Child ; Female ; Gastric Mucosa ; pathology ; Gastritis, Hypertrophic ; diagnosis ; Humans ; Hypertrophy ; diagnosis

OBJECTIVETo compare the effects of different contrast media on the renal function in children, and to investigate the prophylactic efficacy of hydration.

METHODSSixty patients on whom either intravenous pyelography (IVP) or enhanced CT scan was required were divided into high osmolality contrast media (HOCM) group (n = 27) and low osmolality contrast media (LOCM) group (n = 33), and each group was randomly subdivided into hydration group (HG) and non-hydration group (NHG). In HOCM group, HG had 14 cases and NHG had 13 cases; while in LOCM group, HG had 18 cases and NHG had 15 cases. A 1/5-tonic solution at a dose of 20 ml/kg was intravenously given immediately after the exposure to a contrast medium within 3 hours in the HG, while the NHG cases were not given any infusion.

RESULTSThere were no significant difference between HG and NHG in baseline serum creatinin (SCr) and creatinin clearance (Ccr). After exposure, in HOCM group, SCr of NHG (59.71 +/- 12.49) micromol/L significantly increased as compared with baseline (49.91 +/- 6.09) micromol/L (P < 0.05), while Ccr (97.81 +/- 15.10)ml/(min x 1.73 m(2)) decreased compared with baseline (71.33 +/- 7.51) ml/(min x 1.73 m(2)) (P < 0.05). No significant changes of SCr and Ccr were observed in the HG before (48.37 +/- 7.11) micromol/L, (99.81 +/- 15.41) ml/(min x 1.73 m(2)) and after (49.63 +/- 6.84) micromol/L, (88.29 +/- 12.75) ml/(min x 1.73 m(2)) (P > 0.05) the exposure to contrast medium. Contrast medium-associated nephropathy (CAN) was found in 3 cases in NHG (23.1%, 3/13) but none in HG (P > 0.05). In the LOCM group, there was no significant difference in SCr and Ccr before and after the exposure to the contrast media. The incidence of CAN was 6.7% (1/15) in the NHG and 11.1% (2/18) in the HG (P > 0.05). The average increase of SCr in HOCM group was significantly higher than that in LOCM group (Z = -2.42, P < 0.05). The average decrease of Ccr in HOCM group was significantly higher than that in LOCM group (Z = -2.83, P < 0.05). The SCr and Ccr of the 6 CAN cases in both HOCM and LOCM groups returned to baseline level within 2 weeks.

CONCLUSIONS(1) Children can develop reversible CAN after the exposure to high or low osmolality contrast medium. (2) The high osmolality contrast medium seemed to have more serious toxicity in renal function than low osmolality contrast medium. (3) The prophylactic use of hydration can effectively prevent CAN in patients who will expose to high osmolality contrast medium. (4) Children can develop reversible CAN after the exposure to low osmolality contrast medium even after hydration.

Child ; Contrast Media ; adverse effects ; Creatinine ; blood ; Fluid Therapy ; Humans ; Infusions, Intravenous ; Kidney Diseases ; chemically induced ; prevention & control ; Kidney Function Tests ; Osmolar Concentration

The purpose of this study is to investigate the transdermal delivery characteristics of Gentiana macrophylla complex components system through different parts of the skin under micro-needles conditions. Two-chamber diffusion cells were used, different parts of isolated skin and micro-needle pretreated isolated mouse skin were applied separately, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) similarity evaluation methods were used to evaluate transdermal delivery characteristics of Gentiana macrophylla complex components system on receiving pool and the permeation rate and penetration amount of Gentiopicroside at different parts of mouse skin. In the 24 h, the similarity between receiving fluid which was on passive transdermal delivery and micro-needle transdermal delivery conditions and original fluid were ranged from 83.0% to 98.9%; By the micro-needle pretreatment with different parts of the mouse skin, the time that Gentiana macrophylla complex components system though abdominal skin to the receiving fluid which reached 90% similarity compared with that of original fluid was 4 h, which was 18 h at back skin and 12 h at neck skin separately. Micro-needles can be used as the ideal ingredients for traditional Chinese medicine complex transdermal delivery; transdermal absorption time delay could be greatly reduced and its bioavailability was improved. The permeation rate and similarity to original liquid of Chinese medicine complex components increased significantly in the abdominal skin relative to the neck and back skin under micro-needle conditions.
Administration, Cutaneous ; Animals ; Biological Availability ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; isolation & purification ; pharmacokinetics ; Gentiana ; chemistry ; Iridoid Glucosides ; pharmacokinetics ; Mice ; Needles ; Plant Roots ; chemistry ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Skin Absorption

OBJECTIVETo investigate the diagnostic value of acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) imaging technology for the assessment of liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients.

