Objective To investigate the relationship between the polymorphisms of both aldose reductase (AR) and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) genes in chromosome 7q35 and the susceptibility to diabetic nephropathy (DN) in type 2 diabetes of Han nationality in North China. Methods The C(-106)T in the promoter region of AR gene as well as the G894T in exon 7 and the 27 bp repeat polymorphism in intron 4 of the eNOS gene were investigated in 85 healthy controls and 134 type 2 diabetics with or without DN. The C(-106)T as well as the G894T genotype were determined by PCR RFLP method and sequencing the PCR products. The 27 bp repeat polymorphism alleles were determined by PCR combined with agarose gel electrophoresis and sequencing the PCR products. Results The frequencies of the C allele and C/C genotype in AR gene as well as T allele and T/G genotype in exon 7 and the 4a allele and 4a/4b genotype in intron 4 of eNOS gene were significantly higher in DN+ group than those in DN-group (all P

Objective To summarize the diagnosis and treatment of localized malignant peritoneal mesothelioma(LMPM). Methods A total of 68 cases of LMPM were analyzed retrospectively,including 65 patients in the literature concerning LMPM published in Chinese medical journals be-fore October 2014 plus 3 cases of LMPM admitted in The First Hospital of China Medical University in the same period. Results Among the 68 cas-es,30 cases were male,38 cases were female,with a male to female ratio of 1:1.27. Mean age was 57.6 years. Major clinical manifestations includ-ed abdominal pain or discomfort(76.9%)and palpable abdominal masses(58.5%). Patients(41.7%)had the history of exposure to asbestos. Among the 48 cases(92.3%)that underwent CT examination,ascites was found in 16 cases,and hepatic metastasis was found in 11 cases. Most of the tumors were epithelial type(76.7%),with a mean diameter of 12.2 cm. The main therapeutic strategy was combination therapy of cytoreductive surgery with intraperitoneal hyperthemic chemotherapy. Conclusion LMPM is a rare malignant tumor that occurs predominantly in old people. Symptoms and imaging examinations are untypical. The diagnosis is dependent on pathological examination. Combining several laboratory tests could help the diagnosis. Combination therapy of cytoreductive surgery with intraperitoneal hyperthemic chemotherapy provides an adequate and efficient treatment for LMPM.

Objective To investigate the changes of hippocampal neurogenesis and cognitive dysfunction induced by cranial radiation therapy.Methods C57BL/6J mice aged 10 d were subjected to 10 Gy whole brain irradiation with 6 MV X-rays to develop irradiation-induced brain injury model.Morris water maze was designed to estimate spatial learning and memory.At different time post irradiation,brain tissue was removed to stain with hematoxylin-eosin for the pathological results.DCX and PCNA immunohistochemical staining was used to mark the level of neurogenesis in the hippocampus,and ED1immunohistochemical staining to mark the activation of microglia.The TUNEL assay was used to assess the apoptotic neuron death in situ in the hippocampus.Real-time PCR was supplied to inspect the expression of TNF-α and IL-1 β mRNA.Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) was tested for the concentration of TNF-αt in the plasma.Results Pathological studies demonstrated that radiation could induce interstitial edema,inflammatory cell infiltration,cell degeneration,necrosis,apoptosis in the acute phase,edema subsiding,reduction of inflammatory cells,and cytothesis in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus.IHC studies revealed that,at different time post irradiation,the number of DCX-positive cells and PCNA-positive cells decreased (F =4.9-12.5,5.2-15.7,P ＜ 0.05) but ED1-positive cells increased significantly (F =20.8,P ＜ 0.05).TUNEL-positive cells began to appear in the dentate gyrus of hippocampus 6 h post-irradiation,and its number reached to the highest level at 48 h post-irradiation (F =15.1,P ＜ 0.05).The formation of γ-H2AX foci got at the top 0.5 h post-irradiation (F =18.4,P ＜0.05) and then decreased.After irradiation,the expressions of TNF-α and IL-1β mRNA in the the irradiated group was higher than those of the control group (t =16.3,12.7,P ＜ 0.05).The concentration of TNF-α in the plasma of the irradiated group was higer than that in the control group 3 h post-irradiation,and maximized at 1 week post-irradiation (F =10.5,P ＜ 0.05).Morris water maze tests showed that the latency had no significant differences between the irradiated group and the control group at 1,2,3 d postirradiation,but the latency in the irradiated group was longer than that in the control group with a significant differences at 4,5,6 d post-irradiation (F =7.01,8.17,4.22,P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions Irradiation-induced cognitive dysfunction may be caused by microglial activation and suppression in hippocampal neurogenesis following cranial radiation therapy.

Objective To study inflammatory reaction induced by N-protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome(SARS)-coronavirus(CoV)in human alveolar typeⅡepithelial cell(A549). Methods Effects on growth of A549 cell by N-protein of SARS-CoV:activity of A549 cells was determined by thiazylyl blue colorimetry assay at 24,48,72 and 96 h,respectively.Effects on cyto- kine production by A549 cells exposed to N-protein of SARS-CoV:interleukin(IL)-6,IL-10 and transforming growth factor-?1(TGF-?1)concentration in culture supernatant were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA).Effects on mRNA expression of cytokine of A549 cells and matrix metalloproteinases-9(MMP-9)exposed to N-protein of SARS-CoV:total RNA of A549 cells was extracted using Rneasy mini kit;RT-PCR was employed to measure the mRNA expression of IL-6,IL-10,TGF-?1 and MMP-9 semiquantitatively.Results Different concentrations of N-protein could all inhibit the growth of A549 cells(after 48 h)and the inhibition by 20?g/mL pro- tein was the strongest.Compared with the control group(0.737?0.024,0.968?0.007),the A val- ues of experimental groups at 72 h and 96 h(0.672?0.027,0.799?0.092)decreased obviously (P

Objective To assess the potential clinical signiifcance of myocardial composite index (MCI) in the evaluation of left ventricular myocardial function in breast cancer patients with postoperative chemotherapy by speckle tracking echocardiography (STE). Methods A total of 33 consecutive breast cancer patients with postoperative chemotherapy were prospectively enrolled in Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University, from February 2012 to February 2013. Thirty-six female healthy volunteers were enrolled as the controls. Routine echocardiographic parameters [left ventricular end diastolic volume (EDV), end systolic volume (ESV), interventricular septum thickness at diastole (IVSTd), left ventricular posterior wall thickness (PWTd) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF)] were obtained. EDV and ESV were corrected for body surface area, and then end diastolic volume index (EDVI) and end-systolic volume index (ESVI) were calculated. STE-derived parameters [left ventricular global longitudinal strain (GLS), global radial strain (GRS), left ventricular twist (LVtw) and myocardial composite index (MCI)] were evaluated. All above data were obtained after 5 anthracycline-based chemotherapeutic cycles and compared with baseline measurements in controls respectively. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were constructed to determine optimal sensitivity and specificity of continuous variables for the prediction of future cardiotoxicity. Results (1)Changes in EDV, ESV, IVSTd, PWTd and LVEF showed no significant decreases compared with baseline and controls (F=1.35, 2.04, 1.28, 2.34, 2.16, P > 0.05 for all), while the changes in ESVI and EDVI showed statistically decreases (F=4.73, 6.86, P < 0.05 for all);(2)The changes in EDVI and ESVI showed signiifcant decreases compared with baseline (t=6.10, 5.13, P<0.05 for all) and controls (t=5.26, 4.24, P<0.05 respectively);(3)The change in GRS showed no statistical signiifcance compared with baseline and controls (F=1.23, P>0.05), while change in GLS, LVtw and MCI showed statistical significances compared with baseline and controls (F=4.29, 5.02, 12.35, P<0.05 for all);(4)The changes in GLS, LVtw and MCI showed signiifcant decreases compared with baseline (t=5.33, 13.94, P<0.05 respectively) and controls (t=4.97, 4.46, 7.18, P<0.05 all);(5)The area under receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC) of MCI was 0.894, and its optimal cut-off value was-265.7 (%×degree) with sensitivity of 82.6%and specificity of 78.7%. Conclusion MCI based on STE, combining myocardial strain and cardiac twist, may be an accurate predictor in identifying potential cardiotoxicity in postoperative chemotherapeutic survivors with breast cancer.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; blood ; pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Interleukin-8 ; blood ; Liver Neoplasms ; blood ; pathology ; Macrophage Migration-Inhibitory Factors ; blood ; Male ; Middle Aged

