From a view point of an anesthesiologist, the article points out some design issues of modern monitors and anesthesia machines. User interface problems such as auto-adjusted amplitude display, excessively complicated menus, unreasonable switch arrangement, unsuitable alarm settings or identical cylinder connectors, may affect patient safety and increase anesthesiologists' workload or mental burden.
Anesthesiology ; instrumentation ; Equipment Design ; Monitoring, Intraoperative ; instrumentation ; Safety

OBJECTIVETo identify the anatomical variability of the left spermatic vein (LSV) and determine its effect on the induction of experimental left varicocele (ELV) in adolescent rats.

METHODSWe equally randomized 30 adolescent male SD rats to groups A (LSV collaterals fully ligated and the left renal vein constricted), B (only the left renal vein constricted), and C (sham operation), observed the courses of the LSVs and measured their diameters. At 30 days after operation, we analyzed the changes in the left kidneys and the diameters of the LSVs.

RESULTSIrregular collaterals were observed in 90% of the LSVs and no abnormal changes were found in the left kidneys after surgery. The postoperative LSV diameter was remarkably increased in group A as compared with the baseline ([1.47 +/- 0.15 ] vs [0.16 +/- 0.08] mm, P < 0.01), but showed no significant difference in group B ([0.31 +/- 0.49] vs [0.15 +/- 0.07] mm, P > 0.05) and C ([0.17 +/- 0.07] vs [0.16 +/- 0.06] mm, P > 0.05), and it was significantly longer in A than in B (P < 0.01). The success rate of ELV induction was 100% in group A and 10% in group B, but no varicocele was observed in group C.

CONCLUSIONCorrect identification of the anatomical course of the LSV and ligation of its irregular collaterals are essential for the establishment of a stable and consistent ELV model.

Animals ; Disease Models, Animal ; Kidney ; pathology ; Ligation ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Spermatic Cord ; blood supply ; Varicocele ; Veins ; abnormalities

The metabolic syndrome, a cluster of risk factors for cardiovascular disease, is closely related to environmental and lifestyle risk factors. Increasing evidence suggests that environmental risk factors may involve an increase in xenobiotic exposure, for example due to environmental toxins, medications, high meat intake, food additives and supplements; while lifestyle risk factors, such as sedentary lifestyles, may involve a decrease in the detoxification and elimination of xenobiotics. The skin, the body's largest organ, plays a distinct role in the detoxification and elimination of xenobiotics and the body lipid homeostasis, which is affected by sedentary lifestyle and physical activity, as well as by ambient temperature. Thus, it seems that decreased skin biotransformation and excretion, for example due to low ambient temperature and sedentary lifestyle, may be an important risk factor for metabolic syndrome. This review aims to provide insight into the role of the skin in the development of metabolic syndrome.
Humans ; Metabolic Syndrome ; physiopathology ; Risk Factors ; Skin ; physiopathology ; Skin Physiological Phenomena

OBJECTIVETo investigate the clinical manifestations, pathological characteristics and treatment of primitive neuroectodermal tumor/Ewing's sarcoma (PNET/EWS) of the penis in children.

METHODSWe analyzed the clinical data of a case of PNET/EWS and reviewed relevant literature.

RESULTSThe patient was a 5-year-old boy, admitted for penis swelling with pain for 11 months. Biopsy showed a small round cell tumor, CD99 positive by immunohistochemical staining, with EWS translocation by fluorescence in situ hybridization on molecular biological examination. The tumor was confirmed to be PNET/EWS of the penis, and disappeared after 45 weeks of chemotherapy and local radiotherapy.

CONCLUSIONPNET/EWS of the penis is an extremely rare disease, with no specific clinical symptoms except penis enlargement with pain. Immunohistochemistry and molecular biological examination contribute to its diagnosis.

Child, Preschool ; Humans ; Male ; Neuroectodermal Tumors, Primitive, Peripheral ; Penile Neoplasms ; Sarcoma, Ewing

OBJECTIVETo provide anatomical evidences for the morphological and histological identification of 20 medicinal species in Hypericum.

METHODMorphological and anatomical study on the organs of 20 medicinal species in Hypericum using tissue clearing, paraffin sectioning and thin sectioning.

