Objective To dynamically observe stenosis and wall thickness of carotid artery with endothelium injury in mouse using 7T micro-MR imaging in vivo. Methods A mouse model of carotid artery intimal injury was established by removing endothelium with a flexible wire. The lumen diameter, lumen area, wall thickness and wall area of the injured arteries were observed, and serial MR scanning was performed in different time points after operation. Results The injured arteries and perivascular parenchyma were clearly observed by MR imaging. Before and 1, 5, 10 and 15 days after artery injury, the lumen diameter were (0.57±0.07)mm,(0.41±0.19)mm, (0.44±0.10)mm, (0.43±0.10)mm and (0.47±0.11)mm respectively, and the lumen area were (0.30±0.06)mm2, (0.18±0.11)mm2, (0.18±0.06)mm2, (0.18±0.06)mm2 and (0.22±0.07)mm2. The thickness of artery wall was(0.23±0.12)mm, and the area of artery wall was (0.35±0.24)mm2 15days after artery injury. Conclusions Stenosis and wall thickening of carotid artery after the artery intimal injury of mouse can be dynamically observed on MR imaging in vivo.

Objective: To evaluate the clinical value of the electromagnetic navigation system for precutaneous transthoracic needle biopsy. Methods: A prospective randomized controlled trial was carried out. One hundred and thirteen patients who needed to have lung nodule biopsy were divided into two groups according to the random number table: the auxiliary puncture group (n=57) adopting the electromagnetic navigation system for precutaneous transthoracic needle biopsy, and the conventional operation group (n=56) adopting the traditional CT-guided transthoracic needle biopsy. The operation process of the two groups was completed by junior doctors under the supervision and guidance of senior doctors. The time of puncture, the number of CT scan, and postoperative complications were observed and compared between the two groups. Results: There was no significant difference in operation time between the auxiliary group and the conventional group [(26.7±8.0) min vs (25.0±7.8) min, P=0.261)]. There was no significant difference in the number of CT scan between the two groups (4.9±2.7 vs 5.1±2.7, P=0.810). There was no significant difference in the incidence rate of pneumothorax (15.8% vs 19.6%, P=0.592) and bleeding (17.5% vs 14.3%, P=0.636) between the two groups. Conclusion: The domestic elec-tromagnetic navigation system for precutaneous transthoracic needle biopsy can safely and effectively assist clinicians to complete lung biopsy.

Objective To explore the feasibility of Single Fe_2O_3-PLL labeled mouse spleen-derived endothelial progenitor cells(EPCs)detection by 7.0T MR system.Methods Mononuclear cells(MNCs)were isolated from mouse spleen by density gradient centrifugation and EPCs were obtained by the difierent adherence of cells.Immunocytochemistry and fluorescent staining were performed to identify EPCs.The EPCs were labeled with Fe_2O_3-PLL and the intracellular iron was identified with prussian blue staining.MTr assay was assessed to evaluate proliferation of Fe_2O_3-PLL labeled EPCs.The cells underwent MR imaging with different sequences.Results Cultured in vitro,mouse spleen-derived MNCs resulted in EC-like morphology.These cells expressed EPCs-specie antigens,such as CD31,CD34 and vWF,and had the ability to incorporate ac-LDL and bind UEA-1.Between Fe_2O_3-PLL labeled EPCs and unlabeled cells,MTT value of light absorption had no statistical significant difference(day4 t=2.81,days t=-1.87,day6 t=-0.298,day7 t=-0.115,all P＞0.05).The signal void induced by labeled single cell is 20.2 pixels in MSME Sequence,and 20.2 pixeis in 3D-FLASH sequence(t=15.2,P＜0.05).Single cell could be detected by 7.0 T MR system.Conclusion MNCs isolated from mouse spleen can differentiate into endothelial cells in vitro and have the specific property of stem cells.The mouse spleen-derived EPCs can be labeled with Fe_2O_3-PLL efficiently.The labeled EPCs can be imaged as disoersed single cells.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the spectrum of pathogens for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in children, and to provide a basis for the diagnosis and treatment of CAP.

METHODSRespiratory secretions and venous blood samples were collected from 1560 children with CAP aged from one month to 9 years within 2 hours after admission, for detection of multiple pathogens. Respiratory virus antigens in nasopharyngeal swab specimens were detected by immunofluorescence. Sputum was used for bacterial culture. Levels of Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP)-IgM and Chlamydia pneumoniae (CP)-IgM in venous blood were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

RESULTSA total of 579 strains of bacteria were isolated from all respiratory secretions, including 213 (36.8%) Gram-positive strains and 366 (63.2%) Gram-negative strains. The five most common strains were Haemophilus influenzae (7.50%), Streptococcus pneumoniae (6.73%), Staphylococcus aureus (6.35%), Moraxella catarrhalis (5.19%), and Escherichia coli (3.46%), wherein the beta-lactamase-producing strains accounted for 3.3% of all strains. The non-bacterial pathogens mainly included respiratory syncytial virus (12.88%), MP (7.88%), and CP (8.91%). Mixed infection of pathogens was serious, and the mixed infection of respiratory syncytial virus with Haemophilus influenzae infections were the most common. For most pathogens, the infection rate was higher in children aged under one year than in those aged over one year.

CONCLUSIONSHaemophilus influenzae, respiratory syncytial virus, MP and CP are the main pathogens for children with CAP. For most pathogens, the infection rate is higher in children aged under one year than in those aged over one year. Mixed infection rate of pathogens is high.

Child ; Child, Preschool ; Coinfection ; etiology ; microbiology ; Community-Acquired Infections ; etiology ; microbiology ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Pneumonia ; etiology ; microbiology

OBJECTIVETo study the influence of Radix aconiti lateralis preparata and Rhizoma zingiberis, two species of Chinese medicinal herbs with hot property, on energy metabolism and gene expression spectrum, and to analyze the possible mechanism of their effects.

METHODSForty-eight specific pathogen free Wistar rats were randomly divided into a Radix aconiti lateralis preparata group, a Rhizoma zingiberis group, and a control group. They were intragastrically treated with concentrated decoction of Radix aconiti lateralis preparata, Rhizoma zingiberis and normal saline respectively for 20 days. Toe temperature (TT), energy intake (EI), digestible energy (DE), and metabolizable energy (ME) were measured. The content of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and energy charge (EC) in hepatic tissue were measured with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The activity of ATPase and succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) in the liver were detected with chemical colorimetry. The gene expression in the liver was detected with Illumina's rat Ref-12 gene array. The differential expression genes were selected, annotated and classified based on Gene Ontology (GO). Real-time quantitative reverse-transcriptase PCR (Q-RT-PCR) was used to test the accuracy of results.

RESULTSCompared with the control group, the TT on the 10(th) day after the beginning of administration and ATP in the Radix aconiti lateralis preparata and Rhizoma zingiberis groups increased significantly (P<0.05). EI/body mass (BM), DE/BM, ME/BM, the hepatic EC and the activity of Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase, Ca(2+)-Mg(2+)-ATPase and SDH of liver increased significantly only in the Radix aconiti lateralis preparata group (P<0.05). There were 592 differential expression genes in the Radix aconiti lateralis preparata group and 1 159 in the Rhizoma zingiberis group compared with the control group. Among the differential expression genes, genes related to metabolic processes were the most significant based on GO analysis. There were 337 strips of gene differential expression in common in both Radix aconiti lateralis preparata and Rhizoma zingiberis groups compared with the control group.

CONCLUSIONSHerbs with hot property such as Radix aconiti lateralis preparata and Rhizoma zingiberis could improve the energy metabolism in rats, through influencing the metabolic process of sugar, lipid, and amino acid. It could also promote the production, storage, and utilization of energy by regulating the gene expression related to metabolism, which may be the main molecular mechanism of warming yang and dispelling cold for the treatment of the cold syndrome according to Chinese medicine theory.

Aconitum ; chemistry ; Adenosine Triphosphatases ; metabolism ; Adenosine Triphosphate ; metabolism ; Animals ; Body Temperature ; drug effects ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; Energy Intake ; drug effects ; genetics ; Energy Metabolism ; drug effects ; genetics ; Female ; Gene Expression Profiling ; Gene Expression Regulation ; drug effects ; Liver ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Reproducibility of Results ; Rhizome ; chemistry ; Succinate Dehydrogenase ; metabolism

Objective To evaluate the effects of small interfering RNA(siRNA)against Ki67 gene on the proliferation and apoptosis of human renal carcinoma cell line 786-0 cells.Methods The human renal carcinoma 786-0 cells were treated with Ki67-siRNA(100 nmol/L).The mRNA expression of Ki67 was detected by RT-PCR.The protein expression of Ki67 was detected by Western blot and immunohisto- chemical technique,respectively.The proliferation of 786-0 cells was detected by MTT assay.The apoptosis of 786-0 cells was detected by TUNEL assay.Results RT-PCR and Western blot analysis showed that the Ki67 mRNA and Ki67 protein expression levels of the 786-0 cells treated with Ki67-siRNA were(37.6?1.9)% and(46.4?0.9)% ,respectively,which were significantly lower than those of controls [(97.3?0.9)% and(95.3?0.9)%,P＜0.01],The Ki67 positive expression rate of 786-0 cells treated with Ki67-siRNA by immunohistochemical technique was 52.5?2.3,which was significantly lower than that of controls(114.5?4.9 ,P＜0.01).The proliferation-inhibiting rate and apoptosis rate of the 786-0 cells trea- ted with Ki67-siRNA were( 63.6?1.6)% and(41.7?0.6)% ,respectively,which were significantly higher than those of controls [(2.8?0.2)% and(10.3?1.4)%,P＜0.01].Conclusions siRNA against Ki67 gene can inhibit the proliferation and induce the apoptosis by blocking Ki67 expression of hu- man renal carcinoma 786-0 cells.The inhibition of Ki67 expression by siRNA may be a promising approach in gene therapy for renal cancer.

OBJECTIVETo screen out differentially expressed microRNAs (miRNAs) in the plasma of children with methylmalonic acidemia (MMA), to determine the expression of miR-9-1 in plasma and to preliminarily evaluate the significance of miR-9-1 as a biomarker in MMA.

METHODSPlasma was obtained from 17 MMA children, 10 hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) children without MMA (HHcy group), and 10 normal controls. Of 17 MMA children, 12 had HHcy (MMA+HHcy group), and 5 had no HHcy (MMA group). The differentially expressed miRNAs were screened out by miRNA microarray. Differentially expressed miR-9-1 was selected, and plasma miR-9-1 levels were determined by RT-PCR. Urine was collected from MMA patients who received vitamin B12 treatment, and plasma miR-9-1 levels were determined by RT-PCR after treatment.

RESULTSThe miRNA microarray analysis showed that 26 miRNAs were differentially expressed, among which 16 miRNAs (including miR-9-1) were down-regulated over 2 times, while 10 miRNAs were up-regulated over 2 times. The MMA+HHcy , MMA and HHcy groups had significantly down-regulated miR-9-1 compared with the normal control group (P<0.01). The patients who showed a good response to vitamin B12 treatment had significantly increased plasma miR-9-1 levels, without significant difference compared with the normal control group.

CONCLUSIONSPlasma miR-9-1 is significantly down-regulated in MMA patients, but it is significantly up-regulated after vitamin B12 treatment, suggesting that miR-9-1 may act as a biomarker in monitoring the progression of MMA.

Adolescent ; Amino Acid Metabolism, Inborn Errors ; genetics ; Child ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperhomocysteinemia ; genetics ; Male ; MicroRNAs ; blood

Posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) injury is common in sports medicine. Arthroscopic reconstruction of PCL has become a routine procedure to stabilize the knee joint after PCL injury. The location of tibial tunnel during operation is crucial to a successful surgery. This article reviews the current studies on transtibial PCL reconstruction from the aspects of the anatomy related to the tibial tunnel, the anteromedial and anterolateral tibial tunnels, the maximum angle and optimal angle of tibial tunnel, and the anatomical and non-anatomical tibial tunnels, hoping to provide helpful references for the treatment of PCL injury.

Objective:To explore the mechanisms of Qianlie Jindan Tablets(QLJD)acting on chronic nonbacterial prostatitis(CNP)in rats based on non-targeted urine metabolomics.Methods:According to the body mass index,we equally randomized 30 eight-week-old male SD rats into a blank control,a CNP model control and a QLJD medication group.We established the CNP model in the latter groups and,from the 4th day of modeling,treated the rats in the blank and model control groups intragastrically with nor-mal saline and those in the QLJD medication group with QLJD suspension,qd,for 30 successive days.Then we detected the changes in the metabolites of the rats by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry,and identified the differential metabolites in different groups by multivariate statistical analysis,followed by functional annotation of the differential metabolites.Results:Eight common metabolites were identified by metabolomics analysis,of which 5 were decreased in the CNP model controls and increased in the QLJD medication group,while the other 3 increased in the former and decreased in the latter group.Creatinine and genistein were important differential metabolites,and the arginine and proline metabolic pathways and isoflavone biosynthesis pathways were the main ones for QLJD acting on CNP.Compared with the blank controls,the model controls showed up-regulated arginine and proline metabolic pathways,increased production of creatinine,down-regulated isoflavone biosynthetic pathway and decreased produc-tion of genistein.The above changes in the model controls were all reversed in the QLJD medication group.Conclusion:QLJD acts effectively on CNP in male rats by regulating L-arginine and proline metabolic pathways,as well as the isoflavone biosynthesis pathway and naringenin metabolism.

OBJECTIVETo determine the prevalence of neuropsychiatric symptoms in dementia and normal elderly people living in the Chinese community of Beijing.

METHODSA cross-sectional study derived from the Beijing Dementia Cooperative Study was carried out a population survey was carried out on a total of 1540 participants aged 65 years and older living in Beijing city and rural areas. All the individuals and 373 demented elderly people completed a series of neuropsychological examination and the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI).

RESULTSAmong the dementia participants, 49.33% had exhibited neuropsychiatric symptoms (35.66% rated as clinically significant), in which 80.4% reported 2 or more disturbances, with depression (23.86%), apathy (21.72%) and anxiety (20.38%) being most common. Of the 1540 normal individuals, 18.25% of them exhibited neuropsychiatric symptoms (6.49% rated as clinically significant), in which 53% reported 2 or more disturbances, with sleepless (10%), depression (8.9%) and anxiety (6.97%) being the most common.

CONCLUSIONTo our knowledge, this was the first multi-center study on neuropsychiatric disturbances in dementia and cognitive normal elderly people. Neuropsychiatric symptoms occurred mainly in persons with dementia and of clinical severity. Though the neuropsychiatric disturbances reported in cognitive normal individuals were lower and less serious compared to dementia, they should not be neglected. These finding suggested that a screening programme focusing on identifying these symptoms should be included in the physician's diagnostic tools for dementia.

Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Anxiety ; epidemiology ; China ; epidemiology ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Dementia ; epidemiology ; psychology ; Depression ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neuropsychological Tests ; Prevalence ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders ; epidemiology