Objective: To investigate the effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI), captopril (Cap), on the serum levels of transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) in mice after lung irradiation injury. Methods: Male C57/BL mice were divided into three groups: control group, right lung single irradiation group (10 Gy), and right lung single irradiation (10 Gy) plus Cap administration group. The blood samples were collected at 36 h, 7 d, 15 d, and 30 d after irradiation. The levels of TGF-β1 and TNF-α were evaluated with ELISA method. The right lungs were isolated and stained with HE for pathological examination at the same time points. Results: The average serum levels of TGF-β1 and TNF-α in single 10-Gy irradiation group were significantly increased at different time points compared with the control group. But they were significantly decreased at different time points in 10-Gy radiation plus Cap group compared with the control group. The results of analysis of variance showed that there was a significant difference among the factor of time, the factor of treatment, and the factor of interaction (P < 0.05). Pathological examination showed that acute inflammation was aggravated in single 10-Gy irradiation group. But there was no significant difference in lung injury score between 10-Gy irradiation plus Cap group and control group. Conclusions: Cap reduces the serum levels of TGF-β1 and TNF-α and prevents lung against radiation-induced injury.

BACKGROUND: Cervical spinal cord injury without radiographic abnormality (SCIWORA) is a special type of spinal cord injury. Because of the particularity of children in the period of growth and development on the aspects of anatomy and biomechanics, their injured mechanism and therapeutic method differ from those of adults.OBJECTIVE: To explore clinical feature and therapy of first-episode cervical SCIWORA in children.DESIGN: Retrospective analysis and self pre-and post-control observation.SETTING: Department of Spine Surgery, Second Affiliated Hospital,Harbin Medical University.PARTICIPANTS: Totally 14 patients with cervical SCIWORA, who were treated at the Departmentof Spine Surgery, Second Affiliated Hospital,Harbin Medical University between June 1997 and June 2003. Inclusive criteria: ①patients who had dysfunction of sensation, exercise and sphincter to different degree in clinic, ②patients who had no fracture dislocation after cervical vertebra X-ray plain film and MRI examination. The MRI examination showed the sign of spinal cord injury. T1WI spinal cord became thick. T2WI distributed at strip-shape high-signal region along spinal prosenchyma and spread upward and downward. There were 3 patients with complete spinal cord injury and 11 patients with incomplete spinal cord injury, among the patients with incomplete injury, there were 6 patients with central cord syndrome (CCS), 3 with Brown-Sequard syndrome and 2withfrontal spinal cord injury syndrome.METHODS: Retrospective analysis was performed in 14 children patients with cervical SCIWORA. Thirteen patients were not treated with operation and one patient was treated with cervical posterior atlantoaxial fusion. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: ASIA grading before and after treatment in patients.RESULTS: There were 1 dead patient and 13 cases with 3-year follow up averagely. Three patients were with insignificant amelioration, and others had recovery of limb function to different degree. According to ASIA grading standard, before treatment there were 3 cases in A grade, 5 cases in B grade, 5 cases in C grade and 1 case in D grade, and after treatment there were 1 case recovering to B grade, 2 cases to C grade, 5 cases to D grade and 2 cases to E grade.CONCLUSION: Restoration of neurofunction of children with cervical SCIWORA has closely correlation with degree of primary injury of spinal cord. Most of the patients were not treated with operation, and those with obviously instable cervical vertebra can be treated with operation.

