Objective To investigate the effects of propofol anesthesia on cognitive function of aged rats. Methods Ninety-six male aged SD rats (16 months) were collected and given propofol anesthesia via tail vein catheter. At 7, 30, and 90 d after anesthesia, fear conditioning experiment was performed to test long-term memory of the aged rats (12 rats at each time point, total 36 rats). At 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 d after anesthesia, spontaneous alternation in Y-maze experiment was performed to test spatial working memory of the aged rats (12 rats at each time point, total 60 rats). Results There were no statistical differences in long-term memory at 7, 30, and 90 d after anesthesia between the propofol group and control group (P>0.05). While spatial working memory of aged rats in propofol group was impaired at 1 and 2 d after anesthesia (P<0.05), working memory of aged rats in propofol group was normal at 3, 4, and 5 d after anesthesia and there were no statistical differences between the experiment and control group (P>0.05). Conclusions These results indicate that clinical dose propofol anesthesia will not induce long-term memory impairment of aged rats, although it impairs spatial working memory of aged rats within 48 h after anesthesia.

Objective To investigate the effect of administration intravenously of rosiglitazone (ROSI) on severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) in rats and its mechanisms. Method Fifty-four male Wistar rats were randomly divided into sham operation group (SO group), severe acute panereatitis model group (SAP group) and rosiglita-zone pretreatment group (ROSI group),18 rats in each group.SAP model was induced by retrograde inufsion of 5% sodium taurecholate into the biliopancreatic duct. The rats in SO group and SAP group were injected with 10% DMSO (0.2 ml/100 g) by femoral vein 30 minutes piror to the operation. In ROSI group,rosiglitazone partes ae-quales(6 mg/kg) was injected instead of 10% DMSO. Rats were killed at 3, 6 and 12 h after operation. Serum amylase level and myelopemxidase activity were detected. Pancreatic tissue samples were stained with hematoxylin and eosin for histopathological evaluation. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction was used for detecting the levels ofTNF-α mRNA and ICAM-1 mRNA in pancreatic tissue. Results Amylase level, myeloperexidase ac-tivity, pathologic score and the expression of TNF-α and ICAM-1 mRNA were increased significantly in SAP group at each time point than those in SO group (P<0.05). Compared with SAP group, pretreatment with rosiglitazone reduced serum amylase level and pathologic score at time point of 6 h and 12 h (P<0.05), decreased myeloper-oxidase activity at 12 h (P<0.05), downregulatied the expression of TNF-α mRNA at all time pointy, (P<0.05),ICAM-1 mRNA at 6 h and 12h(P<0.05). Conclusions Rosightazone has the effect on pancreatitis in SAP through downregulating the expression of TNF-α mRNA and ICAM-1 mRNA.

Objective To evaluate the long-term outcome of acute kidney injury (AKI) during hospitalization after cardiac surgery.Methods 1 770 patients underwent cardiac surgery in Fudan University Zhongshan Hospital from April 2009 to February 2011 were enrolled.Based on the Kidney Disease:Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) guideline of AKI,the patients were divided into the AKI and the nonAKI groups,and followed up for 2 years.The 2-year survival rate and incidence of the advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) was compared between the two groups.Factors influencing the 2-year survival rate and incidence of the advanced CKD were also analyzed.Results Among all the patients,715 (40.4％) of them were developed AKT.(1) The 2-year survival rate of the AKI group was lower than that of the non-AKI group (83.2％ vs 93.6％ ;P ＜0.05).Compared with the non-AKI group,AKI group had an increased risk for death with the hazard ratio of 1.710 (95％ CI 1.250-2.340).COX regression analysis showed that AKI was an independent factor for death with the risk intensity just less than diabetes and chronic cardiac insufficiency.The advanced age,the preoperative history of chronic cardiac insufficiency and the time of staying in ICU also significantly increased the risk of death.(2) Compared with patients without AKI (0.2 ％),the incidence of the 2-year of advanced CKD was higher in patients with AKI (6.7 ％ ; P ＜ 0.05) with an hazard ratio of 31.220 (95 ％ CI 7.550-129.110).COX regression analysis showed that AKI was still the independent risk factor for advanced CKD after adjustment of other factors.In addition,diabetes,the time of the cardiopulmonary bypass and the time of staying in ICU were also associated with the risk for the advanced CKD.Conclusions AKI is common after cardiac surgery,which was associated with a decrease in the 2-year survival rate and an increase in the incidence of advanced CKD of patients,which emphasized the importance of prevention and treatment of AKI,and close follow-up of renal function for the improvement of patient long-term prognosis.

