With high-performance liquid chromatography ( HPLC ) we have determined the content of Vit C in adrenal glands of mice at different adrenocortical function. The results indicated that the content of Vit C in mice adrenal glands was increased when the adrenocortical function was enhanced with ACTH and Vit C content was decreased when dexamethason was administered. The resultes also indicated that by HPLC-E C the VitC content in mice adrenal glands could be exactly determined.

Aim To investigate the effect of prenatal alcohol on insulin sensitivity of rat offspring and its underlying mechanism. Methods Female Sprague Dawley rats were given ethanol 4 g?kg-1?d-1 by gavage throughout pregnancy. At 16 wk of age, the rat offsrping underwent intravenous glucose tolerance test. The mRNA level of adipose leptin, resistin and adiponectin were determined by RT-PCR. Serum leptin, resistin and adiponectin were measured with RIA kits. Results Newborn ethanol rats had lower birth weight than control [(5.7?0.1) g vs (6.9?0.1) g,P

Objective To evaluate the effect of fluid load on the prognosis of severe hand , foot and mouth disease in children. Methods The patients with severe hand foot and mouth disease in the emergency department of PICU in our hospital were enrolled as the research object. We would collect demographic characteristics , labora-tory tests and clinical data: age, gender, focus, basic disease, and simplified acute severity score (SAPS)Ⅱ and record the cumulative amount of fluid balance at 24, 48, 72 hours after admission. Results There was a signifi-cant difference on fluid balance at 48 and 72 hours between the survival group and the death group , the death group appeared the positive liquid balance , and there were significant differences in PICU retention time , mechani-cal ventilation rate, MODF involved organs, mortality and other prognostic indicators between the negative fluid balance group and the positive fluid balance group. Conclusion Fluid balance is an important treatment for severe hand foot and mouth disease, and positive liquid balance is related to mortality and other adverse prognosis.

Objective To examine the effect function of platelet(Pt)assemble rate(PLTAR) and the change of protein kinase B(PKB) active by cilostazol (CS)and aspirin (AS)on elderly patients with acute coronary sydrome(ACS). Methods Forty-eight elderly patients with ACS were divided randomly into two groups:CS group (100 mg,n=26),AS group (300 mg,n=22).Twenty-six healthy elderly were into the group of normal control(NC group) . The CS group and AS group were treated by routine anticoagulation and antiplatelet.PLTAR and PKB activity were measured at 10 minutes before treatment and at 7 days after treatment 3.5,6.0,24.0 hours. Results The maximum PLTAR in elderly CS group and AS group was elevated significantly compared with NC group(P

Objective To explore the value of monitoring in vertebral and spinal cord operation by the real-time monitoring of the spinal cord in the process of operation.Methods Nineteen cases were included by the real-time monitoring of spinal cord in the process of operation.Japanese Orthopaedic Association(JOA) score was used to evaluate the clinical efficacy during following-up before and discharge after operation,6 months and 12 months after operation.Results Intraoperative ultrasound monitoring in the 19 patients had no symptom of spinal cord injury and other complications within the plant without loosening fracture occurred were bony fusion; the average JOA scores in the patients before operation,discharge after operation,6 months and 12 months after operation were 8.80±1.60,14.00±1.57,14.60±1.61 and 14.80±1.58,respectively.The improvement rate of JOA score for discharge after operation,6 months and 12 months after operation were individually 51.6%,61.3%,and 64.5%.The JOA score after operation was obviously higher than that before operation.The significant difference between the two groups was observed in the experiment (P<0.05).The cervical spinal canal sagittal diameter significantly increased after operation (mean sagittal diameter of the expansion of 6.6 mm),compared with that before the trial (P<0.05).Conclusion The real-time monitoring with ultrasonography during operation can identify the change of spinal cord and provide the image evidence of operative efficiency to avoid the injury in vertebral and spinal cord operation.

