OBJECTIVETo observe the differential effect of joint ultrasound on the syndrome differentiation of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) by observing the high frequency ultrasound performances among inactive stage and different syndromes in active stage.

METHODSTotally 83 RA patients in the active stage were assigned to the dampness heat syndrome group (DHS, 59 cases)and the cold dampness syndrome group (CDS, 24 cases) according to Chinese medicine (CM) syndrome typing. Besides, 20 RA patients in the remission stage were recruited as the control group (abbreviated as the remission group). By using high frequency ultrasound and power Doppler ultrasound technology, a comparative observation of synovitis, tenosynovitis, synovial blood flow, and bone erosion in the 2nd-5th metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joints, proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joints, wrist joints, knee joints, the second and the fifth metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joints (a total of 24 joints) was performed in all patients. Correlation analyses were performed between the ultrasound performance, laboratory indices, and the disease activity. Ultrasound data of each RA patient were analyzed by their total scores. Χ2 test was used for enumeration data. The measurement data was expressed as x ± s. One-way ANOVA was used for data of normal distribution, while non- parametric test was used for data of non-normal distribution. Correlation analysis of two variables was performed for clinical indicators and ultrasound indicators. Its significance was detected using Pearson correlation.

RESULTSCompared with the remission group, the severity degree of synovitis, tenosynovitis, synovial blood flow, and bone erosion significantly increased in the DHS group (P < 0.01). There was statistical difference in ESR, CRP, anti-CCP, DAS28 score, and the positive rate of RF (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). There was statistical difference in the severity degree of synovitis and synovial blood flow, and DAS28 score in the CDS group (P < 0.05). Compared with the CDS group, there was statistical difference in the four ultrasound indices (P < 0.05, P < 0.01), ESR, CRP, anti-CCP, DAS28 score, and the positive rate of RF in the DHS group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). There was no statistical difference in G, IgG, IgA, or IgM among the three groups (P > 0.05). There existed positive correlation between ESR and the synovitis degree, synovial blood flow, and bone erosion in the DHS group (r = 0.444, 0.397, 0.486, P < 0.05).There existed positive correlation between ESR and the synovitis degree, bone erosion, and synovial blood flow in the DHS group (r = 0.378, 0.270, P < 0.05). There existed positive correlation between the DAS28 score and the synovitis degree and synovial blood flow in the DHS group (r = 0.304, 0.351, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSThe inflammation degree was the most severe in RA patients of DHS. High frequency ultrasound could provide better evidence for Chinese medical syndrome differentiation of RA patients.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; diagnostic imaging ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Metacarpophalangeal Joint ; ultrastructure ; Syndrome ; Synovitis ; diagnostic imaging ; Ultrasonography

Objective To investigate the diagnostic correlation and sensitivity of amplitude integrated electroencephalogram (aEEG),brainstem auditory evoked potential (BAEP) and cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for acute bilirubin encephalopathy (ABE) in the newborn.Method Term and near-term neonates (gestational age ≥ 35 weeks) with hyperbilirubinemia (the level of bilirubin over than 95th percentile) of high and intermediate risk group admitted in the neonatal ward of Guangxi Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital from Jan 2014 to Dec 2015 were recruited retrospectively.The infants were assigned to ABE group and non-ABE group according to the diagnostic criteria of ABE.The clinical data of the newborns were collected and the diagnostic correlation between clinical diagnosis and aEEG,BAEP and cranial MRI were analyzed.The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was adopted to assess the diagnostic efficiency of the peak level of serum bilirubin,aEEG,BAEP and cranial MRI on the early diagnosis of ABE.Result A total of 152 newborns with hyperbilirubinemia were recruited,including 33 cases in the ABE group and 119 cases in non-ABE group.(1) The results of aEEG and MRI were marginally positively correlated with clinical diagnosis of ABE (aEEG:r =0.487,P ＜ 0.001;MRI:r =0.220,P=0.018),while the results of BAEP were closely related to the clinical diagnosis of ABE (r =0.593,P ＜ 0.001);(2) The results of BAEP and MRI on the diagnosis of ABE were positively correlated with those of aEEG (BAEP:r =0.424,P ＜ 0.001;MRI:r =0.307,P ＜ 0.001).(3) The area under the ROC curves for predicting the onset of ABE were 0.899 for the peak level of serum bilirubin,0.767 for BAEP,0.738 for aEEG and 0.590 for MRI.Conclusion There was the correlation on the diagnosis of ABE among the methods of aEEG,BAEP and MRI.The combined diagnosis of the three methods could play a complementary role.The aEEG contributed to the early diagnosis of ABE with high sensitivity.

