Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures ; Philosophy, Medical

BACKGROUND:Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) is an important mitogen and an indispensable regulator during normal hair cell development. Extracellular signal regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) is also expressed in mammalian vestibular organs.OBJECTIVE: To investigate the changes of the expression and the distribution of IGF-1, IGF-1 receptor (IGF-1R) and ERK1/2 in guinea pig's vestibular epithelium following gentamycin injury.DESIGN: A randomly controlled study.SETTING: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, General Hospital of Chengdu Military Area Command of Chinese PLA.MATERIALS: Twenty healthy and adult guinea pigs, weighing 300 to 350 g, provided by the Experimental Animal Center,Fourth Military Medical University of Chinese PLA, were randomly divided into four experimental groups and a control group with 4 in each group.METHODS: The experiment was performed at Department of Otorhinolaryngology Research Laboratory of Xijing Hospital,Fourth Military Medical University of Chinese PLA from January 2002 to May 2002. In the experimental groups,gentamycin was intraperitoneally administered daily (80 mg/kg) for 10 consecutive days. For the control group, 1 mL of 0.9% sterile saline was administered in the same way. The guinea pigs, in which unsteady gait or nystagmus appeared,could be involved in the further experiments. Before being sacrificed, the animals' gait, nystagmus and the amount of food-intake were observed every day. The animals were anesthetized deeply with 50 mg/kg pentobarbital 1, 7, 14 or 21days after the last gentamycin administration and then decapitated. Bilateral otic vesicles were harvested and immersed in 4% paraformaldehyde. Then the specimens were decalcified in 10% ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA),thereafter embedded in OCT gel and serially sectioned at a thickness of 10 μm in the cryostat. The behavioral changes of guinea pigs were observed. The morphological changes of vestibular epithelium were examined by hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining. The expression and distribution changes of IGF-1/1R and ERK1/2 were investigated immunohistochemically. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The behavioral, morphological, expression and distribution changes of IGF-1/1R and ERK1/2 of guinea pigs in each group.RESULTS: Twenty involved guinea pigs entered the stage of final analysis. ① All the guinea pigs' vestibular functions were impaired after gentamycin treatment, then partially restored without any pharmaceutical treatment. ②Morphological injury was obvious after gentamycin treatment, and improved 1 week later. ③The expression of IGF-1/1R was low in the control group, and in the 1-day group it increased significantly to its maximum. After that, its expression decreased gradually, but was still higher in the 21-day group than that in the control group. There were significant differences in the expression of IGF-1/1R among different groups (F =51.8,45.7,P ＜ 0.05). The expression changes of IGF-1 and its receptor were similar. ④The expression of ERK1/2 was low in the control group, and increased gradually after gentamycin toxicity. In the 7-day group, the immunoreactivity reached its maximum. Then the levels of ERK1/2 decreased gradually, but were still higher in the 21-day group than that in the control group. There were significant differences in the expression of ERK1/2 among different groups (F =103.7,106.4, P ＜ 0.01), but no significant differences existed in the expression between ERK1 and ERK2 among different groups (P ＞ 0.05).CONCLUSION: The expression of IGF-1/1R and ERK1/2 in vestibular epithelium increased after gentamycin treatment,and IGF-1 may play an important role as an endogenous mitogen through a paracrine or autocrine manner in the early stage of hair cell self-repair of guinea pigs. ERK1/2 may play an important role in signal transduction during vestibular hair cell self-repair after gentamycin toxicity in guinea pigs.

Objective To study the effect of tiotropium on urination disorder in benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).Methods In our prospective pilot study,96 BPH patients with COPD patients were enrolled as the treatment group and another 25 similar cases as the control group:In the former group tiotropium was administered and the control group was not.The two groups were compared in terms of the score by the international Prostate Symptom Score(IPSS),the quality of life by QOL,maximum flow rate (Q-max),average flow rate (Q-ave),time to Q-max (TTQ-Max),prostate volume (PVR) and bladder voiding efficiency (BVE) after six months treatment.Results As compared to the control,after six months treatment,such indexes in the treatment group as IPSS (15.1 ± 4.1,16.3 ± 3.4 and 14.7 ± 3.1,P =0.864),QOL(3.9 ± 0.8,4.0± 0.8 and 4.0 ± 0.9,P =0.992),Q-Max(ml/s) (8.5 ± 2.9,10.9 ± 2.2 and 9.0 ± 2.4,P =0.214),Q-ave(ml/s) (3.9 ±1.2,5.0 ± 1.4 and 3.8 ± 0.9,P =0.054),TTQ-Max(s) (11.1 ± 5.6,11.2 ± 4.0 and 10.4 ± 5.1,P =0.424),PVR(mL)(56.8 ± 33.3,62.3 ± 30.5 and 57.4 ± 29.5,P =0.981),BVE(％) (75.6 ± 13.8,72.7 ± 10.5 and 74.3 ± 12.1,P =0.992).showed no significant differences.Conclusion Tiotropium does not adversely affect lower urinary tract functions in BPH patients with COPD.

Abstract?AlM:To evaluate the accuracy and practicability of three - dimensionally preformed Arbeitsgemeinschaft Osteosynthese AO titanium mesh plates for orbital fractures.?METHODS:Forty-seven patients with isolated blow-out orbital fractures were included in this study. Fracture locations were as follows: floor/medial wall ( n = 26, 55%), medial wall ( n = 12, 26%), and floor ( n = 9, 19%) . The floor fractures were exposed by a standard transconjunctival approach, whereas a combined transcaruncular transconjunctival approach was used in patients with medial wall fractures with temporary dissection of inferior oblique muscle. A three -dimensionally preformed AO titanium mesh plate was selected according to the size of the defect previously measured on the preoperative computed tomographic scan examination and fixed at the inferior orbital rim with 2 screws. The accuracy of plate positioning of the reconstructed orbit was assessed on the postoperative computed tomography ( CT) scan. The practicability of clinical use of AO three - dimensionally preformed titanium mesh plates was assessed on the preoperative and postoperative clinical data.?RESULTS: Postoperative orbital CT scan showed an anatomic three- dimensional placement of the orbital mesh plates in all of the patients. All patients had a successful treatment outcome without clinical complications. 40 patients ( 87%) had a successful enophthalmos correction. 25 patients ( 86%) had a successful recovery from diplopia.?CONCLUSlON: Three- dimensionally preformed AO titanium mesh plates for orbital fracture reconstruction results in an accurate anatomic restoration of the bony orbital contour with a high rate of success to correctenophthalmos and diplopia.

OBJECTIVETo improve the method for monitoring sleep state and respiratory rhythm of SD rats, providing a solution for rats' chewing on the wires, signal loss and instability problems in the animal model of sleep apnea syndrome (SAS).

METHODSWe improved monitoring electrodes of both electrocorticogram (ECoG) and electromyogram (EMG), signal circuit and animal operation.

RESULTSOperation time was shortened and wound exposure time was reduced, which made it easier for postoperative recovery. The ECoG and EMG signals were more stable with sharp image, and signal circuit lines had better conductivity and material durability, achieving continuous monitoring for a long time and high success rate. We could precisely distinguish the sleep wake state and the sleep apnea events in rats according to these signals.

CONCLUSIONThe improved method is more reliable and practical to test the small animal model of SAS, and is more easily to operate and the signals are more stable.

Animals ; Electroencephalography ; methods ; Electromyography ; methods ; Models, Animal ; Monitoring, Physiologic ; methods ; Rats ; Respiration ; Sleep ; Sleep Apnea Syndromes ; diagnosis

For screening the potential drugs as anti-liver fibrosis candidates, we established a high- throughput drug screening cell model based on COL1A1 promoter. The activity of COL1A1 promoter and luciferase reporter gene can be elevated by TGF-β1, and inhibited by candidate drugs. We constructed a recombined plasmid with COL1A1 promoter and luciferase reporter gene pGL4.17, the activity of COL1A1 promoter was reflected by fluorescence intensity. COL1A1 promoter activity was detected by Dual-Luciferase Reporter Assay System, it came that the relative luciferase activity of COL1A1 promoter was 15.98 times higher than that of control group induced by TGF-β1, showing the recombined plasmid could be used in cell model. The recombined plasmid was transfected into human hepatic stellate cells LX2, detected the effect of potential drugs, and obtained a stable expression system through stable transfection and monoclonal cell culture. A sample which could reduce COL1A1 promoter activity signally by our cell model, decreased collagen I mRNA and protein expression detected by real-time RT-PCR and Western blotting. It indicates this novel cell model can be used in high-throughput drug screening of potential anti-liver fibrosis drugs.
Collagen Type I ; genetics ; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical ; methods ; Genes, Reporter ; Hepatic Stellate Cells ; High-Throughput Screening Assays ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis ; drug therapy ; Luciferases ; Plasmids ; Promoter Regions, Genetic ; RNA, Messenger ; Transfection ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1 ; pharmacology

Objective Insulin autoantibody (IAA) is known to exist in sera of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) patients and pre-T1DM individuals. The aim of this study was to establish a novel microtiter plate radioimmunoassay (RIA) for IAA and evaluate its clinical value. Methods Diluted 125Ⅰ-insulin was mixed with 5 ul serum samples in a 96-well microtiter plate and then incubated for 72 h on an orbital plate shaker (4℃). The immunocomplexes were transferred to another protein a coated Millipore plate, and then the plate was washed with Tri-Buffered Saline Tween-20 (TBT) buffer. Counts per minute (CPM) was measured with liquid scintillation and luminescence counter. The positive cut-off point of IAA index was defined as ≥0.06 based on the 99-percentile of the distribution in 317 healthy individuals. The specificity and sensitivity of the assay were calculated from the samples provided by the fourth Diabetes Autoantibodies Standardization Program (DASP 2005). The IAA levels were determined in 71 T1 DM and 551 newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes (T2DM) patients, and 317 healthy controls. The t test, non-parametric test, x2 test and linear correlation analysis were performed on the data using SPSS 11.5 software. The concordance rate was estimated with Kappa value. Results (1) The optimized testing condition was described as 2×104 CPM of 125Ⅰ-insulin, 5 ul serum sample and slowly horizontal shaking for 72 h. (2) The intra-assay CV was 4.8%-8.9% and inter-assay CV was 6.4%-10.5%. Based on DASP 2005 samples, the specificity and sensitivity of the assay were 97% (97/100) and 50% (25/50), respectively. Ninety-six serum samples with different IAA levels were selected and tested to compare between our new method and a domestic IAA RIA kit. The results showed that the IAA indices from the two methods were positively correlated (r= 0.678, P<0.001). The concordance rate was 72.9 %(Kappa value=0.402). There were 25 samples with discordant results, which were positive for IAA titer using the corresponding microtiter plate RIA but negative using the novel RIA kit. (3) In TIDM group the positive rate of IAA was 19.7% (16/71), higher than the healthy controls (0.9%, x2=54.36, P<0.001). The subgroup of T1DM children (with 0-9 years) showed the highest IAA positive rate (55.6% ,x2=4.85, P<0.05). In T2DM group the frequency of IAA was 1.5% (8/551), which had no significant difference comparing with that of healthy controls (x2= 0.95, P >0.05). Conclusions Our proposed microtiter plate RIA method for IAA is highly sensitive and specific, likely to be feasible for clinical application. The frequency of IAA is high in children with T1DM.

Objective To observe the time-dependent changes of astrocytes and microvessels in the ischemic core and surrounding areas.Methods Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)was measured by HE,and CD31 by immunohistochemistry as markers in post-mortem specimens from ten patients,who died of cerebral infarction.Results Each section of the infarcted brains was divided into four areas (the area 0-3).GFAP expressed a little in area 0 and 1,increased in a time-dependent manner in area 2 and 3;CD31 die not expressed in area 0,expressed a little in the area 1,and increased in area 2 and 3 continuously.Conclusions The proliferation of astrocytes and microvessels may play a significant role in the process of restoration after cerebral infarction.

Objective:To observe the effect of Shuxuetong Injection on unstable angina pectoris in diabetic pa- tients after coronary stent implantation.Method:40 diabetic patients after coronary stent implantation were randomly divid- ed into two groups.The patients in the two groups were treated with basic drugs.17 patients in the controlled group were venously treated with Danshen injection 6 milliliters dissolved in 250 milliliters 0.9% sodium chloride injection once daily. 23 patients in the treatment group were venously treated with Shuxuetong injection 6 milliliters dissolved in 250 milliliters 0.9% sodium chloride injection once a day.The treatment course was fifteen days in both groups.The clinical effect and the frequency of angina attack were observed in both groups.The concentrations of plasma fibrinogen(FBG)and serum C- reactive protein(CRP)were measured before and after the treatment.Result:Compared with those of the controlled group, the frequency of angina attack and the indication of myocardial ischema in electrocardiogram greatly improved(P

One new dicyclopeptide cyclo-(L-N-methyl Glu-L-N-methyl Glu) (1), together with one new natural dicyclopeptide cyclo-(L-methyl Glu ester-L-methyl Glu ester) (2), and two known dicyclopeptides cyclo-(L-methyl Glu ester-L-Glu) (3), and cyclo-(L-Glu-L-Glu) (4), were isolated from the aerial parts of Dianthus chinensis L. Their structures were determined by spectroscopic analyses and chemical methods.
Dianthus ; chemistry ; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ; Molecular Structure ; Plant Components, Aerial ; chemistry ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry