0.05).It was revealed by ROC curve analysis that P-LAP≤38.12 U/L and IL-6≥3.40 pg/mL could be adopted as criteria to predict the inevitable preterm labor,and the Youden's index of the combination use of the parameters of P-LAP and IL-6 was significantly higher than that of the single use of each parameter(P

Inflammation is a defensive reaction and the most common pathological manifestation of dry eye.In addition,excessive inflammatory response is considered to be the most common pathogenic factor and main cause of dry eye.Currently,the active mechanism of anti-inflammatory drugs has been well-known,and topical antiinflammatory therapy for dry eye is exerting a role at certain extend.However,some adverse responses of these drugs are emerging during the treating procedure.Therefore,it is emphasized that a large sample size of and multicenter randomized-controlled clinical trial is needed to identify the different effects of various anti-inflammatory drugs for different types of dry eye diseases,which will offer a basis for standardized anti-inflammatory treatment for dry eye.

Objective To study the prevalence of the mtDNA A1555G gene mutation in Chinese population with nonsyndromic hearing impairment.Methods PCR-RFLP,directional sequencing of PCR products were applied in 325 patients with nonsyndromic hearing impairment and 50 normal controls.Results The mutation rate of the mtDNA A1555G was 14.5% (47/325),28 of 47 cases were homozygosis,19 of 47 cases were heterozygosis.The same mutation was not detected in the control subjects.Conclusion The mutation rate of the mtDNA A1555G is relatively high in the Chinese NSHI patients,the mutation type includes both heterozygosis and homozygosis.

OBJECTIVETo study whether co-stimulatory molecule CD40 of alveolar macrophage (AM) participated in the occurrence and development of silicosis, and to explore the intervention of Yiqi Huoxue Decoction (YHD) in the fibrosis of silicosis patients.

METHODSTotally 46 silicosis inpatients and outpatients were recruited and randomly assigned to the Western treatment group (A) and the Chinese medicine (CM) treatment group (B), 23 in each group. Patients in Group A received routine symptomatic treatment such as anti-inflammation, phlegm resolving, anti-spasm, and asthma relief, and so on. Patients in Group B additionally took YHD, one dose daily for 14 successive days. Besides, another 18 patients with chronic cough and sense of laryngeal foreign bodies were recruited as the normal control group, who had no obvious lesion confirmed by bronchofi6roscope and clinical diagnosis of the lung. They were treated by symptomatic supporting treatment. The alveolar lavage fluid was collected from all patients and isolated, and AM cells were cultured. The level of CD40 mRNA was detected by RT-PCR. The expression of CD40 protein was detected by Western blot.

RESULTSCompared with the normal control group, expression levels of CD40 mRNA and CD40 protein significantly increased in Group A (P < 0.01). Compared with Group A, expression levels of CD40 mRNA and CD40 protein significantly decreased in Group B (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONSHighly expressed co-stimulatory molecule CD40 of AM might participate in pulmonary fibrosis. YHD could hinder its roles, inhibit the progression of fibrosis, thereby playing an interventional role of treatment.

CD40 Antigens ; metabolism ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Fibrosis ; Humans ; Lung ; Male ; Pulmonary Fibrosis ; RNA, Messenger ; metabolism ; Silicosis ; drug therapy ; metabolism

In this article, the Chinese Traditional Medicine and Materia Medica Subject Headings, Standards of the People's Republic of China - Classification and Codes of Diseases and Zheng of Traditional Chinese Medicine and the Chinese Terms in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Pharmacy were compared. Three standards were compared from the terminology quantity, content and classification. Each standard has its special feature. The compatibility and consistency are not strong in these standards. More authoritative traditional Chinese medicine terminology standards need to be established for the application in the clinical practice and scientific research.

OBJECTIVETo study the effect of Wenyang Decoction (WD) on the differentiation of CD34+ progenitor cells of occupational asthma (OA) model rats.

