Objective To study the influence of hyponatremia on prognosis in hospitalized patients with chronic heart failure . Methods A total of 322 patients with chronic heart failure from Feb .2006 to Aug .2012 were retrospectively reviewed and random-ly divided into hyponatremia group(n=161) and normal serum sodium group(n=161) .The clinical data of the two groups were compared .Results There were significant difference between the two groups in the BNP levels ,length of stay ,hospital mortality and readmission rates(P<0 .05) .Serum sodium concentration in hyponatremia group was decreased with the decrease of cardiac function(P<0 .05) ,BNP levels was elevated with the decrease of blood sodium level (P<0 .05) ,days of hospitalization and hospital mortality were increased with the decrease of cardiac function (P< 0 .05) .Conclusion Patients with heart failure combined hy-ponatremia have poor cardiac function ,higher in-hospital mortality and readmission rates and longer hospital stay .

Dendritic cells (DCs), the most potent antigen-presenting cells, recognize pathogen by Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and serve as the bridge between the innate and the adaptive immune responses. TLRs-mediated signal transduction plays a crucial role in the functional maturation of DCs. This review summarizes the research progress on the expression and function of TLRs in DCs.
Dendritic Cells ; immunology ; metabolism ; Humans ; Immunity, Innate ; Signal Transduction ; Toll-Like Receptors ; metabolism ; physiology

Objective To evaluate the therapeutic effects and safety of amitrine bismesylate in patients with mild vascular dementia.Methods An open multicenter self-controlled trial was carried out with 128 mild vascular dementia patients clinically diagnosed.Patients were treated with amitrine bismesylate in a dose of 2 tablets per day for 12 weeks.The neuro-psychologieal scale of MMSE,ADAS-cog,CDR, ADL were used to evaluate patients′cognitive condition before therapy and 6,12 weeks after treatment.The adverse effects,such as nausea and vertigo and so on,were monitored at the same time to evaluate the safety of this drug.Results After 3 months of treatment,the MMSE score(16.98 before therapy and 17.97 after treatment,P

OBJECTIVETo establish an RP-HPLC method for determination of betulinic acid in Callicarpa macrophylla, a commonly used herbal in Yunnan.

METHODA Kromasil-C18 column (4.6 mm x 200 mm, 5 microm) and a mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile-0.1% phosphoric acid (63: 37) were used. The flow rate was 1.0 mL x min(-1) and the UV detector wavelength was 205 nm.

RESULTBetulinic acid was well separated from other compounds in C. macrophylla. The content of betulinic acid in C. macrophylla from different origins showed apparent differences, the content of betulinic acid in C. macrophylla from Yunnan was the highest. The calibration curve was linear in the range of 0.016 6-0.332 mg x mL(-1) of betulinic acid with correlation coefficient 0.999 8. The average recovery of betulinic acid was 98.5%.

CONCLUSIONThe method is simple, accurate and reproducible, and is suitable for the quality control of C. macrophylla.

Calibration ; Callicarpa ; chemistry ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; Linear Models ; Quality Control ; Reproducibility of Results ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Triterpenes ; analysis ; isolation & purification

Objective To develop an early-warning indicator system of brucellosis outbreak. Methods The methods of literature review and expert discussion were used to formulate the initiatory framework and indicators, and then Delphi method was used to filter indicators, discuss the boundary of indicators and determine the weighting coefficient. Results The average length of service provided by experts who engaged in prevention and control of brucellosis was (25.10 ± 8.80) years and the positive coefficient of the consultant experts of the two-round results were 95% and 68%, respectively. Kendall coefficients were 0.35, 0.54 and X2R value were 81.31 and 285.27, respectively and P value was all less than 0.01. Five first-level indicators(the host animal, high-risk groups,social environment, index case and the level of previous disease) and 13 secondary indicators were selected to develop the early-warning indicator system of brucellosis outbreak. The weight coefficients of the five first-level indicators were 0.21, 0.22, 0.17, 0.21 and 0.19, respectively. Conclusions The early-waming indicator system of brucellosis outbreak is initially established. We propose to develop the early-warning programs according to local conditions and the indicator system.

Background:As a congenital malformation that results in infertility and an inability to have vaginal intercourse,Mayer-RokitanskyKüster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome places a considerable psychological burden on patients,which results in anxiety symptoms.However,only single case studies or a few small to medium-sized cross-sectional studies were identified to focus on anxiety symptoms in MRKH patients.Thus,the aim of this study was to explore the status of anxiety symptoms and the related factors in patients with MRKH syndrome.Methods:This cross-sectional study involving 141 patients with MRKH syndrome and 178 healthy women was conducted from January 2018 to December 2018.All participants were required to complete a demographic questionnaire and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale (GAD-7),Patient Health Questionnaire-9,Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised,Short Scale for Chinese,and Chinese Version of the Female Sexual Function Index.The main outcome was the anxiety symptoms measured by the GAD-7.Main outcome was compared between the MRKH syndrome group and the healthy control group.Then,we explored the related factors by comparing patients with and without anxiety symptoms.Results:Of the respondents,24.1％ experienced moderate to severe anxiety symptoms.Patients with MRKH syndrome manifested more severe anxiety symptoms than healthy women.Negative self-evaluation of femininity (odds ratio [OR] 2.706,95％ confidence interval [CI] 1.010-7.247),neurotic personality traits (OR 1.100,95％ CI 1.029-1.175),and coexisting depressive symptoms (OR 4.422,95％ CI 1.498-13.049) were more prevalent in anxious patients.Conclusion:The findings stress the importance of anxiety symptom screening in MRKH patients and identify patients at risk of anxiety symptoms,providing a possible basis for future intervention.

BACKGROUNDVaspin is a newly-identified adipocytokine related to obesity and insulin sensitivity. However, its pathophysiologic role in humans remains largely unknown. The aim of our study was to investigate the relationship between serum vaspin level and glucose metabolism or obesity in Chinese adults.

METHODSA total of 123 subjects, including 84 subjects with normal glucose tolerance (NGT) and 39 subjects with diabetes, were enrolled in this study. Anthropometric parameters, abdominal fat areas, plasma glucose concentration, serum insulin, lipids, and vaspin level were measured in each participant.

RESULTSSerum vaspin concentration was significantly higher in diabetic patients than that in NGT subjects (592 (438 - 695) pg/ml vs 380 (294 - 517) pg/ml, P = 0.020) in women. In all participants, age, fasting plasma glucose concentration (FPG), 2-hour post-load plasma glucose (PG2h), hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) significantly increased from the lower tertile to the higher tertile of vaspin. Univariate linear regression analyses revealed that vaspin level was only positively correlated with age (beta = 0.340, P = 0.002) in NGT subjects. And vaspin was positively associated with FPG (beta = 0.365, P = 0.023), PG2h (beta = 0.526, P = 0.001), HbA1c (beta = 0.388, P = 0.016), and HDL-c (beta = 0.353, P = 0.027), while negatively with homeostasis model assessment of beta cell function (HOMA-beta) (beta = -0.361, P = 0.024) in diabetic patients. In stepwise multivariate regression analyses, age was independently associated with circulating vaspin in NGT subjects, whereas PG2h was an independent predictor of vaspin in diabetic patients. In addition, there was no significant difference of serum vaspin level between men and women. And no significant correlations between vaspin and body fat indexes were detected.

CONCLUSIONSSerum vaspin level is higher in diabetic patients than that in NGT subjects in women. Age predicts serum vaspin level in NGT subjects, while PG2h is independently associated with vaspin in diabetic patients.

Adult ; Aged ; Blood Glucose ; metabolism ; Diabetes Mellitus ; blood ; Female ; Humans ; Linear Models ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Postprandial Period ; Serpins ; blood

Objective To assay serum apelin level in obesity and newly-diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) patients and investigate the relationship between serum apelin level and body fat parameter,glucose and lipid metabolism and insulin resistance index,etc.Methods Sixty-two patients with type 2 DM and 72 subjects with normal glucose regulation (NGR) were selected and each group was divided into obese and non-obese subgroups according to body mass index (BMI)≥25 kg/m~2 or

Background Vaspin is a newly-identified adipocytokine related to obesity and insulin sensitivity.However,its pathophysiologic role in humans remains largely unknown.The aim of our study was to investigate the relationship between serum vaspin level and glucose metabolism or obesity in Chinese adults.Methods A total of 123 subjects,including 84 subjects with normal glucose tolerance(NGT)and 39 subjects with diabetes,were enrolled in this study.Anthropometric parameters,abdominal fat areas,plasma glucose concentration,serum insulin,lipids,and vaspin level were measured in each participant.Results Serum vaspin concentration was significantly higher in diabetic patients than that in NGT subjects(592 (438-695)pg/ml vs 380(294-517)pg/ml,P=0.020)in women.In all participants,age,fasting plasma glucose concentration(FPG),2-hour post-load plasma glucose(PG2h),hemoglobin Alc(HbAlc)and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-c)significantly increased from the lower tertile to the higher tertile of vaspin.Univariate linear regression analyses revealed that vaspin level was only positively correlated with age(β=0.340,P=0.002)in NGT subjects.And vaspin was positively associated with FPG(β=0.365,P=0.023),PG2h(β=0.526,P=0.001),HbA1c(13=0.388,P=0.016),and HDL-c(β=0.353,P=0.027),while negatively with homeostasis model assessment of beta cell function(HOMA-β)(β=-0.361,P=0.024)in diabetic patients.In stepwise multivariate regression analyses,age was independently associated with circulating vaspin in NGT subjects,whereas PG2h was an independent predictor of vaspin in diabetic patients.In addition,there was no significant difference of serum vaspin level between men and women.And no significant correlations between vaspin and body fat indexes were detected.Conclusions Serum vaspin level is higher in diabetic patients than that in NGT subjects in women.Age predicts serum vaspin level in NGT subjects,while PG2h is independently associated with vaspin in diabetic patients.

OBJECTIVETo construct, express and identify the recombinant plasmid pcDNA3.1(+)/sflk1-IFN-gamma encoding bifunctional protein sflk1-IFN-gamma (soluble fetal liver kinase 1 and interferon-gamma).

METHODSsflk1 and IFN-gamma gene fragments were cloned by RT-PCR, and then inserted into pcDNA3.1(+) plasmid between BamHI-EcoRI and XhoI-XbaI restriction sites to form the recombinant plasmid pcDNA3.1(+)/sflk1-IFN-gamma. The recombinant sflk1-IFN-gamma transiently expressed in COS-7 cells was detected by ELISA and Western blotting. Bioactivities of sflk1-IFN-gamma fusion protein were identified by proliferation inhibition assay with H5V cells and NK activity assay.

RESULTSpcDNA3.1(+)/sflk1-IFN-gamma can be effectively expressed in COS-7 cells. Concentrations of sflk1 and IFN-gamma in culture supernatants of pcDNA3.1(+)/sflk1-IFN-gamma transfected COS-7 cells were (20.85+/-2.48) ng/ml and (1.08+/-0.09) ng/ml, respectively. Western blotting showed that the molecular weight of sflk1-IFN-gamma fusion protein was about 130 kDa, while that of sflk1 was 115 kDa. The supernatants of transfected cells significantly inhibited the proliferation of H5V cells stimulated by mouse VEGF 164 and enhanced the NK activity of splenocytes, demonstrating that sflk1-IFN-gamma fusion protein possessed the bioactivities of both sflk1 and IFN-gamma.

CONCLUSIONThe constructed plasmid pcDNA3.1(+)/sflk1-IFN-gamma can be effectively expressed in eukaryotes. The expressed sflk1-IFN-gamma fusion protein has the biological activities of both sflk1 and IFN-gamma.

Animals ; COS Cells ; Cercopithecus aethiops ; Female ; Interferon-gamma ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Plasmids ; Recombinant Proteins ; analysis ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Transfection ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2 ; biosynthesis ; genetics