Background Studies showed that inflammatory process participates in the pathogenesis anddevelopment of diabetic retinopathy targeting retinal vascular endothelial cells (RVECs).A growing body of evidence revealed that metformin reduces the risk of micro-and macro-vascular complications by protecting blood-brain barrier,however,whether it plays a protective effect on human retinal vascular by similar mechanism is still unelucidated.Objective This study was to investigate the effects of metformin on the proliferation,migration and secreting monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) and interleukin-8 (IL-8) of human retinal vascular endothelial cells (RVECs) under the stimulation of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α).Methods RVECs were cultured and divided into normal control group,metformin (5 mmol/L) group,TNF-α 2.5 ng/ml group,and TNF-α+metformin (5,10,20 and 40 mmol/L,respectively) groups.Corresponding drugs were added into medium according to grouping for 24 hours.Cell numbers were calculated before and after treatment.The metabolic activity (absorbancy) of RVECs was measured with MTS assay.Cell migration of RVECs was assessed with transwell migration assay.The MCP-1 and IL-8 concentrations in the cell supernatant were detected by ELISA assay.Results The number of the cells was significantly different among the normal control group,metformin group,TNF-α group,and TNF-α+metformin (5,10,20 and 40 mmol/L,respectively) groups (F =189.31,P ＜ 0.01).The metabolic activities of RVECs were 0.32 + 0.02,0.32±0.03,0.97 ± 0.02,0.90 ± 0.05,0.76 ± 0.15,0.74 ± 0.05 and 0.41 ± 0.03;migrated cell numbers were (1 214±49),(1 200±45),(1 648±43),(1 309±48),(1 279±73),(961±60) and (942±106)/field;the concentrations of MCP-1 were (0.385 ±0.050),(0.362±0.060),(2.285 ±0.200),(1.131 ±0.180),(0.622 ± 0.120),(0.537±0.090) and (0.492±0.130) μg/ml,and those of IL-8 were (0.385±0.080),(0.390±0.120),(1.123±0.130),(0.899±0.180),(0.680±0.060),(0.417±0.090) and (0.335±0.100) μg/ml in the normal control group,metformin group,TNF-α group,and TNF-α + metformin (5,10,20 and 40 mmol/L,respectively) groups,showing significant differences among the groups (F =73.31,103.89,150.92,268.32,all at P＜ 0.01).The cell number,cell metabolic activity,migrated cell number,and MCP-1 and IL-8 levels in the cell supernatant were evidently increased in the TNF-α group compared with the normal control group,and those in the TNF-α+10 mmol/L metformin group,TNF-e +20 mmol/L metformin group and TNF-α+40 mmol/L metformin group were significantly decreased in comparison with the TNF-α group (all at P＜0.05).Conclusions Metformin can inhibit TNF-α-induced proliferation,migration and MCP-1 and IL-8 secretion of the cells,and therefore plays a protective role on RVECs in the inflammatory environment.

The gut-brain axis (GBA) is a nerve-endocrine mediated bidirectional communication system between the gut and brain, which links the cognition and emotion in brain to peripheral intestinal function. In recent years, many researches have showed that colonized intestinal microbiota plays an important role in the communication between gut and brain. On one hand, microbiota can influence the development and function of brain via GBA. On the other hand, brain can also change the composition of gut microbiota. These findings gradually become a novel medical research highlight, i.e. the microbiota-gut-brain axis. This paper reviews the interaction between gut microbiota and brain via GBA in order to provide supports for studying functions of gastrointestinal tract and brain, as well as the treatment of related diseases.