BACKGROUNDThe microemboli produced during spontaneous plaque rupture and ulceration and during coronary intervention will reduce coronary reserve and cause cardiac dysfunction. It is though that inflammation caused by the microinfarction induced by the microembolization may play an essential role. It is known that the activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) in both infected and non-infected inflammation in myocardium may cause a contractile dysfunction. But the relation between the activation of p38 MAPK and microembolization is still unknown.

METHODSSprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups: Sham group, coronary microembolization (CME) group and SB203580 group (n = 10 per group). CME rats were produced by injection of 42 µm microspheres into the left ventricle with occlusion of the ascending aorta. SB203580, a p38 MAPK inhibitor, was injected into the femoral vein after the injection of microspheres to make the SB203580 group. Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was determined by echocardiography. The protein concentration of P38 MAPK in the myocardium was assessed by Western blotting. The relative expression of mRNA for tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α was assessed by the technique of semi-quantitative polymerase chain reaction amplification.

RESULTSLVEF was depressed at three hours up to 12 hours in the CME group. Increased p38 MAPK activity and TNF-α mRNA expression were observed in the CME group. The administration of SB203580 partly inhibited p38 MAPK activity, but did not fully depress the TNF-α expression, and partly preserved cardiac contractile function.

CONCLUSIONSp38 MAPK is significantly activated by CME and the inhibition of p38 MAPK can partly depress the TNF-α expression and preserve cardiac contractile function.

Animals ; Blotting, Western ; Coronary Disease ; drug therapy ; etiology ; metabolism ; Echocardiography ; Embolism ; complications ; Imidazoles ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Immunohistochemistry ; Microcirculation ; drug effects ; Myocardial Contraction ; drug effects ; physiology ; Myocardium ; metabolism ; Pyridines ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; genetics ; p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases ; antagonists & inhibitors ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo study the current situation and factors influencing the behavior of fruit and vegetable intake in adolescents, and to discuss health education strategy related to the behavior.

METHODS1677 students were selected from primary school and middle school in urban area of Hangzhou by a multistage sampling method. The behavior of fruit and vegetable intake was surveyed by questionnaires of the patient-centered assessment and counseling for exercise plus nutrition project (PACE+) for adolescent-scale of fruit and vegetable consumption, and analyzed by Transtheoretical Model on the servings of intake, the stage of change, process of change, decisional balance and the current status of self-efficacy.

RESULTSThe average intake of fruit and vegetable in adolescents was (3.21 +/- 1.50) servings per day ("one serving" means 100 g cooked vegetable or 100 g fruit). The behavior of consuming fruit and vegetable in most of the adolescents was in the contemplation stage, accounting for 36.91% (619/1677). The process of behavior change, decisional balance (Pros) and self-efficacy existed a positive correlation with the process of stage (r(process) = 0.38, r(decisional balance (Pros)) = 0.26, r(self-efficacy) = 0.33, t values were 16.78, 11.02 and 14.31, P < 0.05). The servings of fruit and vegetable intake existed a positive correlation with stage transition and self-efficacy (beta(stage transition) = 0.665, t = 35.07, P < 0.05; beta(self-efficacy) = 0.050, t = 2.63, P < 0.05), and existed a negative correlation with decisional balance (Cons) (beta(decisional balance (Cons)) = -0.051, t = -2.84, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONFruit and vegetable intake of these adolescents are under the recommended dietary intake. Along with behavior stage development and self-efficacy improvement, the intake of fruit and vegetable also increased correspondingly. Intervention strategies should aim at improving the awareness of adolescents on the health benefits of fruit and vegetable intake and promoting their confidence to reach the recommended servings.

