The microvascutature of the adrenal medulla in the rats and mice were studied by scanning electron microscopy of vascular replicas.There are portal venules between the adrenal cortex and medulla,which are the side branches of the collecting venules of the adrenal cortex and break into capillaries at the adrenal medulla.The adrenal medulla in mice is mainly supplied by these portal venules,and in a rat adrenal medulla,there are also 5—8 medullar arterioles besides the portal venules.Ring-like constrictions appear to be the characters of sphincter at the ending parts of the portal venules,the branches of the medullar arterioles,the collecting venules,and the medullar venules which drain the medullar capillaries as well.The authors believe that the adrenal cortex controls the medulla by the way of the portal venules.

Objective To study the anti-tumor effects of SFPS against human colon cancer cells.Methods Inhibition of the cell proliferation was measured by MTT assay.SFPS induced apoptosis of lovo and RKO cells was observed by electron microscopy and flow cytometry.The potential of SFPS in inhibiting lovo and RKO cells viability was assessed by MTT assay.Results SFPS significantly exhibited antiproliferative activity which depended on dosage.Morphological examination showed chromosomal condensation, karyotheca margination,cell shrinkage and the presence of apoptosis bodies.The overall effect of SFPS on the cell cycle distribution was examined by flow cytometry.However,it was also found that SFPS arrested the human colon cancer cell line RKO at G0/G1 phase,and the RKO cells at S phase decreased significantly,while no change in cell cycle distribution from SFPS treated lovo cells was observed.Conclusion SFPS may induce the apoptosis of lovo and RKO cells in vitro through anti-tumor proliferation.

The recombinant adenovirus Toll like receptor 4 (TLR4) shRNA vector (pGSadeno-TLR4) was constructed and transfected into human aortic vascular smooth muscle cells (HA-VSMC).After HA-VSMC were treated with palmitate or different signaling pathway inhibitors,the mRNA and protein levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6)and NF-κB activity were tested with real-time PCR and ELISA,respectively.The results showed that palmitate increased mRNA and protein levels of IL-6 in HA-VSMC in a dose-dependent manner.The expression of IL-6 mRNA reached peak after treatment with 400 μmol/L of palmitate for 6 h,being 10.43 fold of control (P＜0.01).Treatment with 400 pmol/L of palmitate for 24 h maximally upregulated the protein level of IL-6,which was 2.18 fold of control (P＜0.01).NF-κB inhibitor parthenolide markedly inhibited palmitate-stimulated increased in IL-6 mRNA level by 65％ and protein level by 59％ (both P＜0.01).Protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor chlerythrine suppressed palmitateinduced IL-6 mRNA expression by 24％ and IL-6 protein level by 28％.By contrast,extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase inhibitor PD98059 and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitor wortmannin had no effect on the induction of IL-6 by palmitate.Blockade of TLR4 with pGSadeno-TLR4 significantly suppressed palmitate-induced IL-6 mRNA expression by 72％ and IL-6 protein expression by 75％ (both P＜0.01),along with decrease of NF-κB p65 activity decreased by 62％.These results suggest that TLR4/NF-κB and PKC pathways mediate palmitate-induced IL-6 expression in HA-VSMC.

In order to obtain the serotype distribution of E.coli from duck and to screen the vaccine bacterial strains,the serotype identifications and biological characteristics of E.coli were analyzed in recent years from Shandong,Hebei and other areas of commercial duck field;selections of vaccine strains were detected by the virulence and immunogenicity.Totally 44 isolated bacterial strains of E.coli from duck were identified to a total of six serotypes:O78,O93,O76,O2,O92 and O32.The O78 serotype was the dominant serotype,accounting for 56.8％ (25/44);O93 serotype for 15.9％ (7/44) according to bacterial Oantigen typing.The strain SD (O78 serotype) was confirmed to have strong virulence and good immunogenicity.The O78,O93 and O76 are the dominant serotypes of duck E.coli in the study areas.The SD strain could be used as the candidate for the next development of inactivated vaccine.

