Animals ; Female ; Herbicides ; toxicity ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred Strains ; Testis ; drug effects ; Thiocarbamates ; toxicity ; Thyroid Gland ; drug effects ; Weight Gain ; drug effects

Background Argon laser peripheral iridoplasty (ALPI) is proved to be effective in lowering intraocular pressure (IOP) of patients with mild acute primary angle closure (APAC).It is unclear whether this laser treatment is equally efficient in managing patients with severe APAC.This study aimed to evaluate the IOP-lowering efficacy of ALPI and laser peripheral iridotomy (LPI) on patients with refractory APAC,who have previously responded poorly to intensive medical therapy.Methods Thirty-six patients (8 men and 28 women) were identified as medically refractory APAC,who still had ocular pain,red eye,hazy cornea,closed anterior chamber (AC) angle,and IOP of not less than 21 mmHg after two days or more of anti-glaucoma medication.All enrolled patients underwent ophthalmologic examinations including measurement of visual acuity (VA),best corrected VA (BCVA),IOP,biomicroscopy,and gonioscopy followed by ALPI immediately in the APAC eye and LPI in both eyes.Results All patients were affected unilaterally,with average age of (54.6±11.7) (range,37.0-75.0) years old.The mean IOP value of the affected eyes dropped from (31.6±7.7) (range,21.0-39.0) mmHg at enrollment to (18.4±8.7) (range,10.0-27.0) mmHg 2 hours after ALPI.At follow-up day 7,the mean IOP value maintained at (14.8±4.2) (range,9.0-21.0)mmHg,which was significantly different (P=0.000) compared with baseline.The average decrease of IOP in the APAC eyes was (16.8±7.4) (range,12.0-21.0) mmHg.At follow-up three years later,the mean IOP of the APAC eyes stabilized at (16.3±3.2) (range,9.0-20.0) mmHg with at least 180° of AC angle opened.Conclusion ALPI and LPI lower the IOP of medically refractory cases of APAC though they have responded poorly to anti-glaucoma medication.

Adult ; Aneurysm, False ; etiology ; therapy ; Embolization, Therapeutic ; Humans ; Intracranial Arterial Diseases ; etiology ; therapy ; Male ; Wounds and Injuries ; therapy

The geographical distribution of C. botulinum type E and its associated disease, type E botulism in China, is different from that in other areas of the world. Cases of type E botulism generally arise in costal regions. In China, however, type E botulism is found primarily in the Qinghai-Tibet plateau of northwest China far from the ocean, at an altitude of approximately 4-5 km. The foods most commonly associated with the disease are fermented grain and beans as well as raw meat. A suspected outbreak of type E botulism poisoning in the central costal region of China in the 1990s prompted the collection and analysis of samples of mud, sand, and fish from the region. The toxin produced by type E botulinum was found in these samples. Surprisingly, though, upon further analysis, the strain isolated from the samples was identified not as type E C. botulinum, but as the neurotoxigenic bacterium Clostridium butyricum.
Botulism ; epidemiology ; China ; epidemiology ; Humans

Objective To investigate whether the signaling pathway of Akt/protein kinase B (PKB)is involved in the pathogenesis in the early stage of chronic allograft nephropathy(CAN). Methods The kidneys of Fisher(F344)rats were orthotopically transplanted into Lewis recipients. Animals were harvested respectively at 4th,8th,12th and 16th week after transplantation for renal function and histological examination.The expression of p-Akt and MMP-9 was detected by immuno- histochemical assay,and that expression of p-Akt mRNA by RT-PCR.Results At the 16th week after kidney transplantation,the levels of 24-h proteinuria and serum creatinine in transplant rats were higher significantly than those in LEW controls and F344 controls.The expression of p-Akt protein and mRNA was up-regulated,and there was a significantly negative correlation between the expression of p-Akt and the quantity of smooth muscular cells(SMCs)in arteriolar wall,the quality of tubuloin- terstitial infiltrated mononuclear cells and also MMP-9 level.Conclusion The up-regulation of p-Akt played an important role in the pathogenesis such as proliferation and migration of SMCs,infiltrated mononuclear cells in tubulointerstitial in CAN,and may be the signaling pathway leading to the up- regulation of MMP-9 expression in the early stage of CAN.

OBJECTIVETo explore the correlation between homozygous deletions and mutation of p16 gene and the carcinogenesis and progression of squamous cell carcinoma of buccal mucosa.

METHODSThirty buccal cancers, 10 leukoplakias and 8 buccal mucosas were involved. DNA was extracted from the tissues. PCR was used to analyses homozygous deletion of p16 gene. PCR-SSCP-DNA sequencing was performed to detect the point mutation of p16 gene. Immunohistochemical techniques were used to detect the expression of P16 protein.

RESULTSGene deletions and point mutations were not found in leukoplakia and normal buccal mucosa. Gene deletions were found in 7 samples out of 30 cases of squamous cell carcinoma of buccal mucosa (23.3%), while point mutations were found in 5 samples out of 30 cases of squamous cell carcinoma of buccal mucosa (16.7%). Sequencing analysis showed that 5 cases point mutations were missense mutations, occurred on exon 2. Three cases occurred in the same point, codon 99 (GAT --> AAT). The result of immunohistochemical stains showed that 11 out of 12 cases gene inactivation did not expressed P16 protein.

CONCLUSIONHomozygous deletion and point mutation of p16 were the main pattern of gene inactivation in squamous cell carcinoma of buccal mucosa. There was a closely correlation between p16 gene inactivation and the carcinogenesis of squamous cell carcinoma of buccal mucosa.

Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p16 ; Gene Deletion ; Genes, p16 ; Humans ; Mouth Mucosa ; Mutation ; Point Mutation

OBJECTIVETo investigate seminal parameters in noninflammatory chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CAP III B).

METHODSA total of 74 consecutive cases of patients who had been diagnosed as CAP III B and 46 cases of controls were included in the study. Severity of symptoms in men with CAP III B was defined according to the NIH Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index (NIH-CPSI). All of them underwent a 'four glass-test' including leukocyte determination in expressed prostatic secretions (EPS), voided urine after prostatic massage (VB3) and ejaculate semen followed by analysis according to WHO. The analysis included seminal volume, pH, duration of liquefaction, sperm density, vitality, motility(a + b) and morphology. Correlations between the duration or the severity of symptoms and spermiogram results in patients with CAP III B were assessed respectively.

RESULTSThe CAP III B group and the control group differed significantly in ejaculate volume, duration of liquefaction and motility, while the remaining parameters did not differ significantly. The duration of chronic pelvic pain showed apparently positive correlationship with liquefaction time, while the symptom duration negatively correlated with sperm motility. The NIH-CPSI score had no significant relationship with seminal volume, duration of liquefaction and sperm motility.

CONCLUSIONOur results indicate that CAP III B can have a significant negative impact on sperm volume, liquefaction and motility. Our data also supports the results that the longer the duration of symptoms, the more influences on semen liquefaction and motility might be.

Adult ; Case-Control Studies ; Chronic Disease ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pelvic Pain ; Prostatitis ; physiopathology ; Semen ; chemistry ; Sperm Count ; Sperm Motility

BACKGROUNDArgon laser peripheral iridoplasty (ALPI) is proved to be effective in lowering intraocular pressure (IOP) of patients with mild acute primary angle closure (APAC). It is unclear whether this laser treatment is equally efficient in managing patients with severe APAC. This study aimed to evaluate the IOP-lowering efficacy of ALPI and laser peripheral iridotomy (LPI) on patients with refractory APAC, who have previously responded poorly to intensive medical therapy.

METHODSThirty-six patients (8 men and 28 women) were identified as medically refractory APAC, who still had ocular pain, red eye, hazy cornea, closed anterior chamber (AC) angle, and IOP of not less than 21 mmHg after two days or more of anti-glaucoma medication. All enrolled patients underwent ophthalmologic examinations including measurement of visual acuity (VA), best corrected VA (BCVA), IOP, biomicroscopy, and gonioscopy followed by ALPI immediately in the APAC eye and LPI in both eyes.

RESULTSAll patients were affected unilaterally, with average age of (54.6 ± 11.7) (range, 37.0 - 75.0) years old. The mean IOP value of the affected eyes dropped from (31.6 ± 7.7) (range, 21.0 - 39.0) mmHg at enrollment to (18.4 ± 8.7) (range, 10.0 - 27.0) mmHg 2 hours after ALPI. At follow-up day 7, the mean IOP value maintained at (14.8 ± 4.2) (range, 9.0 - 21.0) mmHg, which was significantly different (P = 0.000) compared with baseline. The average decrease of IOP in the APAC eyes was (16.8 ± 7.4) (range, 12.0 - 21.0) mmHg. At follow-up three years later, the mean IOP of the APAC eyes stabilized at (16.3 ± 3.2) (range, 9.0 - 20.0) mmHg with at least 180° of AC angle opened.

CONCLUSIONALPI and LPI lower the IOP of medically refractory cases of APAC though they have responded poorly to anti-glaucoma medication.

Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Glaucoma, Angle-Closure ; physiopathology ; surgery ; Humans ; Intraocular Pressure ; Iridectomy ; methods ; Iris ; surgery ; Laser Therapy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVETo investigate the expression of murine double minute 2 (mdm2), p53, p21 and latent membrane protein 1 (LMP-1) in nasal NK/T-cell lymphoma (NKTL) and analyze their relationship with the clinical stage and prognosis.

METHODSThe clinicopathological and follow-up data of 62 patients with NKTL proven by pathology were collected. Paraffin-embedded tissue sections were examined for mdm2, p53, p21 and LMP-1 proteins by tissue microarray technique and immunohistochemistry. In situ hybridization was used to detect EBER1/2.

RESULTSThe positive expression rates of mdm2, p53, p21 and LMP-1 proteins in NKTL were 61.3%, 79.0%, 58.1% and 48.4%, respectively, and EBER1/2 was 90.3%. The positive expression rates of mdm2 in Ann Arbor stage I, II, III and IV NKTL were 43.5%, 62.5%, 73.3% and 87.5%, respectively; p53 were 69.6%, 75.0%, 86.7% and 100.0%; p21 were 47.8%, 56.3%, 60.0% and 87.5%; while those of LMP-1 were 60.9%, 50.0%, 26.7% and 50.0%, respectively. With the progression of tumor, the positive expression rates of mdm2, p53 and p21 proteins gradually increased. There were statistically significant differences between them (P<0.05). There were statistically positive correlations among those three genes (P<0.05). The prognosis of the positive expression group of these three genes was worse than that of negative expression group (P<0.05). No statistically significant difference was observed between the expression of LMP-1 protein and the clinical stage or prognosis (P>0.05). The expression of p53 protein was an independent prognostic factor.

CONCLUSIONThe expression of mdm2, p53 and p21 proteins is closely related with the pathogenesis and progression of NKTL. They are good markers for judgement of the biological behavior of NKTL. The expression of p53 protein is an independent prognostic factor. Though no significant relationship was found between the expression of LMP-1 protein and the clinical stage or prognosis, it may play some role in tumor progression.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; therapeutic use ; Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p21 ; metabolism ; Cyclophosphamide ; therapeutic use ; Doxorubicin ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Lymphoma, Extranodal NK-T-Cell ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; pathology ; radiotherapy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Nose Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; pathology ; radiotherapy ; Prednisone ; therapeutic use ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-mdm2 ; metabolism ; RNA, Viral ; metabolism ; Survival Rate ; Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 ; metabolism ; Vincristine ; therapeutic use ; Viral Matrix Proteins ; metabolism ; Young Adult

Clinical epidemiologic data and animal experimental studies regard estrogen as being protective against the development of cardiovascular diseases. The mechanisms by which estrogen affects the development of vascular diseases are not clear. Recent studies demonstrated that the cardiovascular protective effects of estrogen are closely related to nitric oxide (NO) pathway. Our previous study proved that estrogen inhibited the proliferation and oncogene expression of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) induced by endothlin 1 (ET-1) and serum,this effect was mediated by NO release. In the present study, we investigated the role of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in the VSMCs cycle arrest induced by 17 beta-estradiol (E(2)). The effects of E(2) on iNOS activity and protein expression in cultured rat VSMCs and the influence of NOS inhibitor N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methylester (L-NAME) on the inhibitory effect of E(2) on cell cycle were investigated. NOS assay kit was used to measure the activity of iNOS and protein expression of iNOS was determined by Western-blot. Cell cycle analysis was accessed by flow cytometry. The results obtained showed that E(2) increased iNOS activity of VSMCs but not in a dose-dependent manner. E(2) 10 nmol/L increased the iNOS activity of VSMCs distinctly at two time points: 30 min and 12 h. These effects were significantly inhibited by estrogen receptor (ER) antagonist Tamoxifen (0.1 micromol/L) and NOS inhibitor L-NAME (1 micromol/L). E(2) increased iNOS protein expression of VSMCs in a dose-dependent manner. The effect of E(2) on iNOS protein expression of VSMCs started at 3 h, distinctly increased at 12 h and then decreased. Tamoxifen significantly inhibited the E(2)-induced iNOS protein expression of VSMCs. ET-1 increased cell percentage of S phase and G(2)+S/G(1). This effect was inhibited by E(2). L-NAME significantly attenuated the inhibitory effect of E(2) on cell cycle of VSMCs. The results suggest that E(2) induced G(1) arrest of VSMCs, which was associated with an increase in iNOS activity and protein expression of VSMCs. These effects were at least mediated by estrogen receptor partly.
Animals ; Cell Cycle ; drug effects ; Cell Division ; drug effects ; Cells, Cultured ; Endothelin-1 ; metabolism ; Estradiol ; pharmacology ; Estrogen Antagonists ; pharmacology ; Female ; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular ; cytology ; Nitric Oxide Synthase ; metabolism ; physiology ; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II ; Rats ; Tamoxifen ; pharmacology