Objective To observe the effect of acupuncture on ghrelin,estradiol (E2) and bone mineral density (BMD) in postmenopausal osteoporosis rats.Methods According to the random number table method,60 female Sprague-Dawley rats aged 3 months,were randomly divided into surgery group (40 rats) and sham group (20 rats).The osteoporosis model was established by bilateral ovariectomy.Three months after the operation,a significant decrease in BMD of lumbar vertebrae and femur of the model rats as measured by dual energy X-ray absorptionmetry against the sham group indicated successful establishment of the osteoporosis model.Then surgery group was randomly divided into a model subgroup,a acupuncture subgroup and an estrogen subgroup,with 10 rats in each subgroup.The acupuncture subgroup was treated with electroacupuncture,estrogen subgroup with subcutaneous injection of estradiol benzoate,sham group and model subgroup without any treatment.After 3 months of intervention all the rats were sacrificed,BMD of the lumbar vertebrae and femur was measured,ghrelin and E2 were determined.Results Serum ghrelin in acupuncture subgroup (399 pg/ml) and estrogen subgroup (276 pg/ml) were significantly lower (P ＜ 0.01) than that in model subgroup (546 pg/ml); serum E2 in acupuncture subgroup (128.02 pg/ml) and estrogen subgroup (182.89 pg/ml) increased significantly (P ＜ 0.05) than that in model subgroup (72.10 pg/ml) ;lumbar vertebrae BMD in acupuncture subgroup (0.212 g/cm2) and estrogen subgroup (0.231 g/cm2) increased significantly (P ＜ 0.05) than that in model subgroup (0.191 g/cm2),but in acupuncture subgroup the effect on improving the level of E2,ghrelin and lumbar vertebrae BMD was less than that in estrogen subgroup (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions Acupuncture intervention can improve lumbar vertebrae BMD and serum E2 level of postmenopausal osteoporosis rat model,down regulate serum ghrelin level,but the overall effect of acupuncture is less than estrogen.

OBJECTIVE:To established a method for determining matrine and oxymatrine in human plasma.METHODS:The plasma was extracted with chloroform-n-butyl alcohol(98∶2) after basification and purified with neutral alumina solid-phase extraction.Then it was eluted with a Lichrosorb-NH2 column and CH3CN-CH3CH2OH-H3PO4(80∶10∶8),detected at ? 220nm.RESULTS:The linear range was 1.25mg～40mg/L and the limit of detection was 0.1mg/L(S/N=2).The average recoveries of matrine and oxymatrine were 106.96% and 105.04%,respectively.RSDs of within-day and between-day were lower than 13% and 7% respectively.CONCLUSION:The present study provides a simple and reliable method for determining concentrations of matrine and oxymatrine in human plasma.

Dental age plays an important role in age estimation. It has often been used together with skeletal age to improve the accuracy of age estimation abroad, but seldom performed in China. As a noninvasive technology, dental radiological imaging has been widely used in age estimation. By observing the age-related changes such as the pulp cavity and development of crown and root on radiographs. Gleiser and Hunt, as well as Demirjian have developed different methods to determine the age of human. Demirjian's method has been proved to be more accurate but with limitation when used in persons of eighteen and above. The accuracy and reliability of the measurements on pulp cavity could be improved as the development of computed tomography with its high resolution and intelligent software. As a convenient and accurate method, age estimation from dental computed tomographs would be more promising in the future for forensic scientists and anthropologists.
Age Determination by Teeth/methods* ; Dental Pulp/diagnostic imaging* ; Forensic Dentistry ; Humans ; Radiography, Panoramic/methods* ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed/methods*

BACKGROUNDTo avoid the irritation of tendons and soft tissues as well as hardware-related problems, we designed an intramedullary fixation with bioabsorbable rods for the treatment of the metacarpal shaft fractures.

METHODSFive patients with nine shaft fractures of the fourth and fifth metacarpi were treated with intramedullary absorbable implants and followed up with an average of 4.2 months postoperatively.

