Objective To evaluate the left ventricular mechanical dyssynchrony in patients with chronic heart failure(CHF)by two dimensional speckle tracking imaging(2D-STI).Methods 37 CHF patients were enrolled in this study.According to left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF),the patienst were classified into two subgroups:group A,LVEF≤ 35 ％;group B,35 ％＜LVEF＜50 ％.35 healthy volunteers constituted the control group(group C).Standard 2D images were acquired in the 2-,3-and 4-apical views as well as the parasternal short-axis views at the level of the mitral valve and papillary muscles.The time to peak-systolic strain and strain rate were measured for each segment in the level of the mitral valve and papillary muscles in Qlab software.Dyssychrony parameters were defined as the standard deviation and the maximal time delay of the time to peak-systolic strain and strain rate for 12 segments.Parameters were compared among the three groups respectively.The correlation between dyssynchrony parameters and LVEF were analysed in CHF patients.The cut-off value of each parameter were derived from group C based on statistical principles.Dyssychrony rate of each parameter were calculated in group A and B,and compared within each group respectively.Results Compared with group C,all the dyssychrony parameters in group A were significant higher(P＜0.05),and part of the parameters(Tsl-12SD,Tsl-12Dif,Tslr-12SD,Tslr-12Dif and Tsr-12SD)in group B were remarkable higher(P＜0.05).Dyssychrony parameters in CHF patients correlated closely with LVEF(P＜0.05).Significant differences among dyssychrony rates were noted in both group A and B(P＜0.05),and Ts1-12SD showed the highest value in both subgroups.Conclusions 2D-STI is useful in quantifying left ventricular systolic dyssychrony in CHF patients,and the longitudinal parameters are more efficient to detect mechanical dyssychrony than the radial parameters and circumferential parameters.

Objective To study the inhibition of iron-dependent lipid peroxidation(IDLPO)by apigenin on rat cerebral homogenate in vitro and to evaluate the neuroprotective effects of apigenin on acute transient focal cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats.Methods In vitro IDLPO on rat cerebral homogenate was induced with ferrous sulfate,the incubation mixture was observed at three various concentration of apigenin and deferoxamine(DFX),and malondialdehyde(MDA)level was assayed by the 2-thiobarbituric acid(TBA)test.In vivo,the transient focal cerebral ischemia-reperfusion model in rats was established with insertion of thread embolish into middle cerebral artery.In experiment groups the neurological behavior scores,TTC stain of brain slices,and neurocyte morphology were observed.The homogenate of left hemisphere was collected for investigating the effect of apigenin on content of MDA and activity of superoxide dismutase(SOD)in 24,48,and 72 h.Results MDA was reduced in three various concentration of apigenin on rat cerebral homogenate(P0.05).In vivo,abnormal neurological behavior scores existed and typical cortical infarct lesions were found by TTC stain in both apigenin and model groups.An obvious intracellular and intercellular edema and vacuolization were found in the cerebral cortexes and hippocampuses in model group.There was karyopycnosis in glias and neurons.However lesion was alleviated in apigenin group.The MDA contents in both apigenin and model groups were increased greatly compared to ones of Sham-operated group,respectively(P

Objective To investigate the effect of “Shuangguyitong acupuncture therapy on serum interleukin-6 of streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetic rats. Methods Among seventy-three 180～220 g Wistar rats, thirteen were assigned as normal control group (group A) and sixty were induced diabetes by injecting STZ into celiac cavity. The diabetic rats were randomly divided into model group(group B), “Yitong” treatment group (group C), “Shuangguyitong” acupuncture group (group D) and common acupuncture group (group E). After two courses of treatment, serum IL-6 was tested by radioimmunoassay (RIA) . The blood glucose was measured by sugar equipment. Results The high blood glucose of the diabetic rats were lowered significantly in group D and E (P

Objective To evaluate the right ventricular function in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) after cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) by 2-dimensional speckle imaging (2D-STI).Methods 46 patients with CHF were divided into responders to CRT and non-responders to CRT according the standard of a decline in LV end-systolic volume ≥ 10％.All the patients received echocardiography examination 1-3 days before CRT and 6 month after CRT.Tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) indices included SD of time to peak velocity in systole (Ts-SD) among 12 segments.Right ventricular diameters included RV basal transverse diameter (D1),RV middle transverse diameter (D2) and RV longitudinal diameter (D3) in apical four views.2D-STI indices included systolic strain (S) and stain rate (SR) of basal or middle segment of RV free wall.Results Compared with before CRT,LVEDd,LVEDV,LVESV and Ts-SD significantly decreased,LVEF significantly increased in responders 6 months after CRT.Before CRT,compared with nonresponders,there was no significant difference of D1,D2 and D3 in responders,while S and SR in basal or middle segment of RV free wall were higher than non-responders.Compared with before CRT,D1,D2 and D3 in responders decreased significantly,S and SR in basal or middle segment of RV free wall increased significantly,while there was no difference in non-responders.There were significant negative correlation between S and SR in basal or middle segment of RV free wall and Ts-SD in responders.Conclusions The remodeling and systolic function of RV are improved after CRT.It may help for improving the efficacy of CRT when takes RV function data into account before CRT.

