OBJECTIVE: To observe the changes of endothelium-dependent dilation (EDD) of patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) before and after Kanli Decoction treatment. METHODS: Thirty-five CHF patients were treated with Kanli Decoction. We used color Doppler ultrasound to monitor the flow-mediated dilation (FMD), pulsatile index (PI), resistance index (RI), baseline blood flow (BF), ejection fraction (EF) before and after the treatment. RESULTS: FMD after treatment (9.26+/-3.19) were obviously higher than that before the treatment (7.06+/-2.58) (P<0.05), but BF, PI and RI were not improved. CONCLUSION: Applying color Doppler ultrasound into observation on EDD of patients suffering from CHF and treated by the Kanli Decoction shows that the CHF could be treated by traditional Chinese medicine.

OBJECTIVEThis study measures the glutaredoxin (Grx) gene and protein expression in umbilical vein endothelial cells upon exposure to Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis) lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The involvement of the Akt-signaling pathway is also determined.

METHODSEA-hy926 cells were pretreated with 1,000 ng · mL⁻¹ P. gingivalis LPS for 4, 12, 18, and 24 h, and then real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction was employed to detect Grx1 expression. The effect of Grx on Akt activity was investigated using Western blot for the control, LPS (1,000 ng · mL⁻¹ LPS), and carmus- tine (BCNU) groups (1,000 ng · mL⁻¹ LPS, and the EA-hy926 cells were pretreated with 25 μmol · ml⁻¹ BCNU for 30 min).

RESULTSGene expression of Grx1 significantly increased in LPS group compared with that in the control group. The Grx1 expression reached the peak level in 12 h, and the variation between the expression in 4 and 12 h was significant (P < 0.05). After 12 h, the protein levels of Grx and phosphorylated-Akt (p-Akt) significantly increased in the LPS group (P < 0.05), whereas the BCNU group showed a considerable decrease in both Grx and p-Akt expression levels (P < 0.05). Moreover, a slight difference was observed in the total Akt protein levels in the three groups (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONGrx expression increased upon exposure of EA-hy926 cells to the LPS. Akt activity could be inhibited by BCNU (a Grx inhibitor), which indicated that Akt might act as a downstream regulator of Grx.

Endothelial Cells ; Glutaredoxins ; genetics ; Humans ; Lipopolysaccharides ; pharmacology ; Oxidative Stress ; drug effects ; Phosphorylation ; Porphyromonas gingivalis ; pathogenicity ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt ; drug effects ; Signal Transduction ; drug effects ; Umbilical Veins

Objective:To observe the analgesia effect and of low-level combined- and single-laser irradiation on Zusanli (ST 36) in rats and the relationship between mast cell degranulation and laser acupuncture analgesia.Methods: A total of 66 Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were randomly assigned into normal control,model control,sham irradiation,10.6 μm laser (220 mW,40 Hz) 650nm laser(36mW,continuous),combined laser (10.6 μm+ 650 nm) groups.Arthritis mode 1 was established by injection of Complete Freund's Adjuvant (0.05 mL) into the left ankle joint.The paw withdrawal latency (PWL) was detected with a radiant heat algesimeter.Zusanli (ST 36) was irradiated with sham,single or combined laser for 30 min.After sacrifice under anesthesia (1% embutal),tissues of Zusanli (ST 36) area were sampled,sliced (5 μm) and stained with Toluidine Blue for skin for observing the mast cell degranulation.Results:Compared with model control and sham group,the pain threshold increased significantly in 650nm and combined laser groups (P＜0.01),while remained no significant difference in 10.6 μm group.Compared with model and sham group,the degranulation ratios of mast cells in 650nm and combined laser group were significantly higher (P＜0.001),while remained no significant difference in 10.6 μm group.The linear correlation coefficient between degranulation ratios of mast cells and PWL after laser acupuncture is 0.737 (P＜0.001).Conclusion:Both 650 nm and combined laser stimulation of Zusanli (ST 36) can effectively raise pain threshold,and enhance degranulation ratio of mast cells at the stimulated acupoint.The result also suggested a linear correlation between degranulation ratio of mast cell and analgesia effect.