RESULTSAt final follow-up, all patients achieved fracture union with no signs of inflammatory or subcutaneous effusion. There was no shortening, angulatory, or rotatory deformity. There was almost full active extension range of motion (ROM) of the metacarpophalangeal joints while the active flexion ROM of these joints was 80.7 ± 9.6°. Compared with the contralateral hand, the grip strength of the injured hand was 94.0 ± 9.6%. X-rays showed that the arch of the second to fifth metacarpal heads was smooth. There were no intramedullary lytic changes and soft tissue swellings.

CONCLUSIONThe intramedullary absorbable implants are a safe, simple, and practical treatment for fourth and fifth metacarpal fractures with good early clinical outcomes and no significant complications.

Absorbable Implants ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Fracture Fixation, Intramedullary ; methods ; Fractures, Bone ; surgery ; Humans ; Internal Fixators ; Male ; Metacarpal Bones ; injuries ; surgery ; Range of Motion, Articular ; physiology ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult

BACKGROUNDVideo-assisted thoracic sympathetic block is an effective, safe, and minimally invasive method for treatment of primary hyperhidrosis. The purpose of this study was to decide which one of using electrocautery hook and titanium clip is the appropriate procedure for primary palmar hyperhidrosis by assessing the compensatory sweating (CS) and quality of life (QOL) of patients after sympathetic block.

METHODSBetween October 2007 to August 2010, 120 patients with primary palmar hyperhidrosis were randomly divided into two groups, electrocautery hook group (60 patients) and titanium clip group (60 patients). All patients were treated by sympathetic block at T4 level. The CS was graded based on severity and location; the QOL was classified to 5 different levels based upon the summed total scores (range from 20 to 100) before and after surgery. The variables were compared.

RESULTSThe postoperative follow-up period was 2 months. All patients were cured. Three patients in electrocautery hook group and 1 patient in titanium clip group had a unilateral pneumothorax on chest X-ray, but none of them was necessary to have chest drainage. Neither perioperative mortality nor serious complications such as cardiac arrhythmia or arrest were observed during the operation. No bradycardia or Horner's syndrome occured. CS was not more common in patients in titanium clip group than in those in electrocautery hook group (P = 0.001). Moderate and severe CS was few in all patients, and there was no significant difference between two groups (P = 0.193). Most of the patients feel a notable improvement of the the QOL; nevertheless, there was no significant difference between the groups (P = 0.588).

CONCLUSIONSBoth electrocautery hook and titanium clip used for sympathetic block at the T4 level are effective, safe, and minimally invasive for palmar hyperhidrosis. Because of the lower severity of CS and the similar improvements in the QOL after operation, we prefer to use of titanium clip for treating palmar hyperhidrosis.

Adult ; Autonomic Nerve Block ; instrumentation ; methods ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperhidrosis ; surgery ; Male ; Postoperative Complications ; Quality of Life ; Sweating ; physiology ; Sympathetic Nervous System ; surgery ; Titanium ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVEIt is well documented that epilepsy can increase neurogenesis in certain brain regions and cause behavioral alternations in patients and different epileptic animal models. A series of experimental studies have demonstrated that neurogenesis is regulated by various factors including glucocorticoid (CORT), which can reduce neurogenesis. Most of studies in animal have been focused on adulthood stage, while the effect of recurrent seizures to immature brain in neonatal period has not been well established. This study was designed to investigate how the recurrent seizures occurred in the neonatal period affected the immature brain and how CORT regulated neurogenesis in immature animals.

METHODSNeonatal rats were subjected to 3 pilocarpine-induced seizures from postnatal day 1 to day 7. Then neurogenesis at different postnatal ages (i.e. P8, P12, P22, P50) was observed. Behavioral performance was tested when the rats were mature (P40), and plasma CORT levels following recurrent seizures were simultaneously monitored.

RESULTSRats with neonatal seizures had a significant reduction in the number of Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) labeled cells in the dentate gyrus compared with the control groups when the animals were euthanized on P8 or P12 (P<0.05); whereas there was no difference between the two groups on P22. Until P50, rats with neonatal seizures had increased number of BrdU-labeled cells compared with the control group (P<0.05). In Morris water maze task, pilocarpine-treated rats were significantly slower than the control rats at the first and second day, and there were no differences at other days. In probe trial, there was no significant difference in time spent in the goal quadrant between the two groups. Endocrine studies showed a correlation between the number of BrdU positive cells and the CORT level. Sustained increase in circulating CORT levels was observed following neonatal seizures on P8 and P12.

CONCLUSIONNeonatal recurrent seizures can biphasely modulate neurogenesis over different time windows with a down-regulation at early time and up-regulation afterwards, cause persistent deficits in cognitive functions of adults, and increase the circulating CORT levels. CORT levels are related with the morphological and behavioral consequences of recurrent seizures.

Age Factors ; Animals ; Animals, Newborn ; Critical Period (Psychology) ; Dentate Gyrus ; cytology ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Glucocorticoids ; blood ; Male ; Maze Learning ; physiology ; Neurons ; cytology ; metabolism ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Seizures ; metabolism ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Stem Cells ; cytology ; metabolism

Objective To investigate the effect ofplatelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) and conditional medium of U87 glioma cells on the migration ability of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) to understand the possible role of PDGF in the directional migration of hMSCs toward gliomas. Methods hMSCs were isolated from the whole bone marrow by adherent culture, and the expression of PDGF receptor (PDGFR-α, β) in the cells was examined by RT-PCR. In vitro migration assay was performed using transwell inserts to observe the effect of PDGF (0, 5, 50, and 125 ng/mL) and the conditional medium on the directional migration ability ofhMSCs. The changes in the migration ability of hMSCs in response to addition of anti-PDGF antibody in the conditional medium were investigated. Results RT-PCR detected the expression of PDGFR- αand PDGFR-β mRNA in the isolated hMSCs. In the cell migration assay, both PDGF and the conditional medium induced directional migration of hMSCs (P<0.05), which was significantly suppressed by anti-PDGF antibody P<0.05). Conclusion With chemokine-like activities, PDGF concentration-dependently enhances the directional migration of hMSCs toward gliomas in vitro.

This study examined the prevalence of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) among residents aged &ge;50 years living in Yongchuan district of Chongqing. Stratified cluster sampling was employed in random selection to estimate the prevalence of glaucoma from April to June, 2005. Twenty-nine villages or neighborhood communities were randomly selected in urban area (Zhongshan Road), suburban area (Shanjiao Town) and exurban area (Zhutuo Town) of this district. All the respondents underwent detailed ophthalmic examinations. The examinations included questionnaire investigation, visual acuity test, naked-eye examination, measurement of peripheral anterior chamber depth (Van Herrick's technique), detection of intraocluar pressure (IOP) with a Perkins hand-held applanation tonometer (HA-2) and examination of the optic disc by using a 78 diopters (D) lens (including the cup-disc ratio, cup/disc ratio asymmetries, horizontal and vertical diameter, notching and optic disc hemorrhages). A total of 5938 residents were actually examined, and the response rate was 85.19%. The crude prevalence of POAG was 0.86% (n=51/5938, 95% CI 0.64%-1.11%). There were 24 males and 27 females in the glaucoma group. The glaucoma prevalence was not significant different in case number between the male and female subjects (P=0.4900). Furthermore, no association between age or schooling and POAG was noted (P=0.8030, 0.0734). Out of 51 subjects with POAG, unilateral glaucoma-related blindness occurred in 38 subjects (74.5%) and bilateral glaucoma-related blindness was found in 7 subjects (13.7%). This study exhibited that the prevalence of POAG was 0.86% among residents aged &ge;50 years living in Yongchuan District of Chongqing. The vision loss caused by POAG in this population was obviously higher than that previously reported in other studies. Glaucoma management, detection of affected persons and handling of the burden of glaucoma should be the priorities of the agenda of local health authorities of Western China.
Aged ; Blindness ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Glaucoma, Open-Angle ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; physiopathology ; Gonioscopy ; methods ; Health Surveys ; methods ; statistics & numerical data ; Humans ; Intraocular Pressure ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prevalence ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Vision Disorders ; diagnosis ; epidemiology

Objective To evaluate the effect of up-converting phosphor technology(UPT) in detection of plague antigen-antibody by receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) method,and to provide a scientific basis for field application of UPT rapid detection technology in plague prevention and control.Methods Two hundred and twenty four serum samples were collected from Marmots and ground squirrels in the plague foci,Yersinia pestis antibody was detected by UPT,ELISA,Colloidal-gold Strips and IHA,respectively; 108 organs and bone marrow samples were collected,and Yersinia pestis antigens were detected by UPT,ELISA,PCR and RIHA,respectively.IHA was used as the gold standard for antibody test results,RIHA,PCR + Colloidal-gold Strips,PCR + ELISA were used as the gold standard for antigen test results.The results were evaluated using ROC method.Results Antibodies detection:the AUCs of UPT,ELISA and Colloidal-gold Strips were greater than 0.5.The difference between UPT and other methods was not statistically significant (z =1.204,P ＞ 0.05).Antigen detection:the AUCs of UPT,ELISA,Colloidal-gold Strips and PCR were greater than 0.5.There was no statistical difference between UPT and other methods(z =0.866,P ＞ 0.05).Conclusions UPT as a new technology works well in the detection of plague antigen-antibody.The technology is simple,fast,accurate,and suitable for on-site monitoring of plague,emergency treatment of sudden plague,and suitable for promotion.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of matrine on the anti-tumor efficiency of TIM2 gene-modified murine hepatocarcinoma H22 cells.

METHODSA combined eukaryotic expression vector pIRES2-EGFP-TIM2 was constructed and transfected into H22 cells by lipofectamin. The monoclone of positive H22-TIM2 cells and negative control H22-EGFP cells transfected with pIRES2-EGFP vector were selected by G418 pressure and limited dilution method in turn and were inoculated to establish the tumor-bearing mouse model. Next, matrine was administered to the tumor-bearing mice and the inhibitory effect of matrine was determined.

RESULTSThe co-expression of EGFP protein and TIM2 gene was detected in H22 cells selected after TIM2 gene transfecion. After subcutaneous injection of H22-TIM2 cells, the rate of tumor formation (41%) was lower than that of H22 cells and H22-EGFP cells injection (92%) in mice. The tumor growth was significantly inhibited in mice vaccinated with H22-TIM2 cells. After the experiment was completed, the volume of tumors in mice of H22-TIM2 group was 31.34 +/- 9.21 mm3, smaller than those in H22-EGFP group (98.25 +/- 25.23)mm3 and H22 cells group (114.08 +/- 36.45)mm3 (P < 0.01). Matrine dramatically enhanced the anti-tumor efficiency of TIM2 gene-modified H22 cells, with the highest tumor inhibitory rate (IR) 90.6% among the H22-TIM2 group, matrine treatment group and H22-EGFP cells combined with matrine treatment group (69.2%, 67.5% and 70.8%, respectively) in the experimental mice.

CONCLUSIONThe tumorigenesity of H22 cells has been markedly impaired after modification by TIM2 gene. Matrine can enhance its inhibitory effect on tumors of H22-TIM2 cells in vivo. These data indicate importance to further study on the biological role of TIM2 gene in tumor immunity and explore the molecular mechanism of matrine in suppressing of tumor growth.

Alkaloids ; pharmacology ; Animals ; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic ; pharmacology ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Genetic Vectors ; Green Fluorescent Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Liver Neoplasms, Experimental ; metabolism ; pathology ; Membrane Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Neoplasm Transplantation ; Quinolizines ; pharmacology ; Recombinant Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Transfection ; Tumor Burden ; drug effects