Objective To describe CT manifestations of intrahepatic spontaneous portosystemic shunts(ISPS) of cirrhosis.Methods Spiral CT(SCT) scans and related clinical findings of 15 cirrhotic patients with ISPS were retrospectively reviewed.Results Three kinds of ISPS were showed :①Right posterior portal vein type was in 12 cases and showed tortuous intrahepatic tubular structures which were all in the posterior segment of the right lobe connecting the right posterior portal vein to the inferior vena cava(IVC) in the suprarenal region in all cases.②Hepatic venous type was in 2 cases,the portal vein communication with the hepatic vein in the liver.③Apex type was in 1 case,the vein arose from the apex of the liver and drains into the internal thoracic vein.Blood ammonia levels were elevated in all cases and symptoms associated with hepatic encephalopahty were present in 2 cases.Conclusion To deeply understand the ISPS,it is of benefit for differential diagnosis of focal hepatic lesions.

Objective To investigate the distribution of 22 beta-lactamase genes and enzyme activities in multi-drug resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (MDRAB). Methods Sixty-two MDRAB strains were isolated from the First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University. Twenty-two beta-lactamase genes were analyzed by PCR and verified by DNA sequencing. Enzyme activities of extended spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) , cephalosporinase ( AmpC) and metallo-beta-lactamases ( MBL) were detected by the modified three-dimensional method using enzyme extraction. Results In 62 MDRABs, 51 (82.3% ) , 50 (80.6% ) and 36 (58.1% ) isolates were found to carry blaTEM, blaOXA-23 cluster, and blaADC, respectively. The rest 19 genes were not detected in this study. DNA sequencing and genomic comparison showed that 5 isolates carrying blaTEM had the same genotype as blaTEM-l , 6 isolates carrying blaOXA-23 cluster had the same genotype as blaOXA-23 carbapenemases (accession; CAB69042. 1) , and 2 isolates carrying blaADC had the same genotype as blaADC-like (accession: EU081908). Thirty-two isolates (51.6% ) produced ESBLs and AmpC, 19 isolates (30.6% ) produced ESBLs only, and 1 isolate (1.6%) produced AmpC only; and no isolate produced MBL. Conclusion MDRAB carrying blaOXA-23 carbapenemase and blaADC AmpC in this study are of high drug resistance.

Objective To investigate ADC type cephalosporinase genes in muhidrug-resistant strains of Acinetobater baumannii (MDR-ABA). Methods Sixty-two ABA strains were collected during November 2007 to February 2008 from the First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University. Kirby Bauer disk diffusion method was used to detect the susceptibilities of the strains to antimicrebial agents. PCR and DNA sequencing was performed to analyze the ADC type cephalosporinase gene. Results Sixty-two MDR-ABA strains showed high drag-resistance rate to most antimicrobial agents expect cefoperazone/sulbactam (69.4%), and 36 strains were ACD positive (58.1%). Conclusion MDR-ABA strains in this study are of high drug resistance, which is closely related to ADC type cephalosporinase.

Objective: To assess the effect of viral macrophage inflammatory protein (vMIP) -Ⅱ on the expression of apolipoprotein B mRNA-editing enzyme-catalytic polypeptide-like 3G (APOBEC3G) , and to explore the mechanisms. Methods: A recombinant plasmid pEGFP-N3-K4 (vMIP-Ⅱ plasmid group) and an empty plasmid pEGFP-N3 (empty plasmid group) were separately transfected into 293T cells, and quantitative PCR and Western blot analysis were performed to evaluate the effect of transfection with vMIP-Ⅱ gene on the APOBEC3G expression in 293T cells. Some 293T cells in the empty plasmid group and vMIP-Ⅱ plasmid group were treated with 1 000 IU/ml interferon (IFN) -α for 36 hours, and then Western blot analysis was conducted to determine the APOBEC3G expression in the empty plasmid group and vMIP-Ⅱ plasmid group with or without IFN-α treatment. Some 293T cells transfected with vMIP-Ⅱ plasmids were treated with 75 μmol/L AG490 (a JAK/STAT signaling pathway inhibitor) and 20 μmol/L U0126 (an ERK signaling pathway inhibitor) separately; after 24 hours, total protein was extracted from 293T cells, and Western blot analysis was conducted to determine the expression of APOBEC3G. A recombinant plasmid containing APOBEC3G promoter was constructed by using a luciferase reporter gene, and the promoter fragment included the full-length promoter sequence (POS) of APOBEC3G, sequences with the lengths of 1 560, 960, 720, 480, 420, 360, 330 and 240 bp, and the regulatory element-free region (NEG) of APOBEC3G, separately. Some 293T cells were co-transfected with the recombinant plasmid carrying luciferase reporter gene and vMIP-Ⅱ plasmid (experimental group), or the recombinant plasmid and empty plasmid (control group). Subsequently, the activity of the APOBEC3G promoter was evaluated, and the key promoter region through which the transcriptional activity of APOBEC3G was regulated by vMIP-Ⅱ was analyzed. Statistical analysis was carried out by using t test, one-way analysis of variance and least significant difference (LSD) -t test. Results: The mRNA and protein expression of APOBEC3G was significantly higher in the vMIP-Ⅱ plasmid group (2.500 ± 0.013, 1.472 ± 0.013 respectively) than in the control group (1, 0.364 ± 0.030 respectively; t = 6.22, 6.54 respectively, both P < 0.05) . The APOBEC3G expression significantly differed among the empty plasmid group, vMIP-Ⅱ plasmid group, empty plasmid + IFN-α group and vMIP-Ⅱ plasmid + IFN-α group (1, 2.030 ± 0.108, 2.700 ± 0.081 and 2.600 ± 0.099 respectively; F = 67.026, P < 0.001) , but there was no significant difference between the vMIP-Ⅱ plasmid group and empty plasmid + IFN-α group (t = 3.46, P > 0.05) . The APOBEC3G expression also significantly differed among the vMIP-Ⅱ plasmid group, vMIP-Ⅱ plasmid + AG490 group and vMIP-Ⅱ plasmid + U0126 group (0.617 ± 0.025, 0.179 ± 0.061, 0.359 ± 0.012 respectively; F = 70.019, P < 0.001) , and was significantly lower in the vMIP-Ⅱ plasmid + AG490 group and vMIP-Ⅱ plasmid + U0126 group than in the vMIP-Ⅱ plasmid group (t = 9.66, 11.836 respectively, both P < 0.01) . Luciferase activity assay showed that the promoter activity significantly differed among the vMIP-Ⅱ plasmid groups transfected with POS, 1 560-, 960-, 720-, 480-, 420-, 360-, 330-, 240-bp or NEG sequences (F = 81.092, P < 0.001) , and the APOBEC3G promoter activity decreased greatly from the 720-bp group to 480-bp group. Conclusion vMIP-Ⅱ upregulates the expression of APOBEC3G, likely through the JAK/STAT signaling pathway or the key promoter region regulating the transcriptional activity of APOBEC3G.