Background The cryptochrom 2 (Cry2)in mammalian retina is a main influential factor of circadian clock.Objective Purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of light exposure rhythm on expression of Cry2 in retina.Methods Thirty clean healthy Sprague Dawley(SD)rats were collected and divided into two groups randomly.The rats of the control group exposed to natural light with the normal rhythm for 30 days,but rats of the experimental group exposed to the artificial light (light: dark =18 hours:6 hours) for 3 months with the light intensity of(533± 16)lx.The histopathological change and ultrastructural alteration of rat retina in both groups were examined under the light microscope and transmission electron microscope at the end of the experiment.Expressions of Cry2 protein and its mRNA were assayed by immunohistochemistry and quantitative PCR(Q-PCR).Results The rat retinal morphology and ultrastructure were clear and order-arranged under the light microscope and transmission electron microscope in the control group.However,atrophy and disorganization of retina were found under the light microscope,and liquefaction and vacuole of outer segments of photoreceptors were observed.The vacuolar degeneration of mitochondria in the inner segments of photoreceptors,cellular nuclear shrinkage,chromatin margination,nuclear notch and destruction were seen in the outer nuclear layer under the transmission electron microscope.Immunohistochemistry showed that the expression of Cry2 protein located in cytoplasm and nuclei membrane of the retinal ganglion cell layer and inner nuclear layer in both normal rats and experimental rats.The scores of Cry2 protein expression were 0.833±0.197 in the experimental group,and 1.700±0.245 in the control group,with a significant difference between them (P=0.009).The quantities of Cry2 mRNA were 0.962 ± 0.125 in the control group and 0.615±0.100 in the experimental group,showing a significant difference between the two groups (P =0.006).Conclusions Long-term light exposure under the 533 lx leads to retinal structural and functional damage probably by down-regulating Cry2 expression in retina.Whether the regulation of Cry2 expression is helpful for stabilizing the biorhythm or not is a worthy question to explore.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of cardioplegic solution enriched with different doses of glutathione on myocardial injury in children undergoing cardiac surgery under cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB).MethodsForty-eight ASA [Ⅱ or Ⅲ patients aged 2-5 yr undergoing repair of ventricular septal defect under CPB were randomly divided into 4 groups (n ＝ 12 each):control group (group C) and cardioplegic solution containing 3 different-dose of glutathione groups ( group G1-3 ).Glutathione 50,75,100 mg/kg were added to cardioplegic solution in group G1-3 respectively.Blood samples were collected before operation (T0),at 30 min after release of aortic cross-clamp (T1),at 6,12,24 h after termination of CPB (T2-4) for determination of plasma cTnI concentration.Myocardial specimens were obtained from right auricle before aortic cross-clamp and 15 min after release of aortic cross-clamp.The ultrastructure of myocardium was examined with scanning electron microscope.A mitochondrial FlaMeng semiquantitative analysis was done.ResultsThe plasma concentration of cTnI at T3,4 were significantly lower in groups G1,2 than in group C.The plasma concentration of cTnI at T1-4 were significantly lower in group G3 than in group C and group G1,2.The quantization score of myocardial mitochondria at 15 min after release of aortic cross-clamp were significantly lower in group G3 than in group C and group G1,2.Micorscopic examination showed that the injury to myocardial ultrastructure was attenuated in group G3 compared with group C.Conclusion Cardioplegic solution enriched with glutathione can reduce myocardial injury induced by CPB in a dose dependent manner.Glutathione 100 mg/kg can exert a visibly protective effect on myocardium.

Objective To study the protective effect of GYY4137 on rat myocardial cells infected by Coxsackie virus B3 (CVB3) and its signal transduction mechanism.Methods Cardiomyocytes were treated with different concentrations of GYY4137(10,50,100 μmol/L) for 24 hours before addition of 100 TCID50 CVB3 for 2 hours before serum-free conditions.After treatment,the cell viability was ascertained with Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay.At the same time,the levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α),interleukin-1β (IL-1β),interleukin-6 (IL-6) in the supernatants were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).Western blot was used to study the expression of nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) protein and the inhibitory subunit of (IκBα) in myocardial cells.Results After exposure of cardiomyocytes to GYY4137 with different concentration (10,50,100 μmol/L)for 24 hours cell viability had no change.The NF-κB expression and the levels of TNF-α,IL-1β,IL-6 [(175.80 ± 5.05) ng/L,(25.80 ± 1.97) ng/L,(65.33 ± 3.51) ng/L] in the GYY4137-treated CVB3 infection group were significantly reduced when compared with untreated CVB3 infection group (P ＜ 0.01),respectively.Compared with the normal group,the GYY4137 concentration-dependently restrained the CVB3-mediated IκBα degradation(P ＜ 0.01).Conclusions GYY4137 exerts anti-inflammatory effects in CVB3-infected cardiomyocytes.This anti-inflammatory mechanism may be associated with suppression of the activation of the NF-κB.

Objective To study the influence of different body serum iron levels on follicle stimulating hormone (FSH),luteinizing hormone (LH) and uterine ovarian index,and explore the body serum iron level effects on female mice sexual maturity further.Methods 36 three weeks C57BL/6J female mice were randomly divided into the normal control group,strengthen-iron 1 group and strengthen-iron 2 group,12 cases in each group.The normal control group with normal diet(310mgFe/kg),strengthen-iron 1 group and strengthen-iron 2 group were given high -iron diets(respectively with 465mgFe/kg and 620mgFe/kg) after born 3 weeks.each group body,uterus and ovary mass after 2 weeks were checked;colorimetric method was used to detect the serum iron level;the serum follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone(LH) were detected by chemiluminescent immunoassay.Results The body of mice serum iron levels,uterine ovarian index (uterine ovarian wet mass/body mass) and follicle stimulating hormone(FSH) level of strengthen-iron 1 group and strengthen-iron 2 group were higher than those of normal control group (F =9.11,11.11,7.09,all P ＜ 0.01).Luteinizing hormone (LH) level of the strengthen-iron group was higher than those of normal control group (F =3.89,P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion Uterine ovarian index,follicle stimulating hormone level and luteinizing hormone level were affected with increased serum iron level;It suggests that the increasing serum iron level can cause female mice sexual maturity in advance.

