BACKGROUND:A lot of work has been carried out on the development of the primary cultured rat myocardial cel s at home and abroad. The primary culture technology of rat myocardial cel s becomes more mature, but myocardial cel s from neonatal mice are not easy to be obtained under the same experimental conditions. The mouse genome has more similarities with the human genome, which has a higher research value. OBJECTIVE:To improve the primary culture method of neonatal mouse myocardial cel s, and to obtain myocardial cel s with high purity, vitality and original structure and function. METHODS:The mouse cardiac tissues were treated using an enzyme digestion method to isolate isolated single myocardial cel s:first, the cardiac tissues were digested using trypsin, and then col agenous fibers were treated with col agenase to isolate single myocardial cel s. The concentration and action time of trypsin and type II col agenase were adjusted, and the pH values of reagents and temperature of each step were strictly control ed. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:At 24 hours after inoculation, the myocardial cel s began to be adherent;at 48 hours, independent pulsation of myocardial cel s could be observed;at 72 hours, myocardial cel s were cross-linked;and at 96 hours, myocardial cel s formed cel clusters and presented with consistent beating. The survival rate and purity of myocardial cel s were both over 95%. This modified method could successful y culture myocardial cel s with high purity and viablility from neonatal mice, and the structure and function of myocardial cel s could be retained. Therefore, it is a feasible culture method.

OBJECTIVETo explore the association between polymorphism in the ACE I/D gene and blood pressure-lowering response to hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) in 829 patients.

METHODSHCTZ 12.5 mg was taken once a day for six weeks. The blood pressure reduction and ratio reaching target blood pressure were compared in different ACE genotype groups.

RESULTSThe reduction in SBP of patients carrying DD was greater than that in other groups carrying II or ID (12.2 mmHg versus 5.4 mmHg, 12.2 mmHg versus 4.4 mmHg, respectively, P<0.05). The reduction in MAP of patients carrying DD was also greater than that in other groups carrying II or ID (6.9 mmHg versus 3.9 mmHg, 6.9 mmHg versus 3.6 mmHg, respectively, P<0.05). The ratio reaching target blood pressure in DD groups was significantly higher than that in II or ID groups (P<0.05). The pre-treatment SBP, DD genotype, aldosterone levels entered the multi-linear regression model significantly and might affect the reduction of SBP. The pre-treatment DBP, aldosterone levels, DD genotype entered the multi-linear regression model significantly and might affect the reduction of DBP. The pre-treatment MAP, DD genotype, aldosterone levels entered the multi-linear regression model significantly and might affect the reduction of MAP.

CONCLUSIONACE genotyping is associated with blood pressure-lowering response to HCTZ. Specific genotypes might be associated with the response to specific antihypertensive treatment.

Aged ; Alleles ; Antihypertensive Agents ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Genotype ; Humans ; Hydrochlorothiazide ; therapeutic use ; Hypertension ; drug therapy ; genetics ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo estimate the effectiveness of inactivated influenza vaccine in elderly population.

METHODSAn quasi-experimental study was used. 590 elderly people who volunteered to receive the influenza vaccine were served as vaccine group, while 602 persons who did not want to receive the inoculation but could match the vaccine group were served as controls. One baseline and three follow-up surveys were carried out.

RESULTSThe protective rates of influenza like ill (ILI) as 52.38%, 36.84% and 37.89% with the decreasing rates of visits to ILI clinic as 45.16%, 50.54% and 50.54% were found after 1 month, 3 month and 6 month of inoculation of influenza vaccine; The protective rates of common cold, other respiratory tract or chronic disease were 49.54%, 64.54%, and 38.82%, respectively. The benefit-cost ratio was 4.98:1 in elderly population.

CONCLUSIONInfluenza vaccination could decrease ILI incidence and recurrence rates of related chronic diseases on elderly population to provide better economic benefits for the elderly.

Aged ; China ; epidemiology ; Cost-Benefit Analysis ; Female ; Humans ; Influenza Vaccines ; economics ; immunology ; Influenza, Human ; epidemiology ; prevention & control ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Vaccination

BACKGROUNDThe risk of clinical deterioration still exists in the acute phase despite the fact that patients with minor stroke may display less severe symptoms. The impact of this clinical deterioration on long-term outcomes is unknown. We characterized the clinical features of neurological deterioration (ND) in the acute phase of minor ischemic stroke (MIS) and investigated its impact on mid- and long-term outcomes.

