Objective Chronic heart failure ( CHF) is a disease with high morbidity, and mortality.The study was designed to explore the prognostic value of rest gated SPECT myocardial perfusion ( GSMPI) in patients with chronic heart failure. Methods This study was a prospective study, in which 142 CHF patients was included from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2012.All patients underwent GSMPI, further, summed rest score ( SRS) , left ventricular ejection fraction ( LVEF) , end-diastolic volume ( EDV) , end-systolic volume ( ESV) and phase standard deviation ( PSD) were recorded.All the patients were followed up.Primary endpoint was the major adverse cardiac events ( MACE) .Additionally, we analyzed the independent predictive factor of MACE occurrence by using the Cox proportional hazard model. Results during the follow-up, MACE occurred in 65 cases.The median time to MACE occur-rence was 28(5-48) months.The 3-year MACE free survival rate was 64.3%.Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis showed that cardiac function grade[HR(95%CI):1.761(1.087~4.824), P=0.005], NT-proBNP[HR(95%CI):1.153(1.125~5.997), P =0.009], LVEF[HR(95%CI): 1.945(1.138 ~
6.131), P=0.019], SRS[HR(95%CI):1.517(1.108~4.278), P=0.027] and PSD[HR(95%CI):1.442(1.156~5.339), P=0.032] were all independent predictors of MACE. Conclusion GSMPI may be a prognostic factor for the patients with chronic heart failure.

Objective Using MRI techniques and the FreeSurfer software package to research the occipital lobe's surface area in children with ametropic amblyopia.Design Prospective,nonrandomized clinical trial.Participants The amblyopic group included 10 children with ametropic amblyopia.The control group included 10 children with normal sight.Methods The brain MRI scan was per- formed with SIEMENS AVANTO 1.5 Tesla scanner.For the surface area analysis,3-demensional MPRAGE images were analyzed with FreeSurfer software package.Main Outcome Measures Occipital lobe related surface area(cuneus,later occipital,lingual,perical- carine)of bilateral hemisphere.Results No difference was between the ages of the two groups.The surface areas of the lingual,pefical- carine,cuneus of bilateral hemisphere and lateraloccipital on the left hemisphere in amblyopic patients were smaller than those of nor- real children(P

Objective To determine the effects of histone deacetylase inhibitor suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid(SAHA) on the cell proliferation and apoptosis of the human hepatic stellate cell line LX-2.The possible underlying mechanisms were also investigated.Methods The LX-2 cells were treated with SAHA in vitro.The morphology of LX-2 cells in different concentrations groups was observed by inverted microscope;the proliferation of LX-2 cells was measured by MTT assay;the Annexin V-FITC and PI staining was used to detect the apoptosis of LX-2 cells by flow cytometry and fluorescence microscope;the expression of α-SMA,collagen Ⅰ,acH3K9,acH3K14 and acH3K18 were detected by Western blot.Results The morphology change of LX-2 cells showed that SAHA inhibited the proliferation rate of LX-2 cells and in a dose dependent manner(P<0.05).The LX-2 cells were sensitive to SAHA along with time increasing,and in a time-dependent manner(P<0.05).Western blot showed that the expression levels of α-SMA and collagen-Ⅰ were significantly lower(P<0.05),on the contrary,the acetylation levels of acH3K9,acH3K14 and acH3K18 were significantly higher (P<0.05).Conclusions The increased acetylation of the histone acH3K9,acH3K14,acH3K18 and the lower expressed α-SMA and collagen-Ⅰ in LX-2 cells may be one of the mechanisms of SAHA.

AIM:To investigate the changes of histone modifications during the activation of primarily cultured rat hepatic stellate cells ( HSCs) and the relationship between histone modification patterns andα-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) expression, and to explore the roles of histone modifications in the activation of HSCs.METHODS:The rat HSCs were isolated by in situ perfusion of collagenase combined with density gradient centrifugation, cultured in vitro and identi-fied by immunofluorescence staining.The morphological features of the cells were observed under inverted microscope.The changes of desmin and α-SMA during the activation of HSCs were detected by immunofluorescence staining and Western blotting.The levels of histone 3 lysine 4 dimethylation (H3K4me2), histone 3 lysine 9 dimethylation (H3K9me2), his-tone 3 lysine 9 acetylation (acH3K9) and histone 4 lysine 12 acetylation (acH4K12) in quiescent HSCs and activated HSCs were determined by Western blotting.RESULTS: The morphology of HSCs shifted from a quiescent phenotype to highly activated myofibroblast during the culture.Immunofluorescence staining and Western blotting showed that the expres-sion levels of α-SMA and desmin were increased over time and reached maximum at 15 d.According to the results of cell morphology and immunofluorescence staining, the cells cultured for 24 h and 15 d were quiescent and activated HSCs, re-spectively.Compared with quiescent HSCs, there were higher H3K4me2 and lower H3K9me2, acH3K9 and acH4K12 modification levels in activated HSCs ( P<0.01 ) .CONCLUSION: Histone modifications show anomalous expression during the activation of primarily cultured rat HSCs.Histone modifications may contribute to the transdifferentiation of HSCs and the development of hepatic fibrosis.

