Actinin ; genetics ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; genetics ; Athletes ; Athletic Performance ; China ; Ethnic Groups ; genetics ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Young Adult

BACKGROUND: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is associated with a high mortality. This study was undertaken to detect the factors associated with the prognosis of AKI. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 98 patients with AKI treated from March 2008 to August 2009 at this hospital. In these patients, 60 were male and 38 female. Their age ranged from 19 to 89 years (mean 52.4±16.1 years). The excluded patients were those who died within 24 hours after admission to ICU or those who had a history of chronic kidney disease or incomplete data. After 60 days of treatment, the patients were divided into a survival group and a death group. Clinical data including gender, age, history of chronic diseases, the worst laboratory values within 24 hours after diagnosis (values of routine blood tests, blood gas analysis, liver and renal function, levels of serum cystatin C, and blood electrolytes) were analyzed. Acute physiology, chronic health evaluation (APACHE) II scores and 60-day mortality were calculated. Univariate analysis was performed to find variables relevant to prognosis, odds ratio (OR) and 95％ confidence interval (CI). Multiple-factor analysis with logistic regression analysis was made to analyze the correlation between risk factors and mortality. RESULTS: The 60-day mortality was 34.7％ (34/98). The APACHE II score of the death group was higher than that of the survival group (17.4±4.3 vs. 14.2±4.8, P<0.05). The mortality of the patients with a high level of cystatin C>1.3 mg/L was higher than that of the patients with a low level of cystatin C (<1.3 mg/L) (50％ vs. 20％, P<0.05). The univariate analysis indicated that organ failures≥2, oliguria, APACHE II>15 scores, cystatin C>1.3 mg/L, cystatin C>1.3 mg/L+APACHE II>15 scores were the risk factors of AKI. Logistic regression analysis, however, showed that organ failures≥2, oliguria, cystatin C>1.3 mg/L +APACHE II>15 scores were the independent risk factors of AKI. CONCLUSION: Cystatin C>1.3 mg/L+APACHE II>15 scores is useful in predicting adverse clinical outcomes in patients with AKI.

Objective To investigate the effects of five elements music combined with acupoint massage on sleep quality in insomnia patients with coronary heart disease (CHD).Methods A total of 120 cases of insomnia patients with CHD were randomly divided into the experimental group and the control group with 60 cases,respectively.The control group was given routine medicine treatment for CHD.The experimental group was given five elements music combined with acupoint massage besides the routine treatment.The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to compare before and 4 weeks after the intervention for sleep quality,hear rate and blood pressure between two groups.Results Four weeks after the intervention,total effective rate of sleep effect in the experimental group was 96.67％,and there was significant difference between two groups (P＜0.05).Four weeks after the intervention,heart rate,blood pressure,total score and scores for each dimension were decreased for both groups,but those in the experimental group declined more obviously,and the differences were significant (P＜0.05).Conclusion Five elements music combined with acupoint massage can significantly alleviate insomnia for patients with CHD.

Objective To assess the efficacy and safety of dl-3-butylphthalide on the treatment of acute ischemic stroke. Methods A total of 197 patients who were in the period of 72 hours of first attack of ischemic stroke of internal carotid artery with NIHSS from 5 to 25 scores were enrolled in this multi-center, randomized, double-blind and aspirin-control study. Compound " Dan Shen" was used as a baseline therapy. Results Basical recovery plus significant improvement was seen in 74.7% of the patients in dl-3-butylphthalide group and 60.9% in aspirin group (CMH value 4.0,P=0.047);There was a significant improvement for dl-3-butylphthalide group regarding NIHSS total score, total score difference value and Barthel index on the day 11th and 21st after treatment compared with control group. The main adverse reaction of dl-3-butylphthalide was increased aminotransferase and mainly the slight increase of aspartate aminotransferase, by 4.34% and 0 respectively. Conclusion dl-3-butyiphthalide should be regarded as an effective and safe treatment for ischemic stroke and a treatment without severe side effects.

OBJECTIVETo analyze the genetic diversity of wild Rehmannia glutinosa and evaluate and compare random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and inter sample sequence repeat (ISSR) for analysis of R. glutinosa accessions.

METHODTwo molecular markers, RAPD and ISSR were used for analyzing 55 wild R. glutinosa accessions.

RESULTAverage 16.00 and 19.08 bands were amplified by RAPD primers and ISSR primers respectively, and the percentage of polymorphic bands were 89.58% and 94.32% respectively; Fifty-five R. glutinosa accessions categorized into 7 clusters were identified by unweighted pair-group method, arithmetic average (UPGMA) method.