Objective To establish biological reference intervals of neonatal T lymphocyte subsets and IgG, IgA,IgMlevels in 24 -hour newborns in Guangxi.Methods Maternal history and neonatal clinical data were evalua-ted and recorded.Venous blood samplings were collected within 24 hours of birth and were sent for testing in half an hour.The neonates were divided into the early -preterm,the late -preterm and the term neonates group,1 1 0 cases for each group.The parturients were divided into Dexamethasone treatment group and without Dexamethasone treatment group.Data in neonates and the parturients and the sex were analyzed by SPSS 1 7.0 software and the biological refe-rence values were calculated.Results The two -sided reference intervals of 95% in the early -preterm group,the late -preterm group and the term neonates group were as follows:CD3 +:52.07 -88.92 g/L,58.1 6 -90.42 g/L, 56.1 5 -95.67 g/L;CD4 +:25.20 -59.26 g/L,31 .27 -72.91 g/L,28.44 -82.66 g/L;CD8 +:7.30 -36.26 g/L, 9.1 3 -38.49 g/L,1 1 .09 -48.99 g/L;CD4 +/CD8 +:0.34 -4.58,0.34 -4.58,0.32 -3.80;CD1 9 +:3.95 -27.59 g/L,4.04 -30.94 g/L,4.08 -38.70 g/L;NK cell:1 .34 -6.64 g/L,2.88 -8.92 g/L,3.07 -9.35 g/L;IgA:0.000 4 -0.039 6 g/L,0.000 0 -0.069 0 g/L,0.000 0 -0.069 0 g/L;IgM:0.001 6 -0.1 58 4 g/L,0.020 0 -0.1 40 0 g/L,0.020 0 -0.420 0 g/L;IgG:3.22 -1 0.98 g/L,1 .1 0 -1 4.62 g/L,5.00 -1 3.66 g/L.Moreover the ca-ses with Dexamethasone treatment were as follows:the late -preterm infants CD8 + 1 0.35 -40.33 g/L,NK 3.1 0 -9.46 g/L,term NK 6.60 -9.50 g/L;those in without Dexamethasone treatment:the late -preterm infants CD8 +8.42 -34.96 g/L,NK 2.94 -7.80 g/L,term NK 2.98 -8.94 g/L;according to gender,the males in the late -pre-term infants CD8 + 8.26 -35.66 g/L,term CD3 + 51 .90 -92.94 g/L;females in the late -preterm infants CD8 +1 1 .08 -40.68 g/L,term CD3 + 61 .1 0 -96.1 4 g/L.Conclusions Testing values of neonatal T lymphocyte subsets and IgG,IgA,IgM levels in 24 -hour newborns in Guangxi disperse largely and show some differences among the early -preterm neonates,the late -preterm neonates and the term neonates,and maternal Dexamethasone treatment during pregnancy and gender play a role in neonatal immunity.

ObjectiveTo explore the efficacy of constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT) on motor function of upper extremity of chronic stroke patients.MethodsFifteen chronic stroke patients with hemiparesis (course of diseases more than 13.5 months) were treated by CIMT, involving restriction of movement of the intact upper extremity by placing it in a sling for 90% of waking hours for 12 days and training (by shaping) of the more affected extremity for 6 hours on the 10 workdays during that period. The therapeutic effect was evaluated with upper extremity function test (UEFT) and simple test for evaluating hand function (STEF).ResultsPatients showed a significant and very large degree of improvement after treatment on UEFT and STEF (ES, 0.8 and 0.5, respectively).ConclusionCIMT may be an efficacious method for improvement of the affected arm function of chronic stroke patients.