Objective To assess the safety and efficacy of percutaneous nephrolithotripsy withpneumatic and ultrasonic power in pediatric renal calculi. Methods The clinical data of 44 patientstreated with combination of pneumatic and ultrasonic power during pereutaneous nephrolithotripsywere retrospectively analyzed. The 44 patients had 49 renal calculi. The patients were all under 14years old. The average age was 11 years (range 7-14 years). There were 39 unilateral and 5 bilateralcalculi. Among the 44 patients,metabolic disturbance occurred in 19 cases (43.2%),anatomical dys function occurred in 15 cases (34.1%),urinary tract infection occurred in 14 cases (31.8%). Ante grade percutaneous access was established under ultrasound guidance,a combination of pneumatic andultrasonic lithotripsy were used. The effect was evaluated by postoperative KUB and ultrasonic. Re suits The access was successfully established in all patients. Complete stone clearance was achievedin 36 kidneys in phase Ⅰ,stones from 9 kidneys were completely removed with second lithotripsy.Leftover stone in 2 kidneys were treated by ESWL. Open surgery was performed in 2 kidneys due toexcessive bleeding. The operative time ranged from 52 132 min,average time was 79 min. Two pa tients needed blood transfusion. No severe complications occurred in all patients. Thirty seven pa tients were followed up for 3 18 months. The renal function was not worsened and hydronephrosiswas not aggravated in these patients. Conclusion The percutaneous nephrolithotripsy with pneumatic and ultrasonic power is a safe,effective treatment for pediatric renal calculi.

Objective To design a multiplex PCR for simultaneous identification and toxigenic type characterization of Clostridium difficile isolates. MethodsThree pairs of primers were designed for the amplification of a species-specific internal fragment of the tpi( triose phosphate isomerase) gene, an internal fragment of the tcdB ( toxin B) gene, and an internal fragment of the tcdA ( toxin A) gene. Twenty-one standard strains including Clostridium difficile ATCC 9689 and 47 isolates of Clostridium difficile were applied for the assessment of detection limit, specificity and detections of the multiplex PCR, respectively. Toxin A and Toxin B of 47 isolates were analyzed by ELISA. ResultsThe detection limit for DNA concentration of the multiplex PCR was 0.5 pg/μl. The specificity was determined to be 100％. Among the results of 47 isolates detected by multiplex PC R, 37 strains were tpi ( + )/tcdA (+)/tcdB ( + ), 10 strains were tpi ( + )/tcdA (-)/tcdB ( - ). Tpi ( + )/tcdA ( - )/tcdB ( + ) was not found. The toxin detection of 47 isolates by ELISA showed that 20 isolates were positive and 27 isolates were negative. Twenty isolates of toxin (+) by ELISA were all tpi( +)/tcdA( +)/tcdB(+) by multiplex PCR. ConclusionThe multiplex PCR method combined diagnosis and toxigenic type characterization contributes to the diagnosis for Clostridium difficile infection.

Objective To investigate the possible protective effect of adenoviral vector expressing interleukin-1β (IL-1β) small hairpin RNA (shRNA) on spinal cord injury (SCI) and its mechanism in rats.Methods Forty-eight adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to 4 groups including the Sham, the Vehicle,the Ad-GFP and the Ad-shIL-1β groups.SCI was induced by epidural compression.Motor function of hind limbs was evaluated by Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan (BBB) score, the expressions of green fluorescence in injured spinal cord tissue were observed by fluorescence microscope.Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and immunofluorescence were also performed.Results The expressions of green fluorescence in injured spinal cord tissue were observed in the Ad-GFP and Ad-shIL-1β groups one day after SCI.Significant functional improvement was observed in the Ad-shIL-1β group (8.17 ± 1.17, 10.17 ± 0.98 and 11.33 ± 0.82, respectively) compared to the Vehicle (4.00 ± 0.89, 5.67 ± 1.03 and 6.17 ± 1.17, respectively) and Ad-GFP (3.83 ± 0.98, 5.33 ± 1.21 and 5.67 ± 1.03, respectively) groups at 7, 14 and 21 days after SCI (P ＜ 0.05).Rats in the Ad-shIL-1β group had less neuronal loss 21 days after SCI.In addition, IL-1β downregulation significantly decreased IL-1β, tumor necrosis factor-or (TNF-α) and IL-6 levels (138.83 ± 7.96,143.38 ± 10.20 and 120.43 ± 9.79 in Ad-shIL-1β group;169.33 ± 11.45, 172.33 ± 8.26 and 163.00 ± 9.57 in Vehicle group;172.83 ± 10.85,167.48 ± 8.19 and 159.48 ± 10.98 in Ad-GFP group, respectively) one day after SCI (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion This study demonstrated that the IL-1β downregulation may have potential therapeutic benefits for improving the outcomes after SCI.