CONCLUSIONA high level of genetic diversity of wild Rehmannia glutinosa was displayed at DNA level, and genetic diversity coefficient of R. glutinosa from different production areas was 0.63-0.98, and ISSR marker can detect higher genetic diversity of R. glutinosa germplasms than RAPD marker.

Genetic Variation ; genetics ; Phylogeny ; Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA Technique ; methods ; Rehmannia ; classification ; genetics

To investigate the prevalence of drug-resistance mutations, resistance to antiretroviral drugs, and the subsequent virological response to therapy in treatment-naive and antiretroviral-treated patients infected with HIV/AIDS in Henan, China, a total of 431 plasma samples were collected in Queshan county between 2003 and 2004, from patients undergoing the antiretroviral regimen Zidovudine + Didanosine + Nevirapine (Azt+Ddi+Nvp). Personal information was collected by face to face interview. Viral load and genotypic drug resistance were tested. Drug resistance mutation data were obtained by analyzing patient-derived sequences through the HIVdb Program (http://hivdb.stanford.edu). Overall, 38.5% of treatment-naive patients had undetectable plasma viral load (VL), the rate significantly increased to 61.9% in 0 to 6 months treatment patients (mean 3 months) (P＜0.005) but again significantly decrease to 38.6% in 6 to 12 months treatment patients (mean 9 months) (P＜0.001) and 40.0% in patients receiving more than 12 months treatment (mean 16 months) (P＜0.005). The prevalence of drug resistance in patients who had a detectable VL and available sequences were 7.0%, 48.6%, 70.8%, 72.3% in treatment-na(1)ve, 0 to 6 months treatment, 6 to 12 months treatment, and treatment for greater than 12 months patients, respectively. No mutation associated with resistance to Protease inhibitor (PI) was detected in this study. Nucleoside RT inhibitor (NRTI) mutations always emerged after non-nucleoside RT inhibitor (NNRTI) mutations, and were only found in patients treated for more than 6 months, with a frequency less than 5%, with the exception of mutation T215Y (12.8%, 6/47) which occurred in patients treated for more than 12 months. NNRTI mutations emerged quickly after therapy begun, and increased significantly in patients treated for more than 6 months (P＜0.005), and the most frequent mutations were K103N, V106A, Y181C, G190A. There had been optimal viral suppression in patients undergoing treatment for less than 6 months in Queshan,Henan. The drug resistance strains were highly prevalent in antiretroviral-treated patients, and increased with the continuation of therapy, with many patients encountering virological failure after 6 months therapy.

OBJECTIVETo analyze the change in nitration tyrosine, NO(2)(-)/NO(3)(-)level in induced sputum of silicosis patients and dust exposure workers and to evaluate the approach and feasibility of nitric oxide (NO) metabolites as early detection indicators of silicosis.

METHODSNitration tyrosine, NO(2)(-)/NO(3)(-)concentration in induced sputum of 80 dust exposure workers, 84 silicosis patients, 30 logistic personnel with no history of exposure to silica dust were determined and the relationship among Nitration tyrosine, NO(2)(-)/NO(3)(-)level and dust exposure years as well as pulmonary function tests were analyzed.

RESULTSNO(2)(-)/NO(3)(-)level among exposed group [60.30 (46.58) micromol/l] was significantly higher than the control group [36.90 (22.28) micromol/l], (P < 0.05), and the level of NO(2)(-)/NO(3)(-)among the cases [79.65 (89.10) micromol/l] was significantly higher than exposed group as well as the control group (P < 0.05). Compared with control, the level of nitration tyrosine in exposed group [3.51 (0.46) nmol/l] and the cases [3.48 (0.49) nmol/l] was significantly higher (P < 0.05). NO(2)(-)/NO(3)(-)level and dust exposure years were positively correlated (r = 0.3733 and 0.3830 respectively P < 0.05); NO(2)(-)/NO(3)(-)level and pulmonary function tests (FVC%, FEV1.0%, PEF%, MEF25%, MEF50%) were negatively correlated (r = 0.1540, 0.1723, 0.1535, 0.1485, 0.1643 respectively, P < 0.05). There was no correlation between nitration tyrosine and dust exposure years (P > 0.05), no correlation between nitration tyrosine and pulmonary function test (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe level of NO(2)(-)/NO(3)(-)level in induced sputum has a positive correlation with exposure to dust, suggesting that there will be a certain feasibility of the NO(2)(-)/NO(3)(-)as indicators of early detection of silicosis.