Objective To evaluate the effect of anticoagulant therapy in the patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).Methods One hundred and fifty-nine patients with NSCLC without venous throm-boembolism (VTE)were divided into anticoagulant therapy group (81 cases)and control group (78 cases)by random number table method.The 81 cases in anticoagulant therapy group were treated with anti-tumor therapy and anticoagulant therapy,using low molecular heparin calcium 5 000 U subcutaneous injected for 1 0-30 days, once every 1 2 hours.The 78 cases in control group were merely treated with anti-tumor therapy.Results After treated with anticoagulation therapy,patients in anticoagulant therapy group had prolonged prothrombin time [(1 3.56 ±4.30)s vs (1 5.1 6 ±2.1 2 )s;t =3.1 95,P =0.001 ],active partial thromboplastin time [(28.24 ±5.28)s vs (30.26 ±3.28)s;t =2.71 2,P =0.007)],and a lower FIB [(3.85 ±0.75)g/l vs (4.25 ±2.65)g/l;t =2.971 ,P =0.003]compared with the patients in control group.The incidence of thrombosis rates of the two groups were 2.47% and 1 6.67% respectively,with statistical significance (χ2 =9.901 ,P =0.002).Both the 1 ,2 years overall survival rates of patients in anticoagulant therapy group were longer than those in control group,with statistical significances (χ2 =5.496,P =0.026;χ2 =4.540,P =0.046),while the 1 ,2 years progression-free survival rates of patients in the two groups were no statistical sig-nificances (χ2 =2.034,P =0.1 82;χ2 =0.091 ,P =0.395 ).Adverse reactions such as hemorrhage (4.94% vs 6.41 %),thrombocytopenia (9.88% vs 8.98%),skin necrosis incidence (3.70% vs 1 .28%) in the anticoagulant therapy group and control group were no statistical significances (χ2 =0.51 6,P =0.685;χ2 =0.008,P =1 .000;χ2 =0.847,P =0.632).Conclusion For patients with NSCLC,prophylactic antico-agulant therapy can improve coagulation status,reduce the incidence of thrombosis,prolong OS,and no obvi-ous adverse reactions.

Objective To observe the effects of blood pressure by intravenous infusion of different doses ofoxytocin in cesarean section.Methods Sixty full-term pregnant women undergoing cesarean section with continuous epidural anesthesia were divided into three groups by random digits table method with 20 cases each:group A,B and C.Three groups were injected 10 U oxytocin in uterine muscle after infant delivery.Group A,B and C received 5,10 and 20 U oxytocin (sodium lactate ringer,500 ml) continuous intravenous infusion at the speed of 10 ml/min.If happened uterine contractions bad,they were sublingual administering 0.2 mg misoprostol.If happened severe hypotension,they were intravenous injected 5 mg ephedrine.The change of mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heat rate before anesthesia (T0),after fetal childbirth (T1),5 m in (T2),10 min (T3),30 min (T4) after infusion of oxytocin and the dosage of ephedrine and misoprostol were recorded.Results There were no significant differences in MAP and heart rate at every time point between group A and B (P＞ 0.05).MAP decreased and heart rate increased in group C at T2,T3 compared with those in group A and B,and there were significant differences (P＜ 0.05).The number of cases of sublingual misoprostol were increased in group A (7 cases) compared with that in group B (2 cases) and group C(1 case).The 8 patients injected ephedrine in group C were more than group A(1 case) and group B (3 cases).Conclusion Cesarean section after the delivery of the fetus in the uterus muscle injection of oxytocin 10 U,after 10 U of oxytocin added 500 ml sodium lactate ringer injection at the speed of 10 ml/min intravenous infusion has little effect on the blood pressure and heart rate,and has good uterine contractions.

