Objective To observe the protective effect of brain-derived neurotrophic factor-polylactic-co-glycolic acid (BDNF-PLGA) sustained release microspheres on the peripheral nerve injury of rats. Methods BDNF loaded PLGA microspheres were prepared by double emulsion solvent evolution method. A total of 48 adult SD rats were divided into sham operation group , model group , BDNF group and BDNF-PLGA sustained release microspheres group (n=12); the model of sciatic nerve ring clamp injury was established in the latter three groups. After operation BDNF(30 0g/mL , 1 mL/kg) was injected into the local nerve injury sites for BDNF group and BDNF-PLGA sustained release microspheres (BDNF 30 0g/mL , 1 mL/kg) were injected for BDNF-PLGA group , once a week for four weeks. The general status , pace , and joint motion of each group were observed after operation; and the changes of neurological scores , nerve conduction velocity (NCV) , amplitude , latency period , compound muscle action potential (CMAP) and histopathology were observed 4 weeks after operation. Results The general status , pace , and joint motion of the sciatic nerve injury in BDNF-PLGA group were significantly improved compared with the model group and BDNF group. The BDNF-PLGA sustained release microspheres effectively improved the functions of injured peripheral nerve , which basically restored the normal level after four weeks , and the recovery was rapid than the BDNF group. The NCV , amplitude and latency period , CMAP amplitude , and recovery rate of CMAP in the BDNF-PLGA group was significantly improved compared with the model group(all P$0. 01) , and the improvements were also significantly greater than those in group BDNF (P$0. 05). The BDNF-PLGA sustained release microspheres also significantly improved the pathology changes oi sciatic nerve injury, including those oi the myelin sheath, axon and vacuole. Conclusion The BDNF- PLGA sustained release microspheres have prominent protective effect against the peripheral nerve injury in rats.

Objective: To study the biological characteristics and the differentiation ability of multipotent adult progenitor cells (MAPCs) in vitro and to observe the clinical outcome of MAPC differentiated cells in treatment of ischemic heart disease (IHD) in rabbits, so as to assess the feasibility of transplanting MAPCs in treatment of cardiac infarction. Methods: The bone marrow mononuclear cells were separated from volunteer bone marrow by gradient density centrifugation. The mononuclear cells were separated in CD45- and GlyA- fractions by magnetic cell sorting (MACS). The viability of MAPCs was assessed by trypan-blue assay and their purity were detected by flow cytometry. After cultured with 5-azacytidine (10 μmol/L) for 24 h, MAPCs were subjected to transmission electron microscopic observation. The myogenic cells differentiated from MAPCs were transplanted into the myocardial infarction sites in rabbits and the improvement of their cardiac function was evaluated. Results: The viability of unpurified MAPCs were (96.7±1.7)%, which was not significantly different from that of the purified MAPCs (96.0±2.4)%. The purity of MACS-sorted CD45- and GlyA- cells was >98%. Thick myofibers were observed by transmission electron microscopy after induction with 5-aza. Four weeks after transplantation, the left ventricle ejection fraction, the movement extent of left ventricle, left ventricle systolic wall thickening and dp/dt of rabbits were all higher than those of the control group and cardiac infarction model group (P<0.05 or 0.01), but lower than those of the sham operation group (P< 0.05). Conclusion: The human MAPCs can differentiate into myogenic cells in the presence of 5-aza. The cardiac function of cardiac infarcted rabbits can be improved by MAPCs transplantation.

OBJECTIVE To observe the changes of GABA and Glu in rat inferior colliculus following unilateral cochlear ablation and explore the function and significance of GABA and Glu in reorganization of auditory center after deafferentation. METHODS Twenty-five Sprangue Dawley (SD) rats were divided randomly into 5 groups. The content of GABA and Glu were measured by 835-50 type Amino Acid Automatism Analyzer and compared at 1 week, 2 week and 1 month after unilateral cochlear ablation respectively. RESULTS Compared with sham operated groups, the content levels of GABA decreased (from 78.00?7.50 to 51.65?10.36, about decreasing 33.6 %)1 week after unilateral cochlear ablation and there was a significant difference in GABA levels between 2 groups(P0.05). CONCLUSION The dynamic change of GABA and Glu in rat inferior colliculus reflected the neuronal activity, which implied both GABA and Glu may play an important role in reorganization of auditory center after unilateral cochlea ablation.