Adolescent ; Adolescent Nutritional Physiological Phenomena ; Child ; China ; Eating ; Feeding Behavior ; Female ; Fruit ; Humans ; Male ; Models, Theoretical ; Students ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Vegetables

OBJECTIVETo observe the clinical effect of a self-designed posterior STB thoracolumbar transpedicular screw-plate system in the treatment of spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis.

METHODSThis STB screw-plate system is developed with titanium alloy (TC4, Ti6Al4V). During December, 1999 and January, 2001, this system was applied in 51 cases, including lumbar spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis (36 cases), degenerative lumbar instability (15 cases). The patients were aged 22 - 78 years, mean age: 47.5 - years; among them there were 14 male cases, 37 female cases; There were 15 cases degenerative spondylolisthesis with grade I-II slip, 36 cases of spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis, including 34 cases with grade I-II slips and 2 cases with grade III slips; single level of 33 cases, two levels 3 cases. Decompression was performed for the 43 cases with interbody fusion using iliac crest or bilateral-lateral fusion using demineralized bone matrix and 8 cases were fixed with demineralized bone matrix fusion without decompression.

RESULTSAll the operations heeded about 60 - 120 minutes, and during the operations bleeding amounts were 200 - 500 ml. The cases completely recovered to work or normal action after 3 months of surgeries. 46 of all cases were achieved to satisfactorily reduction and clinical effect, 5 cases of grade II-III remained incomplete reduction (grade I slip).

CONCLUSIONThis STB system has advantages of biomechanical stability and reduction capability and its effect in clinical application is undoubtedly positive.

Adult ; Biomechanical Phenomena ; Bone Plates ; Bone Screws ; Humans ; Joint Dislocations ; surgery ; Lumbar Vertebrae ; Male ; Spinal Fusion ; instrumentation ; methods ; Spondylolisthesis ; physiopathology ; surgery ; Spondylolysis ; physiopathology ; surgery ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo investigate the relationship between RASSF1A gene expression and DNA methylation or histone modification in laryngeal carcinoma tissues.

METHODSChromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP), methylation specific polymerase chain reaction (MSP) and realtime quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (realtime RT-PCR) were used to analyze RASSF1A gene promoter region histone H3 lysine 9 methylation, H3 lysine 4 methylation, H3 lysine 9 acetylation, DNA methylation, and RASSF1A gene expression in laryngeal carcinoma tissue of 50 cases.

RESULTSDNA methylation rate of gene RASSF1A was 62% in 50 cases of laryngeal carcinoma, but no DNA methylation was found in normal control group, with a significant difference (χ(2) = 15.381, P < 0.05). DNA methylation had no correlation with age, gender, differentiation degree, T stage, pathological type and lymph node metastasis (P > 0.05). The affection of DNA methylation group was more than unmethylation group to expression of gene RASSF1A (t = -3.108, P < 0.01). There was positive correlation between RASSF1A deletion and gene hypermethylation or between H3 lysine 9 methylation of RASSF1A gene promoter and DNA methylation in laryngeal carcinoma tissue(r = 0.816, P < 0.05), but there was negative correlation between H3 lysine 4 methylation of RASSF1A gene promoter and DNA methylation (r = -0.837, P < 0.05) and no correlation between H3 lysine 9 acetylation and DNA methylation (r = -0.383, P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSLaryngeal tumor suppressor gene RASSF1A promoter methylation is a key factor down-regulating the gene expression, and histone modifications also plays an important role in tumor development.

Adult ; Aged ; CpG Islands ; DNA Methylation ; Female ; Gene Deletion ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Gene Silencing ; Histones ; genetics ; metabolism ; Humans ; Laryngeal Neoplasms ; genetics ; metabolism ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Promoter Regions, Genetic ; Tumor Suppressor Proteins ; genetics