Objective To evaluate the value of 18F-FDG and 18F-FLT PET/CT for the detection of primary and regional lymph node metastasis of gastric cancer.Methods Thirty-seven patients with gastric cancer underwent preoperative 18F-FLT and 18F-FDG PET/CT within one week from March 2011 to April 2013.Postoperative histopathology confirmation was obtained in all patients.The PET/CT images were assessed visually and semi-quantitatively.Two-sample t and x2 tests were analyzed using SPSS 13.0.Results For the detection of primary gastric cancer,the sensitivities of 18 F-FLT and 18 F-FDG PET were 89.2％ (33/ 37) vs 91.9％(34/37),respectively (x2=0.158,P＞0.05).The 18F-FLT SUVmax of 16/37 cases with diffuse-type gastric cancer was significantly higher than that of 21/37 cases with intestinal-type gastric cancer (6.89±1.38 vs 3.79±2.45,t=4.533,P＜0.05) ; while 18F-FDG SUVmaxwas not significantly different between the two subgroups (7.13± 1.97 vs 6.36±2.32,t =1.066,P＞0.05).For the detection of regional lymph node metastasis,the sensitivity,specificity and accuracy of 18F-FLT and 18F-FDG were 64.8％(35/54) vs 88.9％(48/54),97.6％(246/252) vs 82.9％(209/252),91.8％(281/306) vs 84.0％(257/306),respectively (x2 =8.796,30.948,8.854,all P＜0.05).The overall sensitivity,specificity and accuracy by both tracers were 92.6％(50/54),98.8％(249/252) and 97.7％(299/306).Conclusions 18F-FLT might be a better or complementary tracer to 18F-FDG for the detection of diffuse-type gastric cancer.Compared with 18FFDG PET/CT,18F-FLT PET/CT may be less sensitive but more specific and accurate for the detection of regional lymph node metastasis.The overall diagnostic accuracy can be improved by using both tracers.

AIM: To study the role of TGF-?/Smad pathway in the development of renal fibrosis in diabetic nephropathy.METHODS: Rats were induced to diabetic nephropathy by using tail intravenous injection of STZ.The expression of TGF-?_1,Smad2/3 protein and mRNA in kidney were examined at 2,4,8 and 16 weeks after STZ induction.CTGF,collagen-Ⅲ,PAI-1 mRNA expression in kidney at 16 weeks of STZ-induced diabetic nephropathy and normal rats were studied by RT-PCR.RESULTS: Weak TGF-?_1,Smad2/3 protein were detected in normal renal tissues while strong TGF-?_1,Smad2/3 staining were observed in renal tissues of diabetic nephropathy(0.057?0.030/0.223?0.040;0.017?0.010/0.153?0.010,respectively,P

AIM: To investigate the effect of a Chinese medicime, Dan-Shao-Hua-Xian capsule, on liver fibrosis induced by CCl_4 by observation of apoptosis and cell cycle variation in the liver cells. METHODS: Animal models were produced through eight-week treatment of the rats with CCl_4, alcohol and diet of high fat/low proteins, and then administration of Dan-Shao-Hua-Xian to the rats (1 g/kg) via stomach-tube-pouring for eight weeks was performed. Liver index, serum hyaluronic acid (HA) and glutamate pyruvate transaminase (ALT) were measured and hydroxyproline (Hyp) content in urine were determined. The extent of the liver fibrosis was observed under light microscope and apoptosis and cell cycle were also examined by cytometry between the two groups. RESULTS: Compared to the liver fibrosis group, the liver index, serum HA, ALT in the treatment group decreased, the development of liver fibrosis delayed, the urine Hyp and the number of apoptosed cells and the ratio of G_0/G_1 cells increased, as well as the S phase cells decreased, yet unable to return to normal. All those changes detected were statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: The Dan-Shao-Hua-Xian is effective in treating the CCl_4-induced liver fibrosis in rats partly by virtue of inhibition of the growth of hepatic stellate cells and induction of apoptosis.

Objective To identify the differential serum proteins in patients with hepatic injury resulting from coal-burning type of arsenism. Methods Six serum samples were collected from patients with liver injury resulting from coal-burning type of arsenism and healthy subjects(control gruop) in endemic arsenism area. Twodimensional gel electrophoresis(2-DE) was performed to separate serum proteins, after silver staining, the differential expression of proteins were analyzed and then identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry(MALDI-TOF-MS). Results The 2-DE map of serum protein patterns of patients and normal control were established successfully. The results showed that there were an average of (824 ± 31 ) spots and (782 ± 42) spots on 2-DE matching of the patients and control groups and the matching rate was 94.9%(782/824). From these two groups 49 differential protein spots were identified, of which over 3 times the difference in the expression of 30 protein spots were singled out and MALDI-TOF-MS analysis was carried out. Ten proteins were identified. Upregulated expression was observed in alpha-2-macroglobulin, B-cell receptor-associated protein, keratin 1,apolipoprotein A-I, and down-regulated expression was observed in haptoglobin, α2-heremans-schimid-glycoprotein,mitogen-activated protein kinase 4, zinc finger protein 323, ZAP-70 and SP40 in the patient group. Conclusions The well-resolved and reproducible 2-DE serum patterns of patients are established and some differentially expressed proteins are characterized. Whether these proteins of differential expression are serum markers for liver injury resulting from coal-burning type of arsenism need to be further verified.

OBJECTIVETo explore the high risk factors of thrombosis in paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH). It has been reported that in Chinese patients with venous thrombosis, the mutation frequency in PROC c.574_576 del (rs199469469), PROC c.565C>T (rs146922325) and THBD c.-151G>T (rs1698852) was higher than that of normal controls, indicating its importance in thrombophilia pathogenesis.

METHODS142 patients with PNH diagnosed between 2009 and 2015 were enrolled in the study. Clinical data were analyzed and thrombophilia risk factors, such as the level of protein C, protein S, antithrombin III, APC resistance, blood fat, phospholipid antibody, were evaluated. Samples from patients and 100 normal controls were detected for the mutations of PROC c.574_576 del (rs199469469), PROC c.565C>T (rs146922325) and THBD c.-151G>T (rs1698852) by Sanger sequence.

RESULTSOf the 142 PNH patients, 21 (14.8%) patients had at least 1 episode of thrombotic event. Only 2 patients had arterial thrombosis and 19 patients had venous thrombosis. The median age of patients with thrombosis was 35 years old, similar to those without episode (40 years old, P=0.687). The ratios of males and females were 1.33 in thrombosis group and 1.57 in non-thrombosis group (P=0.728) , respectively. Patients with thrombosis had the same disease pattern compared with those without episode. Although there was no difference in the level of hemoglobin, WBC and PLT count, and LDH level between patients with thrombosis and those without episode, patients with thrombosis showed higher RBC, higher percentage of CD59(-) granulocytes and RBC, and Flaer(-) granulocytes compared with those without episode. The routine thrombophilia screening tests did not show any difference either between PNH patients and normal controls, or between patients with or without thrombosis. There were two mutations in rs199469469 and rs16984852 sites in patients with PNH, but the mutated patients did not have any thrombosis. Mutation rs146922325 was found in PNH patients. The mutation rate was similar between PNH patients and normal controls, thrombotic PNH and non-thrombotic PNH (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONSCompared with non-thrombotic patients, PNH thrombotic patients have bigger PNH clone and higher RBC count. There are no differences among the routine thrombophilia factors and the three known venous eligible genes either between PNH patients and normal controls or between thrombotic and non-thrombotic PNH patients.

Adult ; Antithrombin III ; metabolism ; Case-Control Studies ; Clone Cells ; cytology ; Female ; Granulocytes ; cytology ; Hemoglobinuria, Paroxysmal ; genetics ; physiopathology ; Humans ; Leukocyte Count ; Male ; Protein C ; metabolism ; Protein S ; metabolism ; Risk Factors ; Thrombosis ; genetics ; physiopathology

The present study was designed to observe the expressions of bone morphogenetic protein-7 (BMP-7) and inhibitory Smads in kidney of rats with diabetic nephropathy (DN), and explore the possible mechanism of DN. Male Wistar rats weighing 180-220 g were single injected with streptozocin (STZ, 55 mg/kg body weight) for 2, 4, 8 and 16 weeks to induce DN. Blood glucose, kidney weight/body weight and 24-hour urine protein in the control and DN rats were examined; the expressions of BMP-7, Smad6 and Smad7 were detected by using immunohistochemical techniques, Western blot and real-time PCR. The results showed that blood glucose and 24-hour urine protein in DN rats were higher than that in the control rats and kidney weight/body weight was also elevated in DN rats, especially in 16-week STZ-induced rats. The expressions of BMP-7 and Smad6 proteins in DN rats were elevated, while BMP-7 mRNA expression was increased 2 weeks after STZ injection and decreased 16 weeks after STZ injection. The expressions of Smad7 protein and mRNA were elevated in DN rats 2 weeks after STZ injection and decreased 16 weeks after STZ injection. In addition, the expressions of transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) and collagen type I (COL-I) mRNA were increased in DN rats. These results suggest in the early stage of DN, increase in BMP-7 and inhibitory Smad expression may play a role in the feedback regulation and restrain the development of DN.
Animals ; Bone Morphogenetic Protein 7 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Collagen Type I ; metabolism ; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental ; metabolism ; Diabetic Nephropathies ; metabolism ; Kidney ; metabolism ; pathology ; Male ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; metabolism ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Smad6 Protein ; genetics ; metabolism ; Smad7 Protein ; genetics ; metabolism ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1 ; metabolism