Objective To study the effects of using jaw tracking technique with Smart LMC algorithm on the absorbing dose of planning target volume (PTV) and organs at risk (OARs) in dynamic intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).Methods Field fluencies of 10 cases of NPC patients were optimized using DVO algorithm on Eclipse TPS (11.0),and according to the same optimal fluence,MLC operation files were calculated using jaw tracking technique and jaw fixing technique respectively,dose distribution was calculated with AAA algorithm and jaw tracking IMRT plan (JT-IMRT) and jaw fixing IMRT plan (JF-IMRT) were generated respectively.Collimators' position at the plan implementation was observed,and the total number of plans' monitor units (MU),the dose of PTV,the absorb dose of OARs,and the actual fluence verification pass rate were compared.Results The collimators' opening gap distances in 166 control points of the JT-IMRT reduced in both X and Y directions in the field,compared to that of the JF-IMRT.Total number of the JT-IMRT's MU increased by 3.59％-11.63％.There was no statistical significant difference between the doses of the PTV.Statistical significance was found in the differences between maximum dose (Dmax) of brainstem,spinal cord,crystal,optic nerve,the mean dose (Dmean) and D50％ of parotid and their decreased values after therapy (t=5.70-8.66,P＜0.05).The actual fluence verification pass rate of the JT-IMRT was higher than that of the JF-IMRT.There was a significant difference between the results (t=5.18,P＜0.05).Conclusions The JT-IMRT plan of the smart LMC algorithm is more tolerant to the radiation leakage between inter-and intra-leaf.The dose of OARs is lower,while the dose calculation precision and the verification pass rate are higher,the actual radiation dose is more accurate and reliable.Therefore it is more suitable for clinical applications.

Objective To evaluate the setup errors for lower neck with cone beam CT (CBCT) in breast cancer patients immobilized by breast bracket,and to probe the margins from supraclavicular clinical target volume (CTV) in 3 directions.Methods A total of 14 breast cancer patients with supraclavicular lymph node radiation were enrolled.All patients were immobilized by breast bracket,and each patient would undergo CBCT at the first,tenth and twentieth treatment after positioning,respectively.Then these CBCT images were registered to the planning CT to determine setup errors in translational and rotational direction,and evaluated correlation between them.At last,CTV margins were calculated from the systenatic and random errors.Results The setup errors on x (left-ring),y (superior-inferior),z (anterior-posterior) translational directions were (2.89 ±.2.52),(3.96 ±2.97),(4.21 ±2.24) mm and on θ (pitch degree),φ (roll degree),Ψ (yaw degree) rotational direction were (2.38 ± 1.97)°,(1.60±1.63) °,(1.91 ±1.54)°,respectively.The margins from CTV were 8.08,8.13,6.30mminx,y and z direction.On y and z directions translational errors were correlated significantly with φ and Ψ degree rotational errors(Pearson =-0.515,-0.509,P ＜ 0.05).In inter-fraction only on z direction the setup changes were considered as correlative with Ψ degree (Pearson =-0.583,P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions For supraclavicular region irradiation breast cancer patients immobilized with breast bracket,the margins from CTV were recommended as not less than 8.08,8.13,6.30 mm in x,y,z directions,respectively.The position immobilized method and the positioning workflow should be further improved in order to reduce the influence of the neck rotational on setup errors.

[Objective]This study was designed to construct a recombinant adenovirus vector contains LMP-1 gene,and investigate the osteoinductive activity of MSC which were transfected recombinated adenoviral vector carrying LMP-1 gene.[Methods]Total RNA was extracted from mt osteoblast and the LMP-1 gene was acquired by RT-PCR,the LMP-1 gene and entry vector pENTR/D-TOPO were used to create the entry clone with the directional TOPO clone technology,then the entry clone and the expression vector were used to create the expression clone throush the LR recombination reaction.The adenovirus expression clone was linearized by PacI and transfected to the 293A cell line to harvest a high titer.Ad-LMP-1 was infected into the 3rd passage MSC,the expression of LMP-1 was detected by Western blot.The osteogenic activity of MSC was evaluated by the expression of collagen Ⅰ,ALP,osteocalcin and the formation of bone nodule.[Result]The LMP-1 gene was successfully acquired and confirmed,the entry clone and the expression clone were both verified by enzymes digestion,and the expression clone was further confirmed by sequenced.The expression of LMP-1 was detected successfully in MSC.The increasing expression of collagen Ⅰ,osteocalcin.ALP and bone nodule were observed by comparing to the control group.[Conclusion]Gateway technology not only make construction of the pAd-LMP-1 recombination adenovirus vector simple and fast,but also get a high transfection efficacy in MSC.LMP-1 gene can induce the osteoblast differention of MSCs,and improve its osteogenic activity.The adenovirus vector is reliable to be used in further gene therapy research.

