Objective: To observe the level of pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) mRNA expression in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus in young and senile rats. Methods: POMC mRNA was determined with in situ hybridization, the hybridization signals and areas of POMC mRNA-positive cells were measured with computer image analysis system. Results: Compared with young rats, average gray values of POMC mRNA-positive neurons in the hypothalalmic arcuate nucleus and near region in the senile rats decreased, but the numbers of POMC mRNA-positive neurons did not change significantly. Conclusion: The decrease of POMC mRNA expression level in individual neurons in hypothalamic arcuate nucleus of senile rats is one of the causes that decrease the expression of peptides-derived from POMC gene.

Objective To investigate the correlation between the formation of pigmented biliary calculus and biliary H.pylori infection.Methods Bile from 35 patients with pigmented biliary calculus and 10 healthy controls was cultured for aerobic,anaerobic and H.pylori.The expression of H.pylori- DNA in bile,bile duct mucosa and pigmented calculus were determined by PCR.The expression of H. pylori associated protein in bile duct mucosa was determined by Western-blot and Warthin-Starry staining.Results H.pylori culture was negative in all bile samples.In 35 patients with biliary pigmen- ted calculus,H.pylori was detected by PCR in the center of calculus,bile and bile duct mucosa of 14.29%,31.43% and 56.67% patients,respectively.Among H.pylori-DNA positive bile samples,7 contained anti-CagA antibodies,and 6 contained Vac A.in addition to Vacuolating cytotoxin(35000), glycoprotein(30000),Urase Band Urase A.Bacteria resembling H.pylori by Warthin-Starry stainning were found in 7 of 30(23.33%)bile duct mueosal samples from patients with biliary pigmented calculus. H.pylori-DNA and its associated protein were not detected in all bile and bile duct mucosae samples from the healthy controls.Conclusions The evidence of H.pylori-DNA and its associated protein in biliary system might indicate the role of H.pylori in the formation of biliary pigmented calculus.

Objective To study the diagnosis and treatment of ch ildren with congenital choledochal cyst (CCC).Methods From Janu ary 1998 to January 2003, data from 43 cases children with CCC were used for thi s study. Their parameters included sex, age, diagnosis , types of CCC, time of surgery and style of surgery were retrospectively analyzed. Results The incidence of patients whose age under 2 years old was 72 %.The ratio o f gender (male:female) was 1:3. The children were examined by B-ultrasonic(B-u s),computed tomography(CT), and MRCP with the accuracy of 83.7 %, 78.9 % and 80. 0 % respectively.Forty cases underwent biliary reconstruction, cystectomy and Ro ux-en -Y bilioenteric anastomosis. There was no mortality, pre or postoperative compli cation. Conclusion B-us examination is the best method to diag nose the disease.Cystectomy and biliary reconstruction are effect to treat this disease.

The most common forms of treatment for amblyopia are occlusion therapy and pharmacologic penalization. But these methods can not recover all the visual deficits of amblyopes and there are some disadvantages of the treatment which need to be considered, including adverse effects, compliance and social stigma. Recently, some novel approaches are investigated for improving the effectiveness and compliance of treatment for amblyopia.

OBJECTIVETo study the hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotype and its relation to clinical degree and responsiveness to antiviral therapy on hepatitis in order to guide the clinical therapy.

METHODSWe amplified HBV S gene by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), using the second-round PCR product, which was digested by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). This genotype method was designed under the analysis of the restriction fragment length polymorphism and using the restriction enzymes that identified the genotype-specific sequences. Five restriction enzymes, Hph I , Nci I , Alw I, Ear I and NlaIV, were identified in genotype-specific RFLP from the S gene region. Representative sequences from the S genome region of each HBV genotype were aligned to show the restriction sites by the five restriction enzymes. The amplified S gene nucleotide sequences were sequenced by dideoxy-chain-termination method and the corresponding amino acid sequence was deduced using DNASIS software. Later, they were genotyped by comparing to representative S gene sequences obtained from GenBank. This confirmed the results of RFLP HBV genotyping methods, coincident with that of S gene sequence.

RESULTSGenotypes A, B, C, D were classified in 216 patients with HBV and DNA positive. The results showed that: 1 case (0.46%) of genotype A, 19 cases genotype B (8.8% ), 175 genotype C (81.02%) and 21 genotype D (9.72%). A total of 86 patients in the hospital were divided into either genotype C cases (69) or non-genotype C cases (17).

