Objective To study the association of insulin resistance ( IR ) with aortic compliance impairment in patients with essential hypertension (EH). Methods Thirty-five patients with EH and 35 healthy control subjects were enrolled. The two groups were matched by sex, age and weight Blood pressure was measured and high resolution color Doppler examination was performed. Pressure-strain elastic modulus ( EP) and stiff index were calculated to reflect the change of aortic compliance in all subjects. Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) was assayed with oxidase technique, serum fasting insulin ( Fins) was assayed with chemoluminescent technique, Calculate insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) was calculated using FPG and FINS. Results In the EH group, Fins, HOMA-IR and EP of ascending aorta were ( 10. 15 ± 1.03) mU /L, 2. 21 ± 0. 68, (250. 79 ± 85. 52 ) kN/m2, respectively,and the stiff index( β) was 15. 60 ±7. 55. In the control group, Fins,HOMA-IR, EP and stiff index β were (6. 80 ± 3. 05) mU/L, 1. 48 ± 0. 16, (183. 90 ± 64. 65 ) kN/m2 and 10. 86 ± 4. 92, respectively. There were significant difference on these above mentioned indices between the two groups (P < 0. 05 ). In the EH group, HOMA-IR were positively correlated with the ascending aorta EP and stiff index β ( r = 0.558 and 0.601 respectively, P < 0. 05 ). Conclusions Aortic compliance impairment and IR are found in patients with EH. There is significant association of IR with aortic compliance impairment Hyperinsulinemia related to insulin resistance might be an important influential factor which promote large artery remodeling in patients with EH.

Adult ; Arterio-Arterial Fistula ; pathology ; Coronary Vessels ; pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Pulmonary Artery ; pathology

Objective To investigate the incidence and possible reasons of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who stopped taking slow-acting antirheumatic drugs (SAADs).Methods Two hundreds and twenty-four in-or out-patients with RA were prospectively followed up for 4-year,and their demographic and clinical information and reasons of SAADs cessation were recorded.The difference between patients who stuck to SAADs and those who stopped SAADs and the factors that resulting the cessation were analyzed.Results ① Fourty-eight percent of 224 patients with RA ceased taking SAADs during 4-year period.② The main reasons of ceasing SAADs,provided by patients themselves,were side effects of SAADs,ineffectiveness,lack of knowledge about drugs,short of SAADs,concurrent diseases,and intention to pregnancy.③ There was significant difference in low income,poor educational status,number of tender joints,and rheumatoid factor level between the patients who stuck to SAADs and those who did not.Conclusion The high incidence of SAADs cessation in RA patients should rise concern.Both medical and patient factors contribute to the cessation.

0.05),but the t1/2 was longer and the AUC and the Cmax were lower in group B than in other groups(P

A new cadinane-type sesquiterpenoid, pogocablene P (1), and a new natural product with cyclohexanone skeleton, pogocablone A (2), were isolated from the EtOAc soluble fraction of the aerial parts of Pogostemon cablin by several chromatographic methods, such as silica gel, Sephadex LH-20, ODS and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and so on. Their structures were identified by means of mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. In addition, the absolute configuration of compound 2 was determined by electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculation. Furthermore, the anti-influenza virus and anti-inflammatory activities of compounds 1 and 2 were evaluated.

Objective To investigate whether I198T gene polymorphisms and Lp-PLA2 activity were the risk factors of CAD.Methods A case-control study was conducted in 398 people with coronary heart disease and 396 controls whose ages and sex were matched with coronary heart disease from Peking University People's Hospital in October 2009 to May 2010.The Il98T gene polymorphisms were detected by the amplification refractory mutation system (ARMS-PCR) using TaqMan probe.Lp-PLA2 activity,CHO,GLU,TG,HDL,LDL,hs-CRP,Lp (a) were investigated at the same time.The data were analyzed by Independent-samples T Test,Chi-square test,One-Way ANOVA,Binary Logistic Regression.Results LpPLA2 activity was significant higer in CAD group than that in the control group (31.51 nmol · ml-1 · min-1＞21.31 nmol · ml-1 · min-1,F =16.40,P ＜0.05).Adjustment for various traditional cardiovascular risk factors,including ages,sex,CHO,TG,Hs-CRP,Lp(a),and GLU,quartiles of Lp-PLA2 activity were associated with risk of CVD with a OR of 7.5 (95％ CI:2.34-24.05) for comparison of the top to bottom quartile.Lp-PLA2 activity was the highest (22.68 nmol · ml-1 · min-1,P ＜ 0.05) in genotype Ⅱ and the lowest (11.35 nmol · ml-1 · min-1,P ＜ 0.05) in genotype TT,the association between I198T and coronary artery disease was not significant (P ＞ 0.05).Conclusions Lp-PLA2 activity was significantly higher in CAD group and was a risk factor for CAD.There was no significant association between I198T polymorphism and CAD.

