Objective To evaluate changes of regional cerebral metabolism by proton MR spectroscopy (~1H-MRS) in patients with minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) and to correlate these changes with the neuropsychological test. Methods Fifty-four patients with cirrhosis including nine patients with hepatic encephalopathy (HE),23 patients with MHE,22 patients without HE and 13 controls underwent neuropsychological tests and ~1H-MRS scanning. The volumes of interest included occipital gray matter and left parietal white matter regions. Ratio of spectral peak areas of N-acetylaspartate (NAA),choline (Cho),myo-inositol (mI),and glutamine/glutamate (Glx) relative to creatine (Cr) were acquired. Statistical analysis was conducted using independent t test and one-way analysis of variance. The results of different groups were compared by using the nonparametric Mann-Whitney U test with Bonferroni correction. Correlations among the ~1H-MRS ratios, the grade of HE, neuropsychological test and ammonia data were calculated with Spearman correlation test. Results The ratios of NAA/Cr,Cho/Cr,mI/Cr,Glx/Cr of the occipital gray matter and left parietal white matter regions in patients with cirrhosis are 1.55±0.12,0.48±0.10,0.42±0.14,2.52±0.48 and 1.73±0.17,0.75±0.16,0.42±0.16,2.75±0.59respectively,and they are 1.53±0.10,0.48±0.09,0.51±0.11,2.20±0.39 and 1.69±0.15,0.82±0.14,0.53±0.12,2.40±0.40 in patients without HE,1.58±0.13,0.48±0.08,0.38±0.13,2.62±0.39 and 1.78±0.18,0.74±0.14,0.38±0.15,2.84±0.58 in patients with MHE,1.54±0.12,0.50±0.13,0.29±0.07,3.04±0.31 and 1.70±0.19,0.62±0.16,0.29±0.07,3.37±0.38 inpatients with HE.Compared with controls, decreased mI/Cr and Cho/Cr ratios and elevated Glx/Cr ratios were found in patients with cirrhosis (t=3.196,9.394,-6.527,P＜0.01,occipital gray matter. t=5.592,9.717,-6.681,P＜0.01,left parietal white matter＝ and in subgroup of patients without HE, with MHE and HE (F=5.097,25.896,20.204,P＜0.01,occipital gray matter.F=16.435,28.660,21.283,P＜0.01,left parietal white matter).Significant difference in these metabolic alterations was also found among the different groups of cirrhosis especially the ratios of Glx/Cr in occipital gray matter and left parietal white matter (P＜0.0084).The ratios of mI/Cr also significantly altered between patients without HE and with MHE (P＜0.0084).There was a significant negative correlation between the ratios of Cho/Cr,mI/Cr and the grade of HE (P＜0.01＝ and a significant positive correlation between the ratios of Glx/Cr and the grade of HE (r=0.709,P＜0.01,occipital gray matter; r=0.720,P＜0.01,left parietal white matter＝.NCT-A and DST of controls is (49±8) s and 39±6.They are (134±37),(83±26),(64±22) second and 15±2,25±9,35±8 in patients with HE,MHE and without HE respectively.The metabolic alterations of Cho/Cr,mI/Cr,Glx/Cr correlated significantly with neurepsychological tests in all subjects (P＜0.01＝.There was a significant positive and a negative correlation between the ratios of Glx/Cr and the data of NCT-A and DST respectively (r=0.570,-0.642,occipital gray matter; r=0.541,-0.632,left parietal white matter).The metabolic alterations of Glx/Cr had no correlation with ammonia data as well as other metabolic alterations.Conclusions ~1H-MRS study shows cerebral metabolic alterations of gray and white matter in patients with cirrhosis,especially the reduction in mI/Cr ratio and increase in Glx/Cr ratio. These changes correlate well with the neuropsychological tests and may be useful in predicting the presence of MHE.