Objective: To investigate the effects of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) and 5-fluorouracil(5-Fu) on human colon carcinoma LOVO cells in vitro. Methods: The LOVO cells during exponential growth stage were harvested and divided into control group,GH group, 5-Fu group and GH + 5-Fu group. According to the dose of GH, the GH group was separated into two sub-groups(50 ng/mL and 100 ng/mL) and the GH +5-Fu group was separated into two sub-groups. With different concentrations of rhGH and/or 5-Fu , the cell survive rates were analyzed by MTT assay after 24 h , 48 h and 72 h and cell cycle and proliferation index (PI) were analyzed by flow cytometry after 24 h. Results: Compared with the control group, the survive rates in 5-Fu and GH +5-Fu groups were decreased significantly (P <0. 05). The significant effects of rhGH on cell cycle kinetics were found in the cell line. Compared with the control group, percentage of S phase and proliferation index (PI) significantly increased (P <0.05)and percentage of G_0/G_1 phase decreased (P <0. 05) in GH groups. Percentages of cells of S phase and PI significantly decreased in GH + 5-Fu groups (P < 0. 05). Rate of apoptosis increased in 5-Fu and GH +5-Fu groups (P <0.05). Compared with the 5-Fu group, there were no statistically significant differences in percentages of cells of S phase and PI and rate of apoptosis between two GH+5-Fu groups(P >0. 05). Conclusion-. rhGH does not stimulate the LOVO cells proliferation in vitro, and its use is safe when combined with 5-fluorouracil.

Objective To study the genotype distribution of insulin receptor substrate-2(IRS-2)gene 1057G/A polymorphism in Han population from Southwest China,and to explore its association with the metabolism of glucose and lipids,insulin resistance and islet?-cell function in type 2 diabetic patients and subjects with impaired glucose tolerance(IGT).Methods A total of 929 Hans[462 patients with type 2 diabetes(DM group) and 164 subjects with IGT(IGT group)and 303 normal controls(NC group)]from Chongqing and nearby regions were screened for 1057G/A polymorphism of IRS-2 gene by PCR-RFLP assay.Body mass index(BMI),plasma glucose,serum insulin and lipid profile,high-sensitive C-reactive protein(hsCRP)and non-esterified fatty acid were measured.Homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance(HOMA-IR)and disposition index(DI)were used to estimate insulin resistance and?-cell function respectively.Results In DM group,A allele frequency was significantly lower than that in NC group(0.326 vs 0.388,X~2=6.19,P=0.01).Compared with NC group,AA genotype frequeney was lower and GG genotype frequeney was higher in DM group(0.104 vs 0.135 and 0.452 vs 0.360 respectively,X~2=6.80,P

Objective To probe into the clinical curative effect of laparoscopic high ligation of spermatic vein in the treatment of critical varicocele.Methods The clinical data of the 26 eases of laparoscopic high ligation of apermatic vein in the treatment of critical varicocde were reviewed and analyzed in the last two years in this hospi- tal.Results All the 26 cases had been conducted smoothly with the operation time 25～50min,an average of(28?3)min.After 3～24 months being followed-up,all the symptoms and signs disappeared with no relapse and testicle a- trophy.Eight wives of the patients who had been operated on got pregnant.Conclusion With soon recovery and small wound,it was safe to adopt laparoscopic high ligation of spermatic vein in the treatment of critical varicocele, especially for critical two-sided varicocde.

Full-length NS5A gene of the hepatitis C virus was amplified by PCR using plasmid pBAC25 containing HCV nonstructural gene as template. The amplified fragment (about 1.34 kb) was cloned into plasmid pQE32, and the recombinant plasmid pQENS5A was expressed in JM109 strain. The NS5A protein was purified by NiSO4 metal chelating resin, and characterized by Western-blot. Its antigenecity was determined by ELISA. The positive detection rate of anti-NS5A was 75% (69/92) in ninety-two clinic sera. The positive rate of anti-NS5A was 82.5% (33/40) in fourty positive standand sera, and the negative rate of anti-NS5A was 100% (40/40) in fourty negative standand sera. The results showed that the Full-length NS5A proteinn had the higher sensitivity and specificity in the detection of HCV antibody in sera, we suggested that NS5A protein was a useful antigen for blood screening.