Objective To investigate the relationship of gene polymorphisms of angiotensin eonvertion enzyme (ACE), aldosterone synthase (CYP11B2)and α-adducin with subclinical renal lesion. Methods I/D polymorphism of ACE gene, -344T/C polymorphism of CYP11B2 gene and 460G/T polymorphism of α-adduein gene were detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restrictive fragment length polymorphism(RFLP) in 604 normotensive subjects and 1081 primary hypertensive patients whose creatinine (Cr) were less than 2mg/L. The primary hypertensive and normotensive subjects were divided respectively into normal group (Ccr≥60ml/min) and subclinical renal lesion (Ccr＜60 ml/min) group, according to creatinine clearance rate (Ccr) calculated by Cockcroft-Gault equation. Results ANOVA, contingency X2 and partition of chi-square were selected. The frequencies of different genotypes of ACE, CYP11B2, and α-adducin were in agreement with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in our study. Normal renal function group (A group, n=512) and subclinical renal lesion group (B group, n=92) in normotensive subjects, and normal renal function group (C group, n=828) and subclinical renal lesion group (D group, n=252) in hypertensive patients were compared. The patients in B and D groups were older than those in A and C groups (P<0.01). But there were no significant differences in the age between B and D groups, and between A and C groups. The frequency of ACE-DD genotype in D group was the highest (22.6%) among four groups and the frequency of α-adducin-TT genotype in A group was the lowest (13.3%) among four groups (all P<0.01). The differences of genotype frequencies of ACE and α-adducin genes among other three groups were not significant. No significant difference was found in frequencies of genotypes of CYP11B2 among four groups. Conclusions Subclinical renal lesion is increased with the aging. ACE-DD genotype is related with hypertension and subclinical renal lesion, while α-adducin-TT genotype is related with hypertension and subclinical renal lesion. Association between the genotypes of CYP11B2 and subclinical renal lesion is not found.

In order to lower the cost of lipid production of microalgae and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, microalgae Chlorococcum alkaliphilus MC-1 with the characteristics of rapid pH drift and high pH adaptability, was cultivated with bubbling of flue gas. The experiment was first performed in the photobioreactor (15 L) in three groups (control group, CO2 group and flue gas group), then, in the open raceway pond (24 m2). The adaptability of microalgae MC-1 to the cultivation with flue gas was studied. The results showed that the maximum biomass concentration, growth rate, total lipid content and CO2 fixation rate were (1.02+/-0.07) g/L, (0.12+/-0.02) g/(L.d), (37.84+/-0.58)% and (0.20+/-0.02) g/(L.d) in the photobioreactor treated with flue gas, 36%, 33.33%, 15.34% and 33.33% higher than those of the CO2 group, respectively. In the open raceway pond with aeration of flue gas, the maximum biomass concentration, growth rate, total lipid content and CO2 fixation rate were 147.40 g/m2, 14.73 g/(m2.d), 35.72% and 24.01 g/(m2.d), respectively, which were similar to the cultivation with pure CO2. The toxic heavy metal contents (Pb, As, Cd and Cr) in the biomass of MC-1 treated with flue gas were all below the legal limits. Additionally, the absorptive effect of CO2, NO and SO2 were determined. In the photobioreactor and open raceway pond, the average absorption ratios of these gases were all higher than previous studies. Therefore, our study showed that MC-1 can adapt to the cultivation with flue gas, and it is feasible to enlarge the outdoor cultivation of MC-1 for lipid production coupling with emissions reduction of flue gas.
Adaptation, Physiological ; physiology ; Carbon Dioxide ; chemistry ; Chlorophyta ; classification ; growth & development ; physiology ; Culture Media ; metabolism ; Culture Techniques ; methods ; Gases ; chemistry ; Microalgae ; classification ; growth & development ; physiology ; Nitric Oxide ; chemistry ; Sulfur Dioxide ; chemistry

Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction combined with anterolateral ligament(ALL)reconstruction in ACL injury patients with high-grade pivot shift.Methods From May 2015 to April 2016,156 patients underwent ACL reconstruction by the same surgeon,and 22 of them with grade 2/3 pivot shift were included in this study.Anteroposterior knee stability was evaluated using KT1000 measurement,and the rotatory stability was assessed using the pivot-shift test.The Lysholm score was used to monitor the clinical function.Results There were 14 male subjects and 8 females,with an average age of 29.3 years.The mean follow-up period was 8.6 months.The mean side-to-side difference of anteroposterior knee laxity was 2.1 ± 0.6 mm,significantly improved compared with the preoperative 8.9 ± 3.1 mm.The preoperative pivot-shift indicated 2+ in 20 patients and 3+ in 2 patients,while at the final follow-up,21 patients had negative pivot shift with 1 of 1+ pivot shift.The difference was significant.The average Lysholm score improved significantly from 60.5 ± 12.3 preoperatively to 79.2 ± 7.8 at the final follow-up.Conclusion The rotatory instability can be effectively restored through the ACL reconstruction combined with ALL reconstruction in patients with high-grade pivot shift.The early-stage knee stability and functional outcomes indicate significant improvement postoperatively.

To screen the pathogenic mutation location in a genetic family with the neurofibromatosis (NF1) by the next generation sequencing and analyze the clinical phenotype,Illumina Miseq sequencing was applied to capture and analyze the target regions of NF1 family's probands,and furtherly find out the suspicious mutations,as well as to verify the family members by Sanger sequencing.Two rare variants were identified in proband,including the heterozygous missense mutation c.C3649T (p.P1217S) in KIF1B gene and the missense mutation c.T6311C (p.L2104P) on exon 41 of NF1 gene (NM_000267.3).The amino acid at position 2104 was found to be changed from leucine to proline in NF1.The protein prediction SIFT and Polyphen-2 values were 0,0.997,which predicted a conformational change in the encoded protein and eventually affected its function.The mutation c.T6311C in NF1 gene was detected in all patients in this family,which showed genetic co-segregation.The clinical phenotype was neurofibroma in the spinal canal.There were no café au lait spots,iris Lisch nodules,scoliosis,tinnitus,heating loss,or elevated intracranial pressure.The missense mutation c.T6311C (p.L2104P) in NF1 gene might be the genetic cause of this hereditary disease of neurofibromatosis.

Objective To establish a trimethyltin chloride (TMT) -induced learning and memory impairment model in rats, and to investigate the protective effects and potential mechanisms of ferulic acid. Methods Specific pathogen-free male SD rats were randomly divided into control group, TMT intoxication group, fluoxetine group and 25, 50, 100 mg/kg ferulic acid group. The rats in the last five groups were injected with a dose of 8 mg/kg body weight TMT solution, and the rats in control group were injected with the same volume of 0.9% sodium chloride solution. After 24 hours of TMT injection, the rats in fluoxetine group were treated 10 mg/kg body weight of fluoxetine, the rats in the three ferulic acid groups were treated with ferulic acid at doses of 25, 50, and 100 mg/kg body weight, respectively. The rats in the control group and TMT intoxication group were treated with the same volume of 0.9% sodium chloride solution, once per day for continuous gavage for 28 days. Morris water maze experiment and light-dark box test were used to assess the learning and memory abilities of the rats. The mRNA and protein expressions of nuclear transcription factor-κB (NF-κB), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) in the rat hippocampus were detected by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blot. The levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA) and the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) in the rat hippocampus were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results Compared with the control group, rats of TMT intoxication group on day four had prolonged escape latency (P<0.05), fewer platform crossing (P<0.05), shorter time spent in the target quadrant and shorter latency to enter the dark compartment (all P<0.05). The mRNA and protein relative expression of NF-κB, TNF-α and IL-1β increased (all P<0.05), ROS and MDA levels increased (all P<0.05), SOD and CAT activities decreased (all P<0.05) in the rat hippocampus of TMT intoxication group on day four compared with that of the control group. Except for the terms of escape latency and target quadrant period of the rats in the 25 mg/kg ferulic acid group, rats in three ferulic acid groups on day four had lower escape latency (all P<0.05), more platform crossing (all P<0.05), longer period in the target quadrant and longer latency to enter the dark compartment (all P<0.05), compared with TMT intoxication group. Except for the relative protein expression of TNF-α in the rats of 50 mg/kg ferulic acid group, the mRNA and protein expression of NF-κB, TNF-α and IL-1β decreased (all P<0.05), ROS and MDA levels were reduced (all P<0.05), and the activities of SOD and CAT increased (all P<0.05) in the hippocampus of rats of 50 and 100 mg/kg ferulic acid groups compared with TMT intoxication group. Conclusion Ferulic acid can reverse TMT-induced learning and memory impairment in rats, and its mechanism of action may be related to alleviating oxidative stress damage and excessive inflammatory response in rat hippocampus.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of subacute systemic inhalation exposure of 1,2-dichloroethane(1,2-DCE) on learning and memory in NIH mice. METHODS: Forty-five specific pathogen free healthy 7-week-old NIH mice were randomly divided into control,low-dose and high-dose groups with 5 female mice and 10 male mice in each group. The mice were exposed to 1,2-DCE at dosages of 0. 00,100. 00 and 350. 00 mg/m3 for 6 hours per day for consecutive 28 days by dynamic systemic inhalation. The neurobehavioral tests of mice were performed before and after the first to fourth weeks of exposure using the Morris water maze test. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in body weight and swimming speed among the three groups of mice( P > 0. 05). The navigation experiment results showed that the escape latency of mice in both low-and high-dose groups were longer than that of the control group at the same time point(P < 0. 05) during 1-4 weeks after exposure. In the control group,the escape latency was shorter than that of the same group before exposure( P < 0. 05). The escape latency of high-dose group prolonged with the increase of exposure time,and in the 4 th week the escape latency was significantly higher than that of the same group before exposure( P < 0. 05).The experiment results of space exploration indicated that the first time of crossing platform in low-and high-dose groups were longer than that of the control group at the second to the fourth week( P < 0. 05). The target quadrant retention time and the number of crossing the platform in the low-and high-dose groups were lower than those in the control group( P <0. 05). CONCLUSION: Subacute inhalation exposure of 1,2-DCE can impair the learning and memory ability of NIH mice.The high-dose exposure may reduce learning ability in mice in a time-effect manner.

Objective:To systematically describe the characteristics and trends of clinical studies on aesthetic and plastic devices from 2016 to 2020 in China.Methods:Clinical studies on aesthetic and plastic devices conducted in China from 2016 to 2020 were identified through ClinicalTrials.gov and the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry using predetermined search strings. Data on indications, medical device, sponsor type, and study design were collected and analyzed.Results:From 2016 to 2020, 118 registered clinical studies were identified and analyzed, among which 100 trials (84.7%) were initiated by medical institutions and the remaining were initiated by medical device enterprises. The number of studies increased from 12 to 42 from 2016 to 2020 with an average annual growth rate of 39.6%. For indication types, there are 90(76.3%) studies on skin defects, followed by 21(17.8%) on maxillofacial defects, 5(4.2%) on hair defects and 2(1.7%) on breast defects. The top four indications were scars, acne, nasolabial folds, and port-wine stains. For device types, photoelectric devices were involved in 73(61.9%) studies, followed by surgical devices [20(16.9%)] and injection devices [19(16.1%)]. Laser devices were the research focus among all photoelectric device categories. There were 11 clinical studies on scar treatment using laser treatment equipment, of which 6 trials applied parallel controlled study design, and the remaining trials applied self-controlled design. The sample size of these 11 trials ranged from 15 to 110.Conclusions:The number of registered clinical studies on aesthetic and plastic devices kept growing in the last few years. Skin related indications and photoelectric devices have become the hot spot in the field.

Objective:To systematically describe the characteristics and trends of clinical studies on aesthetic and plastic devices from 2016 to 2020 in China.Methods:Clinical studies on aesthetic and plastic devices conducted in China from 2016 to 2020 were identified through ClinicalTrials.gov and the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry using predetermined search strings. Data on indications, medical device, sponsor type, and study design were collected and analyzed.Results:From 2016 to 2020, 118 registered clinical studies were identified and analyzed, among which 100 trials (84.7%) were initiated by medical institutions and the remaining were initiated by medical device enterprises. The number of studies increased from 12 to 42 from 2016 to 2020 with an average annual growth rate of 39.6%. For indication types, there are 90(76.3%) studies on skin defects, followed by 21(17.8%) on maxillofacial defects, 5(4.2%) on hair defects and 2(1.7%) on breast defects. The top four indications were scars, acne, nasolabial folds, and port-wine stains. For device types, photoelectric devices were involved in 73(61.9%) studies, followed by surgical devices [20(16.9%)] and injection devices [19(16.1%)]. Laser devices were the research focus among all photoelectric device categories. There were 11 clinical studies on scar treatment using laser treatment equipment, of which 6 trials applied parallel controlled study design, and the remaining trials applied self-controlled design. The sample size of these 11 trials ranged from 15 to 110.Conclusions:The number of registered clinical studies on aesthetic and plastic devices kept growing in the last few years. Skin related indications and photoelectric devices have become the hot spot in the field.

Sleep status is an important indicator to evaluate the health status of human beings. In this paper, we proposed a novel type of unperturbed sleep monitoring system under pillow to identify the pattern change of heart rate variability (HRV) through obtained RR interval signal, and to calculate the corresponding sleep stages combined with hidden Markov model (HMM) under the no-perception condition. In order to solve the existing problems of sleep staging based on HMM, ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) was proposed to eliminate the error caused by the individual differences in HRV and then to calculate the corresponding sleep stages. Ten normal subjects of different age and gender without sleep disorders were selected from Guangzhou Institute of Respirator Diseases for heart rate monitoring. Comparing sleep stage results based on HMM to that of polysomnography (PSG), the experimental results validate that the proposed noninvasive monitoring system can capture the sleep stages S1-S4 with an accuracy more than 60%, and performs superior to that of the existing sleep staging scheme based on HMM.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effects of different anesthetics and blood sampling methods on blood routine test results in experimental animals. METHODS: A total of 42 specific pathogen free( SPF) male Sprague Dawley( SD) rats and 59 SPF male Kunming( KM) mice were randomly divided into 4 groups( control group,ether group,chloral hydrate group and pentobarbital sodium group). Ether group animals were treated with ether inhalation anesthesia; animals in chloral hydrate group and pentobarbital sodium group were injected intraperitoneally with chloral hydrate or pentobarbital sodium. The control group received no anesthesia treatment. Blood samples were collected by different ways: orbital venous plexus,abdominal aorta or eyeball enucleation. White blood cell( WBC) count,red blood cell( RBC) count,platelet(PLT) count,hemoglobin(Hb) level and hematocrit(HCT) in blood samples were analyzed. RESULTS: The RBC count,Hb level and HCT of SD rats in pentobarbital sodium group were significantly lower than those in control group( P <0. 05). The HCT of SD rats in ether group was lower than that in control group( P < 0. 05). The WBC count of orbital venous plexus of KM mice was lower than that taken by eyeball enucleation in control group( P < 0. 05),but the WBC count of orbital venous plexus was higher than that taken by eyeball enucleation in chloral hydrate group( P < 0. 05). The RBC count,Hb level,HCT of KM mice in pentobarbital sodium group were significantly lower than those in control group(P < 0. 05). CONCLUSION: The anesthetic can affect the blood routine test results of experimental animals. Different blood sampling methods have effects on blood routine test results of KM mice.