BACKGROUND:Increasing evidence has demonstrated that bone marrow mesenchymal stem cel (BMSC) transplantation can promote skin, liver and lung repair in animal models; andLeonurus sibiricus L. has the ability of promoting blood circulation and regulating menstruation.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the therapeutic effect of BMSC transplantation with leonurine on intrauterine adhesions (IUA) in rabbits and the relevant mechanism of action.
METHODS: After modeled using dual injury method, rabbit models of IUA were randomly divided into five groups: sham-operated group (sham), model group (IUA), BMSC transplantation group, leonurine treatment group and combined treatment group (BMSCs+leonurine). Rabbits in the sham group were only given normal saline rinsing after hysterotomy, while those in the latter three groups were correspondingly given intrauterine BMSC transplantation or/and intragastric administration of 4 mg/kg leonurine for 14 days. Morphological changes of the endometrium were observed using hematoxylin-eosin staining, and expression levels of transforming growth factor β protein, Smad3 protein and interferon-γ mRNA were detected using immunohistochemical staining and real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR, respectively.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Compared with the model group, the degree of IUA was al significantly improved in the other groups, especialy in the combined treatment group. Moreover, BMSC transplantation, leonurine treatment and their combined use al could inhibit IUA-induced increase of transforming growth factorβ and Smad3 protein expression and IUA-induced decrease of interferon-γ mRNA level. Importantly, al these alternations were much more pronounced in the combined treatment group. Our results show that the combined use of BMSC transplantation and leonurine treatment can exert a synergistic effect in the improvement of IUA through the transforming growth factor β/Smad3 pathway.

Objective To investigate the relationship between insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) and the clinical pathology fea-tures in chronic hepatitis B(CHB) patients. Methods ALT and hepatitis B virus loading level and HOMA-IR were measured in 80 CHB pa-tients. Correlation analysis was performed with pathological features of liver tissue. Result Insulin resistance(IR) was much more obvious in patients with severer degree of liver inflammation and fibrosis . HOMA-IR and the insulin level of CHB patients in G3 grade(15.24±7.41,3.51 ± 1.91) and S3 stage (16.65±6. 46,3.79 ± 1.50) were higher than those in G2 grade (10.33 ± 6.28,2.25 ± 1.39) and S2 stage(9.06 ± 4.61,2.02 ± 1.11). The HOMA-IR was positive correlated with the level of age and ALT. Conclusion The development of IR in CHB patients was correlated with age and the degree of liver inflammation and fibrosis.

A method which combines empirical mode decomposition with wavelet transform is employed to remove breathing baseline draft from pulse wave signal. First of all, this method decomposes pulse wave signal into several intrinsic mode functions and judges the intrinsic mode function which contains the information of breathing baseline draft. And then wavelet transform is used to decompose these intrinsic mode functions, and the detail coefficients representing breathing baseline draft are set into zero. At last, the signal is rebuilt. This can realize removing breathing baseline draft. A self-developed measurement device was used to obtain the pulse wave signal for validating, and AC-DC modulation ratio value was adopted to evaluate the effect. The results showed that this method could effectively remove breathing baseline draft from pulse wave signal.
Algorithms ; Oximetry ; instrumentation ; methods ; Respiration

Objective To investigate the pathogenicity of late-onset Alzheimer disease from the viewpoint of comparative proteomic technology and to screen it from diseases with related protein markers.Methods Cerebral cortex tissue of temporal layer of 8 cases of late-onset Alzheimer disease and 5 cases of age-matched autopsied controls with normal brain was chosen for this study.Cerebral proteins were run through immobilized pH gradient (IPG) isoelectric focusing electrophoresis as the first dimension and then vertical SDS-PAGE electrophoresis as the second dimension.Differential proteins were identified with visionworks LS and then analyzed with matrix assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectrometry(MALDI-TOF-MS) and eleetrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS).Finally,the protein was identified by searching in the data bank.Results Different 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis maps were obtained for the protein spots in the late-onset Alzheimer disease group and the control group gels.11 protein spots showed a significantly differential expression between the two groups of cerebral cortex samples.It was found that the expression of DJ-1 protein was increased in the late-onset Alzheimer disease group in comparison with the control group after searching in the database.Conclusion DJ-1 protein may be a potential marker related to Alzheimer disease pathogenicity.This finding would be helpful to develop new drugs which focus on this protein and prevent nearodegeneration.

