Objective To investigate the effect of morphine on P-glycoprotein (P-gp) expression in mouse brain microvascular endothelial cells. Methods The mouse brain microvascular endothelial cell line b. End3 was purchased from ATCC company (USA) and cultured at 37 ℃ in high glucose serum-free medium RPMI 1640 in 10 cm petri dishes and assigned to one of 3 groups(n = 9 each): Ⅰ control group (group C); Ⅱ morphine group (group M) and Ⅲ PDTC + morphine group (group P + M). In group M the cells were exposed to morphine 1 μg/ml while in group P + M the cells were pre-incubated with PDTC (NF-κB inhibitor) 5 μmol/L for 1 h before treatment with morphine. In group M and P+ M after being treated with morphine 1 μg/ml for 24 h, the cells were collected for determination of P-gp expression and NF-κB p65-abcb1b protein-DNA binding analysis. Results P-gP expression and NF-κB p65-abcb1b protein-DNA binding were up-regulated in group M as compared with group C. The up-regulation was negated by pre-incubation with PDTC in group P + M. Conclusion Morphine can induce up-regulation of the expression of endogenous P-gp in mouse brain microvascular endothelial cells by NF-κB mediated-abcb1 b gene activation.

OBJECTIVETo define the ideal time window for intubation after rocuronium administration during target-controlled infusion (TCI) ofpropofol and sulfentanil.

METHODSOne hundred and twenty elective surgical patients (age range 18-55 years) were randomized into 4 groups (n=30) according to the intubation time after administration of the muscle relaxant. Patients with predicted difficult airway were excluded. General anesthesia was induced by TCI of propofol and sulfentanil. A senior anesthesiologist blinded for the randomization performed the intubations at 1, 2, 3, or 4 min after injection of rocuronium, and the vocal card visibility was evaluated upon full exposure of the vocal cord and the intubation conditions assessed according to Cooper's score.

RESULTSThe intubation conditions were excellent or good in all patients, but the vocal cord visibility at 2-4 min differed significantly from that at 1 min after rocuronium administration (P<0.01). Suppression of the neuromuscular function 1 min after rocuronium administration differed significantly from that at other time points (P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONThe condition of vocal cord can be more suitable for intubation at 2-4 min than at 1 min after rocuronium administration as the ideal time window for intubation during TCI of propofol and sulfentanil.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Androstanols ; administration & dosage ; Anesthetics, Intravenous ; administration & dosage ; Humans ; Infusions, Intravenous ; Intubation ; methods ; Middle Aged ; Neuromuscular Nondepolarizing Agents ; administration & dosage ; Propofol ; administration & dosage ; Single-Blind Method ; Sufentanil ; administration & dosage ; Time Factors ; Vocal Cords ; drug effects ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo investigate the value of Narcotrend (NT) index monitoring versus standard hemodynamic parameters in predicting the recovery of consciousness in patients undergoing abdominal surgery.

METHODSForty ASA I or II patients undergoing elective abdominal surgery were randomized into two groups to receive sevoflurane-sufentanil anesthesia monitored by NT index or solely by clinical parameters. Anesthesia was induced with the inhalation of 8% sevoflurane and sufentanil target-controlled infusion at 0.2-0.5 ng/ml. The values of NT stage (NTS), NT index (NTI), and hemodynamic parameters (MAP and HR) were recorded during the period of recovery. The prediction probability (Pk) of each parameter was calculated and compared.

RESULTSNTS and NTl were closely correlated to the changes of consciousness during the recovery from general anesthesia. The Pk values of NTS and NTI in predicting eye opening and orientation recovery were 0.95, 0.92, and 0.92, 0.89, respectively, obviously higher than the Pk values of MAP and HR (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONNT monitoring can be used to effectively predict the recovery of consciousness in patients undergoing abdominal surgery and facilitates a significant reduction of the recovery time and sufentanil dosage during a sevoflurane-sufentanil anesthesia.