CONCLUSIONGenotype C was the major genotype in Changchun. Among HBV patients, type C was 80.95%, followed by genotypes B and D. Both hepatocellular carcinoma and liver cirrhosis showed relations with genotype C.

Antiviral Agents ; pharmacology ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; virology ; Drug Resistance, Viral ; Genotype ; Hepatitis B ; drug therapy ; Hepatitis B virus ; classification ; drug effects ; genetics ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis ; virology ; Liver Neoplasms ; virology ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length

The self-designed experimental teaching method is introduced in detail in this paper,including the preparative work before class,discussion of experimental designing proposal,and accomplishment of specific experiment and so on.The teaching method innovations on pathophysiology experiment are very helpful to cultivate the students' ability to solve practical problem and lay the foundation to cultivate talented medical science personal.

Objective: To observe the level of pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) mRNA expression in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus in young and senile rats. Methods: POMC mRNA was determined with in situ hybridization, the hybridization signals and areas of POMC mRNA-positive cells were measured with computer image analysis system. Results: Compared with young rats, average gray values of POMC mRNA-positive neurons in the hypothalalmic arcuate nucleus and near region in the senile rats decreased, but the numbers of POMC mRNA-positive neurons did not change significantly. Conclusion: The decrease of POMC mRNA expression level in individual neurons in hypothalamic arcuate nucleus of senile rats is one of the causes that decrease the expression of peptides-derived from POMC gene.

Objective:To investigate the levels of periphreal blood free carnitine and amino acids in healthy pregnant women in the third trimester and their association with maternal, fetal, and neonatal cardiac function and structure.Methods:This prospective descriptive study included healthy singleton pregnancies who underwent routine obstetric examination and delivered in two district maternal and child health hospitals (one in the urban and one in the suburb an area) in Beijing from June 2017 to February 2018. All recruiters had serology Down's syndrome screening test at (18±1) gestational weeks. Besides measurement of amino acids and free carnitine levels in whole blood and urine samples by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, all cases underwent maternal and fetal echocardiography at (35±1) weeks of gestation. And neonatal echocardiography was performed after delivery to assess the heart function and structure. Antenatal factors were also collected, including maternal education background, age at first marriage and conception, gravidity, and folic acid supplement in early pregnancy. Statistical analysis was performed using t-test, ANOVA, Chi-square test, Pearson correlation coefficient, and Kappa test. Results:A total of 493 mother-neonate dyads were enrolled in this study. Blood free carnitine levels in the healthy pregnant women in the third trimester ranged from 5.09 to 59.17 μmol/L (reference value: 10.00-50.00 μmol/L) with an average value of (13.03±3.87) μmol/L. None was found with structural abnormalities by cardiac ultrasound, showing an average left ventricular end diastolic diameter (LVEDD) and end systolic diameter (LVESD) of (45.70±3.08) mm and (29.17±3.12) mm, respectively, and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) of all cases were over 55%. No cardiac malformation was detected by the third-trimester fetal echocardiography. The average birth weight of the 493 newborns was (3 340±313) g. Those whose birth weight <2 500 g and >4 000 g were accounted for 1.0% (5 cases) and 3.0% (15 cases) with the average maternal blood free carnitine level of (13.25±2.17) μmol/L (10.46-19.21 μmol/L) and (12.64±2.50) μmol/L (8.78-17.73 μmol/L) ( t=0.42, P>0.05). The average LVEDD and LVESD of the 493 newborns were (17.21±1.27) mm and (11.03±1.30) mm, respectively. For the 64 newborns (13.0%) whose LVEF<60%, the maternal blood free carnitine level was (12.93±2.78) μmol/L (7.34-22.13 μmol/L), showing no statistical difference ( t=-0.29, P>0.05) with those 59 neonates (12.0%) whose LVEF over 75% and maternal carnitine level of (13.09±3.24) μmol/L (8.66-27.49 μmol/L). All cases were divided into four groups based on the quartiles of maternal blood free carnitine level and no significant difference in maternal or neonatal LVEDD or LVEF was observed among these groups (all P>0.05). Conclusions:Blood free carnitine concentration in healthy pregnant women in the third trimester is at the lower limit of normal range, and no significant effect on maternal cardiac function and fetal cardiac structure is seen. However, the effect of low maternal carnitine level in the third trimester on children's myocardial function and whether carnitine should be supplemented in the third trimester are worthy of further investigation with larger sample size.