Objective To discuss the operating skills of transperitoneal laparoscopic radical nephrectomy(LRN).Methods From Dec 2008 to Dec 2010,105 patients with renal tumors were treated by transperitoneal LRN.Fifty-one tumors were located in left kidney,and 54 in the right kidney.The mean diameter of renal tumor was(5.8 ± 2.4)cm.There were 48 cases of T1N0M0,51 of T2N0M0,6 of T3aN0M0.During the process of transperitoneal LRN,vena genitalis was constantly used as an operative mark for seeking and ligating the renal artery and vein.The specimens were cut completely and removed through Pfannensteil incision.Results All the 105 cases were performed by transperitoneal LRN with vena genitalis marking method successfully.Twenty-eight cases of homolateral adrenal gland were resected and 16 cases of regional lymph node were cleaned.There was no serious injury of liver,spleen or bowels.The operating time ranged 44-78 min with an average of 55 min,and the blood loss was 35-600 ml with the mean of 85 ml.The post-operative length of stay was 4-11 d with an average of 6 d.Major complications included 3 cases of vessel injury,1 case with an injury of diaphragmatic muscle and 2 cases with a lymphous leakage.Post-operative staging included 44 cases of T1 N0 M0,1 of T1 N1 M0,47 of T2 N0 M0,1 of T2 N1 M0,7of T3aN0M0,1 of T3aN1 M0,2 of T4N0M0,and 2 cases with benign lesion.The patients were followed up for 9-33 months with an average of 18 months.One case had an incisional hernia,1 had a local tumor recurrence and 1 died of pulmonary metastasis.Conclusions Transperitoneal LRN with vena genitalis marking method could be safe for the treatment of renal tumors.The vena genitalis may act as a mark for the accurate location and quick ligation for the renal pedicle without serious injuries,and such patients could recover fastly with fewer complications.Pfannensteil incision has a good quality of little trauma and could meet with the need of aesthetics.

Objective To investigate the risk factors of bronchopulmonary dysplasia(BPD)in very low birth weight infant.Methods The clinical data of 49 very low birth weight infants in our NICU from Sep 2006 to Sep 2009 were reviewed,and divided into BPD group(n =15)and without BPD group(n =34).The risk factors of BPD were analysed.Results Compared with the infants without BPD,there were significant differences in gestational age[(29.30 ± 1.48)week vs(30.54 ± 1.60)week],hospital-acquired infection(9 cases vs 10 cases),intrauterine infection(9 cases vs 8 cases),the time for continuous positive airway pressure(CPAP)[(12.47 ± 5.83)d vs(4.24 ± 4.19)d],the time for hyperoxia[(1.47 ± 1.41)d vs (0.18 ±0.63)d],patent ductus arteriosus(5 cases vs 1 cases)(P＜0.05).Logistic regression revealed that intrauterine infection and the time for CPAP were independent risk factors of BPD(P ＜0.05).Conclusion Prophylaxis of intrauterine infection may decrease the mortality and severity of BPD.The prolonged time for CPAP may predict the risk of BPD.

The high-affinity glucocorticoid binding sites (HAGS) and the low-affinity glucocorticoid binding sites (LAGS) with steroid specificity were demostrated in cerebral cytosol of rats by using the radioligand binding assay. The Kd of HAGS and LAGS were (178?0.71)?l0-8mol/L and (2.12?1.06)?10-6mol/L respecitively as estimated by Scatchard and Pseudoscatchard analysis. Glucocorticoid receptors (GR) in the traumatized(left) hemisphere cytosol were decreased more significantly than those in both the control (right) hemisphere cytosol at 6h postinjury and normal brain tissue (P