In recent years a huge amount of clinical studies have proved that fluctuant hypertension could aggravate the damage of target organs and increase the incidence of acute cardio-/cerebrovascular events, when compared with stable hypertension [increased mean artery blood pressure (MBP)]. How to prevent and treat fluctuant hypertension and its damage of target organs has become one of the hot and difficult problems in the field of hypertension studies all over the world. Hypertensive patients often suffer from thromboembolic target organ damage. Platelet activation plays a key role in this progress, but its concrete mechanisms have not been clearly clarified. Based on the in-depth discussions on progress of fluctuant hypertension, its relationship with platelet activation and blood stasis syndrome of Chinese medicine (CM) in recent three years, we proposed, under the fluctuant hypertensive state, the prethrombotic state has occurred in the organisms, i.e., a pathological state featured by platelet activation, liable to have vulnerable thrombopoiesis, and accompanied by endothelial dysfunction. Blood stasis syndrome might occupy an important position in CM syndrome typing of fluctuant hypertension. Herbs for activating blood circulation and removing stasis might have an extensive application prospect.
Humans ; Hypertension ; blood ; prevention & control ; Integrative Medicine ; Platelet Activation

OBJECTIVETo observe the relationship between C-V curve of the source points of 12 channels and cold Eighty patients with cold or heat syndrome were examined with Cowital Human Meor heat syndrome.

METHODSridian Diagnosing and Analyzing System, which can achieve quantitative analysis on C-V curve from the source points of 12 channels, and additional 40 healthy people were used as control group.

RESULTSThe relationship is close between the curvature of the C-V curves of the source points of the meridians and cold-heat syndromes of meridians. The greater is curvature of the C-V curves, the heater is the meridian, the smaller is curvature of the C-V curves, the colder is the meridian. At the same time it is discovered that the curvature of C-V curve has obviouse relationship with cold-heat property of meridians.

CONCLUSIONThe method can be used to set up and perfect the syndrome differentiation with cold-heat principle of meridian. Offer scientific basis for selecting acupoints, reducing-rein forcing methods and treatment means in clinical acupunction treatment.

Acupuncture Points ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Cold Temperature ; Female ; Hot Temperature ; Humans ; Male ; Meridians ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies

Objective:To explore the inhibitory effect of moxibustion on tumor growth and metastasis, and also its possible mechanism, in gastric tumor-bearing rats by investigating the expressions of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and epidermal growth factor (EGF). Methods:Fifty healthy Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats (half male and half female) were routinely housed for 1 week. A total of 20 rats were randomly divided into a blank group and a sham operation group, with 10 rats in each group. The remaining 30 rats were used to make gastric cancer models by implantation of ascites-type Walker-256 cancer cells. After successful modeling, rats were randomly divided into a model group, a moxibustion group and an infrared group, with 10 rats in each group. From the day of modeling, the body weight of each group was weighed every 4 days. Warm moxibustion was alternately performed at two-group acupoints [Zhongwan (CV 12), Guanyuan (CV 4) and bilateral Zusanli (ST 36) in one group, and bilateral Pishu (BL 20) and Weishu (BL 21) in another group] in the moxibustion group. The body surface projection area of the stomach was irradiated with short-wave infrared rays in the infrared group, once a day, 20 min per time for 21 d. At the end of the treatment, the gastric tumor was completely dissected, and the tumor volume and tumor growth inhibition rate were calculated. Then the gastric tumor cell metastasis was recorded. The levels of VEGF and EGF in rat gastric tumor tissues were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results:Compared with the blank group, the body weight of the model group decreased significantly after modeling (P<0.05); compared with the model group, the rats in the moxibustion group had increased body weight during the middle and late stages (bothP<0.05). The tumor volumes of rats in the moxibustion group and the infrared group were smaller than the volume in the model group (bothP<0.05). The tumor growth inhibition rate in the moxibustion group was significantly higher than that in the infrared group (P<0.05). The case number of tumor metastasis in the moxibustion group was smaller than that in the model group and the infrared group. The VEGF level in the tumor tissues of the model group was statistically significantly higher than that in the blank group (P<0.05). Compared with the model group, the VEGF levels in the moxibustion group and the infrared group were statistically significantly lower (bothP<0.05). The EGF levels in the tumor tissues of the model group was statistically significantly lower than that in the blank group (P<0.05); compared with the model group, the EGF levels in the moxibustion group and the infrared group were statistically significantly increased (bothP<0.05). Conclusion:Moxibustion can increase the body weight, inhibit the tumor growth, invasion and metastasis in gastric tumor-bearing rats, which may be related to the regulation of VEGF and EGF expressions in tumor tissues.

