?Dry eye is a multi-factorial disease of tear film and ocular surface, and it can result in discomfort, visual disturbance and tear film instability and potential damage of ocular surface, accompanied by hyper osmolarity of tears and ocular surface inflammation. lnflammation is the key factor to dry eye. Many kinds of immune cells and inflammatory factors are involved in the occurrence and development of dry eye syndrome. Cell apoptosis, nerve dysregulation, disorders of sex hormones also play an important role in pathologic process of dry eye. Recently, while illustrating the pathophysiology and pathogenesis of dry eye has been made some progress, there is still no single standard. The possible mechanisms of ocular surface inflammation and tear dysfunction of dry eye were reviewed in this article.

Objective To observe the effect of hypoxia reoxygenation on activity of superoxide dismutase(SOD)and MDA content as well as[Ca~(2+)],concentration and mitochondria membrane poten- tial of intestinal epithelial cell-6(IEC-6)in IEC culture medium and explore the protective effect and mechanism of serum containing Ziqi-liquid(a preparation of Chinese herbal medicine)on hypoxia reoxy- genation damaged IEC-6.Methods Hypoxia reoxygenation damage model of IEC-6 was made.SOD activity and MPA content in IEC-6 culture medium were determined by ultraviolet spectrometry after hy- poxia reoxygenation and treatment with Ziqi-liquid.Meanwhile,MMP changes and[Ca~(2+)]concentration were detected by laser scanning confocal microscopy.Results After hypoxia reoxygenation,SOD and MMP were significantly decreased,but MDA content and[ Ca~(2+)] concentration significantly increased (P＜0.01),and significantly facilitated by serum containing Ziqi-liquid.Conclusion Hypoxia reoxy- genation can damage IEC-6,but the serum containing Ziqi-liquid has significant protective effect on it.

OBJECTIVETo determine the impact of prior percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) on outcome of coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery.

METHODSPerioperative data were collected from 1306 patients undergoing CABG from January 2002 to November 2010, including 117 patients with prior PCI and 1 189 patients without prior PCI. Among 117 patients with prior PCI, 99 patients had a single PCI procedure and 18 had multiple PCI procedures. The surgical outcomes including in-hospital mortality and major adverse cardiac events were compared between two groups.

RESULTSPatients with prior PCI were younger, less likely to have triple vessel and left main stem disease, and less recent myocardial infarction. Interval time between PCI and CABG was (13.39 ± 13.81) months. There were no significant difference in in-hospital mortality (1.7% compared with 0.5 % P=0.156) and major adverse cardiac events (including postoperative myocardial infarction, stroke, and in-hospital death,2.6% compared with 1.1% P=0.167) between two groups.

CONCLUSIONThere was no association between prior PCI and isolated CABG. Good outcomes can be obtained in the group of patients undergoing CABG who have had previous PCI.

Aged ; Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary ; Coronary Artery Bypass ; mortality ; Female ; Hospital Mortality ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome

Objective To analyze the genetic diversity of Pomacea canaliculata based on the mitochondria DNA cytochrome c oxidase subunitⅠ(mtDNA COⅠ)gene as a molecular marker in Lincang City of Yunnan Province,so as to provide the scien-tific data for monitoring Angiostrongylus cantonensis in local areas. Methods The genotypes and polymorphisms of 38 speci-mens of P.canaliculata collected from Mengding Town of Lincang City were analyzed by sequencing COⅠgene.The phylogenet-ic tree and genetic distances were produced based on the haplotypes from GenBank and the present study by using the neighbour-joining method with the software MEGA version 6.06. Results Totally 31 sequences were acquired in the present study and they produced 3 unique haplotypes.Haplotype 1 showed a higher frequency compared to the others and it accounted for 83.9 % (26/31).The data showed that the least genetic distances ranged from 0 to 0.052 between P.canaliculata and 3 haplotypes,as well as the largest genetic distances ranged from 0.021 to 0.239 between Pila conica and 3 haplotypes.Otherwise,the analysis of the phylogenetic trees based on COⅠgene sequences of P.canaliculata indicated that all of 3 haplotypes clustered into one big clade with that from Japan(GenBank accession number: AB433769),China(GenBank accession number: KT313034)and USA(GenBank accession number:EU523129),which owned the closet relationship amongst them.Their genetic relationships were distantly related to the GenBank's reference sequences of P.insularum(GenBank accession number:EF514942),P.cam-ena(GenBank accession number: EF515059)and so on. Conclusion There is a P. canaliculata species in Lincang City of Yunnan Province as well as a high genetic diversity amongst the acquired 3 haplotypes in this study.

