Objective To investigate the role of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38MAPK) pathway in the protective effect of remifentanil or ischemic preconditioning (IPC) against hepatic ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury in rats.Methods One hundred and forty-four male SD rats,weighing 200-250 g,were randomly assigned into 6 group ( n =24 each):sham operation group (group S),I/R group,remifentanil group (group R),IPC group,SB203580 (a specific p38MAPK inhibitor) + remifentanil group (group SB + R),and SB + IPC group.The animals were anesthetized with intraperitoneal 20％ urethane 1 mg/kg.Partial liver ischemia was produced by clamping the hepatic pedicle supplying left lobe and middle lobe for 30 min,followed by 120 min reperfusion.In group R,remifentanil was infused intravenously at 2μg· kg- 1 · min- 1 starting from 30 min before ischemia until the end of reperfusion.In IPC group,the rats were subjected to 3 episodes of 5 min ischemia at 5 min intervals before I/R.SB203580 0.2 mg/kg was injected intravenously at 5 min before remifentanil infusion or IPC in groups SB + R and SB + IPC,and the equal volume of normal saline was given in the other groups.Six rats in each group were selected at 30,60,90 and 120 min of reperfusion and venous blood samples were taken from inferior vena cava for measurement of serum ALT and AST activities and concentrations of TNF-a and 1L-1β.The rats were then sacrificed and liver tissues were taken for microscopic examination and determination of phosphor-p38MAPK expression by Western blot.Results Compared with group S,serum AST and ALT activities and serum levels of TNF-α and IL-1β were significantly increased at each time point (P ＜ 0.05) and pathological injury was aggravated in group I/R.Compared with group I/R,serum AST and ALT activities and serum levels of TNF-a and IL-lβ were significantly decreased and phosphor-p38MAPK expression was up-regulated at 90 min of reperfusion in groups R and IPC ( P ＜ 0.05).The serum AST and ALT activities and serum levels of TNF-α and IL-1β were significantly increased,phosphor-p38MAPK expression was down-regulated at 90 min of reperfusion ( P ＜ 0.05),and pathological injury was aggravated in group SB + R compared with group R,and in group SB + IPC compared with group IPC.Conclusion Activation of p38MAPK pathway and inhibition of inflammatory response may be involved in the mechanism by which remifentanil or IPC reduces the hepatic I/R injury in rats.

Objective: To investigate the efficacy and safety of oxycodone hydrochloride prolonged-release tablets and tramadol hydrochloride sustained-release tablets in the treatment of moderate cancer pain. Methods:Totally 290 cases of the patients with mod-erate pain were divided into the observation group with 148 cases and the control group with 142 cases. The observation group received oxycodone hydrochloride prolonged-release tablets, while the control group was given tramadol hydrochloride sustained-release tablets. The treatment course was 2 weeks, and the total efficiency and the incidence of adverse drug reactions( ADR) in the two groups were calculated and compared. Results:The total efficiency in the observation group and the control group was 92. 6% and 81. 7%, respec-tively, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0. 01). The incidence of ADR was 60. 1% and 57%, respectively with no significant difference (P>0.05). Conclusion: The effect of oxycodone hydrochloride prolonged-release tablets in the treatment of moderate cancer pain is better than that of tramadol hydrochloride sustained-release tablets.

BACKGROUND:There are various methods for the treatment of osteonecrosis of femoral head, but there is no satisfactory method to promote the repair of osteonecrosis of femoral head. In recent years, bone marrow
mesenchymal stem cel transplantation for the treatment of osteonecrosis of femoral head has achieved certain effect.
OBJECTIVE:To review the application progress and problems of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cel transplantation for the treatment of osteonecrosis of femoral head.
METHODS:A computer-based online search was performed in PubMed database, Wanfang database and CNKI database for the related articles from 1999 to 2012. The articles on the isolation, culture, differentiation, labeling and in vivo tracing of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cel s were selected, as wel as the basic and clinical
researches on bone marrow mesenchymal stem cel transplantation for the treatment of osteonecrosis of femoral head. A total of 39 articles were included for review.
RESUTLS AND CONCLUSION:At present, the method for the isolation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cel s includes adherence screening method, density gradient centrifugation, flow cytometry separation and magnetic activated cel sorting method;the commonly used method for cel labeling and tracing includes isotope tracing method, antigen labeling method, antigen labeling, fluorescent labeling and MRI contrast enhancer labeling
method. The method for the treatment of osteonecrosis of femoral head with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cel s includes pith dril ing decompression combined with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cel injection and
transplantation, intervention plus bone marrow mesenchymal stem cel transplantation, gene transfection combined with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cel transplantation and tissue engineering technology of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cel s. Although, the research on the bone marrow mesenchymal stem cel transplantation for the treatment of
osteonecrosis of femoral head has achieved great progress, there are stil problems needed to be further solved.

