Objective To evaluate the clinical value of epicardial echocardiographic examination in cardiac valve surgery.Methods Epicardial echocardiography were performed in 46 patients undergoing valvular plasty or valvular replacement surgery to estimate the function of valve and left ventricle and residual shunt during cardiac surgery.Results Twelve cases of 46(26.1％)showed abnormality during cardiac surgery.Two cases of 15 patients performed valvuloplasty were changed to valvular replacement because of remarkable regurgitation of native valves.There was 1 case of periprosthetic leakage,3 cases of left atrial appendage thrombus,1 case of patent foramen ovale and 5 cases of low ejection of left ventricle in all 31 cases of valvular replacement.Conclusions Epicardial echocardiograpyc examination is an effective examination in cardiac valve surgery with clearly image,simplicity operation and promptness.

AIM: To explore the mechanism of apoptosis in pulmonary arterial vascular smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) induced by nitric oxide (NO). METHODS: Wistar rat PASMCs were isolated from explants from the intrapulmonary, incubated with NO donor, sodium nitroprussid (SNP) under 12 or 24 hour normoxic and hypoxic conditions. The cell cycle progression and sub-G 1 of PASMC were analyzed via flow cytometric staining of propidium iodide, and the expression of nuclear transcription factor NF-?B and pro-apoptotic factors caspase-3 were detected using immunochemistry staining. Meanwhile gel electrophoresis of extracted DNA by PASMC was performed. RESULTS: SNP induced PASMC apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner ( P

Water soluble extract (WSE) is an important index for the quality evaluation of Astragali Radix (AR). In this study, the WSE of the wild AR from Shanxi province (SX) and the cultivated AR from Gansu Province (GS) were compared. The WSEs of two types of AR were determined according to the appendix of Chinese pharmacopoeia. Then the WSEs were subjected to NMR analysis, and the obtained data were analyzed using HCA, PCA, OPLS-DA, microarray analysis, and Spearman rank analysis. In addition, the Pearson correlation of differential metabolites were also calculated. The results showed that the WSE content of GS-AR (37.80%) was higher than that of SX-AR (32.13%). The main constituent of WSE was sucrose, and other 18 compounds, including amino acids, organic acids, were also detected. Multivariate analysis revealed that SX-AR contained more choline, succinic acid, citric acid, glutamate, taurine and aspartate, while GS samples contained more sucrose, arginine and fumaric acid. In addition, the Pearson correlations between different metabolites of the two types of AR also showed apparent differences. The results suggested that the WSE of two types of AR differs not only in the content, but also in the chemical compositions. Thus, the cultivation way is important to the quality of AR. This study supplied a new method for the comparison of extract of herbal drugs.
Arginine ; analysis ; Aspartic Acid ; analysis ; Choline ; analysis ; Citric Acid ; analysis ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; analysis ; chemistry ; Fumarates ; analysis ; Glutamic Acid ; analysis ; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ; Multivariate Analysis ; Phylogeography ; Plant Roots ; chemistry ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Succinic Acid ; analysis ; Sucrose ; analysis ; Taurine ; analysis

OBJECTIVE: Osteoblasts are essential for osteogenesis and bone metabolism, the in vitro culture of osteoblasts is the foundation for studies on bone metabolism and osteogenetic mechanism. Therefore, it is of great significance to study the related factors affecting it.DATA SOURCES: Related literature about the influencing factors of in vitro culture of osteoblasts were searched for in Medline from January 1980 to December 2004 with retrieval words of "osteoblasts, culture in vitro, in fluencing factors", with the language limited to English. Meanwhile, it was also searched in the CBM between January 1995 and December 2004 with the retrieval words of "osteoblasts, in vitro culture, influencing factors",with the language of the articles limited to Chinese.STUDY SELECTION: After preliminary examination, literature that met the need of this study was searched for the full text. Inclusion criteria: Factors influencing the in vitro culture of osteoblasts included ① physical factors; ② microelements; ③ growth factors; and ④ hormones.Reviews were removed from this study because of summary or repetitive research.DATA EXTRACTION: A total of 105 articles related to the influencing factors of the in vitrocul ture of osteoblasts were obtained, articles of repetitive and similar researchwere removed; thereby 17 articles were included in the study.DATA SYNTHESIS: ① Physical factors: Ionizing radiation, microgravity,external force, and oxygen pressure. ② Microelements: microelement deficiency would hinder the skeletal growth, or even lead to malformation. Osteoblastic proliferation is closely related to some microelements, mainly including zinc, aluminum, fluorine, copper, manganese, calcium, and magnesium. ③ Growth factors closely related to osteogenesis mainly consist of bone morphogenetic protein, platelet-derived growth factor, fibroblast growth factor, transforming growth factor-beta, insulin like growth factor,and osteogenic growth peptide (OGP). ④ Hormones capable of promoting the proliferation and differentiation are growth hormone, estrogen, thyroxine, parathyroxine, and glucocorticosteroid.CONCLUSION: Multiple factors are involved in the in vitro culture of osteoblasts. It is helpful to understand these influencing factors to seek an effective way for the in vitro culture ofosteoblasts that is applied in tissue engineering.

OBJECTIVETo explore the effect and mechanism of hirudin on atherosclerotic plaques in apolipoprotein E knockout (ApoE(-/-)) mice.

METHODSTotally 24 ApoE(-/-) mice, 7-8 weeks old were fed with high fat diets. They were randomly divided into the recombinant hirudin treatment group (drug group) and the model group according to body weight and different dens, 12 in each group. Twelve C57BL/6J mice, 7-8 weeks old fed with high fat diet were recruited as the normal control group. Recombinant hirudin (0.25 mg/kg) was intraperitoneally injected to mice in the drug group from the 10th week old once every other day for five successive weeks. Equal volume of normal saline was injected to mice in the model group. Mice in the normal control group received no treatment. All mice were sacrificed after fed with high fat diet until they were 20 weeks old. Serum levels of total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), E-selectin, interleukin-6 (IL-6), and stromal metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) were detected. The plaque/lumen area and extracellular lipid composition/ plaque area were analyzed by HE staining and morphometry. Changes of signaling molecules in store-operated calcium channels, including stromal interacting molecule 1 (STIM1), Orail protein, and transient receptor potential channel 1 (TRPC1) were determined by Western blot. Results Lipid plaque formed in the aorta vessel wall of 20-week old mice in the model group. Compared with the normal control group, serum levels of TC, TG and LDL increased (P<0.01), hs-CRP, E-selction, IL-6, and MMP-2 obviously increased (P<0.01, P<0.05) in the model group; expression levels of STIM1, TRPC1, and Orail significantly increased (P<0.01). Compared with the model group, the plaque/lumen area and the extracellular lipid composition/plaque area significantly decreased in the drug group (P<0.05, P<0.01); serum levels of TC and LDL, hs-CRP, E-selction, IL-6, and MMP-2 obviously decreased (P<0.05, P<0.01); expression levels of STIM1, TRPC1, and Orail were significantly down-regulated (P<0.05, P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONHirudin could significantly improve lipids and endothelial functions of ApoE(-/-) mice, down-regulate expression levels of STIM1, Orai1, and TRPC1, and thus delaying the occurrence and development of atherosclerosis.

Animals ; Aorta ; Apolipoproteins E ; metabolism ; Atherosclerosis ; C-Reactive Protein ; Cholesterol ; Diet, High-Fat ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; E-Selectin ; Hirudins ; metabolism ; Interleukin-6 ; Lipids ; Lipoproteins, HDL ; Lipoproteins, LDL ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Mice, Knockout ; Plaque, Atherosclerotic ; metabolism ; Recombinant Proteins ; metabolism ; Triglycerides

Objective:To evaluate the clinical value of Truview~(TM)EVO_2 optic laryngoscope by comparing it with the Macintosh laryngoscope in patients receiving cervical vertebral surgery.Methods:One hundred patients scheduled for elective cervical vertebral surgery were enrolled in this randomized crossover study.After induction,the patients'glottis in group A (n=50)was displayed by Macintosh laryngoscope and the Cormack-Lehane(C/L)grade was recorded,and then optic laryngoscope was employed to display the laryngeal structure.The order of laryngoscopy attempts was reversed in group B(n= 50).Parameters recorded included demographics,airway assessment feat ures(BMI,thyromental distance,mandibular size,mouth opening,mallampati oropharyngeal scale,and neck movement),C/L grade,laryngoscopic force applied,duration of intubation, difficulties of laryngeal view and injury of upper airway.Results:There were no significant difference in demographics,airway assessment features,C/L grade and duration of intubation between the 2 groups,whereas the laryngoscopic force in group A was significantly lower than that in group B(P

With the elucidation of structures and functions, antibodies are widely applied in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Today, therapeutic antibodies have played ever increasing roles in the treatment of cancers. In fact, there are over 20 monoclonal antibodies which have been approved by the U.S.Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the therapeutic use in cancers. For the gastric and colorectal cancers, there are at least 9 antibodies have been approved for cancer therapy or for clinical trials. These antibody drugs target to tumor associate antigens and can destroy the cancer cells through several mechanisms such as antibody-dependent cell cytotoxicity, complement-dependent cytotoxicity, blockage of blood nutrition and crucial signaling pathways. With the progress in gene engineering technology, the diverse structures of antibodies can be created. In addition, the antibody-conjugates with radioisotopes, toxins and cytotoxins, are also designed for targeted therapy of gastric and colorectal cancers. In this article, we review the trends in the clinical development and application of antibody drugs for future research and development of the rapidly expanding therapeutic modality in gastric and colorectal cancers.
Antibodies ; therapeutic use ; Gastrointestinal Neoplasms ; therapy ; Humans ; Immunization, Passive

OBJECTIVETo investigate the chemical constituents of Patrinia villosa.

METHODThe chemical constituents were isolated by silica gel column chromatography and semi-preparative high-performance liquid chromatography, and identified by physicochemical properties and spectral analysis (MS, 1H-NMR and 13C-NMR).

RESULTSeven compounds were isolated from ethyl acetate and n-butanol extract and identified as: 5-hydroxyl-7, 3', 4'-trimethoxy flavone (I), 5-hydroxyl-7, 4'-dimethoxy flavone (II), luteolin (III), quercetin (IV), isoorientin (V), isovitexin (VI) and 8-C glucosylprunetin (VII).

CONCLUSIONCompounds I , II, III, V, VI and VIII were obtained from the plant of genus Patrinia for the first time, compound IV was separated from P. villosa for the first time.

Apigenin ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Luteolin ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Patrinia ; chemistry ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Quercetin ; chemistry ; isolation & purification

OBJECTIVETo investigate the clinical effect of microsurgical vasoepididymostomy and/or vasovasostomy in the treatment of obstructive azoospermia.

METHODSThis study included 76 patients with obstructive azoospermia, 53 treated by bilateral vasoepididymostomy (8 involving the epididymal head, 18 involving the epididymal body, 5 involving the epididymal tail, and 22 involving the epididymal head, body and tail), 14 by unilateral vasoepididymostomy, and the other 9 by unilateral vasoepididymostomy + unilateral vasovasostomy (including cross anastomosis). We followed up the patients for 2 to 16 months for the patency rate, routine semen parameters, and pregnancy outcomes.

RESULTSThe success rate of bilateral vasoepididymostomy, unilateral vasoepididymostomy, and unilateral vasoepididymostomy + unilateral vasovasostomy (including cross anastomosis) were 62.26% (33/53), 35.71% (5/14), and 77.78% (7/9), respectively. The average sperm concentrations in the three groups of patients were (27.9 +/- 5.74), (11.8 +/- 8.33), and (19.9 +/- 7.53) x 10(6)/ml, the average total sperm counts were (65.6 +/- 13.71), (28.0 +/- 15.86), and (69.2 +/- 28.59) x 10(6), and the mean rates of progressively motile sperm were (22.3 +/- 3.18), (11.0 +/- 9.77), and (15.8 +/- 5.05)%, respectively. The success rates of bilateral vasoepididymostomy that involved the epididymal head, body, tail, and all the three parts were 62.5, 72.22, 60, and 54.55%, respectively. Natural pregnancy was achieved in 8 (10.53%) of the total number of cases.

CONCLUSIONMicrosurgery is effective for the treatment obstructive azoospermia. Unilateral vasoepididymostomy + unilateral vasovasostomy is superior to the other procedures, followed by bilateral vasoepididymostomy. Bilateral vasoepididymostomy involving the epididymal body may achieve a slightly better effect than that involving the other epididymal parts.

Adult ; Anastomosis, Surgical ; methods ; Azoospermia ; etiology ; surgery ; Epididymis ; surgery ; Female ; Humans ; Infertility, Male ; surgery ; Male ; Microsurgery ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Rate ; Sperm Count ; Treatment Outcome ; Vas Deferens ; surgery ; Vasovasostomy ; methods

This paper discusses variations of laparoscopic transgastric cystogastrostomy in management of retrogastric pancreatic pseudocysts for 8 patients with symptom or pseudocysts (larger than 6 cm) companied with clinical manifestations.Using a Harmonic scalpel,two 3-5-cm incisions were made in the anterior and posterior gastric wall respectively.In the last step,the anterior gastrotomy was closed with an Endo-GIA stapler.All cases were successfully treated without large blood loss and without conversion to open surgery.The mean operative time was 114.29±19.24 min,blood loss was 157.14±78.70 mL,and mean hospital stay was 8.29±2.98 days,Gastric fistula occurred in one case on the postoperative day 7,and closed 1 month later.No bleeding was seen in all patients during the perioperative follow-up period.CT scans,given one month after the surgeries,displayed that the pancreatic pseudocysts disappeared or decreased in size,and ultrasounds showed no fluid or food residue in stomas at the third and fifth month following surgery.No patient experienced a recurrence during the follow-up period.Transgastric laparoscopic cystogastrostomy is a minimally invasive surgical procedure with a high rate of success and a low rate of recurrence,accompanied by rapid recovery.It is easy to master,safe to perform and may be the preferred option to treat retrogastric pancreatic pseudocysts.