Objective:To identify the function of extracellular soluble vimentin that promotes proliferation, activation and chemotaxis of inflammatory cells. Methods: The proliferation of rat splenocytes stimulated with vimentin was evaluated in vitro. The lymphocyte counts and vimentin-antibody levels of peripheral blood in mice immunized with vimentin were detected in vivo. Peritoneal macrophages were collected and cultured with different concentrations of vimentin to detect the effect on phagocytosing chicken red blood cells. The chemotaxis of NIH3T3 fibroblast towards vimentin was observed in transwell chamber. Results:In vitro vimentin dose dependently promoted the proliferation of splenocytes. The proliferation indexes of primed and naive splenocytes cultured with 16μg/ml vimentin were reached up to ( 196. 0 ± 9. 7 )% and ( 208. 9 ± 4. 6 )% respectively without significant difference. In vivo vimentin significantly enhanced the lymphocytes number(109 L-1)of peripheral blood(5. 74±0. 51 vs. 1. 69±0. 13)and the levels of vimentin specific antibody( OD value 2. 31 ± 0. 06 vs. 0. 19 ± 0. 08 ) that shown no significant difference from immunization with vimentin plus CFA. In vitro vimentin dose dependently stimulated phagocytic ability of macrophages and performed the chemotactic effects on NIH3T3 fibroblasts. Conclusion:Extracellular soluble vimentin promotes the proliferation,activation and chemotaxis of concerned inflammatory cells and possesses the functions as an alarmin.

Objective To explore the clinical characteristics and treatment of Caroli′s disease in children.Methods The clinical data,laboratory examination and radiological feature of 8 children with Caroli′s disease between Feb.1998 and Dec.2007 were analyzed retrospectively.All children underwent CT and abdominal ultrasonogram.Results Five cases of the 8 children were male and 3 cases were female.The mean age was 6.3 years old.The cases′ history were from 5 days to 4 months.The clinical symptoms showed that 3 cases had hematemesis,5 cases had hepatosplenomegaly,and 1 case had fever and turbid urine.Of the total 8 cases,5 cases were hepatic fibrosis and liver cirrhosis and hepatosplenomegaly,3 cases were portal hypertension,and 1 case had cholangitis.The other 3 cases were simple types.One case had infantile polycystic kidney disease.Laboratory analysis revealed 2 cases had dysfunction of liver and 1 dysfunction of renal.The imaging characteristics showed multiplied irregular dilatation of the intrahepatic bile ducts in enlarged liver,with central dot sign on CT scan.One case presented enlarged gastroesophageal vein.The 8 cases undertook conservative treatment,with no surgery.Conclusions The symptoms of Caroli′s disease are highly variable.Caroli′s disease should be focused especially on children with abdominal pain and hepatomegaly.CT is important for diagnosis of Caroli′s disease at earlier stage.The disease can be conservatively treated,and(or) surgically operated.

Objective:To analyze the relationship between hepatitis B virus(HBV)gene mutation at 1896 in precore region with genotype and replication of HBV and the liver function of patients.Methods:HBV precore 1896 site mutation,the genotype of HBV and serum content of HBV DNA were determined by PCR in 60 patients positive of HBV DNA.Chemiluminescence miacropaticle immunoassay(CMIA)was used for detection of serum HBeAg and HBeAb.Liver function parameters were ob- tained by routine biochemistry method.Results:The alanine aminotransferase(ALT)level in HBV with 1896 site mutation was significantly higher than that in the wildtype virus.Site mutation at 1896 had no correlation with HBeAg,HBV genotype and HBV DNA content.HBV DNA content in patient with genotype C was significantly higher than that with genotype B(P

To study the mechanism of Shenkangling (SKL), a compound traditional Chinese herbal medicine, combined with prednisone in treating adriamycin-induced nephropathy in rats.

