Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of different doses of prednisone combined with cyclosporine A(CSA) on the treatment of idiopathic membranous nephropathy (IMN). Methods The data of 64 patients with nephrotic syndrome (NS) diagnosed as IMN by renal biopsy were retrospectively analyzed. Median follow?up time was 10 (7, 19) months. The subjects were divided into 2 groups according to different prednisone dosage. Thirty?two cases were in the low?dose group:prednisone 0.15 mg·kg-1·d-1+CSA, and 32 cases in the moderate?dose group:prednisone 0.4?0.5 mg· kg-1·d-1+CSA. Clinical and laboratory data were collected at baseline, 1, 3, and 6 months after treatment. During follow?up, cumulative recurrence rate and adverse reactions after treatment were recorded. Results Serum albumin (sALB) were significantly increased and 24 h urinary protein (24hUP) significantly decreased after treatment for 1, 3, 6 months compared with baseline data in the two groups. Serum creatine (Scr) increased after treatment with time. The elevation of sALB and the reduction of 24hUP in the moderate?dose group were higher than that of low?dose group at 6 months after treatment (P<0.05). The effective rate of the low?dose and moderate?dose group was 65.6% and 87.5% at 6 months after treatment, respectively (χ2=4.267, P=0.039). Comparison of different doses of CSA in two groups at 6 months after treatment, in low?dose group: the effective rates of CSA<3 mg· kg-1·d-1 and >3 mg·kg-1·d-1 subgroup were 76.5% and 53.3%, respectively (P=0.296); In moderate?dose group:the effective rates of CSA<3 mg·kg-1·d-1 and>3 mg·kg-1·d-1 subgroup were 89.5%and 84.6%, respectively (P=0.077); there were similar effects in patients treated with different dose CSA in the two groups. About 20.4% of the total patients relapsed when followed up for 18 months (low dose group vs moderate?dose group: 9.5% vs 28.6%, P=0.136), which most occurred after prednisone withdrawal or during the reduction of cyclosporine. Renal function decreased in 57.8% patients (low dose group vs moderate?dose group:50%vs 65.6%), mainly in the elderly (9/11) and the long course of treatment of CSA. There was no significant difference on adverse reactions between the two groups (P>0.05). Renal function in patients with high Scr or high blood trough concentration of cyclosporine was difficult to fully recover. Conclusions Remission rate is lower in low?dose prednisone combined with cyclosporine than the moderate?dose group in the treatment of IMN for 6 months. The recurrence rate of IMN or the incidence of adverse reactions are similar between the two groups. Induction therapy of IMN with cyclosporin<3 mg·kg-1·d-1 is safe and effective. The incidence of renal function reduction in the elderly is high, and the renal function is difficult to restore in patients with Scr exceeding normal upper limits.

Objective To establish a three-dimensional finite element model of thoracolumbar fractures treated by mono-segmental instrumentation in the fractured part for testing effect of such fixation mode on adjacent segments.Methods CT scanning data of T10-L2 were used to build a normal model at T10-L2 region,a fracture model at T12 segment as well as a mono-segment fixation or short-segment fixation model.Stress of discs and vertebral body adjacent to the fixed vertebrae were tested in axial compression,anteflexion,extention,lateroflexion,and axial rotation.Results The fracture model presented significant increase concerning stress of nucleus pulposus and annular fibrosus at T10-T11 segments and annular fibrosus at L1-L2 segments in anteflexion,extention,and lateroflexion when compared with the normal model.General raise range of the stress reached around 75％,but was dropped to 23％ after short-segment fixation and to 18％ after mono-segmental fixation.And again,stress of nucleus pulposus at L1-L2 segments was increased by 46％ or so,which was declined to 12％ after short-segment fixation and to 8％ after mono-segmental fixation.Stress at lower endplate of T10 and at upper endplate of L2 in the fracture model group were increased by 24％ and 43％ respectively when compared to the normal model,but both presented a notable drop after internal fixation.The latter was decreased to a level slightly higher than that of model group,namely 8％ more after short-segmental fixation and 4％ more after mono-segmental fixation; the former was decreased to a level even lower than that of control group,namely 2％ less after short-segmental fixation and 8％ less after mono-segmental fixation.Conclusion Mono-segmental fixation reduces adjacent disc stress in contrast to conventional short-segmental fixation and hence is an effective alternative treatment of monosegmental thoracolumbar fractures.

