Objective To study the correlation between 8-Iosmerie Porastglnadin-2a(8-iso-PGF2α) 、hypersensitive C-reactive protein(hs-CRP) and coronary heart disease(CHD). Methods 153 CHD patients were divided into 3 groups,including 52 cases of acute myocardial infarction(AMI) ,50 cases of unstable angina(UAP) ,51 cases of stable angina(SAP) and control group consisted of 50 healthy people. The levels of hs-CRP and 8-iso-PGF2α were measured. Person correlation analysis was used to analyze the relationship between the level of hs-CRP and 8-isoPGF2α. Results The levels of hs-CRP and 8-iso-PGF2α were significantly higher in AMI, UAP and SAP group than those in control group(all P ＜0.05). Compared with SAP group,the levels of hs-CRP and 8-iso-PGF2α were increased in AMI and UAP groups (all P ＜ 0. 05) . The level of hs-CRP was positively associated with the level of 8-iso-PGF2α. Conclusion hs-CRP and 8-iso-PGF2α should be the markers of coronary atherosclerosis and involved in the process of CHD. The levels of serum hs-CRP and 8-iso-PGF2α were correlated with the severity of CHD.

The chitosan/PHEA-blended hydrogels were prepared from PHEA and chitosan in various blend ratios. The water contents of the hydrogels were in the range of 50%-80% (wt). The attachment and growth of fibroblast cells(L929) on the hydrogels were studied. The results indicated the PHEA content in hydrogels has great effect on cell attachment but has little effect on the growth of L929 cells.
Animals ; Biocompatible Materials ; chemistry ; Cell Adhesion ; physiology ; Cell Division ; physiology ; Cells, Cultured ; Chitin ; analogs & derivatives ; chemistry ; Chitosan ; Fibroblasts ; cytology ; physiology ; Hydrogel, Polyethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate ; chemistry ; Mice ; Peptides ; chemistry ; Water ; chemistry

Adolescent ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; Male ; Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal ; Sarcoma

OBJECTIVETo observe the effect of the early transplantation of double rectus abdominis musculo-cutaneous flaps on the repair of electrical injury of the wrist.

METHODSThe study involved six patients suffering from circumferential deep electrical burn with only small amount of normal skin left on the dorsal side. The wounds were covered with double rectus abdominis musculo-cutaneous flaps raised from the upper abdomen with pedicles in both proximal and distal ends at an early postburn stage. The postoperative recovery of wrist function and wound repair were evaluated.

RESULTSThe wrist wounds in all the 6 patients were primarily healed, with perfect function and appearance.

CONCLUSIONEarly application of double rectus abdominis musculocutaneous flaps on the electrically injured wrists can promote the wound healing processes and plays important roles in the preservation of wrist function.

Abdomen ; surgery ; Adult ; Burns, Electric ; surgery ; Humans ; Rectus Abdominis ; transplantation ; Skin Transplantation ; Surgical Flaps ; Wound Healing ; Wrist Injuries ; surgery

OBJECTIVEIt is important to use noninvasive methods to differentiate liver fibrosis and liver cirrhosis. A prospective study was conducted to evaluate the validity of ultrasonography (US) in evaluating the severity of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic viral hepatitis in reference to the pathologic diagnosis of their liver biopsy specimens.

METHODSThe liver fibrosis status of 324 chronic viral hepatitis patients was evaluated by both needle biopsy and US. Histologically their liver fibrosis was graded as S0-S4, and the inflammatory reaction in the liver was graded as G1-G4. The US examination included qualitative description of the liver surface and liver parenchyma, and the quantitative parameters were vascular diameters, blood flow volume and spleen size.

RESULTSUS qualitative description of the liver surface and liver parenchyma was correlated to the severity of fibrosis and the degree of the inflammation seen in the liver biopsies. An analysis of US quantitative parameters showed that a cut-off value of 12.1 cm for the length of spleen had a sensitivity of 60.0%, and specificity of 75.3% in detecting early liver fibrosis. For other quantitative parameters, the cut-off values were 8mm for the diameter of the splenic vein, 30.5 cm/sec for maximal blood flow velocity in the portal vein and 12 mm in diameter of the main portal vein. The diagnostic sensitivities for these parameters were 60.0%, 78.6% and 76.7%; the diagnostic specificities were 78.1%, 66.9% and 44.6% respectively.

CONCLUSIONEarly cirrhosis can be detected by US, and the sonographic results were well paralleled with their pathologic diagnoses made by liver biopsies. Individual US parameter has limited sensitivity and specificity in diagnosing early cirrhosis. In clinical practice a combination of 2-3 parameters could be used to detect or exclude severe liver fibrosis.

Adult ; Female ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; complications ; diagnostic imaging ; Hepatitis C, Chronic ; complications ; diagnostic imaging ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis ; diagnostic imaging ; virology ; Male ; Prospective Studies ; Ultrasonography

OBJECTIVETo apply pulse-field gel electrophoresis analysis(PFGE) in the analysis of cholera outbreak events and to determine the molecular epidemiological characteristics of Vibrio cholerae ( V. cholerae) isolates.

METHODSPFGE using restriction enzyme Not I was employed in the molecular subtyping of forty-one strains of V. cholerae isolated in cholera outbreak events from 2003 to 2005 in Guangzhou area and PFGE patterns were analyzed by BioNumerics Version 4.0 software to perform cluster analysis. Pattern profiles were compared by utilizing of Dice coefficient and UPGMA(unweighted pair group method with arithmetic averages). Comparison of PFGE typing results was performed with phage-biological typing and pathogenicity-associated genes typing.

RESULTSIn cholera outbreak events, PFGE could discriminate epidemiologically related and unrelated strains, having more discriminatory power than phage-biological typing and pathogenicity-associated genes-typing.

CONCLUSIONSMolecular sub-typing by PFGE could disclose the epidemiological relationships of strains from humans and the environment, providing molecular epidemiological evidence and support for the source-tracking of cholera outbreak events.

Bacterial Typing Techniques ; methods ; Cholera ; epidemiology ; microbiology ; Disease Outbreaks ; Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field ; Humans ; Molecular Epidemiology ; Vibrio cholerae ; classification ; genetics ; isolation & purification

OBJECTIVETo apply multiplex polymerase chain reaction (MPCR) assay and sequencing in study of the carrying status of four pathogenicity-related genes of Vibrio cholerae (V.cholerae) and the variation of ctxA.

METHODSPrimers targeting cholera toxin sub-unit A gene (ctxA), toxin-coregulated pilus gene (tcpA), accessory cholera enterotoxin gene (ace), zonula occludens toxin gene (zot) were designed and the MPCR method was applied to detect the pathogenicity-related genes of 276 strains of V.cholerae isolates. The amplified fragments of ctxA gene were sequenced and the genetic homology of the amplified fragments of ctxA was analyzed.

RESULTSOf the 276 strains of V.cholerae, 93.9% strains from human sources belong to the pathogenicity-related genes type A (ctxA(+)tcpA(+)ace(+)zot(+) type) and 6.1% belong to pathogenicity-related genes type C (ctxA(-)tcpA(-)ace(-)zot(-) type). Type A strains from clinical sources were isolated from patients with mild to severe symptom and carriers, among which 68.5% were isolated from patients with mild symptom and 21.9% from carriers. All 63.6% of type C strains from clinical sources were isolated from patients with mild symptom and 36.4% from carriers. The proportion of type C strains that caused mild symptom was higher than that of type A strains. Of the 78 strains isolated from the environment, 9.0% strains belong to pathogenicity-related type A and 35.9% belong to the pathogenicity-related genes type B (ctxA(-)tcpA(-)ace(+)zot(+) type), while 55.1% belong to pathogenicity-related genes type C. The sequencing results showed little genetic variation among the amplified fragments for ctxA.

CONCLUSIONMPCR disclosed the polymorphic status of pathogenicity-related gene patterns in V.cholerae isolates of Guangzhou, providing effective means for further study on evolution of pathogenicity-related genes among V.cholerae isolates from human and environmental sources. This study also offers significant guidance for effective prevention, control and warning against cholera epidemic in local area.

China ; Cholera Toxin ; genetics ; DNA, Bacterial ; Genes, Bacterial ; genetics ; Genotype ; Humans ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Sequence Analysis ; Vibrio cholerae ; classification ; genetics ; isolation & purification

To unravel the relation of HLA-DRB1*15 with childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), 162 childhood patients with ALL were selected for this investigation. 1 000 normal umbilical cord blood samples were used as control.HLA-DRB1*15 and HLA-DRB5* were typed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis. The relation of HLA-DRB1*15 with childhood ALL was studied by calculating the chi-square test and relative risk. The results showed that the antigen frequencies and allele frequencies of HLA-DRB1*15 in childhood patients with ALL were 40.12% and 22.62% respectively, while the antigen frequencies and allele frequencies of HLA-DRB1*15 in control were 30.80% and 16.81% respectively, there were significant difference between them (chi(2) = 5.560, p = 0.018, RR = 1.506). In conclusion, the antigen frequencies and allele frequencies of HLA-DRB1*15 in childhood patients with ALL were higher than those in control, so the HLA-DRB1*15 gene is one of the genetic risk factors for childhood ALL. These preliminary data may be useful for further study on the pathogenesis of childhood ALL.
Adolescent ; Case-Control Studies ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Gene Frequency ; HLA-DR Antigens ; genetics ; HLA-DRB1 Chains ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo observe the distribution of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS)-immunopositive neurons in rat corpus striatum and their ultrastructural features.

METHODSBrain tissue specimens were obtained from normal SD rats, in which nNOS-immunopositive neurons were visualized by ABC immunocytochemistry and observed under immunoelectron microscope with pre-embedding staining.

RESULTSUnder light microscope, nNOS-immunopositive neurons appeared brown with distinct profiles of the cell body and processes. These neurons, mostly medium-sized and small cells, were located mainly in the lateral region of the corpus striatum. Only a few immunopositive neurons were detected in the medial region of the corpus striatum. Immunohistochemistry and transmission electron microscopy identified the nNOS-immunopositive neurons as interneurons possessing large nuclei with small amount of cytoplasma. The immunopositive granules were visualized as black plaques, and the larger ones distributed mainly in the cell bodies, some with monolayer membrane encapsulation. The small granules did not have the encapsulation, scattering in perinuclear regions and under the cell membrane, but not in the cell body. The immunopositive granules were also found in the axons and dendrites, but not in the vesicles of the synapses. In addition, many immunopositive terminals were found close to the blood vessels.

CONCLUSIONSnNOS-immunopositive neurons in rat corpus striatum are mainly medium-sized and small cells as is typical of the interneurons. The immunopositive granules locate in the cytoplasma, axons and dendrites, and larger granules have membrane coating while small ones do not, possibly in relation to their functions.

Animals ; Corpus Striatum ; enzymology ; ultrastructure ; Immunohistochemistry ; Male ; Microscopy, Electron, Transmission ; Neurons ; enzymology ; ultrastructure ; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

Aim To explore the characteristics and mechanism of resveratrol(Res)in promoting apoptosisof T lymphocytes and to investigate the therapeutic effect of Res on experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis(EAE)in mice. Methods Annexin V/PI double staining was used to investigate the effect of Res on the apoptosis of mouse primary naïve T lymphocytes and anti-CD3/anti-CD28 activated T lymphocytes. Activation-induced cell death models were established on CD4+ T lymphocytes and Jurkat cells in vitro,and the effect of Res on activation-induced cell death was detected by PI single staining or Annexin V/PI double staining. The expression of apoptosis related proteins were detected by Western blot. EAE model in mice was induced by MOG35-55,and the therapeutic effect of Res administration was investigated. The apoptosis of CD4+ T lymphocytes from vehicle group and Res group was detected. Results Res did not affect the survival of naïve T cells,but promoted the apoptosis of activated T lymphocytes. With the increase of Res concentration,activation-induced cell death of CD4+ T cells and Jurkat cells significantly increased,and the cleavage of apoptosis related proteins PARP and Caspase-3 increased. In addition,Res delayed the onset of EAE,reduced the clinical score,and decreased the infiltration of inflammatory cells in spinal cord. The CD4+ T lymphocytes from the mice with Res administration were more sensitive to activation-induced cell death. Conclusion Res promotes activation-induced cell death of T lymphocytes and ameliorates EAE in mice.