Objective To elucidate the expression of gankyrin in human gastric cancer cells and it's role in nimesulide induced apoptosis. Methods Four human gastric cancer cell lines including MKN28 (well differentiated), AGS (poorly differentiated), MKN45 (poorly differentiated), and SGC7901(moderately differentiated) were cultured and treated with nimesulide. Nimesulide induced growth inhibition and apoptosis of the cells were detected by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium assay, and confirmed by flow cytometry. The expressions of gankyrin gene and protein were further assessed by real-time PCR and Western blotting. Results Gankyrin mRNA and protein were detected in all four human gastric cancer cell lines. The proliferations of AGS and SGC7901 cell lines were significantly suppressed by nimesulide in a time-dose dependent manner. When treated with 400 μmol/L of nimesulide for 48 hours, the significant apoptosis was found in AGS cells (23.30%±2.50%) and SGC7901 cells (16.80%±1.55% ) in comparison with controls (0.57%±0.19% and 0.88%± 0.17%, respectively, all P values <0.01). Apoptosis of AGS cells induced by nimesulide was accompanied by a considerably decreased gankyrin expression that was more significant at 24 hours (0.0035±0.0014) and 36 hours (0.0980±0.0160) in comparison with controls (0.4690±0.1190, all P values<0.01). Conclusion Gankyrin expresses in human gastric cancer cell lines and may be involved in nimesulide induced apoptosis of AGS cells.

Objective To evaluate the multi-slice CT perfusion imaging in investigating whether edaravone can prevent and treat pulmonary thromboembolism ischemia-reperfusion injury(PTE-IRI).Methods Twenty mongrel canines were included.A Swan-Ganz catheter wag introduced into the right internal jugular vein using the Seldinger technique,and then was inserted into the pulmonary artery.Balloon occlusion of the right inferior lobe pulmonary artery for 4 h was followed by removing catheter and 4 h of reperfusion.Animals were divided into four groups of A(no edaravone during ischenmia and reperfusion),B(edaravone used only during ischemia),C(edaravone used during both ischemia and reperfusion)and D group(edaravone used only during reperfusion)(n=5 per group).Every group was divided into three time points including before ischemia,4 h after ischemia and 4 h after reperfusion.CT scan and CT perfusionwere performed at the three time points.The blood flow(BF),blood volume(BV)and mean transit time (MTT)of the bilateral inferior regional lung parenchyma were measured with the software of perfusion 3.Results CT examination showed pulmonary edema in the right inferior lung lobe at 4 h after reperfusion.(1)The BF and MTT of A,B,C and D group were[(259.4±15.7)ml·min-1·100 g-1,(293.7±7.9)ml·min-1·100 g-1,(379.4±14.5)ml·min-1·100 g-1,(382.5±16.6)ml·min-1·100 g-1]and[(3.1±0.2)s,(2.6±0.2)s,(2.2±0.1)s,(1.9±0.2)s]respectively at 4 h after reperfusion.The BF and MTT were statistically difierent(P＜0.01)between groups(A and B,A and C,A and D,B and C,B and D)except between group C and D(the P value＞0.05)at 4 h after reperfusion,but the BV was not statistically different between groups(P＞0.05).(2)The BF[(397.2±19.2)ml·min-1·100 g-1and(259.4±15.7)ml·min-1·100 g-1in group A,(393.2±16.1)ml·min-1·100 g-1and(293.7±7.9)ml·min-1·100 g-1 in group B]and MTT[(1.8±0.1)8 and (3.1±0.2)s in group A,(1.8±0.2)s and(2.6±0.2)s in group B]were statistically different(P＜0.01),but the BV[(12.0±0.9)ml/100 g and(12.2±1.0)ml/100 g in group A,(11.9±1.5)ml/100 g and(12.2±1.3)ml/100 g in group B]were not different(P＞0.05)between groups before ischemia and 4 h after ischemia.The BF.MTT and BV were not statistically significant between before ischemia and4 h after reperfusion in group C and D(P＞0.05).ConclusionsEdaravone can attenuate the degree of the PTE IRI.Multi-slice CT perfusion imaging can evaluate effect.

