Objective To study the prospective memory and the severity of the impairment of event- based prospective memory(EBPM)and time-based prospective memory(TBPM)in normally aging adults. Methods We set a neuropsychological battery to measure the education-matched 40 adults and 40 normally aging adults who were given EBPM and TBPM tasks.Results Compared with the young controls(EBPM, 6.25?1.60;TBPM,5.38?0.87),both EBPM(2.50?0.85)and TBPM(4.93?1.07)in the elderly had been impaired,especially EBPM(t = 13.117,P

Phase 1 clinical trials is a key step for new drugs from basic experiments to human verification.Developed countries have formulated the corresponding laws , regulations and policies and guiding principles.Association The British Pharmaceutical Industry ( ABPI ) released a 2012 version of guidelines for phase 1 clinical trials.It provided professional guidances for some important problems in phase 1 clinical trials ( such as risk assessment , contracts and agreements , confidentiality , subjects , in-vestigational medicinal products and so on ).This paper makes a brief in-troduction of guiding principles for phase 1 clinical trials on the 2012 ver-sion of the ABPI.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the clinical efficacy of combined L-carnitine and acetyl-L-carnitine on idiopathic asthenospermia.

METHODSThirty patients with idiopathic asthenospermia were treated by combined L-carnitine and acetyl-L-carnitine for 3 months after failure to respond to the integrated therapy of Chinese and Western medicine. Semen samples were obtained, analyzed and graded according to the WHO laboratory manual before and after the treatment. Twenty-five of the patients completed the whole study.

RESULTSCombined L-carnitine and acetyl-L-carnitine statistically improved the sperm vitality (24.89 +/- 12.28)%, grade a + b sperm motility (16.04 +/- 8.33)% and the total sperm count per ejaculate (76.79 +/- 43.14) x 10(6), with a significant difference from pre-treatment (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONCombined L-carnitine and acetyl-L-carnitine has a supplementary effect in the treatment of idiopathic asthenospermia and improves the semen quality of the patient.

Acetylcarnitine ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Adult ; Asthenozoospermia ; drug therapy ; physiopathology ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Humans ; Male ; Sperm Count ; Sperm Motility ; drug effects ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of recombinant human-growth hormone (rhGH) in the treatment of idiopathic asthenospermia.

METHODSForty patients with idiopathic asthenospermia were recruited, randomly divided into an rhGH group and a control group and treated for 3 months. In addition to routine treatment, the rhGH group (n = 18) received rhGH, while the control group (n = 18) underwent the routine treatment only. Before and after the treatment, semen samples were obtained, analyzed and graded according to the WHO laboratory manual, and the serum sexual hormone, thyroxin, liver and kidney function, blood cholesterol and blood glucose level were detected.

RESULTSSperm vitality was statistically increased, (28.60 +/- 32.89) % in the rhGH group and (8.42 +/- 25.87) % in the control (P < 0.01), and so was sperm (a + b) motility, (18.56 +/- 21.19) % in the rhGH group and (8.12 +/- 24.34) % in the control (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONrhGH can be used safely as an effective supplement to medicinal treatment of idiopathic asthenospermia.

Asthenozoospermia ; diet therapy ; Human Growth Hormone ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Infertility, Male ; drug therapy ; Male ; Sperm Count ; Sperm Motility ; Treatment Outcome

Objective To evaluate the effects of various polysorbates(PS)on the stability of different types of monoclonal antibody(mAb)drugs.Methods Three types of monoclonal antibodies mAbA(IgG1 proantibody drug),mAbB(IgG1 mAb)and mAbC(IgG1 mAb with Fc N297A mutation)were used as model proteins,and different kinds or contents of PS were added into the mAb formulations respectively to investigate the influencing factors.The effects of PS on the stability of mAb drugs were evaluated comprehensively by detecting the changes of quality attributes,such as protein aggregates and insoluble particles.Results PS20 and PS80 showed no significant difference in inhibiting the formation of aggregates and charge variants in the three mAbs(P>0.05),while the addition of PS80 in mAbB and PS20 in mAbC significantly inhibited the increase of insoluble particles respectively(P<0.05);The content of PS20 showed a significant effect on the detection indexes of charge variants and insoluble particles in mAbC(P<0.05).Conclusion Different types of mAbs have different sensitivities to various kinds and contents of PS.Therefore,when designing the formulation of mAbs,it is necessary to select appropriate kinds and contents of PS to further improve the stability of mAb drugs.

OBJECTIVETo observe the pregnancy promoting effect of L-carnitine combined with intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) in treating male infertility with oligoasthenozoospermia.

METHODSWe assigned 129 patients with oligoasthenozoospermia to receive 2 weeks of oral L-carnitine followed by ICSI (medication group, n = 42) and ICSI alone (control group, n = 87). We compared the sperm concentration and motility, the percentage of grade a + b sperm, and sperm deformity before and after L-carnitine medication, as well as the rates of fertilization, cleavage, available embryo and clinical pregnancy between the two groups.

RESULTSThe percentage of grade a + b sperm was significantly increased after L-carnitine medication as compared with the baseline ([13.5 +/- 10.7] % vs [9.6 +/- 7.2] %, P<0.05), and so was the rate of available embryo in the medication group after ICSI in comparison with that of the control group (77.50% vs 69.04%, P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONShort-term medication of L-carnitine can improve sperm quality and raise the success rate of ICSI.

Adult ; Asthenozoospermia ; therapy ; Carnitine ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Infertility, Male ; therapy ; Male ; Oligospermia ; therapy ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Outcome ; Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic ; methods

OBJECTIVETo investigate the distribution of virulent genes of Yersinia enterocolitica (Y. enterocolitica) in Ningxia Hui autonomous region and the characteristics of the molecular patterns of Y. enterocolitica.

METHODS283 strains of Y. enterocolitica were isolated in Ningxia Hui autonomous region between year 1997 and 2010. The genes ail, ystA, ystB, yadA and virF were analyzed by PCR method; the chromosomal DNA of Y. enterocolitica was digested by restriction endonucleases NotI and processed by pulsed-field gel electrophoreses (PFGE); and then the cluster analysis were conducted by BioNumeric computer software towards the above results.

RESULTSOf all, 209 strains of serotypes O:3 and O:9 Y.enterocolitica showed positive virulence of genes ail, ystA, yadA and virF; 97.6% (204/209) of which, the ystB virulence were negative. The virulence of all genes in serotype O:8 and serum-unclassified strains were negative. 9 out of 11 strains of serotype O:5 Y. enterocolitica showed negative virulence of the above five genes. By PFGE, according to the NotI Macrorestriction Map on chromosomal DNA, the 29 strains of serotype O:3 Y. enterocolitica were divided into 12 PFGE patterns, 2 of which were dominant patterns which could be found in over 5 strains; and the 180 strains of serotype O:9 Y. enterocolitica were divided into 13 patterns, 4 of which were dominant patterns which existed in over 10 strains; which were isolated individually from pigs and house mouse, pigs and dogs as well as pigs and wild rabbits.

CONCLUSIONY.enterocolitica serotypes O:3 and O:9 were pathogenic in Ningxia, and serotype O:3 becomes predominant gradually. O:5, O:8 and serum-unclassified serotypes were non-pathogenic.

Animals ; Bacterial Toxins ; genetics ; DNA, Bacterial ; genetics ; Dogs ; Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field ; methods ; Genes, Bacterial ; Mice ; Rabbits ; Sus scrofa ; Virulence ; Yersinia Infections ; microbiology ; Yersinia enterocolitica ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; pathogenicity

Child ; Child, Preschool ; Epiphyses ; injuries ; Female ; Humans ; Humeral Fractures ; therapy ; Infant ; Male ; Musculoskeletal Manipulations ; Treatment Outcome

Objective To characterize the clinical and cardiac MRI features of dilated cardiomypathy ( DCM) and left ventricular noncompaction (LVNC). Methods Compared the clinical and MRI features between 25 patients with LVNC and 21 patients with DCM. The MRI derived diastolic left ventricular wall thickness and the number and degree of noncompaction (NC) were evaluated using the 17-segment model. Results Chest distress, shortness of breath and abnormal ECG were presented in all DCM patients, abnormal ECG was evidenced in 22 LVNC patients and 21 out of 25 LVNC patients presented similar clinical symptoms as DCM patients while the rest 4 LVNC patients were asymptomatic. Left atrial and ventricular dimensions were significantly smaller in LVNC patients compared to DCM patients. The degree of left ventricular (LV) spherical remodeling was significantly greater in patients with DCM (sphericity index, SI = 0. 81 ± 0. 06) than in patients with LVNC ( SI = 0. 74 ± 0. 11, P < 0. 05). The LV ejection fraction ( LVEF) was significantly higher in patients with LVNC (32. 7% ± 14. 2% ) than that in patients with DCM (15. 0% ±5. 1% ). The number of NC segments in LVNC patients (9 ± 1) was significantly higher than the number of hypertrabeculation segment in DCM patients (5 ±2). The left ventricular apex (the 17th segment) was unexceptionally involved in all LVNC patients, while hypertrabeculation was absent in the 17th segment of DCM patients. The NC was more common in the apical and mid segments (16th, 12th and 11th segments) than in basal and mid septal segments (2nd, 3rd, 8th and 9th segments) in both LVNC and DCM patients. The thickness of compacted myocardium of the segments associated with noncompaction appeared thin in two groups. The wall thickness of noncompaction myocardium segments was thicker in LVNC patients than in DCM patients. The end-diastolic NC/C ratio was, on average, higher in patients with LVNC (3. 3 ± 0. 6) than in patients with DCM (1.9 ± 0. 3 ) . Conclusions The clinical manifestation is similar while there are significant differences in the morphology and function of left atria and left ventricle between the LVNC and DCM patients. The different distribution and degree of NC were helpful to differentiate LVNC from DCM.

Objective To analyze the incidence of coronary artery disease (CAD) and outcome of patients with left ventricular noncompaction (LVNC). Methods Fifty-one patients with LVNC evaluated by echocardiography and/or cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) from January 2006 to August 2010 were retrospectively reviewed. Coronary angiography or MDCT was performed for detecting coronary artery disease. Predictors of the cardiac events were analyzed by Cox regression analysis. Results There were 31 LVNC patients without CAD and 20 LVNC patients with CAD including single vessel coronary disease in 9 cases, double vessel coronary disease in 3 cases, three vessel coronary disease in 5 cases and left main coronary disease in 3 cases. Coronary artery bypass graft and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) were performed in 4 patients. Compared to LVNC patients without CAD, mean age ( P = 0. 008 ), incidence of hypertension (65.0% vs. 19. 4% , P = 0. 001 ), diabetes mellitus (40. 0% vs. 12. 9% , P = 0. 026) and hyperlipidemia ( 55.0% vs. 25. 8%, P = 0. 035 ) were significantly higher while NT-proBNP level was significantly lower( P = 0. 049 ) in LVNC patients with CAD. Incidence of major cardiac events was similar in LVNC patients with or without CAD. LogNT-proBNP is the independent prognostic factor for adverse cardiac events in patients with LVNC( HR 3.993,95% CI 1. 140-13. 988 ,P =0. 030). Conclusions Coronary artery disease is common in patients with LVNC and associated with traditional risk factors for CAD. Poor prognosis is associated with increased NT-proBNP but not with CAD in this patient cohort.