OBJECTIVETo study the effect of blood activating water relieving method (BAWRM) on heart functions and serum levels of NT-proBNP in patients with heart failure with normal ejection fraction (HFNEF).

METHODSSixty-four HFNEF patients were admitted to our hospital during January 2011 to June 2012. They were randomly assigned to the treatment group (32 cases) and the control group (32 cases). Patients in the control group received routine Western medical treatment, while those in the treatment group additionally took Chinese medical recipes for activating blood circulation and relieving water retention. Changes of Chinese medical syndromes, E/E', serum NT-proBNP contents were observed between the two groups.

RESULTSCompared with before treatment, their Chinese medical syndromes and E/E' were significantly improved, and serum NT-proBNP contents decreased in the two groups (P < 0.05). Compared with the control group, Chinese medical syndromes, E/E', serum NT-proBNP contents obviously decreased in the treatment group, showing statistical difference (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONBAWRM was an effective way to improve the diastolic function of HFNEF patients and lower the serum level of NT-proBNP with confirmative efficacy.

Aged ; Female ; Heart Failure ; blood ; drug therapy ; physiopathology ; Humans ; Male ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; methods ; Middle Aged ; Natriuretic Peptide, Brain ; blood ; Peptide Fragments ; blood ; Stroke Volume

Objective To investigate the curative effect of sodium nitroprusside in the treatment of EV71-related pneumoedema/pneumorrhagia and hypotension in this study. Methods This was a retrospective study of a total 10 children with EV71-related pneumoedema/pneumorrhagia treated with sodium nitroprusside using case-control methods. The clinical manifestations and outcomes of the 10 children (present cohort) were compared with those of 8 children (past cohort) who had EV71-related pneumoedema/pneumorrhagia without sodium nitroprusside. Results Among these 10 patients,all were at the appearance of pneumoedema/pneumorrhagia, cardiac arrhythmia and hypotension. Two patients showed severe cardiac arrhythmia, two patients showed cardiac arrest for many times. All 10 patients were treated with mechanical ventilation and other conventional treatments. At the first time of the manifest of hypotension,sodium nitroprusside were put into practice in all 10 patients. Ten patients were treated with intravenously sodium nitroprusside in the stage of hypotension by maxi30 min ～ 1 h,the patients showed an improvement in vultus,pulse and peripheral circulation and decrease of heart rate and elevation of blood pressure after 30 min ～2 h,but at least 2～6 h later,the blood pressure tended to stabilize at normal standard. Conclusion Hypotension is the intensive stage in EV71-related hand,foot and mouth disease ,and the shock syndrome caused by acute left ventricular disorder is related to sympathetic nerve activity. Sodium nitroprusside can effectively reduce the cardiac afterload,and correct shock and improve the prognosis.

Objective To study the efficacy and mechanism of compound Tripterygium hypoglaucum Hutch (THH) on photoallergic contact dermatitis in mice. Methods The photoallergic animal model of BALB/c mice was established by using photosensitizer chlorpromazine and UVA irradiation. The therepeutic efficacy was determined by measuring the thickness and the weight of the swelling ear and the number of infiltrated mononuclear cells in the ear tissue. Immunohistochemical technique was used to detect the ICAM-1 expression on keratinocytes, fibroblasts and vascular endothelial cells. The serum level of INF-? was measured by ELISA. The tested animals were divided into 3 groups: compound THH, THH alone and normal saline. Results The difference of the thickness of left ear before and after challenge, the differences of the thickness and the weight of ear tissue, the difference of the number of infiltrated mononuclear cells of left and right ear after challenge were significantly less in the compound THH group than those in the THH alone group (P

Objective To investigate the safety and efficiency of 125I radioactive stents for advanced extra-hepatic cholangio-carcinoma.Methods We retrospectively reviewed data of 15 consecutive patients with advanced and un-resectable extra-hepatic cholangiocarcinoma,who were treated by radioactive stents.Postoperative complications,patency time of stents,and survival of the patients were assessed.Results Fifteen patients underwent 32 endoscopic sessions of radioactive stents placement.Successful operations were achieved in all patients,and there were no life-threatening complications including perforation,bleeding or bone marrow depression.The average patency time of radioactive stents was 117 ± 105 days (8-295 days).The actual radiation dose was 56.55 ± 17.42 Gy (7.86-82.48 Gy).The median survival time was 420 days (90-1175 days) and survival of 6 patients exceeded 12 months.Conclusion The 125I radioactive stent is safe and effective for patients with advanced unresectable extra-hepatic cholangio-carcinoma.

Objective To design radioactive biliary stents and to evaluate the feasibility and safety of the stents.Methods Plastic stents with inserted iodine-125 seeds were designed and tested in sixteen normal pigs. In the brachytherapy group,the pigs were implanted radioactive stents in the common bile duct (CBD) and then divided into three groups on the basis of radiation dose of the reference point,50 Gy group (n=4),100Gy group (n=4),and 150 Gy group (n=4).In the control group,the same plastic stents with non-radioactive seeds were implanted (n=2),whilst in the blank control group,no stents were implanted (n=2).Blood routine,serum amylase,liver and kidney function were tested before and 1,7,14,30,60 days after the implantation of stents. Animals were sacrificed on the 14,30 and 60 days after stem implantation.Some relevant index such as perito- neal bleeding and inflammation,ascites,injury of adjacent organs,as well as perforation,stricture and dilatation of bile duct were investigated.Bile duct tissues were stained with H-E,and observed under microscopy. Results The radioactive plastic biliary stents were successfully prepared and implanted.There was no effusion, hemorrhage or necrosis in the adjacent organs of radioactive biliary stent implanted group.Perforation of the CBD wall was not observed in the brachytherapy group.By pathological examination in the CBD,obvious hyperplasia of the mucosa and mucosal glands were seen in the control group.Necrosis of mucosal layer existed in brachy- therapy groups.In 50 Gy group,mucosal layer was incomplete and mild hyperplasia of mucosal glands was seen. In 100 Gy group,mucosal layer disappeared and almost no hyperplasia of the mucosal glands could be found.In 150 Gy group,mucosal layer disappeared and mucosal glands obviously decreased.There were no obvious abnormalities noted in blood tests after implantation in each group.Conclusions The design of radioactive biliary stents are feasible and safe.The radioactive stents have obvious radiation effect besides the mechanical effect on the mucosal layer of CBD.

Objective To study the effects of pulsed Nd:YAG laser radiation on the marginal microleakage of porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns. Methods Twenty in vitro premolar teeth were selected and processed by standard porcelain crown preparation. The porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns were made based on the relevant repair technical requirements. The restorations were randomly divided into control group (group A) and experimental group (group B). The restorations in the group B were treated by external Nd:YAG laser irradiation with power of 1.25 W and irradiation time of 20 s. All the restorations were fixed with composite resin cement, and then put into normal saline under 37℃for 20 d, during which 300 times thermal cycling were performed. After that, the restorations were placed into 0.5％ pinkish red solution for 24 hours to dyeing, and then dissected along the longitudinal axis. The marginal microleakage of the restoration was observed by a stereomicroscopy. The data were processed by the SPSS 19.0 software. Results The degree of marginal microleakage of the restorations after Nd:YAG laser irradiation was significantly lower than that in the control group (P<0.05). Conclusions The pulsed Nd:YAG laser irradiation can effectively improve the adhesion between the resin and the hard tissue of the teeth, and reduce the marginal microleakage of the porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns.

OBJECTIVETo detect the possible relationship between PARKIN gene and the Chinese pedigree with autosomal recessive early-onset Parkinson's disease(AREP).

METHODSClinical examination was carried out in 6 patients from 3 Chinese pedigrees with AREP and their 23 family members. PCR amplification of all exons of PARKIN gene was performed. The PCR products were analyzed by denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography(DHPLC) to screen for point mutation and polymorphism. And in the samples with abnormal DHPLC result, further sequencing was conducted to confirm the type of mutation and polymorphism.

RESULTSAll exons of PARKIN gene from the research subjects were successfully amplified. A heterozygous point mutation (Gly284Arg) in exon 7 was found in one pedigree. A polymorphism (Ser167Asn) in exon 4 was found in another pedigree. All the patients had the past history of exposure to environmental poison.

CONCLUSIONWhen acting together with risky environmental factors, the heterozygous mutation Gly284Arg in PARKIN gene may cause AREP. The polymorphism Ser167Asn in PARKIN gene increases the risk of developing Parkinson's disease and may cause AREP when acting together with hydrargyrism.

Age of Onset ; Aged ; China ; epidemiology ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Exons ; genetics ; Female ; Genes, Recessive ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Parkinson Disease ; epidemiology ; genetics ; Pedigree ; Point Mutation ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo establish a heat stress adaptation model in mouse fibroblast cell line NIH-3T3, and analyze the effect of stress and adaptation on protein synthesis.

METHODSA heat stress adaptation cell model was established by heat preconditioning at 42 degrees C for 20 min. The total proteins were separated from the cell lysate by two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE), and analyzed using PDQUEST software. The effect of heat stress and preconditioning on protein synthesis was studied, and the protein spots related to stress adaptation were identified by peptide mass fingerprinting (PMF).

RESULTSThe proteins with increased expressions in cells with heat stress but not prior preconditioning represented mostly proteins with low molecular mass, whereas in cells exposed to heat stress following heat preconditioning, the upregulated proteins showed a wide spectrum of relative molecular mass.

CONCLUSIONSIn stress condition, the cells tend to give priority to synthesis of proteins with small molecular mass. Preconditioning of the cells may increase the intracellular reserve of the protective proteins for protection against challenge with potential stress condition.

Adaptation, Physiological ; physiology ; Animals ; Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional ; methods ; Hot Temperature ; Mice ; NIH 3T3 Cells ; Proteins ; analysis ; isolation & purification ; Proteomics ; methods ; Software

OBJECTIVETo investigate the protective effects and mechanism of heat shock response (HSR) on circulatory collapse induced by hyperthermia.

METHODSTwo experiments were carried out: (1) Protective effects of HSR. Rats were divided into 2 groups: heat shock (HS) group, sham control (SC) group. After HS group was pretreated with heat shock and recovered for 20 h at room temperature, both groups were exposed to heat till death, and blood pressure, electrocardiogram were measured continuously during exposure. Mean arterial pressure (MAP), survival time etc were acquired through Chart software. (2) Mechanism of effects. Rats were divided into 3 groups: HS group, SC group and normal control (NC) group. The treatment in HS and SC groups was identical with that in the first experiment, but it would be terminated at 73 min after heat exposure. Systolic pressure (Ps), diastolic pressure (Pd) etc were recorded and content of NO and HSP70 in myocardium were measured.

RESULTS(1) The survival time in HS group [(102.3 +/- 11.4) min] was longer than that in SC group [(87.9 +/- 7.7) min] and shock revealed later (P < 0.01); (2) During early heat exposure MAP in HS group was not different from that in SC group, but after 60 min MAP in HS group were higher than that in SC group; (3) MAP, Ps, Pd, HR and HSP70 in HS group were significantly higher but content of NO was lower than those in SC group (P < 0.01, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONHSR may induce upregulation of HSP70 and inhibit excessive production of NO in myocardium, thus result in relief of circulatory collapse induced by hyperthermia.

Animals ; Heat-Shock Proteins ; analysis ; Heat-Shock Response ; physiology ; Hot Temperature ; Male ; Nitric Oxide ; analysis ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Shock ; metabolism ; physiopathology ; Time Factors

Objective To examine the effects of gross tumor volume (GTV) and radiation dose on the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients treated with whole body gamma knife.Methods The clinical data of 69 HCC patients who underwent body gamma knife treatment from January 2012 to June 2015 in the Radiotherapy Center of the PLA General Hospital were retrospectively reviewed.Based on a 50% or 60% isodose coverage of the planning target volume (PTV), patients were treated with a radiation dose of 4-5 Gy per fraction, and a total marginal dose of 36-50 Gy (median dose 45 Gy).Short-term efficacy, overall survival (OS), and the adverse effect of the treatment were evaluated.The optimal cut-off tumor volume was identified using the receiver operating characteristic curve, and survival was determined by the Kaplan-Meier method.Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed using the log-rank test and Cox proportional hazards regression model, respectively.Results The overall short-term response rate of the 69 patients was 67%.The 1-and 2-year OS rates were 62% and 40%, respectively, with a median survival of 18.6 months.The multivariate analysis showed that gross tumor volume (GTV)<93 cm3(P=0.013) and short-term efficacy of radiotherapy (P=0.000) were significant independent prognostic factors for survival.When GTV was<93 cm3, prognosis was significantly better in patients treated with a dose of ≥45 Gy than in those with<45 Gy (P=0.019).In contrast, radiation dose had no significant effect on survival among patients with GTV>93 cm3(P=0.665).Conclusions GTV is an independent prognostic factor for overall survival of HCC patients.Although high-dose radiotherapy provides survival benefits to patients with small GTV, it is not necessarily suitable for patients with large GTV.