Objective Analyzing the impact of teachers' background characteristics on the Students' evaluation to improve the quality of teaching from the angle of the teachers professional development. Methods Based on the data of students' evaluation of teaching of Shanghai medical college of Fudan University from 2008 to 2011, the article analyzed the teachers' gender, age, job title, diploma, and other relevant background characteristics. Excell2007 was used to build dataset and the data was analyzed statistically by software of SPSS 11.0 and expressed with x±s. The statis-tical method of one-way analysis of variance was used to compare the teachers with different genders, education backgrounds, ages and professional titles, showing statistically significant difference (P<0.05). Results comparative analysis showed that no statistically significant differences existed in fac-ulty teaching evaluation scores among the teachers of different genders or different education back-grounds(P=0.613 9、0.891 0). There were however significant differences in teaching evaluation of teachers of diverse ages and professional ranks(P=0.017 3 and P=0.032 5). Conclusions According to the analysis results of faculty teaching evaluations, associate professors' teaching evaluation scores were lower than intermediate grade teachers', and the score of the teachers between the age of 41 to 45 was lower than that of the teachers between the age of 36 to 40. Therefore individual variations and various social backgrounds of teaching faculties should be taken into consideration and the corre-sponding countermeasures for the professional development of teachers should been put forward. In addition, the cultivation of new teachers, young and middle-aged teachers should be strengthened, and the proportion of teaching evaluation in the Performance Appraisal should be increased.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the change of Th17/Treg cell in patients with psoriasis arthritis (PA) and its clinical significance.

METHODSThe levels of IL-17 and TGF-β1 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) in PA patients (n=35) and healthy controls(n=30). The frequencies of Th17 and Treg in the peripheral blood were detected by flow cytometry.

RESULTSCompared with the healthy controls, Th17/Treg in peripheral blood were significantly increased (p<0.05), Th17-related cytokine IL-17 significantly increased (p<0.05), and TGF-β1 significantly decreased (p<0.05) in the PA patients.

CONCLUSIONTh17/Treg cell and the related cytokines IL-17 and TGF-β1 may be involved in the pathogenesis of PA.

Aged ; Arthritis, Psoriatic ; blood ; immunology ; Case-Control Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Interleukin-17 ; blood ; Male ; Middle Aged ; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory ; immunology ; Th17 Cells ; immunology ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1 ; blood

Objective To study effect of excessive iodine intake on sodium-iodide symporter(NIS)mRNA and protein expression of breast in lactating rats.Methods60 Wistar rats,having been weaned for one month,were randomly divided into three groups according to their body weights,I.e,①normal iodine(NI,30 rats);②ten fold high iodine(10 HI,15 rats);③one hundred fold high iodine(100 HI,15 rats).Eating food containing iodine of 300μg/L and drinking water of iodine at 5,1845,20 295μg/L,respectively.After fed for 3 months,the rats mated and had offspring,and urine and milk iodine of lactating rats were determined by As-Ce-catalytic spectrophotometric method.Their marmnary glands were sampled at lactation day 10.Then NIS mRNA expression by RT-PCR was determined and NIS protein by immunohistochemistry(SABC)was observed.Results The urine iodine of 10 HI group(3597.5μg/L)and 100HI group(25 404.3μg/L)increased obviously compared with that of NI group(344.7μg/L).The milk iodine of 10HI group(27.1×103μg/L)and 100HI group(191.0×1μg/L)was higher than that of NI group(6.0×103μg/L),but the increased fold of milk iodine was not paralleled with that of urine iodine.Difference of NIS mRNA expression was significant(F=24.19,P＜0.01)among the groups,and the NIS mRNA expression in 10HI(1.250±0.034)and 100HI(1.272±0.039)group were less than that in NI (1.532±0.044)group(P＜0.01).The breast NIS mRNA expression in lactating rats(1.532±0.044)was significantly higher than that in unlactating rats(0.879±0.018,P＜0.01).With the increasing iodine uptake,NIS protein expression decreased.Conclusions The NIS mRNA and protein in rat breasts is down-regulated by excessive iodine intake.So increasing extent of milk iodine concentration is inhibited,which is important to prevent off-spring from getting excessive iodine intake from parental generation.