Objective To explore the role of echocardiography in the therapeutic evaluation after surgical repair of anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery(ALCAPA). Methods Six patients with ALCAPA underwent surgery from 2000 to 2007 ,including 3 intrapulmonary tunnel procedures and 3 left coronary artery bypass graft procedures. Post-operative echocardiography was given in every case and the characteristics were compared with the pre-operative results. Results In all cases, the mainly coronary haemodynamics recovered rapidly with decreased severity of mitral regurgitation and excellent cardiac function. Five patients had smooth rebuilded vessels but 1 patient had mild anastomotic block and slight intrapulmonary tunnel leakage. Conclusions Transthoracic echocardiography can evaluate the rebuilded coronary artery, possible complication, cardiac morphous and function and the severity of mitral regurgitation accurately.

Objective To evaluate the early change of left ventricular (LV) systolic function in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM) by ultrasound speckle tracking imaging. Methods Ninety-five subjects were included:40 T2DM with normal LV ejection fraction (LVEF≥50% ,group A),20 T2DM with abnormal LVEF (LVEF<550 %) (group B), and 35 normal controls. Two-dimensional strain images were acquired from LV short-axis view. LV peak systolic global and segmental radial strain and circumferential strain at the levels of mitral annulus, papillary muscle and apex, and LV systolic global and segmental rotation at the levels of mitral annulus and apex and LV peak systolic global twist were assessed. Results In group A, compared with control group, LV peak systolic radial strain parameters were not significant difference (P >0.05), peak systolic circumferential strain of part segments, average peak strain of each plane and global strain were reduced (P <50.05～0.001) ,and LV peak systolic rotation of all apical segments, peak systolic global rotation at the levels of mitral annulus and apex,and peak systolic global twist were significantly increased (P <0.05～0.001). Compared with control group and group A,all LV systolic radial strain and circumferential strain parameters, LV systolic global and segmental rotation and peak systolic global twist in group B were significantly reduced (P <0.05 ～ 0.001). Conclusions Speckle tracking imaging could be used to evaluate the early change of LV torsional deformation and LV systolic function in T2DM.

Objective To explore the value of transthoracic echocardiography in diagnosis of univentricle and analyze the sonogram typing. Methods The results of 66 patients with univentricle were reviewed retrospectively,and analayzed their typing connected with the reports in the literature. Results There were 3 ultrasonic types in 66 cases:①Type A(single left ventricle) 19 cases,single ventricle with left ventricular shape,residual cavity in front of it. ②Type B(single right ventricle) 38 cases, single ventricle with right ventricular form,and residual cavity in the rear.③Type C (solitary single-ventricle) 9 cases,there was only one ventricle. Thirty-one of them were treated surgically, 5 cases without operation had MRI or cardiac catheterization examination and the remaining 26 patients were only observed by echocardiography,the positive rate of diagnosis in type was 100%, the results were compared with cardiac catheterization or MRI examination and the operation: 1 cases of mixed type total anomalous pulmonary venous connection was misdiagnosed as heart-type total anomalous pulmonary venous drainage. But 1 case of descending aorta limitations narrow complicated patent ductus arteriosus(PDA), PDA was missed. The rest were completely correct diagnosis. Conclusions The transthoracic echocardiography can be used to evaluate types and all containing malformations of univentricle,and offers reliable information for operation.

Objective To explore the value of echocardiography in the diagnosis of the criss-cross heart. Methods The echocardiographic results of 6 patients with the criss-cross heart were reviewed retrospectively. The echocardiographic characteristics were analyzed and compared with the surgery results in 4 operated cases. Results The 6 cases were interpreted as representing a criss-cross heart with solitus atria,D-loop ventricles and concordant atrioventricular connections. The ventriculo-arterial alignments of 5 cases were abnormal including double outlet right ventricle with anterior aorta in 2 and transposition of the great arteries in 3 while 1 patient had concordant connection. The following principal characteristics were tilting the transducer from posterior to anterior could demonstrate the connection of the left-sided left atrium and the right-sided left ventricle through mitral valve at first. The more anterior angulation of the transducer then showed the right-sided right atrium was connected to the left-sided right ventricle through tricuspid imaging displayed the two atrial outflows crossed each other without mixing at atrioventricular valve level.right ventricle often occured. The echocardiographic diagnosis of the criss-cross heart and its associated cardiac abnormalities were confirmed by surgery in 4 cases except 1 persistent left superior vena cava was missed. Conclusions The invisibility of a standard 4-chamber view in any cut was very characteristic in the echocardiographic diagnosis of the criss-cross heart. The definitive appearance was the separate display of the two ventricular inlets and the crossed atrioventricular connections with each atrium emptying into the contralateral ventricle by continuous subxiphoid or apical scanning. The transthoracic echocardiography can diagnose this rare heart disease and associated cardiac abnormalities accurately.