Aim To research the effects of total flavones of rhododendra(TFR)on transient receptor potential vanilloid receptor 4(TRPV4)in cerebral basilar arteries(CBA)of rats subjected to ischemia/reperfusion(IR)injury.Methods The model of total brain IR was established by four-artery occlusion(4-VO)method in rats.Arterial pressure perfusion and cell membrane potential recording methods were used for surveying the dilatation and hyperpolarization of TFR and ruthenium red(RR,an inhibitor of TRPV4)in the KCl-preconstricted CBA ex vivo in rats subjected to IR.Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction(qRT-PCR)and Western blot were utilized to investigate the TRPV4 mRNA and protein expressions of TFR and RR in cerebrovascular endothelial cells of CBA in vivo in rats subjected to IR.Results 11～2 700 mg·L-1 TFR significantly induced concentration-dependent hyperpolarization and dilatation in the KCl-preconstricted CBA in rats subjected to IR.TFR still produced degenerative hyperpolarization and dilatation by removal of endothelium in CBA,which was remarkably attenuated as compared with endothelium-intact group(P<0.01).After removal of NO and PGI2 vasodilatation,TFR obviously elicited the hyperpolarization and dilatation that were further decreased by RR(an inhibitor of TRPV4)in IR CBAs.TFR pretreatment apparently increased the level of TRPV4 mRNA and protein expressions in IR CBAs.These effects were restrained by RR,an inhibitor of TRPV4.Conclusions TFR could mediate endothelium-dependent and endothelium-independent effects.The endothelium-derived dilatation may be related to the increase of endothelium activity and endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor(EDHF)generation and release that have been promoted by TFR,and secondarily activating TRPV4,which results in Ca2+ inflow and subsequent hyperpolarization of vascular smooth muscle cell membrane and vasorelaxation.

BACKGROUND:The use of three-dimensional cel culture techniques can better simulate the cel ular microenvironment, providing new tools for tissue engineering research.
OBJECTIVE:To analyze the biomaterial selection and application characteristics in three-dimensional cel culture as wel as applications in tumor tissue engineering.
METHODS:We searched Wanfang database and PubMed database 1998-2015 years for relevant literature using keywords of“three-dimensional cultures;scaffold;cel growth;cel differentiation;tumor tissue engineering”in Chinese and English, respectively.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The selection and application of three-dimensional scaffold materials is one of the keys. So far, scaffold materials, such as col agen gels, gelatin sponge, agarose, chitosan, demineralized bone matrix, cannot provide the extracel ular matrix similar to the micro-environment in which seed cel growth and proliferation are not affected, and the ability to secrete type II col agen and glycosaminoglycan is decreased, although they can provide three-dimensional space for seed cel s. Biomimetic scaffold characterized as little trauma and strong plasticity gradual y shows its unique advantages. Three-dimensional culture conditions raise pro-angiogenic growth factor secretion from tumor cel s, and this feature is positively correlated with the occurrence of in vivo tumor angiogenesis.

Objective To investigate the value of low-dose coronary artery imaging with flash dual-energy CT.Methods In total of 240 patients suspected with coronary heart disease were performed dual-energy CCTA(DE-CCTA)and were divided into four groups according to the A tube electric current and the methods of reconstruction,including group A(conventional group:180 mAs+FBP)and low-dose groups(including group B,C,D:1 50 mAs,120 mAs,90 mAs +SAFIRE,respectively).The mean of CT value, image noise,SNR,CNR,image quality and radiation dosage were compared among the four groups.Among the patients,52 cases with coronary artery stenosis which were diagnosised by DE-CCTA were also confirmed by CAG,and the consistency of these two methods in the diagnosis of coronary artery stenosis were compared.Results The scores of all image quality were more than 3 points and were statistically significant among the four groups(P <0.05).The mean of CT value is not statistically significant (P >0.05), while the image noise,SNR,CNR and the radiation dosage were statistically significant (P <0.05)among the four groups.The ED of group D was lower 55.62% than group A.DE-CCTA and CAG in the diagnosis of coronary artery stenosis had satisfactory consistency (Kappa=0.84,P<0.05).Conclusion Low-dose coronary artery DE-CCTA not only have none affect of image quality and diagnostic accuracy, but also can significantly reduce the radiation dosage.

