Objective To investigate the effects of Donglian Capsule(the combination of Ophiopogonis Tuber Polysaccharide with Rhizoma Coptidis Alkaloids, OPRA for short, Component of Chinese medicine)on early insulin resistance in experimental diabetic rats. Methods The animal model of insulin resistance in 2 type diabetic was established by injecting low dose of STZ in 60 high fat-fed SD rats. After one week, the successful models were randomly divided into 4 groups: untreated, high and low OPRA-treated, mefformin-treated group, Meanwhile, a normal control group was designed. After four weeks, the differences of FBG, PG, INS and C-P were compared among the groups. Results The OPRA can significantly reduced the level of serum TC and FBG, increased the C-E ]Lightened the IRI(P<0.01). Conclusion The OPRA can reduce the level of serum TG and FBG, and decrease insulin resistance to protect the β-cell function.

Objective To evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of optical coherence tomography (OCT) in interventional diagnosis and treatment of borderline coronary artery disease. Methods Sixteen 40%-70% angiographically stenotic lesions from 15 patients were enrolled in the current study. Intravascular OCT was applied to each lesion after informed consent was obtained to evaluate stenosis percentage, size of lipid core, thickness of fibrous cap, existence of plaque rupture, and presence of thrombosis or calcification. Therapeutic strategies were made according to OCT outcomes as well as clinical symptoms and electrocardiographic changes. Stent coverage, apposition, and tissue prolapse between stent struts were determined in the patients undertaken percutaneous coronary intervention(PCI). Results Qualitative OCT images were obtained in 14 lesions. Ten lesions were greater than 50% stenosis, with large lipid core and fibrous cap thinner than 65 ?m, and plaque ruptures were noted in 2 of the lesions. PCI were performed in these 10 lesions. Two lesions underwent predilatation and significant intima tearings and dissections were detected with OCT. Repeated OCT after stent implantation showed complete coverage in all 10 lesions. Focal incomplete apposition were noted in 2 lesions. Significant tissue prolapse occurred in 3 lesions and segmental incomplete deployment of stent in 2 lesions. The remaining 4 lesions had small lipid cores, thick fibrous caps but with no plaque ruptures, thus PCI was not performed. Conclusion Intracoronary OCT is an effective tool to determine features of coronary lesions. It plays an important role in diagnosis of vulnerable lesions, strategy-making in treating borderline coronary artery disease and evaluation of immediate result of PCI.

Peripheral artery disease is a cardiovascular risk factor. Exercise training may benefit patients with peripheral artery disease from preserving or improving functional capacity and reducing cardiovascular events. Accordingly, this article reviewed the effects of exercise training on peripheral artery disease, and the possible mechanisms

Voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs) are known to be involved in the initiation and progression of many malignancies, and the different subtypes of VGSCs play important roles in the metastasis cascade of many tumors. This study investigated the functional expression of Nav1.5 and its effect on invasion behavior of human breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231. The mRNA and protein expression of Nav1.5 was detected by real time PCR, Western Blot and immunofluorescence. The effects of Nav1.5 on cell proliferation, migration and invasion were respectively assessed by MTT and Transwell. The effects of Nav1.5 on the secretion of matrix metalloproteases (MMPs) by MDA-MB-231 were analyzed by RT-PCR. The over-expressed Nav1.5 was present on the membrane of MDA-MB-231 cells. The invasion ability in vitro and the MMP-9 mRNA expression were respectively decreased to (47.82+/-0.53)% and (43.97+/-0.64)% (P<0.05) respectively in MDA-MB-231 cells treated with VGSCs specific inhibitor tetrodotoxin (TTX) by blocking Nav1.5 activity. It was concluded that Nav1.5 functional expression potentiated the invasive behavior of human breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231 by increasing the secretion of MMP-9.

Hepatic myelopathy is one of special category changes of nervous system,which was secondary to the end-stage hepatic diseases and is a syndrome of myeleterosis.It usually occurred after portosystemic shunt surgery or collateral circulation of portosystemic vein.The prognosis of hepatic myelopathy is poor,and the progression of this disease is slow.Surgical approaches such as dissociation of colon and anastomosis of ileum and rectum aimed at reducing the absorption of toxic substance and thus to breakdown the blood ammonia and improve the symptoms of nervous system,but the effects are not satisfactory.The clinical data of 1 patient with hepatic myelopathy who received liver transplantation at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University in April 2012 were retrospectively analyzed.The clinical symptoms and physical signs were improved,and muscle strength was effectively recovered in the patient.Liver transplantation might be an effective method for the treatment of hepatic myelopathy.