OBJECTIVETo estimate the number of drug users in Hongjiang, Hunan and to develop strategy for drug reduction in the future.

METHODSTwo capture-recapture methods were used to estimate the numbers of drug addicts. Random stratified sampling survey was used to verify the optimum allocation. The first capture-recapture method (CR1) referred to the number from optimum allocation random stratified sampling survey conducted in the communities and the number from local Public Security Bureau list being the second capture. The second capture-recapture method (CR2) referred to the collection of records in the detoxification unit with an interval of 4 months. The estimated number was calculated under Seber's adjustment formula. Face to face interview was carried out during the optimum allocation random stratified sampling survey process.

RESULTSOf 1388 interviewed in the communities, 24 (1.73%) were identified as drug addicts under the optimum allocation random stratified sampling survey. When the figure 1.73% was applied to the total population (72,709) in Hongjiang, the result yielded an estimation of 1258 drug addicts. The estimated numbers of CR1 and CR2 were 904 and 1069 respectively. However, the number was 1.3 to 1.6 fold higher than the reported number (687) by local Public Security Bureau.

CONCLUSIONThe capture-recapture method seemed a better method in estimating the number of drug addicts.

China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Needle Sharing ; Population Surveillance ; methods ; Substance Abuse, Intravenous ; epidemiology

OBJECTIVETo investigate the significance of Rac subfamily members in the gastrointestinal carcinogenesis and progression.

METHODSThe mRNA expression of Rac1, Rac2 and Rac3 in 12 kinds of gastrointestinal cancer cell lines was examined by semi-quantitative RT-PCR. The activities of Rac1 protein in 5 kinds of gastric cancer cell lines were tested by pull-down assay.

RESULTSCompared with the normal gastric mucosa and intestinal epithelial cell line, the mRNA expression of Rac1 and Rac3 was up-regulated in most of gastrointestinal cancer cell lines. The activities of Rac1 protein increased markedly in gastric cancer cell lines.

CONCLUSIONThe increased mRNA expression of Rac1 and Rac3 in gastrointestinal cancer cell lines and the abnormal activation of Rac1 protein in gastric cancer cell lines might be correlated with the carcinogenesis of gastrointestinal cancer.

Cell Line, Tumor ; Gastrointestinal Neoplasms ; metabolism ; Humans ; RNA, Messenger ; analysis ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; rac GTP-Binding Proteins ; genetics ; rac1 GTP-Binding Protein ; analysis ; genetics

ObjectiveTo determine the efficacy of constraint-induced movement therapy(CIMT) on different severity of the motor deficit of upper extremity after stroke.Methods27 stroke patients who had upper-limb hemiparesis and learned nonuse were allocated either to the moderate group(n=12) or the severe group(n=15) according to severity of initial motor deficit of upper extremity by Upper Extremity Function Test(UEFT).The two group patients were given CIMT,involving restriction of movement of the intact upper extremity by placing it in a sling for 90% of waking hours for 12 days and training(by repetitive practice,shaping) of the more affected extremity for 6 hours on the 10 weekdays during that period.Outcome were measured with UEFT.ResultsThere was no significant difference in treatment gain on the UEFT between the moderate patients and the severe patients(P>0.05).However,the Effect Size for the severe patients(ES=2.2) was larger than for the moderate patients(ES=1.8) at the quality of movement(UEFT).ConclusionCIMT is an effective rehabilitation technique for different severity of the motor deficit of upper extremity after stroke,especially in severe stroke patients.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the relationship between the genetic polymorphisms of the six transmembrane protein of prostate 2 gene (STAMP2) and essential hypertension in Xinjiang Uygur population.

