Objective To explore the effect of cutaneous never anastomosis on sensory recovery in repairing wide spreadly soft tissue defects in dorsal hand with free anterolateral femoral flap. Methods The cases with wide spreadly soft tissue defects in dorsal hand repaired with free anterolateral femoral flap from January 2006 to December 2012 were divided into 2 groups. The control group including 15 consecutive patients from January 2006 to January 2009, whose sensation was reconstructed in routine way. Other 15 consecutive patients from Febnary 2009 to December 2012 were as research group, whose sensation was reconstructed with the suture of cutaneous nevers of anterolateral femoral flaps and forearm. All the patients were followed up for 12~24 months. Results All the free flaps survived in both groups. There were 4 cases good of sensory recovery in the control group, and it was 11 in the research group. No ulceration happened. Conclusion Cutaneous never anastomosis may result in satisfactory sensory function in the patients with wide spreadly soft tissue descts in dorsal hand repaired with free anterolateral femoral flap.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is one of the leading causes of death. Safflower attracts great attention owing to its anti-ischemia/reperfusion injury effect. Ninety-three patients with CAD were included and randomized into safflower treatment group, PCI group and control group. Low-dose dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) was performed to measure end-systolic volume (ESV), end-diastolic volume (EDV), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and wall motion score index (WMSI) to determine the recovery of hibernating myocardium and cardiac function in all patients before treatment and after 3-month follow-up. The study was to investigate the effects of safflower on hibernating myocardial revascularization and cardiac function. It was found that LVEF was significantly improved, while the ESV and WMSI were significantly reduced after 2-week treatment in safflower and PCI treatment groups. No significant differences were found between safflower and PCI treatment groups in ESV, EDV, WMSI and LVEF after treatment Safflower injection effectively improved hibernating myocardial function.
Aged ; Carthamus tinctorius ; chemistry ; Coronary Artery Disease ; drug therapy ; physiopathology ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; Female ; Heart ; drug effects ; physiopathology ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Myocardial Revascularization ; Myocardial Stunning ; drug therapy ; physiopathology ; surgery ; Recovery of Function

OBJECTIVETo compare the actions of local thermotherapy with rabdosia liquid and repeated perfusion of mitomycin C for the postoperative prophylaxis of superficial urinary bladder carcinoma.

METHODSIn the prospective non-randomized contemporary controlled study, 123 patients were divided into 2 groups. The patients in group A received local thermotherapy with rabdosia liquid starting from 1-2 months after operation, once tri-monthly for one year. Those in group B received intravesical perfusion of mitomycin C, starting from 2 weeks after operation, once weekly, six times in total, thereafter once monthly for one year. The recurrence rate, disease free interval, and adverse reaction after operation were observed.

RESULTSThe follow-up lasted for 10-45 months with the average of 28.6 +/- 5.8 months. The recurrence rates in group A and B were 5.0% and 14.3%, respectively. Significant difference was shown when compared by Kaplan-Meier analysis of disease free interval and the recurrence rate between the two groups (P < 0.05). The occurrence rates of cystitis, hematuria, vesical contracture, urethral stricture were 28.3%, 5.0%, 1.7%, 1.7%, respectively in group A, 25.4%, 4.8%, 0%, 0%, respectively in group B, showing no significant difference between the two groups (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe effect of local thermotherapy with rabdosia liquid is reliable in preventing the recurrence of superficial urinary bladder transitional cell carcinoma.

Adult ; Carcinoma, Transitional Cell ; prevention & control ; surgery ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperthermia, Induced ; Isodon ; chemistry ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; prevention & control ; Phytotherapy ; Postoperative Period ; Prospective Studies ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms ; prevention & control ; surgery

OBJECTIVETo study the characteristics of cellular metabolism of mandibular condylar chondrocytes in repairing state of osteoarthrosis and investigate its role in the pathogenesis of the disease.

METHODSTemporomandibular joint osteoarthrosis model of rabbits was created by the partial resection of joint disc and confirmed with histological diagnosis. The chondrocytes were harvested from osteoarthritic condylar cartilage in the repairing state and cultured in vitro under the monolayer culture condition. The cellular expression of cartilaginous matrix protein, collagenase and growth factors between the osteoarthritic chondrocytes and the normal controls were measured with RT-PCR technique to outline the basic feature of the osteoarthritic cells.

RESULTSThe cultured cells were confirmed as chondrocytes with their ability of expression of collagen type II and Aggrecan. In the reactive repairing state of osteoarthrosis, the chondrocytes showed the imbalance of expression of ECM proteins, and increased expression of collagenase and endogenous growth factors such as IGF-1 and TGF-beta1.

CONCLUSIONSThis study found the active anabolism of the chondrocytes within the osteoarthritic condylar cartilage and the imbalance synthesis of cartilage matrix. These repairing attempts by the osteoarthritic chondrocytes may be impossible to restore the primary homeostasis within the condylar cartilage.

Animals ; Cartilage, Articular ; metabolism ; pathology ; Cells, Cultured ; Chondrocytes ; metabolism ; Extracellular Matrix ; genetics ; metabolism ; Male ; Mandibular Condyle ; metabolism ; pathology ; Osteoarthritis ; metabolism ; pathology ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; metabolism ; Rabbits ; Temporomandibular Joint Disc ; pathology ; Temporomandibular Joint Disorders ; metabolism ; pathology

OBJECTIVETo study the phenotypic and genotypic resistance to Fluoroquinolones in Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) isolated in Jiangsu province of China.

METHODSIn-vitro, susceptibility testing of ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin against ninety-five clinical isolates were determined by agar dilution method. Detection of mutation in the gyrA and parC genes was performed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay and sequence analysis.

RESULTSThe clinical isolates demonstrated 100% resistance to ciprofloxacin. Based on gyrA and parC mutations, 18 types could be categorized among the 54 isolates. Based on the same gyrA mutations,isolates with high MIC appeared to have had more mutations in parC gene.

CONCLUSIONThe status of resistance to ciprofloxacin in NG was quite serious, and ciprofloxacin treatment for the treatment of NG infections in Jiangsu province should not be recommended. The results from this study suggested that mutations in the parC gene had contributed to the development of high Fluoroquinolone resistance in NG.

China ; DNA Gyrase ; genetics ; DNA Topoisomerase IV ; genetics ; Drug Resistance, Bacterial ; Fluoroquinolones ; pharmacology ; Genotype ; Gonorrhea ; drug therapy ; Humans ; Neisseria gonorrhoeae ; drug effects ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Phenotype

OBJECTIVETo access the expression of transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-beta1) in the lung of Nitrofen-induced congenital diaphragmatic hernia rat model.

METHODSTwelve timed-pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into two groups, namely control group and CDH group on day 9.5 of gestation. Each rat in the CDH group was given 125 mg of Nitrofen (dissolved in seed fat) by gavage. Each rat in the control group was given the same dose of single oil. On day 16 of gestation, the two groups mentioned above were divided into three subgroups, and fetuses were delivered by cesarean section respectively on day 16, 18 and 21 of gestation. After the fetuses were checked for diaphragmatic hernia, lung tissue weight (LW) and body weight (BW) of each fetus on gestational day 21 were recorded. Lung histologic evaluations were made with microscope and TGF-beta1 immunohistochemistry staining were performed with image analyzing.

RESULTSAt day 16 of gestation, no visible diaphragm closure was observed in all fetuses. Diaphragmatic hernia was observed in 32 of the 44 rat fetuses of the CDH groups on day 18 and day 21 of gestation (72.7%). Lw/Bw of the 21d subgroups of CDH group were lower than those of corresponding control group (P < 0.01). Observed under the microscope, the lungs of fetuses in CDH groups showed marked hypoplasia. The expression of TGF-beta1 was detected in cytoplasmic, without definite expression in nuclear. It was significantly stronger that the expression of TGF-beta1 was in the lungs of the CDH group than that of the control group (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONSNitrofen interferes with lung development in early stage of the fetal before the diaphragm developed. TGF-beta1 would be one of the important factors which lead to pulmonary hypoplasia.

Animals ; Disease Models, Animal ; Female ; Hernia, Diaphragmatic ; metabolism ; Hernias, Diaphragmatic, Congenital ; Lung ; metabolism ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1 ; metabolism

BACKGROUNDInner retinal oxygenation response (ΔPO(2)) is a worldwide study focus. However, the relevant reports on its radiological measurements are limited. In this study, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), employing T1 weighted image (T1WI), was used to detect changes in ΔPO(2) following 100% oxygen inhalation in human subjects.

METHODSMRI was performed on a 1.5-T GE scanner system. After obtaining ophthalmologic data, eleven healthy individuals were given room air and 100% oxygen inhalation in order with different intervals. The MRI T1WI data were collected for 50 minutes. Data were analyzed with NIH IMAGE software.

RESULTSΔPO(2) was not panretinally uniform, and changes in oxygenation response were spatially inhomogeneous. During the initial phase (before 5 minutes) of 100% oxygen inhalation, preretinal vitreous water signals in the region of papilla optica increased rapidly. On the contrary, in other regions signals declined. In a later period (35 minutes), ΔPO(2) was panretinally fluctuated and increased slowly and attained homeostasis. After hyperoxia (45 minutes), delayed-enhancement of preretinal vitreous water signals in regions other than the papilla optica occurred, and then dropped down. There was no significant difference (P > 0.05) at any consecutive time point during and after hyperoixa.

CONCLUSIONSThese results reveal that hyperoxia can induce region-specific signal changes in preretinal vitreous water. Regulatory activity of the retinal vessel network may be the mechanism during 100% oxygen inhalation. Moreover, MRI is a valuable tool for investigating ΔPO(2) and exploring the mechanism of retinal oxygenation response physiologically or pathologically in vivo.

Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; methods ; Male ; Oxygen Consumption ; physiology ; Retina ; physiology ; Young Adult

Quantification of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) is extremely important due to the pivotal role they play in controlling pathogen infection and anti-tumor actions. Previously used methods for detecting specific CTL are usually indirect. In recent years, tetramer technology has been developed to directly visualize antigen-specific CTL efficiently, and become the critical approach in studying T cell immune responses. A simplified procedure for preparing tetramers is reported here in this paper and a tetramer loaded with human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) peptide was successfully obtained using this procedure, which possessed binding activity with specific CTL. The heavy chain of HLA-A * 0201 gene was cloned by RT-PCR from HLA-A2+ donor. An expression vector, encoding the extracellular domain of HLA-A * 0201 heavy chain (A2) fused with a BirA substrate peptide (BSP) at its carboxyl terminus, was constructed by PCR with cloned A2 gene as the template. The A2 heavy chain was expressed in Escherichia coli mostly in the form of inclusion body and purified by washing inclusion body. The monomer of soluble A2 loaded with peptide was reconstructed by dilution from the heavy chain in the presence of light chain beta2-microglobulin and HLA-A2 restricted HCMV pp65(495-503) peptide (NLVPMVATV, NLV). Refolded A2-NLV monomer was biotinylated with a commercial BirA and purified by low pressure anion exchange chromatography on a Q-Sepharose (fast flow) column. The tetramer was then formed by mixing A2-NLV monomer with streptavidin-PE in a ratio of 4:0.8 leading to more than 85% multiplication as revealed by SDS-PADE under non-reducing conditions without boiling the sample. Flow cytometry analysis indicated that this tetramer could bind to specific CTL from HLA-A2+ donor. In conclusion, a simplified procedure is established to prepare HLA-A2 tetramer, which may not only facilitate the application of tetramer technology for studying specific T lymphocyte immune response but A2-NLV itself be applied clinically to monitor CMV-specific CTL in stem cell and organ transplantation.
Cloning, Molecular ; Cytomegalovirus ; genetics ; immunology ; Escherichia coli ; genetics ; metabolism ; HLA-A Antigens ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; immunology ; HLA-A2 Antigen ; Humans ; Phosphoproteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Recombinant Fusion Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic ; immunology ; metabolism ; Viral Matrix Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics

The aim of this study was to investigate the roles of chemokine CCL20 in development of CD4(+)CD25(+) thymocytes by means of fetal thymus organ culture. Fetal mouse thymus lobes were removed at the fetus age of 14.5 days and cultured in complete RPMI 1640 with 20% FBS in vitro. Phenotypes of the thymocytes were analyzed by FACS and the number of cells per lobe was counted. The results revealed that from day 14.5 to day 19, the absolute and relative numbers of the CD4(+)CD25(+) thymocytes varied similarly as their development as in vitro culture at 6 days. Data showed that during the 6 days in vitro culture the CD4(+)CD25(+) cell percentage out of CD4(+) cells was 58.29%, 12.14%, 6.08%, 17.78%, 9.06%, 4.04% and the CD4(+)CD25(+) cell percentage out of CD25(+) cells was 3.75%, 10.81%, 17.20%, 51.93%, 61.64%, 80.06%. All these data indicated similar characters to their development in vivo. Moreover, at interference with CCL20, the percentage of CD4(+)CD25(+) T cells in thymocytes significantly decreased at the 3 and 6 days from 3.24+/-0.18 and 3.96+/-0.24 to 1.27+/-0.11 (p<0.001) and 1.76+/-0.22 (p<0.001) respectively. It is concluded that the development of CD4(+)CD25(+) thymocytes is similar both in vitro and in vivo, interfering with CCL20 significantly downregulate the expression of CD4(+)CD25(+) T cells. The above data may help to understand the development of naturally arising CD4(+)CD25(+) regulatory T cells.
Animals ; Chemokine CCL20 ; pharmacology ; Embryo, Mammalian ; Embryonic Development ; Female ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Organ Culture Techniques ; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory ; cytology ; drug effects ; Thymus Gland ; cytology ; embryology

1.22-4.56), 2.05(1.07-3.94) and 5.56(2.54-12.18) respectively. Conclusion Essential hypertension might positively be affected by the interaction of the C (-344) T polymorphism of CYP11B2 and the drinking index in Chinese Mongolian population.