In recent years, the discovery and studies on aquaporin have made us have a more in-depth understanding about the physiological and pathological processes of water metabolism. Over years, however, there has been no quantitative study on the target sites of diuretic traditional Chinese medicines at the molecular level. In that case, aquaporin was found to been a new target molecule to explain the efficacy exertion of diuretic traditional Chinese medicines. By studying aquaporin, researchers can understand the implicit meaning of the diuretic effect of traditional Chinese medicines and conduct quantitative studies on the diuretic effect. So far, many scholars have conducted a series of studies in the traditional Chinese medicine field by using the findings on aquaporin and made certain advances. This article provides a summary about the efficacy exertion of diuretic traditional Chinese medicines through target molecule aquaporin.
Animals ; Aquaporins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Diuretics ; pharmacology ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Water ; metabolism

Objective To understand the epidemiological characteristic of committing suicide and to provide the scientific evidence for prevention and crisis intervention.Method A descriptive epidemiological method was employed to analyze the data of 153 individuals of committing suicide successfully saved by doctors of Emergency Department of Gongli Hospital,Pudong New Area,Shanghai.Results Female suicide committers were predominent over male ones,in the ratio 4.6 to 1.Most of the suicide committers were adolescents who had only received junior high school education.The major social support system of the suicide attempters was family support.The majority,of the suicide committers tried to kill themselves by drug ingestion such as hypnotice, sedatives and pesticides,and most of them haven't resorted to psychological counseling.Conclusions It is necessary to pay more attention to the psychological education of adolescents,and popularize the knowledge of psychological counseling in rural areas where are lack of psychological sense among pelple.Emergency department of general hospital which saves suicide committers is playing an important role in suicide prevention and crisis intervention.

BACKGROUND: There is growing evidence that 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) combined with therapeutic trauma can effectively induce skin repigmentation in vitiligo patients who are unresponsive to conventional treatments. Previous studies have mainly focused on identifying the antimitotic activity of 5-FU for the treatment of skin cancer, but few studies have investigated its extra-genotoxic actions favoring melanocyte recruitment. METHODS: We utilized the full thickness excisional skin wound model in Dct-LacZ transgenic mice to dynamically assess the migration of melanocytes in the margins of wounds treated with or without 5-FU. The in-situ expression of CXCL12 was examined in the wound beds using immunofluorescence staining. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting analyses were performed to detect the expression levels of CXCL12 mRNA and protein in primary mouse dermal fibroblasts treated with or without 5-FU. Transwell assays and fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-phalloidin staining were used to observe cell migration and filamentous actin (F-actin) changes of melan-a murine melanocytes. RESULTS: Whole mount and cryosection X-gal staining showed that the cell numbers of LacZ-positive melanocytes were much higher in the margins of dorsal and tail skin wounds treated with 5-FU compared with the controls. Meanwhile, CXCL12 immunostaining was significantly increased in the dermal compartment of wounds treated with 5-FU (control vs. 5-FU, 22.47 ± 8.85 vs. 44.69 ± 5.97, P < 0.05). Moreover, 5-FU significantly upregulated the expression levels of CXCL12 mRNA (control vs. 5-FU, 1.00 ± 0.08 vs. 1.54 ± 0.06, P < 0.05) and protein (control vs. 5-FU, 1.00 ± 0.06 vs. 2.93 ± 0.10, P < 0.05) in cultured fibroblasts. Inhibition of the CXCL12/CXCR4 axis suppressed melanocyte migration in vitro using a CXCL12 small interfering RNA (siRNA) or a CXCR4 antagonist (AMD3100). CONCLUSION 5-FU possesses a pro-pigmentary activity through activation of the CXCL12/CXCR4 axis to drive the chemotactic migration of melanocytes.
Animals ; Cell Movement ; Cell Proliferation ; Chemokine CXCL12/genetics* ; Fibroblasts ; Fluorouracil/therapeutic use* ; Humans ; Mice ; RNA, Messenger ; Receptors, CXCR4

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of different reference point on intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) measurement.

METHODSNine critically ill patients with risk of intra-abdominal hypertension (IAH) were studied from July 2008 to June 2010, all of the patients were equipped with abdominal cavity drain and urinary drainage tube. By which IAP was measured using direct and indirect methods respectively. The symphysis pubis, phlebostatic axis and the midaxillary line at the level of the iliac crest were defined as reference points. According to the different reference point, three sets of IAP measurements were obtained in the supine position with each method and kept as IAP(S), IAP(P), IAP(I). Bland-Altman method analysis and Pearson's correlation were performed to evaluate the relationships between results from different reference points with direct and indirect methods. Paired t-test was performed to evaluate the differences among different reference points.

RESULTSSixty measurements of IAP(S), IAP(P) and IAP(I) were obtained. In direct measurement through abdominal cavity drain, IAP(I) (13.8 ± 3.9) mmHg (1 mmHg = 0.133 kPa) was significantly higher than IAP(P) (12.8 ± 3.6) mmHg and IAP(S) (9.1 ± 3.6) mmHg, P < 0.05; while in indirect measurement through urinary drainage tube, IAP(I) (12.7 ± 3.2) mmHg was significantly higher than IAP(P) (11.7 ± 2.9) mmHg and IAP(S) (7.9 ± 3.0) mmHg too, P < 0.05. In either direct or indirect method, IAP(P) was higher than IAP(S), P < 0.05. And good correlations were found among IAP(S), IAP(P) and IAP(I).

CONCLUSIONSIn the supine position, pressure obtained via the bladder could reflect authentic IAP. But selection of reference point has great impact on IAP measurement.

Abdominal Cavity ; physiopathology ; Aged ; Critical Illness ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Manometry ; methods ; Middle Aged ; Pressure

Objective To investigate the 16S rRNA methylase genes and Aminoglycoside modifying enzymes(AMEs)genes in Enterobacter cloacae isolated from the People's Liberation Army 98th Hospital,Huzhou district,Zhejiang province,China.Methods 40 strains of Enterobacter cloacae were isolated from the inpatients between September,2003 and November,2004.5 kinds of 16S rRNA methylase gene (including armA,rmtA,rmtB,rmtC and rmtD)and 9 kinds of AMEs gene[including aac(3)-Ⅰ,aac(3)-Ⅱ,aac(3)-Ⅲ,aac(3)-Ⅳ,aac(6')-Ⅰ b,aac(6')-Ⅱ,ant(3'')-Ⅰ,ant(2'')-Ⅰ and aph(3')-Ⅵ]were analyzed by PCR and verificated by DNA sequencing.Results In 40 strains of Enterobacter cloacae,the positive rates of genes of rmtB,aac(3)-Ⅱ,aac(6')-Ⅰ b,ant(3'')-Ⅰ,ant(2'')-Ⅰ and aph(3')-Ⅵ were 12.5%(5/40),27.5%(11/40),72.5%(29/40),32.5%(13/40),5.0%(2/40)and 5.0%(2/40),respectively.8 kinds of the rest of genes were all tested negative.The total positive rate of AMEs gene was 85.0%(34/40).Among 29 strains of Enterobacter cloacae that the aac(6')-Ⅰ b gene was positive,through PCR and verification by DNA sequencing,7 strains(24.1%)were confirmed to take the aac(6')-Ⅰ b-cr(the GenBank register number:EF375620,EU159121)alone,18 strains(62.1%)were confirmed to take the aac(6')-Ⅰ b-Suzhou(EU085533)alone,3 strains(10.3%)were confirmed to take both aac (6')-Ⅰ b-Suzhou and aac(6')-Ⅰ b-cr while only 1(3.4%)was aac(6')-Ⅰ b(the classical type).Conclusion There was lower positive rate of 16S rRNA methylase gene but very high AMEs genotypes in Enterobacter cloacae isolated from inpatients and the finding of rmtB gene was reported for the first time in the world.At least 5 kinds of AMEs gene existed in Enterobacter cloacae were isolated and they were the new host of both gene of aac(6')-Ⅰ b-cr and aac(6')-Ⅰ b-Suzhou,with aac(6')-Ⅰ b-Suzhou gene was the predominance subtype in aac(6')-Ⅰ b.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the hemodynamic response to passive leg raising (PLR) indicates fluid responsiveness in patients with septic shock.

METHODSTwenty patients with septic shock, considered for fluid challenge (FC), were enrolled in the study from June 2009 to May 2010. Hemodynamic changes were determined by pulse-contour derived cardiac index at baseline, before and after PLR, return to baseline for 10 min, before and after fluid challenge (250 ml saline for 10 min). An increase of SV after fluid challenge (FC-ΔSV) ≥ 10% were defined responders.

RESULTSTwenty patients with septic shock were included in the study. PLR and fluid challenge were performed 46 instances, among which 15 instances were defined as response group. SV and pulse pressure induced by PLR (PLR-ΔSV and PLR-ΔPP) were increased significantly in response group [(76 ± 19) ml vs. (65 ± 18) ml, (73 ± 20) mmHg vs. (62 ± 20) mmHg (1 mmHg = 0.133 kPa), P < 0.05], while in nonresponse group there were no significant change. PLR-ΔSV and PLR-ΔPP were correlated with FC-ΔSV (r = 0.51, P = 0.001; r = 0.45, P = 0.006), central venous pressure (CVP) were unrelated with FC-ΔSV. Area under curve (AUC) for PLR-ΔSV, PLR-ΔPP and stroke volume variation (SVV) were 0.846, 0.791 and 0.708. PLR-ΔSV ≥ 12.5% predicted fluid responsiveness with sensitivity of 80% and specificity of 93.5%. PLR-ΔPP ≥ 9.5% predicted fluid responsiveness with sensitivity of 73.3% and specificity of 83.9%.

CONCLUSIONSPLR-ΔSV and PLR-ΔPP can predict fluid responsiveness in patients with septic shock. PLR-ΔSV and PLR-ΔPP have a greater ability in predicting volume responsiveness than CVP and SVV.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Female ; Hemodynamics ; physiology ; Humans ; Leg ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Posture ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Shock, Septic ; physiopathology

BACKGROUNDAlemtuzumab has been used in organ transplantation and a variety of hematologic malignancies (especially for the treatment of B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia). However, serious infectious complications frequently occur after treatment. The reason for increased infections postalemtuzumab treatment is unknown at this stage. We explore the effect of alemtuzumab on intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs) and intestinal barrier function in cynomolgus model to explain the reason of infection following alemtuzumab treatment.

METHODSTwelve male cynomolguses were randomly assigned to either a treatment or control group. The treatment group received alemtuzumab (3 mg/kg, intravenous injection) while the control group received the same volume of physiological saline. Intestinal IELs were isolated from the control group and the treatment group (on day 9, 35, and 70 after treatment) for counting and flow cytometric analysis. Moreover, intestinal permeability was monitored by enzymatic spectrophotometric technique and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

RESULTSThe numbers of IELs were decreased significantly on day 9 after treatment compared with the control group (0.35 ± 0.07 × 10 8 and 1.35 ± 0.09 × 10 8 , respectively; P < 0.05) and were not fully restored until day 70 after treatment. There were significant differences among four groups considering IELs subtypes. In addition, the proportion of apoptotic IELs after alemtuzumab treatment was significantly higher than in the control group (22.01 ± 3.67 and 6.01 ± 1.42, respectively; P < 0.05). Moreover, the concentration of D-lactate and endotoxin was also increased significantly on day 9 after treatment.

CONCLUSIONSAlemtuzumab treatment depletes lymphocytes in the peripheral blood and intestine of cynomolgus model. The induction of apoptosis is an important mechanism of lymphocyte depletion after alemtuzumab treatment. Notably, intestinal barrier function may be disrupted after alemtuzumab treatment.

Alemtuzumab ; Animals ; Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized ; therapeutic use ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Flow Cytometry ; Intestines ; cytology ; Lymphocytes ; drug effects ; Macaca fascicularis ; Male ; Microscopy, Electron, Transmission

OBJECTIVETo detect the changes of central venous-to-arterial carbon dioxide difference (P(cv-a)CO(2)) during early goal-directed therapy (EGDT) in patients with septic shock and evaluate its' value in predicting adequate resuscitation and prognosis.

METHODSFrom April 2009 to October 2010, 26 septic shock patients were enrolled in the study. EGDT was performed in all the patients immediately after enrollment. According to the whether they achieved early goal with in the 6 hour or not, patients were separated to EGDT achievement and un-achievement groups. At the onset and after the 6 hours EGDT, mean arterial pressure (MAP), cardiac index (CI), central venous oxygen saturation (ScvO(2)), oxygen delivery (DO(2)), oxygen consumption (VO(2)), oxygen extraction ratio (O(2) ext), lactate, P(cv-a)CO(2) were recorded. The Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) score and 28 day mortality were compared between 2 groups.

RESULTSThere were no significant difference of age and sex between the 15 patients who achieved early goals and 11 patients who did not. EGDT un-achievement patients had higher APACHE II score (21 ± 5) and 28 day mortality (9/11) when compared with EGDT achievement patients (t = 2.985, χ(2) = 4.547, P < 0.05). In EGDT un-achievement group, MAP, CI, DO(2), VO(2), O(2)ext, ScvO(2), Lac, P(cv-a)CO(2) were comparable between the onset and 6 hours after EGDT. However, in EGDT achievement group, MAP ((90 ± 9) mmHg (1 mmHg = 0.133 kPa)), CI ((4.0 ± 1.8) L×min(-1)×m(-2)), DO(2) ((596 ± 274) ml×min(-1)×m(-2)), ScvO(2) (76.9% ± 4.1%) increased, and P(cv-a)CO(2) ((4.2 ± 2.7) mmHg) decreased significantly after 6 hours of EGDT (t values were -3.393, -2.985, -2.103 and -3.195 respectively, all P < 0.05). The changes of P(cv-a)CO(2) between the onset and 6 hours after EGDT, demonstrated high value for predictability of outcome, according to the area under the ROC curve (AUC) was 0.839 (P = 0.004). As a predictor for death, increasing of P(cv-a)CO(2) after 6 hours of EGDT has a sensibility of 100% and specificity of 60%.

CONCLUSIONSIncreasing of P(cv-a)CO(2) after EGDT purports inadequate tissue perfusion in patients with septic shock. Changes of P(cv-a)CO(2) during EGDT demonstrated a useful tool to evaluate adequate resuscitation and prognosis.

Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Blood Gas Analysis ; Carbon Dioxide ; blood ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prognosis ; Resuscitation ; Shock, Septic ; blood ; therapy

OBJECTIVETo understand the infectivity and pathogenicity of the plasma of hepatitis E virus (HEV) viremia to primate animals.

METHODSRNA fragment of HEV genotype IV was detected on one healthy donor who was positive for anti-HEV IgM and negative for anti-HEV IgG. Then 10 ml plasma from above donor was transfused to rhesus monkey to observe its infectivity and pathogenicity.

RESULTSAcute hepatitis E was developed in rhesus monkey who accept HEV RNA positive plasma. It was confirmed by virological, immunological, biochemical and histopathological data.

CONCLUSIONAcute hepatitis E can be induced by plasma transfusion of HEV viremia, which indicate the possibility of transfusion transmitted hepatitis E

Acute Disease ; Animals ; Blood Donors ; Hepatitis E ; transmission ; Hepatitis E virus ; isolation & purification ; Humans ; Macaca mulatta ; RNA, Viral ; blood ; Transfusion Reaction

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of Tongxinluo in on the proliferation and differentiation of rat embryonic neural stem cells (NSCs).

METHODSNSCs were isolated from 12- to 14-day SD rat embryo and treated with Tongxinluo at different doses, and the proliferation and differentiation of the cells were observed by immunofluorescence staining at different time points.

RESULTSThe ratio of embryonic NSCs labeled with nestin decreased soon after Tongxinluo treatment, but increased afterwards. Significant difference was noted in the number of cells labeled with beta-tubulin between Tongxinluo group and the control group 3 and 7 days after the treatment, and also between high-dose and low-dose Tongxinluo groups at 7 days.

CONCLUSIONTongxinluo can induce the proliferation and neuronal differentiation of rat embryonic NSCs, and the effect is related to the dose of Tongxinluo administered.

Animals ; Cell Differentiation ; drug effects ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Cells, Cultured ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Embryonic Stem Cells ; cytology ; Female ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique ; Male ; Neurons ; cytology ; Pregnancy ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley