90,180 and 360 mg·kg-1 on general central nervous system (CNS) of mice was investigated by general behavior observation, nembu-tal subthreshold hypnosis experiment, spontaneous activity test and rotary rod test. The changes in blood pressure, heart rate, electro-cardiogram, breathing flow and frequency in anaesthetic Bealge dogs were observed to evaluate the effects of the capsules respectively at the low, medium and high dosage of 16,32 and 64 mg·kg-1 on cardiovascular and respiratory systems. Results:The general behavior of mice was normal after the administration of Sansheng Jindan capsules. The capsules showed no synergetic hypnotic effect on nembu-tal, and had no influence on the spontaneous activity and body coordination ability of mice (P>0. 05). The blood pressure, ECG and respiratory index of anaesthetic Bealge dogs were also normal after the administration of the capsules (P>0. 05). Conclusion:There are no significant effects of Sansheng Jindan capsules at the experimental dosages on central nervous system of mice and respiratory and cardiovascular systems of Beagle dogs.

Objective To investigate the clinical features and treatments of pituitary abscess.Method The clinical data of 6 patients with pituitary abscess were examed along with a review of the literature.Results Of 6 patients,headache was presented in 5 patients,hypopituitarism in 4 patients,visual disturbance and/or bitemporal hemianopsia in 4 patients and fever in 1 patient.MRI and CT images showed a cystic sellar lesion with ring enhancement in 5 patients.Preoperative diagnosis of pituitary abscess was made in 2 patients,pituitary adenomas in 3 patients and craniopharyngiomas in 1 patient.All cases were treated surgically by transsphenoidal approach in 5 patients and transscranial in 1 patient.Followed with postoperative antibiotics therapy for 3 weeks,the symptoms were improved postoperatively in all cases.Followed up 8 months to 10 years,1 patient who underwent craniotomy recurred and wag cured by via transsphenoidal surgery.Conclusions The pituitary abscess is easily misdiagnosed.The cystic pituitary lesion should be considered the possibility of pituitary abscess.Transsphenoidal surgery and proper perioperative antibiotics therapy are the keys to the treatment of pituitary abscess.

Objective: Lung metastases are common in patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC). Post-therapeutic 131I-whole-body scan (WBS) was conventionally administered after the radioactive iodine treatment (RAI) of DTC lung metastases. This study aimed to investigate the influencing factors of WBS imaging on the RAI of DTC lung metastases. Methods:DTC patients (n=60) with lung metastases treated with 131I were retrospectively included. Before treatment, the thyroid function was assessed. Neck and chest computed tomography (CT) was performed, and WBS was inspected. Patients with lung metastases were classified into negative and positive subgroups according to the imaging of 131I WBS, and the relative influencing factors were analyzed. Results:Univariate analy-sis showed that age and chest CT imaging, which revealed pulmonary fibrosis, calcification, and patchy shadows, were related to WBS imaging. Binary variable logistic regression analysis revealed that pulmonary fibrosis (OR=0.175, P<0.001) and calcification (OR=0.088, P<0.05) went against the development of WBS. Conclusion:WBS imaging on RAI of lung metastases was not obvious in the el-derly. The fibrosis, calcification, and patchy shadows of the lung were not conducive for WBS imaging. The fibrosis and calcification of the lung were the main factors that affect WBS imaging.

Objective To investigate the clinical features and characteristics of coronary artery lesion between Hui and Han nationality young pa?tient with acute myocardial infarction(AMI)who were referred to the affiliated hospital of Ningxia Medical University. Methods A total of 189 con?secutive AMI young patients(age≤44 years)who underwent coronary angiography were retrospectively retrieved from the database.Those patients with AMI were divided into Hui group(46 cases)and Han group(143 cases). The clinical features and results of coronary angiogram were com?pared between the two group. Results Compared with Han group,Hui group are more younger than Han group,high prevalence rate of diabetes, lower smoking history and lower drinking history(P<0.05). Coronary angiography showed the incidence of three?vessel lesions was significant low?er in Han group than in Hui group(P<0.05). Both group showed single vessel was the most common lesion. Conclusion Hui nationality patients with acute myocardial infraction are more younger and are are more prone to suffering from diabetes history、lower smoking history and lower drinking history than Han nationality patients. The coronary artery lesions of Hui nationality patients with acute acute myocardial infraction are more three?branch lesions than Han nationality patients.

Objective:To investigate the relationship between the left ventricular morphology, systolic function and the severity of the coronary artery lesions. Methods:A total of 589 consecutively admitted patients were studied retrospectively. All patients suspected of coronary artery disease underwent a selective coronary angiography and a survey of left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) during the hospitalization. Results:A significant correlation between the severity of the coronary artery lesions and the EF, FS, LADD, LADS, LVDS and LVDD was found through the Bivariate Correlation analysis ( P

OBJECTIVETo study the effect of Guishen Pill (GSP) on expression levels of Oct-4, MVH, and Egr-1 in mice with diminished ovarian reserve (DOR).

METHODSTotally 40 female C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into 4 groups, the normal control group, the model group, the GSP group, and the dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) group, 10 in each group. Pregnant mare serum gonadotropin (PMSG), human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), and prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α) were sequentially administrated to produce superovulation. The DOR model was established by exposing to ozone inhalation. Mice in the GSP group were intragastrically administered with GSP at 0.3 mL. Those in the DHEA group were intragastrically administered with DHEA at 0.3 mL. Equal volume of normal saline was intragastrically administered to mice in the normal control group and the model group. All mice wer treated for 21 days. Serum levels of estrogen (E2), progestogen (P), and anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) were measured by ELISA. Changes of Oct-4, anti-AMH, and early growth response gene-1 (Egr-1) mRNA in ovaries were dtected by Real-time PCR.

RESULTSCompared with the model group, serum levels of E2, P, and AMH, as well as contents of estrogen receptor (ER), progestogen receptor (PR), MVH, and Oct-4 mRNA significantly increased in the GSP group and the DHEA group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONGSP could improve expression levels of Oct-4, MVH, and Egr-1 mRNA in DOR mice and their ovarian function.

Animals ; Anti-Mullerian Hormone ; metabolism ; Dehydroepiandrosterone ; metabolism ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Early Growth Response Protein 1 ; metabolism ; Estrogens ; Female ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Octamer Transcription Factor-3 ; metabolism ; Ovarian Reserve ; Ovary ; Pregnancy ; Receptors, Estrogen ; metabolism ; Superovulation

BACKGROUNDAtrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common supraventricular arrhythmia in clinical practice. Chronic atrial fibrillation (CAF) is associated with ionic remodeling. However, little is known about the activity of ATP-sensitive potassium current (IK, ATP) during CAF. So we studied the changes of IK, ATP density and allosteric modulation of ATP-sensitivity by intracellular pH during CAF.

METHODSMyocardium samples were obtained from the right auricular appendage of patients with rheumatic heart disease complicated with valvular disease in sinus rhythm (SR) or CAF. There were 14 patients in SR group and 9 patients in CAF group. Single atrial cells were isolated using an enzyme dispersion technique. IK, ATP was recorded using the whole-cell and inside-out configuration of voltage-clamp techniques. In whole-cell model, myocytes of SR and CAF groups were perfused with simulated ischemic solution to elicit IK, ATP. In inside-out configuration, the internal patch membranes were exposed to different ATP concentrations in pH 7.4 and 6.8.

RESULTSUnder simulated ischemia, IK, ATP current density of CAF group was significantly higher than in SR group [(83.5 +/- 10.8) vs. (58.7 +/- 8.4) pA/pF, P < 0.01]. IK, ATP of the two groups showed ATP concentration-dependent inhibition. The ATP concentration for 50% current inhibition (IC50) for the SR group was significantly different in pH 7.4 and pH 6.8 (24 vs. 74 micromol/L, P < 0.01). The IC50 did not change significantly in CAF group when the pH decreased from 7.4 to 6.8.

CONCLUSIONSDuring CAF, IK, ATP current density was increased and its allosteric modulation of ATP-sensitivity by intracellular pH was diminished.

Adenosine Triphosphate ; pharmacology ; Adult ; Allosteric Regulation ; Atrial Fibrillation ; metabolism ; Chronic Disease ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Female ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Potassium Channels ; physiology

OBJECTIVETo investigate the association between tumor necrosis factor-beta (TNF-beta) gene polymorphisms and coronary heart disease (CHD).

METHODSPolymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and sequence specific primer-PCR (PCR-SSP) were used for the detection of TNF-beta genotype in 210 patients with CHD and 186 healthy controls. The serum TNF-beta levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

RESULTSThe frequencies of CC, CA and AA genotypes of C804A in patients and controls were 25.7% and 37.1%, 49.5% and 45.7%, 24.8% and 17.2%, respectively; there were statistically significant differences in the distributions of the genotypes (P<0.05) and the allele frequencies (P<0.05) between the two groups; the risk of suffering from CHD in those of AA and CA genotypes was 1.704 times that in those of CC genotype (OR=1.704, 95%CI: 1.109-2.617). However, there was no significant difference in the distribution of the genotype of G252A between the patients and controls, though significant difference was seen between the subgroups of the CHD group. The serum TNF-beta and high sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP) levels of the patients were significantly higher than those of the controls (P<0.05); however, there were no significant differences in regard to different TNF-beta genotypes among the patients and controls respectively.

CONCLUSIONThe single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) at position 804 in the exon 3 of TNF-beta gene is associated with CHD and the allele A may be a risk factor for CHD in Chinese. The polymorphism of G252A may not play an important role in the pathogenesis of CHD.

Aged ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Coronary Disease ; genetics ; Exons ; Female ; Gene Frequency ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Genotype ; Humans ; Introns ; Lymphotoxin-alpha ; genetics ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide

OBJECTIVETo analyze the degrees on the epidemic foci of Angiostronglus cantonensis and to explore the measurement methods.

METHODSSnails (Pila gigas) were collected from the spots of Wenzhou, Cangnan, Yongjia, Yueqing in Zhejiang province and Minhou, Changle, Ningde in Fujian province. The snails were examined microscopically in order to calculate their infection rates and the average worm number in the positive snails, then taking the product of multiplication of both values as infestation index.

RESULTSThe infection rates of the epidemic foci were 10.59% (9/85), 60.74% (181/298), 34.96% (79/226), 32.90% (76/231), 57.50% (184/320), 40.00% (82/205), 17.65% (12/68) and the rates of infectivity were 6.57, 183.54, 121.73, 93.45, 276.36, 76.08, 12.65, respectively.

CONCLUSIONThe epidemic foci were divided into five ranks (super, high, mid-range, low and non-epidemic foci) according to the value of infestation index which ranked from > 75, 30-75, 5-29, < 5 to 0.

Angiostrongylus ; pathogenicity ; Animals ; China ; Disease Outbreaks ; Snails ; parasitology ; Strongylida Infections ; epidemiology

OBJECTIVETo explore the effects of eukaryotic expression vector pcDNA3-HERG transfection on angiotensin II (Ang II) induced myocyte hypertrophy in cultured neonatal rabbit ventricular myocytes.

METHODSNeonatal rabbit ventricular myocytes and eukaryotic expression vector pcDNA3-HERG transfected ventricular myocytes were cultured in Dulbecco's-modified Eagle medium (DMEM), containing 1% fetal bovine serum (FBS) for 6 h, then stimulated with Ang II (10(-7) mol/L) for 48 h. Control ventricular myocytes were cultured in Dulbecco's-modified Eagle medium (DMEM), containing 1% fetal bovine serum (FBS) for 54 h. At 6 and 54 h, myocyte hypertrophic parameters including myocyte volume, total protein content and membrane capacitance, action potential duration (APD) and Calcineurin (CaN) activity were measured.

RESULTSCompared to control myocytes, APD at 90% repolarization (APD(90)) was prolonged by 19.8% (P < 0.01), without signs of myocyte hypertrophy at 6 h post Ang II stimulation, APD(90) was prolonged by 22.1% (P < 0.01), myocyte volume, total protein content and membrane capacitance and CaN activity were significantly increased by 40.4%, 40.4%, 38.2% and 114.7% respectively (all P < 0.01) at 48 h after Ang II stimulation. HERG gene transfection upregulated I(HERG) tail current (3.6-fold higher than I(Kr)-rapidly activating delayed rectifier potassium current, P < 0.01). HERG gene transfection also accelerated and repolarization and a shortened APD(90) and inhibited myocyte hypertrophy and CaN activation induced by Ang II.

CONCLUSIONSAng II induced prolongation of APD(90) is directly associated with myocyte hypertrophy by increasing the Ca(2+) influx and resulting in the increment of intracellular Ca(2+) and activation of CaN reaction pathway.

Angiotensin II ; physiology ; Animals ; Calcineurin ; metabolism ; Cells, Cultured ; ERG1 Potassium Channel ; Ether-A-Go-Go Potassium Channels ; genetics ; Heart Ventricles ; cytology ; Humans ; Hypertrophy ; metabolism ; Myocytes, Cardiac ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Patch-Clamp Techniques ; Plasmids ; Rabbits ; Transfection