BACKGROUND: The important pathological changes of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is disruption of the lung alveolar-capillary membrane barrier and resultant pulmonary edema associated with a proteinaceous alveolar exudate. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) are able to carry on dividing and renewing themselves, and can eventually develop into many other types of cells. This provides a new treatment for treating injury of lungs.OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevention of endotoxin-induced acute lung injury in rabbit by BMSCs.DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING: The randomized controlled animal study was performed at the Central Laboratory of Tangdu Hospital from October 2007 to January 2008.MATERIALS: A total of 20 rabbits were used in this study. Two rabbits were utilized to culture BMSCs. Eighteen rabbits were randomly assigned to three groups, saline control group, acute lung injury group and cell transplantation group (n = 6). Endotoxin was purchased from Sigma, USA.METHODS: Rabbit BMSCs were isolated and cultured by the Ficoll method. At the third passage, BMSCs were harvested for use.In the acute lung injury and call transplantation groups, endotoxin was infused into the trachea to establish models of acute lung injury/ARDS. Thirty minutes following model establishment, 2 mL BMSC suspension (1 x 105) was infused into the right jugular vein in the cell transplantation group. An equal volume of saline was injected into the saline control and acute lung injury groups.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Number of neutrophilic granulocyte, wet to dry weight ratio of lung tissue, protein content and pathological changes in lung tissue in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid were measured.RESULTS: The increase in wet to dry weight ratio indicated the existence of pulmonary edema. The increase in neutrophilic granulocyte number suggested severe inflammatory reaction. The increased protein content showed the damage to lung alveolar-capillary membrane barrier. Following 48 hours of transplantation, neutrophilic granulocyte number and protein content in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid was significantly decreased (P < 0.01), and wet to dry weight ratio was significantly increased (P < 0.01) in the acute lung injury group compared with the saline control group. Compared with the acute lung injury group,neutrophilic granulocyte number and protein content was significantly increased (P < 0.01), and wet to dry weight ratio was significantly diminished (P < 0.01) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid in the call transplantation group. Hematoxylin-eosin staining suggested that pulmonary alveoli was normal in the saline control group, presented typical acute lung injury in the acute lung injury group, and the pathological changes were mild in the cell transplantation group.CONCLUSION: BMSC transplantation can significantly reduce endotoxin-induced acute lung injury.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the resistant effect of houttuyfonate sodium (SH) combined with imipenem (IMP) against Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Pa) biofilms.

METHODThe two-fold dilution method was used to examine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the tested drug. The crystal violet staining was applied to detect the effect of the combination of 1/2MIC, 1MIC, 2MIC of SH, single IMP, 1/2MIC of SH and IMP of various concentrations on the clearance rate of adherent bacteria, growth of biofilms and alginate production. Fluorescein diacetate (FDA)-propidium iodide (PI) doubling staining assay was employed to observe the bacterial viability and morphological changes after membrane dispersion of each drug group.

RESULTSodium houttuyfonate could enhance the effect of IMP against pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms. Particularly, the combination group with the concentration of 2MIC showed the highest effect, with P < 0.001 compared with the negative control group. The above results were proved by the bacterial viability and biofilm morphology under fluorescence microscope.

CONCLUSIONAfter being combined with imipenem, sodium houttuyfonate shows a higher effect against biofilms. It is expected that the combination of the two drugs could improve the clinical efficacy of associated infections.

Alkanes ; pharmacology ; Biofilms ; drug effects ; growth & development ; Drug Synergism ; Imipenem ; pharmacology ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Microbial Viability ; drug effects ; Pseudomonas aeruginosa ; drug effects ; physiology ; Sulfites ; pharmacology

OBJECTIVETo study the effect of Suxiao Jiuxinwan on angiogenesis in experimental myocardial infarction rats.

METHODThe animal model was established by ligation of anterior decending coronary artery and the infarction areas as well as microvascular density (MVD) in the marginal infarction area of the myocardial infarction rats were observed.

RESULTInfarction areas in high dose and low dose Suxiao Jiuxinwan groups were significantly different from that of model group (P<0.01), and this effect was similar with the positive model group and had the dosage-dependent speciality. The microvascular density (MVD) of marginal infarction areas in Suxiao Jiuxinwan high and low groups was much more elevated than that in the sham group (P<0.05), and the effect of Suxiao Jiuxinwan high group was similar with that of the positive control group. But the difference between the Suxiao Jiuxinwan high and the low goups was not significant.

CONCLUSIONSuxiao Jiuxinwan has the obvious effcet on angiogenesis in eperimental myocardial infarction rats.

Animals ; Disease Models, Animal ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Male ; Microvessels ; drug effects ; physiopathology ; Myocardial Infarction ; drug therapy ; physiopathology ; Neovascularization, Pathologic ; drug therapy ; Rats

OBJECTIVESTo evaluate and compare thoracic vertebrae morphology between patients with idiopathic and normal adolescents through MRI.

METHODSTwo-dimensional sagittal MRI of the spine was performed in 10 normal adolescent, 10 patients with mild idiopathic thoracic scoliosis (Cobb angle 15 degrees - 39 degrees ) and 10 patients with moderate thoracic scoliosis (Cobb angle 40 degrees - 75 degrees ), all of them were female and between 13 - 14 years old. Sagittal imaging was reconstructed on image working station (Easy Vision, Philips Medical Systems, Best, Netherlands). Anterior height, posterior height and width of vertebral body as well as length between spinous process were measured on each thoracic spine.

RESULTSAnterior height, posterior height and width of vertebral body increased from T(1) to T(12) with the values from scoliotic groups larger than normal group. The anterior height/width ratio and anterior/posterior column ratio were also larger in scoliotic group especially at apical area.

CONCLUSIONThe thoracic vertebrae are higher and slimmer in scoliotic patient than in normal age-matched girls which implied that there is abnormal endochondral ossification on spine during adolescent growth spurt.

Adolescent ; Case-Control Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Scoliosis ; pathology ; Thoracic Vertebrae ; pathology

AIMTo approach the relationship between lung injury induced by shock/reperfusion and nitric oxide as well as the beneficial effect of taurine.

METHODSTwenty four rabbits were divided randomly into 3 groups (n = 8): control group, shock group, taurine group. The model of lung injury induced by shock/reperfusion was used. The activities of nitric oxide synthase (NOS), superoxide dismutase (SOD), the contents of malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide products (NO2-/NO3-) in plasma and lung homogenate, lung wet/dry weight, lung water content, lung permeability index, and protein content in the pulmonary alveolar lavage fluid were measured. Meanwhile, pathologic samples treated routinely.

RESULTS(1) At 3 hours after reperfusion, the activities of SOD in plasma and lung homogenate decreased markedly, but the other indexes above mentioned were increased significantly compared with the control group (P < 0.01). (2) A close correlation was shown between MDA content and NO2-/NO3- content in plasma and lung. Furthermore, the content of NO2-/NQ3- in lung homogenate showed strong positive correlation with the lung injury parameters. (3) Taurine (40 mg x kg(-1) i.v.) could attenuate all the changes above mentioned at the same time points of reperfusion.

CONCLUSIONNO may play an important role in lung injury induced by shock/reperfusion. Taurine can ameliorate the lung injury, mechanism of which may be related to decreasing the generation of NO and anti-lipoperoxidation.

Animals ; Lung ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Lung Injury ; etiology ; prevention & control ; Nitric Oxide ; metabolism ; Nitric Oxide Synthase ; metabolism ; Rabbits ; Reperfusion Injury ; complications ; drug therapy ; Shock, Hemorrhagic ; complications ; drug therapy ; Superoxide Dismutase ; metabolism ; Taurine ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use

AIMTo investigate the effect of taurine on nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity and nitric oxide products (NO2 /NO3 ) content in myocardium and plasma during shock resuscitation.

METHODSTwenty-four rabbits were divided randomly into 3 groups (n=8): control group, shock group, taurine group. The model of hemorrhagic shock resuscitation was used. The activities of nitric oxide synthase (NOS), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and the contents of nitric oxide products (NO2- /NO3-) in plasma were observed before shock and shock 1.5 hours, after resuscitation 1 hour, 2 hours and 3 hours. The activities of NOS and the contents of NO2-/NO3- in myocardium homogenate were measured after resuscitation 3 hours. Meanwhile, pathologic samples treated routinely.

RESULTS(1) During resuscitation, the activities of NOS, LDH and the contents of NO2- /NO3- in plasma of shock group were significantly higher than that of before shock and shock 1.5 hours (P < 0.01). (2) After resuscitation 3 hours, the activity of NOS and the contents of NO2- / NO3 in myocardium of shock group were significantly higher than that of control group (P < 0.01). The cardiac myocyte appeared edema, fatty degeneration. (3) All the changes of above mentioned could be attenuated by intravenous injection taurine (40 mg/kg) (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONThese results suggest that the NOS activation and NO release may mediated myocardium injury induced by shock resuscitation, taurine can ameliorate the myocardium injury, which may be related to decreasing the generation of NO.

Animals ; Myocardium ; metabolism ; pathology ; Nitric Oxide ; metabolism ; Nitric Oxide Synthase ; metabolism ; Plasma ; metabolism ; Rabbits ; Resuscitation ; Shock, Hemorrhagic ; blood ; metabolism ; Taurine ; pharmacology

Aged ; Female ; Fluorobenzenes ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Hyperlipidemias ; blood ; drug therapy ; genetics ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; genetics ; Pyrimidines ; therapeutic use ; Rosuvastatin Calcium ; Sulfonamides ; therapeutic use

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect and its mechanism of salmon milt DNA (SMD) on age-related involutions in mouse thymus.

METHODSFemale BALB/C mice aged 10 months were divided randomly into three groups according to their weights. They were high dosage group (333.33 mg.kg(-1).b.w.d(-1)), low dosage group (166.67 mg.kg(-1).b.w.d(-1)) and control group (0 mg.kg(-1).b.w.d(-1)). After five weeks, their thymus indexes were measured and the thymocytes were counted and the thymus cortex thicknesses were also measured using Image-Pro Plus (version. 4.0) software in the thymus section. All the data were analyzed by SAS statistic software. Microarray technique was applied to screen the gene fragments, which were differentially expressed between the high dosage group and the control group, together with RT-PCR to further confirm some of them.

RESULTSNo significant differences of the variables including body weight, thymus weight and thymus indexes among the three groups were found. The thymocytes quantities of thymus cortex and medulla in the high dosage group were significantly higher than those of the control group (P < 0.01 and P < 0.05, respectively). The thymus cortex thicknesses of both SMD supplement groups were significantly higher than that of the control group (P < 0.01 and P < 0.05 respectively). 112 differently expressed gene fragments were isolated. Furthermore, we found the fragments with the logged number of U23789, X80232 and Aw209102 were highly expressed in the high dosage group when RT-PCR technique was used.

CONCLUSIONSSMD may reverse the age-related involutions in mouse thymus via up-regulation the expression of proliferation related genes and via up-regulation the expression of development and differentiation related genes simultaneously.

Actins ; genetics ; Aging ; drug effects ; genetics ; Animals ; Cell Division ; drug effects ; genetics ; DNA ; administration & dosage ; Female ; Gene Expression ; drug effects ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Pilot Projects ; Random Allocation ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Salmon ; genetics ; Thymus Gland ; cytology ; drug effects ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo study the effect of methylene blue on the growth and acid production of Streptococcus mutans, and the effect of methylene blue on acid production metabolism in plaque glycolysis model (i-PGM) in vitro, and investigate the practicability of methylene blue as a new kind of dental caries prevention agent.

METHODSNephelometer method was used to measure OD value of Streptococcus mutans culture fluid in the different incubation conditions. The kinds and quantities of acid produced by Streptococcus mutans in the different incubation conditions were measured with gas chromatography. pH values of glycolysis buffer media of i-PGM in the different treatment conditions were measured by ORION electrode.

RESULTS(1) The OD value of Streptococcus mutans treated by methylene blue was lower than that by normal saline, and there was significant statistical difference between them. (2) The kinds of acid in three different culture fluid were same, but the total quantities of acid were significantly different among three different culture fluid, in which the total quantities of acid of culture fluids treated by glucose was the greatest, and treated by methylene blue was the lest. (3) The pH value of i-PGM treated by methylene blue was significantly different compared with negative control group, but was not significantly different compared with positive control group.

CONCLUSIONMethylene blue can inhibit the growth and acid production metabolism of Streptococcus matans and acid production metabolism of i-PGM.

Dental Caries ; Dental Plaque ; Glycolysis ; Methylene Blue ; Streptococcus mutans

BACKGROUND: High-volume hemofiltration (HVHF) is technically possible in severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) patients complicated with multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS). Continuous HVHF is expected to become a beneficial adjunct therapy for SAP complicated with MODS. In this study, we aimed to explore the effects of fluid resuscitation and HVHF on alveolar-arterial oxygen exchange, the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) score in patients with refractory septic shock. METHODS: A total of 89 refractory septic shock patients, who were admitted to ICU, the Provincial Hospital affiliated to Shandong University from August 2006 to December 2009, were enrolled in this retrospective study. The patients were randomly divided into two groups: fluid resuscitation (group A, n=41), and fluid resuscitation plus high-volume hemofiltration (group B, n=48). The levels of O2 content of central venous blood (CcvO2), arterial oxygen content (CaO2), alveolar-arterial oxygen pressure difference P(A-a)DO2, ratio of arterial oxygen pressure/alveolar oxygen pressure (PaO2/PAO2), respiratory index (RI) and oxygenation index (OI) were determined. The oxygen exchange levels of the two groups were examined based on the arterial blood gas analysis at different times (0, 24, 72 hours and 7 days of treatment) in the two groups. The APACHE II score was calculated before and after 7-day treatment in the two groups. RESULTS: The levels of CcvO2, CaO2 on day 7 in group A were significantly lower than those in group B (CcvO2: 0.60±0.24 vs. 0.72±0.28, P<0.05; CaO2: 0.84±0.43 vs. 0.94±0.46, P<0.05). The level of oxygen extraction rate (O2ER) in group A on the 7th day was significantly higher than that in group B ( 28.7±2.4 vs. 21.7±3.4, P<0.01). The levels of P(A-a)DO2 and RI in group B on the 7th day were significantly lower than those in group A. The levels of PaO2/PAO2 and OI in group B on 7th day were significantly higher than those in group A (P<0.05 or P<0.01). The APACHE II score in the two groups reduced gradually after 7-day treatment, and the APACHE II score on the 7th day in group B was significantly lower than that in group A (8.2±3.8 vs. 17.2±6.8, P<0.01). CONCLUSION: HVHF combined with fluid resuscitation can improve alveolar- arterial-oxygen exchange, decrease the APACHE II score in patients with refractory septic shock, and thus it increases the survival rate of patients.