Objective To investigate the role of endothelin - 1( ET-1) and interleukin-8( IL-8) in tracheal aspirates (TA) in children with acute respiratory distress syndrome(ARDS). Methods The levels of ET- 1 and IL - 8 in TA of 13 patients with ARDS and 11 controls were assayed by enzyme - linked immunosorbent assay. Lung injury score was applied to all patients. Results The levels of ET-1 and 1L-8 in TA were significantly higher in ARDS than those in controls (P

Objective To investigate the correlation between large platelet ratio (P-LCR) and stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation. Methods 152 consecutive patients with atrial fibrillation were selected and divided into two groups according to whether accompanying stoke or not. Clinical features of patients and blood test indicator P-LCR were analyzed by Logistic regression analysis. Results In total, 152 subjects, including 47 patients with stoke and 105 patients without stoke,were included in the study. Univariate analysis showed that the difference in age, diabetes, hypertension, lipid-lowering therapy and P-LCR between two groups was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that age, diabetes and P-LCR were independent risk factors of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation. Conclusions Age, diabetes and P-LCR are independent risk factors of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation.

Objective To study the influence of vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF) on development of alveolar epithelial cell Ⅱ (AECⅡ) and expression of pulmonary surfactant protein B(SP-B) in premature rats.Methods Wistar rats at 19 days gestation were paunched to get embryo and primary AECⅡculture.The rats were divided into 4 groups ,VEGF-165 group,Dexamethasone group,VEGF and Dexamethason group,control group. AECⅡ and SP-B expression were measured by immunology histochemistry.Results SP-B had positive expression in VEGF group, Dexamethason group, VEGF and Dexamethason group. SP-B had negative expression in control group.Conclusion VEGF-165 can increase SP-B positive expression and secret of AECⅡ.VEGF promotes lung maturity.

Objective To study the effects of vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)on production of pulmonary surfactants.Method Fetal rat lungs were obtained at 19-day gestation.Primary culture of typeⅡalveolar epithelial cells(AECⅡ)was performed using IgG panning technique.The rats was divided into groups: VEGF,Dexamethasone,VEGF plus Dexamethasone and a control.Total phospholipids,phosphatidylcholine (PC),phosphatidyl glycerol(PG)and sphingornyelin(SM)were determined.Results expressed as mean?SEM. Comparison between groups were made with LSD-t test and one -way ANOVA.Result VEGF,Dexamethasone and VEGF plus Dexamethasone groups showed increased amount of total phospholipids and its compositions on the first day of culture.Conclusions VEGF-165 promotes the production and secretion of pulmonary surfactant. VEGF and Dexamethason may go through different mechanism for enhancement of synthesis of pulmonary surfactant,thereby improve biological function of AECⅡ.

Objective To study the clinical feature,treatment,and prognosis of the cytomegalovirus (CMV)pneumonia patients treated with immunosuppressor against kidney disease.Mlethod The patients received immunosuppressor against kidney disease in The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from June 1999 to December 2006.CMV antigen of leucocyte in the peripheral blood and/or bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of these patients were detected with immunocytochemical methods,and 21 patients were found suffering from CMV pneumonia.The 21 patients were introvenously injected with ganciclovir 5～10 mg/(kg?d),and the immunosuppressive agent treatment suspended.Their clinical feature and prognosis were retrospectively analyzed. Results The 21 patients received corticosteroids before CMV pneumonia contracted,of them,13 patients had been intensively treated with Methyllprednisolone with mean total dose(3.2?0.6)g.Of them,15 had been treated with cyclophosphamide with mean total dose(3.8?1.3)g.The median time from the beginning of using immunosuppressor to the onset of CMV pneumonia was 25(13～92)days.All patients had fever,cough, shortness of breath and X-ray showed interstitial pneumonia,of them,19 patients developed hypoxemia,and 11 patients' CMV antigen was positive in the leucocyte from bronchial lavage fluid.The result showed 9 patients survived and 12 died.The average duration of treatment with ganciclovir was(26.2?6.3)days. CMV pneumonia is a serious complication in patients who were treated with immunosuppressor against kidney disease.The mortality is high.Ganciclovir is a medicine of choice to treat CMV pneumonia.

OBJECTIVETo examine the expression of membrane-type-1 matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP) and reversion-inducing cysteine-rich protein with Kazal motifs (RECK) in gastric carcinoma, and investigate its clinical significance, at the same time analyze the correlation between MT1-MMP and RECK expression.

METHODSMT1-MMP and RECK expression in surgically resected tissue samples of gastric carcinoma was examined by immunohistochemical method (two-step method) , and its correlation with clinicopathological factors was analyzed.

RESULTSAmong the 44 gastric carcinoma samples, 37 (84.1%) were stained positive for MT1-MMP, and 31 (70.5%) for RECK. The expression of MT1-MMP was much higher in poorly differentiated gastric carcinoma samples than moderately and well-differentiated samples (P = 0.015). The expression level of MT1-MMP was associated with invasive depth of tumor cells (P = 0.007), but no difference between sex and lymph node metastasis. On the contrary, the well-differentiated samples showed higher expression of RECK than poorly and moderately differentiated gastric carcinoma samples (P = 0.006). The expression level of RECK did not correlate with sex, lymph node metastasis and invasive depth of tumor cells. RECK expression showed no relation to MT1-MMP expression in the gastric carcinoma.

CONCLUSIONOverexpression of MT1-MMP in gastric carcinoma may play an important role during tumor differentiation and metastasis, the RECK protein may have positive effects on the tumor differentiation.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Carcinoma ; enzymology ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; Female ; GPI-Linked Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Humans ; Male ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 14 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Middle Aged ; Stomach Neoplasms ; enzymology ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology

OBJECTIVETo investigate the changes and significance of serum gastrin (GAS), beta-endorphin (beta-EP) and plasma motilin (MTL) in patients with severe burns.

METHODSBlood samples were gotten according to different timepoints from 32 admitted burned patients, and then serum GAS, beta-EP and plasma MTL were determined by radio-immuno assay (RIA).

RESULTSIn patients with severe burns, serum GAS decreased significantly in early period. And at the timepoint of 8 h, it reached the lowest level. But during 9-24 h it elevated for a while, and then it reached a relatively stable level. MTL reached the highest level at the timepoint of 2 h after burning. Then at the shock stage, it was comparatively lower. And at the timepoint of 8 h after burning, it reached the lowest level, then raised persistently after reabsorption, but still lower than the normal level. At the early stage after burning, beta-EP raised, then reached the highest level at 8 h after burning. GAS and MTL decreased and beta-EP increased significantly with the increase of the burned area. However, when the burned area was over 70% of the total body surface area, there was no relationship between them.

CONCLUSIONBlood GAS, MTL and beta-EP have represented regular changes in patients with severe burns at the early stage after burning. And the pain-stimulus and shock are effective factors.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Burns ; blood ; Female ; Gastrins ; blood ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Motilin ; blood ; Radioimmunoassay ; Time Factors ; beta-Endorphin ; blood

BACKGROUNDLumiracoxib is a highly selective cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitor with antiinflammatory, analgesic and antipyretic activities comparable with class specific drugs, but with much improved gastrointestinal safety. No studies have examined lumiracoxib for antitumorigenic activity on human nonsmall cell lung cancer cell lines in vitro or its possible molecular mechanisms.

METHODSThe antiproliferative effect of lumiracoxib alone or combined with docetaxol on A549 and NCI-H460 lines was assessed by 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Drug-drug interactions were analyzed using the coefficient of drug interaction (CDI) to characterize the interactions as synergism, additivity or antagonism. Morphological changes were observed by acridine orange fluorescent staining. Extent of apoptosis was determined by flow cytometry.

RESULTSLumiracoxib (15 - 240 micromol/L) has an inhibitory effect on the proliferation of A549 and NCI-H460 cell lines in concentration- and time-dependent manners with the IC50 values of 2597 micromol/L and 833 micromol/L, respectively. The synergistic effect was prominent when lumiracoxib (15 - 240 micromol/L) was combined with docetaxol (0.2 - 2 micromol/L) (CDI < 1). Fluorescent staining showed that lumiracoxib could induce apoptosis in A549 and NCI-H460 cells. Lumiracoxib treatment also caused an increase of the sub-G1 fraction in each cell line and resulted in an increase of G0/G1-phase cells and a decrease of S-phase cells.

CONCLUSIONSLumiracoxib had antiproliferative effect on the human nonsmall cell lung cancer cell lines A549 and NCI-H460 and had a significant synergy with docetaxol, which may be related to apoptotic induction and cell cycle arrest.

Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Cell Cycle ; drug effects ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Cyclooxygenase 2 Inhibitors ; pharmacology ; Diclofenac ; analogs & derivatives ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Taxoids ; pharmacology

Hyperpolarization activated cyclic nucleotide-gated cation (HCN) channels are involved in neuronal rhythm regulation, synaptic activity, membrane resistance and dendritic integration due to their voltage-gated physiological properties. Recent studies have shown that HCN channels play an important role in central nervous system diseases, such as temporal lobe epilepsy, neuropathic pain, learning and memory disorder, substance abuse addiction and other related diseases. In this paper, we summarize the research progress of HCN channels in central nervous system diseases in recent years.

OBJECTIVETo describe the brief survey of alcohol intake and the incidence of alcohol liver disease in Zhejiang province.

METHODS18,237 requested persons aged over 18 years were selected by multi-stage stratified cluster sampling in Zhejiang province. Questionnaire about alcohol consumption, hepatic ultrasonic scan and detection of hepatic enzymes and markers of HBV and HCV were carried out. Daily alcohol intake more than 40g (including equal to 40g/d) was essential for the diagnosis of alcoholic liver disease.

RESULTSAmong the 18,237 persons (male 12,042, female 6195), the average daily alcohol intake was (17.7 +/- 27.2) g. The incidence of alcoholic liver disease in Zhejiang province was 4.34% (male 6.36%, female 0.36%) in the whole population. Four subtypes were separated as alcoholic cirrhosis, alcoholic fat liver, alcoholic hepatitis and mild alcoholic injury in liver with the corresponding incidence of 0.68%, 0.94%, 1.51% and 1.21% separately.

CONCLUSIONAlcoholic liver disease is found to be a common disease in Zhejiang province, indicating an urgent need for the public education on alcohol abuse and the treatment on related health problems

Adult ; Age Distribution ; Aged ; China ; epidemiology ; Data Collection ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Liver Diseases, Alcoholic ; epidemiology ; Male ; Middle Aged