METHODSFifty healthy male SD rats were randomly divided into five groups, i.e., the model group, the blank control group,the WD group,the Western medicine group,the combined group, 10 in each group. Prednisone suspension (10 mg/kg) was administered to rats in the Western medicine group by gastrogavage. WD (20 g/kg) was administered to rats in the WD group by gastrogavage. Prednisone suspension plus WD was administered to rats in the combined group by gastrogavage. Normal saline was administered to rats in the model group and the blank control group by gastrogavage. The general condition of rats was observed. Expression levels of peripheral blood IL-5 and eotaxin, eosinophils (EOS), CD34+, CC chemokine receptor 3 (CCR3+) in bone marrow suspension were detected by ELISA, Wirght-Giemsa, and flow cytometry, respectively.

RESULTSCompared with the blank control group,expression levels of IL-5 and eotaxin in peripheral blood were significantly higher (P < 0.01), and the count of EOS and CD34+ cells, as well as CD34+ /CCR3+ significantly increased (P < 0.01) in the model group. Compared with the model group, expression levels of IL-5 and eotaxin, the count of EOS, CD34+ cells, CD34+ / CCR3+ were lowered in three treated groups (P < 0.01). Compared with the Western medicine group, the count of EOS and CD34+ / CCR3+ decreased in the combined group (P < 0.01). The count of EOS was significantly lower in the combined group than in the WD group (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONWD could reduce levels of in vivo inflammatory factors, and restrain the differentiation and recruitment of EOS,thereby alleviating the differentiation of CD34 progenitor cells to EOS.

Animals ; Antigens, CD34 ; Asthma, Occupational ; drug therapy ; Bone Marrow ; Cell Differentiation ; Chemokine CCL11 ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Eosinophils ; Flow Cytometry ; Interleukin-5 ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Receptors, CCR3 ; Stem Cells

OBJECTIVE: To explore the optimal culture conditions in vitro and the biological characterizations of the QY1 pluripotential mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) line from Sprague-Dawley rat bone marrow and to analyze the biological stability of this MSC line so as to provide an ideal cell model for the further differentiation and actual application. METHODS: The methods and technologies of cell biology and stem cell tissue engineering were used to purify MSCs. We determined the effects of morphology of cell proliferation, the time of change medium, growth curves, doubling time, adhesive rates, chromosome, culture conditions, and repeated frost on the biological characterizations of MSCs. RESULTS: The cells had a fibroblastic-like morphology and were well spread out; 80% - 90% cells became confluent between 10 and 12 days in primary culture. The growth curves of Passage 1, 3, 10, and 20 were quite similar (P>0.05). The doubling time of passage 1, 3, 10, and 20 were 34.2, 33.9, 31.8, and 30.6 hours, respectively. The adhesive rates of Passage 1, 3, 10, and 20 were very much similar (P>0.05) and about 89% subcultured cells adhered to the wall in 10 hours. The most appropriate concentration of serum was 20% and the most appropriate concentration of cell number was 8 x 10(4)/mL. The cells of Passage 8 showed light red cytoplasm and heavy blue nuclear stained by Giemsa staining. The chromosomes of Passage 8 and 20 were normal in appearance and their karyotypes were 42, XY. The cells were resuscitable after repeated frozen, and more than 85% cells were alive. The cells had been continuously cultured for more than 10 months so far. CONCLUSION The QY1 MSCs line from Sprague-Dawley rat bone marrow is a purified cell line, which can maintain its undifferentiation and the stable biological characterizations for the long term.
Animals ; Bone Marrow Cells ; cytology ; Cell Line ; Cell Proliferation ; Cells, Cultured ; Mesenchymal Stem Cells ; cytology ; Pluripotent Stem Cells ; cytology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

OBJECTIVETo develop a screening program for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) carriers, and to assess the carrier frequency and detection rate in Shanghai region.

METHODSQuantitative analysis of the SMN1 gene by real-time PCR was developed using specimens from 15 SMA patients and 76 SMA parents from 38 affected nuclear families. A pilot screening was carried out for 1741 asymptomatic pregnant women. Frequencies of SMN1 alleles were determined with the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium.