METHODSThis was a multi-centered, prospective clinical study involving patients with MIS (the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, NIHSS ≤3) recruited from the China National Stroke Registry. Patients were included who had been hospitalized within 24 hours of stroke onset. Baseline characteristics, complication rates during hospitalization, etiology of stroke, as well as 3-, 6-, and 12-month post-stroke outcomes were compared between patients with and without ND during the acute phase.

RESULTSA number of 368 (15.2%) out of 2424 patients included in the study exhibited ND in the acute phase. Compared to patients without ND, patients with ND had longer hospital stay, increased rate of baseline diabetes, and multiple complications. Multivariate Logistic regression indicated that ND in acute phase was an independent factor predictive of increased dependence (adjusted odds ratio = 5.20, 95% CI, 3.51-7.70, P < 0.001) at 12-month post-stroke.

CONCLUSIONSThe risk of ND in the acute phase is high in patients with MIS. ND in the acute phase is an independent predictor for poor outcomes at 12 months post-stroke onset.

Aged ; China ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nervous System Diseases ; etiology ; physiopathology ; Prognosis ; Prospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Stroke ; complications ; pathology

OBJECTIVETo summarize lessons learned from an outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in China during the spring of 2004.

METHODSData of SARS cases were officially reported by Beijing Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention (BCDC) and Anhui Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention (APCDC) and results of epidemiological investigations were collected and analyzed.

RESULTSThree generations of 11 cases of SARS were identified during the outbreak. Initial two cases were most likely to be infected in Diarrhea Virus Laboratory of National Institute of Virology, China Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and main mode of transmission was direct contact with SARS patients. Delay in detecting initial case resulted in spread of the illness at hospitals and communities with two generations of secondary cases.

CONCLUSIONSSARS outbreak in 2004 has yielded following lessons for public health globally. (1) Lab bio-safety programs should be made and should be strictly abided by. Studies in highly pathogenic viruses such as SARS coronavirus should be utmost cautious. (2) Management systems of occupational exposure to virus and disease surveillance need to be strengthened to take all risk factors into account so as to detect potential patients with infectious disease as early as possible.

China ; epidemiology ; Disease Outbreaks ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Occupational Exposure ; prevention & control ; Occupational Health ; Retrospective Studies ; Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ; epidemiology ; prevention & control ; transmission

OBJECTIVETo describe the case fatality rate of SARS in Beijing.

METHODSData of SARS cases notified from Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention (BCDC) and supplemented by other channels were collected. The data were analyzed by rate calculation.

RESULTSThe case fatality rate of SARS in Beijing was 7.66%, and had an ascending trend while the age of cases was getting older, and a descending trend while the epidemic development. The case fatality rate in Beijing was lower than that in other main epidemic countries or regions.

CONCLUSIONSThe risk of death increases with the increment of age of SARS patients. Beijing is successful in controlling and treating SARS.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Age Factors ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Occupations ; Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ; mortality

OBJECTIVETo investigate the risk factors of road injury.

METHODSCase-control study was used. From November 2001 to August 2002, 406 drivers who had 438 drivers who had not experienced a motor vehicle crash in Huanggu district, Shenyang city were recruited by randomly selection on time of day, day of week and site in the same period at same district. Face to face interviews with drivers were conducted according to a highly structured questionnaire covering the circumstances of the current trip, usual behavior and background characteristics of the drivers and the condition of motor vehicles. Stanford sleepiness scale and Epworth sleepiness scale were used to quantify acute and chronic sleepiness respectively.

RESULTSIncreased risk was associated with drivers who identified themselves as having chronic doziness (OR = 1.98, 95% CI: 1.26 - 3.12). Increase in risk was associated with measures of acute tiredness, but without statistical significance (OR = 2.38, 95% CI: 0.89 - 6.31). Comparing to permanent daytime work pattern, rotating shifts or permanent night-work pattern increased the risk of crash (OR = 2.09, 95% CI: 1.48 - 2.94). The risk of motor vehicle crash among the drivers who drank alcohol in the previous 6 hours was 3.59 times (95% CI: 1.13 - 11.39) of those drivers who did not drink. Driving violations also contributed to the increased risk of crash (OR = 1.73, 95% CI: 1.22 - 2.46).

