OBJECTIVETo evaluate the changes of cerebral blood flow (CBF) with real-time contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEU) in a canine model of acute cerebral ischemia.

METHODSCerebral perfusion was assessed in 6 dogs subjected to craniotomy with CEU at the time of 0, 30, 60, 90 and 120 min after occlusion of the left common carotid artery (LCCA). The microvascular volume (A) and blood flow velocity (beta) in the brain were measured from the time-versus-acoustic intensity plots, and the value of Axbeta were calculated. 99mTc-ECD brain single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) was performed on the day before the experiment and at 120 min after LCCA occlusion. The radioactive counts on both sides of the cerebral cortex were calculated.

RESULTSA significant correlation was found between Axbeta from CEU and volume of the blood flow of the CCA from Doppler flowmetry. A, beta and Axbeta values varied significantly between the different time points (P>0.001). The ipsilateral hemisphere showed a low-perfusion state while the contralateral hemisphere showed a high-perfusion state immediately after the occlusion.

CONCLUSIONSThe changes of beta is the main regulation mechanism during acute cerebral ischemia in dogs.

Animals ; Blood Flow Velocity ; Brain ; blood supply ; Brain Ischemia ; diagnostic imaging ; Cerebrovascular Circulation ; Dogs ; Male ; Regional Blood Flow ; Ultrasonography

OBJECTIVETo research the effect of icariin (ICA) on the proliferation and differentiation of bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) and to study its influence on the expressions of transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) and bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) in the progress of BMSCs differentiating into osteoblast, for providing an experimental evidence to explain the mechanism of ICA, also for exploring the feasibility of establishing a platform upon TGF-beta, and BMP-2 to screen out the medicine in preventing and treating osteoporosis.

METHODSAfter the most effective concentration of ICA for promoting the differentiation of BMSCs into osteoblast was judged with the indices like alkaline phosphatase (ALP), etc., a grouped experiment was conducted for the sake of studying the effect and mechanism of ICA in its process of inducing BMSCs differentiation into osteoblast through detecting expression of ALP and calcium nodes, as well as the expressions of TGF-beta1, and BMP-2 with ELISA.

RESULTSThe most effective concentration of the ICA on the BMSCs differentiation was judged as 1 x 10(-9) mol/L, ICA of that concentration showed effects in enhancing the expressions of osteoblast-indices and increasing the secretion of TGF-beta1, and BMP-2. Besides, the increase of TGF-beta1, and BMP-2 was revealed in all the groups, in which ICA showed its influence visibly.

CONCLUSIONICA could promote the differentiation of BMSCs into osteoblast; the up-regulation of TGF-beta1, and BMP-2 expressions is possibly one of the action mechanisms of various interventional drugs in their differentiation promoting progress.

Animals ; Bone Marrow Cells ; cytology ; drug effects ; Bone Morphogenetic Protein 2 ; metabolism ; Cell Differentiation ; drug effects ; Cells, Cultured ; Flavonoids ; pharmacology ; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells ; cytology ; drug effects ; Osteoblasts ; cytology ; Rabbits ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1 ; metabolism ; Up-Regulation

OBJECTIVETo investigate the feasibility of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) transplantation with ultrasound-targeted microbubble destruction.

METHODSTwenty-one Wistar rats were divided into MSCs-iv group (MSCs-iv), ultrasound+MSCs-iv group (US+MSCs-iv), ultrasound+microbubble+MSCs-iv group (US+MB+MSCs-iv) with intravenous MSC transfer, ultrasound and microbubble treatment as indicated. The skeletal muscles were obtained from the rats for microscopic examination with HE staining. The hindlimb gracilis and semimembranosus muscles were sampled 7 days after MSC transplantation, and the transplanted MSCs were detected by immunohistochemistry. The vital organs were collected from rats in US+MB+MSCs-iv group for immunohistochemistry.

RESULTSIn US+MB+MSCs-iv group, HE staining demonstrated the presence of red blood cell leakage into the tissue space in the gracilis and semimembranosus muscles, and immunohistochemistry identified large numbers of transplanted MSCs in the the gracilis and semimembranosus muscles and the spleen, whereas no labeled cells were detected in the skeletal muscles in other groups.

CONCLUSIONUltrasound-targeted microbubble destruction provides a useful means for enhancing the efficiency of stem cell transplantation.

Animals ; Bone Marrow Cells ; cytology ; Cell Movement ; radiation effects ; Female ; Male ; Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation ; methods ; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells ; cytology ; Microbubbles ; Muscle, Skeletal ; cytology ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Ultrasonics

OBJECTIVETo explore the clinical effect of talar neck fractures treated by open reduction and internal fixation with screws.

METHODSAmong 28 cases in the study, 20 cases were males and 8 cases were female. The age ranged from 22 to 72 years with an average of 38 years. Based on the Hawkins classification,there were 6 cases of type I,18 of type I and 4 of type II. They were treated by open reduction and internal fixation with screws.

RESULTSTwenty-eight cases were followed up for 1 to 7 years(mean 2.8 years). The evaluation of the results by Hawkins functional rating scale revealed excellent in 14 cases,good in 9 cases, fair in 3 cases and poor in 2 cases. The excellent and good rate were 83.2%. Osteonecrosis occurred in 5 cases with 3 of type II and 2 of type III fractures. Two of 3 cases with talar displacement were found with osteonecrosis or painful arthritis. The subtalar arthritis occurred in 6 cases, 3 of which were associated with ankle arthritis. Two cases underwent arthrodesis because of painful arthritis of the subtalar joint or osteonecrosis of the talar body. Wound infection and anteromedial skin necrosis of the ankle were not found.

CONCLUSIONTreatment of talar neck fractures could obtain satisfactory clinical results through open reduction and internal fixation with screws. Protection of the residual blood supply, anatomically reduction and stable fixation are essential for successful treatment of talar neck fractures.

Adult ; Aged ; Bone Screws ; Female ; Fracture Fixation, Internal ; methods ; Fractures, Bone ; diagnostic imaging ; surgery ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Radiography ; Talus ; injuries ; surgery

OBJECTIVETo study value of velocity vector imaging (VVI) in assessment of normal left ventricular diastolic function and the corresponding reference values.

METHODSNinety-seven healthy subjects were selected by combined clinical, ultrasound, and NT-proBNP examinations. Using a Siemens Acuson Sequoia C512 echocardiograph, VVI was adopted to examine the myocardial early diastolic velocity (E) of the septal, lateral, anterior, inferior, anterior septum, and posterior wall of the left ventricle at the level of mitral annulus. The images were analyzed for VVI and the mean diastolic velocity (E(m)) and hence the E/E(m) ratio was calculated based on the offline workstation interface.

RESULTSThe reference range of E/E(m) ratio derived from the data of the 97 healthy subjects was (unilateral boundaries with 95% limit) and (1, 22.935), was (1, 22.300) in male subjects and (1, 24.766) in female subjects. The reference E/E(m) range was (0, 22.413) in male subjects under 50 years of age, (1, 24.766) in female subjects under 50 years, (1, 22.300) in male subjects over 50 years, and (1, 24.766) in female subjects over 50 years.

CONCLUSIONVVI is a good method for non-invasive evaluation of the left ventricular diastolic function and provides an accurate and reliable means for clinical assessment of the left ventricular diastolic function.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Blood Flow Velocity ; physiology ; Diastole ; physiology ; Echocardiography ; methods ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Reference Values ; Ventricular Function, Left ; physiology ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of nitroglycerine (NTG) on myocardial oxygen metabolism and regional cardiac function in canine hearts with a stable systemic hemodynamics in situ.

METHODSEight anesthetized open-chest dogs with flow-limited left anterior descending branch of the coronary artery or left circumflex artery (LCx) stenosis were studied. The percentage of ventricular wall thickening (%WT) was measured with quantitative two-dimensional echocardiography (2DE), myocardial blood flow (MBF) with radiolabeled microspheres and tissue oxygen pressure (tPO(2).) with oxygen-dependent quenching of phosphorescence. 2DE was performed and radiolabeled microspheres and Pd-porphyrin injected in the dogs at rest during intracoronary infusion of 0.3-0.6 mg x kg(-1) x min(-1) of NTG. Myocardial oxygen consumption (MVO(2), ml x min(-1) x 100 g(-1)) was calculated as the multiplication product between the arterio-venous oxygen content difference and MBF, and myocardial O(2) delivery as the product between arterial oxygen content and MBF.

RESULTSAs compared with the baseline, NTG increased %WT and MBF significantly in both normal and ischemic beds (P<0.05). There was a significant increase in MVO(2) during NTG infusion in the ischemic bed (P<0.05) in comparison with that measured at rest. NTG, however, significantly increased the ability of myocardial O(2) delivery in both normal and ischemic beds (P<0.05), therefore tPO(2) was still higher in the ischemic bed during NTG infusion than that at rest (P<0.05). The percentage increment in tPO(2) was significantly greater in the ischemic bed than percentage MBF increment.

CONCLUSIONSNTG enhances myocardial oxygen concentration in normal and ischemic myocardium and may increase oxygen release to the ischemic myocardium in vivo. NTG may have a positive inotropic effect on regional cardiac function. In addition to direct effect on vascular tone, NTG plays important roles in the cardiovascular system by modulating myocardial oxygen metabolism and contractile function.

Animals ; Dogs ; Echocardiography ; Hemodynamics ; Myocardium ; metabolism ; Nitroglycerin ; pharmacology ; Oxygen Consumption ; drug effects

Stenotrophomonas maltophilia is a gram-negative bacillus which widely exists in natural and hospital environment, and it is also one of the common opportunistic pathogens in clinical settings. The virulence and pathogenicity of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia are weak, however, due to resistance to a variety of antibacterial drugs, it can cause bloodstream infections or pneumonia in immunocompromised or critically ill patients, leading to poor prognosis. Moreover, the inherent drug resistance and increasing acquired drug resistance may make the treatment of the first line antibiotics, like trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole or quinolone ineffective. Therefore, it is important to understand the drug resistance mechanism and the main countermeasures for it. In this article, the research progress on drug resistance mechanism and treatment for Stenotrophomonas maltophilia are reviewed.

OBJECTIVETo study single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of all the coding region in ABCA1 gene in 112 patients with coronary heart diseases.

METHODSWith polymerase chain reaction-single-strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) combining argentation and glue retrieval, DNA sequencing, and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP), the SNP of the 50 exons in all the coding regions of ABCA1 gene was detected in 112 patients with established diagnosis of coronary heart disease.

RESULTSIn the Chinese population with coronary heart disease, besides the SNP variation at R219K and M883I as widely reported, a new single base variation at A1092G in exon 7 was detected, which led to a conversion of the amino-side residue to M223V. This variation was confirmed to represent a novel SNP by RFLP in 108 normal subjects.

CONCLUSIONSThe Chinese population with coronary heart disease has not only the reported SNP changes at the sites R219K and M883I, but also changes at the new SNP site of M233V, which is discovered for the first time in M233V of ABCA1 gene. This variation may increase the risks for coronary heart diseases, and its exact function awaits examination in further epidemiologic survey.

ATP Binding Cassette Transporter 1 ; ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters ; genetics ; Adult ; Aged ; Base Sequence ; Coronary Disease ; genetics ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Open Reading Frames ; genetics ; Point Mutation ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Polymorphism, Single-Stranded Conformational ; Sequence Analysis, DNA

OBJECTIVETo investigate surgical procedure and clinical effects for the treatment of patellofemoral osteoarthritis (PFOA) with arthroscopic patelloplasty and circumpatellar denervation.

METHODSTotally 156 patients with PFOA (62 males and 94 females; aged from 45 to 61 years old with an average of 52) were treated from September 2011 and March 2013. The clinical manifestations included recurrent swelling and pains on knee-joint,and aggravated pains upon going up/down-stairs, squatting-down, or standing-up. PFOAs were treated with arthroscopic patelloplasty and circumpatellar denervation. The therapeutic effects before and after surgery were evaluated by Lysholm scores and Kujala scores. The therapeutic effects were graded by classification of cartilage injury degrees.

RESULTSTotally 149 cases were successfully followed up for 14.8 months. The incisions were healed well and no complication were occurred. Lysholm score was improved from 73.29 preoperatively to 80.93 postoperatively and average Kajala score from 68.34 preoperatively to 76.48 after surgery. This procedure was highly effective for patients with I - III degree cartilage injury, while not for patients with IV degree cartilage injury.

CONCLUSIONFor PFOA patients, arthroscopic patelloplasty and circumpatellar denervation is effective for significantly relieving anterior knee pains, improving knee-joint functions and quality of life, and deferring arthritic procession.

Arthroscopy ; Denervation ; Female ; Humans ; Knee Joint ; innervation ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Osteoarthritis, Knee ; physiopathology ; surgery ; Range of Motion, Articular ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the effects of polyethylene oxide (PEO) on blood perfusion in hind limb skeletal muscles in a rat model of chronic hind limb ischemia.

METHDOSTwelve rat models of chronic hind limb ischemia established by unilateral femoral artery ligation were randomized into PEO and control groups (n=6) and treated with intravenous infusion of PEO and saline through the internal jugular vein every other day for 2 weeks. Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography was performed after the treatments to evaluate the blood flow in the skeletal muscles at different time points and blood flow reserve in the ischemic hind limbs on day 28.

RESULTSStarting from 7 days after femoral artery ligation, blood flow in the ischemic hind limb skeletal muscles was significantly higher in PEO group than in the control group (P<0.05). On day 28, blood flow reserve in the ischemic hind limb was significantly higher (P=0.012), and blood volume was significantly increased in PEO group as compared that in the control group (P=0.024).

CONCLUSIONSPEO can increase blood flow, blood flow reserve and vascular volume in the hind limb skeletal muscles in rats with chronic hind limb ischemia, suggesting that PEO can promote angiogenesis and arterial formation by increasing blood flow shear stress to improve blood supply of ischemic hind limbs.