ObjectiveTo discuss the influence on diagn osing of femoral vein reflux by using the different ultrasound Doppler probing points. MethodsUsing pulse wave(PW) and color Doppler flow imaging, 134 femoral veins in 67 cases of lower limb varicosity were detected at 3 different probing points to check up the deep venous reflux after Valsava maneuver. The ultrasonographic data were compared with the results of venous DSA and operation to analyze the influence on diagnosis. ResultsThe reflux data obtained from the upper point of superficial femoral vein was most correlative with the results of DSA and operation. ConclusionsThe PW is a satisfactory technique in diagnosing the femoral reflux, and the upper point of superficial femoral vein is a most reasonable probing point.

A review of studies on the influence of impurities on protein crystallization is given.The possible sources of impurities and its effect on the protein crystallization are presented.The effects of impurities on protein crystallization,including nucleation,macroscopic morphologies,microscopic surface morphologies,growth rates,kinetics,quality,and repartitioning of impurities are reviewed.

Objective To explore the correlation between hyperlipidemia and colorectal polyps by compare the level of serum lipids in patients with colorectal polyps.Methods The levels of total cholesterol (TC),triglyceride (TG) and low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) of 159 patients with colorectal polyps and 138 controls were tested.The serum lipids between colorectal polyps group and control group,of colorectal polyps with different pathological type,of adenomatous polyps with different pathological type,of adenomatous polyps with different location,colorectal polyps of different gender were compared.Chi square test or t test were performed for data analysis.Results The incidence of hyperlipidemia of colorectal polyps group was 41.5％ (66/159),which was higher than that of control group (16.7％,23/138) and the difference was statistically significant (x2 =36.56,P＜0.01),its levels of TG,TC and LDL-C were all higher than those of the latter ((1.52±0.56) mmol/L vs (1.06 ± 0.42) mmol/L,(5.22±0.86) mmol/L vs (4.52±0.96) mmol/L,(2.85±0.66) mmol/L vs (2.52± 0.35) mmol/L; t=4.23,4.02,3.72,all P＜0.01).There were no significant differences in the levels of TC,TG and LDL-C between colorectal polyps with different pathological type (all P＞ 0.05).The incidence of hyperlipidemia of tubular villous adenoma and villous adenoma (progressive adenomas) was 60.0％ (15/25),which was higher than that of tubular adenoma group (33.3％,20/60) and the difference was statistically significant (x2=5.18,P＜0.05).The incidence of hyperlipidemia of left colon and rectal polyps group was 46.2％ (49/106),which was higher than that of right colon polyps group (28.6 ％,12/42) and the difference was statistically significant (x2 =3.87,P＜0.05).The incidence of hyperlipidemia of male colorectal polyps group was 47.2％ (51/108),which was higher than that of female group (29.4％,15/51) and the difference was statistically significant (x2 =4.53,P＜0.05).The level of TG of male colorectal polyps group was higher than that of female group ((1.84 ± 0.73) mmol/L vs (1.55±0.65) mmol/L) and the difference was statistically significant (t=3.98,P＜0.05).Age (r=0.766,P=0.009),TG level (r=0.535,P=0.012) and TClevel (r=0.688,P=0.025) were positively correlated with genesis of colorectal polyps.Conclusion There is a significant correlation between hypertriglyceride,hypercholesteremia and colorectal polyps.

Objective To investigate whether delayed treatment with exogenous kallikrein on neurogenesis after focal cortical infarction in stroke-prone renovascular hypertensive rats (RHRSP). Methods Seventy-two RHRSP were divided into 3 groups. Twenty-four rats were given human tissue kallikrein ( 1.6 × 10-2 PNAU/kg) and 24 rats were given vehicle through tail venous daily for 2 or 6 days consecutively starting at the 24th hour after distal middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). 24 rats underwent sham-operation. Cell proliferation was examined by using 5'-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU, 50 mg/kg). Rats were respectively sacrificed 3, 7, 14 or 28 days after MCAO. Results Treatment with kallikrein significantly increased the number of BrdU+ cells in the ipsilateral subventricular zone (SVZ) (304.0±73. 9 vs 167.0±32.2 vs 56.0±12.2 at 7 d after operation, q =7.165, 12.916 and 5.751 respectively,all P<0.05) and in the peri-infarction region (490.0±82.0 vs 308.0±51.5 vs 49.0± 9.5 at 7 d after operation, q = 7.920, 19.184 and 11.264 respectively, all P < 0.01 ), and increased the number of BrdU+/DCX+ cells (225.0±13.6 vs 98.0±9.6 vs 23.0±5.6 at 7 d after operation, q = 30.731,48.735 and 18.004 respectively,all P < 0.01) in the ipsilateral SVZ compared with the vehicle group or the sham-operated group, which began on the 3 day, peaked in 7--14 days after MCAO, and then gradually decreased. Compared with the vehicle group, exogenous kallikrein markedly increased the number of BrdU+/NeuN+ cells (21.0±3.4 vs 13.0±2.6 at 14 d, P =0.001 ) in the peri-infarction region after MCAO. The kallikrein group showed a better functional improvement than the vehicle group after stroke ( all P < 0.05). Conclusion Our study suggests that administration of exogenous kallikrein at 24 h after cortical infarction enhances the SVZ neuroblasts proliferation, migration, and selective differentiation and improves functional recovery after stroke.