CONCLUSIONFactors as chronic doziness, rotating shifts or permanent night-work pattern, driving under alcohol impairment, violation of motor vehicle regulation all significantly increased the risk of road injury. Acute sleepiness might serve as a potential risk factor for road injury.

Accidents, Traffic ; Adult ; Automobile Driving ; Case-Control Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Risk Factors

OBJECTIVEThe present study describes an improved in vitro culture method for obtaining high purity, vital and fully functional cardiomyocytes from neonatal rat.

METHODSAfter cutting ventricular tissue with improved method, ventricular tissues were digested with low concentrations of trypsin overnight at 4 °C, and then underwent collagenase II digestion. Thereafter, cardiomyocytes were purified by combined differential adhesion and chemical inhibition methods.

RESULTSAdherent cardiomyocytes were seen at 12 h after culture, spontaneously beating cardiomyocytes were observed at 24 h after culture, crosslinked cardiomyocytes were found at 48 h after culture, adhesion clustered cardiomyocytes were seen at 72 h after culture, dense network formed from inter-connected was evidenced together with radial arranged cell clusters and cell pseudopodia 96 h the mutual contact woven into and formed radically ordering cell clusters and island-like beating cardiomyocytes at 96 h after culture. The cell survival rate and purity were more than 98%.

CONCLUSIONFully functional spontaneous beating cardiomyocytes can be obtained by the use of this improved primary neonatal rat cardiomyocytes culture method.

Animals ; Animals, Newborn ; Cells, Cultured ; Myocytes, Cardiac ; cytology ; Primary Cell Culture ; methods ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

OBJECTIVETo estimate the association of driver sleepiness with the risk of car crashes.

METHODSA population-based case-control study was conducted in Shenyang, a northeastern city in China, between November 2001 and July 2002. The case group comprised 406 car drivers involved in crashes, and 438 car drivers recruited at randomly selected sites, and on the day of week, and the time of day when they were driving on highways in the study region during the study period were used as control groups. Face-to-face interviews with drivers were conducted according to a well-structured questionnaire covering the circumstances of their current trip and their background information. Stanford sleepiness scale and Epworth sleepiness scale were used to quantify acute sleepiness and chronic sleepiness respectively.

RESULTSThere was a strong association between chronic sleepiness and the risk of car crash. Significantly increased risk of crash was associated with drivers who identified themselves as sleepy (Epworth sleepiness score > or = 10 vs < 10; adjusted odds ratio 2.07, 95% confidence interval 1.30 to 3.29), but no increased risk was associated with measures of acute sleepiness.

CONCLUSIONSChronic sleepiness in car drivers significantly increases the risk of car crash. Reductions in road traffic injuries may be achieved if fewer people drive when they are sleepy.

Accidents, Traffic ; Adult ; Aged ; Automobile Driving ; Case-Control Studies ; China ; Fatigue ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Odds Ratio ; Risk Factors ; Sleep ; Urban Population

OBJECTIVETo explore the risk factors for Guillain-Barre syndrome.

METHODSCase-control study design was used in 51 cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome, and 51 matched controls. All of the 51 cases in this study had been examined by electrophysiology. Serum IgG antibodies specific for C. jejuni were determined in all the subjects by ELISA. Each case and control were interviewed using an ad hoc questionnaire, including his/her demographic information, onset of the illness, their personal hygiene and so on.

RESULTSThe study showed that Guillain-Barre syndrome was associated with a few factors, such as polio vaccine immunization before onset of illness (OR=7.27), no hand washing after defecation and before meals (OR=6.15). Infection of C. jejuni was strongly associated with the illness (OR=9.5, P<0.001).

CONCLUSIONIt is suggested that occurrence of Guillain-Barre syndrome may correlate to infection of C. jejuni and poor personal hygiene in children.

Adolescent ; Campylobacter Infections ; complications ; Campylobacter jejuni ; pathogenicity ; Case-Control Studies ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Guillain-Barre Syndrome ; epidemiology ; etiology ; microbiology ; Hand Disinfection ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; analysis ; Infant ; Male ; Poliovirus Vaccines ; adverse effects ; Risk Factors