METHODSThe sequences of STAMP2 gene functional region were sequenced in Xinjiang Uygur population with hypertension. The representative variations selected were genotyped by TaqMan-PCR method in 2047 Uygur individuals, including 810 patients with hypertension and 1237 healthy subjects. The association of the genetic variations of the STAMP2 gene with hypertension in Uygur was analyzed.

RESULTSIn the three representative variations (rs8122, rs1981529 and rs34741656) genotyped, there were no significant differences in genotype distribution and allele frequencies between the essential hypertension and control groups (P > 0.05). In ANCOVA analysis, none of the polymorphisms was significantly associated with systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure (P > 0.05). There were no significant differences in haplotype frequencies between the two groups either(P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThere was no association of the three polymorphisms (rs8122, rs1981529 and rs34741656) in the STAMP2 gene with essential hypertension in Xinjiang Uygur population.

Adult ; Aged ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; genetics ; China ; ethnology ; Ethnic Groups ; genetics ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension ; genetics ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Membrane Proteins ; genetics ; Middle Aged ; Oxidoreductases ; genetics ; Polymorphism, Genetic

Objective To investigate the effects of different dialysates on expression of protein kinase C-? (PKC?) and apoptosis of U937 cell line. Methods Different dialysates were added into culture fluid with U937 cell line at exponential phase of growth, and groups were divided: fluid A+fluid B group (dialysate A+dialysate B), fluid A+fluid B+rottlerin (PKC? specific inhibitor)group, fluid A+powder B group (dialysate A+powder B) and fluid A+powder B + rottlerin group. Besides, blank control group and normal control group were established. Cells were harvested 24 h and 48 h after treatment, morphological changes were observed by Hoechst33258 fluorescence staining, cell apoptosis was measured by Annexin-V-FITC/PI double staining, and expression of PKC? mRNA and protein was detected by RT-PCR and Western blotting, respectively. Results Cell apoptosis significantly increased in fluid A+powder B group, with typical morphology of apoptosis. After treatment for 24 h and 48 h, cell apoptosis rates in fluid A+powder B group were significantly higher than those at corresponding time points in blank control group, normal control group and fluid A+powder B+rottlerin group (P0.05). Conclusion Fluid A+powder B can significantly increase apoptosis of U937 cell line, the mechanism of which may be associated with the up-regulation of expression of PKC?. Compared with fluid A+powder B, fluid A+fluid B is superior in reducing apoptosis of peripheral blood monouclear cells.

OBJECTIVETo study the expressions and activities of Rho GTPases in hypoxia and its relationship with tumor angiogenesis.

METHODSThree tumor cell lines were used in this study: gastric cancer cell lines AGS, SGC7901 and hepatocellular carcinoma cell line HepG2. Expression level of Rac1 mRNA was detected by semi-quantitative RT-PCR. Activity of Rac1 was determined by pull-down assay and expression of HIF-1alpha, VEGF, p53 and PTEN protein was detected by Westernblot.

RESULTSThe expression level of Rac1 mRNA was significantly increased in hypoxia compared to normoxia. Pull-down assay showed that hypoxia-induced activity of Rac1 was elevated in a time-dependent manner and climaxed at 3 hours. The expressions of HIF-1alpha and VEGF protein were up-regulated, while those of PTEN and p53 protein were down-regulated.

CONCLUSIONThese results indicate that hypoxia enhances Rac1 expression which might be involved in tumor angiogenesis by reacting with hypoxia-responsive genes.

Cell Hypoxia ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Hepatoblastoma ; blood supply ; metabolism ; pathology ; Humans ; Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Liver Neoplasms ; blood supply ; metabolism ; pathology ; Neovascularization, Pathologic ; PTEN Phosphohydrolase ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; RNA, Messenger ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Stomach Neoplasms ; blood supply ; metabolism ; pathology ; Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; rac1 GTP-Binding Protein ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; rho GTP-Binding Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics