ObjectiveTo investigate the concentration of water fluoride and the application of water defluoridation projects in Suizhou,and to provide a basis for water improvement and prevention of the disease.MethodsCross-sectional study was carried out to investigate completely the water defluoridation projects built between 1986 and 2009 in the area under Suizhou's jurisdiction; 3 source water and terminal water samples of the projects in use were collected,respectively; 1 water sample was collected,respectively in the 3 projects with out-ofcommission or discarded water sources that used to be major water supply,for detection of fluoride,chloride,total hardness,heavy metals and other indicators.ResultsA total of 21 projects were investigated,14 projects were in normal use (66.7％),7 projects were out of order and abandoned (33.3％).Of the 14 projects normally used,13projects with water fluoride concentration ≤ 1.0 mg/L(92.9％)and 1 project with water fluoride concentration higher than 1.0 mg/L(7.1％),the concentration of water fluoride in the 7 abandoned projects was higher than 1.0 mg/L(100％).Arsenic and lead levels of all the water samples were normal.There were two water samples with iron content exceeded the standard,and one total hardness of water samples exceeded the standard in the normally used 14 peripheral water sources.One chloride content exceeded the standard,one manganese content exceeded the standard,two iron content exceeded the standard and three total hardness exceeded the standard in the seven abandoned projects.ConclusionsSome defluoridation projects are stopped using and abandoned in Suizhou,and the water fluoride exceeds the standard.

Living with internationalization, it becomes increasingly important to develop the ability of acquiring knowledge from and publishing professional articles international medical journals.However, current English teaching in colleges is predominantly by cramming method and without clear aims.As a result, students make little learning progress.Production-oriented Approach, proposed by Professor Qiufang Wen, is an important theory to reform the modern English Teaching.Based on this theory, we designed and performed the course of Medical English Writing and Literature Reading for graduate students.For the aim of literature writing, we matched the teaching content with the pertinent language ability to achieve the goal.The process of teaching was initiated with output, followed by input, then tested by another output.As a result, students′ writing was improved effectively in correctness and in awareness of the rules.In addition, their ability to comprehend difficult and long sentences was also found to be improved.We believe Production-oriented Approach conforms to the requirements of English Teaching in college and can contribute to the teaching goal.

Objective To explore the feasibility of constructing tissue engineered porcine corneal stroma with skin fibroblasts in vivo.Methods Skin fibroblasts were isolated from embryonic porcine,cultured and expanded in vitro.Cells were labeled with green fluorescence protein(GFP) gene by retro-viral infection.Cells at passage 3 were seeded on polyglycolic acid(PGA) non-woven fibers to form a cell-scaffold complex.The complexes were then implanted into porcines' corneal stroma after culturing in vitro for 1 week.Engineered stroma was observed continuously and harvested after 8 weeks for gross and histological evaluation.PGA with corneal stromal cells was served as control. Results The engineered tissue in the stroma gradually became transparent over a period of 8 weeks,showing no difference with the control group.Histologically,the engineered stromal lamellar was relatively regular and similar to the control.The implanted cells were confirmed by GFP expression under fluorescent microscope.By transmission electron microscopy examination, no significant difference in the diameter of collagen fiber was observed between the engineered stroma and normal stroma. Conclusion Tissue engineered corneal stroma may be formed with skin fibroblasts in porcine corneal microenvironment.

OBJECTIVETo observe the impacts on skeletal fluorosis pain, joint motor dysfunction and urine fluoride excretion in the treatment with fire needle therapy, electroacupuncture and calcium carbonate D3.

METHODSThe randomized controlled trial was adopted. Ninety-five patients were randomized into a fire needle group (31 cases), an electroacupuncture group (33 cases) and a calcium carbonate D3 group (31 cases). In the fire needle group and the electroacupuncture group, Ashi points, Dazhui (GV 14), Geshu (BL 17), Quchi (LI 11), Hegu (LI 4), Xuehai (SP 10) points were selected and stimulated with fire needle and electroacupuncture separately, three times a week. In the calcium carbonate D3 group, calcium carbonate D3 tablets was prescribed for oral administration, 600 mg each time, twice a day. The duration of treatment was 2 months in the electroacupuncture group and calcium carbonate D3 group and 1 month in the fire needle group. VAS score, the range of motion (ROM) and urine fluoride value were compared before and after treatment in the patients of the three groups.

RESULTSAfter treatment, VAS value and ROM were improved significantly in the patients of the three groups (all P < 0.05), the difference was not significant in comparison of the three groups (all P > 0.05). After treatment, the urine fluoride value was increased significantly in the fire needle group [(7.89 +/- 3.61) mg/L vs (9.81 +/- 4.17) mg/L, P < 0.01] and was increased in the electroacupuncture group [(7.53 +/- 3.46) mg/L vs (8.97 +/- 4.21) mg/L, P < 0.05]. The difference was not significant in comparison before and after treatment in the calcium carbonate D3 group (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe fire needle therapy, electroacupuncture and calcium carbonate D3 all have the clinical value in the prevention and treatment of skeletal fluorosis and the difference in the therapeutic effect has not been discovered among them yet at present. But it has been found that the fire needle therapy and electroacupuncture display the active significance in the promotion of urine fluoride excretion.

Adult ; Aged ; Bone Diseases ; drug therapy ; therapy ; urine ; Calcium Carbonate ; administration & dosage ; Electroacupuncture ; instrumentation ; Female ; Fluorides ; urine ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Needles ; Treatment Outcome

A method for the determination of Fe, Co, Mn and Ni in synthetic diamonds by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry ( ICP-AES) was proposed. The synthetic diamond sample was decomposed completely, while the sample was burned in air at 1000 ℃ for 10 h, and then a mixed acid of H2 SO4 , aqua regia and HClO4 was used for the dissolving the residue of the sample. In this method, the limits of detection of Fe, Co, Mn and Ni were 0. 0147, 0. 0018, 0. 0006 and 0. 0027 mg/L, respectively. Under the optimum condition, Fe, Co, Mn and Ni in synthetic diamond sample were determined. The values of RSDs (n=7) were less than 0. 5%. The recoveries of added standard were 94. 0%-105. 0%.

A method for the simultaneous determination of oxygen and nitrogen in synthetic diamonds by inert gas high temperature extraction-impulse heating method was proposed. The sample weight, the selection of analysis power and the calibration curves of oxygen and nitrogen were discussed. Oxygen and nitrogen in analytical samples are determined. Values of RSDs (n=7) for oxygen and nitrogen were less than 4. 5% and 4. 0% respectively. The analytical results of oxygen and nitrogen obtained by the proposed method were in good agreement with those by inert gas fusion-impulse heating method.

Objective To repair segmental mandibular defects with autogenous bone marrow stromal cells(BMSCs)and?-triealcium phosphate.Methods Isolated BMSCs were in vitro expand- ed.A 3 cm-long segmental mandibular defect was created at right mandible in 12 canines,of which de- fects in six canines were repaired with BMSCs and?-tricalcium phosphate(?-TCP)and that in other six cases repaired with?-TCP,which was used as control.The engineered bone was evaluated by X-ray, CT,DXA,gross and histological examination,immunohistochemistry and biomechanical test 4,12,26,32 weeks after operation respectively.Results In induced BMSCs,histochemistry showed AKP activity. Oral X-ray showed obvious callus formation 4-26 weeks after operation in experimental group but minimal bone formation in control group.At 32 weeks after operation,gross observation,X-ray and CT demonstra- ted well bony-union in experimental group but bony-nonunion in control group.DXA indicated that the bone density of experimental group was significantly higher than that of control group.Biomechanical test revealed no statistical difference upon mechanical strength of mandibula between experimental group and normal group.Conclusions Canine segmental mandibular defects can be well repaired with the tissue- engineered bone generated by autogenous osteogenic BMSCs and?-TCP scaffold.

Objective To explore the feasibility and efficacy of constructing tissue engineered cartilage in vitro(using) a perfusion-hydrodynamic pressure bioreactor. Methods Chondrocytes isolated from swine's auricular cartilage were seeded onto polyglycolic acid(PGA) to be cultured in a three dimensional environment for 1 week.Then the chondrocyte-polymer constructs were divided into two groups: the experimental group and control group(8 constructs in each group).The experimental group was put into the perfusion-hydrodynamic pressure bioreactor to be cultured for another 3 weeks.The parameters of bioreactor were set as follows: flow rate of 100 mL/min,clockwise and anticlockwise 30 min respectively,on/off 8 h/16h,hydrodynamic pressure of 100 kpa with 0.5 Hz for 4 h/d.The control group was cultured with the routine method.Specimens were harvested and analyzed by gross observation,histology,typeⅡcollagen immunohistochemistry and biochemistry after 4 weeks. Results After 4 weeks,gross observation showed cartilage-like tissue was formed in both groups,and tissue wet weight of experimental group and control group were(191.03?18.55) mg and(130.78?10.33) mg,respectively(P

To find anti-hypertensive lead drug, angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory peptides were synthesized and their effects on inhibiting ACE activity were investigated. ACE inhibitory peptides were synthesized via Fmoc solid-phase synthesis, isolated and purified through reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC), and identified by mass spectrometry. A RP-HPLC analysis method was used to test ACE inhibitory activity in vitro of these ACE inhibitory peptides. Six octapeptides were successfully synthesized, and the analytical results of mass spectrum were consistent with their theoretically calculated data. Among these synthetic octapeptides, the anti-SARS (severe acute respiratory syndromes) octapeptide had the most obvious ACE inhibitory activity with an IC50 value of 3.4 x 10(-5) mol x L(-1). So octapeptide AVLQSGFR-OH (anti-SARS peptide) was found to be the strongest candidate for potential development as an anti-hypertensive drug and had the implication of further study.
Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors ; chemical synthesis ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Antihypertensive Agents ; chemical synthesis ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; methods ; Mass Spectrometry ; Molecular Structure ; Oligopeptides ; chemical synthesis ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A ; drug effects ; Solid-Phase Synthesis Techniques

OBJECTIVETo explore the feasibility of in vitro chondrogenesis by co-culture of chondrocytes and adipose-derived stromal cells (ADSCs) so as to confirm the hypothesis that chondrocytes can provide chondrogenic microenvironment to induce chondrogenic differentiation of ADSCs.

METHODSHuman ADSCs and porcine auricular chondrocytes were in vitro expanded respectively and then were mixed at the ratio of 7:3 (ADSCs: chondrocytes). 200 microl mixed cells (5.0 x 10(7)/ml) were seeded onto a polyglycolic acid/polylactic acid (PGA/PLA) scaffold, 8 mm in diameter and 2 mm in thickness, as co-culture group. Chondrocytes and ADSCs with the same cell number were seeded respectively onto the scaffold as positive control group and negative control group. 200 microl chondrocytes (1.5 x 10(7)/ml) were seeded as low concentration chondrocyte group. There were 6 specimens in each group. All specimens were harvested after in vitro culture for 8 weeks in DMEM plus 10% FBS. Gross observation, histology, immunohistochemistry, wet weight measurement and glycosaminoglycan (GAG) quantification were used to evaluate the results. Multiple-sample t-test statistics analysis was done to compare the difference of wet weight and glycosaminoglycan(GAG) content between the groups.

RESULTSCells in all groups had fine adhesion to the scaffold and could secrete extracellular matrix. In co-culture group and positive control group, cell-scaffold constructs could maintain the original size and shape during in vitro culture. At 8 weeks, cartilage-like tissue formed in gross appearance and histological features, and abundant type II collagen could be detected by immunohistochemistry. Wet weight and glycosaminoglycan(GAG) content of co-culture group were respectively (174 +/- 12) mg and (7.6 +/- 0.4) mg. There were respectively 75% (P < 0.01) and 79% (P<0.01) of those of positive control group. In negative control group, however, constructs shrunk gradually without mature cartilage lacuna in histology. In low concentration chondrocyte group, constructs also shrunk obviously with small amount of cartilage formation at the edge area of the construct, and wet weight was (85 +/- 5) mg, which was 37% (P<0.01) of that of positive control group.

CONCLUSIONSChondrocytes can provide chondrogenic microenvironment to induce chondrogenic differentiation of ADSCs and thus promote the in vitro chondrogenesis of ADSCs.

Adipocytes ; cytology ; Animals ; Cell Differentiation ; Cells, Cultured ; Chondrocytes ; cytology ; Coculture Techniques ; Humans ; Swine ; Tissue Engineering ; methods ; Tissue Scaffolds