RESULTAccording to their anatomical characteristics, the secretory structures can be divided into nodules, secretory cavities (canals) and tiny secretory tubes of 20 medicinal species in Hypericum. Hypericin was produced and stored in the nodules, while the volatile oil was produced and stored in the secretory cavities (canals) and tiny secretory tubes. The types differed markedly from each other in location, diameter and distributional density of leaf, and the anatomical structures differed from each other of stem, calyx, petal, anther and fruit among the 20 species in Hypericum.

CONCLUSIONThe secretory structures may be as anatomical evidences for the morphological and histological identification of 20 medicinal species in Hypericum.

Flowers ; anatomy & histology ; chemistry ; Fruit ; anatomy & histology ; chemistry ; Hypericum ; anatomy & histology ; chemistry ; classification ; Oils, Volatile ; analysis ; Perylene ; analogs & derivatives ; analysis ; Plant Leaves ; anatomy & histology ; chemistry ; Plant Stems ; anatomy & histology ; chemistry ; Plants, Medicinal ; anatomy & histology ; chemistry ; classification ; Species Specificity

OBJECTIVETo establish a RP-HPLC method for the determination of swertiamarin, sweroside, gentiopicrin and oleanolic acid in different parts of Swertia pseudochinesis.

METHODA Zorbax SB-C18 (4.6 mm x 250 mm, 5 microm) column was used with acetonitrile-water (10:90) and methnol-water(86:14) at detection wavelengths of 238 nm, 246 nm, 274 nm and 207 nm for swertiamarin, sweroside, gentiopicrin and oleanolic acid respectively. The flow rate was 1.0 mL x min(-1) and the column temperature was 25 degrees C.

RESULTAll of the compounds were based--isolated. The linear ranges of swertiamarin, sweroside, gentiopicrin and oleanolic acid were 0.068 9-0.344 4(r = 0.999 2) , 0.001 1-0.014 0 (r2 = 0. 999 8), 0.001 1-0.013 4 (r2 = 0.999 9) and 0.001 1-0.008 8 mg x mL(-1) (r2 = 0. 999 6), respectively.

CONCLUSIONThe method is simple and accurate, which can be used for quality control of S. pseudochinesis.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; methods ; Flowers ; chemistry ; Glucosides ; analysis ; Iridoid Glucosides ; Iridoids ; analysis ; Oleanolic Acid ; analysis ; Plant Leaves ; chemistry ; Plant Roots ; chemistry ; Plant Stems ; chemistry ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Pyrones ; analysis ; Reproducibility of Results ; Swertia ; chemistry ; Triterpenes ; analysis

RT-PCR was conducted with one degenerate primer designed according to repetitive regions' amino acid sequence of major ampullate spidroin (MaSp) in spiders and adaptor primer in the SMART cDNA Library Construction Kit. By cloning and sequencing of amplified products, one cDNA clone (GenBank Accession No. AY365017) of Argiope amoena MaSp gene was obtained. The deduced amino acid sequence can be distinctly divided into two regions: (1) Repetitive region that consists of an alternating alanine-rich and glycine-rich domain in which many prolines are present; and (2) C-terminal non-repetitive region. The region coding for 272 amino acids of MaSp gene was subcloned into prokaryotic expression vector pET28b(+) and an about 26kD recombinant protein was expressed at high levels in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) after induction of IPTG. After being purified with metal-affinity chromatography on Ni(2+) -IDA-Sepharose columns as well as gel filtration chromatography, the recombinant protein was confirmed to be predicted MaSp by means of amino acid composition analysis and N-terminal amino acid sequence analysis. The solubility behavior of recombinant MaSp with C-terminal non-repetitive region in the present study is similar to that of recombinant dragline silk proteins without C-terminal non-repetitive region expressed by bacteria and yeast in the other studies. The result shows that absence or presence of C-terminal non-repetitive region is not a crucial factor affecting the solubility of the recombinant MaSp.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Animals ; Base Sequence ; Chromatography, Affinity ; Cloning, Molecular ; DNA, Complementary ; chemistry ; genetics ; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel ; Escherichia coli ; genetics ; Fibroins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Gene Expression ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Molecular Weight ; Plasmids ; genetics ; Recombinant Proteins ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; metabolism ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Sequence Analysis, Protein ; Sequence Homology, Amino Acid ; Spiders ; genetics ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the efficacy and safety of entecavir (ETV) as a long-term treatment in patients with lamivudine (LAM)-refractory chronic hepatitis B (CHB).