BACKGROUND: Nitric oxide in the central nervous system is involved in controlling the sympathetic outflow. The authors' recent data show that the reduction of nitric oxide in the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM)enhanced the cardiac sympathetic afferent reflex (CSAR) evoked by stimulating the cardiac sympathetic afferent nerves in rats with chronic heart failure (CHF).OBJECTIVE: To further investigate the effect of nitric oxide in the RVLM on modulating the CSAR evoked by epicardial chemical stimulation in rats with CHF.DESIGN: Randomized controlled experiment.SETTING: Department of Physiology, Nanjing Medical University, and Department of Cellular and Integrative Physiology, University of Nebraska College of Medicine.MATERIALS: This study was carried out in the Department of Physiology, Nanjing Medical University from July 2003 to May 2004. A total of 52male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 360-420 g were used, and were randomly divided into chronic heart failure group and control group with 23 in each group.METHODS: The rats were carried out either sham surgery or the left coronary artery ligation. Six to eight weeks later, all rats were anesthetized with α-chloralose and urethane and baroreceptor denervated and vagotomized. The CSAR was evoked by epicardial application of bradykinin (BK, 0.04 μg and 0.4 μg in 2.0 μL) to mimic the effect of chemical stimulation on the heart in the CHF state. The renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA), mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR) were recorded at baseline and during elicitation of the CSAR. Cannulae were inserted into the RVLM for microinjections.croinjection of MeTC, a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, into the RVLM on Effects of epicardial pretreatment with lidocaine on the CSAR in CHF rats.infarction of (30.6±2.0) % of the left ventricular (LV) surface. The systolic arterial pressure, pulse pressure, left ventricle peak systolic pressure and maximum of the first differentiation of left ventricular pressure were decreased and the left ventricular end-diastolic pressure was significantly ininto the RVLM had no significant effects on the CSAR in rats with CHF,of SNAP (50 nmol) into the RVLM inhibited the CSAR in both sham rats ventricle abolished the CSAR evoked by epicardial application ofBK on the same area.CONCLUSION: Nitric oxide in the RVLM inhibits the CSAR evoked by epicardial application of BK in normal rats and CHF rats, and the reduction of nitric oxide in the RVLM led to the augmentation of the CSAR in CHF rats.

Objective:The different subtypes of voltagE-gated sodium channels (VGSCs) are known to correlate with the migration of many malignant cancers. This study was to investigate the significance of functional expression of SCN5A/Nav1.5 in human ovarian cancer and its effects on migration capability of ovarian cancer cells in vitro. Methods: Sodium indicator SBFI and immunofluorescence method were used to detect the distribution of intracellular Na+. Real-time PCR, Western blotting, and immunohistochemistry were used to detect the mRNA and protein expression of SCN5A/Nav1.5. The effect of specific voltagE-gated sodium channels inhibitor tetrodotoxin (TTX) on cell viability was measured by CCK-8 kit. The migration and invasion of ovarian cancer cell lines SKOV-3 were tested by Transwell chamber assay. Results:SCN5A/Nav1.5 were over-expressed in ovarian cancer cell lines SKOV-3 and ovarian cancer specimens at mRNA and protein levels. TTX 30 μmol/L inhibited the intracellular Na+ concentration by (41.51±0.41)%. TTX also suppressed the invasion and migration capacities of SKOV-3 cells by (33.80±1.6)% and (43.60±2.9)%, respectively. The difference was significant (P<0.05). Conclusion:SCN5A/Nav1.5 is involved in the metastasis progression of ovarian cancer in vitro and plays an important role in the initiation and progression of ovarian cancer. It may become a target for ovarian cancer therapy.

Objective To investigate the expression of lung keratinocyte growth factor receptor (KGFR) in rats with acute spinal cord injury (ASCI) in different time points and its role in lung edema.Methods Thirty-two adult Wistar rats weighing 240 g to 260 g were assigned to experimental group (n =16) and control group (n =16) according to the random number table.Each group consisted of time points of 24 hours,3 days,1 week and 2 weeks after the modeling (4 rats per time point).A rat model of ASCI in experimental group was induced at C7 segment by dropping a weight of 10 g from the height of 2.5 cm (Allen' s method).In control group,laminas were removed only,leaving spinal cord at C7 intact.Rats were sacrificed at each time point for measurement of lung wet/dry weight ratio,Western blot analysis of expression of lung KGFR protein and RT-qPCR detection of lung KGFR mRNA expression.Results After ASCI in rats,the expressions of lung KGFR protein and mRNA began to drop at 24 hours (0.23 ±0.06,0,012 1 ±0.002 3),reached the trough at 3 days (0.17 ±0.04,0.008 5 ±0.001 7)and picked up at 1 week.Expression of lung KGFR mRNA in experiment group showed statistically significant difference from that in control group at 24 hours and 3 days (P ＜ 0.05),whereas in each time point the difference of KGFR protein expression between experiment and control groups was statistically significant(P ＜0.05).Variation trend of KGFR expression was in parallel with the severity degree of pulmonary edema.Conclusion Lung KGFR presents significant down-regulation in ASCI rats and this may be associated with the development of pulmonary edema after ASCI.

