Laboratory animal industry forms an independent, comprehensive system responsible for the production, use and management of laboratory animals.Great advances have been made in this field in China over the more than thirty years of development.However, due to the great development and changes during this long time, there are also some issues which need to be amended and changed.To compare the concepts of experimental animals in China and developed countries such as USA.The key concepts on the laboratory animals are not well or clearly defined in the regulatory documents in China, which hinder the healthy development and effective regulation in this field, as well as the care and use of laboratory animals in research and education.In this article, we discuss the necessity of timely amendment and standardization of the key concepts and definitions related to laboratory animals, and the importance and impact of the key concepts on the development of animal industry in China.

Objective To investigate the relationship between the serum level of soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1(sVCAM-1) and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1(sICAM-1) and the disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus(SLE). Methods The serum concentrations of sVCAM-1 and sICAM-1 were measured by ELISA in 60 SLE patients and age- and sex-matched normal controls. Results ① Serum levels of sVCAM-1 and sICAM-1 were significantly increased in SLE patients compared with those in normal controls (P

Objective To evaluate the clinical efficacy of percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD) and pcrcutaneous transhcpatic insertion of biliary stent (PTIBS) for malignant biliary obstruction.Methods PTBD or PTIBS were performed in 56 patients with malignant biliary obstruction, which were aused by hepatic carcinoma (n = 14), biliary duct carcinoma (n = 11), gallbladder carcinoma (n = 5),stomach carcinoma accompanied with metastasis of lymph node (n = 14), carcinoma of ampulla (n = 1 ) or carcinoma of pancreatic head (n = 11 ). The diagnosis was confirmed by ultrasonography, CT or MRI in all patients. The obstructed site was well identified, including high obstruction in 19 patients and lower obstruction in 37 patients. Based on the imaging findings, suitable interventional procedure was employed.Results PTBD or PTIBS were performed successfully in all 56 patients, of them PTBD was adopted in 11,PTIBS in 40 and both PTBD and PTIBS in 5. The serum total bilirubin decreased from (295.65±152.86)μmol/L before the procedure to (151.05 ± 107.36) μmol/L after the procedure, (P < 0.01 ). Postoperative infection could affect the fading of jaundice (P < 0.01 ), but the location of the obstruction carried no relationship with the fading of jaundice (P = 0.063). Conclusion Both PTBD and PTIBS are safe and effective palliative therapies for malignant biliary obstruction, which can markedly relieve patient of jaundice,improve the quality of life and elongate the survival period.

Objective To detect the levels of soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM-1) and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-l (sICAM-1) in the sera of patients with systemic lupus erythe-matosus (SLE) and their clinical significance was analysed. Methods Serum level of sVCAM-1 and sICAM-1 of 30 controls and 60 SLE patients were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results 1 Serum levels of sVCAM-1 were significantly increasd in patients with SLE compared with those in normal controls (P

Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of ulinastatin(UT) conjoined to high flow continuous blood purification( CBP) in the critical patients with multiple organ dysfunction syndrome(MODS). To evaluate the therapeutic potential of UT and CBP in systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) , severe sepsis( SS) , acute lung injury (ALI) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Method A total of 122 cases of emergency and critical patients with a score of more than 15 counted up from APACHE H (acute physiology and chronic health evaluation 11 ) were randomly divided into Ulinastatin treatment group (UT group, n = 35) .continuous blood pu-rification(CBP group, n = 31),UT plus CBP (combine group, n = 30) and routine treatment group (control group, n =26). Routine treatment was given to patients of all groups, and patients of UT group had Ulinastatin 0.4 MIU given intravenously every 8 hours for 7 days in addition. Patients of CBP group were managed with continuous blood purification round the clock for 7 days and those of combine group were treated with UT plus CBP for 7 days.The efficacy of the treatment in four groups was assessed,and serum high sensivity reactive protein(hs-CRP) and IL-6 levels were measured on admission and comparison was made between values of biomarkers taken before and 1 d,3 d,and 7 d after treatment in four groups. The changes in WBCs,arterial gas analysis and the oxygena-tion index PaO2/FiO2 were checked, and at the same time, the APACHE II values and the incidence of MODS were compared within four groups. Results (1)One, three and seven days after treatment the plasma hs-CRP and IL-6 levels in UT and CBP groups were reduced significantly more than those in control group ( P < 0. 05), and in combine groups those were more dramatically lowered ( P < 0.05, P < 0.01). Before treatment there was no significance diffience in those values between groups, and there was on diffience in those values between 3 rd day and 7 th day after treatment ( P > 0.05). (2) The 1 st,3 rd and 7 th day after treatment the arterial gas PaO2/FiO2 index in UT and CBP groups was improved more than that in control group ( P < 0.05) , and it in combine group was most significant improved (P < 0.05,P < 0.01). The ALT and creatinine were lower than those in control group ( P < 0.05), and there were no significant differences in ALT and creatinine between groups before treatment (P > 0.05). (3) The 1 st,3 rd and 7th day afer treatment,the APACHE II values in UT and CBP groups were decreased more than those in control group ( P < 0. 05) , and therefore, the incidence of MODS was lower ( P < 0.05). Conclusions Ulinastatin could significantly inhibit the production of inflammatory cytokines and CBP could effectively eliminate inflammatory factors from blood, and the combination of these two approaches produce a more effective therapeutic potential for preventing MODS development.