METHODSIn this phase II study of ETV-056, 32 CHB patients with resistance to LAM monotherapy were administered ETV at 1.0 mg/day and monitored over a period of 8 years. The virologic, serologic and biochemical responses were measured throughout the treatment course. Outcomes analysis was conducted according to intention-to-treat principles.

RESULTSAt baseline and treatment weeks 8, 12, 24, 48, 96, 144, 192, 240, and 420, the proportion of patients with HBV DNA less than 300 copies/ml was 0, 6.3% (2/32), 9.4% (3/32), 18.8% (6/32), 18.8%(6/32), 46.9% (15/32), 43.8% (14/32), 50.0% (16/32), 50.0% (16/32), and 62.5% (20/32). At treatment weeks 48, 96, 168, 192, 240, and 420, the proportion of patients experiencing virological breakthrough was 6.1% (2/32), 9.4% (3/32), 12.5% (4/32), 18.8%(6/32), 25.0%(8/32), and 28.1% (9/32). In the 8 year study period, 32.3% (10/31) of patients achieved HBs seroconversion and four patients achieved HBe seroconversion.

CONCLUSIONWhile treatment with 1.0 mg/day ETV for up to 8 years resulted in mild HBV DNA suppression and increase of HBeAg seroconversion, the safety profile of this therapy was good but the economic cost was high and virological breakthrough rates were high.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Antiviral Agents ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Drug Resistance, Viral ; Female ; Guanine ; adverse effects ; analogs & derivatives ; therapeutic use ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; drug therapy ; Humans ; Lamivudine ; therapeutic use ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Treatment Failure ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult

2600 Anthers from T0 modified cry1 Ac-transgenic rice lines of Minghui 81, an elite restoring line of commercial CMS indica hybrid rice, were cultured on SK3 media. 83 green plantlets were recovered, 43 double haploid (DH) and 40 haploid among them. Results of PCR analyzes indicated that 55 plants of 83 were harbored the cry1Ac gene, and the ratio of cry1Ac-positive against cry1Ac-negative was 2:1 (55/28). 36 putative transgenic DH plants were further confirmed by Southern blot. ELISA detection showed that Cry1Ac level in different transgenic rice plants of the same cry1Ac-DH clone was almost equal and the highest one amount to 0.25% of the total soluble protein. Pest insect-resistant bioassay at field trials demonstrated that some of the homozygous cry1Ac-transgenic rice plants not only showed high-level resistance against striped stem borer (Chilo suppressalis) but also retained elite agronomy characters. These results demonstrated that rice anther culture has a great value in rice molecular breeding.
Animals ; Bacillus thuringiensis ; genetics ; Bacterial Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Bacterial Toxins ; Blotting, Southern ; Culture Techniques ; DNA, Plant ; genetics ; Endotoxins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Gene Expression ; Hemolysin Proteins ; Immunity, Innate ; genetics ; Moths ; growth & development ; Oryza ; genetics ; growth & development ; parasitology ; Plant Structures ; genetics ; growth & development ; parasitology ; Plants, Genetically Modified

OBJECTIVETo observe the efficacy of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) combined with Tongdan: Decoction () on immunological indices and histopathological changes in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) of IIor III histological stage.

METHODSSixty PBC patients were assigned randomly and equally: to the control group treated with UDCA alone and the treatment group treated with UDCA combined with Tongdan Decoction. The immunological indices and histopathological changes were detected before and after 24-week treatment, and the follow-up lasted for 1-3 years.

RESULTSAfter 24-week treatment, CD4(+)CD28(-) in the peripheral blood was lowered and CD4(+)CD25(+) was increased in both groups, and better effect was shown in the treatment group (P<0.01). The levels of IgM, IgG, and IgA decreased markedly after 96-week treatment in the treatment group (P< 0.05, P< 0.01), while in the control group, only the latter two showed significant decrease after 148 week (all P<0.05). At the end of the 3-year follow-up, the medians of histopathological

CONCLUSIONCombined therapy of Tongdan Decoction and UDCA showed a better therapeutic effect: than UDCA monotherapy on PBC, especially in improving immunological indices and histopathological hepatic changes.

Antigens, CD ; blood ; Biomarkers ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; blood ; Inflammation ; blood ; complications ; Liver Cirrhosis, Biliary ; blood ; drug therapy ; immunology ; pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Ursodeoxycholic Acid ; therapeutic use