BACKGROUNDMany patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) have complicated with hypertension and may be prescribed with antihypertension medications to control their blood pressure. But whether antihypertension medications can also decrease arterial stiffness or control the blood pressure increasing following obstructive events is not well described. This study aimed to investigate whether antihypertensive medications can ameliorate the changes in arterial stiffness and blood pressure associated with OSA.

METHODSSixty-one OSAS patients [13 women, 48 men, mean age (53.4 +/- 12.3) years], 26 normotensive patients (N), 7 hypertensive patients on no antihypertension medications (H), and 28 hypertensive patients on various combination antihypertension therapy (HM), were prospectively diagnosed with standard nocturnal polysomnography. Beat-to-beat blood pressure was continuously recorded from the radial artery by applanation tonometry during baseline sleep. As a measure of arterial stiffness, arterial augmentation index (AAI) was calculated as the ratio of augmented systolic blood pressure (SBP) to pulse pressure and expressed as a percentage for the following conditions: awakening, the first 10 ("early apnea") and last 10 ("late apnea") cardiac cycles of obstructive events (apnea or hypopnea), and the first 15 cardiac cycles following event termination ("post apnea") for all events with nadir O2 saturation

RESULTSSystolic blood pressure (SBP) post-apnea [(142.74 +/- 13.06) mmHg (N), (137.06 +/- 26.56) mmHg (H), (136.94 +/- 14.1) mmHg (HM)] was significantly increased from awakening [(135.76 +/- 14.76) mmHg (N), (135.58 +/- 23.17) mmHg (H), (129.77 +/- 14.00) mmHg (HM)], early apnea [(130.53 +/- 12.65) mmHg (N), (124.47 +/- 24.97) mmHg (H), (126.04 +/- 13.12) mmHg (HM)], and late apnea [(129.8 +/- 12.68) mmHg (N), (124.78 +/- 25.15) mmHg (H), (124.48 +/- 13.82) mmHg (HM)] respectively (P < 0.001, repeated measures ANOVA). AAI was significantly increased for the N group (P < 0.001) from awakening to late apnea [(10.45 +/- 2.62)% vs (14.43 +/- 3.21)%] and from early apnea to late apnea [(10.61 +/- 2.34)% vs (14.43 +/- 3.21)%], and also for H group (P < 0.05) from awakening to late apnea [(11.23 +/- 3.87)% vs (16.32 +/- 8.02)%] and from early apnea to late apnea [(11.75 +/- 3.79)% vs (16.32 +/- 8.02)%]. Meanwhile, no significant differences in AAI among awakening, early apnea, late apnea, and post-apnea conditions were found in HM group.

CONCLUSIONSThe current data demonstrate that systemic blood pressure increases significantly during the post-apneic phase of OSAS, compared with that during awakening and intra-apnea phases even with the use of combined antihypertensive therapy which could normalize BP during awakening in the hypertensive patients. However, increases in arterial stiffness during obstructive events could be ameliorated by combined antihypertension medications.

Adult ; Aged ; Antihypertensive Agents ; pharmacology ; Arteries ; drug effects ; physiology ; Blood Pressure ; drug effects ; Calcium Channel Blockers ; pharmacology ; Endothelium, Vascular ; drug effects ; physiology ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension ; etiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Regression Analysis ; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive ; drug therapy ; physiopathology

AIMTo set out the procedure for estimation of measurement uncertainty for the determination of ginsenosides R(g1), Re and R(b1) in Radix ginseng by HPLC.

METHODSTo facilitate the identification and analysis of the uncertainty sources arising from the procedure of analysis, a cause and effect diagram was constructed and simplified. Each uncertainty component whether associated with individual sources or with the combined effects of several sources, was evaluated with respect to the significance of its contribution to the overall measurement uncertainty and was expressed as standard uncertainty. All the standard uncertainties were then combined according to the appropriate rules to give a combined standard uncertainty and an expanded standard uncertainty. Results The expanded standard uncertainties for the HPLC determination of ginsenoside R(g1), Re, and R(b1), are 0.12c, 0.14c and 0.13c, respectively.

CONCLUSIONMeasurement uncertainty is applicable to set the limit of the ginsenosides in Radix ginseng. The establishment of the methodology for the evaluation of measurement uncertainty is important to the studies of Chinese materia medica standards.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; methods ; Ginsenosides ; analysis ; Panax ; chemistry ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Quality Control ; Sensitivity and Specificity

Skeletal metastases result in significant morbidity and mortality. This is particularly true of cancers with a strong predilection for the bone, such as breast, prostate, and lung cancers. There is currently no reliable cure for skeletal metastasis, and palliative therapy options are limited. The Wnt signaling pathway has been found to play an integral role in the process of skeletal metastasis and may be an important clinical target. Several experimental models of skeletal metastasis have been used to find new biomarkers and test new treatments. In this review, we discuss pathologic process of bone metastasis, the roles of the Wnt signaling, and the available experimental models and treatments.
Animals ; Bone Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; radiotherapy ; secondary ; surgery ; Breast Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Disease Models, Animal ; Drug Delivery Systems ; Female ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Male ; Mice ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Wnt Proteins ; metabolism ; Wnt Signaling Pathway ; beta Catenin ; metabolism