AIM:To investigate the role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the regulation of intracellular Ca2+induced by angiotensin II ( Ang II) in the primarily cultured medullary neurons .METHODS:Primarily cultured me-dullary neurons were prepared from 14-day-old embryos of Sprague-Dawley rats in the study .The identification of medullary neurons was assessed by double-labeling immunofluorescence .To explore the role of ROS , mainly the superoxide ( O2 ·-) , the O2 ·-generation was measured using the fluorogenic probe dihydroethidium ( DHE) .To determine intracellular free cal-cium concentration ( [ Ca2+] i ) , the neurons were loaded with the Ca 2+-specific dye Fura-2/AM.The cell viability after adding Ang II was also examined using CCK-8 assay.RESULTS:Most of the cultured cells were medullary neurons , more than 80%of which were glutamate positive neurons .Ang II (5 μmol/L) increased the level of ROS within 10 min in the medullary neurons .Ang II at 5μmol/L induced a significant [ Ca2+] i increase in the medullary neurons , and the effect of Ang II occurred rapidly and reached a peak within 20 min after administration.The level of [Ca2+]i started to decline after washout .The Ca2+elevation induced by Ang II was significantly decreased by apocynin or TEMPOL .No significant differ-ence in the cell viability between control group and 5μmol/L Ang II treatment group was observed .CONCLUSION:ROS is involved in the regulation of [Ca2+]i induced by Ang II in the primarily cultured medullary neurons , suggesting a poten-tial intracellular signaling mechanism involved in the Ang II-mediated oxidant regulation of central neural control of blood pressure.

Objective To study the risk prediction for new intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) with high sensitivity C-reactive protein ( hs-CRP) level. Methods In a retrospective, nested, case-controlled study, 323 cases of ICH were identified and matched with 646 controls. The hs-CRP levels at baseline were compared between the two groups. The relevance of different hs-CRP levels and the risk of ICH were analyzed. Results The ICH group had a higher median hs-CRP levels (1.10 mg/L) as compared with the control group (0. 66 mg/L) with significant difference ( P<0.01 ). In addition, the increase of risk associated with hs-CRP levels was primarily observed in the individuals with the highest quartile of hs-CRP levels(>2.12 mg/L). These patients had an increased risk of ICH (OR 2. 58, 95% CI 1. 77 to 3. 76) as compared with those in the lowest quartile(≤=0.30 mg/L). Individuals with basiline hs-CRP levels above the specified cut point of 3 mg/L ormore and those in the 80th percentile were at a markedly increased risk of ICH (for specified cut point of 3 mg/L,0R2.26, 95% CI 1.60-3.20, P<0.01; for 80th percentile, OR 2.24,95% CI 1.60-3.13, P <0.01, respectively). Conclusions Risk of ICH might be predicted with the level of hs-CRP. With the increase of hs-CRP level at baseline, the risk of ICH was increased.

Objective To study the effect of age on the trajectory of the center of plantar pressure.Methods Twenty-five healthy young people constituted a youth group,while another 25 elderly counterparts formed an aged group.Descriptors of everyone's gait were collected using an AL-600 gait and balance training and evaluation apparatus.The length of the total trajectory of the center of plantar pressure (COPD) was recorded along with the average left and right deviation of the center of plantar pressure (COPD-X) and its average anterior-posterior deviation (COPD-Y) in the heel strike (LR),single plantar stance (SPS) and push-off (PS) phases of striding.Results The average COPD of the aged group was significantly longer than that of the youths.For both groups,the average COPD-X and COPD-Y deviations in SPS were significantly less than those in the LR and PS phases,with no significant difference between them.Compared with the youth group,the average COPD-X in the LR and PS phases and the average COPD-Y in the PS were significantly greater among the aged,but there was no significant difference between the two groups in the average COPD-X in SPS or in the average COPD-Y in the LR and SPS phases.Conclusions The average COPD,COPD-X and COPD-Y increase with age,indicating the higher risk of falling.The changes in each sub-phase of gait are different,but those in the LR and PS phases more reliably reflect stability.