Evidence-Based Medicine ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional

Hemopexin (HPX) is a plasma protein with the strongest binding capacity to heme and widely involved in modulation of a variety of physiological and pathological processes. The main physiological function of HPX is to bind and transport free toxic heme. Recent studies indicate that HPX also plays roles of anti-oxidant, anti-apoptosis, immune regulation and organic protection. In addition, HPX participates in regulation of cell differentiation and extracellular matrix reconstruction. In recent years, a great deal of progress has been made in studies of the mechanisms of HPX protective effects and on possible clinical application. In the past few years, especially, a number of proteomic studies have demonstrated that HPX could be served as positive molecular biomarkers for cancers of lung, liver, kidney, colon, and uterine myoma as well as osteoarthritis. In this review, recent progress in the biochemical characteristics and function of HPX and its possible clinical applications are summarized.
Heme ; Heme Oxygenase (Decyclizing) ; Hemopexin ; chemistry ; metabolism ; Humans

OBJECTIVETo introduce an arthroscopic technique in managing recurrent dislocation of the patella and its clinical results.

METHODSSixteen patients with recurrent patellar dislocation were reviewed, including 3 males and 13 females. The average age was 17.6 years old (ranged from 14 to 32 years). The patients suffering from patellar sub-luxation averaged 18.5 months (ranged from 6 to 23 months)before operation. These patients were treated with lateral patellar retinacular release outside the synovial bursa of knee joint and medial patellofemoral ligament reconstruction using the semitendinosus tendon free autograft. The Lyshohm scores before and after operation were used to evaluate outcomes at the final follow-up.

RESULTSAll the patients were followed up, and the duration ranged from 6 to 48 months, with an average of 12 months. There was no recurrence. The Q angle decreased from (16.4 ± 3.7)° to (10.1 ± 1.4)°; insall index decreased from 1.37 ± 0.25 to 1.28 ± 0.23; congruence angle decreased from (21.3 ± 2.6)° to (5.86 ± 2.23)°; Lysholm score improved from 76.1 ± 5.2 to 89.8 ± 4.1 at 6 months after operation.

CONCLUSIONCompared with conventional procedure, arthroscopic surgery for recurrent dislocation of the patella achieves excellent outcomes with minimum invasion.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Arthroscopy ; Bursa, Synovial ; surgery ; Female ; Humans ; Knee Joint ; surgery ; Male ; Patellar Dislocation ; physiopathology ; surgery ; Patellar Ligament ; surgery ; Range of Motion, Articular ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult

Objective To investigate the effect of long-term high-fat diet on insulin resistance and the morphology and function of islets in rats and the relationship between them.Methods Thirty normal male Wistar rats (8 weeks old) were divided into two groups and fed either with normal chow (NC,n=15),or high-caloric and high-fat diet (HF,n=15).Insulin resistance was assessed by euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp technique. The insulin secretory function of islets was evaluated by intravenous insulin releasing test.Morphological and quantitative analysis of pancreatic tissues was performed by double-label insulin and glucagon immunohistochemistry.Proinsulin mRNA was detected by RT-PCR.Results The glucose infusion rate (GIR) in HF rats was significandy lower than that in NC rats [(5.83?0.79)mg?kg~(-1)?min~(-1) vs (7.60?1.29)mg?kg~(-1)?min~(-1),P＜0.05].Immunohistochemistry showed that HF rats had larger islet size [(15168?1327)?m~2 vs (6264?1840)?m~2,P＜0.01] and significantly reduced insulin relative concentration of?cells[(-5.15?0.03) vs (-4.81?0.17),P＜0.01],as compared with NC rats.The islet relative?cell volume was decreased signifieandy (P＜0.01),whereas the relative?cell volume was increased (P＜0.01).So the ratio of?to?were lower in HF [(4.68?1.01) vs (11.84?3.82),P＜0.05].The peak of insulin secretion in intravenous insulin releasing test in HF was at 10 min,whereas that in NC rats was at 5 min.AUC (area under curve) 10-60 rain of insulin in HF was higher than that in NC rats [(152.51?34.53)mIU?L~(-1)?min~(-1) vs (86.40?21.21) mIU?L~(-1)?min~(-1),P＜0.01].There was no difference in proinsulin mRNA levels between two groups. Conclusion Long-term high-caloric and high-fat diet results in early impairment of islet morphology and function, as well as significant insulin resistance,suggesting that the compensation ability of islets has already been impaired in the early course of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

OBJECTIVETo study the genetic characteristics of measles viruses circulating in Zhejiang province in 2005.

METHODS4 groups of measles viruses isolated in outbreaks and the H and N gene were amplified by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). PCR products were purified, sequenced and data was analyzed.

RESULTSAll of the 4 measles isolates belonged to genotype H1 which had been a main genotype containing all of the isolates in China. The isolates shared 99.2% -99.7% identity of amino acid sequence on H and 99.8% identity of amino acid sequence on N gene. When comparing to the China vaccine strain (Shanghai 191), there were 95.2%-95.5% homogeneties and 95.5% homogeneties on H and N gene respectively.

CONCLUSIONData from phylogenic trees of H and N gene revealed that the wide-type measles viruses circulating in Zhejiang province in 2005 all belonged to genotype H1. There were obvious differences on genetic characteristics between the isolates and the genotype A (Shanghai 191).

Amino Acid Sequence ; China ; epidemiology ; Genes, Viral ; Genotype ; Measles ; epidemiology ; Measles virus ; classification ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Phylogeny

Aim To evaluate the effects of salvianolic acid B ( Sal B ) on bone metabolism and its potential mechanism in high fat diet ( HFD) mice.Methods Thirty C57BL/6J male mice were divided into three groups with 10 mice each, namely normal , HFD and HFD+Sal B.HFD and HFD+Sal B mice were treated with HFD, and HFD+Sal B group mice were also with Sal B (125 mg· kg -1· d-1).After 12 weeks' treat-ment, femurs were harvested .The effects of Sal B on biomechanical strength were evaluated by biomechani-cal tests, and the effects of Sal B on bone microstruc-ture were evaluated by Safranin O/fast green staining and hematoxylin and eosin staining .The expression of nuclear factor-kappa B ( NF-κB)-p65 and NADPH ox-idase 4 ( Nox4 ) and cathepsin K in femurs was deter-mined by immunohistochemical staining . Results Maximum load and elastic load significantly decreased ,and the trabeculae became thinner and irregular in the femurs of HFD mice , while Sal B treatment could re-verse the descending biomechanical strength and the disorganized femurs bone micro-structures in HFD mice.In addition, the expressions of Nox4, NF-κB-p65 and cathepsin Kmarkedly increased in HFD mice , and Sal B possessed the ability to down-regulate the ex-pression of Nox4, NF-κB-p65, and cathepsin K in the femurs triggered by HFD .Conclusions Sal B treat-ment improves bone metabolism via regulating Nox 4/NF-κB/cathepsin K signaling pathway in HFD mice . The findings contribute to the understanding and exten-sion of the applications of Salvia miltiorrhiza and its constituents on osteoporosis .

Aim To observe the effect of interventional therapy of 5-fluorouracil(5-Fu), mitomycin C (MMC) and adriamycin (ADM) on solid malignant turmors in association with aterial infusion of NaHCO3.Methods Patients were randomly divided into two groups.With Seldinger technique,through the femoral atery to tumor atery.The patients in the control group were infused by anticarcinoma agents simply ,and patients in the treatment group were initially infused by NaHCO3,and then by NS 30 ml and anticarcinoma agents seperately. Results Partial remission (PR) in the group treated with NaHCO3 and anticarcinoma agents was significantly higher than in the group treated simply with anticarcinoma agents.Conclusion Aterial infusion of NaHCO3 into malignant tumors can increase the efficacy of ADM,MMC and 5-Fu.

AIM To compare the diuretic effects of Descurainiae Semen (DS),Coicis Semen (CS) and Plantaginis Semen (PS),and to observe their mechanical similarities and differences.METHODS Metabolic cage method was applied to investigating the diuretic effects of DS (2.34 g/kg),CS (7.00 g/kg) and PS (3.50 g/kg),whose diuretic mechanisms were studied by cryoscopic method,enzyme method,ion selective electrode method,ELISA and Western blot.RESULTS DS,CS and PS obviously increased saline-loaded rats' urine volume (P ＜ 0.05) and reduced their body weight (P ＜ 0.05) after administration for 7 h,which exhibited no significant effects on urine creatinine (Ucr),serum creatinine (Scr) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN)(P ＞ 0.05).DS showed its diuretic effect mainly by lowering the levels of serum Na +,atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP),brain natriuretic peptide (BNP),pulmonary AQP3,renal AQP1 and AQP2;CS showed its diuretic effect mainly by reducing the levels of serum Na +,Cl-,ANP,pulmonary AQP3,gastric AQP3,renal AQP1 and AQP2;PS showed its diuretic effect mainly by decreasing the levels of serum Na + and Cl-,pulmonary AQP3,gastric AQP3,renal AQP1 and AQP2.CONCLUSION Three medicinal materials have significant diuretic effects without obvious renal harm.DS categorized as a medicinal plant of lung channel and tropism has a great effect on netriuretic peptide system,CS categorized as a medicinal plant of spleen channel and tropism has a great effect on gastric AQP3,and PS categorized as a medicinal plant of renal channel and tropism has a great effect on renal AQPs.

OBJECTIVESTo investigate the transmission process of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and to evaluate the infectiveness of SARS patients in different periods of disease epidemics.

METHODSStandardized questionnaire was used to conduct case investigation and contact tracing by combining the field investigation and telephone interview. Transmission process, infectivity, transmission chain and contact history of SARS were studied through data analyses.

RESULTSOn 25th March 2003, a 91 year old man was admitted to Hospital J in Beijing with stroke and fever. He died on 30th March. From 31st March, there was an outbreak of SARS among his contacts in the family and in the hospital he was admitted to. Contacts would include his relatives, other co-patients and health care workers in the Hospital J. Chinese Field Epidemiology Training Program trainees conducted an investigation of the outbreak. Among the 207 contacts of the index cases through different generations, there were 36 cases of SARS (attack rate 17%) patients with one death. There were 12 cases having directly contact with the index case and 13 cases with one secondary case. The transmission chains of this outbreak could clearly be depicted. All the cases had close contacts during the symptomatic period of their index patients. Among the relatives, 85% of the cases had 3 - 5-day contact with their index patients after the onset of the illnesses. There was no significant difference between the two attack rates-70% for whose who had contact with the patient before and after illness onset) and 67% for those who only had contact after the onset of the illness. Out of the 44 social acquaintances and 38 of the family members who had contacts with the index patients during the incubation period, no one was found ill. Among the close contacts at the hospital who had no protection when providing care to the patient, the attack rate was found over 80%.

CONCLUSIONSAll the secondary cases of this outbreak had a history of direct and close contacts to the index patients after the onset of the illness. There was no evidence indicating that SARS cases were infectious during their incubation period.

Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; China ; epidemiology ; Humans ; Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional ; Male ; Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ; epidemiology ; prevention & control ; transmission

OBJECTIVETo explore the mutation of tyrosine hydroxylase(TH) gene in Chinese patients with autosomal recessive(AR) dopa-responsive dystonia(DRD) and to lay a solid basis for gene diagnosis of AR-DRD in China.

METHODSMutation analysis of TH gene was performed in 5 probands with AR-DRD and 2 sporadic patients with DRD by use of polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) combining DNA direct sequencing.

RESULTSThe PCR-SSCP analysis and DNA direct sequencing following PCR revealed no mutation in all the 14 exons of TH gene.

CONCLUSIONThe mutation rate of TH gene in Chinese patients with AR-DRD is low, hence suggesting the genetic heterogeneity and a new locus for AR-DRD.

Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; genetics ; China ; Dystonia ; ethnology ; genetics ; Female ; Genes, Recessive ; genetics ; Humans ; Male ; Mutation ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polymorphism, Single-Stranded Conformational ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase ; genetics