Biomarkers ; analysis ; Biopsy ; Child ; Female ; Fluid Therapy ; Humans ; Kidney Diseases ; etiology ; Rhabdomyolysis ; diagnosis ; etiology ; therapy ; Virus Diseases ; complications

Acute Disease ; Adolescent ; Asthma ; immunology ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; RNA, Viral ; genetics ; Respiratory Syncytial Viruses ; genetics ; Respiratory Tract Infections ; immunology ; virology ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction

Objective To evaluate the effect of therapeutic patient education on improving life quality of children with atopic dermatitis (AD). Methods A total of 109 children with AD were enrolled, including 53 patients in the intervention group and 56 patients in the control group. The intervention group was given therapeutic patient education in addition to routine treatment, while the control group was given routine treatment without therapeutic patient education. After three months two groups were compared with the disease severity and quality of life in children and their families. Results Compared with control group, the intervention group had significant improvements in severity of AD (P?=?0.003) and also significant improvements in quality of life (IDQOL and CDLQI) (P?=?0.004). The family life quality (DFI) of the two groups were both improved, but the difference was not signiifcant (P?=?0.492). Conclusions Therapeutic patient education can improve symptoms of atopic dermatitis, and the quality of life of children as well.

OBJECTIVETo study the levels and roles of cytokines TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-10 in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) in children with Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MPP).

METHODSThe levels of TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-10 in BALF were measured using ELISA in children with MPP at acute stage (n=45) and at remission stage (n=30). Twenty children without lung lesions severed as the control group.

RESULTSThe TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-10 levels in BALF were higher in children with MPP at acute stage than those in the control group (P<0.05). The levels of TNF-α and IL-6 in BALF at remission stage were reduced to the levels similar to the control group and were significantly lower than those at the acute stage in children with MPP. However, the levels of IL-10 in BALF remained at higher levels at remission stage in children with MPP.

CONCLUSIONSThe levels of TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-10 in BALF increase in children with MPP at acute stage, suggesting that the cytokines may be involved in the pathogenesis of MPP.

Adolescent ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid ; immunology ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Interleukin-10 ; analysis ; Interleukin-6 ; analysis ; Male ; Pneumonia, Mycoplasma ; etiology ; immunology ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; analysis

OBJECTIVETo explore the biomarkers of early diagnosis in patients with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)-related lung cancer for the application to detection of occupational lung cancer or related lung cancer.

METHODSWestern dot blotting was used to explore the expression of ras, p53 and heat stress protein 70 (HSP70) in 29 patients with PAHs-related lung cancer (LC), and 28 patients with non-cancerous pulmonary disease, and 30 healthy controls.

RESULTSThe positive detection rates of P21, P53, and HSP70 in LC group (58.62%, 34.48%, 41.38% respectively) were higher than those in non-cancerous pulmonary disease group (14.29%, 7.14%, 10.71% respectively, P < 0.01). The sensitivity of P21, P53 and HSP70 were 58.62%, 34.48% and 41.38% respectively, negative predictive value (NPV) were 68.42%, 78.05% and 63.04% respectively. The co-detection of the three proteins mentioned above produced a sensitivity of 82.76% with a NPV of 78.26% (P < 0.05). Of 18 cases of LC with negative cytology, 13 (72.22%) were found HSP21, P53 or HSP70 positive.

CONCLUSIONSCo-detection of the P21, P53, and HSP70 may be used as the screening marker for diagnosis of PAHs-related lung cancer, and may supplement the diagnostic value of conventional cytology.

Aged ; Biomarkers ; analysis ; Blotting, Western ; Case-Control Studies ; HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins ; analysis ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; chemically induced ; metabolism ; pathology ; Middle Aged ; Occupational Exposure ; Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons ; poisoning ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras) ; analysis ; Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 ; analysis

Objective To assess the value of brain protection measures in carotid angioplasty and stenting(CAS)for carotid stenosis and contralateral occlusion in reducing the perioperative cerebral isehemic events.Methods Twelve patients undergoing CAS in our department were included in this analysis.All the patients received balloon occlusion test(BOT)of the carotid artery preoperatively.Two patients who were intolerant to BOT received extracranial-intracranial vascular anastomosis,and another 2 patients relatively intolerant to BOT received CAS under general anesthesia.The brain protection measures including reduction of the cerebral blood flow occlusion time and prophylactic management of thrombosis were administered to prevent the ischemic events.The efficacy of the brain protection measures was evaluated by diffusion-weighted imaging(DWI)and observation of the clinical ischemic neurological symptoms.Results Three patients suffered transient ischemic attacks(TIAs),1 patient had temporary vision loss,and 1 had permanent ischemic neurological deficits after the operation.DWI yielded positive results in 50% of the patients after the operation,characterized mostly by small local lesions of 1-2 ram.Eight patients presented with carotid artery dilation by over 90%,and 4 by 70% to 90% after the operation.Conclusion The brain protection measures including precise preoperative evaluation of the ischemic tolerance and blood flow and reduction of cerebral blood flow occlusion time and prevention of thrombosis during the operation can effectively reduce the incidence of perioperative ischemic events in high-risk patients with carotid stenosis and contralateral occlusion.

BACKGROUNDCyclin B1 (CLB1) is necessary for mitotic initiation in mammalian cells and plays important roles in cancer development. Therefore, a potential strategy in cancer therapy is to suppress the activity of CLB1 by delivering antisense constructs of CLB1 into tumor cells. In previous CLB1 studies, antisense constructs with a short half life were often used and these constructs might not persistently inhibit CLB1.

METHODSWe successfully created a recombinant plasmid encoding the full-length antisense cDNA of mouse cyclin B1 (AS-mCLB1) and transfected this construct to the murine Lewis lung carcinoma (LL/2) and CT-26 colon carcinoma (CT-26) cells. We isolated clones of LL/2 and CT-26 transfectants with stable expression of AS-mCLB1. Reverse transcriptional polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blot were applied to detect the expression of the mRNA and protein levels of CLB1. To further test the efficacy of this strategy in vivo, AS-mCLB1-expressing LL/2 and CT-26 transfectants were implanted into mice.

RESULTSWe found the expression of the mRNA and protein levels of CLB1 decrease in these transfectants. The inhibition of CLB1 caused prominent G1 arrest, abnormal morphology, retarded cell growth and an increase in apoptosis. In AS-mCLB1-expressing LL/2 and CT-26 transfectants implanted mice, tumorigenicity was effectively suppressed compared with the controls. In addition, the expression of AS-mCLB1 also significantly increases the survival duration of implanted animals.

CONCLUSIONAS-mCLB1 is likely to be useful in future cancer therapy, which may be associated with its ability to down-regulate the expression of CLB1 and then induce G1arrest and apoptosis in tumor cells.

Animals ; Apoptosis ; Cell Proliferation ; Cell Survival ; Cyclin B ; antagonists & inhibitors ; genetics ; Cyclin B1 ; DNA, Antisense ; pharmacology ; DNA, Complementary ; pharmacology ; G1 Phase ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Neoplasm Transplantation ; Neoplasms, Experimental ; pathology ; therapy

The effects of tacrolimus postconditioning on protein-serine-threonine kinases (Akt) phosphorylation and apoptotic cell death in rats after spinal cord ischemia-reperfusion injury were investigated. Ninety male SD rats were randomly divided into sham operation group, ischemia-reperfusion group and tacrolimus postconditioning group. The model of spinal cord ischemia was established by means of catheterization through femoral artery and balloon dilatation. The spinal cord was reperfused 20 min after ischemia via removing saline out of balloon. The corresponding spinal cord segments were excised and determined for Akt activity in spinal cord tissue by using Western blotting at 5, 15, and 60 min after reperfusion respectively. Spinal cord tissue sections were stained immunohistochemically for detection of the phosphorylated Akt expression at 15 min after reperfusion. Flow cytometry was applied to assess apoptosis of neural cells, and dry-wet weights method was employed to measure water content in spinal cord tissue at 24 h after reperfusion. The results showed that the activities of Akt in tarcolimus postconditioning group were significantly higher than those in ischemia-reperfusion group at 5, 15, and 60 min after reperfusion (P<0.05, P<0.01). The Akt activities reached the peak at 15 min after reperfusion in ischemia-reperfusion group and tacrolimus postconditioning group. The percentage of apoptotic cells and water content in spinal cord tissue were significantly reduced (P<0.01) in tacrolimus postconditioning group as compared with those in ischemia-reperfusion group at 24 h after reperfusion. It is concluded that tacrolimus post-conditioning can increase Akt activity in spinal cord tissue of rats, inhibit apoptosis of neural cells as well as tissue edema, and thereby alleviate spinal cord ischemia-reperfusion injury.
Animals ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Immunosuppressive Agents ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Male ; Phosphorylation ; Protein-Serine-Threonine Kinases ; genetics ; metabolism ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Reperfusion Injury ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Spinal Cord ; drug effects ; metabolism ; pathology ; Spinal Cord Ischemia ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Tacrolimus ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Up-Regulation

OBJECTIVETo investigate the role of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and its tissue inhibitor (TIMP-1) in the pathogenesis of bronchial asthma and assess the effect of steroid treatment on MMP-9 and TIMP-1 levels. Matrix metalloproteinases are a family of zinc and calcium-dependent endopeptidases. Many MMPs such as MMP-1, MMP-2, MMP-3 are associated with asthma, in which MMP-9 is the key factor in asthma. Tissue inhibitor-1 of metalloproteinases is a specific inhibitor of MMP-9; the MMP-9 and TIMP-1 imbalance could lead to airway inflammation and remodeling in lung disease such as asthma.

METHODSForty Wistar rats were divided into 4 groups randomly: control, asthma model 7 days (7-day group), asthma model 21 days (21-day group) and steroid treatment groups. Asthma model of rats were established by ovalbumin (OVA) sensitization and challenge with mist inhalation. The expression of MMP-9 and TIMP-1 in lung tissues was detected by immunocytochemistry, RT-PCR and Western blotting.

RESULTS(1) By observing the changes of action, tracing respiratory curves, detecting level of serum IgE level and observing the lung tissues sections, the authors demonstrated that the rat asthmatic models were successfully established. (2) The lung tissue sections of the asthma groups stained with hematoxiline and eosin (HE) showed many inflammatory cell infiltrations around the bronchioli and accompanying arterioles, hyperplasia of caliciform cells, broken bronchial mucous membrane and thickening of submucosal layer. The hyperplasia of airway smooth muscle and basement membrane were more significant in asthma model 21-day group than that in 7-day group. These changes were improved after treatment. (3) The expression of MMP-9 in rat's lung tissues: the expression was 2.71 +/- 0.37 in 7-day group, 1.76 +/- 0.27 in 21-day group, 0.88 +/- 0.18 in the treatment group and 0.52 +/- 0.10 in the control group (F = 151.52, P < 0.01). The expression of TIMP-1 in rat's lung tissues was 1.13 +/- 0.19 in the 7-day group, 1.55 +/- 0.24 in 21-day group, 0.77 +/- 0.15 in the treatment group and 0.47 +/- 0.08 in the control group (F = 69.46, P < 0.01). (4) The results of immunocytochemistry and protein expression were consistent with those of RT-PCR.

CONCLUSIONThe protein and mRNA expression level of MMP-9 and TIMP-1 was high in asthmatic rat's lung tissues. Down-regulation of the expression of MMP-9 and TIMP-1 by steroids may be one of the mechanisms by which airway inflammation and remodeling are inhibited in asthma.

Administration, Inhalation ; Animals ; Asthma ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Blotting, Western ; Bronchi ; metabolism ; pathology ; Disease Models, Animal ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic ; Glucocorticoids ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Immunohistochemistry ; Inflammation ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; pathology ; Lung ; drug effects ; metabolism ; pathology ; Male ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Respiratory Mucosa ; drug effects ; metabolism ; pathology ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-1 ; genetics ; metabolism

Recently, the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD) blood pressure (BP) trial enrolled 4733 participants with type 2 diabetes and randomized them to a target systolic blood pressure (SBP) of less than 120 mm Hg or 140 mm Hg. Despite the significant difference in the achieved SBP, there was no significant difference in the incidence of primary outcomes. Based on this evidence, the target SBP for diabetics has been revised in the majority of major guidelines. However, there is a steeper association between SBP and stroke in Asians than other ethnicities, with stroke being the leading cause of cardiovascular mortality. This suggests that target BP in the Asian region should be tailored towards prevention of stroke. In the ACCORD study, the intensive BP treatment was associated with significant reductions in both total stroke and non-fatal stroke. The results from the ACCORD study are supported by a subgroup analysis from the ONgoing Telmisartan Alone and in combination with Ramipril Global Endpoint Trial (ONTARGET) study, which showed that, in diabetic patients, the risk of stroke continues to decrease to a SBP value of 115 mm Hg with no evidence of J curve. As diabetes is highly associated with underlying coronary artery disease, there is a justified concern for adverse effects resulting from too much lowering of BP. In a post hoc analysis of 6400 diabetic subjects enrolled in the International Verapamil SR-Trandolapril (INVEST) study, subjects with SBP of less than 110 mm Hg were associated with a significant increase in all-cause mortality. In the ONTARGET study, at any levels of achieved SBP, diastolic blood pressure (DBP) below 67 mm Hg was associated with increased risk for cardiovascular outcomes. As such, a prudent approach would be to target a SBP of 130–140 mm Hg and DBP of above 60 mm Hg in diabetics with coronary artery disease. In conclusion, hypertension, in association with diabetes, has been found to be significantly correlated with an elevated risk for cardiovascular events. As the association between stroke and BP is stronger in Asians, compared to other ethnicities, consideration should be given for a target BP of 130/80 mm Hg in Asians.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group* ; Blood Pressure* ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Incidence ; Mortality ; Ramipril ; Stroke ; Verapamil