Objective To investigate the expression of nerve growth factor(NGF) and slouble Fas(sFas) in children with viral myocarditis(VM),and the relationship with immunity,with the aim to provide evidence and basis for the diagnosis and treatment of VM.Methods The serum levels of NGF and sFas were detected by two-site enzyme-linked immunosorbent assy(ELISA) in 43 children with VM,and 20 normal heathy children as controls.Results The serum levels of both NGF and sFas in children with the acute stage(course in less than month and 1-2 months)and the procrastinate and chronic stages of VM were significantly higher than those of healthy children(P0.05).Conclusion The increased serum expression levels of NGF and sFas are related to the process of viral myocarditis,which confirms the relationship between the onset of VM and immune factors.

Objective To further understand the cellular events of myocarditis,we have examined the myocardial mitochondria structure and activity of ATPase in mice with myocarditis,and observe the interventional effect of different doses of carptopril.Methods Sixty male Balb/c mice were randomly divided into 5 groups:infected coxsackie B3 virus(CVB3)group,infected CVB3 and treated with carptopril(in a dose of 10,30,or 100 mg/kg,twice a day)groups and control group.Captopril was administered after infection.The activity of Na+-K+-adenosine triphosphatase(Na+-K+-ATPase)and Ca2+-adenosine triphosphatase(Ca2+-ATPase)of myocardial mitochondrial as well as the morphological of myocardial mitochondrial were investigated on day 14.Results The activity of mitochondrial Na+-K+-ATPase and Ca2+-ATPase were significantly higher(Pa0.05).Conclusions The favorable effects of captopril exerts on myocyte mitochondria were shown in a dose-dependent manner.Thirty and 100 mg/kg,twice a day captopril protecs the membrane integrity and thus plays a role at the recovery of depressed mitochondrial Na+-K+-ATPase and Ca2+-ATPase activity and also in myocytes injury.

Objective To explore the effects of different period of insulin-like growth factor-1(IGF-1)on B cell lymphoma/leukeamia-2 gene(BCL-2)and BCL-2 associated X protein(BAX)of myocard in mice with viral myocarditis.Methods Male Balb/c mice were randomly divided into control group,coxsackie viral B3(CVB3)infection group(infection group),IGF-1-treated group in earlier stage(0-6 d)and acute stage(7-13 d),injected IGF-1 of exogenous in abdominal cavity [30 ?g/(kg?d)].Animals were killed at the 14 day.The immunohistochemical studies and medical imagine analysis system were performed to evaluate the expression of BCL-2 and BAX in myocardial tissue.Results In infection group,the expression of BCL-2 reduced and BAX increased than those of control and treatment group(Pa

Hedgehog signaling pathway is a conserved and important signaling pathway involved in proliferation and differentiation of many types of cells. Latest studies have found that Hedgehog signaling pathway may induce MSCs osteoblast differentiation by increasing the expression of the Runx2 and Osx and inhibit MSCs differentiate to adipocyte. Hedgehog signaling pathway may also promote osteoblast proliferation by regulating cyclin. This review summarizes the mechanism that Hedgehog signaling pathway regulates osteoblast differentiation and proliferation,and concludes that Hedgehog signaling pathway can regulate bone metabolism. It might provide new ideas for the treatment of osteoporosis.
Cell Differentiation ; Core Binding Factor Alpha 1 Subunit ; genetics ; physiology ; Hedgehog Proteins ; physiology ; Humans ; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells ; cytology ; Osteoblasts ; cytology ; Osteoporosis ; drug therapy ; etiology ; Signal Transduction ; physiology ; Sp7 Transcription Factor ; Transcription Factors ; genetics ; physiology

