Anti-Bacterial Agents ; therapeutic use ; Endophthalmitis ; complications ; drug therapy ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Meningoencephalitis ; complications ; drug therapy ; Suppuration

Objective To observe he effects of new Tangshenkang on α-SMA and E-cadherin of human renal tubular epithelial cell HK-2 in high concentrations of glucose; To explore the mechanism of new Tangshenkang on the prevention and treatment of diabetic renal fibrosis. Methods The HK-2 cells were cultured and divided into control group, high glucose group, animal serum control group, new Tangshenkang low-, medium-, and high-dosage group. After medicine intervention, cell proliferation was tested by MTT assay, and contents of α-SMA and E-cadherin were observed by ELISA assay. Results Compared with control group, α-SMA of HK-2 cultured with high glucose was much notable, but the content of E-cadherin significantly decreased, with statistical significance (P<0.05). The content of α-SMA of HK-2 cultured with new Tangshenkang decreased, and the content of E-cadherin increased; cell proliferation was markedly inhibited in culture medium supernatant of HK-2 cells cultured with high glucose plus new Tangshenkang compared with only high glucose, with statistical significance. Conclusion New Tangshenkang can inhibit cell proliferation and epithelial-myofibroblast transdifferentiation of HK-2 cell induced by high glucose, and prevent the development of diabetic renal fibrosis to a certain extent.

BACKGROUNDAdrenocorticotrophin (ACTH)-secreting pituitary adenomas account for approximately 7% - 14% of all pituitary adenomas, but its pathogenesis is still enigmatic. This study aimed to explore mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of ACTH-secreting pituitary adenomas.

METHODSWe used fiber-optic beadarray to examine gene expression in three ACTH-secreting adenomas compared with three normal pituitaries. Four differentially expressed genes from the three ACTH-secreting adenomas and three normal pituitaries were chosen randomly for validation by reverse transcriptase-real time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). We then analyzed the differentially expressed gene profile with Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway.

RESULTSFiber-optic beadarray analysis showed that the expression of 28 genes and 8 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were significantly increased and the expression of 412 genes and 31 ESTs were significantly decreased. Bioinformatic and pathway analysis showed that the genes HIGD1B, EPS8, HPGD, DAPK2, and IGFBP3 and the transforming growth factor (TGF)-β signaling pathway and extracellular matrix (ECM)-receptor interaction pathway may play important roles in tumorigenesis and progression of ACTH-secreting pituitary adenomas.

CONCLUSIONSOur data suggest that numerous aberrantly expressed genes and several pathways are involved in the pathogenesis of ACTH-secreting pituitary adenomas. Fiber-optic beadarray combined with pathway analysis of differential gene expression appears to be a valid method of investigating tumour pathogenesis.

ACTH-Secreting Pituitary Adenoma ; etiology ; genetics ; Adenoma ; etiology ; genetics ; Adult ; Disease Progression ; Expressed Sequence Tags ; Extracellular Matrix Proteins ; physiology ; Female ; Fiber Optic Technology ; Gene Expression Profiling ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis ; methods ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Signal Transduction ; physiology ; Transforming Growth Factor alpha ; physiology

Selection and affinities of Cd binding peptides were assayed by phage random dodecapeptide library and affinity chromatography. Two Cd binding peptides were obtained, it was found that the affinities of Cu~ 2+ ,Co~ 2+ ,Zn~ 2+ ,Ni~ 2+ for Cd binding peptides were higher than that of Cd~ 2+ and Cr~ 2+ after detection of the amplified Cd binding peptides displayed phages to different heavy metal-charged resins; the detoxification of E.coli to Ni~ 2+ and Cd~ 2+ was enhanced when infected by Cd binding peptide displayed phages as compared with those of the control. The interaction of Cd binding peptide displayed phages with heavy metals charged resins was also observed under microscope. The work would be of great value and consequences for the study of interaction between heavy metals and proteins(peptides), as well as thedetoxification and bioremediation of heavy metals.

OBJECTIVETo establish a suitable dosage form for a traditional anti-anaphylaxis Chinese medicine of Kushen recipe, and investigate the effect of cutaneous permeation in vitro of the recipe.

METHODTechniques of extracting with ethanol and purifying with absorbent resin to obtain alkaloids from Kushen recipe were adopted, while volatile oil was extracted by steam distillation. The extraction was made to gel. The skin from SD rats' abdomen was used as permeability barriers. Then effects of permeation of the aqueous extraction, the purifying extraction and the gel were compared by Valia-Chien and Franz diffusion cell method. HPLC was utilized to quantitate the alkaloids in permeating liquid.