BACKGROUNDNeovascularization can cause vision loss in proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) and may be affected by many factors. Stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1) is a potent stimulator of angiogenesis. The study was aimed to investigate the expression of SDF-1 and its correlation with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the eyes with diabetic retinopathy.

METHODSThe levels of SDF-1 and VEGF were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in the vitreous of 41 eyes of 41 patients with PDR and 12 eyes of 12 patients with idiopathic macular hole (IMH). Vitreous fluid samples and fibrovascular preretinal membranes were obtained at vitrectomy. SDF-1 and VEGF were localized using immunohistochemistry.

RESULTSThe vitreous concentration of VEGF was significantly higher in eyes with PDR ((2143.7 +/- 1685.21) pg/ml) than in eyes with IMH ((142.42 +/- 72.83) pg/ml, P < 0.001). The vitreous level of SDF-1 was also significantly higher in eyes with PDR ((306.37 +/- 134.25) pg/ml) than in eyes with IMH ((86.91 +/- 55.05) pg/ml, P < 0.001). The concentrations of both VEGF and SDF-1 were higher in eyes with active PDR than in eyes with inactive PDR. Panretinal photocoagulation (PRP) could decrease the SDF-1 levels in the vitreous of PDR patients. The vitreous concentration of SDF-1 correlated with that of VEGF in eyes with PDR (r = 0.61, P < 0.001). The costaining of SDF-1 and VEGF was confined to the vascular components in preretinal membranes.

CONCLUSIONSSDF-1 protein is highly expressed in both the vitreous and preretinal membranes of PDR patients; SDF-1 may be correlated with VEGF in angiogenesis in PDR.

Chemokine CXCL12 ; metabolism ; Diabetic Retinopathy ; metabolism ; pathology ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Neovascularization, Pathologic ; metabolism ; physiopathology ; Retinal Perforations ; metabolism ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; metabolism ; Vitrectomy ; Vitreous Body ; metabolism

BACKGROUNDNeural apoptosis is generally believed to be mediated by two distinct pathways, caspase-dependant and caspase-independent pathways. This study investigated the apoptotic pathways involved in retinal ganglion cells in acute diabetes in rats.

METHODSDiabetes was induced in male Wistar rats by a peritoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ). Expression and localization of caspase-3 and apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) proteins in the retina of diabetic rats was examined by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry analyses. Terminal transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay and immunofluorescent staining specific for caspase-3 and AIF were applied to analyze for apoptosis of retinal ganglion cells. In addition, a caspase-3 inhibitor DEVD-CHO was injected intravitreally to further determine the apoptotic pathways of retinal ganglion cells triggered in acute diabetes.

RESULTSTwo weeks after induction of diabetes, a significant increase in caspase-3 protein expression and localization occurred in the nerve fiber layer, ganglion cell layer, and inner plexiform layer of the retina. Four weeks after the onset of diabetes, the increase in caspase-3 expression was profound eight weeks postinduction of diabetes (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, no AIF protein expression was detected in this study. In addition, intravitreal administration of the caspase-3 inhibitor DEVD-CHO reduced apoptosis of retinal ganglion cells by its direct inhibitory action on caspase-3.

CONCLUSIONCaspase-dependent apoptotic pathways may be the main stimulant of STZ-induced retinal ganglion cell apoptosis in acute diabetes.

Animals ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; physiology ; Apoptosis Inducing Factor ; metabolism ; Blood Glucose ; metabolism ; Blotting, Western ; Body Weight ; Caspase 3 ; metabolism ; Caspase Inhibitors ; Caspases ; metabolism ; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental ; In Situ Nick-End Labeling ; Male ; Oligopeptides ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Retina ; metabolism ; Retinal Ganglion Cells ; cytology ; metabolism