Objective To investigate the most sensitive methods for diagnosing spontaneous internal carotid artery dissection (sICAD) and spontaneous vertebral artery dissection (sVAD) respectively,for the sake of earlier and more accurate diagnosis.Methods Consecutive patients with sICAD and sVAD who visited the Department of Neurology and Radiology,Huashan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University during 2008-2013 were retrospectively reviewed and the sensitivity of CT angiography (CTA),magnetic resonance T1-weighted fat-suppressed images (MR T1-FS) and digital subtraction angiography (DSA) for the diagnosis of sICAD and sVAD was compared.Results Eighty patients (62 male,18 female; mean age (45.7 ± 11.9) years) were included in the study.There were 99 arterial dissections in total,45 cases of sICAD,52 cases of sVAD and 2 cases of spontaneous middle cerebral artery dissections.The sensitivity of CTA,DSA and MR T1-FS for diagnosing sICAD was 97.5％ (39/40),90.0％ (36/40) and 69.6％ (16/23) respectively,while for sVAD was 89.8％ (44/49),84.6％ (44/52) and 100.0％ (27/27) respectively.Conclusions sICAD and sVAD have significant differences in many aspects including diagnostic strategies.CTA and MR T1-FS seem to be the most sensitive methods for the diagnosis of sICAD and sVAD respectively.Although DSA has been considered as the gold standard for the diagnosis of artery dissection,this imaging technique does not allow analysis of artery wall thickness,thus also has limitations.It is likely that the diagnostic sensitivity will be improved by combining CTA and MR T1-FS.

Purpose Dual-energy coronary artery CT angiography (CTA) is a very promising one-stop examine, but the radiation dose is too high to hinder the development of the technology. The aim of this article is to explore the feasibility of low tube current combined with sonogram-affirmed iterative reconstruction (SAFIRE) technology in dual energy coronary artery CTA scan. Materials and Methods One hundred and twenty patients were randomly divided into four groups according to the tube current of A ball:conventional group (180 mAs) and low-dose groups (150 mAs, 120 mAs, 90 mAs). The SAFIRE 3 reconstruction method was used in the low-dose groups. The differences of mean CT values, image noise, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), image quality score and effective dose (ED) of the four groups were compared. Results The coronary artery segment display and the mean CT value of the four groups showed no statistic difference (P>0.05), while the image quality score, noise, SNR, and CNR showed statistic difference (P<0.05). The image quality score, SNR, and CNR was highest in the 150 mAs group, but noise was the lowest. There were no statistic difference of the image quality score, SNR, and CNR between the 180 mAs group and 90 mAs group (P>0.05). The ED was (5.50±1.47) mSv, (4.55±1.16) mSv, (3.41±0.77) mSv and (2.44±0.67) mSv, respectively for the four groups, and there was statistical difference (P<0.05). ED of 90 mAs group decreased 55.62% than that of 180 mAs group. Conclusion Coronary artery CTA using 90 mAs combined with SAFIRE can significantly reduce the radiation dose without losing image quality, thus it has a good prospect of clinical application.

ObjectiveTo analyze the potential risk factors for relapse and development of epilepsy in patients with benign in-fantile convulsions associated with mild gastroenteritis (BICE).MethodsA total of 264 cases of BICE were recruited. Accord-ing to the frequency of convulsions, the patients were divided into single group (n=134, convulsion once), and multiple group (n=130, convulsions≥2 times). According to convulsion duration, the patients were divided into short-term group (n=186, con-vulsions duration <5 minutes) , and long-term group (n=78, convulsion duration≥5 minutes). The clinical data obtained during hospitalization and follow-up were analyzed.ResultsIn multiple group, 9.23% were relapsed and 6.15% developed epilepsy. In single group, 2.99% were relapsed and 0.75% developed epilepsy. There were signiifcantly different in the rate of relapses and development of epilepsy between two groups (P<0.05). In the long-term group, 12.82% were relapsed and 8.97% developed epi-lepsy. In the short-term group, 3.23% were relapsed and 1.08% developed epilepsy. There were signiifcantly different in the rate of relapses and development of epilepsy between the two groups (P<0.05).ConclusionsThere are the risks of relapse and development of epilepsy in BICE patients. Convulsions≥ 2 times and≥5 minutes may be the risk factors of relapse and devel-opment of epilepsy.