Kashin-Beck disease(KBD) is an endemic and deforming osteochondropathy and its etiology remains unclear up to now.The prevalence of the disease is the severest in the western China and the effective methods for prevention and cure still need further study.This article summarized the progression and problems to be investigated for three main hypotheses of KBD by reviewing literature published at home and abroad.Integrating with his own research work and his team members,the author suggested that excessive apoptosis and dedifferentiation of chondrocytes besides classic chondrocytic necrosis in KBD growth plate and articular cartilage,differences of gene expression profiles in cartilage and peripheral blood mononuclear cells,proteomic markers and short tandem repeat polymorphism in KBD patients were significantly different from those of the healthy subjects from both KBD-areas and non KBD-areas,and those of osteoarthritis patients.The important objectives in the future are to understand ① the gene and proteomic markers for chondrocytic necrosis in KBD,② environmental factors that cause the damage to KBD chondrocytes,③ the way it selectively impairs chondrocytes in the deep zone of growth and joint cartilage by interacting with susceptible gene related to KBD,and ④ effective intervention methods.

Although the prevalence of Kashin-Beck disease (KBD) has decreased greatly since its discovery,the etiology and pathogenesis of the disease have always been one of the mysteries of the medical world.Facing the difficult situation in obtaining human samples of cartilage tissues and chondrocytes from such as KBD children,we should pay great attention to the spontaneous and induced animal models,and establish the disease model for KBD research using modern molecular biology techniques such as induced pluripotent stem cells,to reproduce the developing process of epiphyseal cartilage,growth plate cartilage and articular cartilage in KBD children,and to verify the high-risk environmental causing factors and specific biological mechanism of the cartilage necrosis and to develop targeted therapeutic drugs for KBD and to enhance the prevention and control levels of the disease.

Objective To review the progression of molecular biological mechanism on chondronecrosis in cartilage with Kashin-Beck disease (KBD) so as to promote the research work for pathogenesis of KBD. Methods The document analysis was used to compare the status quo of domestic and abroad research on KBD and osteoarthrosis. Results An aggregation in pedigrees with KBD was found, and an excessive chondrocyte apoptosis and de-differentiation was observed in cartilage from KBD patients except for chondronecrosis in deep zone. In contrast to osteoarthrosis, short tandem repeat, collagen gene in cartilage and gene chip were little known in KBD. Conclusion The pathogenesis of KBD should be further studied using modern biotechonology, such as short tandem repeat, cartilage collagen gene and gene chip.

BACKGROUND: This study investigated the effects of the intracoronary injection of nicorandil and tirofiban on myocardial perfusion and short-term prognosis in elderly patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) after emergency percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). METHODS: Seventy-eight STEMI patients with age >65 years who underwent emergency PCI were consecutively enrolled. These patients received conventional PCI and were randomly divided into a control group and a treatment group (n=39 per group). The control group received an intracoronary injection of tirofi ban followed by a maintenance infusion for 36 hours after surgery. The treatment group received intracoronary injection of tirofiban and nicorandil, and then intravenous infusion of tirofi ban and nicorandil 36 hours after surgery. The following parameters were measured: TIMI grade, corrected TIMI frame count (cTFC), TIMI myocardial perfusion grade (TMPG), STsegment resolution (STR) rate 2 hours post-operatively, resolution of ST-segment elevation (STR) at 2 hours postoperatively, peak level of serum CK-MB, left ventricular end diastolic diameter (LVEDD) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) at 7–10 days postoperatively, and major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) in-hospital and within 30 days post-operatively. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, more patients in the treatment group had TIMI 3 and TMPG 3, and STR after PCI was significantly higher. The treatment group also had significantly lower cTFC, lower infarction relative artery (IRA), lower peak CK-MB, and no refl ow ratio after PCI. The treatment group had signifi cantly higher LVEDD and LVEF but lower incidence of MACEs than the control group. CONCLUSION: The intracoronary injection of nicorandil combined with tirofi ban can effectively improve myocardial reperfusion in elderly STEMI patients after emergency PCI and improve shortterm prognoses.

Objective: The occurrence characteristic of Kashin-Beck Disease (KBD) in pedigrees ascertained on the basis of one proband was estimated. Methods: A total of 255 individuals in 40 pedigrees were collected from areas in the Shaanxi Province. Results: (1) Parents and siblings of index cases have a 3-4 times higher risk than a randam unrelated individual. The odds ratio for disease is higher in mothers than in fathers of index cases; (2) Prevalence in relatives of index cases (Kr = 59.2%) greatly exceeds population prevalence (K = 17.5%); (3) Kr increases with sibship size; (4) There is no significant difference of Kr for male and female siblings of index cases. Also, population prevalence is not sex-specific. Conclusion: In conjunction with invironmental agents, genetics may play an important role in KBD etiology.

BACKGROUND: Nitric oxide synthase(NOS) is extensively distributed in the central nervous system and modulates neuronal activities. However,there are few reports about NOS' s involvement in nociceptive information transmission at the supraspinal level.OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relation between the primary afferent visceral terminials and the NOS-containing neurons which project from the interstitial nucleus of spinal trigeminal tract(INV) to the parabrachial nucleus(PBN).DESIGN: A controlled experimental observation based on the experimental animals.SETTING: Department of anatomy in a military medical university of Chinese PLA.MATERIALS: The experiment was conducted in the Department of Anatomy,Fourth Military Medical University of Chinese PLA,from January to December 2002. Ten adult male SD rats were selected in this experiment.INTERVENTIONS: Tetramethyl rhodamine-dextran(TMR) and biotinylated dextran-amine(BDA) were injected into the PBN and vago-glossopharyngeal nerves respectively combining with the immunohistochemical method for NOS and the observation with laser confocal scanning microscope.MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREES: Overlapping of TMR retrogradely labeled neurons,NOS positive labeled neurons and transganglionic tracing labeled terminals,and their relationship in INV.RESULTS: After injection of TMR into the PBN,the retrogradely labeled neurons,mostly small and medium-sized(below20 μm),were found in the INV ipsilateral to the injection side. The distribution of the NOS positive neurons overlapped with retrogradely labeled neurons in INV. The proportion of the number of double-labeled neurons with NOS/TMR was 55% (17/31)and 34% (17/49) in the whole population of the NOS positive neurons and retrogradely neurons,respectively. Some transganglionic tracing labeled terminals after BDA injection had close contact with the double-labeled neurons.CONCLUSION: The visceral nociceptive pathway exists from INV to PBN and NO may act as the transmitter or neural signal molecule in the transmission and regulation of visceral nociceptive process.

Objective To investigate two techniques and outcome in repairing facial concave deficits.Methods Eleven patients with facial concave deformity were included in this study:nine were treated with autologous fat granule injection,1,3 and 5 patients were given fat granules injection fourth,twice and once,respectivly.The other 2 patients were repaired with homolateral temporal fascia flap.Results The implantation by using autologous fat granules in all 9 patients showed excellent results.Homolateral temporal fascia flaps were used in 2 cases,one of which was formed hematoma after operation and scavenged thereafter.All the patients had satisfactory results.Conclusion Both approaches well rehabilitate patients' facial contour,and thus are capable of repairing moderate or minimal facial concave deficit and worth recommendation.

Animals ; Antitussive Agents ; pharmacology ; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical ; methods ; Female ; Male ; Mice

Aim This study was designed to investigate the effects of pravastatin,a potent 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitor,on vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) proliferation and leukocyte-endothelial cell adhesion induced by lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC).Methods Cultured VSMCs from rabbit thoracic aorta were incubated with various concentrations of LPC in the absence or presence of different concentrations of pravastatin. MTT was used to evaluate the proliferation of VSMCs. We determined the effects of LPC and pravastatin on neutrophil K562 adhesion to endothelial cells ECV304 by directly counting non-adhesive K562 cells.Results Incubation of VSMCs with LPC (1～10 ?mol?L -1) stimulated proliferation of VSMCs in a time- and dose-dependent manner,while pravastatin (0.3～1 mmol?L -1) treatment prevented the proliferation of VSMCs caused by LPC. Moreover, incubation of ECV304 with 3 ?mol ? L -1 LPC for 12 h significantly enhanced K562 cells adhesion to endothelial cells, whereas pretreatment with pravastatin reduced leukocyte-endothelial cell adhesion. Conclusion These results suggest that pravastatin can antagonize the effects of VSMCs proliferation and leukocyte-endothelial cell adhesion induced by LPC.

The discovery of microRNAs (miRNAs) has introduced a new paradigm into gene regulatory systems. Since inception, computational methods have been an invaluable tool complementing experimental approaches, and many discoveries have been obtained through combination of experimental and computational approaches. The knowledge that has been accumulated about the principles of miRNAs and target recognition were reviewed. The currently available computational methodologies and software for prediction of miRNA and their target genes also have been discussed.