OBJECTIVE: To evaluate nasal ventilation in allergic rhinitis patients after nasal provocation with acoustic rhinometry. METHOD: Twenty AR cases were selected. Each one was assessed for the nasal cavity volumes (NCV), nasal airway resistance (NR), nasal minimal cross-section area (NMCA) and distance of nasal minimal cross-section area from nostril (DCAN) by using acoustic rhinometry before and after nasal provocation 1 hour and 6 hours later. The results were statistically analyzed. RESULT: After nasal provocation 1 hour 1 later, NCV and NR had a significant difference compared with before nasal provocation(P<0. 05), but NMCA and DCAN had no difference (P > 0.05). After 6 hours later, NCV, NR, NMCA and DCAN had a significant difference compared with before nasal provocation (P < 0.05). NCV,NR,DCAN had a significant difference between 1 hour later and 6 hours later after provocation (P < 0.05), while NMCA had no difference (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION The nasal ventilation in allergic rhinitis after nasal provocation had declined over time.
Airway Resistance ; Humans ; Nasal Cavity ; physiopathology ; Respiration ; Rhinitis, Allergic ; physiopathology ; Rhinometry, Acoustic

Objective To study the expression of E-cadherin( E-cad), p-catenin(β-cat) in labial salivary glands of patients with primary Sj(o)gren's syndrome (pSS) in order to explore their role in pathogenesis. Methods Biopsies of labial salivary glands were obtained from 52 patients with pSS and 30 healthy controls. The immunohistochemical staining was used to detect the expression of E-cad and β-cat. Anti-SSA and anti-SSB antibodies were measured. Semi-quantitative analysis was performed by image analysis software. Ultra-structural changes was used by electron-microscopic techniques. Results ① The area of expression, optical intensity and the accumulated optical intensity of the E-cad group [(2513±1086) μm2, 0.212±0.041, 566 ±297 ] were lower than normal controls. The expression level was reduced as the increase of lymphocyte infiltration focus. ② The area of expression, the optical density and the accumulated optical density of the β- cat group [(12 324±7883) μm2, 0.113±0.031, 566±297] was lower than those of the control group. The expression level was reduced as the increase of the lymphocyte infiltration focus. ③ The E-cad expression and the p-cat expression was positively correlated in the labial gland of patients with pSS. ④ Howev-er, there was difference in the expression of E -cad and β -cat between patients with positive SSA and negative SSA antibodies. Conclusion In salivary samples, the expression of both E-cad and p-cat in patients with pSS is lower than those of the controls. Anti-SSA/SSB antibodies are important parameters of pSS and they may be involved in the pathogenesis of pSS.

Objective:To analyze the expression of MUC15 and PI3K/Akt in gastric carcinoma and its association with clinicopathologi-cal characteristics and prognosis. Methods:The expression of MUC15 and Akt was detected in 144 cases of gastric carcinoma tissues and corresponding para-carcinoma tissues by tissue microarray and immunohistochemistry. Results:The positive expression rate of MUC15 in gastric carcinoma was 79.8%, higher than that of para-carcinoma tissues (22.2%, P<0.01). The positive expression rate of Akt protein in gastric carcinoma was 80.6%, higher than that of para-carcinoma tissues (16.7%, P<0.01). The expression of MUC15 and Akt was statistically associated with the grades of differentiation, invasion depth, lymphatic metastasis, TNM stage of tumor tissues (P<0.05), and the positive correlation between the two protein expression that appear in the gastric tumor tissue (P=0.001). Univariate survival analysis showed that the over-expression of either MUC15 or Akt was inversely correlated with the survival time (P<0.05 and P<0.01, respectively). Cox multiple regression analysis indicated that patients with over-expression of both MUC15 and Akt had the worst prognoses (HR=3.115, P<0.05). Conclusion:MUC15 may be involved in the occurrence, development, invasion, and metastasis of gastric cancer through the PI3K/Akt cell signaling pathway, and the expression of MUC15 combined with Akt is a powerful predictor for the prognosis of gastric cancer.

Objective To investigate the effect induced by specific inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) inhibitor 1 400 W on nasopharyngeal carcinoma CNE-2 cells lines and its mechanism.Methods CNE-2 cells were treated by different concentrations of 1 400 W,diamminedichloroplatinum (DDP),and both chemicals.Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) was used to examine the viability of cells.Quantitative realtime polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was applied to detect the iNOS mRNA expression.Results The expression of iNOS mRNA was down-regulated by 1400W and was positively correlated with inhibitionrate of cell proliferation.1 400 W inhibits proliferation of CNE-2 cell in a concentration-dependent manner.The proliferation inhibition rate of CNE-2 cells treated by 1 400 W combined with DDP was not enhanced.Conclusions Specific inducible nitric oxide synthase inhibitor 1 400 W can exerts anti-tumor effect though inhibiting the expression of iNOS mRNA;The mechanism of chemosensitization induced by iNOS inhibitor on CNE-2 cells may be closely related level of down-regulation of iNOS expression.

Objective To evaluate effects of the yeast form of Sporothrix schenckii on activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38MAPK) and expression of interleukin-6 (IL-6) in macrophagelike THP-1 cells,which were differentiated from the human acute monocytic leukemia cell line THP-1.Methods THP-1 macrophage-like cells were divided into 3 groups to be treated with the yeast form of Sporothrix schenckii at a concentration of 2 × 106 colony-forming units (CFU)/ml (yeast form group),100 mg/L curdlan (curdlan group) and RPMI 1640 medium (blank control group) respectively.Real-time fluorescence-based quantitative PCR was performed to measure the mRNA expression of IL-6 in THP-1 macrophage-like cells in the above 3 groups after 3-and 6-hour treatment separately,and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to detect the level of IL-6 in the culture supernatant of THP-1 macrophagelike cells after 24-hour treatment.Western blot analysis was conducted to determine the protein expression of p38MAPK and phosphorylated p38MAPK (p-p38MAPK) in the above 3 groups after 30-and 60-minute treatment separately.Other THP-1 macrophage-like cells were pretreated with 100 nmol/L dexamcthasonc (a p38MAPK inhibitor) for 30 minutes,and then were divided into 3 groups to be treated with the yeast form of Sporothrix schenckii,curdlan and RPMI 1640 medium respectively,and changes in the level of pp38MAPK and mRNA expression of IL-6 were also detected.Statistical analysis was carried out with SPSS19.0 software by using one-way or multi-way analysis of variance and least significant difference (LSD) test.Results Significant differences in the mRNA expression of IL-6 in THP-1 macrophage-like cells were observed among the yeast form group,curdlan group and blank control group (F =5 552.22,P ＜0.001) after 3-hour treatment (56.81 ± 7.36,26.69 ± 1.22 and 0.97 ± 0.05,respectively) and 6-hour treatment (378.03 ± 16.67,276.24 ± 39.13 and 1.02 ± 0.04,respectively).Additionally,the yeast form group showed significantly higher mRNA expression of IL-6 after 6-hour treatment than that after 3-hour treatment (q =16.74,P ＜ 0.001).After 24-hour treatment,the level of IL-6 in the culture supernatant of THP-1 macrophage-like cells also significantly differed among the yeast form group,curdlan group and blank control group (59.96 ± 18.16 pg/L,91.01 ± 17.27 pg/L,5.50 ± 2.30 pg/L,respectively;F =26.62,P ＜ 0.01),and was significantly higher in the yeast form group than in the blank control group (P ＜ 0.01).After 30-and 60-minute treatment,the protein expression of p-p38MAPK was significantly higher in the yeast form group than in the blank control group (both P ＜ 0.01).Moreover,the mRNA expression of IL-6 (4.46 ± 1.03 vs.493.52 ± 113.87,P ＜ 0.001) and protein expression of p-p38MAPK (2.29 ± 0.37 vs.4.55 ±0.46,q =10.81,P ＜ 0.01) were both significantly lower in the yeast form group with dexamethasone pretreatment than in that without dexamethasone pretreatment.Conclusion In vitro treatment with the yeast form of Sporothrix schenckii can enhance the expression of IL-6 in human THP-1 macrophage-like cells by activating the p38MAPK signaling pathway.

ObjectiveTo dynamically observe the paradoxical effect (inhibitory at low concentratin but promotive at high concentration) of caspofungin and micafungin across Candida species in vitro.MethodsA broth microdilution testing was performed following the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute(CLSI) M27-A2 document to observe the paradoxical effect of caspofungin and micafungin across 85 Candida strains.The growth of Candida was observed on a daily basis for 7 days.ResultsAt 48 hours,the prevalence of paradoxical growth in C.albicans,C.glabrata,C.parapsilosis,C.tropicalis,C.dubliniensis and other species of Candida was 90％,20％,41.7％,37.5％,33.3％ and 28.6％ respectively after caspofungin treatment,and 5％,0,0,25％,33.3％and 0 respectively after micafungin treatment.The concentration range of caspofungin required for the paradoxical growth of C.albicans,C.glabrata,C.parapsilosis,C.tropicalis,C.dubliniensis and other species of Candida was 4-16,8-32,8-32,2-8,2-8,8-32 μg/ml respectively,and that of micafungin for the paradoxical growth of C.albicans,C.tropicalis and C.dubliniensis was 4-16,4-32 and 1-8 μg/ml,respectively.After 48 hours,the prevalence of paradoxical growth still increased in C.parapsilosis,C.glabrata,and other species of Candida following caspofungin treatment,and in C.albicans and C.glabrata following micafungin treatment.ConclusionsThe occurrence,and time of occurrence,of paradoxical effect of echinocandins is Candida speciesand drug-specific.The prevalence of paradoxical effect is higher for caspofungin than for micafungin,which seems unrelated to their MICs against Candida species.

Objective To observe the Oncomelania hupensis snail control effects of molluscicides with different formula?tions in the ditch with unstable water level in field of marshland and lake areas,so as to provide the evidence for formulating the prevention strategies. Methods A drainage channel with O. hupensis snails in Jiangling County,Jingzhou City were selected as the study field,then it was divided into 6 segments,except 1 segment was treated as the blank control group for observing the natural mortality rate of the snails,the other 5 segments were treated as observation groups,where 4% niclosamide ethanol?amine salt powder,5%niclosamide ethanolamine salt granule,25%suspension concentrate of niclosamide ethanolamine salt, 26% suspension concentrate of metaldehyde and niclosamide ethanolamine salt,50% niclosamide ethanolamine salt wettable powder were applied respectively. Before and after the mollusciciding,the snail surveys were carried out through the systematic sampling method,and the short?and long?term effects of snail control were observed,and the mortality rates of the snails on the slope above the water level and those below the water level were compared. Results When 7 d and 15 d after mullusciciding, the mortality rates of snails on the slope above the water level in each observation group were 79.52%-97.87% and 90.43%-96.30%,respectively,when compared with those before mollusciciding,all the differences were statistically significant(all P<0.01). When 7 d after mullusciciding,the mortality rates of snails below the water level in each observation group were 17.11%-50.00%,which were all lower than those of the snails on the slope above the water level in the corresponding groups(all P<0.05);when 15 d after mullusciciding,the rates were 9.43%-95.24%,and those in 25%suspension concentrate of niclosamide ethanolamine salt,26%suspension concentrate of metaldehyde and niclosamide ethanolamine salt,50%niclosamide ethanol?amine salt wettable powder groups were all lower than those of the snails on the slope above the water level in the corresponding groups(all P<0.01). Compared with the densities of living snails before mollusciciding,those 6 months after mollusciciding in each observation group decreased by 70.21%-78.98%. Conclusions The molluscicides in the formulation of powders and granule are suitable for both the snail environment with or without water,while those in the formulation of suspension agents and wettable powders are suitable only for environments with water.