OBJECTIVETo observe analgesic effect and safety of acupuncture compound anesthesia in transvaginal ultrasound-guided oocyte retrieval.

METHODSThree hundred and sixteen cases undergoing in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) were randomly allocated to an acupuncture compound anesthesia group (n = 146) and a simple Pethidine group (n = 170). They received respectively electroacupuncture combined with intramuscular injection of Pethidine and simple intramuscular injection of Pethidine 30 min before oocyte retrieval.

RESULTSThe acupuncture compound anesthesia group was significantly better than the simple Pethidine group in the pain rating and pain score (P < 0.01); the incidence rate of abdominal pain at 1 h and 2-5 h after oocyte retrieval in the acupuncture compound anesthesia group was lower than that in the simple Pethidine group (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONIn transvaginal ultrasound-guided oocyte retrieval, acupuncture compound anesthesia has the advances of safety, high effectiveness, rapid recovery after oocyte retrieval, and few side effects.

Acupuncture Analgesia ; Adult ; Embryo Transfer ; Female ; Fertilization in Vitro ; Humans ; Oocyte Retrieval ; methods ; Ultrasonography ; Vagina ; diagnostic imaging

OBJECTIVETo observe the effect of Bushen Huoxue Recipe (BHR) on inhibiting vascular calcification (VC) in chronic renal failure (CRF) rats by regulating BMP-2/Runx2/Osterix signal pathway, and to explore its possible mechanism.

METHODSThirty SD rats were randomly divided into the normal group, the model group, and the BHR group, 10 in each group. Rats in the model group and the BHR group were administered with 250 mg/kg adenine suspension by gastroagavage and fed with 1.8% high phosphorus forage, once per day in the first 4 weeks, and then gastric administration of adenine suspension was changed to once per two days in the following 5-8 weeks. Rats in the BHR group were administered with BHR at the daily dose of 55 g/kg by gastrogavage in the first 8 weeks, once per day. Equal volume of normal saline was given to rats in the normal group by gastrogavage for 8 weeks. Histological changes in renal tissue and aorta VC were observed by HE staining and alizarin red staining respectively. Levels of calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), serum creatinine (Cr), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) in serum were detected. Protein expression levels of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP-2), Runt related transcription factor (Runx2) , and Osterix were detected by Western blot.

RESULTSHE staining showed that compared with the normal group, disordered glomerular structure, tubular ectasia and dropsy, intracavitary inflammatory cell infiltration, dark brown crystal deposition in kidney tubules, renal interstitial fibrosis, and decreased number of renal blood vessels in the model group. Compared with the model group, normal glomerular numbers increased more, reduced degree of tubular ectasia, decreased number of inflammatory cells, and reduced adenine crystal deposition in the BHR group. Alizarin red staining showed that compared with the normal group, calcified nodes could be found in the model group, with extensive deposition of red particle in aorta. Compared with the model group, calcified nodes were reduced in the BHR group. Compared with normal group, serum levels of P, SCr, BUN, and iPTH significantly increased, serum Ca level significantly decreased, protein expressions of BMP-2, Runx2, Osterix also increased in the model group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). Compared with the model group, serum levels of P, SCr, BUN, and iPTH levels significantly decreased, serum Ca level significantly increased, protein expressions of BMP-2, Runx2, Osterix also decreased in the BHD group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONBHD could improve renal function, Ca-P metabolism, and renal histological changes in CHF rats, down-regulate the expression level of BMP-2/Runx2/Osterix signal pathway in vascular calcification of CRF, which might be one of the mechanisms for inhibiting VC in CHF.

Animals ; Blood Urea Nitrogen ; Bone Morphogenetic Protein 2 ; metabolism ; Core Binding Factor Alpha 1 Subunit ; metabolism ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Kidney ; pathology ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Kidney Function Tests ; Kidney Tubules ; pathology ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Signal Transduction ; drug effects ; Transcription Factors ; metabolism ; Vascular Calcification ; drug therapy