Animals ; Ear Canal ; surgery ; Female ; Gene Expression ; Hypothalamus ; metabolism ; Nerve Block ; Pregnancy ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate ; genetics ; metabolism

Animals ; Female ; Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental ; Inferior Colliculi ; metabolism ; N-Methylaspartate ; genetics ; metabolism ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate ; genetics ; metabolism

Three hundred and nine community health service (CHS) practitioners were selected with randomized cluster sampling for survey with the job satisfaction questionnaire-occupational stress indicator (OSI).Degree of the job satisfaction was (68 ± 12)%.Position, work experience, income,feeling of recognition, degree of motivation, the scope for career development, the space for personal ambition and the relationship between salary and work load were potential influencing factors of job satisfaction to CHS practitioners.The authors suggest to establish the dynamic mechanisms of satisfaction study and to formulate comprehensive and effective incentive measures for CHS practitioners.

Objective To evaluate the diagnostic value of the early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) classification criteria for early RA and to assess the clinical efficacy of knee arthroscopic synovectomy for RA.Methods A total of 62 patients who had arthritic complaints with disease duration less than one year were treated with knee arthroscopic synovectomy.Patients were diagnosed as RA confirmed by changes of synoviomorphous under arthroscopy,synovial biopsy,immunological biochemical laboratory and MRI,and compared with the preoperative ERA diagnosis.The efficacy was assessed at the third months and more than 12 months after operation,including Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ),Lysholm score,laboratory parameters of erythrocyte sedi-mentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP).Results The sensitivity and specificity in the early RA classification criteria for RA diagnosis were 81.58％ and 91.67％.38 patients diagnosed as RA and the remaining 24 patients were significantly improved of HAQ,Lysholm score,ESR,CRP compared with preoperation,showed statistical difference (P ＜ 0.01).There were still statistical differences between the follow-up results of the group of patients with RA in different period after operation (P ＜ 0.01).Conclusion The early RA classification criteria is worthy of clinical application,because it has the advantages of simple,practical,and is beneficial to early diagnosis of RA.The early RA patients should be treated with knee arthroscopic synovectomy as far as possible.It can improve not only the knee function,but also the general symptoms,and it can interrupt the RA pathological process,effective maintain curative effect after operation.

Objective To determine the baseline echocardiographic characteristics and the time course and degree of recovery of left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction in patients with tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy ( TCM ) . Methods Seven hundred and fifteen patients received radiofrequency cather ablation ( RFCA ) for tachycardiarrhymias from July 2010 to July 2013 were screened in this study. Only 33 patients with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (LVEF<50% and improved≥15%) were diagnosed with tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy and were included in the study. Patients with early improvement (over 25%increase in LVEF at 1-week follow-up compared to the baseline ) were enrolled in the improved group , and the rest patients were enrolled in the improved group. All Patients received transthoracic echocardiography for LV size and function detection at 1 week and at 3,6,12 months follow-up. Results The average baseline of the LV end-diastolic diameter, and the LVEF were (55 ± 10.7)mm and (38 ± 4.6)%, repectively. Early improvement ( over 25%increase in LVEF at 1-week follow-up compared to the baseline ) in the improved group was observed in 16 patients. Patients with early improvement had higher LVEF at 12-month follow-up compared to the patients without early improvement [(69.2± 4.2)% vs (58.1 ± 6.9)%, P < 0.001]. Conclusions RFCA is proved to be a relatively safe and effecient treatment method. Atrial fibrillation related to TCM , rhythm control is superior to the rate control. The early improvement in LVEF may potentially predict the complete reversibility of LV systolic dysfunction.

