OBJECTIVE: To observe the characteristics of vertical cast-off bloodstain pattern by different hitting-tools. METHODS: The regular hitting tools, a kitchen knife, a dirk, a plane set-hammer and an iron pipe, were selected. At a distance of 30 cm away from the wall, the hitting tool with 5 mL fresh chicken blood made the cast-off bloodstain from top to bottom. Then the holistic distribution characteristics (length, width and density) of cast-off bloodstain and morphology characteristics (length, width and contact angle) of first single cast-off bloodstain were analyzed. RESULTS: The distribution length of cast-off bloodstain formed by dirk was minimum (P < 0.05). The distribution width of cast-off bloodstain formed by kitchen knife was minimum (P < 0.05). Except the pair of kitchen knife and plane set-hammer, the distribution density between each two tools had statistical differences (P < 0.05). The length of first single cast-off bloodstain formed by plane set-hammer was longest compared (P < 0.05). The width of first single cast-off bloodstain had statistical differences between kitchen knife and plane set-hammer, and between dirk and plane set-hammer (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION The type of hitting tool could be inferred by the specific characteristics of cast-off bloodstain pattern formed by every specific type of hitting tool in crime scene.
Blood Stains ; Computer Simulation ; Crime ; Forensic Ballistics/methods* ; Forensic Medicine/methods* ; Humans

Puerariae Lobatae Radix, also known as Gegen, is a root derived from Pueraria lobata. Based on field investigation and the developmental anatomy of root tuber, we have elucidated the relationship between the growth of root tuber and the anomalous structure. The results of analysis showed that the root system of P. lobata was developed from seed and adventitious root and there existed root tuber, adventitious root and conductive root according to morphology and function. The root tuber was developed from adventitious root, its secondary structure conformed to the secondary structure of dicotyledon's root. With the development of root, the secondary phloem of root tuber appeared abnormal vascular tissue, which was distributed like ring in the outside of secondary vascular tissue. The root tuber might have 4-6 concentric circular permutation abnormal vascular tissuelobate, and was formed by the internal development of abnormal vascular tissue. The xylem and phloem of abnormal vascular tissue were the main body of the root tuber. The results reveal the abnormal anatomical structure development of P. lobata, also provides the theoretical basis for reasonable harvest medicinal parts and promoting sustainable utilization of resources of P. lobata.
Plant Roots ; anatomy & histology ; growth & development ; Plant Tubers ; anatomy & histology ; growth & development ; Pueraria ; anatomy & histology ; growth & development

Fuzi is a medicine used for rescuing from collapse by restoring yang as well as a famous toxic traditional Chinese medicine. In order to ensure the efficacy and safe medication, Fuzi has mostly been applied after being processed. There have been different Fuzi processing methods recorded by doctors of previous generations. Besides, there have also been differences in Fuzi processing methods recorded in modern pharmacopeia and ancient medical books. In this study, the authors traced back to medical books between the Han Dynasty and the period of Republic of China, and summarized Fuzi processing methods collected in ancient and modern literatures. According to the results, Fuzi processing methods and using methods have changed along with the evolution of dynasties, with differences in ancient and modern processing methods. Before the Tang Dynasty, Fuzi had been mostly processed and soaked. From Tang to Ming Dynasties, Fuzi had been mostly processed, soaked and stir-fried. During the Qing Dynasty, Fuzi had been mostly soaked and boiled. In the modem times, Fuzi is mostly processed by being boiled and soaked. Before the Tang Dynasty, a whole piece of Fuzi herbs or their fragments had been applied in medicines; Whereas their fragments are primarily used in the modern times. Because different processing methods have great impacts on the toxicity of Fuzi, it is suggested to study Fuzi processing methods.
Chemistry, Pharmaceutical ; history ; methods ; China ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; History, 15th Century ; History, 16th Century ; History, 17th Century ; History, 18th Century ; History, 19th Century ; History, Ancient ; History, Medieval ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; history ; methods ; Plant Extracts ; chemistry

OBJECTIVETo investigate the role of endogenous hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in erectile dysfunction (ED) induced by androgen deficiency.

