Objective:To investigate the relationship between hyper-homocysteinemia ( HHcy) and experiment autoimmune en-cephalomyelitis (EAE) mice,and to study the cause and effect of HHcy in multiple sclerosis (MS).Methods: Four groups were included in this study:healthy C57BL/6 mice and EAE mice fed with chow(HC and EAE group),healthy mice and EAE mice supple-mented with 4%(w/v) methionine in the drinking water (HC+Hcy and EAE+Hcy group).Clinical symptoms,the levels of Hcy and cytokines ( TNF-α,IFN-γand IL-17) were evaluated at different time points.Results:EAE group had no greater Hcy than HC group ( P>0.05 ).The clinical scores and weight loss of mice from EAE+Hcy group were more severe than those from EAE group during the course of EAE ( P<0.05 ).EAE+Hcy group had higher levels of TNF-αand IFN-γthan EAE group ( P<0.05 ) ,while IL-17 was about the same.Conclusion:Mice do not have gradually increased Hcy during the course of EAE.HHcy worsen the symptoms of EAE by pro-moting the production of TNF-αand IFN-γ,but not IL-17.

BACKGROUND: Myasthenia gravis (MG) patients with thymoma were often neglected in clinical work and delayed the therapy.OBJECTIVE: To investigate the significance of the Ryanodine receptor (RyR) antibody on the assessment of MG.DESIGN: A case analysis.SETTING: Institute of neurology in a hospital of a university.PARTICIPANTS: This experiment was carried out in the Institute of Neurology, Fudan University from June 1999 to March 2002. There were 66 MG patients with thymoma(MGT group), 98 MG patients with non-thymoma (NTMG group), 50 patients with non-myasthenia gravis(NMG) and 123 normal persons (NC group).METHODS: Sarcoplasmic reticulum(SR) abounded in RyR was extracted with differential centrifugation, in order to establish a detecting system of ELISA-RyR-RyR antibody (RyR-ab).MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The levels of RyR-ab in serum of researched subjects.RESULTS: Positive rate of RyR-ab in MGT group was higher than that in NTMG and NMG groups(P ＜ 0.01), moreover, the sensitivity and the specificity were 81.8% and 94.5% respectively. The positive rates of MGT groups with different thymus histology were no significant difference(P＞ 0.05). Ages, clinical scores and levels of acetylcholine receptor antibody (AchR-ab) in patients with positive RyR-ab were higher than those in patients with negative RyR-ab( P ＜ 0.01 ) in MG group. The levels of RyR-ab was positive correlated with the severities of clinical symptoms in MG patients, especially the patients in MGT group( r = 0. 626, P ＜ 0.01) . And among the different histological types of MGT, thymoma of epithelioid cells has the highest correlation coefficient ( r = 0. 592, P ＜ 0. 01).CONCLUSION: The detection of RyR-ab has better sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of MGT and the levels of RyR-ab is positive correlatied with the severities of MG patients.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to establish two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) profiles of serum of myasthenia gravis patients, and to identify the differential proteomic expressions between normal persons and myasthenia gravis patients with spleen and kidney deficiency syndrome. METHODS: Samples of serum protein were extracted by repeated freeze-thaw method and separated by two-dimensional electrophoresis. Differential proteomic expressions between the myasthenia gravis patients and the normal control persons were identified by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, silver staining, image-master 2-DE software analysis, peptide mass fingerprinting based on matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS), BioWorks and NCBI software database searching. RESULTS: The two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis profiles of serum proteins were successfully established by 2-DE. Twenty-one of the significant differential proteins were selected and identified by MALDI-TOF-MS. Eight of them were finally identified. CONCLUSIONS: The 2-DE profiles of serum proteins were established and the differential proteomic expressions were identified by proteome technique in our study. This can be an experimental basis for further research of the pathogenesis and treatment of myasthenia gravis.

Objective To evaluate effects of different types of gingival flap suture on the quality of life in patients after removal of mandibular third molar. Methods A randomized, controlled clinical trial design was adopted. Sixty-two patients in oral surgery department, Stomatology Hospital of Tianjin Medical University were selected. Patients were required removal of bilateral symmetry impacted mandibular third molars, and enclosed suture (primary suture) was used in one side, open drainage suture (secondary suture) was used in the other side. The postoperative symptom severity scale (PoSSe scale) was used to evaluate the quality of life in patients after removal of mandibular third molar. The evaluation was completed 7 days after surgery, and the scale was compared between two groups. Results A total of 57 cases of clinical data were enrolled in the final analysis. The operative time for primary suture group was (17.7±4.6) min, and the operative time for secondary su?ture group was (16.3 ± 5.1) min, the difference was not statistically significant (t=1.539, P>0.05). The PoSSe score was sig?nificantly higher in primary suture group (26.348 ± 12.414) than that of secondary suture group (21.633 ± 11.382, P<0.05). Conclusion Secondary suture reduces the influence of teeth removal on quality of life in patients through relieving pain and swelling, and which is suitable for clinical application.