Acupuncture Therapy ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Ataxia ; congenital ; drug therapy ; therapy ; Child ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Moxibustion ; Spinal Cord Diseases ; congenital ; drug therapy ; therapy ; Young Adult

Objective To study the effects of peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor (PPAR) ? on the growth of human hepatocellular carcinoma cells and explore the roles of phosphatase and tensin homologue deleted on chromosome ten (PTEN) and phospho-Akt in this process. Methods SMMC-7721 cells were treated with 15-d-PGJ2 or pioglitazone, which were two kinds of PPAR? ligands, at different concentrations. The viability of SMMC-7721 cells was evaluated by MTT assay. The cell cycle was analyzed by flow cytometry. PTEN mRNA level was determined by RT-PCR. The protein expressions of PTEN and pAkt were measured by Western blot analysis. Results It was demonstrated through MTT assay that both 15-d-PGJ2 and pioglitazone had an inhibitory effect on the growth of SMMC-7721 cells in a time- and dose- dependent manner. According to flow cytometry detection, more cells were arrested in G0/G1 phase. Increased expression of PTEN mRNA was detected in 15-d-PGJ2 or pioglitazone-treated cells through RT-PCR. Increased expression of PTEN protein and decreased expression of pAkt were confirmed by Western blot analysis. Conclusion The ligands of PPAR? could inhibit SMMC-7721 cells proliferation in a time- and dose- dependent manner. The upregulation of PTEN may be involved in the underlying mechanism.

AIM: By comparing the aspheric and multifocal Toric intraocular lens and the aspheric intraocular lens in cataract patients,to observe the patients` visual quality,to evaluate the patients` distance visual acuity,near visual acuity,Pseudo-accommodative power,residual astigmatism,the rotational stability of AcrySof IQ Toric Restor intraocular lens (IOLs),contrast the rate of off-distance glass,the rate of off-near glass and patient satisfaction after the implantation of AcrySof IQ Toric Restor IOL in the cataract patients with preexisting corneal astigmatism.METHODS:Carried out in 46 patients (48 eyes) with age-rated cataract who receiving phacoemulsification and implantation of artificial lens in our department during February 2014 to June 2016.All the cases were randomly divided into 2 groups: experimental group: 23 cases (24 eyes),AcrySof IQ ReSTOR Toric IOL was implanted after phacoemulsification;control group: 23 cases (24 eyes),AcrySof IQ was implanted.Uncorrected distance visual acuity (UCDVA) and best corrected distance visual acuity (BCDVA),uncorrected near visual acuity (UCNVA) and best-corrected near visual acuity(BCNVA),Pseudo-accommodative power,residual astigmatism,preoperative and postoperative corneal astigmatism,the rate of off-distance glass,the rate of off-near glass and patient satisfaction were measured at 6mo postoperatively follow-up.RESULTS: BCDVA and BCNVA were not statistically different between the two groups(P<0.05).At 1wk,1,3 and 6mo postoperatively of UCDVA the experimental group were statistically better than the control group (P<0.05).UCNVA were also statistically better than the control group (P<0.05).The mean residual astigmatisms 1wk,1,3 and 6mo postoperatively were statistically differences between the control group and experimental group (P<0.05).At 6mo postoperatively,patients satisfaction of experimental group were significantly better than control group (P<0.05).Spectacles independence for near vision achieved 83% and 17% in experimental group and control group,experimental group were statistically better than control group(P<0.05).Spectacles independence for distance vision achieved 92% and 67% in experimental group and control group,experimental group were statistically better than control group(P<0.05).CONCLUSION:The results indicate that AcrySof IQ ReSTOR Toric IOLs may provide a better uncorrected distance visual acuity and uncorrected near visual acuity,which can significantly reduce preexisting corneal astigmatism in cataract surgery,improve spectacles independence for distance vision and spectacles independence for near vision,have a high patient satisfaction.