RESULTIn view of the permeation cumulation quantity, the permeation velocity and the lag time of the four kinds of alkaloids, the effect of permeation of purifying extraction was better than the aqueous extraction, and the purifying extraction gel surpassed both the aqueous extraction and the purifying extraction.

CONCLUSIONIt was certified that the purifying extraction gel had improved the effect of cutaneous permeation of alkaloids, and it is the befitting dosage form for Kushen recipe to treat anaphylaxis disease in skin.

Administration, Cutaneous ; Alkaloids ; administration & dosage ; isolation & purification ; pharmacokinetics ; Animals ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; Female ; Gels ; In Vitro Techniques ; Quinolizines ; administration & dosage ; isolation & purification ; pharmacokinetics ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Reproducibility of Results ; Skin ; metabolism ; Skin Absorption

OBJECTIVETo analyze the embryo development potential after intracytoplasmic injection of sperm from azoospermia patients with different spermatogenic functions.

METHODSWe performed ICSI with sperm retrieved from azoospermia patients with different spermatogenic functions using percutaneous epididymal sperm aspiration (PESA) and testicular sperm aspiration (TESA). Then we recorded and analyzed the rates of normal fertilization, cleavages, excellent embryos and pregnancies.

RESULTSNo statistically significant differences were found between the PESA and TESA groups in the rates of normal fertilization ([74.9 +/- 19.6] vs [66.3 +/- 22.7]%, P > 0.05), cleavages ([96.7 +/- 8.6] vs [92.8 +/- 19.8]%, P > 0.05), excellent embryos ([43.5 +/- 26.2] vs [35.0 +/- 29.4]%, P > 0.05) and pregnancies (44.0 vs 52.0%, P > 0.05). The normal fertilization rates in the patients with normal spermatogenesis, mild spermatogenic dysfunction (SD), moderate SD and severe SD were (77.8 +/- 18.4), (68.4 +/- 18.5), (73.5 +/- 19.8) and (51.4 +/- 27.9)%, respectively, with significant difference between the normal spermatogenesis and mild SD groups (P < 0.05) as well as between the severe SD and the other groups (P < 0.05); the cleavage rates were (96.7 +/- 9.2), (96.5 +/- 15.0), (93.9 +/- 12.1) and (93.7 +/- 11.1)%, respectively, with no significant difference among the four groups; the excellent embryo rates were (47.1 +/- 25.8), (40.3 +/- 27.6), (36.2 +/- 23.1) and (15.0 +/- 24.6)%, respectively, with significant difference between the severe SD and the other groups; the pregnancy rates were 54.8, 50.0, 13.6 and 10.0%, respectively, with significant differences among the four groups (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONICSI by PESA or TESA is an effective approach to azoospermia. There are no significant differences between PESA and TESA in the rates of normal fertilization, cleavages, excellent embryos and pregnancies. The severity of spermatogenic dysfunction affects fertilization and initial development of embryos, which were shown in the rates of normal fertilization, excellent embryos and pregnancies but not that of cleavages.

Adult ; Azoospermia ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Embryonic Development ; Epididymis ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Rate ; Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic ; Sperm Retrieval ; Spermatogenesis ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo estimate the effect of influenza-like illness (ILI) on outpatient visits and assess its impact on public health.

METHODSWe analyzed the data of weekly number of ILI and outpatient visits in Departments of Internal Medicine, Pediatrics and Emergency at two influenza surveillance hospitals during a period of 137 weeks in Guangzhou. Spectral analysis and time-series analysis were performed to evaluate the variation of outpatient visits over time. The predictive model was fitted with weekly outpatient visits as the dependent variable and weekly number of ILI as the independent variable. The optimal model was established according to the coefficient of determination, Akaike-information criterion and residual analysis. The validity of the model was assessed prospectively using the 31-week data that were not used for the model establishment.

RESULTSThe outpatient visits increased significantly over time and showed significant seasonality (P<0.001). A significant correlation was found between the weekly number of ILI and outpatient visits (r=0.568, P<0.001). The residuals of the fitted autoregression model were white-noise series and the coefficient of determination was 75% for the data used to establish the model and 56% for the subsequent 31-week data.

CONCLUSIONSThe autoregression model can be used to estimate the effect of weekly number of outpatient visits based on the weekly number of ILI and thus assess the effects of influenza on public health.

