Objective: To discuss the feasibility of a new method to evaluate wearing simulators,and to investigate the feasibility of specimens' depth loss as the index of the materials' wearing resistance.Methods: Two commercial composite resins(SureFil and Spectrum TPH) were selected.The specimens were subjected to 100,200,300,400,500,800,1200,1 600 and 2 000 cycles wearing in the CW3-1 wearing system.Wearing was determined quantitatively by weighing the specimen and measuring the height of the specimen,volume loss(mm 3) and height loss(?m) were calculated.Previous clinical study results on SureFil and Spectrum TPH conducted at Hong Kong University were used to examine the relationship between clinical wearing and laboratory wearing.The difference of the wearing resistance between the two materials and the Pearson correlation of the height loss and the volume loss were analyzed by statistical software SPSS 15.0.Results: The wearing resistance of the two materials was significant difference(P

Objective To investigate the possible pathway of FITC-dextran to the cochlea after post-aural injection.Methods The FITC-dextran(weight between 3 000~5 000) was chosen as a tracer in this study.A total of 200 suckling mice were randomly divided into four groups, with 50 in each group.Each animal was then administered with FITC-dextran or dextran via either post-auricular or intra-muscular injection, to a total dose of 20 μl (5 mg/ml).Samples were obtained at 0, 1/12, 1/4, 1/2, 1, 3, 5, 7, 12, and 24 hours after adminstmiceion, and the confocal technique was used to observe the distribution of the tracer.Taking into consideration the influence of spontaneous fluorescence, the fluorescence intensity ratio of the experimental and control groups was used as the final statistical data.Results FITC-dextran injected intramuscularly group: The fluorescence signal can be detected in the sigmoid sinus(SS) 3h after management, while in endolymphatic sac and cochlea at 12 h.FITC-dextran injected post-aurally group: After administration, an obvious fluorescence signal could be observed in the sigmoid sinus and endolymphatic sac immediately, cochlea at 30 min.The signal of the sigmoid sinus, endolymphatic sac and cochlea gradually increased successively, peaked at 5~15 min, 30 min and 60 min, and then decreased gradually.At 12 h, another small increases appeared, and the signal could not be detected at 24 h.Conclusion Compared with intramuscularly application, post-auricular injection can allow the drug to directly reach the endolymph.It is possible that the tracer first gathered in the SS via local blood circulation or infiltration, then entered the ES via micro-circulation around, and eventually arrived at the cochlea.

Objective:To observe the clinical efficacy of Ba-pulling and Qian-traction manipulation with neck suspension and movement for acute cervical radiculopathy. Methods: A total of 85 patients who met the inclusion criteria were randomized into an observation group and a control group by random numbers, with 43 cases in the observation group and 42 cases in the control group. The observation group was treated with Ba-pulling and Qian-traction manipulation with neck suspension and movement;while the control group was treated with Bashen-pulling and stretching manipulation in a supine position. The treatment was performed once a day, 10 times as a treatment course. The therapeutic efficacy was evaluated after 1 treatment course, and the changes in the scores of visual analog scale (VAS) and neck disability index (NDI) were observed. Results: The total effective rate was 97.7% in the observation group, and 83.3% in the control group, and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P＜0.05). After treatment, the VAS and NDI scores of both groups were significantly decreased (both P＜0.01), and the differences in the VAS and NDI scores between the two groups were statistically significant (both P＜0.01). Conclusion: Both Ba-pulling and Qian-traction manipulation with neck suspension and movement and Bashen-pulling and stretching manipulation in a supine position can relieve pain and improve cervical function in patients with acute cervical radiculopathy, and Ba-pulling and Qian-traction manipulation with neck suspension and movement can produce more significant efficacy than Bashen-pulling and stretching manipulation in a supine position.

AIMTo examine the liver mechanism with which clenbuterol is explained how to affect growth metabolism.

METHODSTwenty-four adult SD rats were randomly divided into three groups, a control and two treatment groups. The technique of isolated perfused rat liver in vitro was used to study the effects of clenbuterol on urea nitrogen concentration of perfused medium, GPT activity and synthesis and secretion of IGF-I in isolated perfused rat liver.

RESULTSUrea-nitrogen concentration of perfused medium was significantly affected by clenbuterol in a dose-dependent and time-dependent manner. The urea-nitrogen level was decreased by 15.02% (P > 0.05),17.97% (P > 0.05), 26.76% (P < 0.05) and 30.08% (P < 0.01) for 1 h, 2 h, 3 h, 4 h after administering clenbuterol at the dose of 1 x 10(-6) mol/L, respectively, compared to that of control. 1 x 10(-8) mol/L CL had the similar effect on urea-nitrogen level. GTP activity of isolated perfused rat liver was inhibited by clenbuterol. The enzyme activity was decreased by 24.65% (P < 0.05) at the dose of 1 10(-6) mol/L CL in clenbuterol-treated 4h. The production and secretion of IGF-I were also influenced by clenbuterol in isolated perfused rat liver. IGF-I concentration of rat liver was increased by 19.77% (P < 0.05) in 4 h clenbuterol treatment (1 x 10(-6) mol/L). Meanwhile, IGF-I concentration of perfusion medium was also elevated though the difference was not significant compared with control.

CONCLUSIONIt is suggested that clenbuterol may improve growth metabolism by means of increasing nitrogen retention and enhancing IGF-I production and secretion of rat liver.

Animals ; Clenbuterol ; pharmacology ; In Vitro Techniques ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I ; metabolism ; Liver ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Nitrogen ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

AIMTo examine the liver mechanism with which clenbuterol (CL) is explained how to affect growth metabolism.

METHODSThe technique of chronic poly catheter was used to study the effects of CL (0.8 mg/kg b w) on the hepatic flux of nitrogen, VFA and glucose in 4 sheep.

RESULTSThe urea-nitrogen flux in CL-treated period always was lower than that in control during 24 h. The average flux of urea-nitrogen in hepatic and portal vein were decreased by 16.86% (P < 0.01) and 15.51% (P < 0.05), respectively, compared with that of control. The peptide level in hepatic vein was decreased with the treatment of CL, average flux of peptide was decreased by 38.71% (P < 0.01). But the peptide level of portal vein in CL treatment period was similar to control. Moreover, VFA level in the portal vein was enhanced by CL, the average flux of acetate in portal vein was increased by 19.49% (P < 0.01). No difference of VFA level in hepatic vein was noted between CL-treated period and control. In addition, the glucose flux in hepatic vein was obviously increased with CL treatment, the average flux of glucose was increased by 25.96% (P < 0.01). And glucose flux in portal vein was also elevated during CL-treated period.

CONCLUSIONCL can affect growth metabolism of animal with increasing nitrogen deposition, improving absorption and utilization of VFA and enhancing glucose synthesis in sheep liver.

Animals ; Clenbuterol ; pharmacology ; Fatty Acids, Volatile ; metabolism ; Glucose ; metabolism ; Liver ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Sheep

Objective To Evaluate the performance of serum adenosine deaminase assays of different manufacturers and explore the approach for harmonization of test results.Methods It was evaluated the indice including the limit of blank ,precision,linearity range and reference interval of 10 test systems.It was as the reference system by Mindray test system to evaluate the comparability and the difference of ADA results among 10 different systems.The evaluation was performed before and after calibration by a selected fresh serum assigned by the reference system.A commercial calibrator of the minimum matrix effect was selected from 8 different calibrators as the long-term calibrator to harmonize the ADA results of 10 systems.Results The results of LoB were 0.1-6.3 U/L,respectively.The within-run CVs and total CVs of 10 systems were all less than 5%and actual linearity ranges were conformed to claims of manufacturers.After calibration with fresh serum calibrator ,the averaged difference of 10 test systems was reduced from 14% to 3.0%, and the average difference was 1.8% after calibration with long-term calibrator.The common reference interval of all test systems was 5-24 U/L identically.Conclusions The comparability of ADA measurements can be improved by using a common human serum calibrator and the commutable commercial calibrator.And it is necessary and feasible to develop the standardzation of ADA.

Objective Carbonic anhydrase 1 (CA1) not only enhances the hydration reaction but also promotes the formation of CaCO3,which is an essential step for new bone formation in vitro.However,there is no direct evidence to demonstrate the involvement of CA1 in bio-mineralization in cells and tissues.This study is aimed to evaluate the important role of CA1 in bio-mineralization and ossification in cultured cells.Methods Calcification in Saos-2 cells was induced using osteogenic medium (OM) and the calcification was determined by Alizarin Red-S staining.The expressions of ossification protein marker Runt-related transcription factor-2 (Runx2),osterix (OSX),alkaline phosphatase (ALP),osteocalcin (OCN) and bone sialoprotein (BSP) were detected in the process of bone formation by real-time PCR.The expression of CA 1 in the calcified cells were measured using real-time PCR and Western blotting.We also detected calcification in Saos-2 cells in the presence of acetazolamide,an anti-carbonic anhydrase drug to CA1,to determine the role of CA1 in biomineralization in culture cells.T test analysis was used to compare the two groups,M-ANOVA of repeated measurs was conducted for different time point.Results Following the stimulation of OM,Saos-2 cells produced a great amount of calcium-rich deposits [0.68±0.03 vs 2.76±0.13,P＜0.01].Increased transcriptions of ossification protein markers were also detected in these stimulated Saos-2 cells,indicating that the OM launched the process of bone formation in the cells.CA1 had a significantly increased expression during this process [0.25±0.03 vs 0.94±0.06,P＜0.01].Following treatment with acetazolamide,the expression of CA1 evidently declined [1.09±0.05 vs 0.55±0.07,P＜0.05],and the mineralized nodule formation was declined [2.76±0.13 vs 2.19±0.07,P＜0.01].Conclusion These findings indicate that CA1 participates in the biomineralization and ossification,and may play an important roles in bone formation.

BACKGROUND: Some experiments indicated that applying rosiglitazone on diabetic animals lacking of insulin could not increase insulin and lower blood glucose obviously, which showed that rosiglitazone did not stimulate the excretion of rosiglitazone. The action of rosiglitazone in improving insulin resistance and the effects on the functions of liver and kidneys need more investigations.OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether rosiglitazone can improve the insulin resistance of rats with hyperlipemia, and analyze the possible mechanism.SETTINGS: Guangzhou Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine; Guangzhou Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Materia MedicaDESIGN: A stratified randomized controlled animal trial.MATERIALS: Sixty-four Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats (Batch No. 2002A024), SPF grade, half male and half female,weighing 150 to 180 g, aged 6 to 8 weeks were purchased from Guangdong Medical Experimental Animal Center.Normal feed (total quantity of heat 6.9 kJ/g) was enriched with 23% protein, 53% carbohydrate and 5% fat. High fat emulsion (total quantity of heat 15.5 kJ/g) was enriched with 200 g/L lard, 200 g/L cholesterol, 10 g/L bile salt ox,200 g/L propylene glycol, 200 g/L tween-80. High fat and sugar feed (total quantity of heat 21.0 kJ/g) was enriched with 15% protein, 51% carbohydrate and 30% fat after adding 100 g/L glucose, 200 g/L lard and 100 g/L yolk powder then mixing and baking. Rosiglitazone was from GlaxoSmithKline Co Ltd. (Tianjin) (5 mg/tab, Batch No.02110012). Gliclazide was from Servier International and Tianjin Hua Jin Pharmaceutical Factory (100 mg/tab, Batch No.00232).METHODS: The experiment was carried out in Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from April to July in 2003. ① Sixty-four Sprague-Dawley rats, 16 of which were randomly sampled as the normal control group and had been fed with normal feed for 6 weeks. The others were modeled after medical literatures, each one was administered with high fat emulsion (10 mL/kg) by gavage once a day for 14 days. Rats whose FBG≥6.1 mmol/L or 2hBG≥7.8 mmol/L were selected, randomized into 3 groups according to body mass and blood glucose, i.e., negative control (model)group, rosiglitazone group and gliclazide group, there were 16 rats in each group. Except the normal control group, rats in the rosiglitazone group and gliclazide group were gavaged with rosiglitazone for 5 mg/kg and gliclazide for 100 mg/kg respectively, and those in the model group were gavaged with distilled water. All of the rats were fed with high-fat feed once a day for 28 days. From the 21st day, high fat emulsion was added once a day for 7 days. After fasting for 18 hours from the last administration, all the rats were recorded for FBG and administered dextrose 2.78 mol/10 mL .kg or dextrose and drug mixture 10 mL/kg by body mass. Two hours'later, 2hBG was recorded. ② Blood samples were collected from orbital plexus and serum was prepared for detecting the biochemical indexes and immunological indexes in serum, i.e., fasting serum glucose(FSG), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST),blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine (Cr), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and fasting insulin (FINS). The insulin sensitivity index (ISI) was calculated: ISI=ln [1/ (FINS content×FBG content)]. After the rats were killed, their liver suspension was prepared for measuring the levels of TG, superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione (GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA).MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: ① FBG and 2hBG; ② FSG, blood lipids, TNF-α, FINS and ISI in serum; ③ TG, GSH, SOD and MDA in liver cells; ④ ALT, AST, BUN and Cr in serum. RESULTS: ① Results of FBG and 2hBG: The FBG and 2hBG in the rosiglitazone group [(3.2±0.3), (6.3±1.2) mmol/L]were lower than those in the modelcontrol group [(3.8±0.5), (8.1±2.1) mmol/L, P ＜ 0.01]. The FBG in the gliclazide group [(3.3±0.7) mmol/L] was lower than that in the model control group. ② Results of FSG, blood lipids, TNF-α, FINS and ISI: The FSG, TNF-α and FINS in the rosiglitazone group were (4.2±1.2) mmol/L, (246±45) μg/L and (133±45) pmol/L respectively, which were lower than those in the model control group [(6.6±1.5) mmol/L, (294±65) μg/L, (264±76) pmol/L,P ＜ 0.05-0.01], whereas ISI was higher than that in the model control group (-6.33±0.46, -7.46±0.95, P ＜ 0.01). The FSG and TNF-α in the gliclazide group [(4.1±1.1) mmol/L, (251±62) μg/L] were lower than those in the model control group (P ＜ 0.05-0.01). ③ Results of TG content, GSH deposit, SOD activity and MDA content in liver cells: The TG and MDA contents in liver cells in the rosiglitazone group [(1.00±0.38), (40±17) mmol/g] were lower than those in the model control group [(2.40±0.60), (171±63) mmol/g, P＜ 0.01], the GSH deposit and SOD activity [(51±14) mg/g, (583.45±50.01 ) nkat/g] were higher than those in the model control group [(2.40±0.60) mg/g, (450.09±66. 68) nkat/g, P ＜ 0.05-0.01].The TG and MDA contents in the gliclazide group [(1.20±0.38), (100±30) mmol/g] were lower than those in the model control group, whereas the GSH deposit [(46±15) mg/g] was higher than that in the model control group. ④ Results of ALT, AST, BUN and Cr in serum: The serum contents of BUN and Cr in the rosiglitazone group [(14.3±3.8) mmol/L,(33±9) μmol/L] were lower than those in the model control group [(19.2±5.6) mmol/L, (45±13) μmol/L, P ＜ 0.05].CONCLUSION: Both rosiglitazone and gliclazide can improve the insulin resistance induced by high fat feed.Rosiglitazone is superior to gliclazide in decreasing the high insulin level, decreaseing serum levels of BUN and Cr,improving reduced GSH deposit and enhancing SOD activity.

Objective To evaluate the feature of level Ⅱaxillary lymph nodes from breast cancer detected by ultrasound. Methods Eighty-nine cases of breast cancers with level Ⅱaxillary lymph nodes diagnosed in Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center from January 2008 to October 2013 were retrospectively studied, including 66 cases of breast cancer patients pre-operatively, 23 cases of breast cancer post-operatively, all cases were female. The number, size, long/short ratio, presence of a hilum, and Doppler features of the lymph nodes were observed. The accuracy sensitivity, speciifcity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of each signiifcant parameter were analyzed. Results Ultrasound examination revealed more than axillary lymph nodes, the accuracy sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of diagnosing lymph nodes were 71.9%, 56.8%, 89.7%, 87.9%and 61.4%respectively. The maximum diameter of levelⅡaxillary lymph node was more than or equal to 10 mm, the accuracy sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of diagnosing lymph nodes were 67.4%, 58.0%, 79.5%, 78.4%and 59.6%respectively. If there were two ultrasonographic characteristics simultaneously, the diagnostic sensitivity (87.8%) and accuracy (78.6%) could be significantly improved, the specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of diagnosing lymph nodes were 60.0%, 72.3%and 80.0%. Conclusion The number and size of lymph nodes in level Ⅱaxillary area are valuable sonographic characteristics for the diagnosis of benign and malignant lymph nodes.

Objective To analyze the prognosis and risk factors for antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody?associated vasculitis (AAV) patients on maintaining dialysis. Methods AAV patients on maintaining peritoneal dialysis (PD) or hemodialysis (HD) in First Affiliated Hospital Zhejiang University from June 2007 to June 2015 were included, and were followed up until death, kidney transplant, changed dialysis modalities or January 31, 2016. Patients were divided into PD group and HD group for comparison. Their survival rates and risk factors were analyzed by Kaplan?Meier analysis and COX regression model respectively. Results A total of 123 cases were chosen, with a median duration of dialysis for 854 (388, 1573) days, and with 88 cases (71.5%) on HD and 35 cases (28.5%) on PD. Fifty?two patients (42.3%) were more than 65 years old. At the median follow?up time of 36 months, 39 patients (31.7%) died. The main causes of death were cardiovascular events (30.8%) and infection (23.1%). COX regression analysis showed that patients older than 65 years old (HR=3.289, P=0.001), with cardiovascular disease (HR=3.241, P=0.003) and interstitial pneumonia (HR=2.173, P=0.048) at the dialysis onset were independent risk factors affecting survival. Conclusions Factors including age (older than 65 years), pre?dialysis cardiovascular disease and interstitial pneumonia were independent risk factors affecting survival of AAV patients on maintaining dialysis, then infections and cardiovascular events were the main causes of death.