Objective:To observe and analyze the changes in activity of layer 2/3 cortical neurons in isoflurane-anesthetized mice by Real-time Ultra-large-Scale High-resolution (RUSH) imaging platform.Methods:Clean-grade healthy male Rasgrf2-Cre/Ai148d mice, aged 8-12 weeks, weighing 18-25 g, were studied.The mice recovered ten days after the skull replacement surgery and proceeded to the next experiment.Imaging data of calcium fluorescence signals from layer 2/3 cortical neurons were acquired by RUSH imaging platform after fixing the head of mice.The time of imaging data acquisition in the awake state, during anesthesia with 1.2% isoflurane, and after the end of anesthesia was 100, 600 and 600 s, respectively.Imaging data were analyzed using Image J and MATLAB softwares.Results:The overall trend of activity of layer 2/3 cortical neurons decreased first and then stabilized with the inhalation of 1.2% isoflurane.The cortical neural activity were gradually increased when isoflurane inhalation was stopped.The recovery rate of neural activity was different in different brain regions after isoflurane inhalation was stopped.The recovery of neural activity in the primary motor cortex was delayed obviously.During the maintenance of anesthesia, the activities of most layer 2/3 cortical neurons in the retrosplenial cortex were weakened, however, some of the neurons became more active.Conclusions:The neural activity in the 2/3 layer of cortex in isoflurane anesthetized mice is inconsistent in observation region, brain region and single cell, suggesting that different neural pathways are involved in the process of anesthesia induction and recovery from anesthesia.

Objective:To explore the effect of desflurane on activity of neurons in 2/3 layer cortex of mice by using high-resolution light-field intelligent imaging system.Methods:Six SPF healthy male Rasgrf/Ai148d mice, aged 8-12 weeks, weighing 25-30 g, were selected. The 6 mice were subjected to skull replacement surgery and then recovered for 2 weeks before experiment.The mice were first fixed under the high-resolution light-field intelligent imaging system for 5 min before calcium signals in 2/3 layer cortex were recorded. The 7.5% desflurane was inhaled for anesthesia starting from 100 s of recording and inhalation was stopped at 700 s, and then the recording continued for 700 s. The total duration of the experiment was 1 500 s. Neurons were extracted and data were analyzed using MATLAB software.Results:When mice were subjected to inhalation anesthesia with desflurane, the calcium fluorescence intensity and percentage of active neurons in the cortex 2/3 layers initially increased significantly, then continuously declined, stabilizing after about 100 s of inhalation. After cessation of inhalation, it gradually recovered to the pre-anesthetic level around 50 s post-inhalation. During the induction period of anesthesia, the percentage of active neurons was significantly higher in the retrosplenial cortex than in the other brain regions ( P<0.05). Conclusions:The disappearance and recovery of consciousness induced by desflurane anesthesia at the neuronal level is not a " symmetrical" process. Neuronal activity in the brain exhibits asymmetry when entering and recovering from an anesthetized state. The retrosplenial cortex, which is related to sleep-wake cycles, may play a crucial role in maintaining consciousness during induction of anesthesia with desflurane.

Mice ; Animals ; Myocytes, Cardiac ; MicroRNAs/genetics* ; RNA, Long Noncoding/genetics* ; Cardiomegaly/genetics* ; Signal Transduction ; Cells, Cultured

Primitive mammalian heart transforms from a single tube to a four-chambered muscular organ during a short developmental window. We found that knocking out global microRNA by deleting Dgcr8 microprocessor in Mesp1 cardiovascular progenitor cells lead to the formation of extremely dilated and enlarged heart due to defective cardiomyocyte (CM) differentiation. Transcriptome analysis revealed unusual upregulation of vascular gene expression in Dgcr8 cKO hearts. Single cell RNA sequencing study further confirmed the increase of angiogenesis genes in single Dgcr8 cKO CM. We also performed global microRNA profiling of E9.5 heart for the first time, and identified that miR-541 was transiently highly expressed in E9.5 hearts. Interestingly, introducing miR-541 back into microRNA-free CMs partially rescued their defects, downregulated angiogenesis genes and significantly upregulated cardiac genes. Moreover, miR-541 can target Ctgf and inhibit endothelial function. Our results suggest that microRNAs are required to suppress abnormal angiogenesis gene program to maintain CM differentiation.