Adolescent ; Heart Valve Diseases ; etiology ; Heart Valves ; pathology ; Humans ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic ; complications ; pathology ; Male

Air Pollutants, Occupational ; analysis ; Benzenesulfonates ; analysis ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; methods ; Workplace

Coronary Restenosis ; pathology ; Fibroblasts ; metabolism ; pathology ; Fibrosis

Child ; Child, Preschool ; Cross Infection ; epidemiology ; etiology ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Length of Stay ; Retrospective Studies

Aspergillosis, Allergic Bronchopulmonary ; diagnosis ; drug therapy ; Child ; Humans ; Male

Objective To determine whether pyloric measurements with ultrasound, that muscle thickness and channel of pyloric, correlated with weight and age in patients with hypertrophic pyloric stenosis (HPS). Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 111 cases diagnosed with HPS by operation from 2008 to 2012. Pearson correlation and linear regression analyses were used to determine if there were sta?tistically signiifcant associations between these combinations of factors:age and pyloric muscle thickness, weight and pyloric muscle thickness, age and pyloric length, and weight and pyloric length. Results Patients’mean age was 39.1 d (8-92 days). Their mean weight was 4.3 kg (2.2-7.9 kg). Mean pyloric muscle thickness was 4.8 mm (2-4.6 mm), and mean pyloric length was 17.5 mm (12-23.5 mm). Pearson correlation coefifcient analysis showed a signiifcant correlation between age and muscle thickness (r=0.6, P<0.001) as well as weight and muscle thickness (r=0.486, P<0.001). No signiifcant correlation was found be?tween pyloric length and age or weight. Linear regression analysis demonstrated similar results. Conclusions In patients with HPS, pyloric muscle thickness was directly related to age and weight. Smaller and younger infants with suspected diagnosis of HPS should be followed up even though the minimum diagnostic criterion for muscle thickness or length was not found on ultrasound.

BACKGROUND:Liushen Pil is a traditional Chinese herbal formula, has the effects of heat-clearing and detoxicating, eliminating stagnation, detumescence and al eviating pain. Modern pharmacology verifies that Liushen Pil has anti-inflammatory, analgesic, cardiac, anti-viral, anti-tumor effects, and has been extensively used in the treatment of various infectious diseases and malignant cancer. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the inhibitory effects of Liushen Pil on esophageal cancer xenografts, and effects on microvessel density and vascular endothelial growth factor expression. METHODS:After reproducing nude mouse models of human esophageal cancer, 48 nude mice were randomly divided into high-dose Liushen Pil group, moderate-dose Liushen Pil group, low-dose Liushen Pil group, cisplatin group, model group and blank group. According to medication regimen, drugs were given. The growth of transplanted tumor of nude mice was dynamical y observed in each group. The nude mice were sacrificed after 20 days of treatment. Neoplasm weight was taken and the tumor-suppressing rate was calculated. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect microvessel density and the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The weight of transplanted tumor was significantly lower in the high-dose Liushen Pil group, moderate-dose Liushen Pil group, low-dose Liushen Pil group, and cisplatin group than in the model group (P<0.05). Microvessel density and the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor were obviously lower in the each Liushen Pil group than in the model group, but not as apparent as that in the cisplatin group. Results suggested that Liushen Pil can inhibit the growth of the esophageal cancer xenografts. Liushen Pil can down-regulate the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor and reduce microvessel density, which is one of the tumor-inhibiting mechanism of Liushen Pil .

Objective To investigate the role of extracellular regulated protein kinase (ERK) signal pathway in mechanical stretch induced high mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1) expression on alveolar epithelial cells (A549). MethodsA549 cells were cultured and seeded at 1×10~5 cells/ml in 6-well Bioflex cell culture plates. Subsequently, the cells were exposed to cyclic mechanical stretch at 14% (group B) elongation for 4 hours using Flexercell 4000T cell stretching unit. In group C, cells were pretreated with PD98059 for 2 hours before mechanical stretch. Cells in group A without stretch were served as control. The expression of HMGB1 protein and mRNA in A549 cells were detected by immunocytochemisty staining and RT-PCR, respectively. ERK activity was measured by Western blotting method. Results Immunocytochemisty staining indicated that the expression of HMGB1 protein in A549 cells was increased obviously in group B (P<0.05) and decreased in group C (P<0.05). Polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) showed that the expression of HMGB1 mRNA was also significantly increased in group B (P<0.05) and decreased in group C (P<0.05). Western blotting analysis confirmed the activation of ERK in A549 cells by mechanical stretch (P<0.05). PD98059, an inhibitor of ERK, might significantly inhibit mechanical stretch induced HMGB1 protein and mRNA expression in A549 cells (P<0.05). Conclusion Mechanical stretch could regulate the expression of HMGB1 gene and protein in A549 cells through ERK signal pathway.

BACKGROUND:Taurine is an important non-enzymatic system antioxidant in the lens.The mechanism of its anti-oxidative effect is mainly to protect lens from oxidative injury by anti-lipid peroxidation.OBJECTIVE:This study was to observe the effect of exogenous taurine on lens epithefial cell apoptosis-induced by H2O2 in vitro.DESIGN:A randomized controlled animal experiment.SETTING:Department of Ophthalmology,Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University Medical College.MATERIALS:Seventy-five adult New Zealand standard tabbits,of either gender,weighing 1.5-2.5 kg,were provided by Qingdao Laboratory Animal Center.Reagent kit for in situ detecting cell apoptosis(Sigma Company,USA),taurine and H2O2(Shanghai Guangda Chemical Reagent Factory,China)were included in this study.METHODS:This study was performed in the Department of Ophthalmology and Central Laboratory.Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University Medical College from Mav 2005 to June 2007.Rabbit lenses were harvested and randomly divided into 3 groups:control group,in which,clear lenses were incubated in non-serum and non-phenolsulfonphthalein MEM medium which was renewed every 24 hours,H2O2 group,in which,clear lenses were incubated in non-serum and non-phenolsulfonphthalein MEM medium containing 1 mmol/L H2O2 with addition of 62 μL H202(30 g/L)every 6 hours,and H2O2+taurine group,in which,clear lenses were incubated in non-serum and non-phenolsulfonphthalein MEM medium containing 1 mmol/L H2O2 and 10 g/L taurine.which was renewed every 6 hours.The protocol was conducted in accordance with ethical guidelines for the use and care of animals.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:Observation of lens opacity 6.12,24.48 and 72 hours after culture;Lens epithelial cell apoptosis determined by DNA in situ end labeling and DNA fragment analysis.RESULTS:Lens opacity:The lens opacity in the H2O2 group was aggregrated gradually along with the time of oxidative injury.The lens opacity in the H2O2 group was severer than that in the H2O2+taurine group.Lens epithelial cell apoptosis:There were no apoptotic cells in the control group within 72 hours.The number of apoptotic cells in the H2O2 group was increased gradually with the prolonged time of oxidative injury.Till the 72nd hour,the cells were all tamed into apoptotic cells.A few aopototic celIs were found in the H2O2+taurine group since hour 24,and then were more and more,and the number of apoptotic cells accounted for about 30%at hour 72.The apoptotic rate in the H202+taurine group was significantly lower than that in the H2O group at each time point(q=8.6845,P＜0.01).There was no significant difference in apoptotic rate between the H202+taurine group and the control group (P＞0.05). Findings of DNA fragmentation assay:The DNA"ladder"was found in the H2O2 group at hours 24,36,48 and 72,while no DNA"ladder"but only normal electrophoresis straps were present in the other two groups 24 hours after culture.CONCLUSION:Taurine can inhibit the oxidative injury-induced apoptosis of rabbit lens epithelial cells,and alleviate lens opacity.

Objective To investigate the role of p38 MAPK pathway in the expression of high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) in lung tissue in a rat model of ventilator-induced lung injury. Method Twenty-fonr healthy Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into 3 groups (n = 8 each) : group A, spontaneous breathing; group B, small tidal volume ventilation (Vt = 8 mL/kg) and group C, high tidal volume ventilation (Vt = 40 mL/kg). 1he animals in group B and C were mechanically ventilated for 4 hours and all animals were sacri-riced. The lungs were removed for: (1) lung lavage and determination of total protein contnt and WBC and neu-trophil counts in broncho-alveolar lavage fluid (BALF) ; (2) determination of W/D lung weight ratio and myelop-erexidnse (MPO) activity; (3) detennination of HMGB1 protein and mRNA expression and p38 MAPK activity in lung tissue. Differences within the groups were analyzed using One way ANOVA. Results The inflammatory re-sponse as evidenced by total protein (1.77 ± 0.68) g/L and WBC (106.55 ± 28.17) × 10~7/L in BALF, W/D lung weight ratio (7.16±1.02) and MPO activity (3.94±1.21) U/g were significantly higher in group C com-pared with group A (P <0.05); HMGB1 protein (0.64±0.17) and mRNA (1.17±0.45) expression and p38 activity (0.51±0.12) also significantly increased in group C (P <0.05). Of the above indexes, there were no statistical differences between group B and group A (P > 0.05). Conclusions High tidal volume ventilation in-daces acute lung injury, which may be related with upregulation of HMGB1 expression through p38 MAPK signal pathway.