Objective To compare tbe efficacy of conventional therapy,psychotherapy,serotonin reuptake in- hibitor,and psychotherapy combined with serotonin reuptake inhibitor in rehabilitating nerve function in the treatment of post-stroke depression.Methods One hundred and twenty patients with post-stroke depression were divided into a control group(A),a group treated with serotonin reuptake inhibitor (B),a psychotherapy group (C) and a group in which psychotherapy was combined with serotonin rcuptake inhibitor(D).These groups were graded with the SDS for the degree of their depression and with the MESSS for their muscle strength before andafter treatment.Results The anti-depression therapies showed significantly different effects in improving depression.After eight weeks,group D showed significantly less depression than the others.However,muscle strength did not show statistically significant differences until twelve weeks,when group D again showed better progress than the others.Conclusion Psychothera- py combined with serotonin reuptake inhibitor can promote the rehabilitation of nervous function-after stroke.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects and mechanisms of high glucose on the phenotype transformation of rat vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs).

METHODSVSMCs ere isolated from rat thoracic aorta and the 3rd-5th VSMCs were incubated with normal glucose (5.5 mmol/L), high glucose (25 mmol/L), or high glucose (25 mmol/L) + P38 inhibitor (25 mmol/L +SB203580) for another 24 hours. Then the gene expression of osteopontin (OPN), alpha smooth-actin (alpha-SMA), matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and matrix metalloproteinase-9(MMP-9) were assayed by real time RT-PCR, the protein expression of P38 were assayed by Western blot.

RESULTS(1) High glucose promoted the phenotype transformation of VSMCs and up-regulated the expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9. (2) High glucose promoted the phosphorylation of P38. (3) SB203580, the inhibitor of P38/MAPK signal pathway, inhibited the effects of high glucose on phenotype transformation and expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9.

CONCLUSIONHigh glucose may promote phenotype transformation of VSMCs via the signal pathway of P38/MAPK.

Actins ; metabolism ; Animals ; Aorta, Thoracic ; cytology ; Blotting, Western ; Cells, Cultured ; Glucose ; pharmacology ; Imidazoles ; pharmacology ; MAP Kinase Signaling System ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 ; metabolism ; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular ; cytology ; Myocytes, Smooth Muscle ; cytology ; drug effects ; Osteopontin ; metabolism ; Phenotype ; Pyridines ; pharmacology ; Rats ; p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases ; metabolism

Objective To explore the changes of plasma angiotensinⅡ (AngⅡ) and cardiac function,and the curative effect of children with acute viral myocarditis (VMC) treated with captopril(CAP).Methods Concentrations of plasma AngⅡ were measured with radio-immunity and cardiac function was detected by Doppler echocardiography for the VMC group (n=60) before and after treatment [the CAP group (n=30), the routine group (n=30) and the control group (n=30)].Results 1. The level of plasma AngⅡ significantly increased and the contractive and diastolic function obviously declined in children with acute VMC. There was a significant difference between VMC group and control group, with a significant correlation between the level of AngⅡand the contractive diastolic function.2. Compared with the level before treatment, the level of AngⅡ decreased and the contractive function obviously ameliorated in two groups; the diastolic function obviously ameliorated in the CAP group and did not ameliorate in the routine group after treatment. In CAP group the level of AngⅡ and the cardiac function significantly improved; there were statistical differences between the two groups after treatment.Conclusions 1.The increase of the plasma AngⅡ was an important factor for decrements of the contractive and diastolic function in acute viral myocarditis.2.It could decrease the concentration of plasma AngⅡ and ameliorate cardiac function in children with acute VMC treated with captopril,which was an effective therapy for acute VMC.

Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Sleep Apnea, Central ; diagnosis ; therapy

Dermophytosis is a common fungal disease that affects fast-growing antlers of sika deer (Cervus nippon)and red deer (Cervus elaphus),causing the so-called 'white-skin antlers'and 'crusted antlers'.Here we described the features of dermophytosis in deer antler observed from 20 affected deer from 8 farms in Jilin and Liaoning province by clinical findings,he-matology,pathological examination and fungal species distribution.The fungal infection in the antlers as indicated by HE stai-ning,affected only epidermis and the dermis layers,with the main lesion of necrosis of the dermis tissue and inflammatory in-filtrate.Hematologic profile suggested the insignificant cell count change of lymphocyte,neutrophil,white blood cell between dermophytosis and healthy deer(n=10).A total of 68 fungi isolates were then recovered from the antlers with dermophytosis, of which 64.7% (44/68)were identified as members within Deuteromycotina,the rest 35.3% (24/68)belonged to the Saccha-romycotina.Notably,the well-known opportunistic pathogen,including species within Trichophyton,Epidermophyton as well as Candida albican,might account for the dermophytosis of deer antler.In conclusion,'white-skin antlers'and 'crusted antlers'are high likely caused by opportunistic fungi.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of endothelia progenitor cells conditioned medium (EPC-CM) on the migration, adhesion and proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs).

METHODSMononuclear cells were isolated from rat bone marrow by density gradient centrifugation,plated on dishes precoated with 5% fibronectin, and then cultured with complete M199 medium (including 15% fetal calf serum, 10 microg/L VEGF and 5 microg/L bFGF). EPC-CM was collected and used to incubate VSMCs isolated from rat arteriae aorta. After 24 h, VSMCs proliferation, adhesion and migration were assayed with CCK-8, adhesion test and modified Boyden chamber assay, respectively.

RESULTSThe proliferation, adhesion and migration of VSMCs were obviously decreased when the cells were cultured with EPC-CM.

CONCLUSIONEPC-CM could inhibit VSMC functions, which would be one of the mechanisms against atherosclerosis by EPCs.

Animals ; Cell Adhesion ; Cell Movement ; Cell Proliferation ; Cells, Cultured ; Culture Media, Conditioned ; chemistry ; Endothelial Cells ; cytology ; Male ; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular ; cytology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Stem Cells ; cytology

OBJECTIVETo investigate the role of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and its catalyst carbon monoxide (CO) in the development of myocardial damage and the effects of zinc protoporphyrin IX (ZnPPIX), an inhibitor of HO-1 on myocardium of mice with acute viral myocarditis.

METHODSA total of 112 inbred male Balb/C mice 4 - 6 weeks of age were divided randomly into 3 groups: the control group (C group, n = 32), the viral myocarditis group (V group, n = 40) and ZnPPIX group (Z group, n = 40). The Z and V groups were inoculated intraperitoneally (i.p.) with 0.1 ml of 10(-4.36) tissue culture infectious dose 50% (TCID(50))/ml Coxsackie virus B3 (CVB(3)) to produce viral myocarditis model on day 0, C group was injected i.p. with virus-free 1640 culture culture medium 0.1 ml at the same time, then operation was done as follows: the mice of group C and group V were injected i.p. with 0.1 ml NS each day. The mice of group Z were injected i.p. with 40 micromol per kilogram of body weight ZnPPIX (HO-1 inhibitor) qod. Eight mice of each group were sacrificed on days 4, 8, 15 and 21, respectively. The blood specimens were collected by taking out the eyeballs to test for the content of carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) using spectrophotometry and cardiac troponin I (cTnI) using chemiluminescent immunoassay. The hearts tissue slides were also stained by immunohistochemistry (IHC) for HO-1 and in situ hybridization (ISH) for HO-1 mRNA. The histological and ultrastructural changes were observed under light and electron microscopes.

RESULTS(1) The histopathological changes of myocardial cells: in the V and Z groups myocardial inflammatory cells infiltration reached the peak on day 8, the Z group histopathological scores were significantly lower than those in V group on day 8 (2.40 +/- 0.31 vs. 1.73 +/- 0.24, P < 0.01) and on day 15 (1.78 +/- 0.29 vs. 1.43 +/- 0.23, P < 0.05). No inflammation was present in group C. (2) The changes of serum cTnI level in both V and Z groups were significantly higher than those in C group on day 4, 8 and 15 (P < 0.01). The level in Z group was significantly lower than that in V group on day 4 [(6.074 +/- 1.475) ng/ml vs (7.911 +/- 1.225) ng/ml, P < 0.05] and day 8 [(0.821 +/- 0.294) ng/ml vs (1.480 +/- 0.454) ng/ml, P < 0.05]. (3) The changes of blood COHb level: compared with V group, in Z group the COHb level was lower on day 4 (P < 0.05) and day 15 (P < 0.01) after CVB(3) inoculation. Surprisingly, in Z group COHb level elevated suddenly on day 8 and showed conspicuously higher than that of V group (P < 0.01). (4) The result of HO-1 IHC staining: in both V and Z group myocardial cells had positive expression, while C group did not. (5) The results of HO-1 ISH were similar to those of HO-1 IHC, the A values of group Z was significantly lower than that of group V on day 4, 15 and 21(P < 0.01), but on day 8 it was higher than that of group C (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONHO-1 inhibitor, ZnPP not only could inhibit HO-1 overexpression but also could induce HO-1 expression temporarily and protect against myocardial injury at the early stage of acute viral myocarditis.

Animals ; Heme Oxygenase-1 ; antagonists & inhibitors ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Myocarditis ; enzymology ; metabolism ; pathology ; virology ; Myocardium ; pathology ; ultrastructure ; Protoporphyrins ; pharmacology ; Virus Diseases ; metabolism ; pathology

OBJECTIVESTo explore the category, quantity and clinical significance of autoantibodies on bone marrow hematopoietic cells in patients with immunorelated cytopenia and evaluate the sensitivity of direct antiglobulin reaction (Coombs test ) of bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMNC).

METHODSThe category and the positive rate of autoantibodies on bone marrow hematopoietic stem cells, nucleated erythrocytes, granulocytes in 32 patients with uncertain immunorelated cytopenia were investigated by using BMMNC-Coombs test and double immunofluorescence flow cytometry.

RESULTSThe positive rate of autoantibodies on bone marrow hematopoietic cells tested by flow cytometry was 90.63% which was higher than that by BMMNC-Coombs test (50.0%) (p < 0.05). In 29 positive cases, IgG autoantibody accounted for 6.90%, IgM13.8%, IgG+IgA 3.4%, IgG+IgM 31.0%, and IgG+IgM+IgA 44.8%. Of the 29 Patients, 25 (86.2%) with IgG autoantibody, 26 (89.7%) with IgM and 14 (48.3%) with IgA. The patients with IgG autoantibody alone had the lowest hemoglobin levels, and those with IgM autoantibody might have intravascular hemolytic findings. The response time of patients with IgG and IgG+IgM was shorter than that of the other patients. 91.3% of the patients had autoantibodies on bone marrow hematopoietic stem cells and showed pancytopenia, and 50% of the patients had autoantibodies on nucleated erythrocytes and granulocytes. Eleven of 13 patients with negative BMMNC-Coombs tests had autoantibodies on bone marrow hematopoietic stem cells detected by FACS. There was no significant difference of the quantities of the three categories of autoantibodies of nucleated erythrocytes and stem cells. The quantities of IgA on granulocytes were lower than that of IgG and IgM. There was no significant difference between IgG and IgM on granulocytes. The quantity of IgA on hematopoietic stem cells was significantly higher than that on nucleated erythrocytes or granulocytes.

CONCLUSIONSThe sensitivity of double immunofluorescence flow cytometry assay was higher than that of BMMNC-Coombs test for detecting autoantibodies. In immunorelated cytopenia patients, the predominant autoantibody was IgM which could cause intravascular hemolysis, and the second one was IgG which could cause severe anemia. Most immunorelated cytopenia patients had autoantibodies on hematopoietic stem cells and showed pancytopenia. IgA was more easily seen on the hematopoietic stem cells.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Autoantibodies ; classification ; metabolism ; Autoimmune Diseases ; immunology ; Bone Marrow Cells ; immunology ; Child ; Coombs Test ; Female ; Flow Cytometry ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin A ; metabolism ; Immunoglobulin G ; metabolism ; Immunoglobulin M ; metabolism ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pancytopenia ; immunology

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of plasma homocysteic acid (HCA) reduction on serum C-reactive protein (CRP) level in children with Kawasaki disease (KD).

METHODSSeventy-six children with KD were divided into 2 equal groups for treatment with aspirin and IVIG, or with vitamin B6 and folic acid besides in addition to aspirin and IVIG. Serum CRP level was tested before and after the treatments, and plasma HCA level was also measured after the treatments.

RESULTSSerum CRP level was comparable between the two groups before the treatment, but significantly reduced after vitamin B6 and folic acid treatment (7.56-/+2.94 mg/L vs 12.23-/+4.16 mg/L, P<0.05). Additional vitamin B6 and folic acid treatment significantly lowered plasma HCA level (4.56-/+1.14 micromol/L vs 7.79-/+1.79 micromol/L, P<0.05), and correlation analysis demonstrated a positive correlation between plasma HCA and serum CRP levels (r=0.697, P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONLowering plasma HCA can decrease serum CRP in children with KD to enhance the therapeutic effect.

Aspirin ; therapeutic use ; C-Reactive Protein ; analysis ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Folic Acid ; therapeutic use ; Homocysteine ; analogs & derivatives ; blood ; Humans ; Immunoglobulins, Intravenous ; therapeutic use ; Infant ; Male ; Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome ; blood ; drug therapy ; Vitamin B 6 ; therapeutic use

OBJECTIVETo determine the value of using a closed-suction drain in cemented knee arthroplasty.

METHODSOne hundred patients were prospectively randomized into two groups, one group underwent cemented total knee replacement with a single deep closed-suction drain, and the other group (n = 50) no drain.

RESULTSThe total blood loss was significantly greater in those with a drain although those without lost more blood into the dressings. There was no statistical difference in the postoperative swelling or pain score, ecchymosis, deep vein thromboses (DVT), time at which flexion was regained or the incidence of infection at a minimum of two years after surgery in the two groups.

CONCLUSIONThere is no evidence to support the use of a closed-suction drain in cemented knee arthroplasty.

Aged ; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Knee Joint ; physiopathology ; surgery ; Male ; Postoperative Care ; adverse effects ; methods ; Postoperative Complications ; etiology ; prevention & control ; Prospective Studies ; Range of Motion, Articular ; Suction ; adverse effects ; methods