Objective To classify and grade the environments with Oncomelania hupensis snails inside embankment in marsh-land and lake areas,so as to improve the work efficiency and realize the systematic management. Methods The schistosomiasis endemic area Liaodi and Xiongdi villages in Jiangling County,Hubei Province were selected as the experiment villages,and the environments with snails in the two villages were divided into sections with a length of 500m,then the snail situation were sur-veyed by the systematic sampling method with 10m and 50m a frame respectively. The environments were classified according to the discovery of infected snails and wild fecal contamination,and the numbers of sites with snails and their areas in different class-es were recorded. Meanwhile,the data of sites with infected snails in Jingzhou City during the recent 5 years were collected and graded according to the average density of snails,so as to discuss the correlativity between the grades of environments with snails and the numbers of sites with infected snails and the occurrence rate of frames with snails. Results There were 1 967 sites with in-fected snails in Jingzhou City during the recent 5 years,and there was a positive correlation between the grades of environments with snails and the occurrence rate of frames with snails(rs=0.77,P<0.01),when the grade was 5,the constituent ratio of num-bers of sites with infected snails was 3.1%,and when the grade was 2-3,the ratio raised to 56.3%. There were 39 sites with snails in the two villages,the Class 1,2 and 3 environments included 1,18 and 20 sites,with the areas of 1 080,51 640 m2 and 41 220 m2 , respectively. There were no statistically significant difference between the grades divided by snail survey with 10m and 50m a frame(χ2=4.667,P>0.05),but the time-consuming of the former was 3 times of the latter. Conclusions The classification and grading of the environments with snails inside embankment in marshland and lake areas can master the key point of the snail survey. The subsection and setting frames at a suitable distance can save time and manpower,improve work efficiency,as well as understand the distribution of snail status of the environment with snails,which can realize the sort management of the snail envi-ronments inside embankment.

Objective To choose a reasonable non-drug treatment program for women with postpartum breast pain. Methods Based on an adequate assessment of the patients′ condition, the clinical questions were proposed and the references were searched in a series of databases, such as Cochrane Library, PubMed, Ovid, CINAHL, CNKI, Wanfang, Weipu, CBM. Results A preliminary search of 484 articles on cabbage therapy for postpartum breast pain was carried. Through rigorous preliminary screening and screening, 11 articles were finally included, including 2 systematic reviews, 2 randomized controlled trials and 7 quasi-experiment. Through the analysis of the inclusion literature, the data was extracted, and the evidence and summary evidence were strictly evaluated.According to the results of evidence, based on the patients′ condition and the wishes of the family, the cold and hot cabbage leaves were alternately applied to the breast of 10 postpartum women with breast engorgement, the breast distended pain were improved. Conclusions The method of evidence-based nursing can provide safe and effective treatment for postpartum women with breast engorgement.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the best time of intratympanic dexamethasone injection to treat sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) as salvage therapy so that to improve the curative efficacy on sudden deafness at the utmost. METHOD: A total of 192 patients with SSNHL were included in this study, among whom 63 cases received the systemic steroid therapy throughout the study, while the other ones were treated with systemic steroid as initial treatment and were given intratympanic steroid administration as salvage treatment starting at different time point. The salvage treatment started on the 3rd day after the beginning of the initial treatment for 29 cases, on the 7th day for 38 cases, on the 14th day for 43 cases, and 1 month later for 19 cases. All the patients were followed up for 2 months. RESULT: The recovery rates and total effective rates showed no statistically significant difference between the patients received only systemic steroid therapy and the ones received intratympanic steroid administration on the 3rd, 7th day and 1 month later after the initial treatment. The recovery rate and total effective rate exhibited statistically significant difference between the patients received intratympanic steroid administration since the 14th day after the initial treatment and the ones received only systemic steroid therapy, with the numerical value of P 0. 037 and 0. 034, respectively. CONCLUSION (1) As an initial management plan, the curative effects. between the intratympanic steroid administration and the systemic steroid therapy were not significantly different. (2) As a salvage treatment, intratympanic steroid was a better choice for patients who have not completely recover from ISSNHL after failure of initial management with systemic steroid only. (3) The best time point of salvage treatment with intratympanic steroid was about 2 weeks after initial management with systemic steroid.
Hearing Loss, Sensorineural ; drug therapy ; Hearing Loss, Sudden ; drug therapy ; Humans ; Injection, Intratympanic ; Salvage Therapy ; Steroids ; therapeutic use ; Treatment Outcome ; Tympanic Membrane