Objective To evaluate the significance to detect the Ryanodine receptor (RyR) antibody in the sera of myasthenia gravis (MG) patients.Methods Sarcoplasmic reticulum abound with RyR was extracted by centrifugation,and levels of antibodies in 66 MG patients with thymoma (MGT),98 non-thymoma MG (NTMG) patients,50 non-myasthenia gravis (NMG) patients and 123 normal persons were examined by ELISA-RyR method.Results RyR antibody positive rate of MGT was the highest among MGT,NTMG and NMG groups ( P 0.05).Ages,clinical scores and levels of acetycholine receptor antibodies of patients with RyR antibody positive sera were higher than those with RyR antibody negative sera ( P

Objective To compare the retromolar space (RMS) between different antero-posterior (A-P) skeletal patterns, and explore the relationship between the status of third molar eruption/impaction with the different A-P skeletal patterns. Methods A total of 90 orthodontic patients (25-35 years old) were investigated from dental pantomograms (DPTs) and lateral cephalograms (LC). The subjects were divided into three groups according to their ANB angle:skeletal classⅠ, skeletal classⅡ, and skeletal classⅢ. Each group was subdivided into impacted and erupted subgroups. Values of DPT and LC were traced, and the following variables were measured including mandibular body length, third molar angulation and ret-romolar space width. Results The retromolar space width was significantly smaller in classⅡsubjects than that in classⅢsubjects, and RMS was significantly smaller in impacted group than that in erupted group, respectively (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the mandibular angle in erupted subgroup (P<0.05). There was a smaller mandibular body length in impacted subjects (P<0.05). Conclusion There is a relationship between different morphological characteristics of sagittal skeletal pattern and the impacted status. Patients with shorter mandibular body length and decreased RMS width are more inclined to impaction.

Objective To investigate the percentage of Th17 cells and regulatory T cells in patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) and observe the effects of methylprednisolone infusion on these cells.Methods The circulating Th17 cells and CD4+ CD25highT cells of 66 MG patients and 35 healthy controls were detected using four colour cytometry. The relationship between these cells and MGFA score in 18 MG patients and in 8 MG patients after methylprednisolone was infusion were also analyzed in this study. Results There was significant difference in the percentage of circulating Th17 cells between MG patients (2. 61% ±0. 28% ) and the healthy controls (0. 94% ± 0. 12%, Z = 4. 059, P = 0. 0001 ). Methylprednisolone therapy significantly reduced the percentage of circulating Th17 cells from 4. 72% ± 1.21% to 1.81% ± 0. 69%(Z = 1. 995,P = 0. 0460). In addition, the percentage of Th17 cells showed a positive correlation with MGFA score(r =0. 5359, P =0. 0219). Conclusions Circulating Th17 cells are elevated in MG patients.Methylprednisolone therapy can reduce such elevation, and this may be important in mediating symptomatic improvement in MG patients.

Three hundred and nine community health service (CHS) practitioners were selected with randomized cluster sampling for survey with the job satisfaction questionnaire-occupational stress indicator (OSI).Degree of the job satisfaction was (68 ± 12)%.Position, work experience, income,feeling of recognition, degree of motivation, the scope for career development, the space for personal ambition and the relationship between salary and work load were potential influencing factors of job satisfaction to CHS practitioners.The authors suggest to establish the dynamic mechanisms of satisfaction study and to formulate comprehensive and effective incentive measures for CHS practitioners.

OBJECTIVE: To study the modulation of Jianjining Recipe (JJNR), a traditional Chinese compound herbal medicine for invigorating spleen and kidney on differential protein expression in spleen of rats with experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis (EAMG). METHODS: EAMG rats were randomly divided into four groups: untreated group, JJNR-treated group, Qiangji Jianli capsule (QJJLC, a traditional Chinese compound herbal medicine)-treated group and prednisolone acetate (PA)-treated group. After therapeutic intervention with the above drugs for four consecutive weeks, the level of differential protein expression was analyzed by two-dimensional electrophoresis and matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. RESULTS: Twelve differential proteins were identified by comparing EAMG rats and normal rats. The levels of allograft inflammatory factor-1, peroxiredoxin I and actin-related protein 2/3 complex subunit 5 were significantly regulated by JJNR (P<0.01). These proteins were closely associated with immune response and cell movement. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that there are differential protein expressions between EAMG rats and normal rats. Furthermore, as a Chinese medicine prescription with effect of invigorating spleen and kidney, JJNR can effectively regulate the levels of some EAMG-related protein expression.