Objective To investigate the radiation dose and image quality of spectral and conventional CT scan in neck.Methods Sixty patients with enhanced neck CT scan were analyzed retrospectively.The 30 patients with spectral CT scan were included in spectral CT group,and the 30 patients with conventional CT scan were included in conventional CT group.The tube voltage,tube current and rotation speed of the spectral CT group were fast switching with 80 and 140 kVp,630 mA and 0.5 s,respectively.The scanning parameters of conventional CT group were 120 kVp,auto tube current (100 to 600 mA),and 0.6 s,respectively.The objective evaluation [noise and (contrast to noise ratio) CNR] and subjective scores in the upper,middle and lower neck were evaluated.The radiation dose was also evaluated in the two groups.The independent-samples t test was used in comparison of the radiation dose.The independent-samples t test and the rank sum test were used to compare the objective and subjective image quality.Results The CT dose index of spectral and conventional scan in the neck were 17.77 mGy and (17.26±2.18) mGy,respectively without significant difference (t=-1.26,P=0.218).The noises of 65 keV images in upper,middle and lower neck were (4.5 ± 0.8),(4.5 ± 0.9),(5.2 ± 1.0) HU,and the noises of conventional CT images in above-mentioned regions were (4.5± 1.1),(4.1± 1.0),(5.0± 1.7) HU.There was no significant differences (t=0.102,-1.362,-0.621;P＞0.05).The subjective scores of 65 keV images in upper,middle and lower neck were (4.1 ± 0.3),(4.7 ± 0.5),(3.8 ± 0.7),while the subjective scores of conventional CT images in associated region were (4.1±0.4),(4.6 ±0.5),(3.5 ±0.6),wihtout significant differences (Z=-0.286,-0.531,-1.568;P＞0.05).The noises of 55 keV images in upper,middle and lower neck were (5.4±0.9),(5.6± 1.1),(6.6± 1.6) HU,which were significantly higher than noise of conventional images (t=-3.614,-5.560,-3.784;P＜0.05).The subjective scores of 55 keV images in upper and middle neck were (3.7±0.5),(4.2±0.4),which were significantly lower than those of conventional images (Z=-2.541,-3.136;P＜0.05).The subjective score of 55 keV images in lower neck was (3.3±0.8),which was no significant difference in comparison with conventional image (Z=-1.318,P＞0.05).There was no significant difference between the CNR of conventional images and CNR of spectral images with 65 keV and 55 keV in upper,middle and lower neck (P＞0.05).Conclusion The radiation dose and the image quality of spectral CT scan are same to the conventional CT scan in the neck,the 65 keV monochromatic images can be used routinely.

OBJECTIVETo study the effect of Jingui Shenqi Pill (JSP) on morphology of spinal cell apoptosis in rats injured by 192Ir irradiation.

METHODSOne hundred and twenty rats were randomly divided into four groups: the model group, the JSP group, the prednisone group and the normal group. Corresponding pharmaceutics were given to rats once a day for 14 days respectively. Then except rats in the normal group, the others received 192Ir interstitial irradiation with the dosage of 22 Gy using back-fixing technology. The injured segments of spinal cord were taken out for HE staining, TUNEL examination and observation with electron microscope 8 hrs, 24 hrs and 4 weeks after irradiation.

RESULTSHE staining examination showed no obvious histological change in rats 8 and 24 hrs after irradiation, but pathological changes, as tissue rarefaction and hemorrhage did found in white matter of spinal cord shown by TUNEL 4 weeks later. Electron microscopic examination and TUNEL staining showed that as compared with the model group, the apoptotic index in the JSP and predinisone treated groups was significantly lower (P < 0.01) 8 hrs after radiation, but it showed insignificant difference between groups at the time points of 24 hrs and 4 weeks after radiation (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONJSP could act against apoptosis of gliocyte in spinal cord of rats in early stage after brachytherapy, indicating that JSP possessing a prednisone-like action.

