Objective To explore the role of oxidative stress in the initiation and development of experimental diabetic nephropathy.Methods Levels of MDA and the total SOD activity were tested in the whole kidney at 1 month,3 months and 6 months of experimental rat diabetes induced by streptozotocin.The pathological changes of diabetic rats were examined by light microscopy.Results The MDA level increased significantly in the diabetic group as compared to control group at all time intervals(2.16?0.57 vs 1.18?0.18,P

〔Abstract〕 By use of the decision tree algorithm and diagnostic indexes , the paper sets up the discrimination rules to make differential diagnosis of Primary Hepatocelluar Carcinoma ( PHC) based on basic data of 95 patients with PHC and 190 patients with liver cirrhosis , in-cluding the CT diagnosis, testing results of imaging and serologic markers such as the HbsAg , AFP, CEA and AFU, sex and age, etc.As indicated by the results , the data mining technology represented by the decision tree can support the differential diagnosis of PHC .

Objective To investigate the effects of glycyrrhizin on gene expression of transforming growth factor(TGF)-?signaling pathway of hepatic stellate cell(HSC)in mice by gene microarray tech- nique.Methods The HSCs were isolated from mice and cultured in vitro.Then the mice were divided into control group,TGF-?_1 group(5 ng/ml) or TGF-?_1(5 ng/ml)combined with glycyrrhizin(100?mol/L) group.The cells were collected after 10 hours to extract RNA.A cDNA microarray(GEArray~(TM) Q) targeting TGF-?/BMP signal transduction was used to screen the genes which showed significant changes in expression of TGF-?pathway of HSC by glycyrrhizin.Results The microarray analysis showed that 16 genes(16.7%),such as Smad2,Smad3,Smad7,CoL3A1,CoL1A2,and PAI-1,were upregulated by TGF-?_1 and then down-regulated by glycyrrhizin.Five genes(5.2%)(including BMP7,IGFbp3 and etc.)downregulated by TGF-?_1,were then up-regulated by glycyrrhizin.Finally,2 genes upregulated by TGF-?_1 were then up-regulated predominantly by glycyrrhizin in HSC(T?R2,betaglycan).Changes in some genes,such as Smad2 Smad3,Smad7,were further confirmed to be coincided with cDNA microarray by semi-quantitative RT-PCR.Conclusions The anti-fibrosis mechanisms of glycyrrhizin may be through to interference of TGF-?signaling pathway,decrease the synthesis and increase the degradation of collagen.

Objective To explore the clinical significance of prenatal diagnosis for absence of fetal cavum septum pellucidum (CSP) by ultrasonography. Methods The ultrasonographic characteristics were retrospectively analyzed in 63 fetuses, whose CSPs were not detected in prenatal two and three dimensional ultrasonography in Nanjing Medical University Affiliated Suzhou Hospital. Results In 63 fetuses with absent CSP, the related malformations included:(1) Five cases were diagnosed as agenesis of corpus callosum (ACC, including four complete ACC and one partial ACC);(2) Twenty-seven cases were diagnosed as holoprosencephaly (HPE, including 18 alobar HPE, ifve semilobar HPE and four lobar HPE);(3) One case was diagnosed as schizencephaly;(4) Two cases were diagnosed as porencephaly;(5) Five cases were diagnosed as hydranencephaly;(6) Twenty-three cases were diagnosed as severe hydrocephalus, among which ifve cases were caused by aqueductal stenosis and the other 18 cases were caused by open spina biifda (Chiari Ⅱ malformation). These absent CSP fetuses had other abnormalities including one case of Dandy-Walker Malformation, one case of Dandy-Walker Variation, 14 cases of median cleft lip, ifve cases of single naris, two cases of proboscis nose, three cases of talipes foot and four cases of single umbilical artery, etc. These 63 cases were all followed up after prenatal ultrasonography but 4 cases were missed and one case of septo-optic dysplasia was misdiagnosed as lobar HPE. The diagnoses of other 58 fetuses by ultrasonography were conifrmed by follow up. Conclusions CSP is considered as an essential part in prenatal evaluations of the fetal central nervous system during second-and third-trimester. Absence of CSP is always accompanied with an extremely wide spectrum of fetal neuroanatomic malformations, including prosencephalon diseases, intracranial midline anomalies, etc. Prenatal ultrasonography is the best choice for the observation of CSP.

Objective To evaluate the bone healing effect of vascularized tissue-engineered bone induced by endothelial progenitor cells(EPCs)in repair of large segmental radius defects in rabbits.Methods A total of 68 healthy New Zealand white rabbits were enrolled in the study and randomized into three groups,ie,experimental group(EPCs group):EPCs plus bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs)plus decalcified bone matrix(DBM);control group:BMSCs plus DBM;sham control group:pure DBM.Materials mentioned above were implanted into middle radius defects for 15 mm.At 12 and 16 weeks post-operatively,X-ray test,bone mineral density test,histological light microscopic test,osteocalcin immunohistochemical staining test and biomechanical test were carried out.Results Growth and plasticity of callus,speed of medullary cavity recanalization,bone healing speed and biomechanical intensity in the experimental group were all significantly better than those of control group.Conclusions Vascularized tissue-engineered bone induced by EPCs has strong osteegenic ability,can accelerate bone healing and hence is an effective method for repair of large segmental bone defects.

Humans ; Metabolic Syndrome ; epidemiology

The clinical features and lung CT findings of 174 heart failure patients,including 85 cases with normal left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and 89 cases with reduced LVEF were reviewed.Patients with normal LVEF had a higher proportion of hypertension,diabetes and obesity than patients with normal LVEF; and cough and dyspnea were more common.The lung CT findings in patients with normal LVEF were frequently presented as interstitial lung edema,increased pulmonary texture,subpleural line,Kerley lines and diffuse ground-glass opacity.Patients with reduced LVEF had a higher proportion of coronary heart disease and clinical manifestations of acute left heart failure,and central alveolar edema presented in lung CT images.Results suggest that heart failure patients with normal LVEF usually have longer clinical history and occult symptoms,and have a different lung CT imaging features from those in heart failure patients with reduced LVEF.

BACKGROUND:Intermittent negative pressure has been proven to promote the repairing of soft tissue and bone healing, but the effect of negative pressure on the tendon-bone healing after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction has not been reported.
OBJECTIVE:To research the effect of intermittent negative pressure on tendon-bone healing after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction and on the biomechanics of tendon grafts.
METHODS:A total of 24 New Zealand white rabbits were randomly selected to establish the models of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction of autogenous semitendinosus. The hind leg of one side was selected randomly as the negative pressure group, and the joint of the negative pressure side was connected with the micro-negative pressure aspirator through drainage tube and maintained a low-intensity and intermittent negative pressure;the contralateral hind leg was as the control and connected with ordinary drainage tube. Drainage tubes of both sides were removed at the same time after 5 days. At 6 weeks after modeling, the joint fluid was drawn to detect the expression levels of interleukin-1β;femur-ligament-tibia complex was used for tension measurement of tendon graft, and histological observation of tendon-bone interface.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:One rabbit had joint infection, and final y 23 rabbits were included in the study. Tension measurement results showed that maximum load for breakage in negative group pressure was significantly greater than that in the control group (P<0.05). Histological observation found that the number of osteoblasts in the negative pressure group was significantly more than that in the control group, and the difference was statistical y significant (P<0.01). Detection of synovial fluid showed that iterleukin-1βcontent in synovial fluid of the negative pressure group was lower than that in the control group, and the difference was statistical y significant (P<0.01). Intermittent negative pressure may play an active role in tendon-bone healing and modeling of tendon graft after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

Evaluation of the permeability mainly focuses on intestinal absorption in biopharmaceutics classification system (BCS). It is more complicated that the absorption and metabolism under multicomponent environment in biopharmaceutics classification system of Chinese materia medica (CMMBCS) compared with single component environment, which needs suitable mathematical models to be described. Therefore, with full consideration of existing single component mathematical algorithm combining with the characteristics of intestinal absorption and metabolism, we explored and designed a new mathematical algorithm of intestinal absorption and metabolism of multicomponent drug. Then we put forward a new coefficient, P (influence), the relative change rate of the single component's intestinal absorption and metabolism under multicomponent environment compared with single component environment, which described the influences of intestinal absorption and metabolism of the component under multicomponent environment. Moreover, P (influence) highlights the distinctive characteristics of multicomponent drug's intestinal absorption and metabolism, and lays the foundation for the construction of CMMBCS.
Algorithms ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; pharmacokinetics ; Humans ; Intestinal Absorption ; Intestines ; chemistry ; metabolism ; Models, Theoretical ; Solubility

The optimum culture conditions for Acetobacter xylinum NUST4 which produces bacterial cellulose(BC) were obtained by uniform design method.BC production was dependent on MgSO_(4)?7H_(2)O,FeSO_(4)?7H_(2)O and cosubstrates such as p-aminobenzoic acid,nicotinamide,d-Biotin and ethanol.The optimal medium contained glucose 24g,sucrose 22g,peptone 16g,HAc 2.4mL,Na_(2)HPO_(4)?12H_(2)O 3.5 g,KH_(2)PO_(4)?H_(2)O 1 g,MgSO_(4)?7H_(2)O 6 g,FeSO_(4)?7H_(2)O 0.015g,nicotinamide 0.003 g,d-Biotin 0.02g and ethanol 20mL in 1L culture medium.BC yield reached 9.87g(the dried weight) in stationary culture for 7 days,which was 12-fold higher than that in the S-H medium.