METHODSOne-hundred-and-eight CHC patients were examined by real-time ultrasound elastography using the Acuson S2000 ARFI instrument (Siemens Healthcare) and underwent liver biopsy for pathohistological analysis. The correlation between liver fibrosis grades determined by the two approaches was analyzed. The cut-off values for diagnosis by ARFI (S more than 2, S more than 3 and S = 4) were determined by generating a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.

RESULTSThe spectrum of liver stiffness detected by ARFI sonoelastography included S1 at (1.26+/-0.27) m/s (n = 36), S2 at (1.45+/-0.51) m/s (n = 31), S3 at (2.01+/-0.54) m/s (n = 27), and S4 at (2.28+/-0.82) m/s (n = 14). The ARFI values were significantly different among the four different stages of liver fibrosis (P less than 0.001). The liver stiffness detected by ARFI sonoelastography was significantly correlated with the liver fibrosis stage determined by the gold standard pathohistological analysis (Spearman's rank coefficient: 0.61, P less than 0.001). Using the ARFI technology for assessment of liver fibrosis gave areas under the ROC curve of 0.779 for S more than 2 patients, of 0.863 for S more than 3 patients, and of 0.0880 for S = 4 patients.

CONCLUSIONThe real-time ultrasound elastography ARFI technology can show the elasticity modulus of liver, and its data values positively correlate with the patho-histology grade of liver fibrosis in CHC patients. ARFI technology is easy to operate, non-invasive, and quantitative, and has potential clinical value for assessing liver fibrosis in CHC.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Elasticity Imaging Techniques ; Female ; Hepatitis C, Chronic ; complications ; diagnostic imaging ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis ; diagnostic imaging ; etiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVEIn this study, we assayed promoter hypermethylation and protein expression of the mismatch repair gene (MMR) hMLH1 and hMSH2 in gestational trophoblastic diseases to understand the significance of MMR promoter methylation and expression in the pathogenesis and malignant transformation of hydatidiform mole.

METHODSDNA was extracted from chorion of early pregnancies, partial hydatidiform moles, complete hydatidiform moles, and invasive moles were over digested by methylation sensitive endonuclease Hpa II. Then the promoters were amplificated by polymerase chain reaction. The protein was detected by immunohistochemistry.

RESULTSIn the normal placenta, neither hMLH1 nor hMSH2 promoter methylation was detected. Expression of hMLH1 and hMSH2 in cytotrophoblasts was strongly positive, and that was negative or weakly positive in syncytiotrophobasts. In all normal chorion, expression of hMLH1 and hMSH2 in cytotrophoblasts was strongly positive. In partial hydatidiform mole and complete hydatidiform mole, the methylation of hMLH1 and hMSH2 promoters was significantly higher than that of early placenta (P < 0.05), and the protein expression in cytotrophoblasts was significantly lower (P < 0.05). In the invasive mole, hMLH1 and hMSH2 promoter methylation were not significantly different as compared with the partial hydatidiform mole and complete hydatidiform mole (P > 0.05). Expression of hMLH1 in the invasive mole (54.5%, 6/11) was not significantly different as compared with the partial hydatidiform mole and complete hydatidiform mole (P > 0.05). But expression of hMSH2 in the invasive mole (36.4%, 4/11) was weaker than that in complete hydatidiform mole (P = 0.044). Promoter methylation and less expression of hMSH2 had correlations in complete hydatidiform mole or invasive mole.

CONCLUSIONSStrong expressions of hMLH1 and hMSH2 in the cytotrophoblasts of normal placenta may keep the genome stability. Promoter methylation and down-regulation of hMLH1 and hMSH2 are probably involved in the pathogenesis of hydatidiform mole.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing ; Adult ; Base Pair Mismatch ; genetics ; Carrier Proteins ; DNA Methylation ; DNA Repair ; DNA-Binding Proteins ; biosynthesis ; Female ; Humans ; Hydatidiform Mole ; genetics ; pathology ; Hydatidiform Mole, Invasive ; genetics ; pathology ; Middle Aged ; MutL Protein Homolog 1 ; MutS Homolog 2 Protein ; Neoplasm Proteins ; biosynthesis ; Nuclear Proteins ; Pregnancy ; Promoter Regions, Genetic ; genetics ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins ; biosynthesis ; Uterine Neoplasms ; genetics ; pathology

