Objective To explore the inhibitory effects of SB203580, a specific inhibitor of p38 mitogen activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) on hyper secretion of airway mucus in mice with asthma. Methods Forty BABL/C mice were randomly allocated into asthma group, SB203580 treatment group, dexamethasone treatment group and control group (sham-challenged group). Mice in SB203580 treatment group were intraperitoneally injected with SB203580 (10mg/kg), while those in dexamethasone treatment group were injected with dexamethasone (1mg/kg) before provocation. The number of goblet cells in small bronchi of all groups was determined after Alcian blue-periodic acid Schiff (AB-PAS) staining. The contents of MUC5AC in bronchoalveolar lavarge fluid (BALF) were evaluated with ELISA asssy. The levels of MUC5AC mRNA expression were determined with reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay, and gray-scale analysis was done with image analysis method. Results Compared with the normal group, the number of airway goblet cells, the contents of MUC5AC in BALF and the level of lung MUC5AC mRNA expression in asthma group were raised significantly (P

Objective To isolate and purify the antibacterial peptides from larvae secretion of housefly (Musca domestica) and study their partial characteristics. Methods Protein isolation and purification were performed by routine process, namely, ultrafiltration, solid phase extraction (SPE) and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chroma-tography (RP-HPLC). The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC) of the antibacterial peptides were examined. The antibacterial effect of peptides was studied in nutritive medium with different pH value(pH 5.0-10.0), divalent cations (Mg2+: (0.5?10-3～10.0?10-3)mol/L, Na+、K+: (10?10-3～100?10-3)mol/L), and serum content(12.5%～75%). Results Molecular weight of the peptides was about Mr 3 000-30 000 after ultrafiltration. The fractions eluted with 20%, 30%, 70%, and 80% of acetonitrile (ACN) all showed antibacterial activity by solid phase extraction. The fractions eluted with 70% ACN showed strongest and stablest antibacterial activity which was further purified by RP-HPLC. Two sub-fractions appeared at around RT 15.5 min and 18.5 min were obtained with antibacterial activity. The MIC to those standard Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aerugirwsa, Staphylococcus aureas, and Bacillus subtilis was 32.7380, 16.3688, 65.4750 and 32.7380?g/ml respectively. In the nutritive medium of pH 6.0-9.0, different divalent cations and serum content, the increment of A570 in experiment groups was less than 0.05, while that of the control group was greater than 0.3 (P

Objective To evaluate the value and limitation of primary MSCT examination for rib fractures in a short interval. Methods Seventy-two cases with rib fractures were analyzed retrospectively.All of them underwent primary MSCT examination within the three days after trauma,and MSCT examination of chest,epigastria,rib or X-ray examination of rib for 1-6 times in the following 8 weeks.41 cases underwent X-ray examination firstly before MSCT examination.The total number of rib fractures was determined according to the compositive results of every examination.Diagnosis rate of the primary MSCT and X-ray examination were compared with each other.Results Among 72 cases,404 fractures in 325 ribs were diagnosed.Primary MSCT diagnosed 305 confirmed fractures and 28 doubtful fractures,and 84 fractures were not detected with diagnosis rate of 75.5%.13 of 28 suspected fractures were ruled out by the following re-examinations.The MSCT and X-ray diagnostic rates were 72.1%、50.3%,respectively for 41 cases who underwent X-ray examination firstly.Four fractures showed by X-ray plain film were not shown by primary MSCT.Conclusion There is a certain proportion of cases diagnosed as obscure or doubtful rib fracture by the primary MSCT. Therefore,diagnosis should be closely combined with the re-examination results of MSCT and X-ray plain film,especially MSCT ex-amination between the fourth and eighth weeks after trauma.