Objective Few studies are reported on the prevention and management of oral mucositis(OM) induced by post-operative radiotherapy in patients with oral cavity cancer.This study aimed to investigate the therateutic effect of the recombinant human epidermal growth factor(rhEGF) gel on radiation-induced OM. Methods Sixty-eight cases of radiation-induced OM after surgery for oral cavity cancer were randomly divided into an experimental and a control group of equal number,the former treated with rhEGF gel while the latter with borax mouthwash. Comparisons were made between the two groups of patients in the severity of oral cavity mucous membrane injury,the intensity of radiation-induced oral pain,the in-cidence of oral cavity infection, and the duration of radiotherapy. Results At 3 weeks of radiotherapy,the patients of the experimental group showed mainly mild and moderate OM while the controls chiefly moderate and severe OM,and at 6 weeks,the former exhibited mainly moderate while the latter chiefly severe OM, with statistically significant differences in the incidence rate between the two groups (P<0.01). The experimental group, compared with the controls, had a significantly higher incidence rate of grade-Ⅰ radiation-induced pain (47.1% vs 20.6%,P<0.01),but lower rates of grade-Ⅱ(17.6% vs 32.4%,P<0.01) and grade-Ⅲpain(2.9% vs 20.6%,P<0.01).The rates of oral infection and antibiotics medication were remarkably lower in the experimental group than in the controls(23.5% vs 38.2% and 11.8% vs 26.5%,P<0.05),and the duration of radiotherapy was markedly shorter in the former than in the latter ([42.37±3.14] d vs [48.47±4.39] d, P<0.05). Conclusion The rhEGF gel can significantly reduce the severity of radiation-induced oral mucositis,improve its symptoms,and shorten the time of postoperative radiotherapy for patients with oral cavity cancer.

OBJECTIVETo observe the survival and the number of olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) transplanted in the contused spinal cord, so as to provide a basis for further studying the biological action of OECs.

METHODSThe rat spinal cords were contused with NYU-impactor II at T10 level by dropping a 10 g rod from a height of 25 mm. At the 1st week after injury, OECs isolated freshly from green fluorecense protein (GFP) of the rats were transplanted into the spinal cord at injured site and other two sites 1 mm apart from the caudal and rostral ends with the OECs number of 30000/μl x 3 = 90000. The survival and the number of OECs were qualitatively and semi-quantitatively observed under the fluorescense microscope from 1 week to 13 weeks after transplantation. The motor function of the cord was evaluated with BBB score.

RESULTSGFP-OECs could survive at least for 13 weeks within the contused spinal cord. Their arrangement was from tight to loose and their number was decreased from 1 week to 13 weeks after injury. The average number of GFP-OECs was 536 at the 1st week, which was less than 1% of the number as compared with original transplantation. After then, the number of GFP-OECs was continually decreased, but the most obvious decrease was found during 1 week to 2 weeks. The extent of decrease at other time points was relatively mild. In contrast to the cell number, motor function of the cord was gradually recovered after transplantation.

CONCLUSIONSThe survival and the number of GFP-OECs are different between the animals and are affected by the pathological reaction of the host cord. Also it is related to the motor function recovery of the contused cord.

Animals ; Cell Count ; Cell Survival ; Cell Transplantation ; Motor Activity ; Nerve Degeneration ; Olfactory Bulb ; cytology ; transplantation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Spinal Cord ; physiopathology ; Spinal Cord Injuries ; physiopathology ; surgery

OBJECTIVETo analyze the effects of perioperative intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) support in EuroSCORE high-risk patients undergoing cardiac surgery, and evaluate the risk factors associated with mortality and midterm survival.

METHODSFifty-eight patients with EuroSCORE of no less than 6 underwent cardiac surgery and received peri-operative IABP support, including 29 with preoperative IABP support, 21 with intra-operative IABP support, and 8 with postoperative IABP support. The patients who survived the surgeries were followed up for at least 1 year.

RESULTSComplications related to IABP support occurred in 2 cases (3.45%). The in-hospital mortality was 6.89% (4/58) in this series. Patients with intra-operative IABP had a lower ejection fraction, and those with pre-operative IABP showed more frequent unstable angina and recent myocardial infarction. The number of emergency procedures was also significantly higher in patients with pre-operative IABP support. Patients with intra- or postoperative IABP support had a longer ICU stay. The 1-year follow-up was completed in 54 patients and 4 deaths were recorded, with a 1-year survival of 86.21%. The 1-year survival rate was significantly higher in patients with preo- and intra-operative IABP support than those with post-operative IABP.

CONCLUSIONPeri-operative IABP support benefit cardiac support for cardiac surgery, and its preoperative use does not increase the surgical risk. Early prophylactic IABP support according to the EuroSCORE can improve the outcome of the high-risk cardiac surgery.