BACKGROUND:Hereditary factor occupies a certain position in suicidal behavior of depression. The researches in the past are focused on the hereditary effect on bipolar depression suicide.How do hereditary patterns and effects work in suicidal behavior in unipolar depression?OBJECTIVE: To probe into hereditary patterns and effects on suicidal behavior in unipolar depression.DESIGN:Retrospective investigation.SETTING:A municipal psychiatric hygienic centerPARTICIPANTS:Unipolar depression group included 115 outpatients and inpatients diagnosed in Wuxi Psychiatric Hygienic Center from June 1st 1983 to May 31st 2002.The diagnosis tallied with Standards on Depression Onset in Categories and Diagnostic Standards on Psychiatric Disturbance in China of 3rd Edition and with Standards on Severe Depression Onset in Manual of Diagnosis and Statistics of Psychiatric Disturbance in America of 4th Edition.The attack frequency of all the cases ≥ 3 times or the cases had been relieved ≥8 years after a couple of attacks.METHODS:The patients who tallied with the standards on unipolar depression received the investigation in every family tree under the instruction of 2 physicians-in-charge and more than 2 physicians and filled up the self-made investigation form of psychiatric family tree,including mainly the data of social demography of patients and their first grade relatives,characters of disease onset,frequency of attack,history of treatment and suicide. After re-diagnosed by 2 physicians-incharge and more than 2 physicians and checked by one physician-incharge,the cases were collected in patient group. The interview was carried on for the patients with suicidal behavior among all of the survived patients (107 cases) and first grade relatives (14 cases).The interview (337 cases) and investigation with letter (380 cases) were carried on for the first grade relatives without suicidal behavior. The investigation forms of 13 dead cases (8 cases of patients, 5 cases of first-grade relatives) were provided and filled-up by one or two first grade relatives. Two researchers interviewed the cases in the control,inquired the first grade relatives and filled up the investigation form of family tree.Single factor analysis was used for all the data and Falconer pattern of polygenetic threshold-value theory was used to estimate hereditary rate and standard error in suicidal behavior.Separation analysis in medical hereditary mathematic method and polygenetic threshold-value theory were applied to discuss the hereditary patterns.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:Hereditary effects and patterns of suicidal behavior in unipolar depressed patients.RESULTS:Suicidal risk of unipolar depressed patients(51.30%,59/115)was higher than their first grade relatives (2.58%,19/736) (x2=283.16,P ＜ 0.01).Suicidal risk of the first grade relatives (2.58%,19/736) of unipolar depressed patients was higher than the control (0.12%,3/2469)(x2=50.36,P ＜ 0.01).Suicidal risk of the first grade relatives of the patients with suicidal behavior (3.8%,14/372) was higher than that of the first grade relatives of the patients without suicidal behavior (1.4%,5/363)(x2=4.14,P＜ 0.05).The weighted average hereditary rate and standard error was (70.16±0.79)% for suicidal behavior in unipolar depression.The predictive morbidity of suicidal behavior in the first grade relatives was 3.1% and the real morbidity was 2.6%,which did not indicate significant difference (u =0.766, P ＞ 0.05).CONCLUSION:Suicidal behavior of unipolar depression presents obvious hereditary effects and its hereditary patterns tally with polygenetic inheritance.

Objective:To observe the efficacy of cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells on patients with advanced lung cancer. Methods:A total of 90 patients with advanced lung cancer were identified from January 2011 to December 2013. CIK therapy was given to 41 pa-tients in the observation group, whereas the other 49 patients in the control group received the best support treatments without che-motherapy or radiotherapy within one month of inclusion. Following up was conducted for the patients in the two groups, and KPS scores, median survival, and adverse reactions compared. Results:The KPS score in the observation group was higher than that of the control group after treatment (P=0.034). The median survival period of the observation group was eight months, which was one month longer than that of the control group (P=0.044). Major adverse reactions included fever, joint pain, and insomnia, which were recorded 51.22%, 36.58%, and 29.27%of occurrence, respectively. Conclusion:CIK cell therapy improved the quality of life and pro-longed the survival of advanced lung cancer patients with tolerable adverse reactions.

The epieardial adipose tissue in 210 subjects with or without metabolic syndrome (MS) was measured by echocardiography.The thickness of epicardial adipose tissue in male with MS group was significantly greater than that in men without MS [(9.10?3.59) mm vs (6.82?3.00) mm,P

OBJECTIVETo provide experimental evidence for the feasibility of repair of deep partial thickness burn wounds with autologous skin grafting on retained denatured dermis.

METHODSDeep partial thickness burn wounds 3.5 cm x 3.5 cm in size were produced on the back of SD rats. Superficial tangential excision was performed on the burn wounds on 2 - 5 postburn days with the preservation of denatured dermis. Split thickness autoskin was grafted on the wounds immediately. Tissue samples of whole layer of the skin were harvested from the grafted sites at different time points after the skin grafting, with 8 rats in each group. The morphology and the changes in the collagen fibres in the above tissue samples were observed by light microscopy (LM) and the changes in the biodynamics were determined. The normal skin from the same rat receiving skin grafting was employed as the control.