Objective To study whether the primary ovarian cancer cells containing cancer stem cells and its characterization in serum-free culture condition.Methods The primary cancer cells were isolated from one stage Ⅲ, grade 2 serous adenocareinoma tissue.Cells were cultured in serum-free culture system supplemented with epidermal growth factor,basic fibroblast growth factor,leukemia inhibitory factor and insulin.or standard serum-containing system.Methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium assay,quantitative PCR analysis,flow-cytometric analysis and xenograft experiments in vivo were performed.Results The primary cancer cells could maintain and forill cell sphere in serum-free culture system.These cells had the properties of self-renewal,overexpression of stem cell marker genes Nanog,Oct-4,Sox-2,nestin,ABCG2,CD_(133) and CD_(117) By contrast with the difierentiated cells under standard serum-containing culture conditions.these sphere-forming cells were more resistant to cisplatin and paclitaxel after treated 48 and 72 hours(61% vs.31%,73% vs.29%,P<0.05).With Hoechst 33342 exclusion assay,only 21.83%of sphere-forming cells were positive with the dye,compared with 83.04% positive cells in differentiated cells (P<0.01).Only 500 sphere-forming cells resulted subcutaneous xenograft tumors.All of these xenografts were categorized as serous adenocareinomas, overexpression of CA_(125) and cytokeratin-7 which were original tumor phenotype of ovarian cancer. Conclusion The sphere-forming cells isolated from primary ovarian cancer tissues have the characterization of cancer stem cell and may be a more reliable model system for understanding the biology of primary human tumors.

BACKGROUND: Bushen Huoxue Tongluo Capsule, a well-known traditional prescription, exhibits remarkable treatment outcomes in knee osteoarthritis, but the underlying mechanism is not fully understood. OBJECTIVE: To explore the regulatory effect of Bushen Huoxue Tongluo Capsule on miR-27a of synovial cells in Sprague-Dawley rats with knee osteoarthritis. METHODS: The model of knee osteoarthritis was established in 120 Sprague-Dawley rats using Hulth method, and then these rat models were randomized into four groups, followed by given75 mg/kg normal saline (blank control group), 34 (low-dose group), 75 (medium-dose group) and 140 (high-dose group) mg/kg Bushen Huoxue Tongluo Capsule aqueous solvent via gavage according to body mass, respectively, twice daily, for consecutive 2 courses (15 days as a course) with 2 days in between. The synovium and cartilages were removed after each course, and the expression of miR-27a in the knee joint synovium and chondrocytes was determined by real-time quantitative PCR. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Gross observation found that the degeneration of synovium and cartilage in the Bushen Huoxue Tongluo Capsule groups was milder than that in the blank control group. Real-time PCR revealed that there was an increasing trend in the expression of miRNA-27a in the synovium and cartilage in each group, especially in the high-dose group, and there was a significant difference between groups (P < 0.05). Our findings show that Bushen Huoxue Tongluo Capsule can suppress the reduced expression of miRNA-27a in the synovium and chondrocytes in rats with knee osteoarthritis, further alleviating knee degeneration and protecting the knee from damage.

BACKGROUND:Different anesthesia methods significantly impact mean arterial pressure, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, arterial blood pH and blood viscosity, but what kind of anesthesia method is more suitable for preparation of animal model does not reach an agreement. OBJECTIVE: To compare the effectiveness of local anesthesia and general anesthesia for preparation of rabbit intervertebral disc degeneration model in procession of percutaneous acupuncture rotary cut. METHODS:A total of 48 New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into the local anesthesia group and the general anesthesia group. The local anesthesia group was anesthetized with 0.5% lidocaine. The general anesthesia group was intraperitoneally injected with 3% sodium pentobarbital (30 mg/kg). In the two groups, models of intervertebral disc degeneration were established by minimally invasive percutaneous acupuncture rotary cut at L4/5, L5/6 levels. Modeling time was observed in both groups. Disc degeneration was evaluated by the gross observation, MRI detection, and histopathological examination at 4, 8, 12, and 16 weeks after modeling. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) General observation: the nucleus pulposus gradually with darker color and elasticity reduced in two groups after modeling. (2) MRI T2-weighted image results showed no significant changes in disc signal intensity at early stage, but the signal strength showed a decreasing trend with time. (3) Disc degeneration was evaluated according to Pfirrmann grading. Disc degeneration was gradually increased with time in two groups (P< 0.05), but there was no significant difference at postoperative time points in both groups (P > 0.05). (4) Masson staining showed that different degrees of annulus irregular arrangement appear in the two groups 8 and 12 weeks after modeling, but the structure was still intact. 16 weeks later, annulus disorganized, or even breakage in the two groups; no significant difference was detected between the two groups. (5) Safranin O staining showed that nucleus pulposus cells were not significantly reduced in the two groups at 4 weeks, but were significantly reduced at 16 weeks. (6) The average modeling time of local anesthesia group [(15.24±2.67) minutes] was significantly shorter than that in the general anesthesia group [(25.64±6.85) minutes] (P < 0.05). These results indicate that intervertebral disc degeneration model can be successfully established by minimally invasive percutaneous acupuncture rotary cut by using local anesthesia and general anesthesia; however, local anesthesia has a shorter operating time and simple anesthetic procedure. The efficacy was identical between the two methods.