Acute Disease ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Angina Pectoris ; blood ; Angina, Unstable ; blood ; C-Reactive Protein ; analysis ; Coronary Disease ; blood ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Myocardial Infarction ; blood ; Pregnancy-Associated Plasma Protein-A ; analysis

BACKGROUNDParaquat (PQ; 1, 1'-dimethyl-4, 4'-bipyridinium), a widely used herbicide that is structurally similar to the known dopaminergic neurotoxicant MPTP (1-methyl-1, 2, 3, 6-tetrahydropyridine), has been suggested as a potential etiologic factor for the development of Parkinson's disease (PD). Aging is an accepted risk factor for idiopathic Parkinson's disease. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that paraquat could induce PD-like nigrostriatal dopaminergic degeneration in aging C57BL/6 mice.

METHODSSenile male C57BL/6 mice were intraperitoneally injected with either saline or PQ at 2-day intervals for a total of 10 doses. Locomotor activity and performance on the pole test were measured 7 days after the last injection and animals were sacrificed one day later. Level of dopamine (DA) and its metabolites levels in the striatum were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography with an electrochemical detector (HPLC-ECD), and numbers of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) positive neurons were estimated using immunohistochemistry.

RESULTSLocomotor activities were significantly decreased and the behavioral performance on the pole test were significantly impaired in the PQ treated group. Level of DA and its metabolites levels in the striatum were declined by 8 days after the last injection. Immunohistochemical analyses showed that PQ was associated with a reduction in numbers of tyrosine hydroxylase positive neurons.

CONCLUSIONSLong-term repeated exposes to PQ can selectively impair the nigrostriatal dopaminergic system of senile mice, suggesting that PQ could play an important role in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD). Our results also validate a novel model of PD induced by exposure to a toxic environmental agent.

Aging ; pathology ; Animals ; Corpus Striatum ; drug effects ; Disease Models, Animal ; Dopamine ; analysis ; metabolism ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Motor Activity ; drug effects ; Paraquat ; toxicity ; Parkinson Disease, Secondary ; chemically induced ; Substantia Nigra ; drug effects ; enzymology ; Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase ; analysis

OBJECTIVESTo investigate the profile of liver histological damage after autologous adoptive immunotherapy with cytokine-induced killer cells (CIK cells) in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB).

METHODS16 CHB patients were randomly enrolled and received autologous adoptive immunotherapy, then followed up 52 weeks. Liver samples were taken from the patients to evaluate the degree of inflammation and fibrosis. The markers of hepatitis B virus and liver function were also detected.

RESULTS4 patients had two liver-biopsied samples before therapy and after 52 weeks follow-up. One patient's histological assessment revealed a significant improvement in intralobular necroinflammation (G2 --> G1) and fibrosis (S2 --> S1). The others failed to show obvious changes in liver histology. After 10 days culture in vitro, phenotypic characterization of CIK cells changed significantly by flow cytometry. The percentage of CD4+ cells decreased gradually, while the percentage of CD8+ cells increased from 20% to 60% - 80%. After 52 weeks follow-up, HBV DNA was negative (HBV DNA<4pg/ml in serum) in 6 out of 14 patients. The rates of both HBeAg/anti-HBe seroconversion and alanine aminotransferase normalization were 42.86%(6/14). There was no HBsAg/anti-HBs seroconversion. There was few severe treatment-related adverse events.

CONCLUSIONAutologous adoptive immunotherapy doesn't induce the damage of liver histology in chronic hepatitis B patients, which inhibits hepatitis B virus replication by a certain noncytotoxic mechanism.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; CD4-CD8 Ratio ; DNA, Viral ; analysis ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; immunology ; pathology ; therapy ; Humans ; Immunotherapy, Adoptive ; adverse effects ; Liver ; pathology ; Middle Aged

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of the sera of rabbits fed with Tongxinluo on the expression and secretion of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) in U937 monocyte-derived macrophages.

METHODSAtherosclerosis was induced in rabbits by high-cholesterol feeding, and the serum was obtained from the rabbits after administration of the aqueous solution of Tongxinluo or simvastatin by gavage. U937 monocyte-derived macrophages were incubated with the sera at different concentrations for 24 hours, and the changes in MMP-9 and TIMP-1 gene expression and secretion were detected by RT-PCR and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, respectively.

RESULTSThe serum of rabbits fed with Tongxinluo concentration-dependently inhibited the expression and secretion of MMP-9 in U937 macrophages, but did not affect TIMP-1 expression or secretion.