METHODSWe randomly divided 30 eight-week-old healthy male SD rats into six groups: 2-week control (A), 4-week control (B), 2-week castration (C), 4-week castration (D), 2-week castration + androgen replacement (E), and 4-week castration + androgen replacement (F), those in groups E and F subcutaneously injected with testosterone propionate (TP) at the physiological dose of 3 mg/kg per day after castration, while those in the other groups with isodose oil instead. At 2 and 4 weeks after operation, we determined the level of serum testosterone (T) , intracavernous pressure (ICP) , mean carotid arterial pressure (MAP) of the rats, measured the concentration of H2S in the plasma and corpus cavernosum tissue, and detected the expressions of cystathionine-P3-synthase (CBS) and cystathionine-gamma-lyase (CSE) by immunohistochemistry and Western blot.

RESULTSThe serum T level was significantly lower in group C ([0.63 +/- 0.15] nmol/L) than in A ( [ 16.55 +/- 4.17] nmol/L) and E ( [ 18.99 +/- 4.62] nmol/L) (P <0.05), as well as in group D ([0.70 +/-0.22] nmol/L) than in B ([15.44 +/-5.18] nmol/L) and F ([20.99 +/-6.41] nmol/L) (P <0. 05) , and so were ICP/MAP after 5 and 7 V electrical stimulation of the pelvic ganglia (P <0. 05) , H2 S concentration (P <0.05), and the expressions of CBS and CSE (P <0.05). The expressions of CBS and CSE proteins were also significantly decreased in group C as compared with D (P <0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe reduced expressions of CBS and CSE may inhibit the H2 S signaling pathway, which might be one of the mechanisms underlying androgen deficiency-induced ED in rats.

Androgens ; deficiency ; Animals ; Cystathionine beta-Synthase ; metabolism ; Cystathionine gamma-Lyase ; metabolism ; Erectile Dysfunction ; metabolism ; Hydrogen Sulfide ; metabolism ; Male ; Orchiectomy ; Penis ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

Background Central corneal thickness (CCT) is one of important parameters of the anterior eye segment.It plays a very important part in corneal refractive surgery and diagnosis of glaucoma.Contacted A-scan remains the gold standard for CCT measurement.Ophthalmologists are trying to look for a more convenient and noncontacted instrument to take place of contacted A-scan for CCT measurement.Objective This system analysis was to evaluate the difference between Pentacam and A-scan in CCT measurement.Methods A systematic literature retrieval was conducted from the MEDLINE,EMbase,Google Scholar,CBM disc and CNKI database with the limitation of publishing time from January 2005 to May 2011.The literature text was limited to the comparison of the CCT values measured by Pentacam and A-scan.The statistical analysis was performed using RevMan 5.1.0 software.Sensitive analysis was carried out and the publishing bias was analyzed using inverted funnel plot.Results A total of 26 studies met the requirement were included in this Meta-analysis with the 12 pieces of Chinese article and 14 pieces of English article,with the total eyes 3677.Heterogeneity was found anmong included studies (P =0.0003,I2 =56％) and random effects model was used.The differential value of CCT derived by Pentacam and A-scan was 1.74 μm,and no significant difference was found between Pentacam and A-scan (WMD =1.74,95％ CI:-0.69-4.16,P＞0.05).Fixed effects model was used to exclude the studies with the sample more than 100 eyes as the sensitive analysis.When fixed effect model was used,CCT by Pentacam was 2.73 μm more than A-scan,showing an insignificantly clinical difference.When studies with a sample more than 100 eyes were excluded,the CCT value by Pentacam was 2.64 μm more than A-scan,without clinically significant difference between them.No obvious publishing bias was seen in the included literature.Conclusions The difference between Pentacam and A-scan in CCT measurement is less and could be ignored.

Background Sirius system,a new Scheimpflug camera combined with Placido topography,improved the capability of imaging the anterior eye segment significantly.However,the study of assessing the repeatability and agreement between Sirius and Pentacam is still lack up to now.Objective This study was to evaluate the repeatability and agreement of the anterior ocular segment measuring parameters by Sirius and Pentacam in myopia received laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK).Methods Thirty-five myopic eyes of 35 patients received LASIK were included in School of Optometry and Ophthalmology Eye Hospital from 2010 May through 2010 July.Corneal power flat keratometry (Kf),step keratometry (Ks),mean keratometry (Km),thinnest corneal thickness(TCT),the location of TCT,anterior chamber depth (ACD) and anterior chamber volume (ACV) were measured by Sirius and Pentacam in all the eyes,respectively.The repeatability of the measuring results were evaluated using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and Cronbach's coefficient alpha (CoA),and the agreement of measuring parameters between Sirius and Pentacam was analyzed using Bland-Altman plot.Results Both Sirius and Pentacam demonstrated high intraobserver repeatability,with all ICC and CoA more than 0.90.No significant differences were found in Kf values and Ks values between the two methods (t =-1.533,-1.750,P＞0.05).Km value was (39.14 ± 1.95) D by Sirius measurement,which was sígnificantly higher than (39.05 ± 1.91) D by Pentacam measurement (t =3.572,P =0.001).The TCT was (457.6 ± 40.9) μm by Sirius method,showing a significant reduce in comparison with (465.4±37.5) μm of Pentacam method (t =-6.689,P＜0.001).A positive correlation was seen in the TCT between the two methods (r=0.988,P＜0.001).The Bland-Alrman plots showed the 95％ CI-21 μm to 6 pm in the TCT value between the two devices.Pairwise comparison of the location of TCT measurements showed significant differences between the two devices (t =-4.132,-5.696,P＜0.001),with a good correlation (r=0.751,0.775) and the 95％ CI (-0.36-0.17 mm,-0.35-0.12 mm).A very good agreement was seen in ACD between the two devices (-0.02-0.12 mm),but the agreement result was not very well in the ACV between the two devices with the 95％ CI (-27.70-6.20 mm3).Conclusions Sirius and Pentacam measurements for anterior ocular segment parameters have a very good repeatability in post-LASIK eyes.In addition,good agreement results are exhibited in corneal power,TCT and ACD between Sirius and Pentacam with an acceptable maximal different value between them.Sirius and Pentacam can be used interchangeably in clinical examination.However,the two devices can not interchangeably for ACV measurement and TCT location.

Background and Objectives: Stroke is the most common neurological disease in China and regulation of lipid levels is important for secondary prevention. This study aimed to investigate the practice of lipid lowering agents immediately after and one month following ischemic stroke in China, and to determine the factors affecting the practice. Methods: A total of 857 patients with acute ischemic stroke were enrolled from 11 hospitals in the Qingdao area, Northern China. Data pertaining to the patients’ demographic, clinical data, and treatment before and after the stroke were recorded. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to determine the factors associated with the treatment at two time points: at the acute stage and at one month follow-up. Results: The frequency of lipid lowering therapy was 50.3% (431/857) at acute stage and 41.5% (306/738) at one month. Lipid lowering therapy at acute stage was independently and positively associated with a history of hyperlipidemia((P=0.002, OR (95%CI): 3.784 (1.610-8.898)) and excess alcohol consumption (P=0.005, OR (95%CI): 1.928 (1.214-3.062)), partial anterior circulation infarct classifi cation (P=0.000, OR (95%CI): 1.974 (1.370-2.767)), and low-density lipoprotein levels ((P=0.000, OR (95%CI): 1.426 (1.170-1.739)). Lipid lowering therapy at one month follow-up was independently and positively associated with lipid lowering therapy at acute stage ((P=0.000, OR (95%CI): 18.275 (11.476- 29.101)), and negatively with the Modifi ed Rankin Scale ≥4 at follow-up ((P=0.030, OR (95%CI): 0.568 (0.341-0.948)). Conclusions: Lipid lowering therapy was found to be used in about half of patients during acute and early secondary prevention of ischemic stroke in the Qingdao area of Northern China. There should be more education efforts to the health care professionals and public to increase its use.