Animals ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; radiation effects ; Brachytherapy ; adverse effects ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Iridium Radioisotopes ; Male ; Phytotherapy ; Radiation Injuries ; pathology ; Radiation-Protective Agents ; therapeutic use ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Spinal Cord ; pathology ; radiation effects

Objective To assess the applicability of the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD)formula to kidney function impaired Chinese diabetic patients.Methods Glomerular filtration rates(GFRs)in 463 Chinese diabetic patients(219 female,244 male,aged 14 to 88)were estimated by measuring ~(99m)Tc-DTPA clearance and with equations based on serum creatinine(Scr)and cystatin C(Cys C)concentrations.GFRs derived from various equations were compared with the ~(99m)Tc-DTPA clearance GFRs and their relative accuracies were assessed with ROC analysis.All the Scr measurements were performed with both the Roche enzymatic assay and the Beckman LX20 kinetic alkaline picrate assay,and Cys C with immunonephelometric and immunoturbidimetric assays.Results The reciprocals of Cys C and Scr were linearly correlated with ~(99m)Tc-DTPA clearance GFRs(r=0.830 and 0.690,repectively).The correlation of GFR with Scr could be expressed by an adjusted MDRD equation:GFR [ ml?(min?1.73 m~2)~(-1)]=175?(Scr)~(-1.154)?(age)~(-0.203)?0.742(female)?0.827,where 0.827 was a coefficient for Chinese.The adjusted equation showed a better accuracy than the MDRD equation(areas under the ROC curve 0.818 vs 0.644).The adjusted equation was also more accurate than equations obtained in previous Chinese studies.GFRs were also estimated by using Cys(in mg/L)with the following equation:GFR [ ml?(min?1.73 m~2)~(-1)] = 63.24?(Cys C)~(-0.3378).The accuracy of the Cys equation was similar to the Scr equation,or better in patients aged 60 and above.The Roche enzymatic results which were traceable to the isotope dilution mass spectrometry(IDMS)methods were significantly lower than Beckman LX20 results,but the results were closely correlated with each other(Y = 0.94X-0.02).When non-traceable Scr results were used,the coefficient needed to be adjusted.Conclusions GFRs can be estimated with equations based on either Scr or Cys C.GFR estimation should use standardized Scr results and take into account ethnic effects.

Objective To investigate the metabolite changes in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients with and without neuropsychiatric symptoms using magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and explore the associations between image findings and clinical variables. Methods Twenty-two SLE patients with neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPSLE), twenty-one SLE patients without neuropsychiatric symptoms (non-NPSLE) and twenty healthy controls (HCs) underwent routine MRI scan and multivoxel magnetic reson-ance spectroscopy (MVS). The absolute metabolite concentrations were measured bilaterally in the posterior cingulate gyrus (PCG), dorsal thalamus (DT), lentiform nucleus (LN) and posterior paratrigonal white matter (PWM) using LCModel and SAGE software. The relationships between metabolite con-centrations and cognitive function scores were analyzed by Spearman rank correlation. Single-factor Chi-square analysis and t-test were used for analysis. Results ① Compared to control subjects, NPSLE patients had significantly lower N-acetylaspartate (NAA) values in bilateral PCG and DT, with the mean differences of -1.504 [95% confidence interval ( CI) (-2.335, -0.672), P=0.001], -1.460 [95%CI (-2.349, -0.570), P=0.002], -1.259 [95%CI (-1.894, -0.625), P=0.000] and -1.022[95%CI (-1.688, -0.356), P=0.003] for RPCG, LPCG, RDT and LDT, respectively. The concentration of total creatinine were observed to decline in RPCG and RDT, with the mean differences of-1.094 [95%CI (-1.845, -0.342), P=0.003], -0.955 [95%CI (-1.630, -0.280), P=0.006], -1.259 [95%CI (-1.894,-0.625), P=0.006] respectively. Glutamine and glutamate-values decreased significantly in RDT [mean difference=-2.586, 95%CI (-4.139, -1.033), P=0.002]. ② Compared to non-NPSLE patients, NPSLE patients had a lower NAA level in LPCG [mean difference=-1.256, 95%CI (-2.146, -0.367), P=0.006]. Positive correlations between mini-mental state examination scores [RPCG: rs=0.312, P<0.05; LPCG: rs=0.355, P<0.01], Montreal cognitive assessment scores (RPCG: rs=0.362, P<0.01; LPCG: rs=0.285, P<0.05) and NAA values in bilateral PCG were detected. Conclusion Both NPSLE and non-NPSLE patients may have metabolite dysfun-ctions in different brain regions. The cognitive disorder in SLE patients may be interpreted by neuronic damage of PCG.