Objective To observe the clinical effects of phosphocreatine treatment on left ventricular function and on amino-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) level in elderly patients with chronic heart failure. Methods In our department, the 172 elderly patients with chronic heart failure were randomly divided into treatment group and control group (n= 86, each).The control group received routine anti-heart failure treatment. The treatment group received conventional therapy plus creatine phosphate sodium for 4 weeks. The cardiac function was evaluated and the NT-proBNP level was measured in all subjects. Results Four weeks after treatment, the improvements of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), left ventricular end-systolic diameter (LVESD) and left ventricular end-diastolic dimension (LVEDD) were better in treatment group than in control group (all P＜0.05). The plasma NT-proBNP level decreased significantly in treatment group as compared with control group [before treatment: (956.4 ± 644.2) pmol/L and (973.6 ±639.8) pmol/L; after treatment: (414. 5 ± 163.8 ) pmol/L and ( 719.3 ± 477. 5 ) pmol/L, all P＜0. 05]. Conclusions Phosphocreatine could improve left ventricular function and decrease plasma NT-proBNP level in elderly patients with chronic heart failure.

Objective Establish premature ovarian failure ( POF ) model in female Sprague Dawley by tripterygium wilfordii , and investigate the effect of bushenyangxue prescription on the levels of anti -mullerian hormone ( AMH) .Methods After POF model was established , rats were gave by gavage of different dosage of Bushenyangxue prescription for 30 days.The changes of histomorphology on rat ovarian tissue were observed by hematoxylin -eosin staining. Serum AMH concentraction , protein and mRNA expression of AMH were measure with ELISA , immunohistochemical staining and qRT-PCR, respectively .Results The follicle and corpus luteum were atrophied after tripterygium wilfordii challenge, which was improved after treatment with Bushenyangxue prescription .Serum AMH, protein and mRNA expression of AMH were decreased tripterygium wilfordii-treated rats; this decrease was inhibited after treatment with Bushenyangxue prescription .Conclusions Our study indicates that Bushenyangxue prescription could preserve the AMH levels of POF rats.These findings suggest that Bushenyangxue prescription may be a useful strategy to treat POF .

Objective To investigate the role of insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) in premonishing hepatogenous diabetes subsequent to chronic liver disease related to hepatitis B virus. Methods Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and fasting serum insulin (FINS) were measured in 176 patients, including 80 patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB), 66 patients with liver cirrhosis (LC) and 30 patients with chronic severe hepatitis B (CSHB). In addition 30 healthy subjects served as control (group HC). None of the subjects in the study had a history of diabetes. FPG and FINS were measured in all the subjects to exclude impaired glucose tolerance and diabetes. Then HOMA-IR was calculated. Results Among the HC and CHB, LC and CSHB patients, both FINS and HOMA-IR levels gradually elevated. FINS and HOMA-IR in CHB patients (10.58?6.48, 2.35?1.55) were significantly higher than those in group HC (8.06?2.14,1.68?1.53), while lower than those in LC (12.73?5.88, 2.91?1.41) and CSHB (18.30?14.17, 4.35?3.17) patients (P0.05), while the values of FINS and HOMA-IR were significantly higher in severe patients than those in moderate patients (P0.05), while the values of FPG were significantly higher in LC and CSHB patients than those in group HC (P

The Nano ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry tandem mass spectrometry(UPLC-ESI-MS/MS) was used to characterize the primary protein. Samples were digested by trypsin, followed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis and database search. Five peptides matched with tumor necrosis factor receptor and seven peptides matched with human IgG1 fragment of the Fc. Further analysis demonstrated that seven peptides all matched with the IgG1 Fc but only partly peptides matched with the other subtypes. RhTNFR:Fc is fused by IgG1 Fc but not other subtypes.

Objective To investigate the influence of simvastatin treatment on Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) in monocytes of peripheral blood in patients with sepsis and severe sepsis and its significance. Methods A prospective randomized controlled trial was conducted. 106 patients with sepsis and 92 patients with severe sepsis admitted to Department of Critical Care Medicine of Henan Provincial People's Hospital from August 2013 to June 2015 were enrolled. These two groups of patients were randomized into conventional treatment group and simvastatin group. All patients received treatment according to the 2012 International Sepsis Treatment Guidelines, including anti-infection drugs, nutritional support, and palliative treatment, and the patients with severe sepsis were given early goal-directed therapy (EGDT). The patients in simvastatin group received simvastatin 40 mg daily orally for at least 15 days. The peripheral blood was collected and the monocytes were isolated at 1, 5, 10, 15 days after intensive care unit (ICU) admission. TLR4 expression on the surface of TLR4/CD14+ double positive monocytes was determined by flow cytometry, and adverse reaction was observed during treatment. Results TLR4 expression on the surface of monocytes showed a tendency of decreasing with prolongation of simvastatin treatment in the simvastatin group in patients with sepsis (n = 59) or severe sepsis (n = 54). However, in patients with sepsis, TLR4 level was significantly decreased from 10 days in simvastatin group as compared with that of conventional therapy group (n = 47), and it was decreased up to 15 days [mean fluorescence intensity (MFI): 21 (19, 28) vs. 27 (25, 33) at 10 days, Z = 2.198, P = 0.021; 16 (15, 21) vs. 26 (23, 34) at 15 days, Z = 4.611, P = 0.002]. In patients with severe sepsis, there was no significant difference in TLR4 level at different time points between simvastatin group and conventional treatment group (n = 38) [MFI: 55 (52, 63) vs. 56 (48, 65) at 1 day, Z = 0.313, P = 0.692; 47 (42, 56) vs. 49 (41, 58) at 5 days, Z = 0.827, P = 0.533; 40 (35, 42) vs. 42 (37, 45) at 10 days, Z = 1.012, P = 0.301; 33 (30, 38) vs. 38 (35, 41) at 15 days, Z = 0.539, P = 0.571]. No adverse reaction related with simvastatin was found during treatment in patients with sepsis or severe sepsis. Conclusions Statins could significantly down-regulate the TLR4 expression on peripheral blood monocytes in septic patients, while it showed no significant influence on TLR4 expression in patients with severe sepsis. A different effect of statins on TLR4 expression and the downstream inflammation process in sepsis and severe sepsis patients might partially explain the discrepancy in previous reports about the therapeutic effect of statins therapy in sepsis and severe sepsis patients.

Objective To investigate the influence of“double low”technology(low concentration iodinated contrast agent and low-dose scan) combined with body mass index(BMI) on radiation dose and image quality of contrast-enhanced upper abdominal CT examination. Methods One hundred and twenty patients who received upper abdominal enhanced CT examination were randomly divided into 4 groups:group A1, the iodinated contrast agent iodixanol(270 mg/ml), BMI<18.5 kg/m2 and 80 kVp;group A2, the iodinated contrast agent iodixanol(270 mg/ml), 18.5 kg/m2≤BMI≤24.9 kg/m2 and 100 kVp; group B1, the iodinated contrast agent ioversol(320 mg/ml),<18.5 kg/m2 and 120 kVp; group B2, the iodinated contrast agent ioversol(320 mg/ml), 18.5 kg/m2≤BMI≤24.9 kg/m2 and 120 kVp. Image quality was subjectively scored, the objective parameters(noise, CT values of abdominal aorta and liver parenchyma, contrast noise ratio of abdominal aorta and liver parenchyma) were evaluated and radiation dose was recorded. The differences of the indexes between A1 and B1 groups, A2 and B2 groups were compared with Mann-Whitney U test and pared-samples t test. Results All CT images were good. No images with 4 scores were obtained. No significant difference was found between group A1 and B1, between group A2 and B2(P>0.05). There was no significant difference in contrast noise ratio of liver parenchyma(P>0.05), while significant differences existed in CT values of abdominal aorta and liver parenchyma, contrast noise ratio of abdominal aorta between group A1 and B1(P<0.05). Significant differences existed in the parameters above mentioned between group A2 and B2, respectively(P<0.05). Radiation dose was lower in group A1 than in group B1 and in group A2 than in group B2(P<0.05), respectively. Radiation dose was decreased by 40.1%(0.89/2.22) in group A1 than group B1 while radiation dose decreased by 56.9%(3.02/5.31) in group A2 than group B2. Conclusion According to BMI, the low concentration iodinated contrast agent and low-dose scan CT scanning technology could effectively reduce radiation dose and generate ideal images during the contrast-enhanced upper abdominal CT examination.