italic>Artemisia argyi (A. argyi) is a Chinese herbal medicine in China. The main active components are volatile oils, flavonoids, and other compounds, which have various pharmacological activities. Methoxylated flavonoids are the main active ingredients in A. argyi. Flavonoid O-methyltransferase (FOMT) is a key enzyme in the O-methylation of flavonoids. In order to further understand the function and characteristics of FOMT proteins, this paper carried out the whole genome mining and identification of FOMT genes in A. argyi and performed phylogenetic, chromosomal localization, gene sequence characterization, subcellular localization prediction, protein structure, gene structure analysis, and expression pattern analysis. The results showed that a total of 83 FOMT genes were identified in the genome of A. argyi. The phylogenetic tree shows that FOMT genes are divided into two subgroups, CCoAOMT (caffeoyl CoA O-methyltransferase) subfamily (32 genes) and COMT (caffeic acid O-methyltransferase) subfamily (51 genes). Gene sequence analysis showed that the number of amino acids encoded by FOMT was 70-734 aa, the molecular weight was 25 296.55-34 241.3 Da, and the isoelectric point was 4.51-9.99. Compared with 32 members of the CCoAOMT subfamily, nearly 1/3 of the 51 members of the COMT subfamily were hydrophobic proteins and 2/3 were hydrophilic proteins. Subcellular localization prediction showed that more than 80% of CCoAOMT subfamily members were located in the cytoplasm, and 96% of COMT subfamily members were located in the chloroplast. COMT subfamily members have more motifs than CCoAOMT subfamily members. The N-terminal motifs of COMT subfamily proteins are relatively variable, while the C-terminal motifs are relatively conserved. Expression pattern analysis showed that CCoAOMT subfamily members were mainly expressed in roots, while COMT members were mainly expressed in leaves. Some FOMTs showed the tissue expression specificity by real-time quantitative PCR analysis, especially in leaves. In this study, we identified and analyzed the FOMT gene family in A. argyi, and provided a theoretical basis for further research on the function of FOMTs and the biosynthesis of methylated flavonoids in A. argyi.

Objective To investigate the short-term effect of particulate matter in air on the mortality of stroke. Methods Using time-stratified case-crossover study design,an association was examined between stroke mortality and particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter of ＜10μm(PM10) of 2002- 2004 in Hangzhou city.Meanwhile,the acute health effect of other gaseous pollutants (sulfur dioxide,SO2 and nitrogen dioxide,NO2) was also analyzed.Results A total of 9906 deaths of stroke were included.The crude stroke mortality was 83.54 per 100 000.After being adjusted for meteorological factors,when an increase of 10 μg/m3 in PM10,SO2 and NO2 in three days was noticed,it appeared that the increases of mortality of stroke were 0.56%(95%CI:0.14%-0.99%),1.62%(95%CI:0.26%-3.01%) and 2.07%( 95%CI:0.54%-3.62%) respectively.There was no distinct association in multipollutant models.In sensitivity analysis,the associations were found in all single-pollutant models but not statistically significant in multi-pollutant models after replacing the missing values.Conclusion It is suggested that the short-term elevation in PM10 as well as SO2 and NO2 daily concentrations were related to the increase of stroke mortality in Hangzhou city.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate operative technique, patient selection and perioperative management of single-lung transplantation for a patients with end-stage emphysema.

METHODSA 56-year-old patient with end-stage emphysema underwent left-lung transplantation on September 28, 2002. The surgical technique used was similar to that mentioned in the literature. The donor lung was perfused by LPD solution with a cold ischemic time of 260 minutes. Cardiopulmonary bypass was not performed.

RESULTSThe patient weaned from a ventilator at the 93th hour after operation. Immunosuppressants included cyclosporine, mycophenolate mofetil and corticosteroid. Acute rejection occurred on the ninth day after operation and was cured by bolus methylprednisolone given intravenously. Lung function was improved significantly and the patient was discharged from the hospital on the 47th day after operation.

CONCLUSIONSingle-lung transplantation for patients with end-stage emphysema is effective for long-term improvement of pulmonary function.

Adult ; Emphysema ; surgery ; Graft Rejection ; prevention & control ; Humans ; Lung Transplantation ; methods ; Male ; Middle Aged

UNLABELLEDA Special "Fever and Cough" Clinic was set up at the Children's Hospital Affiliated to Capital Institute of Pediatrics for children with symptoms of fever and cough in late April when the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic was at its peak in Beijing to separate the children with fever from others during their visit to the Outpatient Department.

OBJECTIVEFor patients with fever, normal or low count of white blood cell and with suspected pneumonia suggested by X-ray, it was urgent to determine the etiological agents of the diseases before they were admitted to the hospital.

METHODSThroat swabs or nasopharyngeal aspirate specimens were collected from those patients and common respiratory virus antigens including influenza virus A and B, respiratory syncytial virus, adenovirus, parainfluenza virus types I, II, and III were tested by indirect immunofluorescent assay. The patients with atypical pneumonia diagnosed by X-ray and evidences of common respiratory virus infection were admitted to the regular ward for children with respiratory diseases. Children with pneumonia demonstrated by X-ray and negative for common respiratory viruses were admitted to the isolated ward for suspected SARS patients for the first step and further viral etiological studies were requested. RT-PCR was performed for those patients to detect gene fragments of human metapneumovirus (HMPV), rhinovirus (RhV) and enterovirus (EV) in their specimens. Nested RT-PCR was also developed to detect SARS coronavirus gene fragment from the specimens. Primer sequences for SARS virus detection with the PCR were selected according to the primer sequences published online by WHO on April 18, 2003. All the primers derived from the sequence at the 1b frame of coronavirus replicase gene and products with a size of 368 or 348 bp were expected with 2 different primer pairs.

RESULTSAmplicons with the sizes of 368 bp and 348 bp were obtained from a throat swab specimen collected from a 17 years old girl, who was admitted to the isolated ward because of high fever (39.5 degrees C) for 7 days, cough for 2 days, low WBC count, and pneumonia shown by X-ray when she visited the "Fever and Cough" Clinic, and without known history of contact with probable SARS patient. Antigens for the common respiratory viruses were all negative, RT-PCR for HMPV, RhV and EV were also negative while RT-PCR with different primer pairs for SARS virus were all positive which indicated that SARS coronavirus gene fragments were amplified from the specimen from this girl. The amplified fragment with a size of 368 bp was sequenced and the sequence was compared with those in the GenBank. The sequence shared 100% homology with the sequences from 1b frame of replicase genes from all 17 of SARS coronaviruses published in the GenBank so far, and shared very low homology with 2 reference strains of human coronavirus as well as other animal coronaviruses. The serum collected before her discharge from the hospital (19 days after the onset of the disease) showed SARS specific IgM and IgG antibodies.

CONCLUSIONThese data indicate that the patient was a confirmed case of SARS. It is of great importance to differentiate SARS patients from those infected with common respiratory viruses during SARS epidemic, especially for pediatric patients, because most of the patients visiting the outpatient department present with the symptoms of fever, cough and normal WBC count. The data mentioned above indicate that antigen and gene detections for those common respiratory viruses are useful methods for the differentiation to avoid the spread of SARS.

Adolescent ; Amino Acid Sequence ; Antibodies, Viral ; analysis ; China ; Female ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect ; Humans ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; SARS Virus ; genetics ; immunology ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Sequence Homology, Amino Acid ; Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ; diagnosis ; virology

OBJECTIVETo establish methods for quantitative determination of ginseng saponins, ginsenoside Rg1, Re, Rb1 and polysaccarides and compare the qualities of Tongrentang Red Ginseng and Korean Red Ginseng.

METHODMacroreticular resin-colorimetric method was developed to determine ginseng saponins and a new HPLC method with gradient eluents was established for determination of ginsenoside Rg1, Re, Rb1. For ginseng polysaccharides, phenol-oil of vitriol colorimetric method was developed and some factors were also optimized.

RESULTThe content of ginseng saponins in Tongrentang Red Ginseng was not lower than that of Korean Red Ginseng. Ginsenoside Rg1 and Rb1 in Tongrentang Red Ginseng were higher than those in Korean Red Ginseng, while Ginsenoside Re was slightly lower than that of Korean Red Ginseng. However, the amount of Ginseng Polysaccharides in Tongrentang Red Ginseng was greater than those in Korean Red Ginseng.

CONCLUSIONThe contents of ginseng saponins and ginsenoside Rg1, Re, Rb1 in Tongrentang Red Ginseng were not lower than that in Korean Red Ginseng. The methods for determination of ginsenosides and ginseng polysaccharides were quite accurate and reliable to the quality control of Ginseng.

China ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Colorimetry ; methods ; Ginsenosides ; analysis ; standards ; Korea ; Panax ; chemistry ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Polysaccharides ; analysis ; standards ; Quality Control ; Reproducibility of Results ; Rhizome ; chemistry