Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of ultrasound-guided percutaneous ethanol injection(PEI)in the treatment of solitary benign thyroid adenoma.Methods One hundred and twelve patients with thyroid adenoma underwent PEI.The amount of anhydrous ethanol injected was approximately one third of the volume of thyroid nodule and used once a week,the injection was repeated two to five times.Results The average volume of pure adenoma and adenoma associated with cystic degeneration is ( 4.93 ? 0.48 )cm 3 and ( 7.89 ? 0.91 )cm 3;the nodules decreased markedly to ( 3.22 ? 0.40 )cm 3 and ( 3.85 ? 0.55 )cm 3 3 months after PEI treatment (P

The relationships between serum endothelin-1,calcitonin gene-related peptide and hypoxic-ischemic brain injury(HIBD) has been widely importance.Their respective functions,mutual relations and their relationships with HIBD has become a hot research.Understanding of their biological characteristics,mechanism and regulation of gene expression characteristics,is conducive to more in depth study on its pathogenic characteristics,provide a theoretical basis for clinical diagnosis and treatment.

Objective To investigate the influence of hypoxia on leptin expression in serum,CSF and brain tissue of C57BL/6J mice.Methods C57BL/6J mice were divided into 3 groups:the normal control,24-hour hypoxia group and 48-hour hypoxia group.The latter two groups exposed to hypoxia in the man-made auto pressure and hypoxia control cabin(XQ-I).Radioimmunoassay was used to detect the leptin level.Results The leptin level in the serum,CSF and brain tissue of mice exposed to hypoxia were higher than that of normal control,but no difference was found between 24-hour hypoxia group and 48-hour hypoxia group.Conclusion Hypoxia probably induces the increasing of leptin expression in fat tissue,as well as in the central nervous system.

Objective To explore the relationship between schizotypal personality proneness and intelligence .Methods 1905 subjects were tested by Chinese Soldier Personality Questionnaire(CSPQ).According to the results of CSPQ,the subjects were divided into high-risk subjects and normal ones.The Words Reasoning Test, the Arithmetic Reasoning Test and the Assembling Test were used to evaluate the intelligence,and the scores of these tests were compared between the two groups.Correlation coefficient between schizotypal personality proneness and intelligence was calculated.Results The scores of the Words Reasoning Test,the Arithmetic Reasoning Test and the Assembling Test in high-risk subjects were significantly lower than those in normal ones((87.83±18.42)VS(101.37±13.48),P<0.01;(91.74±14.26)vs(101.65±14.62),P<0.01;(87.70±18.82)VS (101.73±14.26),P<0.01).Schizotypal personality proneness was significantly correlated with the scores of intelligence(r=-0.39,P<0.01).Conclusion Lower intelligence level is found in the group with schizotypal personality proneness.Intelligence is correlated with schizotypal personality proneness.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the protective effect of melatonin on residual hair follicle cells of scald rats at early stage.

METHODSEighteen male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into scald group, treatment group, sham group , with 6 rats in each group. The rats in scald group and treatment group were subjected to 30% TBSA partial thickness scald on the back, and were resuscitated with balanced solution after 1 hour, while those in sham group were immersed in water at 37 degrees C for 25 s to simulate scald, and did not receive fluid replacement. Rats in treatment group were intraperitoneally injected with 10 mg/kg melatonin solution at 1 minute, 8 hours and 12 hours after scald, while those in sham group and scald group were given equal volume of 1% alcohol sodium-isotonic saline instead. Tissue samples were harvested at 6, 12 and 24 post scald hours (PSH) for determination of MDA and GSH levels. Apoptosis of residul hair follicle was detected by TUNEL method and immunohistochemistry of caspase-3.

RESULTSThe level of MDA in scald group at each time point was much higher than that in sham group (P < 0.01) and treatment group (P < 0.05), and it peaked at 12 PSH. The changes in GSH were just opposite to that of MDA. Under fluorescence microscope, the residual hair follicle cells were blue, and the apoptotic cells appeared green. The apoptosis rate in scald group at 6, 12, 24 PSH was obviously higher than that in sham (P < 0.01) and treatment groups (P < 0.05), which was (20.2 +/- 3.4)% vs (4.3 +/- 2.3)% vs (10.9 +/- 3.2)%, (31.2 +/- 3.6)% vs (5.1 +/- 2.5)% vs (19.1 +/- 3.7)%, (22.4 +/- 2.7)% vs (4.1 +/- 2.4)% vs (13.1 +/- 3.4)%, respectively. The score of caspase-3 positive cell in scald group was higher than those in sham group (P < 0.01) and treatment group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSThere is obvious correlation between oxidative stress and apoptosis rate of hair follicle cells in rats with partial thickness scald. Early administration of melatonin may have anti-apoptosis ability for residual hair follicle cells by attenuation of oxidative stress.

Animals ; Apoptosis ; Burns ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Hair Follicle ; cytology ; metabolism ; Male ; Melatonin ; therapeutic use ; Oxidative Stress ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

Obiective To study controUing method for curing time of the materials based on isocyanate, and perfect making means and operating rules of transmitting apparatus for the wounded, Methods According to the controlling principles of the rate of chemical reaction, the influencing factors' were studied such as catalyzer, ambient temperature, mixture level of materials and materials volume by experiment. Results By the results of experiments, ambient temperature hasn't an effector impact on eufing time of isocyanate, catalyzer and mixture level of materials only have a little effect or impact on initial reaction time, but materials volume is an important factor of all. Conclusion By the means of experiments, the curing time of isocyanate is only influenced by the volume of materials, and the character is very useful to transmitting apparatus for the wounded in field battle or on-site emergency rescue.