Abstract: Objective To establish a rapid detection assay based on fluorescence recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) targeting Necator americanus eggs, and to evaluate its efficacy, providing technical support for rapid detection of Necator americanus in fecal samples. Methods The fluorescence RPA primers and probe were designed based on the cox1 gene of Necator americanus and then screened the optimal combination to develop the assay. The genomic DNA of Necator americanus eggs was diluted to 7 concentration gradients including 100 pg/µL, 10 pg/µL, 1 pg/µL, 100 fg/µL, 10 fg/µL, 1 fg/µL, 0.1 fg/µL, to determine the detection limit of the assay. The specificity of the assay was demonstrated by detected genomic DNA from Schistosoma japonicum, Ascaris lumbricoides, Clonorchis sinensis and Fasciola hepatica. A total of 44 fecal samples were collected and DNA extraction was performed, and the modified Kato-Katz method, semi-nest PCR method, and fluorescent RPA method were simultaneously used for detection to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity. Results The established fluorescence RPA assay can specifically amplify a fragment of 194 bp of the Necator americanus cox1 gene within 20 min, with a detection limit of 10 fg/µL. There was no cross-reactivity with Schistosoma japonicum, Ascaris lumbricoides, Clonorchis sinensis, Fasciola hepatica after specificity validation. In 44 fecal samples, 27 positive samples were detected by the fluorescence RPA assay, and 26 positive samples were detected by both the Kato-Katz and the semi-nested PCR. The fluorescence curve of sample number 1 was slightly higher than the negative control in the later stage of the reaction, but did not show a similar trend to the positive control, and was therefore judged to be a suspected negative sample. Compared with the Kato-Katz method and the semi-nest PCR method, The sensitivity of the fluorescent RPA method were 100.00% and the specificity were 94.44%, and the consistency of the detection results was good (Kappa=0.953>0.75). Conclusions The assay based on the fluorescence RPA is an efficient, sensitive and specific technique for detecting Necator americanus and it can be applied for surveillance and early warning of hookworm infection.

Background Quartz dust cannot be degraded in the lungs, and inhalation of a large amount of quartz dust in the occupational production process will lead to the occurrence of pulmonary fibrosis, and then develop into silicosis. In recent years, studies have found that exosomes may be involved in the pathogenesis of fibrotic diseases by carrying microribonucleic acid (miRNA), but the mechanism of their actions in silicosis still needs to be studied. Objective To investigate the role of exosome-derived miRNA-21-5p/mothers against decapentaplegic homolog 7 (Smad7) in quartz dust-induced pulmonary fibrosis in rats. Methods Twenty-four healthy male SD rats were randomly divided into four groups (six rats in each group): control 4-week group, control 16-week group, quartz 4-week group, and quartz 16-week group. At the beginning of the experiment, 1 mL of quartz suspension (50 mg·mL⁻¹) and 1 mL of normal saline were injected into the trachea of rats in the quartz group and the control group, respectively, by means of one-time non-exposure intratracheal dust staining. Alveolar lavage was performed at the 4th and 16th weeks after dust staining, the exosomes in lavage solution were extracted by polyethylene glycol (PEG) precipitation, morphological identification was conducted by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), particle size of exosomes was detected by nano-tracking analysis (NTA), and the marker proteins CD9 and CD63 of exosomes were detected by Western blotting (WB). The expression of miRNA-21-5p in exosomes was determined by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The degree of lung tissue injury and fibrosis was observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining (HE) and Masson staining. The collagen content of lung tissue was detected by hydroxyproline (HYP) method. The expression of Smad7 protein in lung tissue was detected by WB. Results The results of pathological staining showed that compared with the control group, lung inflammatory cell infiltration, alveolar wall thickening, and collagen increase were observed after 4 weeks of dusting, and collagen deposition and silicon nodules appeared after 16 weeks of dusting. Compared with the control group, the expression level of HYP in the lung tissue of the quartz group was increased after 4 weeks and 16 weeks of dust staining (P<0.05). Transmission electron microscopy showed that exosomes were saucer-shaped, and the average particle size of exosomes was 95.8 nm by NTA. Positive expression of exosome marker proteins CD9 and CD81 was found by WB. Compared with the control group, the expression of exosome-derived miRNA-21-5p in alveolar lavage fluid in the quartz group increased in the 4th week and the 16th week (P<0.05), and the expression of Smad7 protein in lung tissue decreased (P<0.05). Conclusion Exosome-derived miRNA-21-5p and Smad7 may be involved in the mechanism of quartz dust-induced pulmonary fibrosis in rats.