Adult ; Fracture Fixation, Internal ; Fractures, Ununited ; surgery ; Humans ; Male ; Scaphoid Bone ; injuries ; surgery

OBJECTIVETo explore the feasibility of inducing human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (HuMSCs) to differentiate into Leydig cells through conditioned medium derived from Leydig cells.

METHODSHuMSCs and Leydig cells were obtained by tissue blocks culture attachment and enzymatic digestion respectively. HuMSCs were induced by conditioned medium of Leydig cells as an experiment group while those before induction were cultured as a control group. The expressions of LHR, 3β-HSD and StAR in the induced HuMSCs were determined by RT-PCR after 3, 7 and 10 days of culture; those of CYP11A1, CYP17A1 and 3β-HSD measured by immunofluorescence staining after 2 weeks; and that of 3β-HSD detected by Western blot after 4 weeks.

RESULTSThe experimental group showed positively expressed LHR, 3β-HSD and StAR at 3, 7 and 10 days, CYP11A1, CYP17A1 and 3β-HSD at 2 weeks, and 3β-HSD at 4 weeks, while the control group revealed negative expressions at all the time points.

CONCLUSIONInduced with conditioned culture medium derived from Leydig cells, HuMSCs are likely to differentiate into steroidogenic cells and eventually into Leydig cells.

Cell Differentiation ; Culture Media, Conditioned ; Humans ; Leydig Cells ; cytology ; Male ; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells ; cytology ; Umbilical Cord ; cytology

To study the antiviral effect of Hypericum perforatum L. extract (HPE) on influenza A virus (IAV) (H1N1) in vitro and in vivo. Cytopathic effect (CPE) and neutral red (NR) dye uptake were used to examine the antiviral effect of HPE on Madin Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK) cells which were infected with IAV in vitro. HPE was effective against influenza A virus (IAV) in vitro, with a 50% effective concentration (EC50) of 40 μg/mL. The mean 50% cytotoxic concentration (CC50) in the MDCK used in these experiments was 1.5 mg/mL. Ribavirin was run in parallel with EC50 values of 5.0 μg/mL; the mean CC50 for ribavirin was 520 μg/mL. Oral gavage administrations of HPE or ribavirin to mice infected with the IAV were highly effective in preventing death, slowing the decline of arterial oxygen saturation, inhibiting lung consolidation and reducing lung virus titers. The minimum effective dose of HPE in these studies was 31.25 mg/kg/day, which was administered twice daily for 5 d beginning 4 h prior to virus exposure. Below a dosage of 2000 mg/kg/day, almost all treated mice survived, which suggests that HPE is of low toxicity. Ribavirin's minimum effective dose was 40 mg/kg/day with the LD50 determined to be 200 mg/kg/day. Delay of the initiation of either HPE or ribavirin therapy, using approximately 1/3 LD50 dose each time, could still be protective as late as 48 h after exposure to the IAV. While both agents appeared to have similar efficacy against IAV infections, HPE was considered to be less toxic and may warrant further evaluation as a possible therapy for influenza.

The expression of survivin, a member of inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP) family, was examined in bladder transitional cell cancer (BTCC) tissue and adjacent normal tissues to examine its clinical implication in the development of BTCC. Thirty specimens of bladder cancer were detected for the expression of survivin by using immunohistochemistry and real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-QPCR) in BTCC tissue and adjacent normal tissues. Our results showed that the positive rate of survivin immunostaining specimen were 0 and 60% (18/30) in the adjacent normal tissues, bladder cancer, respectively. The-DeltaDeltaCT value of survivin in bladder cancer tissue was 10.2829 (9.0034-11.5624) times that in the adjacent normal tissues. The expressions of survivin were correlated with the pathological grades of tumor and clinical stages. It is concluded that there was only weak expression of survivin mRNA in the adjacent normal tissues, but the expression of survivin mRNA in bladder cancer tissue was much higher than that in the adjacent normal tissues and the expression of survivin was correlated with pathological grades and clinical stages of tumor.
*Carcinoma, Transitional Cell/metabolism ; *Carcinoma, Transitional Cell/pathology ; Microtubule-Associated Proteins/genetics ; Microtubule-Associated Proteins/*metabolism ; Prognosis ; RNA, Messenger/genetics ; RNA, Messenger/metabolism ; Tumor Markers, Biological/genetics ; Tumor Markers, Biological/*metabolism ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms/*metabolism ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms/*pathology

Objective:To explore the feasibility of chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) imaging at 3.0 T MRI in quantifying renal redox metabolism in vitro models and experimental animals.Methods:Redox metabolites in vitro models with physiological concentrations were prepared, including reduced metabolites (glutamate, alanine, glutathione) and oxidized metabolites (2-ketoglutarate, pyruvate, glutathione disulfide, ammonium hydroxide). CEST examinations were performed at 3.0 T MRI. The imaging parameters were as follows: CEST images with different saturation pulse intensity (B 1) (1, 2, 3, 4 μT) and a fixed radio frequency (RF) duration of 2 000 ms; CEST images with different RF durations (1 500 and 2 000 ms) were acquired with a fixed B 1 value of 2 μT to obtain the optimal scanning parameters. CEST examinations with optimized parameters were performed on the left kidneys of seven healthy rabbits, and the differences in magnetic resonance ratio asymmetry (MTR asym) between rabbit renal cortex and outer medulla were measured. A paired t-test was used to compare the differences. Results:The optimal B 1 for CEST examination of redox metabolites was 2 μT, and the optimal RF duration was 2 000 ms. The MTR asym peaks of glutathione disulfide, glutathione, glutamic acid, and alanine were at 3.75, 3.5, 3, and 1.5 ppm, respectively. The MTR asym peaks of pyruvate, 2-ketoglutarate, and ammonium hydroxide were at 1 ppm. The MTR asym peak values of reduced metabolites were higher than those of oxidized metabolites. When the B 1 value was 2 μT and the RF duration was 2 000 ms, the MTR asym signal of the renal cortex was (2.60±1.10) %, (2.86±1.32) %, (3.04±1.06) %, and (2.98±0.91) % at 1, 3, 3.5, and 3.75 ppm, respectively. The MTR asym signal of the outer medulla was (1.00±0.56) %, (2.43±0.94) %, (2.29±0.88) % and (1.98±0.58) %, respectively. The MTR asym signal of the renal cortex was higher than that of the outer medulla, and the differences were statistically significant ( t=3.04, P=0.023; t=2.56, P=0.043; t=3.50, P=0.013; t=3.45, P=0.014). Conclusion:CEST imaging at 3.0 T MRI can be used to quantitatively evaluate redox metabolism of healthy rabbit kidneys in vitro model and normal experimental rabbits.

Objective:To investigate the feasibility of 3.0 T glutamate chemical exchange saturation transfer (GluCEST) imaging in evaluating renal redox metabolism in renal ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI).Methods:Rabbits in the IRI group ( n=56) underwent surgery by clamping the left renal artery for 45 min and then releasing to establish IRI. Rabbits in the sham group ( n=8) underwent the same operation without clamping the left renal artery. GluCEST MRI was performed before and at 1 h, 12 h, 1 day, 3 days, 7 days, and 14 days after the operations, with eight rabbits in the IRI group sacrificed immediately after each scanning and eight in the sham group sacrificed at 14 days after scanning. The left kidneys were removed for histopathological examination and reactive oxygen species (ROS) fluorescence staining. Differences in the magnetic resonance ratio asymmetry (MTR asym) of the renal cortex and outer medulla among different groups were compared. Correlations between the MTR asym and ROS were analyzed. Results:The MTR asym of the renal cortex in the sham and IRI subgroups were higher than that of the outer medulla ( t=8.16, P<0.001; t=4.78, P=0.002; t=4.94, P=0.002; t=5.76, P=0.001, t=6.68, P<0.001; t=6.40, P<0.001; t=5.16, P=0.001; t=3.30, P=0.013). The MTR asym of the renal cortex and outer medulla in the IRI-1h, IRI-12h, IRI-1d, IRI-3d, IRI-7d, and IRI-14d groups were lower than in the sham and IRI-pre groups (all P<0.05). The MTR asym of the renal cortex and outer medulla in the IRI-1h group were lower than in the IRI-12h, IRI-1d, IRI-3d, IRI-7d, and IRI-14d groups (all P<0.05). The MTR asym of the renal cortex in the IRI-12h group was lower than in the IRI-7d and IRI-14d groups (1.84%±0.09% vs.2.42%±0.19%, 2.41%±0.31%, all P<0.05). The MTR asym of the renal cortex in the IRI-1d group was lower than in the IRI-7d group (1.99%±0.17% vs. 2.42%±0.19%, P=0.008). The MTR asym of the outer medulla in the IRI-12h group was lower than in the IRI-3d, IRI-7d, and IRI-14d groups (1.32%±0.27% vs. 1.79%±0.31%, 1.98%±0.18%, 1.66%±0.40%, respectively, all P<0.05]. The MTR asym of the outer medulla in the IRI-7d group was higher than in the IRI-1d and IRI-14d groups (1.98%±0.18% vs. 1.52%±0.31%, 1.66%±0.40%, all P<0.05). The MTR asym of the renal cortex and outer medulla had a strong negative correlation with the mean fluorescence intensity of ROS ( ρ=-0.889, P<0.001; ρ=-0.784, P<0.001). Conclusion:3.0 T GluCEST imaging can indirectly reflect the changes of renal redox metabolism in renal IRI.