OBJECTIVETo compare the effect of Sodium Morrhuate on ECV-304 between its lipo- and normal preparation.

METHODSThe ECV-304 cell line was supplemented with Sodium Morrhuate and lipo-Sodium Morrhuate in order, and the result on morphology (microscope, Giemsa Staining and electron microscope), cell activity (MTT), and flow cytometer between the two preparation were compared.

RESULTSIn normal preparation group, cell's edema occurred. Chromatin was like catkins. Tumefaction and degeneration of mitochondrion and endoplasmic reticulum appeared. In lipo-Sodium Morrhuate group, the membrane was creased and processus appeared. Chromatin aggregates to the membrane of nucleus was like crescent, and then broken. The apoptotic body was formed. MTT changes showed that the curve of the normal preparation group was steep and the change time was short relatively, which cues the vital cells decreased sharply. The curve of lipo-Sodium Morrhuate group was gentle and the change time was long relatively, which cues the vital cells decreased slowly. The flow cytometer showed that typical apoptosis peak appeared.

CONCLUSIONThe normal preparation group shows an acute toxic effect on ECV-304 cell line, which result in a necrosis course, while lipo-Sodium Morrhuate shows a gradual releasing process, which may indicate a apoptosis course.

Animals ; Apoptosis ; Cell Line ; Humans ; Necrosis ; Sclerosing Solutions ; Sodium Morrhuate

Adult ; Diskectomy ; methods ; Female ; Humans ; Intervertebral Disc Displacement ; surgery ; Lumbar Vertebrae ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures ; methods

BACKGROUNDReal-time perfusion imaging (RTPI) using ultrasound contrast agents has shown good "accuracy" in detecting myocardial infarction, however its accuracy in the assessment of peri-infarct ischemia and stress echocardiography are not known. The aim of this study was to determine the accuracy of RTPI in assessment of peri-infarct ischemia during dobutamine and adenosine stress.

METHODSWe employed the RTPI modality (Agilent and ATL Philips) in a canine model (18 dogs) of distal coronary occlusion and proximal coronary stenosis. Using coronary flow probe recordings, the physiologic significance of proximal coronary stenosis was established by confirming abolition of the coronary reserve. The contrast agent Optison was given as a slow bolus injection at baseline, during prolonged distal coronary occlusion, during adenosine bolus stress and during dobutamine stress. Triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining was used to verify a distal infarction. RTPI recordings at baseline, the distal coronary occlusion and stress protocols were randomly mixed and reviewed blindly.

RESULTSIn all but one dog, RTPI detected a distal infarct as small as 9% of the left ventricle. The sensitivity, specificity and overall diagnostic accuracy of RTPI in the detection of distal infarcts were: 94%, 89% and 92%, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, and overall diagnostic accuracy of RTPI in the assessment of peri-infarction ischemia were 83%, 92% and 88% for adenosine stress and 95%, 86% and 91% for dobutamine stress, respectively.

CONCLUSIONSEven small distal infarcts can be detected by RTPI; peri-infarct ischemia can be accurately recognized by RTPI during stress; adenosine and dobutamine stress appear equally reliable in the RTPI evaluation of peri-infarct ischemia.

Adenosine ; toxicity ; Animals ; Coronary Circulation ; drug effects ; Dobutamine ; toxicity ; Dogs ; Echocardiography ; methods ; Female ; Hemodynamics ; drug effects ; Male ; Myocardial Infarction ; diagnostic imaging

To investigate the role and mechanism of ceramide (Cer) regulation in alcohol-induced neuronal proliferation and the newborn neurons formation, we used sphingomyelin synthase 2 (predominant enzyme of Cer metabolism) knockout (SMS2(-/-)) and wild type (WT) female mice to establish the model of prenatal alcohol exposure. In 24 h after being given birth (postnatal day 0, P0), the offspring of model mice received blood sphingomyelin (SM) measurement with enzymatic method. On P0, P7, P14 and P30, the proliferation of granule cells in the dentate gyrus and newborn neurons were investigated with immunofluorescent labeling. The expression of protein kinase Cα (PKCα) in the hippocampus was tested with Western blot analysis. The results showed that the SM level of blood in SMS2(-/-) pups was significantly lower than that in WT pups. No matter in SMS2(-/-) or WT mice, the prenatal alcohol exposure down-regulated the SM levels in pups with dose-dependency. In both SMS2(-/-) and WT pups, the number of proliferative neurons and newborn neurons in the dentate gyrus gradually decreased with the growing age. Compared with the WT pups, SMS2(-/-) pups showed significantly more proliferative neurons and newborn neurons in the dentate gyrus. Notably, prenatal alcohol exposure dose-dependently increased proliferative neurons and newborn neurons in the dentate gyrus in both WT and SMS2(-/-) pups. The hippocampal expression of PKCα protein in SMS2(-/-) mice was lower than that in WT mice, and prenatal alcohol exposure could up-regulate the PKCα protein expression in both WT and SMS2(-/-) mice with dose dependency. These results suggest that alcohol exposure during pregnancy can induce the compensatory neural cell proliferation and the production of newborn neurons in offspring, and the Cer-ceramide-1-phosphate (C1P) pathway is involved in alcohol-induced neural cell proliferation. The activation of PKCα may be a key step to start the Cer-C1P pathway and up-regulate the alcohol-induced neural cell proliferation and the newborn neurons formation.
Animals ; Animals, Newborn ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Cells, Cultured ; Ceramides ; metabolism ; Dentate Gyrus ; cytology ; Ethanol ; toxicity ; Female ; Mice ; Mice, Knockout ; Neurons ; cytology ; Pregnancy ; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects ; physiopathology ; Protein Kinase C-alpha ; metabolism ; Signal Transduction ; Transferases (Other Substituted Phosphate Groups) ; genetics

Objective To explore the effect of remind-to-move treatment on upper limb motor function,activities of daily living and participation in patients with subacute stroke. Methods From February,2016 to October,2017,45 patients with mild to medium upper limbs dysfunction after stroke were randomly assigned to control group(n=23)and experimental group(n=22).The control group accepted rou-tine occupational therapy,while the experimental group wore a wristwatch on the hemiplegic forearm to encour-age the predetermined training programs,for three weeks.They were measured with Fugl-Meyer Assessment-Up-per Extremity(FMA-UE),Function Independence Measurement(FIM),Motor Activity Log(MAL),and Stroke Impact Scale(SIS)before and after treatment. Results Both groups improved in part of the scores of three scales after treatment(P<0.05),and improved more in the experimental group than in the control group in scores of FMA-UE and FIM,and some sub-scores of MAL and SIS(t>1.183,P<0.05),with no significant difference in other indexes(P>0.05). Conclusion Remind-to-move treatment can promote the recovery of upper limb motor function,activities of daily living and participation in the patients with subacute stroke.

Objective This study was designed to examine the impact of the antioxidant metallothionein (MT) on cardiac contractile, intracellular Ca2+ function and oxidative stress in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated mice. Methods Weight and age matched adult male FVB and cardiacspecific MT-overexpressing transgenic mice were injected intraperitoneally with 4 mg/kg Escherichia Coli LPS dissolved in sterile saline or an equivalent volume of pathogen-free saline ( control groups). Six hours following LPS or saline injection, cardiac geometry and function were evaluated in anesthetized mice using the 2-D guided M-mode echocardiography. Mechanical and intracellular Ca2+ properties were examined in hearts. Cell shortening and relengthening were assessed using the following indices: peak shortening (PS)-indicative of the amplitude a cell can shorten during contraction; maximal velocities of cell shortening and relengthening ( ± dl/dt) -indicative of peak ventricular contractility; time-to-PS (TPS) -indicative of systolic duration; time-to-90% relengthening ( TR90 )-indicative of diastolic duration ( 90% rather 100%relengthening was used to avoid noisy signal at baseline concentration). The 360 nm excitation scan was repeated at the end of the protocol and qualitative changes in intracellular Ca2+ concentration were inferred from the ratio of fura-2 fluorescence intensity (FFI) at two wavelengths (360/380). Fluorescence decay time was measured as an indicator of the intracellular Ca2+ clearing rate. Glutathione/glutathione disulfide ratio and ROS generation were detected as the markers of oxidative stress. Results Heart rate was increased while EF was reduced in LPS-FVB mice and heart rate was reduced and EF increased in MT-LPS transgenic mice [(528 ±72) beats/min vs (557 ±69) beats/min, (66 ± 14)% vs (42 ± 10)%, P ＜0.05].Cardiomyocytes from the LPS treated FVB mice displayed significantly reduced peak shortening (PS) and maximal velocity of shortening/relengthening ( ± dl/dt ) associated with prolonged time-to-90%relengthening (TR90), these effects were attenuated in cardiomyocytes from the MT-LPS mice [PS (5 ±1.1 )% vs (7.2 ± 0. 8)%, dl/dt (160 ± 15) μm/s vs (212 ± 36) μm/s, - dl/dt (175 ± 32) μm/s vs (208 ±29)μm/s, TR90 (0.24 ±0.03)s vs (0.19 ±0.02) s, P ＜0.05].LPS treated mice showedsignificantly reduced peak intracellular Ca2 + and electrically- stimulated rise in intracellular Ca2 + as well as prolonged intracellular Ca2+ decay rate without affecting the basal intracellular Ca2+ levels, again, these effects were significantly attenuated in MT-LPS transgenic mice. Metallothionein overexpression also ablated oxidative stress [reduced ROS generation and increased glutathione/glutathione disulfide ratio, ROS(0. 35 ±0.08)A/μg protein vs (0.24 ±0.03) A/μg protein] . GSH/GSSG 2.1 ±0.2 vs 2.6 ±0.4, P ＜0. 05. Conclusion MT overexpression improved cardiac function and ablated oxidative stress in LPS treated mice.

The purpose of this study was to detect the expression of RAGE-1 transcript in the bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMNC) from patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and to investigate the relationship of RAGE-1 expression level with clinical variables. The expression level of RAGE-1 gene in BMMNC from 94 newly diagnosed AML patients was measured using RQ-PCR. The relationship between RAGE-1 expression level and clinical parameters (age, sex, blood cell counts, diagnosis and prognosis) was investigated, and the levels of RAGE-1 expression were compared in patients before and after treatment. The results showed that overexpression of RAGE-1 transcript was found in 28% (26/94) AML patients (1.34 - 16.34, median 3.07). No significant difference was observed in sex, age, blood parameters and FAB subtypes between the groups with and without RAGE-1 overexpression. There was also no significant difference in the frequency of RAGE-1 overexpression among different cytogenetic risk groups and among the patients with different types of karyotypes. The level of RAGE-1 transcript significantly decreased in those patients obtained complete remission after treatment. The overall survival of AML patients with RAGE-1 overexpression was similar as that in those without RAGE-1 overexpression. It is concluded that RAGE-1 overexpression is a common event in AML, but has no impact on the prognosis of patients.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Female ; Gene Expression ; Humans ; Karyotyping ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute ; genetics ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prognosis ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo investigate the number, course and distribution of normal dorsal penile nerves and their clinical significance for selective neurectomy of the dorsal penile nerve in the treatment of primary premature ejaculation.

METHODSWe dissected 38 cadaveric adult penises and recorded the number, course and distribution of the dorsal penile nerves. A total of 314 cases of primary premature ejaculation underwent selective neurectomy of the dorsal penile nerve. The patients ranged between 20 and 45 years in age and from 1 to 22 years in disease course.

RESULTSThe dorsal penile nerves were distributed in parallel bilaterally in all the cadaveric penises and branched into the ventral side in 4 of them. The total number of dorsal penile nerves was (3.6 +/- 1.2) in the 38 cadaveric penises, 7 in 1 case, 6 in 1 case, 5 in 6 cases, 4 in 9 cases, 3 in 14 cases and 2 in 7 cases, while that of the 314 patients with primary premature ejaculation was (7.0 +/- 1.9), 5 in 64 cases, 6 in 56 cases, 7 in 52 cases, 8 in 40 cases, 9 in 33 cases, 10 in 28 cases, 11 in 25 cases, 12 in 11 cases and 13 in 5 cases. Selective neurectomy of the dorsal penile nerve achieved an intravaginal ejaculation latency of (4.31 +/- 1.87) minutes and sexual satisfaction rate of (61 +/- 17) %, significantly different from those before the operation ([1.24 +/- 0.32] min, [23 +/- 6] %; all P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONThe abnormal increase of dorsal penile nerves possibly lies at the bottom of the pathogenesis of primary premature ejaculation. Selective neurectomy of the dorsal penile nerve is safe and effective for the treatment of primary premature ejaculation.

Adult ; Denervation ; methods ; Ejaculation ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neuroanatomy ; Penis ; innervation ; Peripheral Nerves ; anatomy & histology ; surgery ; Sexual Dysfunction, Physiological ; physiopathology ; surgery ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult

The female sex is traditionally considered a favorable prognostic factor for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). However, no particular study has reported this phenomenon. To explore the prognostic impact of gender on patients with NPC after definitive radiotherapy, we reviewed the clinical data of 2063 consecutive patients treated between 1st January 2000 and 31st December 2003 in the Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center. The median follow-up for the whole series was 81 months. The female and male patients with early stage disease comprised 49.4% and 28.1% of the patient population, respectively. Both the 5-year overall survival (OS) and disease-specific survival (DSS) rates of female patients were significantly higher than those of male patients (OS: 79% vs. 69%, P < 0.001; DSS: 81% vs. 70%, P < 0.001). For patients with locoregionally advanced NPC, the 5-year OS and DSS rates of female vs. male patients were 74% vs. 63% (P < 0.001) and 76% vs. 64%, respectively (P < 0.001). A multivariate analysis showed that gender, age, and TNM stage were independent prognostic factors for the 5-year OS and DSS of NPC patients. The favorable prognosis of female patients is not only attributed to the early diagnosis and treatment but might also be attributed to some intrinsic factors of female patients.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Age Factors ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant ; Child ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; drug therapy ; pathology ; radiotherapy ; Neoplasm Staging ; Prognosis ; Radiotherapy, High-Energy ; Sex Factors ; Survival Rate ; Young Adult