Objective To explore the correlation between mutations in the promoter region of TBX1 gene and conotruncal heart defects. Methods A total of 621 children with conotruncal heart defects were recruited. Multiplex ligation-dependent probe ampliifcation (MLPA) was used to detect the copy numbers of chromosomal region 22 q 11 . 2 . Children with 22 q 11 . 2 deletion were excluded. Polymerase chain reaction ampliifcation (PCR) and gene sequencing were applied to analyze promoter region of TBX 1 (-2000 ..+1 ) in 605 children with conotruncal heart defects without 22 q 11 . 2 deletion and 588 healthy children. Bioinformatics software was used to predict and analyze the function of the variable loci. Results There were mutations in the promoter region of TBX 1 gene in children with conotruncal heart defects, including 3 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) sites and 7 rare loci. The incidence of mutation was 1 . 7%. The analysis of 7 rare loci by AliBaba 2 . 1 to showed that 3 of them may inlfuence the combination of trans-acting factors and cis-acting elements of the promoter of TBX 1 gene. Conclusion The mutation in the TBX 1 promoter region may be related to the occurrence of conotruncal heart defects.

Objective: To determine the noninvasive imaging efficacy of 99mTc-sandostatin scintigraphy for lung cancer. Methods: 57 consecutive patients with pulmonary nodules(PN) were studied with 99mTc-sandostatin scintigraphy.Planar imaging was obtained after injection of (991.6?187.59) MBq of 99mTc-sandostatin at 1.5-4 hour with GE Dual-head gamma camera(Millennium VG, Hawkeye ;General Electric Medical Systems) . SPECT images of the chest were performed at 4-6 h post injection. All scintigraphically detected lesions were confirmed by histopathological analysis and/or by other imaging modalities.Tumor to normal tissues ratios (T/N) were calculated . Results: Out of 57 patients ,47 were malignant tumors; 12 with small cell lung cancer (SCLC), 35 with non- small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). 10 had benign lesions. The sensitivity , specificity and accuracy of 99mTc-Sandostatin in detection of lung cancer were 95.7%, 90%, 94.7%, respectively. In two patients (pts) with pulmonary squamous cell cancer 99mTc-Sandostatin imaging was false negative. In 10 pts. with benign PN, 9 pts. was true negative, but one patient with tubercolama was false positive. T/N ratio was 3.43?0.66, 2.24?0.31 in SCLC and NSCLC respectively. The T/N ratio was higher in small cell lung cancer than NSCLC(t = 4.072 ,P

Objective To investigate the distribution,epidemiologic features and antibiotic resistance of the enteric pathogens i-solated from children with diarrhea.Methods Enteric pathogens were isolated from children’s stool samples.The children with diarrhea were treated in the outpatient and inpatient of Shanghai Children’s Hospital between 2008 and 2013.Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was conducted by disk diffusion method for Salmonella and Shigella with 6 antimicrobial agents.Results A total of 545 enteric pathogens were collected.Salmonella was the dominant pathogen,accounting for 67.2%,followed by Shigella (20.7%),S.aureus (4.6%),C.jejuni (3.7%),Aeromonas (2.4%),and enteropathogenic E.coli (0.9%).The main serotypes of Salmonella were S.typhimurium and S.enteritidis.Approximately 56.3% of the patients were boys.A-bout 72.7% of the patients were infants under 2 years.The prevalence of diarrhea peaked in summer and autumn (72.9%). The susceptibility of these isolates was only tested with seven antibiotics.Shigella showed higher level of resistance to ampicil-lin and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole than Salmonella (P<0.05).Significantly higher percentage of S.flexneri isolates were resistant to sulbactam-ampicillin,ceftriaxone,ciprofloxacin,and chloramphenicol than S.sonnei (P<0.001).Further-more,the prevalence of multidrug resistant strains in Shigella (68.3%)was much higher than that in Salmonella (44.7%,P<0.001).Conclusions A variety of diarrhea-causing enteric pathogens are isolated from the children in Shanghai Children’s Hospital.The isolates are predominantly Salmonella and Shigella species.The epidemiological features of Salmonella and Shigella species are different in terms of gender,age,season and geographical distribution.The resistance to antibiotics is a serious problem and varies with different types of pathogens. Intensive and ongoing surveillance of enteric pathogens and their changing resistant pattern is required to control diar-rhea in children.

Objective:To produce rhBMP-4 with bioactivity in E.coli. Methods: The full-length human BMP-4 gene was mutated by PCR without changes in amino acid sequence, then the synthesized gene was cloned into plasmid pET-3c, transducted into BL21(DE)plysS, and induced by adding IPTG to a final concentration of 1.0 mmol/L. The protein product was purified using ion-exchange chromatography method and then renaturated, bioactivity was checked by C2C12 differentiation in vitro and mouse ectopic bone formation in vivo. Results: A 438 bp gene fragment encoding mature peptide of hBMP-4 was cloned , the protein product was mostly in the form of inclusion body, after renaturation, the engineering protein shows better bioactivity. Conclusion:The mutant strategy can enhance the expression of bioactive rhBMP-4 in E.coli expression system.

OBJECTIVETo study the clinicopathologic features of subependymal giant cell astrocytoma.

METHODSThe clinical and pathologic characteristics of 18 cases of subependymal giant cell astrocytoma were retrospectively analyzed.

RESULTSAmongst the 18 cases studied, there was a male predominance (male-to-female ratio = 2:1). The age of patients ranged from 7 to 54 years (mean age = 18.2 years). The tumor often occurred in the lateral ventricles (16/18, 88.9%). Most patients presented with headache and vomiting (11/18, 61.1%), followed by visual disturbance (3/18, 16.7%). Eleven patients (61.1%) had clinical features of tuberous sclerosis, usually in the form of facial angiofibroma (8/18, 44.4%). Computerized tomography was performed in 10 cases, in which 7 cases were of high density and 5 cases showed contrast enhancement. MRI revealed isointense mass lesion on T1WI (7/11, 63.6%), highly intense lesion on T2WI (10/11, 90.9%) and contrast enhancement in some cases (9/11, 81.8%). Four patients had follow-up information available and all of them were alive from 1 to 5 years (mean = 3.5 years). Histologically, there were bundles of spindle cells mixed with clusters of gemistocytes and ganglion-like cells. The spindle cells showed immunoreactivity for glial fibrillary acidic protein (18/18, 100%), while the gemistocytes and ganglion-like cells expressed synaptophysin (14/18, 77.8%). Most of the cases (16/18, 88.9%) had MIB-1 index

CONCLUSIONSSubependymal giant cell astrocytoma is a benign brain tumor with distinctive histopathologic features. The tumor typically affects children and young adults. It is associated with a favorable clinical outcome, especially if completely excised.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Astrocytoma ; complications ; metabolism ; pathology ; Cerebral Ventricle Neoplasms ; complications ; metabolism ; pathology ; Child ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein ; biosynthesis ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Synaptophysin ; biosynthesis ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Tuberous Sclerosis ; complications ; metabolism ; pathology ; Young Adult

BACKGROUNDDiabetic nephropathy is a major cause of renal failure in diabetes mellitus (DM). It has been known that renin-angiotensin system (RAS) blockers have a renal protective effect. This study aimed to investigate whether treatment with angiotensin II receptor blocker, olmesartan, could modify renal hemodynamic variables and vascular structural properties, then attenuate renal injury in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced DM rats.

METHODSDM was induced in male Wistar rats by intraperitoneal administration of STZ. The rats were then randomized to a DM group and an olmesartan treatment (OLM + DM) group. The normal group (non-DM) were administered only citrate buffer. At the end of the 14th week, blood glucose, kidney weight/body weight and urinary protein-to-creatinine ratio were determined. Further, the flow-pressure and pressure-glomerular filtration rate (GFR) relationships were determined for maximally vasodilated, perfused kidneys. From the relationship, 3 indices of vascular structural properties were estimated: slope of flow-pressure (minimal renal vascular resistance, reflecting overall luminal dimensions of preglomerular and postglomerular vasculature), slope of pressure-GFR (glomerular filtration capacity against pressure) and threshold pressure for beginning filtration at pressure-GFR (preglomerular to postglomerular vascular resistance ratio). Kidneys were then perfusion fixed for histological analysis. The renal histopathology was observed by light microscopy.

RESULTSThe body weight of DM rats was lower than that of non-DM rats. Blood glucose, kidney weight/body weight, urinary protein-to-creatinine ratio were significantly greater in DM rats than in non-DM rats. The parameters such as kidney weight/body weight, urinary protein-to-creatinine ratio in OLM + DM rats had dramatically decreased compared with those in DM rats. However, the treatment with olmesartan had no effect on blood glucose levels. The slope of flow-pressure relationship was greater in DM rats than that in non-DM rats (P < 0.05). But the slope of the pressure-GFR relationship was lower in DM rats than that in non-DM rats (P < 0.05) with the x-intercept of the line similar between the two groups. The slope of the flow-pressure relationship was decreased in DM rats group treated with olmesartan (P < 0.05). Moreover, olmesartan significantly increased the slope of the pressure-GFR relationship in DM rats (P < 0.05). The x-intercept of the pressure-GFR relationship reduced following olmesartan in DM rats.

CONCLUSIONSTreatment with olmesartan reduced urinary protein-to-creatinine ratio independent of blood glucose and increased average renal vessel lumen diameter in the perfused kidneys of STZ-induced DM rats, predominantly in preglomerular vessels, and then improved renal excretory capability. These findings were consistent with remodeling of the preglomerular vasculature in our hisological measurements.

Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor Blockers ; therapeutic use ; Animals ; Blood Glucose ; drug effects ; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; physiopathology ; Diabetic Nephropathies ; drug therapy ; prevention & control ; Hemodynamics ; drug effects ; Imidazoles ; Kidney ; drug effects ; metabolism ; pathology ; Male ; Organ Size ; drug effects ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Tetrazoles

Objective To investigate the changes and pathogenic significance of serum interleukin-12p70 (IL-12), intefferon-γ,(IFN-γ) and IL-4 in the course of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome(HFRS). Methods Twenty five eases were divided into mild group (14 eases) and severe group (11 cases) according to the severity of illness. Blood samples were collected in various stages(fever, hypotensian and oliguria,diuresis stage). Serum IL-12 and IFN-γ levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunoserbent assay(ELISA), IL-4 by radioimmunoassay (RIA), blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and platelet by automatic biochemical analyzer and blood analyzer. Results Serum IL-12 levels in mild and severe groups were significantly different during various stages of HFRS (F=5.765, P<0.01). The IL-12 level of both patient groups significantly increased(P<0.01) in fever[ (0.87±0.38), (1.08± 0.77)μg/L], hypotension and oliguria [ (0.77±0.21), (2.11±2.13)μg/L] ,and diuresis stage [ (1.42±1.10), (1.20±0.88)μg/L], compared with control group [(0.56±0.10)μg/L]. In various stages, IFN-γ levels of both case groups were respectively (8.04±13.05), (5.94±8.24), (15.95±18.05), (4.41±4.10), (1.09±1.24), (1.38±1.74), (1.12±1.26), (0.19±1.29)μg/L, and the difference was statistically significant compared with control [ (0.27±0.15)rig/L]. K,-4 levels did not change significantly in the stages(F=0.682, P0.05), while the ratios of IFN-γ and IL-4 contents in mild and severe cases were significantly higher than control [(0.36±0.26) μg/L] in fever[ (2.46±3.52), (16.92±22.77)p.g/L], hypotension and oliguria[(2.52±2.72), (1.77±2.06) μg/L],diuresis stage [(1.45±2.28), (2.32±3.98)μg/L], the difference had statically significant (P<0.05 or 0.01).The curve of IL-12 was similar to that of BUN, but was contrary to blood platelet count. Conclusions The elevated levels of IL-12 and IFN-γ, with the imbalance of Th1/Th2 might be the main cause of systemic inflammatoryresponse and involved in the pathogenesis of HFRS.

Objective To explore the impact factors for post-thaw embryo survival rate and clinical pregnancy rate in frozen-thawed embryo transfer program. Methods The clinical data of 573 cycles of frozen-thawed embryo transfers were retrospectively analysed. Groups were divided according to the pre-freeze embryo quality, pre-freeze embryonic developmental stage, frozen-thawed embryo quality and cryopreservation technique, respectively, and post-thaw embryo survival rates and/or clinical pregnancy rates were compared among groups. Results The clinical pregnancy rate of high quality pre-freeze embryo was significantly higher than that of low quality pre-freeze embryo (31.8% vs 20.0%) (P< 0.05). There was no significant difference in the post-thaw survival rates and clinical pregnancy rates between embryos frozen at day 2 of ferrtilization and those frozen at day 3 of ferrtilization(79. 1% vs 82.9% and 25.5% vs 31.2%, respectively) (P>0.05). The clinical pregnancy rates of the transfer cycles only with fully intact embryos and with mixed embryos were significantly higher than that only with partially damaged embryos(36.7% vs 24.1% and 29.2% vs 24.1%, respectively)(P<0.05). The post-thaw survival rate and post-thaw high-quality embryo rate were significantly higher in those processed with modified cryopreservation technique than in those processed with original cryopreservation technique (82.0% vs 66.3% and 50.0% vs 27.5%, respectively)(P<0.05). Conclusion Pre-freeze embryo quality, post-thaw embryo survival rate and post-thaw embryo quality have a positive correlation to subsequent clinical pregnancy rate. Favorable cryopreservation technique may ensure the success of post-thaw embryo recovery and transfer.

BACKGROUNDPulmonary embolism (PE) is a common and often fatal disease. Early after pulmonary thromboembolism, inflammation and associated intimal hyperplasia occur within the pulmonary arteries, similar to what is observed with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension. This study tested the hypothesis that thrombolytic and anticoagulant agents would have anti-inflammatory effects or inhibit intimal hyperplasia of involved pulmonary arteries.

METHODSSeventy-two male New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into two groups (54 rabbits in the PE group and 18 in the sham group). Experimental PE was induced in 54 rabbits by femoral vein injection of autologous blood clots and confirmed with pulmonary angiography, and other 18 rabbits underwent sham operations. Fifty-four rabbits in the PE group were randomly divided into three groups: a control group (treated with normal saline), a low-molecular- weight heparin (LMWH) group (treated with LMWH), and a urokinase (UK) group (treated with UK). Arterial blood gas was analyzed at 2, 7, and 28 days (n = 6 per time point by random group division), then lung tissues were removed and were analyzed for pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, and were stained for intimal hyperplasia.

RESULTSThe overall survival of rabbits undergoing PE was 100%. PE distribution detected on digital signal angiography (DSA) and histopathology was shown in 67% of rabbits (36/54) in the bilateral low lobar pulmonary arteries (PAs). The results showed that alveolar-arterial partial pressure of oxygen (PO2) difference (PA-aO2) significantly increased and PO2 decreased in the control group compared with the sham group. Compared with controls, the UK group had a decreased level of PA-aO2 on day 2 (P < 0.05), however, there was no significant difference in the LMWH group. Compared with controls, the LMWH group had a decreased level of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) in affected tissue and serum samples on days 7 and 28 (P < 0.05), and the UK group had decreased levels on days 2 and 7 (P < 0.05). Compared with sham group, all PE groups had an increased level of interleukin-13 (IL-13) and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) in unaffected lung tissue samples at days 2 and 7. IL-13 in affected lung tissue in the LMWH group was decreased at all time points compared with controls (P < 0.05). However, TGF-β in affected lung tissue of the LMWH and UK groups increased at day 28. There was less intimal hyperplasia in involved pulmonary arteries at days 7 and 28 in the LMWH group compared with controls; there was no statistical difference in the UK group compared with controls.

CONCLUSIONSUK treatment can rapidly improve the V/Q mismatch in PE and appears a short-term anti-inflammatory benefit. However, LMWH maybe inhibit the later local inflammatory reaction and reduce intimal hyperplasia.

Animals ; Chemokines ; analysis ; Cytokines ; analysis ; Heparin, Low-Molecular-Weight ; therapeutic use ; Male ; Oxygen ; blood ; Pulmonary Artery ; drug effects ; pathology ; Pulmonary Embolism ; drug therapy ; immunology ; Rabbits ; Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator ; therapeutic use

Adrenal Cortex Hormones ; therapeutic use ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Drug Resistance ; Humans ; Neutrophils ; cytology ; drug effects ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive ; drug therapy ; Theophylline ; therapeutic use