ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of prenatal taurine supplementation on the Rho-ROCK signaling pathway activity and synaptophysin (Syp) expression in brain tissues of rats with intrauterine growth restriction.MethodsEighteen pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into control group, fetal growth restriction (FGR) group and taurine group, with six rats in each group. Low-protein diet was given in FGR and taurine groups to establish an FGR model. Taurine 300 mg/(kg·d) was supplemented from gestational day 12 until delivery in taurine group. The mRNA expression levels of neurite growth inhibitor-A(Nogo-A), neurite growth inhibitor receptor (NgR), Rho-A and ROCKⅡin fetal rat brain were detected using reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (n=24), which are the key signaling molecules of the Rho-ROCK signal pathway. The protein expression levels of Nogo-A and NgR were detected by Western blot (n=12). The mean optical density in Nogo-A, NgR and Syp was determined by immunohistochemistry (n=18). One-way analysis of variance and LSD-t test were used for statistical analysis.Results(1) Expression of mRNA: the expression levels of Nogo-A, NgR, Rho-A and ROCKⅡ mRNA in fetal rat brain were 4.09±1.34, 3.01±0.77, 39.89±7.71 and 7.82±1.83, respectively in FGR group, and were significantly higher than in control group (1.00±0.13, 1.00±0.10, 1.02±0.30 and 1.00±0.10) (t=4.735, 5.204, 7.682 and 10.675, allP<0.05). The expressions in taurine group (1.07±0.30, 1.20±0.27, 5.36±0.41 and 1.89±0.43) were significantly lower than in FGR group (t=4.645, 4.690, 6.687 and 9.485, allP<0.05), and there was no statistical difference between taurine group and control group (allP>0.05). (2) Expression of protein by Western blot: the expressions of Nogo-A and NgR protein in fetal rat brain were 1.51±0.09 and 0.31±0.05 in FGR group, 0.82±0.06 and 0.06±0.01 in taurine group, and 1.04±0.10 and 0.09±0.12 in control group. The expression was significantly higher in FGR group than in control group (t=9.644 and 5.285, bothP<0.05). The expression was significantly lower in taurine group than in FGR group (t=14.163 and 5.825, bothP<0.05), and there was no statistical difference between taurine group and control group (allP>0.05). (3) Positive expression of protein: the positive expressions of Nogo-A and NgR protein in fetal rat brain were 0.28±0.06 and 0.11±0.02 in FGR group, 0.10±0.02 and 0.04±0.01 in taurine group, and 0.07±0.01 and 0.04±0.01 in control group. The expression was significantly higher in FGR group than in control group (t=9.778 and 7.645, bothP<0.05). The expression in taurine group was significantly lower than in FGR group (t=8.679 and 7.413, bothP<0.05), and there was no statistical difference between taurine group and control group (bothP>0.05). The positive expression of Syp protein in fetal rat brain was 0.08±0.01 in FGR group, and was significantly lower than in control group (0.16±0.04,t=4.600,P<0.05). The expression in taurine group (0.14±0.36) was significantly higher than in FGR group (t=3.181,P<0.05), and there was no statistical difference between taurine group and control group (P>0.05).ConclusionsPrenatal taurine supplementation can improve neural axon development via down-regulating the expressions of the key molecules of Rho-ROCK signal pathway in fetal rat brain tissue.

Objective To evaluate the feasibility and safety of double-lumen balloon catheter applied in patients with achalasia of cricopharyngeal muscle. Method Fifty patients with achalasia of cricopharyngeal muscle were randomly divided into experimental group and control group. All the patients received routine drug treatment,swallowing function training,feeding training and low frequency VitalStim electric stimulation. In addition,double-lumen balloon catheter and #14 urinary catheters were applied to patients in the experimental group and control group,respectively. The swallow water tests and video fluoroscopy swallowing study(VFSS) were used to evaluate the treatment effects,the electron-nasopharyngolaryngoscope was used to assess bleeding and swelling of mucous membrane,and VRS-5 was used to assess pain. Result After treatment,the scores of swallow water tests and VFSS were significantly better than those before treatment in both groups(P<0.05). There was no significant difference between the two groups(P>0.05). However,the incidence of complications was significantly higher in the control group than that of experimental group(P<0.05). Conclusion Both treatment methods can effectively relieve the achalasia of cricopharyngeal muscle,but modified double-lumen balloon catheter can reduce the incidence of complications.

Taurine is one of the extremely important amino acids in the body,and is also the most abundant free amino acids in the central nervous system(CNS).Taurine as a conditional essential amino acids exerts a wide range of physiological and pharmacological effects.Taurine,especially as a neurotransmitter in the developing CNS,can maintain the structural integrity of the membrane,regulate calcium transport and calcium homeostasis,also as nutritional factors,osmolyte,neuromodulator,neuroprotective agents,plays an important role.In this paper,physiological and biochemical properties of taurine,source and distribution in vivo,synthesis and metabolism,absorption and transport,and its protective effect on the CNS are reviewed.

