Objective To explore the effectiveness of ω-3 fatty acids in intervening rat models of chronic obstructive pulmonery disease (COPD).Methods The rat COPD models were established by cigarette smoking and intratracheal lipopolysaccharide instillation.Totally 90 rats were randomly divided into 3 groups:normal control group (treated with normal saline),COPD group,and intervention group (the COPD rat models treated with ω-3 fatty acids).Lung tissues were obtained on the 7th,21st,and 28th day.The left lower lobes were analyzed to determine the expressions of nuclear factor-kappa beta (NF-κB) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ)and the right lung lobes were sliced for detecting the cell apoptosis.Double antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (DAS-ELISA) was used to detect the serum IFN-γ and interleukin-6 (IL-6).Results (1) The pathological changes of lung tissue:there were a large number of inflammatory exudation,alveolar wall thickening,hyperplasia of vascular smooth muscle and the alveolar structure destruction in the COPD model group,but the lung tissue were part of alveolar cavity and a little inflammatory exudate in ω-3 fatty fish acids treatment group,control rats were almost no alveolar inflammation on the 28th days.(2) On the 28th day,NF-κB protein expression of the lung tissue (18.91 ± 3.07) in rats of COPD model group was significantly higher than the control group and the intervention group (5.47 ±4.86 and 7.23 ±2.21) (P ＜0.01).On the 28th day,IFN-γ protein expression in lung tissue of the rats in the model group was 7.12 ±3.37,significantly lower than the intervention group (18.74 ± 2.65),the difference was statistically significant (P ＜ 0.01).(3) The IL-6 levels of the blood-serum of model group rats were (13.43 ± 2.47) ng/L,significantly higher than the control group and the intervention group [(4.78 ± 1.93) and (4.98 ± 1.89) ng/L],the differences were statistically significant (P ＜ 0.01) on the 28th day,,but the IFN-γ level [(2.23 ± 0.63) ng/L] in COPD group was more poorer than ω-3 fatty acids group and the intervention group [(4.51 ± 0.71) and (7.05 ± 0.52) ng/L] (P ＜ 0.01).Conclusions The ω-3 fatty acids can lower NF-κB protein expressions in lung tissues and serum and IL-6 levels in COPD rats; aslo,it can increase the IFN-γ protein expression in lung tissue and serum.Thus,it can prevent the lung inflammation in COPD rats.

ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanism of protective effect of Xuebijing injection on vascular endothelial cells in rats with heat stress.Methods Ninety Sprague-Dawley(SD) rats were randomly divided into control, model and Xuebijing injection treatment groups, 30 rats in each group. Heat stress model was reproduced by placing rats in constant temperature box at 40℃, 60% relative humidity for 1 hour, Xuebijing injection group was treated by intraperitoneal injection of Xuebijing 2.5 g/kg, while the control and model groups were treated by intraperitoneal injection of normal saline 2 mL/kg, once a day only in 1 day for both groups. After model establishment, the rectum temperature, heart rate and the mean arterial pressure(MAP) were recorded at 2, 6, 12 hours in each group. At the same time, the rat abdominal aortic blood was collected and serum was separated, the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) was used to determine the aortic serum levels of lipopolysaccharide(LPS), nuclear factor-κB(NF-κB) and p53, and the prothrombin time(PT), activated partial thromboplastin time(APTT) and D-dimer of venous blood were detected by automatic blood coagulation analyzer(ACLTOP).Results Compared with those in control group, the rectum temperature, heart rate, LPS, NF-κB, p53, PT, APTT, D-dimer were significantly increased, and MAP was obviously decreased in model group(P<0.05 orP<0.01). Compared with model group, the above indexes were improved significantly in Xuebijing injection treatment group at 2 hours〔rectum temperature(℃): 38.02±0.22 vs. 39.32±0.33, heart rate(bpm): 507±14 vs. 562±35, MAP(mmHg, 1 mmHg=0.133 kPa): 98±6 vs. 87±13, LPS(ng/L): 0.65±0.03 vs. 0.82±0.05, NF-κB(ng/L): 1.10±0.04 vs. 1.33±0.05, p53(ng/L): 1.33±0.03 vs. 1.73±0.02, PT(s):15.47±1.03 vs. 20.28±2.01, APTT(s): 40.26±2.46 vs. 47.46±3.51, D-dimer(μg/L): 238.54±8.32 vs. 323.12±8.14,P<0.05 orP<0.01〕.Conclusion Xuebijing injection can correct the disorders of blood PT, APTT, D-dimer via decreasing the secretion of the levels of NF-κB, p53 from vascular endothelial cells in rats with heat stress, thus the integrity of the vascular endothelium can be protected, and LPS entering into the blood stream can be inhibited.

This study examined the osteogenic effect of electromagnetic fields (EMF) under the simulated in vivo conditions. Rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) and rat osteoblasts were co-cultured and exposed to 50 Hz, 1.0 mT EMF for different terms. Unexposed single-cultured BMSCs and osteoblasts were set as controls. Cell proliferation features of single-cultured BMSCs and osteoblasts were studied by using a cell counting kit (CCK-8). For the co-culture system, cells in each group were randomly chosen for alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining on the day 7. When EMF exposure lasted for 14 days, dishes in each group were randomly chosen for total RNA extraction and von Kossa staining. The mRNA expression of osteogenic markers was detected by using real-time PCR. Our study showed that short-term EMF exposure (2 h/day) could obviously promote proliferation of BMSCs and osteoblasts, while long-term EMF (8 h/day) could promote osteogenic differentiation significantly under co-cultured conditions. Under EMF exposure, osteogenesis-related mRNA expression changed obviously in co-cultured and single-cultured cells. It was noteworthy that most osteogenic indices in osteoblasts were increased markedly after co-culture except Bmp2, which was increased gradually when cells were exposed to EMF. Compared to other indices, the expression of Bmp2 in BMSCs was increased sharply in both single-cultured and co-cultured groups when they were exposed to EMF. The mRNA expression of Bmp2 in BMSCs was approximately four times higher in 8-h EMF group than that in the unexposed group. Our results suggest that Bmp2-mediated cellular interaction induced by EMF exposure might play an important role in the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs.

Objective: To investigate the clinical effect of early plastic surgery for hand deep burn. Methods: From August 2015 to May 2016, 52 patients with deep burns in the Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital of Fenghua were selected as study objects and they were randomly divided into the observation group and control group according to digital table, with 26 cases in each group.The control group was implemented plastic surgery three days after burn, the observation group received early plastic surgery within three days after burn.The hand appearance and function recovery, complications and quality of life were compared between the two groups. Results: The hand appearance recovery rate in the observation group was 96.15%, the excellent rate of functional recovery was 92.31%, which were higher than those of the control group (76.92%, 69.23%, χ²=4.13, 4.46, all P<0.05). The incidence rate of complications of the observation group(3.85%) was lower than the control group(23.08%)(χ²=4.13, P<0.05). The physical function score, psychological function score, material life score, social function score of the observation group were (81.20±3.21)points, (82.52±4.09)points, (85.65±3.37)points, (84.86±4.28)points, resppectively, which were better than those of the control group[(70.75±4.66)points, (73.14±3.82)points, (75.98±3.61)points, (70.27±4.16)points, t=9.24, 8.55, 9.98, 12.46, all P<0.05]. Conclusion Early surgery can improve the recovery of hand deep burn, accelerate the hand appearance and function recovery, with less complications and is conducive to improving the quality of life.

Objective:To study the change of immunological response and cell proliferation in breast tissues augmented by polyacrylamide hydrogel injection(PHI).Methods:The expression of CD68,CD25 and PCNA in 20 breast tissues with indurations,12 without indurations after breast augmentation by PHI,and 10 normal breast tissues was examined by immunohistochemistry P-V6000; analysis was also done by H-E staining.Results:Hyperplasia of fibrous tissue and infiltration of inflammatory cells and macrophages were found in the breast and adjacent tissues 3-8 years after PHI.Positive cells of CD68,CD25 and PCNA hardly existed in the normal tissues,but the breast tissues around the polyacrylamide hydrogel had many positive cells of CD68 and PCNA,especially in cases with indurations;there were significant differences between the 3 groups(P

To investigate the therapeutic effect and molecular mechanism of the main flavonoid components of Silybum marianum (S. marianum) on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), we identified nine flavonoids in S. marianum through TCMSP, PubChem database and corresponding literatures. The potential therapeutic targets of NAFLD were predicted by SwissTargetPrediction, GeneCards and Venny 2.1.0 platform, while the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of potential targets was analyzed using String platform and Cytoscape software. Then GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis were performed using David 6.8 database, followed by molecular docking verification using AutoDock software. In vitro, components with higher degree value in the "components-targets-pathway" network were chosen for further analysis. L02 cells were used to establish lipid accumulation model and treated with different components. Furthermore, the effects of four pure active compounds from S. marianum on lipid accumulation in hepatocytes were analyzed by oil red O staining. The results showed that the main nine flavonoids extracted from S. marianum contained 24 potential NAFLD targets. Several critical pathways closely related to NAFLD process were identified by GO and KEGG enrichment analysis, including phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-protein kinase B (PI3K-Akt) pathway, type 2 diabetes pathway, tumor necrosis factor (TNF) pathway and insulin resistance pathway. The results of molecular docking further indicated that the core components displayed strong binding abilities with key targets respectively, and silandrin showed better binding activity as compared to other components. The results obtained from L02 cells showed that the lipid accumulation was reduced by treatment with isosilybin A, isosilybin B, silydianin and silychristin, while the activity of isosilybin B was better than that of isosilybin A. Taken together, we concluded that the main flavone components of S. marianum could improve lipid accumulation through multiple signaling pathway in hepatocytes, and this could be a potential new strategy for the treatment of NAFLD.

BACKGROUND:In recent years,artificial cervical disc replacement surgery as a new method for the treatment of cervical disease has gradualy been accepted and understood,but relevant complications have gradualy attracted attention.OBJECTIVE:To investigate the clinical outcomes of artificial cervical disc replacement in the treatment of cervical disease and the range of motion of the replacement segment.METHODS: A total of 25 patients with artificial cervical disc replacement in the treatment of cervical spondylosis,who were treated in the Department of Orthopedics,Air Force General Hospital of Chinese PLA from August 2006 to April 2012,were enroled in this study,including 15 males and 10 females,aged 31-76 years,averagely 51.04 years.There were 6 cases of double segments and 19 cases of single segment.They were folowed up for 24 to 93 months.Clinical results were assessed using the Japanese Orthopaedic Association score,cervical dysfunction index and pain visual analog scale scores.Imaging was used to observe range of motion,cervical curvature,heterotopic ossification,and degeneration of adjacent segments.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Neurological function in al patients was improved to different degrees.One case suffered from mild heterotopic ossification,but no clinical symptoms were found.No significant difference in range of motion of surgical segment,and range of motion of upper and lower adjacent segments was detected between pre-replacement and final folow-up results (P＞0.05).No significant difference in range of motion of C2-C7 was found between pre-replacement and final folow-up results (P＞0.05).Japanese Orthopaedic Association score,cervical dysfunction index and pain visual analog scale scores were significantly improved during final folow-up compared with pre-replacement (P＜0.05).These results indicated that artificial cervical disc replacement in the treatment of cervical disease can achieve better clinical efficacy,can keep the range of motion of replacement segment and avoid the accelerated degeneration of adjacent segments.

Humans ; Forensic Pathology

Background Hyperuricemia is frequently present in patients with heart failure. Many pathological conditions, such as tissue ischemia, renal function impairment, cardiac function impairment, metabolic syndrome, and inflammatory status, may impact uric acid (UA) metabolism. This study was to assess their potential relations to UA metabolism in heart failure. Methods We retrospectively assessed clinical characteristics, echocardiological, renal, metabolic and inflammatory variables selected on the basis of previous evidence of their involvement in cardiovascular diseases and UA metabolism in a large cohort of randomly selected adults with congestive heart failure (n = 553). By clustering of indices, those variables were explored using factor analysis. Results In factor analysis, serum uric acid (SUA) formed part of a principal cluster of renal functional variables which included serum creatinine (SCr) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN). Univariate correlation coefficients between variables of patients with congestive heart failure showed that the strongest correlations for SUA were with BUN (r = 0.48, P < 0.001) and SCr (r = 0.47, P < 0.001). Conclusions There was an inverse relationship between SUA levels and measures of renal function in patients with congestive heart failure. The strong correlation between SUA and SCr and BUN levels suggests that elevated SUA concentrations reflect an impairment of renal function in heart failure.

BackgroundThe relationship between lipids and coronary artery disease has been well established. However, this is not the case between lipids and heart failure. Ironically, high lipid levels are associated with better outcomes in heart failure, but the mechan-isms underlying the phenomenon are not fully understood. This study was performed to test the hypothesis that reduced intestinal lipid absorption due to venous congestion may lead to low lipid levels.MethodsWe collected data of clinical characteristics, echocardio-graph, and lipid profile in 442 unselected patients with congestive heart failure. Correlations between lipid levels[including total cho-lesterol(TCL), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C), and triglycerides(TG)]and right ventricle end diastolic diameter (RVEDD), left ventricle end diastolic diameter (LVEDD), right atrium diameter (RA), left atrium diameter (LA), or left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF) were analyzed using Pearson correlation and partial correlation. RVEDD, LVEDD, RA, and LA were indexed to the body surface area.ResultsThere was a significantly inverse correlation between TCL le-vels and RVEDD (r=-0.34,P<0.001) and RA (r=-0.36,P<0.001). Other lipids such as LDL-C, HDL-C, and TG had asimilar inverse correlation with RVEDD and RA. All these correlations remained unchanged after adjusting for age, gender, smoking status, physical activity levels, comorbidities, and medication use.ConclusionsLipid levels were inversely correlated to RVEDD in patients with congestive heart failure; however, because this was an observational study, further investigation is needed to verify our results as wellas identify a causal relationship, if any.