AIM: To evaluate the influence of the calpain system mRNA and protein expression on the progress of atrial structural remodeling in fibrillating canine.METHODS: 17 dogs were randomly divided into 2 groups: normal control group(SR,n=6) and atrial fibrillation(AF,n=11) group.AF was induced by rapid pacing for 8 weeks and all dogs underwent transthoratic echocardiography before and after rapid pacing.The mRNA and protein expression of calpainⅠ,calpainⅡand calpastatin were assessed by real-time quantitative PCR and Western blotting,respectively.RESULTS: Compared with SR group,the left atrial diameters and the content of calcium in atrial myocardium increased significantly in AF group(P0.05) between two groups.The expression of calpastatin mRNA was upregulated significantly in AF group(P

OBJECTIVETo assess the treatment method and outcome of mesially or horizontally impacted mandibular molars.

METHODSEleven patients with mandibular impacted molars, including 9 horizontally impacted molars and 5 mesially impacted molars were treated with fixed appliance in conjunction with molar band soldered with pushing spring. Crowns of impacted molars were moved occlusally and distally.

RESULTSAll mesially or horizontally mandibular impacted molars were uprighted and brought into occlusion. Mean treatment period was 7.4 months (6 to 12 months).

CONCLUSIONSThis orthodontic molar uprighting technique was effective in uprighting and distalizing the impacted molars.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Molar ; pathology ; physiology ; Orthodontic Appliances ; Orthodontics, Corrective ; methods ; Tooth, Impacted ; therapy ; Young Adult

Adolescent ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Cytomegalovirus Infections ; complications ; Female ; Humans ; Kidney Diseases ; etiology ; Kidney Glomerulus ; pathology ; Male

AIM:To investigate the expression and significance of thrombospondin-1(TSP-1)in left ventricular myocardium of type 2 diabetic cardiomyopathy(DCM).METHODS:The rat model of DCM was established by eating a high-fat diet together with injection of low dose streptozocin(30 mg/kg)intrapertoneally.After 12 weeks,the content of collagen was quantified by Masson staining.The mRNA level of TSP-1 was determined by quantification real-time RT-PCR,while the protein level of TSP-1 was analyzed by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry.RESULTS:Compared with the control group,the content of collagen in the DCM group was increased greatly(11.01?3.05 vs 16.92?3.18,P

Objective: To study the prevalence and pathogenesis of TT virus (TTV) in hemodialysis patients. Methods: Serum TTV DNA was tested in 69 hemodialysis patients from our hospital by nested-PCR using primers from a conservative region of TTV genenome, genetic analysis and detection of hepatitis C virus antibody (anti-HCV) and the levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were also carried out simultaneously. Results: The overall prevalence of TTV viremia was 27.5%. The PCR-amplified gene fragment from one patient was sequenced, and its gene sequence homologies with GH1,TA278, TTVCHN1 and TTVCHN2 ranged from 89% to 100%, its deduced amino acid sequence ranged from 87% to 100%. There was no significant difference of TTV prevalence between anti-HCV positive and negative patients. No significant elevation of ALT was found in all patients. Conclusion: High prevalence of TTV infection is found among hemodialysis patients, and TTV infection has no significant association with HCV infection or elevation of ALT.

To clarify the important functional residues in the active site of N-myristoyltransferase (NMT), a novel antifungal drug target, and to guide the design of specific inhibitors, multiple sequence alignments were performed on the NMT family and thus evolutionary trace was constructed. The important functional residues in myristoyl CoA binding site, catalytic center and inhibitor binding site of NMT family were identified by ET analysis. The trace residues were mapped onto the active site of CaNMT. Trpl26, Asn175 and Thr211 are highly conserved trace residues and do not interact with current NMT inhibitors, which are potential novel drug binding sites for the novel inhibitor design. Pro338, Leu350, Ile352 and Ala353 are class-specific trace residues, which are important for the optimization of current NMT inhibitors. The trace residues identified by ET analysis are of great importance to study the structure-function relationship and also to guide the design of specific inhibitors.
Acyl Coenzyme A ; metabolism ; Acyltransferases ; chemistry ; genetics ; metabolism ; Amino Acid Sequence ; Animals ; Binding Sites ; Conserved Sequence ; Enzyme Inhibitors ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Evolution, Molecular ; Humans ; Imidazoles ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Models, Molecular ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Oligopeptides ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Phylogeny ; Protein Structure, Tertiary ; Sequence Homology, Amino Acid