Objective To explore the relationship of the level of serum selenium and infantile diarrhea,provide foundation for establishing the therapeutic criteria.Methods Seventy-eight diarrhea children was enrolled in this study,6 -24 months old.Thirty children with acute diarrhea (AD group),26 children with persistent diarrhea (PD group) and 22 children with chronic diarrhea (CD group).The level of serum selenium was measured and compared with another 30 healthy children (control group) of matched sex and age.The level of serum selenium of CD group was compared before and after the recovery.Results The level of serum selenium in AD group and PD group had no significant difference compared with control group [ (51.34 ± 4.84),(48.14 ± 3.05 ) μ g/L vs.(55.08 ± 5.59 ) μ g/L ] (P＞0.05 ).But the level of serum selenium in CD group was significantly lower than that in control group [ (42.13 ± 5.16) μ g/L vs.(55.08 ±5.59) μg/L] (P＜0.05).After treatment for 1 month,the level of serum selenium in CD group was significantly increased than before treatment [ (53.76 ± 8.38 ) μ g/L vs.(42.13 ± 5.16) μ g/L ] (P＜0.05 ).Conclusions The nosogenesis of chronic diarrhea may relate with the level of serum selenium decrease.Therapeutic selenium supplement is important in children with chronic diarrhea.

Objective To investigate the mechanism of antioxygen reaction of epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) in renal tubular epithelial cells of rats with oxidative stress induced by H2O2. Methods Cultured cells were divided into control group, H2O2 group and EGCG group. Cell survival was observed with MTT. The expressions of Nrf2 mRNA and -γ-GCS mRNA in cultured cells were examined by real time quantitative PCR. Immunohistochemistry and western blotting were used to detecte the expressions of Nrf2 and γ-GCS protein. Results The survival rate of tubular cells was 97. 61 ± 6.33 in control group. There was a significant decrease in H2 O2 group (56. 38 ± 5.57) (P < 0.01), while increased when the EGCG concentration were 5,10,20 mg/L(77.42 ±5.31,83.27 ±5.94,90.24 ±5.72) (P <0.05,P <0.01). EGCG up-regulated the expressions of Nrf2 and γ-GCS mRNA and protein in renal tubular epithelial cells with dose depen-dentment. Conclusion The expressions of Nrf2 and-γ-GCS increase in renal tubular epithelial cells with oxidative stress. Resulting from suppression of oxidative stress,EGCG exerts protective effect on NRK,and this antioxidative effect may be partly induced by activating the Nrf2 signal pathway.

Hepatolenticular degeneration, also known as Wilson disease(WD), is an autosomal recessive disease with copper excretion disorder caused by ATP7B gene mutation.At present, the global incidence of hepatolenticular degeneration is about 1/30 000, but the frequency of ATP7B gene mutation is about 1/90.WD mainly manifests clinically as acute and chronic liver disease, neurological damage and renal impairment, etc.It is a genetic disease that can be well controlled by early diagnosis and treatment, so early diagnosis and treatment are important.However, because of its complex genotype and phenotype, it is easy to be misdiagnosed and delayed treatment.There is no single diagnostic standard for diagnosis of WD at the moment.The Leipzig diagnostic scoring system is often used for diagnosis.In recent years, there has been a new supplement to the diagnostic methods of WD.Some studies have confirmed that measuring the concentration of ATP7B protein by using ATP7B peptide can be used as a new diagnostic method for hepatolenticular degeneration, which is helpful for early accurate diagnosis.

OBJECTIVEIn order to explore the possible roles played by the autoimmune mechanism in the progression of myocarditis into dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) using an animal model, we investigated whether autoimmune myocarditis might develop into DCM.

METHODSExperimental Balb/C mice (n = 20) were immunized with cardiac myosin with Freund's complete adjuvant at days 0, 7 and 30. The control Balb/C mice (n = 10) were immunized with Freund's complete adjuvant in the same mannere. Serum and myocardium samples were collected after the first immunization at days 15, 21 and 120. The anti-myosin antibody was examined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and immunoblotting.

RESULTSPathological findings demonstrated that there was myocardial necrosis or inflammatory infiltration during acute stages and fibrosis mainly in the late phase of experimental group, but the myocardial lesions were not found in the control group. Autoimmunity could induce myocarditis and DCM in the absence of viral infection. High titer anti-myosin IgG antibodies were found in the experimental group, but not in the control group. Furthermore, the anti-myosin heavy chain (200 KD) antibody was positive in 21 of 48 patients with DCM and viral myocarditis, but only 4 of 20 patients with coronary heart disease, including 1 case and 3 cases that reacted with heavy and light chains (27.5 KD), respectively. The antibodies were not detected in healthy donors.

CONCLUSIONCardiac myosin might be an autoantigen that provokes autoimmunity and leads to the transformation of myocarditis into DCM. Detection of anti-myosin heavy chain antibody might contribute to diagnosis for DCM and viral myocarditis.

Adult ; Aged ; Animals ; Autoantibodies ; blood ; Autoimmune Diseases ; complications ; Cardiac Myosins ; immunology ; Cardiomyopathy, Dilated ; etiology ; immunology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Middle Aged ; Myocarditis ; complications ; Myocardium ; pathology