To further explore the result of bilingual teaching in pediatrics,we randomly chose 200 undergraduates of 4 class and released students'questionnaires about bilingual teaching with teaching content before and after class to assess students'understanding of bilingual teaching and analysed appraisal result.We found no significant difference of student score between students accepting bilingual teaching and not accepting the bilingual teaching,but there was difference for English tests and expression level.So we think that students can fully accept the bilingual teaching of pediatrics under the premise with selecting appropriate teaching methods and means.

Objective To explore the effect of age on neurogenesis of dentate gyrus granule cell and the impact on differentiation of newborn cells in rats.Methods SD rats were selected and divided into 5 groups according age of 7,14,28,60,180 d(n=8),and the neurogenesis of dentate gyrus granule cell in hippocampus with normal development was detected,using 5-bromo-BrdU(BrdU) labled newborn neuron and ?-tubulin protein(TuJ1) and glial fibrillary acidic protein(GFAP) labeled glial cells,and understood the newborn cells to neurons and glial cell differentiation ratio.Results Neurogenesis was found in dentate gyrus granule cell layer with hippocampus of all different age rats.Various forms of cells with a larger nucleus that were round,oval,diamond were distributed over the entire granule cell layer.BrdU-positive cells within each group were 158.07?5.37,141.28?7.27,116.93?9.24,76.56?6.88,41.42?4.45,the number of BrdU-positive cells were reduced with the growth of rats(P0.05);4%-5% newborn cells expressed GFAP.In addition,some of the BrdU-positive cells at the same time did not express TuJ1 or GFAP.Conclusions There are neurogenesis in dentate gyrus granule cell in rats of different age.The new born cells mostly differentzate into granule neuron cell.The capability of cell proliferation are decreased with the growth of age.

BACKGROUND:Vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty can effectively repair osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures, but bone cement injection can cause the change of stress in the fractured vertebrae and adjacent vertebrae after surgery, leading to new fractures.
OBJECTIVE: To analyze the stress changes of the fractured vertebrae and adjacent vertebrae after vertebroplasty with different elastic modulus bone cement by a three-dimensional finite element method.
METHODS: One healthy adult male volunteer was selected for lumbar spine CT scan. The acquired images were imported for three-dimensional reconstruction using Mimics. The three-dimensional model was smoothed, polished and denoised by Geomagic software, and then the solid mode was built under Workbench Ansys. An osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture model in L2-4 segments was established after assignment. Bone cement (4 mL) with different elastic moduli (8 000, 4 000, 2 000 and 1 000 MPa) injected into the L3 segment distributed in the middle of the vertebrae as spherical shape. 500 N pre-load was applied on the L2 surface with an additional bending moment of 50 N?m. The lower surface free degree of L4 was restrained. The L2-4 forward flexion, posterior extension, right flexion and axial rotation on the right side were stimulated. The stress changes of the fractured vertebrae and the upper and lower adjacent vertebrae before and after bone cement injection with different elastic moduli were compared.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The stress of the fractured vertebrae and adjacent vertebrae were significantly increased compared with that before operation. With the increase of elastic modulus, the stress of the fractured vertebrae increased, but there were no changes in the stress of adjacent vertebrae. These findings indicate that the elastic modulus of bone cement may be a method to reduce new fractures of the fractured and adjacent vertebrae after bone cement injection.

BACKGROUND:Vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty can effectively repair osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures, but postoperative change of stress in the fractured vertebrae and adjacent vertebrae can lead to new fractures. OBJECTIVE:To analyze the stress changes of the fractured and adjacent vertebrae with different bone cement injection volume by three-dimensional finite element method. METHODS:One healthy adult male volunteer was selected for lumbar spine CT scan. The acquired images were imported for three-dimensional reconstruction using Mimics. The three-dimensional model was smoothed, polished and denoised by Geomagic software, and then the solid mode was built under Workbench Ansys. The osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture model in L2-L4 segments was established after assignment. Bone cement of 1, 2, 4, 6 mL was injected into the L3 vertebrae respectively and distributed in the middle of the vertebrae as spherical shape. 500 N pre-load was applied on L2 surface with an additional moment of 50 N·m. The lower surface free degree of L4 was restrainted. The L2-L4 forward flexion, extension, right flexion and axial rotation on the right side were stimulated to compare the stress changes of fractured vertebrae and adjacent vertebrae before and after the bone cement injection with different volume. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The stresses of fractured and adjacent vertebrae after the bone cement injection were significantly increased; meanwhile, the stresses of fractured and adjacent vertebrae increased with the increase of bone cement injection volume, which may be one of the factors leading to the compression fractures of adjacent vertebrae.

BACKGROUNDDespite the large scale technical innovations that have been made, a number of patients with neuromyelitis optica (NMO) are lacking NMO-IgG in both serum and cerebrospinal fluid. Longitudinally extensive spinal cord (LESC) lesions and linear lesions are associated with NMO. However, differences of spinal cord magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features, including LESC lesions and linear lesions, between NMO-IgG positive and negative patients still remain unknown. The aim of the present study was to analyze the relationship between NMO-IgG status and spinal cord MRI features in NMO patients, particularly concerned about LESC lesions and linear lesions.

METHODSClinical data and spinal cord MRI of 52 NMO patients were retrospectively analyzed. Eight patients were NMO-IgG negative in both serum and cerebrospinal fluid, while 44 were NMO-IgG positive. Quantitative data between the two cohorts were compared by the Student's t test or Mann-Whitney U test, the chi-square test or Fisher's exact test was used to evaluate qualitative data.

RESULTSNMO-IgG negative patients had a higher sex ratio (male/female) (P = 0.014). On axial MRI, lesions in the NMO-IgG negative group were mostly located in the peripheral cord (50%), and central lesions (55%) were more common in the NMO-IgG positive group (P = 0.051). LESC lesions were common in both cohorts. None of linear lesions was found in NMO-IgG negative patients, while the NMO-IgG positive cohort had significantly more linear lesions (48%) (P = 0.016).

CONCLUSIONSPatients with NMO-IgG negativity may have different spinal cord lesion features compared to NMO-IgG positive patients. Diagnosis of NMO cannot be excluded even when NMO-IgG negativity and non-specific spinal lesions occur.

Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; blood ; cerebrospinal fluid ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neuromyelitis Optica ; blood ; cerebrospinal fluid ; pathology ; Retrospective Studies ; Spinal Cord ; pathology ; Young Adult

Glutathione transferases (GSTs) are a family of multifunctional proteins that mainly catalyze the conjugation of intracellular glutathione (GSH) to a wide variety of endogenous and exogenous electrophilic compounds. GSTs play important roles in stress tolerance and in the detoxification metabolism in organisms. A novel GST gene, Pc gstB, was cloned from penicillin producing fungus Penicillium chrysogenum using RT-PCR. The open reading frame (ORF) of Pc gstB was 651 bp and encoded a peptide of 216 residues. The deduced amino acids sequence had conserved GST domain and showed 65% identity to the characterized Aspergillus fumigutus gstB. The entire ORF of Pc gstB was inserted into vector pTrc99A and transformed into Escherichia coli DH5alpha. Recombinant PcGstB was overexpressed and its GST activity toward substrate 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (CDNB) was validated.
Catalysis ; Cloning, Molecular ; Escherichia coli ; genetics ; metabolism ; Fungal Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Genes, Bacterial ; genetics ; Glutathione Transferase ; genetics ; metabolism ; Open Reading Frames ; Penicillium chrysogenum ; enzymology ; genetics ; Recombinant Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Sequence Analysis, Protein