Objective To assess regional left ventricular systolic function in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) using real-time three-dimensional echocardiography (RT-3DE).Methods Twenty-five patients with HCM which was asymmetric septal hypertrophy,and twenty healthy subjects were enrolled in the study.The apical four-chamber view of left ventricular was acquired by RT-3DE.The left ventricular volume-time curves were analyzed quantitatively with Tomtec 4D LV-Analysis 3.0,and regional end-diastolic volume and end-systolic volume of left ventricular (rEDV,rESV),the time to minimum systolic volume (rESVT),regional stroke volume (rSV),regional ejection fraction (rEF),regional-global ejection fraction (rgEF) and the parameters of left ventricular dyssynchrony were measured.Results In the HCM group,the values of Tmsv16-Dif,Tmsv16-SD,Tmsv16-Dif％,Tmsv16-SD％ were significantly lower compared with the control group (P ＜ 0.01),and rEDV,rSV,rEF and rgEF in hypertrophic segments were lower than those in non-thickening and mild-thickening segments (P ＜0.05).In the control group,there were no significant difference of those parameters among all segments (P ＞0.05).The values of rEDV,rSV and rgEF in hypertrophic segments decreased in the HCM group (P ＜0.05),at the basal level,rEF in hypertrophic segments decreased,at the apical level,it increased,but the differences at the mid-ventricular level between the two groups were not significant;the values of rEF and rgEF in non-thickening and mild-thickening segments increased (P ＜0.05).Conclusions RT-3DE could sensitively detect left ventricular dyssynchrony and accurately assess regional left ventricular volume and function of different segments in patients with HCM.

Transthoracic echocardiographic characteristics of 17 cases of cardiac amyloidosis (CA), a rare disease in China, were analyzed in order to improve the understanding of the disease. Seventeen cases of biopsy-proven CA, admitted to Wuhan Union Hospital from June 1994 to September 2008 were retrospectively reviewed. Twenty normal volunteers served as control group. Left atrial and ventricular functions and mitral inflow velocity were measured by two-dimensional, and Doppler echocardiography, and tissue Doppler imaging (TDI)-derived peak systolic wall motion velocities (Sv), peak early diastolic wall motion velocities (Ev), and peak late diastolic wall motion (Av) were measured at the septum, lateral, inferior and anterior corners of mitral annulus from the apical 4- and 2 chamber views. Compared with the control group, the interventricular septal thickness (IVSd), the left ventricular posterior wall (LVPWd), right ventricular transverse diameter (RVTDd) near the end of diastole and the interauricular septum thickness (IASs), left atrial anteroposterior diameter (LAADs), right atrial transverse diameter (RATDs) near the end of systole were increased significantly (all P<0.05) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) decreased (P<0.05) in the CA group. Compared with the control group, Sv, Ev at each wall and Av at almost all walls were significantly decreased in the CA group. In the CA group, Myocardial echoes of interventricular septum and free wall of left ventricle were enhanced evidently and distributed unevenly. The echoes presented as ground glass-like images, with some spotty hyper echoes. Both atria were enlarged, and LVEF decreased, with diastolic function impaired, and mild-moderate hydropericardium found in the CA group. It was concluded that echocardiography was a relatively sensitive and highly specific non-invasive method for the diagnosis of CA.
Amyloidosis/*ultrasonography ; Cardiomyopathies/*ultrasonography ; Case-Control Studies ; Echocardiography ; Echocardiography, Doppler/*methods ; Retrospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity

Objective To analyze transthoracic echocardiographic characteristics of cardiac amloidosis (CA).Methods Fifteen cases of biopsy-proven CA were retrospectively reviewed.Results Interventricular septal thickening(＞1.3 cm)of varing degrees were found in all cases.In 11 cases,the posterior of left ventricular wall were thickened.Myocardial echoes of interventricular septum and free wall of left ventricular were enhanced evidently and distributed unevenly.The echoes presented as ground glass-like images,with some spotty hyper echoes.Both atria were enlarged,and LVEF decreased,with diastolic function impaired,and mild-moderate hydropericardium found in the CA.Conclusions Transthoracic echocardiography is a relatively sensitive and highly specific non-invasive mothod tO diagnose CA.