Aged ; Coronary Artery Bypass ; methods ; Female ; Humans ; Intra-Aortic Balloon Pumping ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Perioperative Period ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome

Five H9N2 avian influenza virus strains were isolated from the environmental samples in live poultry market in Qinghai Lake region from July to September, 2012. To evaluate the phylogenetic characteristics of these H9N2 isolates, the eight gene segments were amplified by RT-PCR and sequenced. The phylogenetic and molecular characteristics of the five strains were analyzed. The results showed that the HA genes of five strains shared 93. 2%-99. 1% nucleotide identities with each other, and the NA genes shared 94. 5%-99. 8% nucleotide identities. The HA cleavage site sequence of the A/environment/qinghai/ 017/2012 isolate was PSKSSRGLF, and the HA cleavage site sequences of the other four strains were all PSRSSRGLF. The HA receptor-binding site had the Q226L mutation. The M1 gene segment had the N30D and T215A mutations. The phylogenetic analysis showed that the five strains were similar to the virus A/chicken/Hunan/5260/2005 (H9N2) isolated in Hunan Province, China and were reassortant genotype viruses; the HA, NA, and NS genes belonged to the Y280-like lineage; the MP gene belonged to the G1-like lineage; the NP, PB1, PB2, and PA genes belonged to the F98-like lineage.
Animals ; China ; Genome, Viral ; Genotype ; Influenza A Virus, H9N2 Subtype ; classification ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Influenza in Birds ; virology ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Phylogeny ; Poultry ; Poultry Diseases ; virology ; Viral Proteins ; genetics

This study was designed to investigate the effect of Xiao-Ai-Ping injection on cancer angiogenesis. CCK8 assay and BrdU incorporation immunofluorescence assay were used to detect the effect of Xiao-Ai-Ping injection on HUVECs proliferation; wound healing assay and transwell assay were employed to test the effect of Xiao-Ai-Ping injection on HUVECs migration. The anti-angiogenic effect of Xiao-Ai-Ping injection was examined by tube formation assay, rat aortic ring assay and chicken chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay. ELISA assay was used to measure the secretion of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF); and the activation of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) protein and its downstream signaling pathways were examined by Western blot. Our data demonstrated that Xiao-Ai-Ping injection inhibited HU-VECs proliferation in a time-and dose-dependent manner, and the IC₅₀ (mg·mL^-1) values for 24, 48 and 72 h were 48.7±7.14, 29.1±2.25 and 22.0±4.53, individually. Xiao-Ai-Ping injection inhibited HUVECs DNA synthesis and migration. Xiao-Ai-Ping injection suppressed HUVECs tube formation, and reduced microvessel sprouting from rat aortic rings and vessel growth in CAMs. Furthermore, Xiao-Ai-Ping injection attenuated the secretion of VEGF, and inhibited the expression of p-VEGFR2 and phosphorylation of protein kinase B (p-AKT). We conclude that Xiao-Ai-Ping injection inhibits angiogenesis by down-regulation of VEGF signaling and AKT pathway.

Objective To analyze the polymorphism of Plasmodium lactate dehydrogenase (pLDH) gene and predict B-cell epitopes in pLDH peptides in four species of human malaria parasites. Methods The blood samples and epidemiological characteristics were collected from malaria cases in Yunnan Province registered in the National Notifiable Disease Report System. The pLDH genes of four human Plasmodium species were amplified using nested PCR assay and sequenced. The polymorphisms of pLDH genes was analyzed using the software MEGA version 7.0.26 and DnaSP version 5.10, and the B-cell epitopes were predicted in pLDH peptides using the Immune Epitope Database (IEDB). Results The sequences of P. vivax LDH (PvLDH), P. falciparum LDH (PfLDH), P. ovale LDH (PoLDH) and P. malariae LDH (PmLDH) genes were obtained from 153, 29, 17 and 11 blood samples from patients with P. vivax, P. falciparum, P. ovale and P. malariae malaria, respectively, which included 15, 2, 4 and 2 haplotypes and had a nucleotide diversity (π) of 0.104. A high level of intra-species differentiation was seen in the PoLDH gene (π = 0.012), and the π values were all < 0.001 for PvLDH, PfLDH and PmLDH genes. Active regions of B-cell antigen were predicted in the pLDH peptide chain of four human malaria parasites, of 4 to 5 in each chain, and the activity score was approximately 0.430. Among these peptide chains, the “86-PGKSDKEWNRD-96” short-peptide was a B-cell epitope shared by all four species of human malaria parasites, and the “266-GQYGHS (T)-271” short-peptide was present in PvLDH and PoLDH peptide chains, while “212-EEVEGIFDR-220” was only found in the PvLDH peptide chain, and “208-LISDAE-213” was only seen in the PfLDH peptide chain. Conclusions The PoLDH gene polymorphism may be derived from the weak negative purification selection, while PvLDH, PfLDH and PmLDH genes may maintain a relatively conservative state. There may be two B-cell epitopes “212-EEVEGIFDR-220” and “208-LISDAE-213” in the proximal region of the C terminal in the pLDH peptide chain, which is feasible to differentiate between P. vivax and P. falciparum infections.