shorter time to explore novel object after they were induced by LPS (P < 0.05), while for AD mice in the low and high dose GGD groups, their capacities for exploration and memory were significantly improved (P < 0. 05, P < 0.01). Results of Morris water maze showed that AD mice exhibited increased escape latency (P < 0.05) and spent much less time in swimming across the original platform (both P < 0.05). However, AD mice in the low and high dose GGD groups had obvious shortened latency and increased time percentage for swimming (P < 0.05, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONGGD possessed certain improvement in learning and memory disorder of LPS induced AD mice.

Alzheimer Disease ; chemically induced ; drug therapy ; psychology ; Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Lipopolysaccharides ; adverse effects ; Male ; Memory Disorders ; prevention & control ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred ICR ; Neuritis ; chemically induced ; drug therapy ; psychology ; Phytotherapy

OBJECTIVETo investigate the feasibility and accuracy of length measurement of in vivo teeth by using cone beam CT (CBCT).

METHODSBefore orthodontic extraction, 109 vital premolars from 40 participants were scanned by using CBCT and reconstructed by using InVivoDental software. Buccal-lingual sectional images along the long axis of teeth were then acquired, and the crown, root, and tooth length were measured separately. After careful extraction and fixation, the corresponding length of the same tooth was measured by using a digital caliper. CBCT measurement accuracy was then verified by using physical measurements as reference.

RESULTSCBCT and the physical method did not obtain significantly different measurements of the root, crown, and tooth length of experimental teeth (P=0.790, P=0.621, P=0.657, respectively), and the measurements were found to be consistent. The 95% limits of agreement of root, crown, and tooth length were -1.10 mm to 1.13 mm, -1.00 mm to 0.96 mm, and -1.00 mm to 1.05 mm, respectively.

CONCLUSIONThe difference between CBCT and the physical method was not significant, and good consistency was shown. CBCT could be applied in noninvasive measurement of in vivo teeth.

Bicuspid ; Cone-Beam Computed Tomography ; Humans ; Tooth ; Tooth Root

OBJECTIVETo investigate the removal of cadmium from aqueous solution by waste fungal biomass of Aspergillus niger, originated from citric acid fermentation industry.

METHODSBatch adsorption test was used to study the biosorption equilibrium and isotherm. The Cd2+ concentration was measured with atomic adsorption spectrophotometer (AAS) HITACHI 180-80.

RESULTSThe biosorption achieved equilibrium within 30 min. The adsorption isotherm could be described by Freundlich adsorption model, and the constants K(F) and 1/n were determined to be 2.07 and 0.18, respectively, and the correlation efficiency was 0.97. The optimal pH for Cd adsorption was 6.0. The cadmium-laden biomass could be effectively regenerated using 0.1 N HCl.

CONCLUSIONThe waste biomass of Aspergillus niger, a by-product of fermentation industry, is a potential biosorbent for the removal of cadmium from aqueous solution.

Adsorption ; Aspergillus niger ; Biomass ; Cadmium ; isolation & purification ; Citric Acid ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Industrial Waste ; Waste Disposal, Fluid ; Water Pollutants, Chemical ; isolation & purification ; Water Purification ; methods

Various questionnaires for screening diabetes in Chinese population were evaluated. Two questionnaires (Finnish Diabetes Risk Score and Danish Diabetes Risk Score) were applied. Sensitivity, specificity and the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) for both questionnaires were calculated. The AUCs were 0. 760 (95% CI: 0.713-0.806) for the Finnish questionnaire (P<0.01) and 0.706 (95% CI: 0.647-0.764) for the Danish one (P<0.01). The sensitivities, specificities and predictive values of both questionnaires were not so good in the present survey as in the published reports. It suggests that these screening questionnaires must be modified to suitable for Chinese population.

Objective To investigate the expression of Toll-like receptors(TLRs) in condyloma acuminatum(CA) lesions and their possible roles in the pathogenesis of CA. Methods The expressions of TLR1-10 mRNA level in the lesions of CA and in the cervix scrape cells from the patients with human papillomavirus(HPV) negative chronic cervicitis were detected by real-time quantitative fluorescent PCR. HPV typing was detected by HPV GenoArray test kit. Results Low-risk HPV type 6 and type 11 were the most prevalent types in the forty CA cases with positive rate of 77.5% and 55% respectively. 55% CA patients were found infected with more than two types of HPV. 35% CA patients were concurrently infected with high-risk HPV. The expressions of TLR3, 7, 8 mRNA were higher than other TLRs and the expression of TLR9 mRNA was lower than others in the lesions of CA. No significant differences of the TLR1-10 mRNA levels were found between HPV6 and HPV11 positive CA lesions, so did it between low-risk and high-risk HPV concurrent infected CA lesions. The expressions of TLR1-3, TLR5-8, TLR10 mRNA, especially TLR2, TLR7 and TLR8 in the lesions of CA were significantly higher than that in cervix scrape cells of HPV negative chronic cervicitis. There were no significant differences of TLR4 and TLR9 mRNA levels between the two groups. Conclusion There were higher expressions of some TLRs (3, 7, 8) and lower expression of TLR9 in the lesions of CA. Compared with HPV negative chronic cervicitis, the expressions of TLR1-3, TLR5-8, TLR10 mRNA in the lesions of CA were up-regulated. The expression profile of TLRs in different type of HPV infected CA lesions had no significant differences. Our results suggested that the expression profile of TLRs in CA may be associated with the HPV infection. Whether it was associated with the immune escape mechanism and persistent infection of HPV need further demonstration.

OBJECTIVETo provide scientific evidence for breast cancer prevention and control through epidemiological analysis of the incidence, mortality and survival rate of female breast cancer in Beijing.

METHODSThe registration data of females in Beijing urban area from 1982 to 2001 were retrospectively reviewed. The incidence, mortality and survival rate of female breast cancer were analyzed using routine and life table statistical methods.

RESULTSThere was a trend of annual increase by an average of 4.6% and 4.9% in the Beijing urban incidence and world population standardized incidence of female breast cancer during the period of 1982 to 2001. The epidemiological features of Beijing urban female breast cancer showed: (1) The incidence curve of different age groups from 25 to 80 years elevated with two peaks at age of >or= 45 and >or= 70 years; (2) There was an elevation in each age group during the last 20 years; (3) The interception rate at age of 35 to 64 reached 95.3/100,000 population, which made the breast cancer become the number one cancer in female. The changes of survival rate showed: the 5-year observed survival rate (OSR) increased from 62.0% in 1982 - 1983 to 68.7% in 1987 - 1988, the relative survival rate (RSR) increased from 66.3% to 74.2%. The OSR and RSR in 1987 - 1988 were 60.3% and 65.1% at 10 years, and 57.7% and 61.3% 15 years, respectively. The mortality rate of breast cancer fluctuated at 8 to 10 per 10(5) population during the last 20 years.

CONCLUSIONThere is a trend of an annual increase in female breast cancer in Beijing. The 5-year survival is being improved gradually while the mortality rate remains stable. The results demonstrate that the "early prevention, early diagnosis and early treatment" principles for breast cancer is effective in Beijing.

Adult ; Age Factors ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Breast Neoplasms ; epidemiology ; mortality ; prevention & control ; China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Incidence ; Life Tables ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate