Objective: To screen for the differentially expressed proteins during rat liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy (PH) by proteomics technique. Methods: Healthy male SD rats were randomly divided into 2 groups: hepatectomy group and sham operated group. The hepatectomy model was produced by 70% PH (n=35) and the sham operated rats (n=5) underwent the same surgical protocol without hepatectomy. Rats were executed at 2, 12, 24, 36, 48, 72 and 168 h after partial hepatectomy (each time 5 rats) and the right lobes were harvested. The total protein was extracted and analyzed by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometric analysis. The differential proteins were then analyzed by Western blotting. Results: The spots of differential protein began to rise at 2 h after PH and peaked at 36 h after PH. A total of 78 protein spots were identified and 35 significant protein spots were found by mass spectrometric analysis. The 35 protein sports fell into 5 types according to their dynamic changes: 3 up-regulated and 2 down-regulated (with different regulation time periods and amplitudes); and their functions involved oxidative stress response, acute reaction, lipid and energy metabolism, intracellular signaling transduction, cell proliferation, etc., with some having unknown functions. Western blotting analysis showed that the prohibitin protein began to increase 2 h after PH and decreased to the normal levei after 48 h. Conclusion: It is indicated that many proteins and signal transduction pathways participate in the liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy.

Objective To investigate radiological features of patients with heroin spongiform leukoencephalopathy(HSLE)of different clinical stages and discuss the evolutional characteristics of the disease.Methods Thirty two patients with HSLE underwent precontrast MRI and postcontrast MRI.The history of addiction,clinical presentations,and brain MRI were analyzed and summarized according to the patient's clinical staging.There are 6 cases in Ⅰ stage,21 cases in Ⅱ stage,5 cases in Ⅲ stage.Results All patients had history of heroin vapor inhalation.Most of the cases developed subacute cerebellar impairment in earlier period.Brain MRI revealed symmetrical lesion within bilateral cerebellum in all patients.Splenium of the corpus callosum,posterior limb of the internal capsule,deep white matter of the occipital and parietal lobes,were gradually involved with progressive deterioration of HSLE.The brain stem and deep white matter of the frontal and temporal lobes were involved in some cases.Conclusions The history of heated heroin vapor inhalation was the prerequisite for the diagnosis of HSLE.Brain MRI presented the characteristic lesion and its evolution of HSLE.Brain MRI was very important for accurate diagnosis and helpful to judge the clinical stages according to the involved brain region.

Master of biomedical engineering degree is necessary for students to adapt to the trend of social and scientific development.Based on the social demands,staff working at academy of biomedical engineering department in Wuhan University create the master course and modify teaching methods,in order to integrate positive factors into our master of biomedical engineering course.These new teaching methods are implemented through entire course,which aims to improve students' abilities of critical thinking,creativity and operation.We also explore the new teaching methods to enabte students to be qualified with biomedical engineering work in the future.

Objective To evaluate the safety and efficacy of Zonisamide(ZNS) as adjunctive therapy in patients with refractory partial seizures receiving other antiepileptic drags (AEDs).Methods This was a randomized,double-blind,placebo-controlled study conducted at multi-centers.All 240 subjects were randomized to either the ZNS group or the placebo group in a 1:1 ratio.The double-blind treatment phase included a titration phase during which zonisamide dose inereased from 100 mg/day to 300 mg/day over 4 weeks and then a 12-week fixed-dose phase.The primary efficacy endpoint was,the median % reduction from baseline in all pattial seizure frequency(CPS+SPS+SGS)during the fixed-dose phase.The important secondaw endpoint wag the responder rate.Safety profiles and tolerance were also evaluated.Results The FAS analysis showed the median reduction from baseline in the ZNS group was greater than in the placebo group(48.4%vs 26.6%),the difference was significant for ZNS compared with placebo(F=4.904,P=0.028);The responder rates for all partial seizures(48.6%vs34.9%,X2=4.046,P=0.044)and for complex seizures(52.2% vs 33.3%,X2=5.607,P=0.018)were significantly higber in the ZNS group than in the placebo group in the FAS population.The overall adverse events(AEs)profile was comparable between the two groups.The most frequent AEs considered to be related to zonisamide by the investigator were headache,dizziness,somnolence,anorexia,nausea,etc.Conclusions ZNS is superior to placebo in reducing the frequency of partial seizures and well-tolerated.ZNS could be a choice of adjunctive therapy in patients with refractory partial seizures.

Bile ; metabolism ; Cholestasis ; metabolism ; pathology ; Humans

The aim of the present study was to obtain the crystal of transcription factor LytR of streptococcus pneumoniae for X-ray crystal structure and function analysis. The LytR gene of D39 strains from Streptococcus pneumoniae (S. pn) was cloned into the prokaryotic expression vector pET32a(+), then overexpression was obtained in the E. coli BL21 (DE3) through transformation of the recombinant plasmid that had been verified by colony PCR and sequencing. Soluble fusion protein with His-tag highly expressed by the induction of 0.5 mmol/L IPTG and was purified by a three step procedure, the purity of the purified LytR recombinant protein was over 90%. Preliminary screening of crystallization conditions was performed using the hanging-drop vapour-diffusing method with Hampton Crystal screen and PEG screen kits. The protein crystals X-ray diffraction data were collected from a single crystal and more stick crystals whose X-ray diffraction reached 4.0 A were obtained. These works laid the foundation for further research on the 3D structure of putative transcription factor LytR and its biological aspects.
Bacterial Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Escherichia coli ; genetics ; metabolism ; Recombinant Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Streptococcus pneumoniae ; genetics ; metabolism ; Transcription Factors ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; isolation & purification

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the initial clinical characteristics, the response to treatment, and the outcome in adult patients with Evans syndrome.

METHODSThe clinical data of 84 adult patients (20 males, 64 females) with Evans syndrome diagnosed at our center between 1984 and 2007 were retrospectively analyzed.

RESULTSThe patients were followed up for a median duration of 17.5 (0.03 - 140) months. All the patients initially received intravenous steroids with or without intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG). Forty-seven patients were treated with corticosteroids alone initially. Complete remission (CR) and partial remission (PR) were achieved in 38 of the patients, but 92.1% of them relapsed during a median follow-up of 12 months. Twenty-eight patients who were resistant to corticosteroids therapy or with severe bleeding were subsequently administered immunosupressive agents. CR and PR were obtained in 89.3% of them. Within a median follow-up of 8 months, 84% of these patients relapsed.

CONCLUSIONSEvans syndrome is a chronic and easy to recurrent disease, which is often refractory to conventional therapy. Treatment with combination agents might be a useful therapeutic approach to the patients.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones ; Adult ; Anemia, Hemolytic, Autoimmune ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Remission Induction ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome

Objective:To analyze the distributions of ABO and RhD blood groups by analyzing the basic data of blood group detection among voluntary blood donors in Huainan in 2021, to provide data support for blood recruitment, clinical use of blood, and emergency guarantee of rare groups of blood.Methods:ABO and RhD blood groups of 24 484 voluntary blood donors eligible for blood donation in 2021 were detected using the Metis150-8 automatic blood group analyzer, manual saline method, antihuman globulin method, and manual polybrene test. The blood group results were statistically analyzed.Results:Among 24 484 voluntary blood donors in Huainan in 2021, A blood group accounted for the highest proportion (7 463 cases, 30.48%), followed by O blood group (7 444 cases, 30.40%) and B blood group (7 056 cases, 28.82%), and the last was AB blood group (2 521 cases, 10.30%). A total of 143 cases of RhD-negative blood were detected, and the negative frequency of RhD was 0.58% (143/24 484). Among the RhD-negative blood samples, 43 cases of type A, 41 cases of type B, 46 cases of type O, and 13 cases of type AB were RhD-negative, accounting for 30.07%, 28.67%, 32.17%, and 9.09%, respectively. There was no statistical difference in the detection rate of Rh-negative blood among different ABO blood groups in Huainan ( χ2 = 0.36, P = 0.948). The ABO blood group distribution of voluntary blood donors in Huainan in 2021 was not identical to those of voluntary blood donors in Guangzhou, Yueyang, Xinjiang Bozhou, Zhangzhou, and Liuzhou. The proportion of type A blood donors in Yueyang was higher than those in other regions. The proportions of type B blood donors in Huainan, Xinjiang Bozhou, and Zhangzhou were higher than those in other regions. The proportion of type O blood donors in Liuzhou was higher than those in other regions. The proportions of type AB blood donors in Huainan and Xinjiang Bozhou were higher than those in other regions. Conclusion:The distributions of ABO and RhD blood groups among voluntary blood donors in Huainan region have certain regional characteristics. Central blood banks and medical institutions should reasonably store and supply blood according to the blood collection from voluntary blood donations and the needs of clinical transfusion, to prevent the occurrence of situations such as blood expiration and waste.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the epidemiology, peritoneal dialysis (PD) related complications and survival outcomes of 236 patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) in our center from January, 2004 to November, 2009.

METHODSThe data including patient gender, age, time of PD initiation, addresses, types of medical reimbursement, primary diseases, modes of PD catheter placement surgery, types of PD catheter, PD-related complications, and time of drop out were retrospectively analyzed. PD catheter migration rate, peritonitis rate, drop out rate (DOR), length of the time of PD therapy (TOT), and survival rate were calculated and compared with those of patients in other PD centers.

RESULTSThe number of newly introduced patients increased gradually in the years from 2004 to 2009. The mean age of newly introduced patients was 47-/+16 years, and patients with age below 60 years accounted for 77.96%. Patients who paid for their own expenses accounted for 67.37% of all, and the rate of these patients decreased gradually. Similar to that in Asian-Pacific region, chronic glomerulonephritis was the most frequent cause of ESRD followed by diabetic nephropathy. The number of patients with chronic glomerulonephritis or obstructive nephropathy as the primary diseases was greater in this center than that reported in the Asian-Pacific region, accounting for 54.66% and 11.02% of all patients, respectively. In contrast, the patients with diabetic nephropathy or benign arteriolar renal sclerosis were less, accounting for 12.29% and 10.17% of all, respectively. PD catheter migration rate (8.05%) and peritonitis rate (1:44.22 patient-months) were both lower than those reported. The patient survival rates at 1, 2, 3 years were 83.65%, 51.59% and 29.81%, respectively, lower than those of other centers in the developed countries but higher than the mean levels in China. DOR decreased gradually to 11.56% in 2009, and TOT increased to 23.61 months.

CONCLUSIONThe above characteristics of the patients are related to many factors, including the "PD first" principle, high prevalence of urinary calculosis in the primary source regions of most patients, preventive partial omentum resection in some patients, education and follow-up for patients, and increased expense cover by medical insurance.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Female ; Glomerulonephritis ; complications ; Humans ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; etiology ; therapy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Peritoneal Dialysis, Continuous Ambulatory ; adverse effects ; statistics & numerical data ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo explore the methods of diagnosis and surgical treatment for patients with back pain originating from endplate.

METHODSAll patients received examinations of radiography, CT, and MR imaging. Pain level of disc was decided by discography in each patient. The principal outcome judgment were pain and disability, and the efficacy of surgical treatment was assessed by visual analog scale (VAS) for pain, and the Oswestry disability index (ODI) for functional recovery.

RESULTSAll patients with a diagnosis of back pain originating from endplate according to discography were treated with anterior or posterior fusion surgery. The mean follow-up period was three years and five months (from 2 to 6 years). Among of the 21 patients, 20 (95%) reported a disappearance or marked alleviation of low back pain, and experienced a definite improvement in physical function. A statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement on the ODI and the VAS scores were obtained in the patients with chronic low back pain originating from endplate (P = 0.0001) after treatment.

CONCLUSIONSThe study suggests that the discography and fusion surgery may be very effective methods for the diagnosis and treatment of chronic back pain originating from endplate respectively.

Adult ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Low Back Pain ; diagnosis ; etiology ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Spinal Fusion ; methods ; Spinal Injuries ; complications ; Treatment Outcome