Humans ; Rhinitis, Allergic ; Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial ; Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal

Bronchitis ; diagnosis ; Diagnostic Errors ; Humans ; Infant ; Male

Objective To observe the changes of osteoblasts and vascularization during osteogenesis by tissue engineering technique under the electron microscope and study the feasibility of improving vascularization of the tissue engineering bone by using the small intestine submucosa(SIS) as the scaffold. Methods The bone mesenchymal stem cells(BMSCs) were isolated by using the gradient centrifuge method.BMSCs were seeded in the SIS.The scaffold-cell constructs were cultured in vitro for two weeks.There were no cells on the SIS as control.They were implanted subcutaneously in the dorsa of the athymic mice.The implants were harvested after(in vivo) incubation for 4,8 and 12 weeks.The changes of osteoblasts and vascularization were observed under the transmission electron microscope and the scanning electron microscope. Results The BMSCs grew quite well.BMSCs differentiated on the surface of the SIS and secreted a great deal of extracellular matrices.The scaffold-cell constructs formed a lot of bone and vessels in vivo.The scaffold degraded after 12 weeks.No osteoblasts but vascularization and fibroblasts were observed as control. Conclusion SIS can be used as the scaffold for constructing tissue engineering bone as it can improve the formation of bone and vessels in vivo.

The Uncariae Ramulus Cum Uncis is a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine. In recent years, many studies have revealed its prominent neuroprotection function. The active ingredients in Uncariae Ramulus Cum Uncis could protect the nervous system in a multi-path and multi-target manner. Uncariae Ramulus Cum Uncis shows the neuroprotective effect by resisting oxidation, scavenging free radicals, modulating neurotransmitters and their related receptors, regulating the inflammatory factors and their related pathways, attenuating neuron apoptosis, reducing intracellular Ca2+ overloads and mitigating neurodegeneration. In this paper, the authors summarized the advance in studies on neuroprotective mechanisms of Uncariae Ramulus Cum Uncis.
Animals ; Calcium ; metabolism ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Free Radical Scavengers ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Inflammation Mediators ; metabolism ; Neuroprotective Agents ; pharmacology ; Neurotransmitter Agents ; metabolism ; Uncaria ; chemistry

OBJECTIVETo study if the expression of maspin protein in respiratory epithelial cells was downregulated through IκB kinase-α (IKKα)-controlled mechanism in an Aspergillus fumigatus-induced model in rat.

METHODSInactivated Aspergillus fumigatus hyphae (AFH) suspension was used to induce respiratory epithelial cells (REC) cultured in vitro in rat, with PBS buffer as control. By RT-PCR, the mRNA expression of maspin was quantified, and by immunocytochemistry, the expression of maspin and IKKα in REC was observed. Furthermore AFH (from level 1 to level 3) suspension was prepared to induce REC. Then Western blot hybridization technique was used to detect the expression of maspin and IKKα protein. All data were processed by analysis of variance and two-variable correlation analysis.

RESULTSBy RT-PCR, a statistically significant (t = 2.463, P < 0.05) expression of maspin mRNA was found (0.128 ± 0.059 in AFH group, 2.972 ± 0.353 in control group). By Immunocytochemistry, the difference of maspin protein color in different groups was shown statistically significant in integrated scoring (t = 3.721, P < 0.05, weak positive in AFH group, moderately positive in control group). While in IKKα color study, the difference between the two groups was also statistically significant (t = 6.825, P < 0.05) in integrated scoring, with a moderate positive in AFH group and weak positive in control group. By Western Blot hybridization, grayscale ratio of maspin and β-actin was 0.912 ± 0.023 in control group, 0.607 ± 0.030, 0.476 ± 0.019, 0.416 ± 0.017 in AFH 1-3 groups, respectively, with a statistically significant difference within the four groups (F = 281.91, P < 0.05); While grayscale ratio of IKKα and β-actin was 0.624 ± 0.012 in control group, 0.739 ± 0.020, 0.778 ± 0.010, 0.927 ± 0.017, respectively, in AFH 1-3 groups; with a statistically significant difference within the four groups(F = 200.91, P < 0.05). Moreover, the difference between any two groups from both AFH group (including subgroup 1, 2 and 3) and control group was statistically significant. Two-variable correlation analysis indicated a negative correlation between expression of maspin and IKKα (r = -0.911, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSInduced by Aspergillus fumigatus, the rat respiratory epithelia might upregulate the expression of IKKα with a downregulated expression of maspin protein.

Animals ; Aspergillus fumigatus ; Cell Line ; Epithelial Cells ; metabolism ; Gene Expression Regulation ; I-kappa B Kinase ; metabolism ; Rats ; Respiratory System ; cytology ; Serpins ; metabolism

Cholesteatoma, Middle Ear ; Humans ; Male ; Young Adult

Objective Therapeutic hypothermia has become a standard neuroprotective treatment in term newborn infants following perinatal asphyxia,but active cooling with whole body surface or head cooling is both complex and expensive.The clinical feasibility of passive cooling in treatment of full term infants with severe asphyxia was investigated.Methods Thirty-two severe asphyxiated term newborns treated with hypothermia were analyzed,who were randomly divided into 2 groups:passive cooling group(n =17) and active cooling group(n =15).Active cooling group adopted MTRE ALLONTM-thermo regulatory systems,passive cooling group using natural cooling method.Hypothermia treatment time was 72 hours.At the end of treatment,the clinical manifestations,biochemical parameters and clinical efficacy of infants between the 2 groups were compared.Results During treatment all infants had no cardiac arrhythmia,hypoglycemia,sustained metabolic acidosis,blood-borne infections,local cold injury or bleeding.Infants in passive cooling group had a relatively wide range of rectal temperature fluctuations[average (33.47-0.71) ℃] and infants in active cooling group had a relatively narrow range of rectal temperature fluctuations[average (33.66 ± 0.29) ℃],but there was no statistically significant difference in their mean rectal temperature(t =1.941,P =0.055).One patient died in active cooling group,but there were no significant differences in suckling age,length of hospital stay,neonatal behavioral neurological assessment score,abnormal cranial ultrasound and MRI between the survivors of the two groups(all P ＞0.05).Conclusions In NICU,environmental temperature is relatively stable,passive cooling for asphyxiated newborns appears to be feasible for maintenance of hypothermia with a lower risk of adverse reactions.

OBJECTIVETo review the characteristics of regulatory T cells (Tregs) and ex vivo expansion of Tregs for treatment of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD).

DATA SOURCESThe data used in this review were retrieved from PubMed (1970-2013). The terms "ex vivo expansion", "regulatory T cell", and "graft-versus-host disease" were used for literature search.

STUDY SELECTIONThe publications about the characteristics of Tregs, ex vivo expansion of Tregs and clinical applications of Tregs against GVHD were identified, retrieved and reviewed.

RESULTSTregs can be classified as natural Tregs (nTregs) and induced Tregs (iTregs). Both subsets share most Treg features. Given their immunosuppressive property, Tregs have been tested for their capability of preventing GVHD. The bottleneck of Treg therapy is the limited numbers of naturally existing Tregs. To solve this problem, ex vivo expansion of nTregs or iTregs has been executed. The initial data indicate Treg therapy is effective in reducing GVHD without compromising graft-versus-leukemia (GVL).

CONCLUSIONEx vivo expansion of Tregs is a reliable way to prepare sufficient number of Tregs for management of GVHD.

Graft vs Host Disease ; immunology ; therapy ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Humans ; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory ; cytology

This study evaluated the change in regional left ventricular myocardial function in rats following acute occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) by using two-dimensional speckle tracking imaging (2D-STI). Sixty Wistar rats were randomly divided into two groups, a myocardial infarction (MI) group, in which 50 rats were subjected to LAD occlusion for 30-45 min, and a sham-operated (SHAM) group that contained 10 rats serving as control. Echocardiography was performed at baseline and 1, 4 and 8 week(s) after the operation. High frequency two-dimensional images of left ventricular short axis at papillary muscle level were recorded. Peak systolic radial strain (PRS) and circumferential strain (PCS) were measured in the mid-ventricle in short-axis view by using EchoPAC workstation. Left ventricular internal diameter at diastole (LVIDd) and systole (LVIDs), fractional shortening (FS), ejection fraction (EF) and left ventricular mass (LVM) were measured by anatomical M-model echocardiography. Infarct size was measured using triphenyl tetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining 1 week and 8 weeks after the operation. Fibrosis of left ventricular myocardium was displayed using Van Gieson staining 1 week after the infarction. In terms of the TTC staining results, the left ventricle fell into three categories: infarcted, peri-infarcted and remote myocardial regions. Compared with those at baseline and in the SHAM group, (1) PRS and PCS in the infarcted, peri-infarcted and remote myocardial regions were significantly decreased in the MI group within 1 week after the operation (P<0.05) and the low levels lasted 8 weeks; (2) Compared with those at baseline, LVIDd, LVIDs, FS, EF and LVM in the MI group showed no significant difference 1 week after the operation (P>0.05). However, LVIDd, LVIDs and LVM were increased significantly 4 and 8 weeks after the operation (P<0.05), and FS and EF were decreased substantially (P<0.05). Van Gieson staining showed that fibrosis developed in all the three myocardial regions to varying degrees. It is concluded that 2D-STI is non-invasive and can be used to assess regional function of myocardium with different blood supply in rats following acute occlusion of the LAD, and can be used as a sensitive and reliable means to follow up the process of left ventricular remodeling.

Objective To discuss the optimal timing of fixation for femoral shaft fractures with concomitant head injuries. MethodsEarly and delayed complications,mortality rate,interval of ICU and duration of hospital stay were compared among 137 patients with head injuries,so as to evaluate the curative effect of early fixation of femoral shaft fracture(n=56) and delayed fixation(n=81).Results Early fixation group enjoyed advantages in the interval of ICU,duration of hospital stay,associated shock and infection rate over the delayed fixation group(P