Objective To evaluate the diastolic function in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) after cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) by conventional echocardiography or Doppler tissue imaging (TDI).Methods 31 patients with CHF were divided into responders to CRT (group R) and nonresponders to CRT (group N) according the standard of a decline in left ventricular(LV) end-systolic volume ≥10％.All the patients received echocardiography examination 1-3 days before CRT and 6 month after CRT.Color M-mode echocardiography indices included Vp,E/Vp.TDI indices included the peak velocity in early diastole (e) at 4 sites of mitral annulus,E/e,time to peak velocity in systole (Ts),Ts-SD and maximum difference of Ts (Ts-Dif) among 12 segments.Results Compared with before CRT,Ts-SD and Ts-Dif significantly shortened in group R;Vp increased significantly,E/e at each 4 site and mean value at 4 sites of mitral annulus,E/Vp decreased significantly; but there were no significant difference in group N.There were significant positive correlation between mean value at 4 sites of E/e,E/Vp and Ts-SD in group R.Conclusions The diastolic function in responders to CRT improved after CRT,which was associated with the decreased LV filling pressure and improved LV relaxation.

Objective Genetic variants in microRNA (miRNA) binding regions of the gene 3′untranslated region (3′UTR) can affect the regulation of gene expression .The aim of this study was to predict insulin like growth factor 2 receptor (IGF2R) 3′UTR variants and to test their effects on IGF2R gene expression by bioinformatic analysis . Methods Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with minor allele frequency (MAF) in the IGF2R gene 3′UTR were obtained from online databases .The frequency distribution of all the selected IGF2R 3′UTR variants genotypes among the different populations and the linkage disequilibrium ( LD) values of all SNPs were calculated .Additionally , the potential miRNA binding sites were also predicted with the help of online bioinformatic tool . Finally, correlation analysis of the mRNA expression of IGF 2R genotype and different variant genotypes in the lymphoblastoid cell lines was performed. Results In total, 33 SNPs were reported in the 3′UTR, of which only five SNPs (rs8191959, rs200237825, rs3832385, rs201568808, rs1050015) had available minor allele frequency (MAF) values ( >0.05).And only the effect of rs1050015 variant on IGF2R mRNA expression level had significant difference (P=0.010). Conclusion The expression of IGF2R gene can be up-regulated by rs10500105 variant in the 3′UTR, which might support its use as markers of cancer risk and individualized treatment.

Objectives To explore the effect of application of uridine diphosphate-glucose (UDP-glucose) on self-repairment potentiality of immature white matter (WM) in vivo. Methods Five-day-old rats were randomly divided into sham, periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) and UDP-glucose groups. The PVL model was constructed in the PVL and UDP groups, and UDP-glucose (2000mg/kg) was induced by an intraperitoneal injection at once to the rats of UDP group. PVL in-duced proliferation and differentiation of WM-glial progenitor cells invivo were detected by using the three-label lfuorescent immunoanalysis, the apopotosis in WM cell was observed by TUNEL test, and the pathology of WM and myelination were evaluated by light and electron microscopy at day 7 and day 21 after PVL model construction. Results The numbers of new WM-progenitors (NG2+), oligodendrocytes (OLs) progenitor marker (O4+), OL precursors, cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase (CNPase+), immature OLs and myelin basic protein (MBP+), and mature OLs in the UDP-glucose group are signiifcantly grea-ter than those in the PVL group at each time interval after induction of PVL (P<0.05). The numbers of the apoptotic cells in UDP-glucose group are less than those in the PVL groups. Under light and electron microscopy, the white matter pathological changes and myelination were found to be better than those in the PVL group (P<0.05). Conclusion The application of UDP-glucose can induce the WM-progenitors to activate, proliferate and differentiate into immature and mature OLs. UDP-glucose can also signiifcantly reduce the apoptotic rate of the WM-new glia cells;improve the white matter pathological changes and the myelin formation.

BACKGROUND: According to the thought "prevention of diseases", a conception of "strengthening the vital by acupuncture preconditioning (AP)" is suggested recently.OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of brain tissue extract after AP on cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury.DESIGN: Random control experiment.SETTING: Institute of Acupuncture & Moxibustion and Massage, and Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Hubei College of Traditional Chinese Medicine.MATERIALS: Totally 102 adult Wistar rats were selected during the experiment, which was completed in the Institute of Acupuncture & Moxibustion and Massage of Hubei College of Traditional Chinese Medicine from September 2003 to July 2004. Among them, 20 rats were used to prepare cerebral tissue extract, and another 82 were used in the subsequent experiment.METHODS: The brain tissue extract was obtained from the rats which were given electroacupuncture at Shenshu (BL-23) and Baihui (DU-20).Totally 82 rats were randomly divided into 6 groups. Five rats in blank control group were taken as blank control, 15 in sham-operation control group were performed with sham operation, 16 in cerebral ischemia-reperfusion control group with cerebral ischemia-reperfusion, 16 in saline control group with the injection of saline intravenously firstly and then cerebral ischemia-reperfusion modeling, 15 in normal cerebral tissue extract control group with the injection of normal cerebral tissue extract intravenously firstly and then cerebral ischemia-reperfusion modeling, and 15 in AP cerebral tissue extract group with the injection of cerebral tissue extract intravenously firstly and then cerebral ischemia-reperfusion modeling.Intravenous injection was performed 2 hours and 1 hour before cerebral ischemic modeling, and each rat was injected twice with 1 mL/time. Brain tissue of the rats was taken ont 1, 3, 7 days after reperfusion respectively (or each group was divided into 3 subgroups with 5 rats in each) except those in blank control group. The blain tissue of rat in each group was selected at the relevant time points, and embedded with paraffin and cut into pieces. Cerebral histopathology was observed under the light scope (× 400)and the survival neurons were counted whose area was layer y of region Ⅰ in parietal cortex (inner cone).cortex.RESULTS: Two rats died during the experiment in cerebral ischemiareperfusion control group and saline control group respectively. Another Except blank control group and sham operation group, the brain sections of different time points in other groups showed scattering ischemic anoxic Count of survival neurons in layer Ⅴ of area I in parietal cortex: One day after reperfusion, survival nerve density of the brain ischemic reperfusion model group [(338.8±31.2)/mm2] was significantly lower than that of blank control group [(753.4±60.8)/mm2] (F=129.36, P ＜ 0.05); degeneration of the nerves became worse after reperfusion for 3 days and 7 days, but with no significant difference (F=1.76, P ＞ 0.05). There was no significant difference between the saline control group, normal brain tissue extract group and brain ischemic reperfusion model group at different time points (F=1.76, P ＞ 0.05). Survival neuron density in group of brain tissue extract after AP at the three time points was significantly higher than that in brain ischemic reperfusion model group [(438.1±41.0), (338.8±31.2)/mm2,(296.4±27.1), (124.8±13.4)/mm2; (269.5±30.4), (1.324±0.157)/mm2;F=129.36, P ＜ 0.05].CONCLUSION: Injection of the brain tissue extract after AP at Shenshu (BL-23) and Baihui (DU-20) into the celiac cavity of rats could obviously reduce the subsequent neuron loss induced by brain isehemia-reperfusion and protect brain from ischemia-reperfusion injury.

Objective To observe the effect of apigenin on the recovery of neurological function following cerebral ischemia-reperfusion and investigate its mechanism. Methods Ninety male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized into a sham-operated group, a model group and an apigenin-treated group. A transient ( 1.5 h) focal cerebral ischemia-reperfu-sion model was established in the rats of the model and apigenin-treated groups. In the sham-operated rats the middle cere-bral artery was not occluded. The rats in the apigenin-treated group received an intra-abdominal injection of apigenin, and the rats in the other two groups received injections of normal saline solution. Neurological behavior scores were assessed in accordance with the Zea Longa method at the 24th, 48th and 72nd hour and the 7th day after reperfusion. Cellular and sub-cellular morphology were observed with an optical microscope and an electron microscope, and the levels of TNF-α and IL-1β were measured using ELISA. Results Neurological function improved by the 7th day after reperfusion in the model group, but improved significantly by the 72nd hour after reperfusion in the apigenin-treated group. Average TNF-α and IL-1β levels in the model group and the apigenin-treated group were significantly higher than in the sham-operated group. Av-erage TNF-α and IL-1β levels in the apigenin-treated group were significantly lower than in the model group at the 48th and 72nd hour after reperfusion. Neurological behavior scores had a positive correlation with the IL-1β and TNF-α levels. In the model group, obvious intracellular and intercellular edema and vacuolization were observed in the ischemic cortices and hippocampuses, with remarkable karyopycnosis and organelle broadening and dissolution and vacuolization in glial cells and neurons. In the apigenin-treated group, similar but significantly milder morphological changes were observed. Conclusion Apigenin can promote the recovery of neurological function in rats by downregulating the expression of TNF-α and IL-1βfollowing focal cerebral ischemia-reperfusion.

Objective To investigate the dynamic variation of flavonoids contents in the flowers of Citrus grandis at different flowering periods. Methods The content of total flavonoids in the flowers of Citrus grandis was determined by means of ultraviolet-visible absorption spectroscopy ,and the contents of naringin and rhoifolin were determined by HPLC. Results The content of total flavonoids in the flowers during the flower withering period ,the young fruit period ,the blossom period,and the budding period was 306.90 mg.g-1,277.93 mg.g-1,215.55 mg.g-1 and 162.74 mg.g-1 respectively. The naringin content during the above four different periods was 246.31 mg.g-1,213.93 mg.g-1,175.94 mg.g-1 and 130.90 mg.g-1 respectively. The rhoifolin content during the four periods was unchanged. Conclusion The contents of total flavonoids and naringin in flowers of Citrus grandis during flower withering period are the highest.