RESULTS(1) Vitreous degeneration was observed in the preserved denatured dermis. (2) The grafted skin was fused to the burn wound on the 7th day after autoskin grafting in rats. The dermal papillae and reticular layer could be discernible under LM. The thickness, structure and morphology of the skin on the grafted area were similar to normal tissue on the 21st day after grafting with atrophic hair follicles. The density of collagen fiber cord increased gradually, and almost fused at last. (3) The tensile strength, and maximum strain value of the rat skin after operation increased gradually, approaching normal on 60 post-operational day.

CONCLUSIONThe denatured dermis can recover gradually with normal structure and morphology after the application of autoskin on it for the repair of deep partial thickness burn wounds.

Animals ; Burns ; surgery ; Dermis ; pathology ; transplantation ; Graft Survival ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Skin Transplantation ; methods ; Transplantation, Heterologous ; Wound Healing

OBJECTIVEINF-lambda has anti-viral and anti-tumor activities. Its application in viral myocarditis (VMC) has not been reported. This study investigated the role of INF-lambda in acute VMC in mice.

METHODSForty mice were randomly divided into three groups: VMC (n=15), IFN-lambda2-treated VMC (n=15) and control (n=10). VMC was induced by an intraperitoneal injection of Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3).The control group was intraperitoneally injected with 2% PBS. The IFN-lambda2-treated VMC group was administered with 400 ng IFN-lambda2 (0.1 mL) by subcutaneous injections daily, for 5 days. The control and the VMC groups were given equal amount of nomal saline.The surviving mice were sacrificed 9 days after IFN-lambda2 treatment. The pathological changes of heart tissues were examined under a light microscope. Bcl-2 and Bax expression in heart tissues was determined by immunohistochemistry.

RESULTSThe control group presented normal heart tissues. The INF-lambda2-treated VMC group showed significantly a lower pathological score (1.5+/-0.5) than the untreated VMC group (2.8+/-0.8) (P<0.01). Bcl-2 expression decreased (P<0.01), in contrast, Bax expression increased (P<0.01) in the untreated VMC group compared with that in the control group. INF-lambda2 treatment resulted in an increased Bcl-2 expression (P<0.01) and a decreased Bax expression (P<0.01) compared to the untreated VMC group.

CONCLUSIONSINF-lambda2 may alleviate myocardial injuries and inhibit cardiomyocytic apoptosis, thus providing protective effects on myocardial cells in mice with acute VMC.

Animals ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Coxsackievirus Infections ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Cytokines ; therapeutic use ; Enterovirus B, Human ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Myocarditis ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Myocardium ; chemistry ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 ; analysis ; bcl-2-Associated X Protein ; analysis

BACKGROUNDOlder subjects tend to have smaller ocular anterior segment. The present study aimed to measure anterior segment dimensions with optical coherence tomography (OCT) and quantitatively assess the effect of age and other factors.

METHODSAnterior segment OCT images were obtained in normal subjects residing in the greater Los Angeles area. Four line scans were acquired at the 90°, 45°, 0° and 135° meridians of each eye. Computer calipers acquired anterior segment dimensions of corneal diameter, anterior chamber width, corneal vault and anterior chamber depth on OCT images. Measurements from 4 meridians were averaged. Axial length and corneal power were measured by partial coherence interferometry. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to assess correlations.

RESULTSSixty-six eyes of 33 normal subjects (aged 22 - 65 years, 19 Asians, 14 Caucasians) were enrolled. For every 1 year of age, corneal diameter was 0.033 mm narrower (P < 0.01), anterior chamber width was 0.031 mm narrower (P < 0.01), corneal vault was 0.016 mm lower (P < 0.01), and anterior chamber depth was 0.025 mm lower (P < 0.01). Asian eyes had smaller corneal diameter (P = 0.035) and anterior chamber width (P = 0.015) compared with those of Caucasian eyes. Body height showed positive correlation with corneal diameter (0.039 mm per centimeter of height, P < 0.01) and corneal vault (0.024 mm per centimetre of height, P < 0.01). Gender did not have an independent effect on anterior segment dimensions.

CONCLUSIONSAnterior segment dimensions were smaller in older subjects. Age-related changes may affect the tolerability of long-term implants such as phakic intraocular lens.

Adult ; Age Factors ; Aged ; Anterior Eye Segment ; anatomy & histology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multivariate Analysis ; Tomography, Optical Coherence