Melioidosis is an infectious disease caused by an aerobic, non-spore forming gram negative bacillus, Burkholderia pseudomallei. It is known to be of high incidence in parts of rural South East Asia, and in Northern Australia. Pneumonia is the commonest manifestation. We report here three cases of neurological melioidosis from the registry of 169 cases of melioidosis in Bintulu Hospital, Sarawak, East Malaysia, with a review of neurological melioidosis in the literature. The annual incidence of melioidosis is estimated to be 8 per 100,000 populations in the Bintulu district. Neurological melioidosis accounts for 1.8% of our melioidosis cases. A review of 76 cases of neurological melioidosis reported in the literature inclusive of our 3 cases shows that localized brain or spinal inflammation or abscess is the most common manifestation occurring in 80% of patients. Close to half (53%) have intra axial abscess (brain or spinal cord), a quarter (27%) have extra axial lesions only (epidural or subdural collection, osteomyelitis or scalp abscess), and another quarter (27%) have both intra and extra axial lesions. Thus, B. pseudomallei appears to be unique among the bacterial central nervous system infection to be able to affect the brain and its contiguous tissues, crossing the tissue plane particularly resulting in osteomyelitis, scalp abscess and vice versa. Two thirds of the neurologicalmelioidosis patients have only neurological disease with no evidence of disease elsewhere. Key words: Burkholderia pseudomallei; neurological melioidosis; Bintulu; Sarawak; Malaysia
Melioidosis

OBJECTIVETo observe the intervention of Shenkangling Decoction (SD) on the renal injury of primary nephrotic syndrome (PNS) children patients of Shen deficiency blood stasis syndrome (SDBSS) and to explore its mechanism.

METHODSTotally 65 PNS children patients were randomly assigned to the combined group (33 cases, treated by SD +Western medicine) and the Western medicine group (32 cases, treated by Western medicine). Meanwhile, 30 healthy children were recruited as the healthy control group from the medical examination center. Those in the Western medicine group were treated with prednisone (5 mg per tablet) at the daily dose of 1.5 -2.0 mg/kg till two weeks after their urine protein turned to negative. Then the dosage was reduced once daily per every other day. The therapeutic course lasted for more than 1 year. For those with no effect of prednisone or partial effect, cyclophosphamide intravenous pulse therapy was additionally applied for 2 successive days per week, a total of 6 times, or they took cyclosporine A. Patients in the combined group additionally took SD while starting treatment of prednisone. SD was decocted in water for oral dose, once daily, taken in two portions until 2 months after prednisone was discontinued. Efficacy was evaluated based on serum levels of chemotactic factor CXCL16, disintegrin metalloproteinase 10 ( ADAM10 ), disintegrin metalloproteinase 17 (ADAM17), albumin (ALB), total cholesterol (TC), and 24-h urine protein excretion (UPE) detected by ELISA before and after treatment.

RESULTSCompared with before treatment in the same group, levels of CXCL16, ADAM10, ADAM17, TC, and 24-h UPE were significantly lower in the two treatment groups (P <0. 01). Compared with the control group, levels of CXCL16, ADAM10, ADAM17, TC, and 24-h UPE significantly increased, and the serum ALB level decreased in the two treatment groups (P <0.01). Compared with the Western medicine group at the same time point, levels of CXCL16, ADAM10, ADAM17, TC, and 24-h UPE significantly decreased in the combined group. The 1 -year recurrence rate and the recurrence times decreased in the combined group (P <0.01). The complete remission rate increased in the combined group (P <0.01).

CONCLUSIONSD could effectively improve the clinical prognosis of PNS children patients possibly by reducing the release of inflammatory mediators such as CXCL16, ADAM10, and ADAM17, decreasing UPE and the TC level, and elevating the serum ALB level.

Child ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Nephrotic Syndrome ; drug therapy ; Prednisone ; Syndrome

Background Basic fibroblast growth factor(bFGF)secreted by cornea after injury is important to cytothesis,collagen fibers reconstruction and axons recovery.However,the local bFGF is not enough for the reparation process.Objective This study aimed to observe the findings of corneal collagen and nerve recovery under the confocal microscopy through focusing(CMTF) in the eyes with intervene of exogenous recombinant bFGF(rbFGF) after excimer laser in situ keratomileusis(LASIK).Methods LASIK rabbit models were binocularly created in 34 clean New Zealand white rabbits.The tobramycin combined with dexamethasone were dropped after operation for 10 days in bilateral eyes.rbFGF was topically administered in the right eyes of rabbits from 1 day through 3 months after LASIK,and lubricant was used in the left eyes at the same way.The corneal collagen and nerve recovery,keratocyte and endothelial cell counting were observed with CMTF at the 1st week,2nd week,2nd month,3rd month and 5th month after LASIK.Results Total 19 rabbits were meted the request of LASIK models.The keratocyte densities in anterior stroma of both groups reached the lowest level at the 2nd week and the highest level at the 3rd month.Otherwise,haze changed on the contrary.No statistically significant differences were found in anterior stroma keratocyte densities,haze grade,grey value between rbFGF group and lubricant group at various time points after operation(P＞0.05).The nerve cord densities of both groups were increased gradually,and those under the epithelial basement membrane were more dominant.The nerve density of the anterior stroma of rbFGF group was significant higher than the lubricant one in the 2nd group(P=0.038).The considerably elevated the subepithelial nerve density value was also seen in rbFGF group compared with lubricant at 5 months after operation(Z=-2.060,P=0.039).No any corneal neovascularization occurred in both groups through experiment duration.The positive correlation was found between grey value with haze grade in rbFGF group(b=22.687,F=37.975,P=0.000) and lubricant group(b=20.410,F=18.516,P=0.000).However,haze grade was not significant correlated with stromal keratocyte density(rbFGF group:b=0.001,F=0.164,P=0.668;lubricant group:b=-0.002,F=1.896,P=0.178).Conclusion Exogenous bFGF can improve the recovery of corneal nerve and regeneration of keratocyte after LASIK.No evidence of bFGF promoting corneal neovascularization is found in this experiment.