Adult ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Nitrates ; metabolism ; Nitrites ; metabolism ; Silicosis ; metabolism ; Sputum ; metabolism ; Tyrosine ; metabolism

Objective This study investigated the impact of occupational mercury(Hg)exposure on human gene transcription and expression,and its potential biological mechanisms. Methods Differentially expressed genes related to Hg exposure were identified and validated using gene expression microarray analysis and extended validation.Hg-exposed cell models and PTEN low-expression models were established in vitro using 293T cells.PTEN gene expression was assessed using qRT-PCR,and Western blotting was used to measure PTEN,AKT,and PI3K protein levels.IL-6 expression was determined by ELISA. Results Combined findings from gene expression microarray analysis,bioinformatics,and population expansion validation indicated significant downregulation of the PTEN gene in the high-concentration Hg exposure group.In the Hg-exposed cell model(25 and 10 μmol/L),a significant decrease in PTEN expression was observed,accompanied by a significant increase in PI3K,AKT,and IL-6 expression.Similarly,a low-expression cell model demonstrated that PTEN gene knockdown led to a significant decrease in PTEN protein expression and a substantial increase in PI3K,AKT,and IL-6 levels. Conclusion This is the first study to report that Hg exposure downregulates the PTEN gene,activates the PI3K/AKT regulatory pathway,and increases the expression of inflammatory factors,ultimately resulting in kidney inflammation.

BACKGROUNDMagnifying narrow-band imaging has enabled observation of the mucosal and vascular patterns of gastrointestinal lesions. This study investigated the potential value of magnifying endoscopy with narrow-band imaging for the classification of gastric intraepithelial neoplasia.

METHODSSeventy-six patients with gastric intraepithelial neoplasia (82 lesions) at People's Liberation Army General Hospital from December 2009 to November 2010 were analyzed. All patients underwent magnifying endoscopy with narrow-band imaging, and their lesions were differentiated into probable low-grade intraepithelial neoplasia or possible high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia on the basis of the imaging features. Pathologic proof was subsequently obtained by endoscopic submucosal dissection in every case. The validity of magnifying endoscopy with narrow-band imaging was calculated, considering histopathology to be the gold standard.

RESULTSMagnifying endoscopy with narrow-band imaging showed 22 low-grade intraepithelial neoplastic lesions and 60 high-grade intraepithelial neoplastic lesions. Of the 22 low-grade intraepithelial neoplastic lesions, 16 showed the same results on both imaging and pathology. Of the 60 high-grade intraepithelial neoplastic lesions, 53 showed the same results on both imaging and pathology. Thus, the sensitivity of magnifying endoscopy with narrow-band imaging for high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia was 89.83%, which was higher than that for low-grade intraepithelial neoplasia (69.57%). However, the specificity for high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia (69.57%) was lower than that for low-grade intraepithelial neoplasia (89.83%). The overall accuracy of magnifying endoscopy with narrow-band imaging was 84.15%.

CONCLUSIONSMagnifying endoscopy with narrow-band imaging can distinguish between gastric low- and high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia. It may be a convenient and effective method for the classification of gastric intraepithelial neoplasia.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Carcinoma in Situ ; diagnosis ; Endoscopy ; methods ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Stomach Neoplasms ; diagnosis

OBJECTIVETo study the prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and characteristics on molecular biology related to HCV among patients who were enrolled in a Methadone maintenance clinic in Wuhan.

METHODSSerum samples from 332 injection drug users (IDUs) were obtained and anti-HCV IgG was detected by enzyme linked immunosorbrent assay(ELISA), together with 86 anti-HCV positive specimens genotyped. A reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-nPCR) assay using conserved primers deduced from the core-envelopel (C-E1) region of the HCV genome was employed to amplify a 474 bp fragment. Phylogenetic analysis of the C-E1 sequences was conducted by direct sequencing of the RT-nPCR products and alignment with determined by nucleotide sequencing followed by composition of a phylogenetic tree.

RESULTSThere were 313 cases (94.3%) appeared positive anti-HCV IgG in the 332 patients from a Methadone maintenance clinic in Wuhan. It was demonstrated that there were four different subtypes of HCV in that clinic in Wuhan, including 6a--71 cases (82.5%), 3b--7 cases (8.2%), 1a--5 cases (5.8%) and 1b--3 cases (3.5%).

CONCLUSIONInfection of 6a genotype HCV was predominant in patients from the Methadone maintenance clinic in Wuhan, followed by HCV 3b, 1a and 1b.

Adult ; Antibodies, Viral ; analysis ; China ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Female ; Genotype ; Hepacivirus ; classification ; genetics ; Humans ; Male ; Methadone ; therapeutic use ; Middle Aged ; Phylogeny ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Substance Abuse Treatment Centers ; Substance-Related Disorders ; drug therapy ; rehabilitation ; Young Adult