Objective To investigate the effect of astragaloside,one of the active components of astragalus membranaceus,on myocardial nerve growth factor(NGF)expression in murine myocarditis model with coxsackievirus B(CVB_3).Methods One hundred Balb/c mice were randomly divided into 6 groups.Group A [n=10,treated with carboxymethylcellulose(CMC) 0.1 mL,ig,for 1 week] were served as normal controls group and group B(n=10,treated with 9% astragaloside 0.1 mL,ig,for 1 week)as high-dose control.Eighty infected mice treated with CMC and 1%,3%,9% astragaloside 0.1 mL,ig,for 1 week (n=20 in each group)were served as group C(myocarditic control group),D(low-dose intervention group),E(middle-dose intervention group),F(high-dose intervention group),respectively.The mice were killed and their hearts were removed after 14 days.The expression levels of NGF mRNA and protein in the myocardium were examined by RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry,respectively.Results The mortality was significantly reduced in 9% astragaloside treated infected mice that was 10%(2/20)vs 45%(9/20)in group C(P

The successful suppression of clutter arising from stationary or slowly moving tissue is one of the key issues in medical ultrasound color blood imaging. Remaining clutter may cause bias in the mean blood frequency estimation and results in a potentially misleading description of blood-flow. In this paper, based on the principle of general wall-filter, the design process of three classes of filters, infinitely impulse response with projection initialization (Prj-IIR), polynomials regression (Pol-Reg), and eigen-based filters are previewed and analyzed. The performance of the filters was assessed by calculating the bias and variance of a mean blood velocity using a standard autocorrelation estimator. Simulation results show that the performance of Pol-Reg filter is similar to Prj-IIR filters. Both of them can offer accurate estimation of mean blood flow speed under steady clutter conditions, and the clutter rejection ability can be enhanced by increasing the ensemble size of Doppler vector. Eigen-based filters can effectively remove the non-stationary clutter component, and further improve the estimation accuracy for low speed blood flow signals. There is also no significant increase in computation complexity for eigen-based filters when the ensemble size is less than 10.
Blood Flow Velocity ; Color ; Humans ; Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted ; Ultrasonography

Objective To investigate the protective effect of moderate noisy backgrounds on guinea pig's hearing after an exposure to a traumatic noise. Methods Thirty guinea pigs were randomly divided into five groups (6 each). Animals in group A, B, C and D were subjected to noise of 84 decibels sound pressure level (dB SPL) for 4, 8, 24 and 0 hour respectively after a traumatic exposure of 110 dB SPL, and those in group E were kept in quiet environment. Distortion product oto-acoustic emission (DPOAE) amplitudes were determined on 1 day prior, and 1 and 7 days after noise exposure. Blood plasma was obtained to determine the contents of malondialdehyde (MDA) and the activities of hemocuprein (SOD) and nitricoxide synthase (NOS) at the end of the experiment. Results Noise-induced hearing loss was caused in group D after a traumatic exposure. At the 1st and 7th day after exposure, DPOAE amplitudes were higher in group A and B than in group D, especially at high frequencies, while no significant difference was observed between group C and D. At the 7th day after exposure, the activity of SOD lowered, while the content of MDA increased in group A and B as compared with group E (P<0.05). The content of MDA in group A increased as compared with group D (P<0.05). Conclusion After the traumatic noise-exposure, the recovery of noise-induced hearing loss, especially the high-frequency hearing loss could be motivated when exposed to noise at 84 dB SPL for 4 or 8 hours.

The major goal of microbial ecology is to study the structure and function of complex micro-bial communities. New molecular biological techniques have been successfully applied to analyze mi-crobial community structure. However they do not provide information on the physiologic properties of the detected microorganisms. A new tool for structure-function analyses in microbial ecology, micro-autoradiography combined with fluorescence in situ hybridization (MAR-FISH) can be used to simul-taneously examine the phylogenetic identity and the specific activity of microorganisms within a com-plex microbial community at a single-cell level. This article reviews the principle, experimental steps of MAR-FISH technique. The application of this technique in study of the environmental microbial com-munity and function is also summarized.