AIMTo investigate the effects of exogenous NO donors sodium nitroprusside (SNP) and 3-morpholinosydnonimine (SIN-1) on automaticity of the rabbit sino-atrial node in vitro and the action mechanism.

METHODSThe intracellular microelectrode technique is used to record the action potentials of rabbit sino-atrial node and APA (amplitude of AP), V(max) (maximal rate of depolarization), VDD (velocity of diastolic depolarization), RPF (rate of pacemaker firing) are analyzed.

RESULTSSNP(10(-5) - 10(-2) mol/L) increased its RPF and VDD dose-dependently. 10(-3) mol/L SNP increased RPF (beats/min) from 163 +/- 10.8 to 195.0 +/- 13.1 increased VDD (mV/s) from 50.3 +/- 9.6 to 70.2 +/- 12.1 (P < 0.01). SIN-1(10(-3) - 10(-2) mol/L) also increased RPF and VDD (P < 0.01).10(-4) mo/L Methylene blue (MB), a blocker of GMP cyclase, prevented the positive chronotropic effect and increasement of VDD induced by 10(-3) mol/L SNP totally (P < 0.01). 2. CsCl (2 mmol/L), a blocker of I(f) prevented the increasement of RPF and VDD in part (P < 0.05). 3. NIF (0.46 micromol/L), a blocker of I(Ca-L, had no significant effects on chronotropic effect and increasement of VDD (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONExogenous NO can increase the automaticity of rabbit sino-atrial node in vitro. The chronotropic effect is involved in NO-cGMP pathway and results from increasement of I(f) in the sino-atrial node at least in part; I(ca-L) is unlikely to play a major role in this effect.

Action Potentials ; Animals ; Heart Rate ; Molsidomine ; analogs & derivatives ; pharmacology ; Nitric Oxide ; metabolism ; Nitroprusside ; pharmacology ; Rabbits ; Sinoatrial Node ; drug effects ; physiology

Objective To compare the effects of hepatic vein occlusion with tourniquet and Satinsky clamp in reseeting liver tumor involving the second hepatic portal.Methods From Jan 2003 to Jun 2006,180 patients underwent major liver resection with the selective hepatic vascular exclusion (SHVE).According to methods of hepatic vein occlusion,they were divided into two groups:Occlusion with tourniquet(tourniquet group,n=95)and occlusion with Satinsky clamp(Satinsky clamp group,n= 85).In tourniquet group,the hepatic veins were encircled and occluded with tourniquet,and in Satinsky clamp group,the hepatic veins were not encircled and clamped directly with Satinsky clamp.Data regarding the intraoperative and postoperative courses of the patients were analyzed.Results There was no difference between the two groups regarding the operating time,ischemia time,intraoperative blood loss and postoperative complications rate.The dissecting time of hepatic veins was significantly shorter in Satinsky group(6.2?2.4 min vs 18.3?6.2 min).lu the tourniquet group,five hepatic veins(one fight hepatic vein and four common trunk of left-middle hepatic veins)could not be dissected and encircled because of the tumors involving the cava hepatic junction.Another patient's common trunk of left-middle hepatic vein was inadvertently lacerated during the dissection.Hepatic veins in these 6 patients were occluded with Satinsky clamp successfully.Conclusion Occlusion with Satinsky clamping is safer and easier procedure than tourniquets in the resection of liver tumor involving the second porta hepatis.