BACKGROUND:The Herbal Compound formula Yaotu Granules for lumbar disc degeneration has achieved satisfactory efficacy, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: To explore the possible molecular mechanisms ofYaotu Granules for lumbar disc degeneration based on transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq). METHODS: Ten New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into control and experimental groups (n=5 per group), followed by intragastric injection of 20 mL of normal saline and 20 mL of water decoction of Yaotu Granules, respectively, twice daily for consecutive 1 week. The different drug serums were prepared using serum samples obtained from the common carotid artery at 2 hours after the last injection. Human nucleus pulposus cells were cultured in DMEM containing 10% different drug serums to observe the cellular morphology in each group. The cell viability was detected by trypan blue staining. The passage 3 human nucleus pulposus cells were pretreated for 48 hours, the mRNA level was detected using RNA-seq, and the differentially expressed mRNA was screened by RNA-seq. Subsequently, the differential gene expression, Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis and Pathway enrichment analysis were performed. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: In the experimental group, there were round or fusiform cells with abundant cytoplasm and clear nuclei that showed smooth surface and complete nuclear membrane; elongated rough endoplasmic reticulum arranged regularly, and less mitochondrion, scattered lysosomes and filaments were visible in the cytoplasm. In the control group, spindle and polygonal cells were found, and the large nuclei with 2 or 3 nucleoli and slightly rough surface were observed; there were mildly dilated endoplasmic reticulum, and few mitochondria with incomplete membrane. The adherent rate, generation time and cell viability of passage 1, 2 and 3 cells in the experimental group were significantly better than those in the control group (P < 0.05). Sequencing results found that there were 464 differentially expressed genes including 143 upregulated, and 321 downregulated genes. GO analysis revealed that the differentiated genes were mainly concentrated on cell regulation and metabolism. Pathway analysis found that mainly differentiated genes focused on the metabolism related pathways. These findings suggest that the differentially expressed gene profile of Yaotu Granules for lumbar disc degeneration is obtained by RNA-seq technology.Yaotu Granules mainly upregulate extracellular matrix metabolism-related genes and downregulate polysaccharide synthesis related genes in the prevention and treatment of lumbar disc degeneration, which provides basis for further research.

BACKGROUND: Zero-P anterior cervical fixation system is an important means for treatment of cervical myelopathy in recent years. Zero-P fixation system can achieve effective decompression of spinal cord and nerve, and restore cervical curvature, with good stability.OBJECTIVE: To investigate the biocompatibility of Zero-P for multilevel cervical myelopathy.METHODS: Totally 62 patients with multilevel cervical disease who were treated by anterior cervical discectomy and fusion with Zero-P were selected, including double segments in 47 cases, three segments in 13 cases and four segments in 2 cases. Clinical efficacy was evaluated by pain visual analogue scale score, Japanese Orthopedic Association score, neck disability index score at postoperative 1, 6, 12, 24 months. Simultaneously, incidence of postoperative complications, cervical intervertebral space height and Cobb angle changes were observed.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) 54 patients were followed 2 years after treatment by clinic or telephone. Mean operative time was (102.00±32.41) minutes; average blood loss was (62.45±18.36) mL. (2) Two patients affected mild throat discomfort at one day after operation, and the symptoms went to lift six days after. The remaining patients did not experience any other complications. (3) Visual analogue scale score and neck disability index score at 1, 6, 12 and 24 months after operation were all less than preoperatively (P < 0.05); Japanese Orthopedic Association scores were higher than preoperatively (P < 0.05); the Cobb angle was improved significantly and greater than before treatment (P < 0.05).Postoperative cervical intervertebral space height was significantly higher than preoperatively (P < 0.05). Japanese Orthopedic Association results showed that among 54 patients, excellent was found in 34 cases, good in 14 cases,average in 6 cases and poor in 0 cases; the excellent and good rate was 89%. (4) Zero-P has a good clinical efficacy for multilevel cervical myelopathy, relieves symptoms significantly and restores cervical curvature and height, and has a good biocompatibility.