Child ; China ; epidemiology ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; statistics & numerical data ; Humans ; Influenza, Human ; epidemiology ; Logistic Models ; Outpatient Clinics, Hospital ; statistics & numerical data ; Outpatients ; statistics & numerical data

OBJECTIVETo study the significance and safety of flexible bronchoscopy and balloon dilatation in the diagnosis and treatment of respiratory diseases in children.

METHODSA total of 438 children (236 males and 202 females) with respiratory diseases who were aged from 17 days to 15 years, were examined and/or treated by bronchoscopy (including bronchoscopic intervention) under local anesthesia.

RESULTSOf the 438 children, 311 were diagnosed with pulmonary infection, 68 with atelectasis, 36 with recurrent cough and asthma, 6 with hemoptysis of unknown origin, 6 with bronchial foreign body, 5 with congenital bronchopulmonary dysplasia, 2 with bronchiectasis, 1 with ciliary dyskinesia syndrome, 1 with lung tumor, and 2 with congenital immunodeficiency disease. After bronchoscopic examination, local flushing or bronchoalveolar lavage, and foreign body extraction, marked response was seen in 379 cases and response was seen in 46 cases. High-pressure balloon dilatation under bronchoscopy was performed in 5 cases with inflammatory stricture and achieved satisfying clinical effect. No severe complications were found in bronchoscopy.

CONCLUSIONSBronchoscopy and balloon dilatation under local anesthesia is safe and effective for the diagnosis and treatment of respiratory diseases in children.

Adolescent ; Anesthesia, Local ; Bronchoscopy ; adverse effects ; methods ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Dilatation ; methods ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Respiratory Tract Diseases ; diagnosis ; therapy

OBJECTIVETo explore the clinical features and prognosis of early-onset preeclampsia.

METHODSA total of 115 cases of early-onset preeclampsia were recruited from January 1999 to December 2004 and the data analyzed in terms of the incidence, manifestation, maternal and fetal complications.

RESULTThe early-onset preeclampsia accounted for 13.4% of all preeclampsia diagnosed. The perinatal mortality was 13.3% in early-onset preeclampsia. Dysfunction and hepatic dysfunction were the main maternal complications. The gestational ages at admission and at delivery were significantly correlated with perinatal prognosis (P<0.001). Most cases received regular treatment had good prognosis.

CONCLUSIONEarly-onset preeclampsia is a severe type of preeclampsia.

Adult ; China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Fetal Death ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Infant Mortality ; Infant, Newborn ; Pre-Eclampsia ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Outcome

BACKGROUNDGlioblastoma is the most common and lethal cancer of the central nervous system. Global genomic hypomethylation and some CpG island hypermethylation are common hallmarks of these malignancies, but the effects of these methylation abnormalities on glioblastomas are still largely unclear. Methylation of the O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase promoter is currently an only confirmed molecular predictor of better outcome in temozolomide treatment. To better understand the relationship between CpG island methylation status and patient outcome, this study launched DNA methylation profiles for thirty-three primary glioblastomas (pGBMs) and nine secondary glioblastomas (sGBMs) with the expectation to identify valuable prognostic and therapeutic targets.

METHODSWe evaluated the methylation status of testis derived transcript (TES) gene promoter by microarray analysis of glioblastomas and the prognostic value for TES methylation in the clinical outcome of pGBM patients. Significance analysis of microarrays was used for genes significantly differently methylated between 33 pGBM and nine sGBM. Survival curves were calculated according to the Kaplan-Meier method, and differences between curves were assessed using the log-rank test. Then, we treated glioblastoma cell lines (U87 and U251) with 5-aza-2-deoxycytidines (5-aza-dC) and detected cell biological behaviors.

RESULTSMicroarray data analysis identified TES promoter was hypermethylated in pGBMs compared with sGBMs (P < 0.05). Survival curves from the Kaplan-Meier method analysis revealed that the patients with TES hypermethylation had a short overall survival (P < 0.05). This abnormality is also confirmed in glioblastoma cell lines (U87 and U251). Treating these cells with 5-aza-dC released TES protein expression resulted in significant inhibition of cell growth (P = 0.013).

CONCLUSIONSHypermethylation of TES gene promoter highly correlated with worse outcome in pGBM patients. TES might represent a valuable prognostic marker for glioblastoma.

Azacitidine ; analogs & derivatives ; pharmacology ; Brain Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; genetics ; pathology ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Cytoskeletal Proteins ; genetics ; DNA Methylation ; Glioblastoma ; drug therapy ; genetics ; pathology ; Humans ; LIM Domain Proteins ; genetics ; Promoter Regions, Genetic ; Treatment Outcome