Objective To construct adenovirus vector containing firefly luciferase reporter gene (AdLuc) and infect bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSC),then to take bioluminescence imaging in vitro and in vivo for identification.Methods The luciferase gene was amplified with PCR from psiCHECK-2 plasmid and cloned into the adenoviral shuttle vector (pShuttle-CMV).It was confirmed by Nhe Ⅰ/Xba Ⅰ digestion and sequencing.PShuttle-CMV-Luc and backbone vector (pAdeno) were homologous recombined.Then the recombinant plasmid was packaged in HEK293 cells and the virus titer was detected.The BMSC were infected by the recombinant adenovirus.The bioluminescence imaging in vitro was performed to determine the best multiplicity of infection (MOI),and the relationship between bioluminescence intensity and MOI was analyzed by curve fitting regression analysis.Viability was evaluated via Trypan blue staining.The transfected BMSC (l× 106) were implanted into the muscles of forelimb of SD rats,and then tracked by bioluminescence imaging in vivo.Cell viability was compared using two-way repeated measures analysis of variance between groups.Results Enzyme digestion and sequence analysis indicated that Ad-Luc was successfully constructed.The virus titer was 1 × 1010 plaque forming unit (PFU)/ml.The bioluminescence detection in vitro showed that Ad-Luc could infect BMSC high efficiently to express luciferase and the best MOI was 50.The bioluminescence intensity enhanced with increase of MOI (R2 =0.98).No statistically significant difference was found in cell viability between transfected and untransfected BMSC at 1,3,5,7 d.The cell survival rates were (92.5±2.3)％ vs (94.1±1.8)％,(91.4±0.9)％ vs (92.7±2.0)％,(92.1±1.6)％ vs (93.3± 2.4) ％,(91.9 ± 1.5) ％ vs (93.0 ± 3.1) ％,respectively (F =4.38,P ＞ 0.05).The bioluminescence imaging in vivo showed that BMSC survived 1,3,7 d after implantation.However,bioluminescence signal decreased gradually over time.Conclusion It is feasible to apply the optical reporter gene imaging for tracing transplanted stem cells in vitro and in vivo due to the effective transformation of luciferase reporter gene into BMSC by adenovirus vector.

Objective To investigate incidence,diagnosis and treatment strategy of delayed esophageal complications after anterior cervical spine surgery.Methods The clinical data of 2316 patients who had undergone anterior cervical spine surgery from January 2001 to December 2011 were analyzed.The delayed esophageal complications were defined as esophageal perforation,esophago-tracheal fistula,esophago-cutaneous fistula,diverticulum of esophagus,esophagopleural fistula and esophageal stenosis that occurred 2 weeks after spine surgery.Results Delayed esophageal complications occurred in 4 patients,and the incidence was 0.17％.Esophageal perforation occurred in 2 patients; the incidence was 0.09％.Case 1 was a 31-year-old man who was found to have esophageal diverticulum and perforation 7 years after anterior cervical spine surgery.Then he underwent removal of implant,excision of diverticulum,and repair of esophagus with sternohyoid muscle flap and omohyoid muscle flap.Case 2 was a 46-year-old man who was found to have esophageal diverticulum 3 years after cervical spine surgery.He also underwent removal of implant,excision of diverticulum,and repair of esophagus with sternohyoid muscle flap and omohyoid muscle flap.Case 3 was a 58-year-old woman who was found to have esophageal diverticulum 5 years after cervical spine surgery.She underwent removal of implant,excision of diverticulum,and repair of esophagus with sternocleidomastoid muscle flap.Case 4 was a 56-year-old woman who was found to have esophageal perforation 3 years after cervical spine surgery.She underwent removal of implant and repair of esophagus with sternocleidomastoid muscle flap.All 4 patients recovered after operation.Conclusion The incidence of delayed esophageal complications after anterior cervical spine surgery is low,and the diagnosis is difficult.X-ray,digestive tract radiography,and gastrointestinal endoscopy are the main diagnostic tools.Surgical treatment is the main and effective management.