To investigate the relationship between the level of plasma atrial natriuretic peptides(ANP) and doppler echocardiography parameters in patients with left ventricular diastolic dysfunction, the patients were divided into four groups according to echocardiography parameters and their plasma levels of ANP, which were determined simultaneously.The results showed that along with left ventricular diastolic function was impaired, the level of ANP increased.There were significant relationships between the level of ANP and LAD, E/A, LVDd, LVDs, EDV, ESV, IVRT, DT, S/D, LVEF, LVFS, except for Pva and Pva dur. The results of this study suggest that the level of plasma ANP is a reliable marker of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction.

Child, Preschool ; Fatal Outcome ; Female ; Humans ; Respiratory Tract Infections ; complications ; Shock, Septic ; etiology ; Streptococcal Infections ; complications

0.05).Overall prevalence of UI was 15.93% in the students,20.45% in those of junior high school,10.44% in senior high school and 16.72% in university(P0.05),accounting for 63.90%,10.47% and 25.63% of the total students with UI.Conclusions Great importance should be attached to the higher prevalence of LUTS in young and adolescent females by gynecologists and urologists.More attention should also be paid to health education on LUTS and medical care for those with LUTS to alleviate and delay occurrence of UI symptoms.

The infection status of anisakid larvae was examined in 290 marine fish of 25 species and in 108 cephalopods of 3 species purchased in Bayuquan region, Yingko city nearby the coast of the Bohai Sea from may to August 1992. A total of 7,327 larvae were collected from 156 fish of 19 species and 8 squids of one species. The 3rd-stage larvae of Anisakis simplex were collected from 121 fish (63.4%) of 15 species (N = 191) and from 8 squids (14.8%) of one species (N = 54), and they were total, 5,992 (81.8%). Out of remaining 1,335 larvae, 154 (2.1%) were classified as Thynnascaris type B from 23 fish of 4 species, 1,013 (13.8%) as Thynnascaris type C from 79 fish of 13 species. 164 (2.2%) as Hysterothylacium China type V from 20 fish of 4 species, 3 (0.04%) as Raphidascaris from 3 fish of 2 species and one was Pseudoterranova decipiens larva.
Animal ; Anisakiasis/veterinary* ; Anisakiasis/parasitology ; Anisakiasis/epidemiology ; Anisakis/isolation & purification ; Anisakis/classification* ; China ; Fish Diseases/parasitology* ; Fish Diseases/epidemiology ; Fishes ; Larva ; Seawater ; Squid/parasitology*

OBJECTIVETo establish an animal model of tumor-associated depression and observe their biological behaviors and biochemical indices.

METHODSFour groups of SD rats kept in separate cages were subjected to tumor cell inoculation with or without chronic unpredictable moderate stress administered before or after the inoculation. The depressive behaviors of the rats were examined by open-field test, and the concentration of 5-HT in the hippocampus was measured by spectrophotofluorometry. The body weight of the rats and volume of the implanted tumor were monitored and sugar water test was performed.

RESULTSThe rats subjected to chronic stress displayed significant depression, manifested by reduction in movement in the central area and total movement distance with prolonged resting time and shortened time of activity. These rats maintained high levels of depression even 12 days after withdrawal of chronic stress. Compared with the control group, the depressive rats showed obviously reduced sugar water consumption and hippocampal 5-HT level. Tumors of different sizes were observed in all rats in the 4 groups.

CONCLUSIONA rat model of tumor-associated depression is established, and the tumor-bearing rats exhibit obvious depressive behaviors and reduced level of neural substance (5-HT), which provides a good basis for studying the association of depression with tumorigenesis,progression and prognosis of tumor.

Animals ; Carcinoma 256, Walker ; complications ; psychology ; Depressive Disorder ; etiology ; Disease Models, Animal ; Female ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Stress, Psychological ; complications

BACKGROUNDTherapeutic hypercapnia (TH) has been demonstrated to protect several organs ischemia-reperfusion injury. The study aimed to investigate the effects of therapeutic hypercapnia on hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury (HIRI).

METHODSThirty adult male Wistar rats weighing (250+/-20) g were randomized into 3 groups (n=10 in each), group C (control group), group A (hypercapnia group) and group B (CO2 preconditioning group). A segmental ischemia of the liver was induced by interrupting the blood vessels including the bile duct to the median and left lateral lobes for 60 minutes and all the animals were sacrificed after 240 minutes observation period of reperfusion. Mean arterial pressure (MAP) and the blood gases were measured before ischemia (baseline) and at 30, 60, 120, 180 and 240 minutes after reperfusion. Arterial blood samples were obtained for determination of serum levels of TNF-alpha, IL-10, serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT). The histopathology of liver tissues was evaluated by light microscopy. The NF-kappaB expression and apoptotic hepatocytes were respectively determined by immunohistochemistry and TUNEL assay.

RESULTSThe serum levels of liver enzymes and TNF-alpha were significantly decreased while the IL-10 level was significantly increased in groups A and B than in group C (P<0.05), and group B surpassed group A (P<0.05). The histopathological scores, the NF-kappaB immunohistochemical score (IHS) and apoptotic index were significantly lower in groups A and B than in group C (P<0.05), and the decrease in group B was more obvious than in group A (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONTherapeutic hypercapnia attenuates ischemia-reperfusion injury to the liver. Moreover, the effects of CO2 preconditioning are outstandingly notable.

Animals ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Carbon Dioxide ; therapeutic use ; Hemodynamics ; drug effects ; Immunohistochemistry ; In Situ Nick-End Labeling ; Inflammation ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Interleukin-10 ; blood ; Liver ; drug effects ; metabolism ; pathology ; Male ; NF-kappa B ; metabolism ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Reperfusion Injury ; blood ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; blood

OBJECTIVETo study the validity of single plane Simpson's method with conventional X-ray ventriculography for estimation of right ventricular (RV) volume.

METHODSFifteen human RV casts were obtained from 15 subjects who died from non-cardiac causes within 24 hours after death. These casts were photographed respectively and their volumes were calculated by using the single plane Simpson's method based on a new half-circle model. The actual RV cast volumes were determined by water displacement method.

RESULTSThe actual RV volume was (64.23 +/- 24.51) ml and the calculated volume was (58.04 +/- 24.45) ml. The calculated RV volume underestimated the actual volume by (6.19 +/- 12.38) ml, but there was no significant difference between the actual and the calculated RV volume (P > 0.05). There was a significant correlation between the actual cast volume and the calculated volume (r = 0.983, P < 0.01). The regression equation was: RV actual volume = 1.074 x (RV calculated volume).

CONCLUSIONRV volume calculated by single plane Simpson's method with conventional X-ray ventriculography is accurate and deserves further study.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Angiocardiography ; methods ; Cardiac Volume ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Feasibility Studies ; Female ; Heart Ventricles ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Models, Cardiovascular ; Ventricular Function, Right ; X-Rays ; Young Adult

BACKGROUNDSuccessful lung transplantation has been limited by the scarcity of donors. Brain death (BD) donors are major source of lung transplantation. Whereas BD process induces acute lung injury and aggravates lung ischemia reperfusion injury. Carbon monoxide (CO) inhalation at 50-500 parts per million (ppm) can ameliorate lung injury in several models. We examined in rats whether CO inhalation in BD donor would show favorable effects on lung grafts.

METHODSRats were randomly divided into 4 groups. In sham group, donor rats received insertion of a balloon catheter into the cranial cavity, but the balloon was not inflated. In BD-only group, donor rats were ventilated with 40% oxygen after BD confirmation. In BD+CO250 and BD+CO500 groups, donor rats inhaled, after BD confirmation, 250 ppm or 500 ppm CO for 120 minutes prior to lung procurement, and orthotopic lung transplantation was performed. The rats were sacrificed 120 minutes after the lung transplantation by exsanguination, and their blood and lung graft samples were obtained. A total of 8 rats fulfilling the criteria were included in each group.

RESULTSThe inhalation decreased the severity of lung injury in grafts from BD donors checked by histological examination. CO pretreatment reversed the aggravation of PaO2/FiO2 in recipients from BD donors. The CO inhalation down-regulated pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-alpha, IL-6) along with the increase of anti-inflammatory cytokine (IL-10) in recipient serum, and inhibited the activity of myeloperoxidase in grafts tissue. The inhalation significantly decreased cell apoptosis in lung grafts, inhibiting mRNA and protein expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and caspase-3 in lung grafts. Further, the inhalation activated phosphorylation of p38 expression and inhibited phosphorylation of anti-extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) expression in lung grafts. The effects of CO at 500 ppm were greater than those at 250 ppm.

CONCLUSIONSCO exerts potent protective effects on lung grafts from BD donor, exhibiting anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptosis functions by modulating the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signal transduction.

Administration, Inhalation ; Animals ; Apoptosis ; Brain Death ; Carbon Monoxide ; administration & dosage ; Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases ; antagonists & inhibitors ; Inflammation ; prevention & control ; Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 ; analysis ; genetics ; Lung Transplantation ; methods ; Male ; Phosphorylation ; RNA, Messenger ; analysis ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Tissue Donors ; p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo establish a molecular method for the authentication of Pinellia pedatisecta and its adulterants.

METHODDNA sequences of some species from P. tenore, Typhonium and Arisaema were downloaded from GenBank, the sequences were aligned using DNAMAN. Allele-specific primers for P. pedatisecta and P. tenore were designed according to their SNPs in rpl 20 sequence. The designed primers were used to amplify 10 samples of P. pedatisecta, P. ternata and T. flagelliforme.

RESULTA 351 bp band was amplified from P. pedatisecta but not form P. ternata and T. flagelliforme by primer Pprpl149F and Pprpl484R. A 630 bp band was amplified from P. ternate and P. pedatisecta but not from T. flagelliforme by primer Ptrpl94F and Ptrpl699R.

CONCLUSIONAS-PCR has the advantages of highly specific and good reproducibility, by which P. pedatisecta can be identified from part of its adulterants quickly. It is a potential method to be used in the molecular identification of other materia medica.

Alleles ; China ; Consumer Product Safety ; DNA Primers ; genetics ; Pinellia ; genetics ; Plants, Medicinal ; genetics ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; methods ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Quality Control

BACKGROUNDBipolar electro-coagulation has a reported efficacy in treating epilepsy involving functional cortex by pure electro-coagulation or combination with resection. However, the mechanisms of bipolar electro-coagulation are not completely known. We studied the acute cortical blood flow and histological changes after bipolar electro-coagulation in 24 patients with intractable temporal lobe epilepsy.

METHODSTwenty-four patients were consecutively enrolled, and divided into three groups according to the date of admission. The regional cortical blood flow (rCBF), electrocorticography, the depth of cortex damage, and acute histological changes (H and E staining, neuronal staining and neurofilament (NF) staining) were analyzed before and after the operation. The t-test analysis was used to compare the rCBF before and after the operation.

RESULTSThe rCBF after coagulation was significantly reduced (P < 0.05). The spikes were significantly reduced after electro-coagulation. For the temporal cortex, the depth of cortical damage with output power of 2-9 W after electro-coagulation was 0.34 ± 0.03, 0.48 ± 0.06, 0.69 ± 0.06, 0.84 ± 0.09, 0.98 ± 0.08, 1.10 ± 0.11, 1.11 ± 0.09, and 1.22 ± 0.11 mm, respectively. Coagulation with output power of 4-5 W completely damaged the neurons and NF protein in the molecular layer, external granular layer, and external pyramidal layer.

CONCLUSIONSThe electro-coagulation not only destroyed the neurons and NF protein, but also reduced the rCBF. We concluded that the injuries caused by electro-coagulation would prevent horizontal synchronization and spread of epileptic discharges, and partially destroy the epileptic focus.

Adult ; Electrocoagulation ; methods ; Epilepsy ; surgery ; Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe ; surgery ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Temporal Lobe ; surgery ; Young Adult