RESULTSForty five out of the 1741 women were identified as SMA carriers by the presence of single copy of SMN1. The frequencies of no copy, 1 copy, 2 copy and 3 copy alleles were 1.37 U+00D7 10-2, 9.45 U+00D7 10-1, 2.80 U+00D7 10-2 and 1.27 U+00D7 10-2, respectively. The adjusted SMA carrier frequency was 1:35 with a detection rate of 94.49%. For those with a negative screening result, individuals with 3 copies carried a higher residual risk.

CONCLUSIONThe incidence of SMA carriers in Shanghai region is similar with that in Caucasian populations. Carrier screening has high detection efficiency. An effort should be made to further distinguish SMN1 gene copy numbers for those with more than 2 copies, since accurate determination of 2 and 3 copy allele frequencies is essential for post-screening genetic consulting.

Alleles ; Female ; Gene Dosage ; Gene Frequency ; Heterozygote ; Humans ; Male ; Muscular Atrophy, Spinal ; diagnosis ; genetics ; Pilot Projects ; Pregnancy ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Survival of Motor Neuron 1 Protein ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo study mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) A1555G mutation in seven families with nonsyndromic hearing loss (NSHL).

METHODSPolymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and real time-amplification refractory mutation system-quantitative PCR (ARMS-qPCR) were applied to detect mtDNA A1555G mutation in seven NSHL families. Related clinical data were also collected and analyzed.

RESULTSThe mtDNA A1555G mutation was detected in members from the maternal side, including heteroplasmy and homozygosis, others were negative for this mutation. The copy number of homoplasmic or heteroplasmic mutations of mtDNA A1555G correlated well with the degree of deafness (R = 0.341, P = 0.022 and R = 0.85, P = 0.015, respectively).

CONCLUSIONThe mutation rate of the mtDNA A1555G is high in the NSHL patients, the mutation type include heteroplasmy and homozygosis. There is significant correlation between the mtDNA A1555G copy number and the severity of hearing loss.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Child, Preschool ; DNA, Mitochondrial ; genetics ; Female ; Gene Dosage ; Hearing Loss ; genetics ; pathology ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pedigree ; Point Mutation ; Young Adult

BACKGROUNDIt has been suggested that the ratio of mutant and wild type mitochondrial DNA may be related to its clinical phenotype. In this study, we developed a high sensitive real-time amplification refractory mutation system-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-ARMS-qPCR) assay for quantitation of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) with a mutated 1555 site, and explored the relationship between the ratio of mutated mtDNA and the severity of hearing loss of mitochondrial deafness (MD) patients of Fujian province in China.

METHODSAn amplified mtDNA fragment containing the 1555 site was ligated into a vector to construct a plasmid DNA standard. An RT-ARMS-qPCR system was used to measure the mtDNA copy number containing wild-type and mutant sequences in a cohort of 126 MD patients of Fujian province in China. Combined with the clinical data, we explored the relationship between the ratio of mutated mtDNA and the severity of hearing loss of MD.

RESULTSThe variation coefficient in the cohort was 1.21%, the interassay variation coefficient was 1.78%, and the linear range was 10(2) - 10(8) copies/µl for detecting a recombinant, wild-type plasmid. The primers amplified only the intended sequences. Mutation copy number correlated with the degree of deafness in sporadic cases with heteroplasmic mutations of mtDNA A1555G (R = 0.811, P = 0.003), but not in sporadic cases with homoplasmic mutations (R = 0.007, P = 0.989). The copy number of homoplasmic or heteroplasmic mutations of mtDNA A1555G in familial cases correlated with degree of deafness (R = 0.352, P = 0.023 and R = 0.90, P = 0.012, respectively).

CONCLUSIONSThe RT-ARMS-qPCR system is suitable for determining the copy number of mtDNA fragments containing the A1555G mutation. The ratio of mutated mtDNA correlates with the severity of hearing loss of MD.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; DNA, Mitochondrial ; genetics ; Deafness ; genetics ; Female ; Hearing Loss ; genetics ; Humans ; Male ; Mutation ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Young Adult