BACKGROUND: Caspase-3 exists in normal cell in form of zymogen and is capable of stimulating cell apoptosis after activated by apoptosis inducing factors.OBJECTIVE: To observe the activity of caspase-3 in hippocampal cytosolic S-100 and neuronal apoptosis in hippocampal regions, so as to discuss the relationship between hippocampal neuronal apoptosis and caspase3 activity during the whole brain ishcemic-reperfuasional injury.DESIGN: Randomized controlled experiment.SETTING: Emergency Department of Southwest Hospital Affiliated to the Third Military Medical University of Chinese PLA.MATERIALS: This experiment was carried out at Southwest Hospital Affiliated to the Third Military Medical University of Chinese PLA from January to April 1999. Totally 182 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: namely sham operation group of 14 rats, cerebral IR group of 84, rats acetyl-asp-glu-val-asp-aldehyde (AC-DEVD-CHO) treatment group of 84 rats, rats in the latter two groups were then subdivided into IR 8, 24, 48, 72, 120 and 168 hours time points subgroups with 14 rats in each.METHODS: The whole brain ischemia 20 minutes and reperfusional model was established on rats in brain IR group and Ac-DEVD-CHO treatment group, and rats were executed separately at post-reperfusional 8, 24,48, 72, 120 and 168 hours for obtaining hippocampal specimen; rats in sham operation group were only underwent anesthesia and operation without common carotid arterial occlusion and burns of vertebral artery, they were executed at 72 hours after operation and hippocampal specimen was obtained. The quantity of amino-methylcoumarin that was produced from the same mass of specimen within same decomposition time was used to reflect the activity of caspase-3. Brain slices that were obtained from different time points were stained and embedded for observing the hippocampal cell apoptosis under fluorescence microscope at 330-350 nm.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURS: ① The caspase-3 activity in hippocampal S-100 in different post-IR time point groups. ② The hippocampal cell apoptosis in different post-IR time point groups. ③ relationship between caspase-3 activity and neuronal apoptosis in hippocampal regions.RESULTS: Totally 182 rats were enrolled in this experiment, 14 rats got lost, thereby date of 168 rats was entered the result analysis. ① The changes of caspase-3 activity in hippocampal S-100 in different post-IR time point groups: There was no change in sham operation group at postoperative 72 hours. In contrast with cerebral IR group, there were obvious reduction in Ac-DEVD-CHO treatment group at post-reperfusional 24, 48,72, 120 and 168 hours [(1.71±0.03, 1.22±0.03; 2.77±0.09, 1.59±0.7;5.54±0.51, 2.3±0.19, 6.28±1.71, 3.43±0.46; 3.11±1.21, 1.73±0.14) nkat/kg;P ＜ 0.05 or 0.01]. ② The hippocampal cell apoptosis in different post-IR time point groups: Under 400× field of vision, the number of apoptotic cells in sham operation group was 1.2±0.4 cells at postoperative 72 hours.It was lower in Ac-DEVD-CHO treatment group at post-reperfusional 24,48, 72, 120 and 168 hours than cerebral IR group [(6.4±1.7, 2.8±0.8;11.8±1.3, 5.8±1.9; 19.8±3.1, 10.0±1.9; 31.2±5.9, 16.4±2.4; 19.8±2.3, 9.0±2.3)cells/400× field of vision; P ＜ 0.01]. ③ Relationship between caspase-3activity and neuronal apoptosis in hippocampal regions: It was proved of linear correlation in cerebral IR group and Ac-DEVD-CHO treatment group,displaying significantly positive correlation r= 0.935 6 or 0.980 0, P ＜ 0.01).CONCLUSION: Caspase-3 activation is one of the major inducer for hippocampal neuronal apoptosis, playing important role in hippocampus neuronal apoptosis in rats during IR injury.

Objective To investigate the possible role of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) in the lung injury induced by mechanical ventilationMethods Twenty-four normal healthy small pigs, ventilated with continuous different tidal volume, were randomly divided into control group, low tidal volume group (group A), middle tidal volume group (group B) and high tidal volume group (group C)The expression of ICAM-1 protein on pulmonary vascular endothelium cells, tumor necrosis factror-? (TNF-?) levels and myloperoxidase (MPO) activities in serum and lung were observed with immunohistochemisty, enzyme linked immunosorbent assay and MPO measurement 1d,3d and 7d following ventilation respectivelyResults The levels of TNF-? and MPO in serum and lung and the number of ICAM-1 protein expression were higher in group A, B and C than those in control group (P

Objective To investigate the roles of Caspase 3 in neuron apoptosis following cerebral ischemia/reperfusion in the rat hippocampus. Methods A model of rats with global ischemia induced by occlusion of the four vessels according to the method by Pulsinelli et al was used in this study. A total of 182 Wistar rats [(220?20) g] were divided randomly into three groups: control group ( n =14), cerebral ischemia group ( n =84), and cerebral ischemia group treated with acetyl asp glu val asp aldehyde (Ac DEVD CHO, n =84). Time points for observation included 8, 24, 48, 72, 120, and 168 h in the latter two groups. Caspase 3 activity in cytosolic extracts (S 100) of hippocampus and apoptotic neurons in hippocampus following cerebral ischemia/reperfusion were observed at the above mentioned time points, respectively. Results (1) No caspase 3 activity was detected in S 100 from the control group. In S 100 from the ischemia group, weak caspase 3 activity was detected at 8 h, but it increased gradually and peaked at 120 h, and then decreased apparently at 168 h after reperfusion. After treatment with Ac DEVD CHO following cerebral ischemia/ reperfusion, caspase 3 activity was inhibited to some extent at each time point. (2) Apoptotic cells were occasionally observed in hippocampus in the control group, but the apoptotic cells increased apparently at 24 h, peaked at 120 h, and decreased a few at 168 h after reperfusion in ischemia group. After treatment with Ac DEVD CHO following cerebral ischemia/reperfusion, apoptosis decreased to some extent at each time point (except 8 h following cerebral ischemia/ reperfusion). (3) Caspase 3 activity in S 100 from hippocampus was positively correlated with apoptotic neurons in hippocampus following cerebral ischemia/reperfusion at each time point ( r =0.9356 in ischemia group, r =0.980 0 in treatment group). Conclusion Caspase 3 may be one of the key causes resulting in neuron apoptosis in rat hippocampus after cerebral ischemia/reperfusion. It may play an important role in ischemia reperfusion brain injury.

ObjectiveTo investigate the event-based prospective memory (EBPM) and time-based prospective memory (TBPM) in patients with Alzheimer' s disease (AD). MethodsTwenty patients with AD, 20 adults with amnesia mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and 30 healthy adults with matched age and education level were assessed with a battery of neuropsychological tests including EBPM and TBPM tasks.ResultsCompared with healthy elders and patients with aMCI on performance of PM (2. 23 + 0. 77,4.83 ±1.09;1.00±1.03,3. 10 ± 1.52) and episodic memory(0. 70 ±0. 12,0.66 +0. 16;0.45 ±0.07,0.54±0. 10), AD patients were all impaired in PM and episodic memory(0.20 +0.41,2.05 ± 1.43;0.33±0. 12,0.32±0. 10), and were impaired in EBPM more significantly (t=-2.792, P＜0.01;t =-10. 761 ,P ＜0. 01 ). ConclusionsThese results suggest that AD patients show deficits of PM, but their EBPM is impaired more significantly. EBPM impairment may be an early diagnostic of AD.

High fidelity human patient simulator has become more and more important in clinical medical practice education.Medical circle has more and more realized that non-technical skill (NTS) is closely associated with the improvement of medical quality.This paper attempted to carry out a preliminary discussion on theory and practice of applying NTS in simulation training of critical care medicine based on their own teaching experiences.

Objective To understand the capacity of application,and discuss the types as well as the mechanism of these dysfunctions.Methods A battery of neuropsychological tests including tool naming,tool naming by function,using of transitive tools,novel task test and naming photographs (living and inanimate) were applied in this study.20 AD patients and 20 healthy controls were enrolled in the study.Results The AD patients performed worse than the controls on the tool naming,tool naming by function,application of transitive tool,novel task test,naming tasks of living and inanimate pictures.The results represented significance in all of the tests (t =-6.54,-5.94,-4.16,-4.81,-2.17,-2.08 ; P ＜ 0.05).There were significant correlations between the performances in application the tasks and the ADAS-cog,MMSE and ADL scores (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion The findings indicate that AD patients have apraxia,mainly impairment in ideomotor apraxia and ideational apraxia.Additionally,the patients have significantly decreased performance in ideational apraxia.The result suggests that AD patients' apraxia might result from the semantic processing disorder.

AIM: To study the effect of L-Arg on plasma content of endothelin (ET) and the expression of proto-oncogene c-fos mRNA in the left ventricle of rats with renovascular hypertensive hypertrophy. METHODS: The level of c-fos mRNA were measured by in situ hybridization. The ET in plasma were measured by radioimmunoassay. RESULTS: After eight weeks of treatment with L-Arg, the expression of c-fos decreased markedly ( P

To determine the ATPase activity of erythrocytic membrane and intraerythrocyticionic concentrations in 20 patients with chronic renal failure (CRF). Methods: Erythrocyte membrane AT-Pase activites were determined as described by Sha1ev, and erythrocyte Na+ and Ca2+ concentrations weredetected by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Results: The Na+-K+-ATPase, Ca2 t -ATPase, Mg2+ATPase activities were significantly lower in CRF patients than in normal individuals (P

Objective:To investigate the changes of plasma free carnitine (FC) level in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with hypertension and the influence of L-carnitine(L-CN) on plasma FC,blood glucose and blood viscosity. Methods:Plasma FC, blood glucose and blood viscosity were measured in 20 type 2 diabetic patients with hypertension (group 1) and 20 patients with essential hypertension (group 2) before and after they received 3. 0 g/d /,-CN intravenous infusion for ]0 d. Re-sultstlt was observed that plasma FC level was lower in group 1 [(50. 59?13. 41) ?mol/L] than in group 2 [(63. 32? 15. 23) ?mol/L,P

Objective To investigate the characteristics of memory impairment in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI). Methods Thirty-five patients with aMCI and 35 healthy adults matched with age and education level were administered with a neuropsychological battery of tests including conception and perception implicit priming tasks (category exemplar, picture identification), as well as explicit memory tasks (immediate recall, delay recall, delay recognition ). Results Compared with healthy elders, patients with aMCI were impaired in the conception implicit priming task(t=-4.33, P<0.01), as well as in explicit memory (immediate recall, t=6.40, P<0.01;delay recall, t=9.29,P<0.01; delay recognition, t=7.65,P<0.01),but not in perception implicit priming task (t=-0.78, P＞0.05).The conception implicit priming is positively correlated with verbal fluency (r=0.74,P<0.01). Conclusions The present results indicate that patients with aMCI are impaired in both explicit memory and conception implicit priming. The conception implicit priming impairment in aMCI may be related to their frontal lobe dysfunction.