Abdomen ; surgery ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Anesthesia Recovery Period ; Anesthesia, General ; Anesthetics, Inhalation ; administration & dosage ; Anesthetics, Intravenous ; Electroencephalography ; methods ; Female ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Male ; Methyl Ethers ; administration & dosage ; Middle Aged ; Monitoring, Intraoperative ; methods ; Sufentanil ; administration & dosage ; Unconsciousness ; chemically induced ; Young Adult

To explore the new method of discriminating Astragali Radix and Hedysari Radix by using PCR amplification of specific alleles, 30 samples of the different Astragali Radix materials and 28 samples of Hedysari Radix were collected. The total DNA of all samples were extracted, trnL-trnF sequence from Astragali Radix and Hedysari Radix was amplified by PCR and sequenced unidirectionally. These sequences were aligned by using Clustul W. Primer was designed and the PCR reaction systems including annealing temperature, dNTP, etc were optimized. All samples were amplified by PCR with specific primer, DNA from Astragali Radix would be amplified 136 bp, whereas PCR products from all of Hedysari Radix were 323 bp. This method can detect 10% of intentional Hedysari Radix DNA into Astragali Radix. PCR amplification of alleles can be used to identify Astragali Radix and Hedysari Radix successfully and is an efficient molecular marker for authentication of Astragali Radix and Hedysari Radix.
Alleles ; Astragalus Plant ; classification ; genetics ; DNA Barcoding, Taxonomic ; DNA, Plant ; genetics ; Polymerase Chain Reaction

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of methylprednisolone pretreatment on pulmonary lung permeability index and the content of the pulmonary surfactant dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) in a rabbit model of reexpansion pulmonary edema.

METHODSTwenty-one male New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into control group, reexpansion, and reexpansion+methylprednisolone pretreatment groups. The rabbit model of reexpansion pulmonary edema was established using Sakaos method. A bolus dosage of methylprednisolone (3 mg/kg) in reexpansion+methylprednisolone group group or 2.0 ml/kg normal saline in the other two groups was administered intravenously 20 min before reexpansion pulmonary edema. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and arterial blood samples were collected for measurement of the total protein (TP) and DPPC contents 4 h after reexpansion, and the pulmonary permeability index was calculated.

RESULTSThe pulmonary permeability index in methylprednisolone pretreatment group was significantly lower than that in the reexpansion group (0.007∓0.002 vs 0.177∓0.004, P<0.05). Methylprednisolone pretreatment significantly increased DPPC concentration in the BALF as compared with saline treatment in the reexpansion group (61.815∓28.307 vs 101.955∓24.544 µg/ml, P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONMethylprednisolone pretreatment can increase pulmonary surfactant content and improve pulmonary permeability in the rabbit model of reexpansion pulmonary edema.

1,2-Dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine ; analysis ; Animals ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid ; Capillary Permeability ; drug effects ; Male ; Methylprednisolone ; pharmacology ; Permeability ; Pulmonary Edema ; metabolism ; physiopathology ; Pulmonary Surfactants ; metabolism ; Rabbits

The sudden cardiac death (SCD) is the primary cause of death in adults. 118 cases of sudden cardiac death from 1998 to 2005 in Shanxi area were studied. The results showed that there as 5.9 times of males as females. There were 55.1% coronary artery diseases, 17.8% myocarditis, 9.3% cardiomyopathy, 2.5% each of congenital heart diseases, valvular heart diseases, and rupture of dissecting aneurysm of aorta, and 4.55 of other diseases. The data indicate that SCD happened in males more often than in females and coronary artery disease was the most common disease. Myocardititis was more common in adolescents and cardiomyopathy was more prevalent in young adults resulting in SCD. The cardiac disease without abnormal structure changes might also be a serious threat to human health.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Cadaver ; Cardiomyopathies/complications* ; Cause of Death ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Coronary Disease/complications* ; Death, Sudden, Cardiac/pathology* ; Female ; Forensic Medicine ; Heart Diseases/complications* ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Myocarditis/complications* ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Sex Factors ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo observe the effects of morphine and pethidine on P-glycoprotein (P-gp) expression in mouse brain microvascular endothelial cells and investigate the role of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) signaling pathway in morphine-induced up-expression of P-gp.

METHODSThe mouse brain microvascular endothelial cell line (b.END3) was subjected to pre-incubation with NF-kappaB inhibitor PDTC (5 micromol/L) for 1 h followed by stimulation with morphine (1 microg/ml) or pethidine (1 microg/ml) for 24 h. The bEnd.3 cells were then collected for Western blotting for P-gp expression.

RESULTSA 24-h morphine stimulation induced an up-expression of P-gp in bEnd.3 cells by almost 200%. Pethidine in similar conditions did not affect P-gp expression in the cells. PDTC, the specific inhibitor of NF-kappaB, inhibited morphine-induced up-expression of P-gp in the cells.

CONCLUSIONMorphine can induce up-expression of endogenous P-gp in mouse brain microvascular endothelial cells. NF-kappaB signaling pathway is involved in the morphine-induced up-expression of P-gp.

ATP-Binding Cassette, Sub-Family B, Member 1 ; metabolism ; Animals ; Blood-Brain Barrier ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Brain ; blood supply ; Cell Line ; Endothelial Cells ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Meperidine ; pharmacology ; Mice ; Morphine ; pharmacology ; NF-kappa B ; metabolism ; Signal Transduction ; drug effects

OBJECTIVETo analyze epidemiological characteristics of burn inpatients in Hainan province over 8 years.

METHODSSix thousand and ninety-nine burn patients admitted to 6 hospitals of Hainan province from January 2002 to December 2009 were enrolled in the study. The clinical data of these patients were analyzed retrospectively, including age, gender, injury cause, wound position, burn area, ailment prior to admission, admission time, medical insurance, length of hospital stay, and mortality rate, relationship among inpatient distribution, admission time, and ambient temperature at the time of admission. Data were processed with SPSS 13.0 software.

RESULTSThere were more burn male patients than female, with ratio of 2.1: 1.0. Most patients were younger than 13 years (57.2%, 3488/6099). The most common burn area was smaller than or equal to 10% TBSA (67.4%, 4108/6099), and the fewest patients had burn areas of over 50% TBSA (2.0%, 121/6099). The main causative agents were hot liquid and flame, accounting for 71.5% (4358/6099), 17.9% (1092/6099), respectively. Most patients had injuries of more than two body areas (60.7%, 3705/6099), and lower extremity injury (17.1%, 1042/6099) was predominant in wound of single body area. Among 703 cases who had other ailments prior to admission (11.5%), the highest rate of prior ailments was found in patients older than 60 years (18.5%, 48/260), it was lowest in children younger than 1 year (8.0%, 32/398). The length of hospital stay was 1 to 375 day, and the admission time was 10 minutes to 90 days after burn. Total mortality rate was 0.4% (26 cases). The number of inpatients aged from 19 to 59 was obviously higher in months with high ambient temperature (from June to August), and for inpatients younger than 13 years the incidence of burn injury showed no obvious seasonal change. The inpatients who had medical insurance accounted for 10.9% (66/603) to 19.5% (121/619) from 2002 to 2005, which increased to 46.0% (372/808) in 2007 and 79.1% (869/1098) in 2009.

CONCLUSIONSFor burn inpatients in Hainan province, the main injury cause of burn injury is hot liquid, the number of burn adults aged from 19 to 59 seems to increase in months with high ambient temperature, while the incidence of burn in children showed no obvious seasonal change. The number of inpatients and those with medical insurance showed a tendency of increase from 2005 to 2009 in Hainan province.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Burns ; epidemiology ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant ; Inpatients ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Young Adult

The therapeutic effects of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) on ischemic stroke have been extensively studied in recent years. However, the differences in early EPCs and endothelial outgrowth cells (EOCs) are still unclear. Clarifications of their respective properties and specific functioning characteristics contribute to better applications of EPCs in ischemic diseases. In this review, we discuss cellular origin, isolation, culture, surface markers of early EPCs and EOCs and relevant applications in neurological diseases. We conclude that EOCs possess all haracteristics of true endothelial progenitors and have potent advantages in EPC-based therapies for ischemic diseases. A number of preclinical and clinical applications of EPCs in neurological diseases are under study. More studies are needed to determine the specific characteristics of EPCs and the relevant mechanisms of EPCs for neurological diseases.
Classification* ; Endothelial Progenitor Cells ; Stroke ; Therapeutic Uses

OBJECTIVETo investigate the changes of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), prolactin (PRL), estradiol (E2) and testosterone (T) in male adolescents of different ages by determining their levels in 8-17 years old boys.

METHODSWe included in this study 627 male adolescents aged 8-17 years and qualified through physical examinations. All the subjects underwent determination of FSH, LH, PRL, E2 and T with an automatic ACCESS microparticle chemiluminescence immunoassay analyzer and detection of liquid quality control by immunoassay.

RESULTSFSH remained at a low level in the 8-10 years old male adolescents and increased at 11 years; the levels of LH and T were low before the age of 12 years and began to increase at 13 years; and that of E2 was low before the age of 13 years and began to rise after that, all with statistically significant differences (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONIn the male adolescents, FSH, LH and T significantly increased at 11, 12 and 13 years old, respectively, which marked the beginning of sexual development.

Adolescent ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Child ; Estradiol ; blood ; Follicle Stimulating Hormone ; blood ; Humans ; Luteinizing Hormone ; blood ; Male ; Prolactin ; blood ; Students ; Testosterone ; blood