OBJECTIVE: To systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of steroid combined with immunosuppressants in the treatment of primary IgA nephropathy in children. METHODS: English and Chinese electronic databases were searched to include the studies on the efficacy and safety of steroid combined with immunosuppressants versus steroid alone in the treatment of primary IgA nephropathy in children. Outcome measures included proteinuria remission rate, urinary protein quantification, incidence of adverse events, estimated glomerular filtration rate, and incidence of renal dysfunction. Review Manager 5.3 software was used for data analysis. RESULTS: A total of 7 studies with 381 children were included. The children had moderate to severe proteinuria. The Meta analysis showed that compared with the steroid alone group, the steroid combined with immunosuppressants group achieved a significantly higher rate of proteinuria remission (RR=1.36, 95%CI: 1.19-1.55, P<0.001) and significantly lower urinary protein quantification (SMD=-0.82, 95%CI: -1.23 to -0.41, P<0.001). There was no significant difference in the incidence rate of adverse events between the two groups (RR=1.28, 95%CI: 0.92-1.77, P=0.14). CONCLUSIONS The current evidence shows that for children with primary IgA nephropathy who have moderate to severe proteinuria, steroid combined with immunosuppressants has a better effect than steroid alone and does not increase the incidence rate of adverse events.
Child ; Glomerular Filtration Rate ; Glomerulonephritis, IGA ; Humans ; Immunosuppressive Agents ; Proteinuria

OBJECTIVEHyperglycemia could upregulate transforming growth factor-beta (TGFbeta(1)) via thrombospondin (TSP-1) and induce fibrotic renal disease in the rat in vivo and myocardial fibrosis was related to cardiac dysfunction in diabetic patients. We explored the role of glucose/TSP-1/TGFbeta(1) signal pathways in the development of diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM).

METHODSMale Wistar rats were fed with high cholesterol diet for 17 weeks, streptozocin (30 mg/kg, i.p) was given at the 28th day, rats with fasting blood glucose > or = 11.1 mmol/L by the end of the 5th week were assigned to DCM group (n = 11). Control rats (n = 8) were fed with regular chow. Fasting blood glucose (FBG) was monitored throughout the study. After hemodynamic measurements by the end of the study, myocardial collagen content was quantified in Masson-stained samples and the mRNA expressions of TSP-1 and TGFbeta(1) were detected by quantification real-time RT-PCR. The protein levels of TSP-1, active and latent TGFbeta(1) were detected by Western blot.

RESULTSCompared with control group, cardiac function was decreased as shown by significantly reduced left ventricular systolic pressure, dp/dt(max) and dp/dt(min), while the myocardial collagen content was significantly increased in the DCM group (11.01 +/- 3.05 vs. 16.92 +/- 3.18, P < 0.01). The myocardial mRNA expressions of TSP-1, TGFbeta(1) and protein expressions of TSP-1, active and latent TGFbeta(1) in the DCM group were also significantly higher than those of the control group. Moreover, myocardial collagen was positively correlated to FBG (r = 0.746, P < 0.01); mRNA expressions of TSP-1 and TGFbeta(1), protein expressions of TSP-1 and active TGFbeta(1) were positively correlated to FBG and myocardial collagen (P < 0.05). However, there were no correlations between the protein expression of latent TGFbeta(1) and FBG and myocardial collagen.

CONCLUSIONThe pathway of glucose/TSP-1/TGFbeta(1) might play an important role in myocardial interstitial fibrosis of DCM. It may be the basis of novel therapeutic approaches for ameliorating DCM.

Animals ; Cardiomyopathies ; etiology ; metabolism ; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental ; complications ; metabolism ; Glucose ; metabolism ; Male ; Myocardium ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Signal Transduction ; Thrombospondin 1 ; metabolism ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1 ; metabolism

Objective To explore the characteristics of blood pressure in the elderly patients with hypertensive cerebral small vessel disease(CSVD)and their correlation with traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)syndrome types.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted in 189 elderly patients with essential hypertension.With reference to the presence or absence of CSVD,the patients were divided into CSVD group(87 cases)and non-CSVD group(102 cases).The blood pressure related parameters and clinical data obtained by four diagnostic methods of TCM in the two groups were collected,and then the characteristics of blood pressure and their correlation with TCM syndromes were analyzed with statistical methods.Results(1)CSVD group had higher values than non-CSVD group in the ambulatory blood pressure parameters of 24-hour systolic blood pressure(24hSBP),24-hour diastolic blood pressure(24hDBP),daytime systolic blood pressure(DSBP),daytime diastolic blood pressure(DDBP),nighttime systolic blood pressure(NSBP),nighttime diastolic blood pressure(NDBP),24-hour pulse pressure(24hPP),daytime pulse pressure(DPP),nighttime pulse pressure(NPP),maximum SBP,morning SBP,daytime SBP load and nighttime SBP load(P＜0.01).(2)The analysis of blood pressure variability showed that the mean value of nighttime SBP standard deviation(NSSD)in CSVD group was higher than that in the non-CSVD group(P＜0.01).(3)The analysis of circadian rhythm of blood pressure showed that there was significant difference in the comparison of circadian rhythm of ambulatory blood pressure between the two groups(P＜0.05):non-CSVD group was predominated by non-dipper type blood pressure(50 cases,49.02%)and dipper type blood pressure(31 cases,30.39%),and CSVD group was predominated by non-dipper type blood pressure(38 cases,43.68%)and super-dipper type blood pressure(31 cases,35.63%).(4)Logistic regression analysis showed that 24hSBP(OR=1.296,95%CI:1.112-1.511),maximum SBP(OR=1.074,95%CI:1.006-1.146),morning SBP(OR=1.064,95%CI:1.013-1.118),abnormal circadian rhythm of blood pressure(OR=3.736,95%CI:1.663-8.390)were the influence factors of CSVD(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).(5)The analysis of the distribution of TCM syndrome types showed that non-CSVD group was dominated by accumulation of excess phlegm-damp syndrome(58.82%)and yin deficiency and yang hyperactivity syndrome(21.57%),and CSVD group was dominated by yin deficiency and yang hyperactivity syndrome(51.72%)and accumulation of excess phlegm-damp syndrome(21.84%).(6)The analysis of blood pressure in patients with various syndrome types showed that the DPP of patients with accumulation of excess phlegm-damp syndrome in the CSVD group was significantly higher than that in the non-CSVD group(P＜0.01),and the 24hDBP and NDBP of patients with yin deficiency and yang hyperactivity syndrome in the CSVD group were significantly higher than those in the non-CSVD group(P＜0.01).Conclusion It is indicated that 24hSBP,maximum SBP,elevated morning SBP,and abnormal blood pressure circadian rhythms may be the important risk factors for the hypertensive CSVD in the elderly.Elderly hypertensive patients with accumulation of excess phlegm-damp syndrome should pay more attention to the mean daytime pulse pressure,and elderly hypertensive patients with yin deficiency and yang hyperactivity syndrome should pay more attention to monitoring DBP.The dynamic observation and early control of the blood pressure is helpful for the prevention and treatment of CSVD in the elderly patients with hypertension.

OBJECTIVETribbles, a protein family controlling mitogen-activated protein kinase cascades, might contribute to the remodeling process in dilated cardiomyopathy. We investigated the gene expression of Tribble 3 (TRB(3)), cardiac function and collagen changes in rats with diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) and the modulating effects of valsartan on them.

METHODSMale Wistar rats were fed with high cholesterol diet throughout the study period, streptozocin (30 mg/kg, i.p) was given at the 28th day, valsartan (30 mg.kg(-1).d(-1), n = 13) or placebo (n = 11) was administered at the 35th day to rats with fasting blood glucose > or = 11.1 mmol/L per gavage for another 12 weeks. Control rats (n = 8) were fed with regular chow. Fasting blood glucose was monitored throughout the study, left ventricular function was determined by echocardiography, myocardial collagen content quantified after Masson-staining and myocardial mRNA expression of TRB(3) detected by quantification real-time RT-PCR at the end of study.

RESULTSCardiac function was significantly improved (EF: 74% +/- 10% vs. 66% +/- 7%, P < 0.05), myocardial collagen content decreased (13.23 +/- 3.14 vs. 16.92 +/- 3.18, P < 0.05) in rats with DCM treated with valsartan. Moreover, TRB(3) mRNA was significantly increased in rats with DCM compared to control rats (0.0198 +/- 0.0082 vs. 0.1108 +/- 0.0933, P < 0.05) and the increase could be significantly attenuated by valsartan (0.0367 +/- 0.0234, P < 0.05 vs. DCM). A significant positive correlation was observed between myocardial TRB(3) mRNA and myocardial collagen content (r = 0.67, P < 0.05) and between TRB(3) mRNA and fasting blood glucose (r = 0.69, P < 0.05) in rats with DCM.

CONCLUSIONOur results show for the first time that myocardial TRB(3) mRNA is upregulated in rats with DCM and which could be down-regulated by valsartan.

Animals ; Cardiomyopathy, Dilated ; metabolism ; physiopathology ; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental ; Gene Expression ; Male ; Protein Kinases ; metabolism ; Protein-Serine-Threonine Kinases ; antagonists & inhibitors ; RNA, Messenger ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Tetrazoles ; pharmacology ; Valine ; analogs & derivatives ; pharmacology ; Valsartan