Objective To exclude false positivities in detection of IgM antibodies against hepatitis E vires of genotype 4 (HEV-4) using a truncated immunodominant polypeptide of HEV open reading frames (ORF2). Methods The recombinant ORF2 immunodominant polypeptide corresponding to amino acids (AA) 459-607 and a truncated polypeptide corresponding to AA 472-607 were separately applied to coat ELISA plates. Anti-HEV IgM from 35 serum samples with HEV RNA positive, 69 serum samples from healthy individuals and 117 clinically suspicious HEV RNA positive serum samples was detected by an indirect ELISA and was confirmed by western blot in protein level and RT-PCR detecting in RNA level. Results Western blot analysis showed that the sera from HEV patients reacted with the dimmer of peptide 459-607, but they didn't react with the monomer and peptide 472-607. The ELISA showed that all 35 serum HEV RNA positive samples reacted with peptide 459-607 but not with peptide 472-607 and none of the 69 serum samples from healthy individuals reacted with either polypeptide. Among 117 chnically suspicious HEV RNA serum samples, 5 samples reacted simultaneously with both polypeptides. But the difference between 450 nm absorbance (A450) value was less than 0. 5. Western blot analysis demonstrated that all the 5 serum samples were anti-HEV IgM- negative. The 5 serum samples was detected negative by RT-PCR, indicating that the false pesitivities were caused by non-specific absorption. Conclusions ORF2 peptide 459-607 may be used to detect anti-HEV lgM efficiently. The false positivities caused by non-specific absorption can be largely excluded according to the difference between 45Ohm absorbance (A450) value when serum reacts with both polypeptides.

Objective To characterize the dimerization and the antigenicity of the ORF2 polypep-tide of hepatitis E virus (HEV, genotype 4). Methods HEV ORF2 gene was cloned from the serum of a patient with hepatitis E. The genotype was determined by sequencing. Three ORF2 polypeptides differing in size and other polypeptides with point mutations were produced in E. coli. The recombinant polypeptides were purified and analyzed by SDS-PAGE and Western blot. Results The ORF2 polypeptide containing 459-607 amino acid formed homedimer even in 8 mol/L urea. The truncated polypeptides containing amino acid 472-607 or 459-594 formed monomer only. The mutations at amino acid 562 or 595 disrupted the ho-modimer, whereas the mutations at amino acid 476 or 580 did not. Anti-HEV from hepatitis E patients only reacted with the homodimer form of the polypeptide 459-607 and did not react with monomer or tnmcated pol-ypeptides. Conclusion The amino acid 459-607 of HEV ORF2 is essential for dimerization of the ORF2 polypeptide. Residues at amino acid 562 and 595 are critical for the dimerization. The antigenicity of the polypeptide 459-607 mainly depends on its homodimer form.

Air Pollutants, Occupational ; analysis ; Coke ; Fatty Liver ; epidemiology ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Occupational Exposure ; adverse effects ; Risk Factors

Objective To investigate whether high glucose can induce endothelial-mesenchymal transition (EndMT) in glomerular endothelial cells and the role of TGF-β in the process.Methods Rat glomerular endothelial cells were divided into five groups:normal glucose (NG,5.5mmol/L),high glucose (HG,15,30 mmol/L),TGF-β inhibition (HG+ LY36,30 mmol/L glucose + 10 μmol/L LY364947),hyperosmotic control (M,5.5 mmol/L glucose+25.5 mmol/L mannitol) and solvent control (D,5.5 mmol/L glucose + 1 ml/L DMSO).Western blotting was performed to detect relative protein quantities of endothelial marker claudin 5 and mesenchymal marker α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA).TGF-β1 and TGF-β2 mRNA levels were measured by real-time PCR.Vascular endothelial marker VE-cadherin and mesenchymal marker α-SMA were detected by immunofluorescent stain and observed by confocal microscopy.Results Compared with NG,the expression of claudin5 protein in HG (15 or 30 mmol/L) was up-regulated while expression of α-SMA protein was down-regulated (P ＜0.05).Both TGF-β1 and TGF-β2 mRNA levels increased as well (P ＜ 0.05).However,when compared with HG,the claudin 5 levels increased while α-SMA decreased in TGF-β inhibition group.No significant changes were observed in hyperosmotic or solvent control group.Confocal microscopy showed the transformation of cells from a cobblestone-liked shape to a spindle one,and a decreasing expression of VE-cadherin while an increasing α-SMA in HG group (P ＜ 0.05),whereas TGF-β inhibition partly attenuated those changes in both morphological and protein levels.Conclusions High glucose treatment of glomerular endothelial cells results in an increase in the level of TGF-β1 and TGF-β2 mRNA and leads to endothelial-mesenchymal transiton.Inhibition of TGF-β partly prevents this process,indicating that TGF-β plays a crucial role in high-glucose-induced glomerular endothelial-mesenchymal transiton.