Objective: To explore the effects of subchronic aluminum exposure on the level of N6-methyladenosine (m6A) methylation and the expression of N6-methyladenosine RNA binding protein 1 (YTHDF1) in the hippocampus of rats. Methods: Twenty-four healthy male SD rats were randomly divided into the control group (normal saline), the low dose group [10 μmol/kg Al(mal)3], the medium dose group [20 μmol/kg Al(mal)3] and the high dose group [40 μmol/kg Al(mal)3], with 6 rats in each group. The Al(mal)3 solution was administered via intraperitoneal injection on alternate days for 90 days. Escape latency, target quadrant dwell time and platform crossing times were tested to evaluate the learning and memory ability of the rats by the Morris water maze test after exposure. The brain tissue was weighted and the brain-to-body weight ratio was calculated after euthanasia. The level of m6A methylation and the expression of YTHDF1 were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and western blot assay, respectively. Results: All rats survived during aluminum exposure period. The brain-to-body weight ratios of the control group and the low, medium and high dose groups were (0.46±0.06)%, (0.44±0.04)%, (0.49±0.06)% and (0.51±0.07)%, respectively, with no statistically significant differences (P>0.05). The escape latency of rats in the high dose group was longer than that in control and low group during the third to fifth day (both P>0.05). The escape latency of rats in all groups was shortened with the increase of training days (P<0.05). The target quadrant dwell time of rats in low, medium and high dose groups were lower than that in control group, and the platform crossing times of rats in high dose group were lower than that in control group (all P<0.05). The methylation level of m6A and expression level of YTHDF1 in hippocampus of rats in medium and high dose groups was higher than that in control group (both P<0.05). Conclusion The learning and memory impairment caused by subchronic aluminum exposure may be related to the increase of m6A methylation level and the decrease of YTHDF1 expression.

Objective To investigate the risk factors and prognosis influential factors of acute kidney injury (AKI) after cardiac surgery.Methods The clinical data of patients who were hospitalized and underwent cardiac surgery from April 2009 to May 2011 were collected prospectively.Demographic characteristics,types of surgeries,preoperative renal function,pre-and intra-operative conditions and clinical outcomes,etc were recorded.Results A total of 4007 patients underwent cardiac surgery were recruited.The overall incidence of AKI was 31.2％ (1250/4007).The incidence of AKI requiring renal replacement treatment (AKI-RRT) was 2.6％ (104/4007).The overall hospital mortality was 1.9％ (77/4007),and was significantly higher in AKI group than in non-AKI group (5.4％ vs 0.3％,P ＜0.01).The hospital mortality of AKI-RRT group was 36.5％ (38/104).Grouped by type of surgery,cardiac transplantation had the highest AKI incidence (73.0％) and highest in-hospital mortality (18.9％),followed by coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) combined with valve surgery (AKI incidence 57.8％,in-hospital mortality 6.1％) and aneurysm surgery (AKI incidence 52.0％,in-hospital mortality 5.5％).Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that man,age,BMI,hypertension,chronic heart failure,pre-operative serum creatinine (SCr) ＞ 106.0 μmol/L,intra-operative cardiopulmonary bypass time,intra-operative hypotension and aneurysm surgery were the risk factors of AKI after cardiac surgery.Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that pre-operative SCr ＞ 106.0 μmol/L and intra-operative hypotension were independent risk factors of renal recovery after cardiac surgery while recovery of urine output was the favorable factor.Conclusions Cardiac surgery usually induces high AKI incidence and poor prognosis,which closely associated with many risk factors in peri-operative stage.The incidence of AKI is related to a number of perioperative risk factors.Heart transplantation,aneurysm surgery,CABG combined valve surgery are high risk surgeries.

The required time of conventional magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging technique is too long to be applied to clinic. It is necessary to develop the fast methods for magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging. Nowadays there are 7 kinds of methods presented, which come from MRI techniques. In this contribution the conventional spectroscopic imaging and 7 sorts of fast spectroscopic imaging are elaborated. It is envisaged that more rapid imaging techniques will be designed, if these arbitrary trajectory reconstruction methods in MRI are applied to spectroscopic imaging.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; methods ; trends ; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ; methods

A PC-based software was developed and programmed with VC++6 for reconstructing MR images from the data acquired on an irregular k-space trajectory. It can read clinical MRI raw data and image data, create numerical phantoms, design k-space trajectories, generate k-space data from numerical phantom, calculate weighting functions, reconstruct images, and carry out error analysis for the reconstructed images. It is helpful to the investigations of new k-space trajectories and new reconstruction algorithms.
Algorithms ; Bayes Theorem ; Brain ; anatomy & histology ; Fourier Analysis ; Humans ; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted ; methods ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; methods ; Programming Languages ; Software ; Software Design

To investigate the relationship between severity of cerebrovascular atherosclerosis stenosis and that of coronary atherosclerosis stenosis.Methods Cerebral angiography and coronary angiography were performed in 34 patients who had coronary disease with cerebral ischemia.Patients were divided into 3 subgroups according to the degree ofstenosis on angiography,concomitant diseases,risk factors and biochemical data.Results The follow-up study showed that the incidence of cardiac and cerebrovascular death increased significantly in patients with moderate to severe stenosis of coronary and cerebral arteries;the severity of stenosis in the coronary artery parallels that in the solitary carotid artery,or dual carotid and vertebral arteries.Conclusions Patients with coronary and cerebral artery stenosis,especially those with multi-risk factors,such as hypertension,diabetes and cigarette smoking,should receive intensive treatment to reduce cardiac and cerebrovascular events.(J Geriatr Cardiol 2008;5:227-229)