Objective By making models of premature animal,explores the effects of dexamethasone on the brain development of premature rats and its mechanisms.Methods Eighteen SD rats were randomly divided into high-dexamethasone(H-Dex) group,low-dexamethasone (L-Dex) group and normal saline(NS) control group,with 6 rats in each group.The pregnant rats in L-Dex group were injected with dexamethasone [0.1 mg/(kg·d)] from 16 to 18 days of pregnancy,while the pregnant rats in H-Dex group were injected with dexamethasone [0.5 mg/(kg· d)] ; the pregnant rats in NS control group were injected with 0.9％ NaCl of the same volume.All of the fetal rats were received after administrating caesarean operation on the day 19 of pregnancy.Rats were sacrificed at the directed time and brain tissue was prepared.Histological feature and the water content of the brains were observed.Level of apoptosis was measured by flow cytometry.The expressions of myelin basic protein (MBP) and interleukin(IL)-1β in brain tissue homogenate were detected by ELISA.Results (1) The brain water contents of rats in H-Dex group,L-Dex group and NS control group were (85.94 ± 0.54) ％,(86.08 ± 1.01) ％,(86.94 ± 0.82) ％.Compared with NS control group,the water contents of Dex group were lower (P ＜ 0.05).(2) Glial cells of brain cortex in L-Dex group and H-Dex group were more mature than in NS control group,and the changes in H-Dex group was more significant.(3) The expressions of MBP in brain tissue of H-Dex group,L-Dex group and NS control group were (5.73 ± 1.06) μg/mg,(5.46 ±0.77) μg/mg and (2.42 ±0.52) μg/mg.Compared with NS control group,Dex group was higher(P ＜0.05).While the expressions of IL-1β in brain tissue of H-Dex group,L-Dex group and NS control group were (249.05 ± 11.29) pg/g,(257.47 ± 9.33) and (292.66 ± 21.51) pg/g.Compared with NS control group,Dex group was lower(P ＜ 0.05).There was no significant difference between H-Dex group and L-Dex group(P ＞ 0.05).(4) The level of apoptosis in H-Dex group,L-Dex group and NS control group were (18.07 ± 1.63) ％,(6.88 ± 0.47) ％ and (2.00 ± 0.32) ％.Compared with NS control group,the level of apoptosis in Dex group was higher(P ＜0.05),and H-Dex group was higher than that in L-Dex group.Conclusion (1) Using dexamethasone prophylactic could promote the development of glial cells,reduce the water content,increase the expressions of MBP,and decrease the expressions of IL-1β in brain tissues.It indicates that dexamethasone may play a major role in maturation of fetal brain.(2) Using dexamethasone prophylactic could increase the amounts of the apoptosis cells,and this effect is dose-dependent.It indicates that dexamethasone may have a negative effect on the fetal brain and suggestes that using dexamethasone in premature infant should be cautious,and if it has to,using a lower dose.

Objective Based on dual channel melting curve analysis-based assay,we developed a method to rapidly detect the drug-resistant mutations in Mycobacterium tuberculosis through real-time PCR.Methods According to the common first-line drug-resistant mutations of Mycobacterium tuberculosis,we designed six dual-labeled fluorescence probes to rapidly detect the drug-resistant mutations through realtime PCR melting curve after amplifications of drug-resistant related gene region of DNA.The targets include rpoB 81 bp core region,katG315,inhA promoter,ahpC promoter and embB306.To validate the sensitivity and specificity of our method,we performed real-time PCR assays to detect drug-resistant mutations in 76 clinical MDR-TB samples,which were collected by Shanghai CDC in 2008.Results In the validation,this method successfully detected drug-resistant mutations in all 76 clinical MDR-TB samples.The △Tm of mutations were from 1.8 to 14.4 ℃.Comparing with the sequencing data,all mutations covered by the six probes were detected with 100％ sensitivity and 100％ specificity (rpoB,80/80; inhA,7/7 ; katG315,59/ 59;ahpC,8/8;embB306,27/27).This method can successfully detect drug-resistant mutations from 100 copies/μl DNA samples.Conclusions A widely applicable real-time PCR assay to detect first line drug-resistant mutations of Mycobacterium tuberculosis has benn developed.This method has proven to have the advantages of high sensitivity,specificity and low risk of contamination.It can be used in rapid diagnosis of clinical drug-resistant tuberculosis and the evaluation of laboratory drug sensitivity test.

Objective: To improve the understanding of the clinical feature and early diagnosis of relapsing polychondritis(RP). Method: Eleven patients with RP were analyzed retrospectively and the reported literatures were reviewed. Result: Nine cases had initial involvement of auricular cartilage while two polyarthritis. The treatment of 2RP patients with respiralory tract involvement was invalid and 1 patient died. Nine cases were initially misdiagnosed, with a misdiagnosis rate of 81.82%. Conclusion: RP involves cartilage and connective tissue. The prognosis with respiralory tract involvement is poor. RP is a sort of paroxysmal and progressive inflammation involving cartilages all over the body with a variety of clinical manifestations. Early diagnosis of RP is based on full understanding of its clinical features.

Animals ; Brain ; metabolism ; Female ; Ginkgolides ; pharmacology ; Hypoxia ; metabolism ; Lactic Acid ; metabolism ; Male ; Malondialdehyde ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Sodium-Potassium-Exchanging ATPase ; metabolism