Objective To examine the neural basis of item memory and source memory with fMRI approach.Methods Eight male and eight female healthy fight-handed native Chinese speakers were involved in this study.The item memory and source memory task were conducted with 504 highly frequent Chinese double-character words in the Block-designed experiment.Participants underwent such a double- round procedure as fMRI scanning following study.The fMRI data collected from a GE 1.5T MRI system were analyzed to generate corresponding activation maps for females and males respectively(P20)using statistical parametric mapping software(SPM).Results For females,item memory task activated the bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex(BA6,the number of activated voxel clusters was 62 or 11 in the left and the right,respectively),source memory more activated the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex(BA6/46,the number was 59).For males,item memory activated the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex(BA6/46,the number was 64),source memory activated the bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex(BA6,9 and 40 in the left and the right).Conclusion On the neural basis of item or source memory,there exists dissociation,which is that right dorsolateral prefrontal areas are more activated by item memory while left dorsolateral prefrontal areas by source memory.For the difference of gender,it is suggested that left dorsolateral prefrontal areas(BA6/46)are more activated in females while right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex(BA6/46)more in males.

Objective To investigate the transcription and protein expressions of chemokines CL16, CL12 and their receptors CR6, CR4 in first-trimester human cytotrophoblast cells and human choriocarcinoma cell line JAR. Methods Transcriptions of CR6, CL16, CR4, CL12 in purified first-trimester human trophoblast cells and JAR line were assessed by semi-quantitative RT-PCR, and protein expressions of CR6, CL16, CR4, CL12 were analyzed in primary cultured villous cytotrophoblasts (VCT), extravillous cytotrophoblasts (EVCT), JAR line and placentas by immunostaining. Results CR6 and CR4 were highly transcribed in primary cultured trophoblast cells with mRNA relative level of 1.12?0.25 and 1.08?0.11 respectively, and their ligands CL16 and CL12 were transcribed moderately with mRNA relative level of 0.89?0.11 and 0.78?0.10 respectively. It was demonstrated that CL16, CL12, CR6 and CR4 were expressed in primary cultured VCT, EVCT, JAR line and placentas by immunostaining. Conclusion The co-expression of CL16/CR6 and CL12/CR4 in trophoblast cells may play a role in the proliferation and differentiation of first-trimester trophoblast cells in a manner of autocrine.

Background Biometry of the anterior ocular segment parameter is very important for the diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma and ocular injury as well as measurement of intraocular lens(IOL).Objective This study was to compare the differences in the anterior chamber depth(ACD) and the central corneal thickness (CCT) between Sirius and Pentacam and evaluate the agreement of these two measurement methods.Methods The ACD and the CCT of 38 right eyes from 38 health volunteers aged 23- 32 years were measured with both Pentacam and Sirius.Three times of measurement were pedormed on each eye for each method to obtain the average values.The repeatability and agreement from each method were assessed as intraclass correlation coefficient( ICC ) and coefficient of variation(CV) and the agreement between these two methods were evaluated using Bland-Altman mode.ResultsThe mean ACD value was( 3.18±0.21 ) mm from Pentacam with the ICC 0.995 and CV 0.066.The mean ACD value from Sirius was (3.22 ±0.21 )mm with the ICC 0.996 and CV 0.065.The difference value in ACD between two methods was 0.04 mm,showing a significant difference( t =-6.225,P＜0.05 ) and a positive correlation (r=0.977) between two methods.The 95％ limit of agreement was( -0.04-0.13)mm within 1 standard difference (SD) of the mean value( ±0.21mm),which was acceptable for clinical measurement.The CCT was( 535±33 )μm from Pentacam with the ICC 0.994 and CV 0.062.The CCT was(537±36)pm from Sirius with the ICC 0.999 and CV 0.067.The difference value in the CCT between two methods was about 2 μm,presenting a in significant difference ( t =1.771,P＞0.05 ) and positive correlation ( r =0.985 ).The 95 ％ limit of agreement was ( - 11.64-15.65 ) μm within 1 SD of the mean value( ±34.27 pm),which was acceptable for clinical measurement.ConclusionsSirius and Pentacam show good agreement in the measurement of ACD and CCT.The two methods offer an alternative choice for the biological measurement of the anterior ocular segment.