Whole body vibration training (WBVT) is a new kind of therapeutic exercise, which can improve musculoskeletal function and motor performance by transferring vibration stimulation to the body to affect neuromuscular activity. In this paper, the clinical efficacy, mechanism and parameter setting of WBVT in the treatment of chronic ankle instability were introduced through a systematic review of relevant literatures, so as to provide theoretical basis for the clinical application of this technique.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the clinical value of transanal endoscopic microsurgery (TEM) for rectal intraepithelial neoplasia (IN) and early rectal carcinoma.

METHODSFifteen patients with rectal tumor were selected to undergo local excision by TEM. The pre-operative diagnosis by biopsy and endoanal ultrasonography (EUS): rectal low-grade IN in 8 cases, high-grade IN in 4 and early rectal carcinoma in 3. The average distance of tumors from the anal verge was 7.2(4-15) cm. The average tumor size was 1.8(1-4) cm. The average proportion of the circumference of bowel lumen involved was 20%(10%-40%).

RESULTSAll the 15 rectal tumors were achieved complete excision (submucosal excision in 5, full-thickness excision in 10), and all the resection margins were clear. The average operating time was 57 (40-90) min. The average blood loss was 35 (10-60) ml. The average post-operative stay was 4.5 (2-9) d. The post-operative pathological diagnosis: rectal low-grade IN in 5 cases, high-grade IN in 6, early submucous invasive carcinoma (pT(1)) in 2, advanced carcinoma (pT(2)) in 2. The diagnostic accuracy of EUS in assessing invasive depth of rectal tumor was 86.7% (13/15). The average follow-up period of 15 patients was 6 (2-10) months. There was no local recurrence occurred.

CONCLUSIONTEM is an ideal minimally invasive procedure for the treatment of rectal IN and early rectal carcinoma, with excellent exposure and accurate excision, providing a high-quality tumor specimen for pathological staging. Pre-operative EUS is very important in selecting patients suitable for resection by TEM.

Adult ; Aged ; Anal Canal ; surgery ; Endoscopy ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Microsurgery ; Middle Aged ; Rectal Neoplasms ; surgery ; Rectum ; pathology ; surgery

OBJECTIVE This study aimed to determine the relationship between individual allergens with current wheezing and bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) in schoolchildren from three chinese cities: Beijing, Guangzhou and Hong Kong. METHODS Community-based random samples of 10-yr-old schoolchildren from the 3 cities were recruited for study using the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) Phase II protocol. The subjects were studied by parental questionnaires (n = 10,902), skin-prick tests (n = 3478), and methacholine challenge tests (n = 608). RESULTS The highest prevalence rates of wheezing in the past 12 months (Beijing, 3.8%; Guangzhou, 3.4%; Hong Kong, 5.8%) and atopy (Beijing, 23.9%; Guangzhou, 30.8%; Hong Kong, 41.2%, defined as having Allergens ; classification ; immunology ; Asthma ; etiology ; immunology ; Bronchial Hyperreactivity ; etiology ; immunology ; Child ; China ; Hong Kong ; Humans ; Risk Factors ; Skin Tests ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate whether vitrification in the cryopreservation of periodontal ligament (PDL) cells could be useful for tooth banking. METHODS: In step 1, primary cultured human PDL cells were cryopreserved in 100% conventional cryopreservation media and 100% vitrification media (ESF40 media) in different temperatures for 2 weeks. In step 2, a series of modified vitrification formulae named T1 (75% vitrification media + 25% F media), T2 (50% vitrification media + 50% F media) and T3 (25% vitrification media + 75% F media) were used to store PDL cells for 2 weeks and 4 weeks in liquid nitrogen. MTT assay was performed to examine the viability of PDL cells. RESULTS: Maximum cell viability was achieved in cells stored in 100% conventional cryopreservation media at -196degrees C (positive control group) in step 1. Compared to the positive control group, viability of the cells stored in 100% vitrification media was very low as 10% in all test conditions. In step 2, as the percentage of vitrification media decreased, the cell viability increased in cells stored for 2 weeks. In 4-week storage of cells in step 2, higher cell viability was observed in the T2 group than the other vitrification formulae while the positive control group had the highest viability. There was no statistically significant difference in the cell viability of 2-week and 4-week stored cells in the T2 group. CONCLUSIONS: These observations indicate 100% vitrification media is not successful in PDL cell cryopreservation. Conventional cryopreservation media is currently the most appropriate media type for this purpose while T2 media would be interesting to test for long-term storage of PDL cells.
Cell Survival ; Cryopreservation ; Humans ; Nitrogen ; Periodontal Ligament ; Tissue Banks ; Tooth ; Vitrification

OBJECTIVETo investigate the molecular genetic pathogenesis of primary glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) and identify which chromosomes or chromosomal regions of the entire genome may harbor tumor suppressor genes (TSGs) associated with GBM.

METHODSA high-resolution allelotype study of 21 cases of primary GBM was performed by PCR-based loss of heterozygosity (LOH) analysis. Three hundred and eighty-two fluorescent dye-labeled microsatellite markers covering all 22 autosomes were applied. The mean genetic distance between two flanking markers was about 10 cM.

RESULTSLOH was observed on all 39 nonacrocentric autosomal arms examined in this study. The LOH frequencies of 10q, 10p, 9p, 17p and 13q were the highest (> 50%). Furthermore, high LOH frequencies were detected in the regions containing known TSGs including PTEN, DMBT1, p16, p15, p53 and RB; the LOH frequencies on 14q, 3q, 22q, 11p, 9q, 19q were also high (> 40.5%). Our study observed the following commonly deleted regions: 9p22-23, 10p12.2-14, 10q21.3, 13q12.1-14.1, 13q14.3-31, 17p11.2-12, 17p13, 3q25.2-26.2, 11p12-13, 14q13-31, 14q32.1, 14q11.1-13, 22q13.3, 4q35, 4q31.1-31.2, 6q27 and 6q21-23.3.

CONCLUSIONSThe molecular pathogenesis of GBM is very complicated and associated with a variety of genetic abnormalities on many chromosomal arms. The most closely related chromosomal arms to the pathogenesis of GBM are 10q, 10p, 9p, 17p and 13q. Besides the well-known TSGs including PTEN, DMBT1, p16, p15, p53 and RB, multiple unknown TSGs associated with GBM may be present on the commonly deleted regions detected in the present study.

Adult ; Aged ; Alleles ; Chromosome Aberrations ; DNA ; isolation & purification ; Female ; Genome ; Glioblastoma ; genetics ; Humans ; Loss of Heterozygosity ; Male ; Microsatellite Repeats ; Middle Aged ; Polymerase Chain Reaction

OBJECTIVEThe main goal is to investigate the role of P120-catenin (P120ctn) in cadherin switching, as well as migration and invasion, of oral squamous cell cancer (OSCC) cells.

METHODSThe plasmid pGFP-V-RS-P120ctn shRNA was used to transfect TSCCA cells and significantly reduce the expression of P120ctn in these cells. Real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blot were conducted to determine the mRNA and protein expression levels of P120ctn, E-cadherin (E-cad), and N-cadherin (N-cad). By contrast, the Transwell cell invasion and cell migration assay was used to determine the invasion and migration capacities before and after the transfection.

RESULTSAfter the plasmid pGFP-V-RS-P120ctn shRNA was transfected into the TSCCA cells, we found that as the P120ctn expression significantly decreased, E-cad mRNA and protein expression decreased significantly. Moreover, N-cad mRNA and protein expression increased significantly (P<0.05). Lastly, the cell migration and invasion capacities were augmented significantly (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONSIn OSCC cells, P120ctn may be involved in cadherin switching and promote metastasis and invasion.

Cadherins ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Catenins ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Movement ; Humans ; Mouth Neoplasms ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Transfection

OBJECTIVETo use a mathematical model and computer simulation to study transmission dynamics and control of schistosomiasis in mountainous regions of Sichuan.

METHODSBased on studies of schistosomiasis japonica transmission in 20 villages in mountainous regions of Sichuan, a mathematical model was developed to characterize the impact of local environmental factors on transmission intensity. The model integrated site-specific factors and was calibrated to field epidemiological data from 3 subset villages. The dichotomic method was then used to predict different control measures.

RESULTSThe study showed high variations in prevalence of infection and infection intensity across villages, ranging between 3%-73%, 0.1-100 epg (eggs per gram stool), respectively. Important factors including occupation of local residents, exposure to contaminated water, microclimatic characteristics were integrated in the model. The predictions of dichotomic models showed that continuing chemotherapy (coverage between 50%-60%) could reduce infection intensities to 30%-80%, but could not change local transmission potential; therefore, the termination of chemotherapy would be followed by bouncing back of transmission. Sustaining targeted environmental interventions through snail and parasite oval control at certain coverage (30%-50%, respectively) could reduce the transmission to relatively stable levels. The model predictions showed that an integrated control (e.g., including both chemotherapy and environmental interventions) could suppress the transmission to an undetectable level even interruption of transmission between 5-10 years.

CONCLUSIONThe study demonstrated the feasibility of using a dynamic model, calibrated to local data, to gain insights into complicated processes underlying the transmission and informing site-specific control strategies.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Animals ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; Environment ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Models, Theoretical ; Schistosoma japonicum ; Schistosomiasis japonica ; epidemiology ; prevention & control ; transmission ; Snails ; parasitology