CONCLUSIONTongxinluo may stabilize the atherosclerotic plaques by inhibiting the expression and secretion of MMP-9.

Animals ; Atherosclerosis ; blood ; etiology ; Cholesterol, Dietary ; administration & dosage ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Humans ; Macrophages ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Male ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; RNA, Messenger ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Rabbits ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Serum ; Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-1 ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; U937 Cells

OBJECTIVETo investigate the feasibility of multiple displacement amplification (MDA) to apply in the non-invasive prenatal genetic diagnosis of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).

METHODSMaternal blood was obtained from 20 pregnant women at 7 to 25 weeks of gestation. After the discontinuous density gradient centrifugation with Percoll, the fetal nucleated red blood cells (NRBCs) were stained with Kleihauer test. All positive NRBCs were collected by micromanipulator and then performed with MDA. Sex and short tandern repeat (STR) analysis were determind from a small aliquot of the reaction. The origin of NRBCs was verified and prenatal diagnosis of DMD was made at the same time.

RESULTSThe product length of MDA was >15 kb, while primer extension preamplification (PEP) is only about 1 kb. We completed non-invasive prenatal genetic diagnosis of 6 fetus at high risk of DMD using MDA. The results were all coincident with amniotic fluid control.

CONCLUSIONThe MDA method which provides a highly uniform representation across the genome, representing the entire genome with minimal amplification bias, shows good application prospects.

Erythroblasts ; metabolism ; Feasibility Studies ; Female ; Fetal Diseases ; blood ; diagnosis ; genetics ; Humans ; Muscular Dystrophy, Duchenne ; blood ; diagnosis ; genetics ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; methods ; Pregnancy ; Prenatal Diagnosis ; methods

OBJECTIVEFour single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in HOXD10, HOXD12 and HOXD13 genes were chosen to investigate SNP and haplotypes distribution in idiopathic congenital talipes equinovarus nuclear pedigrees.

METHODSGenotypes of 4 SNPs in 84 idiopathic congenital talipes equinovarus nuclear pedigrees were analyzed by restriction fragment length polymorphism and DNA sequencing. Analysis of association between SNP locus and idiopathic congenital talipes equinovarus was performed using ETDT software. Haplotypes and their frequencies in 84 nuclear pedigrees were established and analyzed by TRANSMIT software.

RESULTSrs847151 polymorphism was not detected; the rs847154 located in 5' flanking sequence of HOXD12 gene and the rs13392701 located in exon 1 of HOXD13 gene were noted to have transmission disequilibrium in 84 nuclear pedigrees (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONrs847154 located in 5' flanking sequence of HOXD12 gene and rs13392701 located in exon 1 of HOXD13 gene are associated with idiopathic congenital talipes equinovarus; HOXD12 andHOXD13 are important susceptible genes of idiopathic congenital talipes equinovarus.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Clubfoot ; genetics ; Exons ; genetics ; Female ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; genetics ; Genotype ; Homeodomain Proteins ; genetics ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Pedigree ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Young Adult

The key to killing target cells by immunotoxin depends on the specific recognition of antibody to target cell and the cytotoxic effect of toxin. The comparative study of the killing effects of two anti-T immunotoxins, CD5:Ricin and CD5:rRA, on target cells was performed. The elimination rate of immunotoxins was analysed by flow cytometry and MLR. The effect of immunotoxins on the proliferation of hematopoiesis was evaluted by CFU-GM. The results showed that (1) CD5(+) T cells were eliminated and CD25(+) CD3(+) activated T cells were concentration-dependently inhibited by the two immunotoxins in the range of 10(-9) - 10(-11) mol/L; (2) both immunotoxins significantly inhibited the mixed lymphocyte reaction, and the inhibiting effect of CD5:rRA to T cell proliferation was markedly lower than that of CD5:Ricin in the range of 10(-10) - 10(-11) mol/L; (3) the combination of CD5:rRA with 10 mmol/L NH(4)Cl increased the T cell elimination rate; and (4) the two immunotoxins and the combination of NH(4)Cl and CD5:rRA did not suppressed proliferation of granulocyte-macrophage progenitors in the range of concentrations with killing effect. It was concluded that T cell and activated T cell could be eliminated effectively by immunotoxins, the proliferation of granulocyte-macrophage progenitor was not inhibited significantly.