Objective To analyse clinical application of reversed anterolateral thigh adipefascial flap in repair of defects around the knee. Methods Reversed anterolateral thigh adipofascial flap was employed to repair defects of knee and upper shank in five patients from July 2006 to April 2007. The perforator arteries were detected and labelled with a hand held Doppler flowmeter before operation. The size of flaps containing perforator artery ranged from 6 cmx 8 cm to 12 cm×13 cm. After the descending branch was severed at the bifurcation of the lateral circumflex femoral artery, the flaps were elevated distal-ly to cover the defects of the knee and upper part of the shank. A split thickness graft was harvested to cover the flap. Results All the reversed anterolateral thigh adipofascial flaps survived well, with no complications occurred in donor site. Partial graft necrosis occurred in one patient and healed after conser-vative wound dressing change. Conclusion The reversed anterolateral thigh adipofascial flap is a good choice for repair of defects around the knee, for it can provide long thin vascular pedicle and maintain contour of the donor cite.

It has been known that the Alzheimer's disease(AD)is related closely with a synaptic failure,and the p21-activated kinase(PAK)is well documented to play an important role in the regulation of the synaptie functions.However,the relationship between thePAK and the pathology of AD is unclear.In the present study,we examined the expressions of the PAK3(one subtype ofPAK),phospho-rylated-PAK(pPAK) and β-amyloid42(Aβ42,β-amyloid with 42 peptides)in an APP/PS1 double transgenie mouse model of AD andthe morphologies of geurOtlS in the hippocampus at different ages.The Western Blot results showed that the expression of PAK remainedunchanged,while,the expression of pPAK decreased largely at the age of 32 weeks and further decreased significantly with aging in thehippocampus of the APP/PS1 transgenic mouse.A1342 levels in the hippocampus were detected to increase as early as the age of 22 weeks,and kept the increase to continue with aging.The morphological results showed no obvious neuron loss in the sections of Nissl staining,while serious distonion and disorder of the dendrites of the hippocampal neurons were observed on the sections of Gelgi staining in theAPP/PS1 transgenic mouse.The present results suggested that it seemed something wrong in the processes of phospholization of PAK,butnot in the expression of the PAK itself;the toxic Aβ42 might affect the PAK in its phospholization,which in turn directly influence thedendritic development in the hippocampal neurons and cause the dendrites distorting and disordering.

Objective To investigate the relationship between benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) andchronic prostatitis(CP). Methods Three hundred BPH patients were studied, aged from 51 to 96 (aver-age 72). All patients were divided into 3 groups (Ⅰ°、Ⅱ°and Ⅲ°)according to result of digital rectal examina-tion, which include 85 cases , 139 cases and 76 cases respectively. The incidence of CP among 3 groups were compared and analyzed. Results Two hundreds and thirty-five of the 300 cases with BPH were accompa-nied with CP(77.7%). Among the 233 cases, 53 cases were in Ⅰ degree BPH group (53 / 85, 62.4% ), 113 cases were in Ⅱ degree BPH group (113/139, 81.3%), 67 cases were in Ⅲ degree BPH group (67/76, 88.2%). Conclusions Many BPH patients were accompanied by CP. The prostate size and the inflamma-tion of prostate were positive correlated. The effect of anti-inflammatory treatment in Ⅰ degree and Ⅱ degreeBPH patients was better than Ⅲ degree BPH patients.

Objective:To analized brain function monitoring results with amplitude- integrated electroencephalogram (aEEG) in neonatal ward.Methods:The clinical data of 1 370 newborns received aEEG monitoring in Neonatal Department of our hospital from September 2017 to August 2019 were retrospectively analyzed.Results:Among 1 370 neonates undergoing aEEG examination,abnormalities were demonstrated in 308 cases with an overall abnormal rate of 22.5%. The abnormal rate in critical neonates was 27.7% (240/868),while that in non-critical neonates was 13.6% (68/502) (χ2=36.304, P<0.01). Neonates with convulsion had the highest aEEG abnormal rate (57.1%, 16/28), followed by small for gestational age (SGA) (48.8%, 20/41), asphyxia (41.5%, 49/118), premature (31.1%, 92/296)and erythrocytosis (29.7%, 11/37). Among 308 cases of abnormal aEEG, the main types of abnormalities were abnormal background activity in 229 cases (74.4%),insignificant sleep-wake cycles in 139 cases (45.1%) and abnormal original EEG in 117 cases (40.0%). Among 308 cases of abnormal aEEG, 38.0%(117 cases) had corresponding clinical manifestations and 62.0%(191 cases) had no clinical manifestations. The sensitivity of aEEG monitoring is 73.6%(117/159), and the specificity is 84.2%(1 020/1 211). Conclusions:The abnormal rate of aEEG is high in hospitalized neonates,especially in critically ill neonates. It is necessary to carry out routine aEEG examination for hospitalized neonates in order to early detect brain function damage.