Objective To observe the therapeutic effects of ganciclovir(GCV)with differentInjection methods on experimental acute retinal necrosis(ARN).Methods The right eyes of 41pigmented rabbits were infected by herpes simplex virus(HSV-1)(COS strain)to establish ARN animalmodel.After 24 and 72 hours,GCV was given by intravitreal injection(10 eyes),intravenous injection(11 eyes)and the intravitreal+intravenous injection(10 eyes);intravitreal injection of GCV anddexamethasone(6 eyes)was also included.Four eyes were not treated as the control.The dosage of GCVin intravitreal and intravenous injection was 800 μg and 5 mg/kg weight,respectively.Retina necrosis wasobserved and the grade was recorded 1-21 days after injection according to the grade standard ofretinopathy.The maximum grades of retinal necrosis in different groups were compared.Results Thegrade of retinal necosis was 3.8 in the control group,and 0.2,0.4,0.8,and 2.2 in intravitreal iniection,intravitrcal+intravenous injection,intravitreal injection with GCV and dexamethasone,and intravenousrejection,respectively,24 hours after the model was set up.The effects of the first 3 groups wereobviously better than the Iast group(P=0.003,0.011,0.045);while the difference among the first 3groups were not significant(P=0.881,0.054,0.107).Seventy-two hours after the mode J was set up,thegrades of retinal necrosis were above 1.4 in 4 groups,and the differences among the 4 groups were notapparent(P=0.214).Conclusions In the animal model of ARN,intravitreal injection with GCV caneffectively decrease the grade of retinal necrosis.The difference among intravitrealinjection,intravitreal+intravenous injection,intravitreal injection with GCV and dexamethasone,and intravenous injection is notsignificant.

Objective To establish the rabbit model for acute retinal necrosis(ARN) and investigate the possible route of the virus migrates from one eye to the other. Design Experimental study. Participants 41 chinchilla rabbits. Methods HSV-1 COS strain was inoculated into subretina in 41 rabbits to establish ARN animal model. Ganciclovir was used to treat by intraocular and/or intravenous injection 1 day or 3 days after virus inoculation. PCR test of blood samples was performed for HSV detection. Histopathological examinations were also conducted in some eyeballs, optic nerves and brains of the rabbits. Main Outcome Measures Results of blood PCR and histopathology. Results 10 rabbits appeared bilateral retina necrosis (10 to 18 days after virus inoculation) and 15 rabbits appeared central nervous system damages. PCR samples of 5 rabbits obtained before and after the contralateral retina damages appeared (9 to 19 days after virus inoculation) had all negative results. Histopathological damages were found in bilateral eyeballs, optic nerves and brains. Conclusion The ARN model can be established by injection of HSV-1 into subretina of rabbits. Blood samples PCR don't support the hypothesis of virus transmission through circulation system in bilateral ARN cases. Trans-optic chiasm transmission may be a possible route.

Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases have be-come a great health threat.Increasing evidence has shown that both asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA)and symmetric dim-ethylarginine (SDMA)play important and independent roles in the development of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases as well as in the prediction of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events.Alanine-glyoxylate aminotransferase 2 (AGXT2 )is re-cently observed to be involved in ADMA metabolism.Deficiency in the expression and activity of AGXT2 may thus play a role in the development of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases by affecting ADMA levels in vivo.Several single-nucleotide poly-morphisms at AGXT2 locus are observed to be associated with plasma SDMA level.This review summarizes recent advances in AGXT2 and its role in ADMA metabolism and the clinical rele-vance.

Objective To discuss bilateral percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) or percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP) using inside and outside intravertebral vacuum cleft (IVC) respectively with bone cement injection for the treatment of Kümmell disease.Methods From January 2008 to October 2015,16 cases of Kümmell disease patients were treated with bilateral PVP or PKP with inside and outside IVC perfusion of bone cement respectively.Of 16 cases,6 were male and 10 were female,aged from 63 to 94 years,with a disease duration from 2 to 15 months.The bone mineral density of every patient was measured by dual-energy X-rayabsorptiometry.The T value ranged from-4.3 to-2.6.Fractures located from T10 to L4,including 2 cases of multiple fractures.Postoperative X-ray was used to observe the vertebral bone cement leakage and anterior height changes of affected vertebrae.Visual analogue scale (VAS) and Oswestry disability index (ODI) were used to evaluate pain status and functional activity.Results All cases were followed up for 12-96 months.Cement leakage occurred in 4 patients without nerve complications.The anterior height of affected vertebrae before operation,2 d after operation and at the last follow-up was (50.3 ± 8.3)％,(67.1 ± 8.1)％ and (65.2 ± 6.4)％.The anterior height of affected vertebrae 2 d after operation and at the last follow-up were significantly improved compared with those before operation (P ＜ 0.05),but there were no significant differences between 2 d after operation and at the last follow-up (P ＞ 0.05).The scores of VAS before operation,2 d after operation and at the last followup was (8.63-± 1.23),(2.56 ± 3.48) and (1.38 ± 0.92) scores,and the scores of ODI was (82.1 ± 6.7)％,(28.5 ± 7.3)％ and (22.1 ± 8.2)％.The scores of VAS and ODI 2 d after operation and at the last follow-up were significantly decreased compared with those before operation (P ＜ 0.05),but there were no significant difference between 2 d after operation and at the last follow-up (P ＞ 0.05).There was no postoperative in situ or adjacent vertebral fracture.Conclusions Using internal and external IVC bone cement injection for treatment of Kümmell disease has a good clinical curative effect.It can effectively relieve back pain symptoms,reduce intraoperative and postoperative bone cement leakage and recurrent adjacent or in situ vertebral fracture.

Objective Anti-calcification and surface modification of the transcatheter heart valve is the priority research area and development direction of bioprosthesis heart valve.In present study,the Arginine-Glycine-Aspartic acid(RGD) coating technology and anti-calcification with epoxy chloropropane(EC) treatment were applied to investigate surface modification property of the transcatheter heart valve compared to the traditional anti-calcification method with glutaraldehyde (GA) treatment to demonstrate the improvement of structure and surface biological properties of the transcatheter heart valve.Methods Morphological characteristics of mesenchymal stem cells(MSCs) seeded on the transcatheter heart valve with the various anticalcification treatments were observed by scanning electron microscopy and the apoptosis rates of MSCs seeded on the transcatheter heart valve with the various anti-calcification interventions were studied by TUNEL staining.The cell adhesion and expression of the cytoskeletal protein,Vinment of MSCs treated as described were analyzed by cell-counting method and fluorescence immunohistochemical method respectively.Results The apoptosis rate of MSCs was markedly decreased while the expression of vinment and the cell adhesion strength of MSCs were elevated in the groups of GA-EC and RGD-EC treatments.The biological indices of RGD-EC group has significant difference(P ＜ 0.05) compared with GA group.Conclusion Biological properties of the surface of transcatheter heart valve can be remarkably improved by GA-EC and RGD-EC anti-calcification treatments.

Objective To explore the neuroprotective effects ofβ-aescinate on brain edema in rats of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Methods A total of 78 male SD (Sprague Dawley) rats were randomly divided into three groups: sham-operation group (Sham), traumatic brain injury group (TBI) andβ-aescinate group, with 26 rats in each group. Rats of Sham group were anesthetized and surgically prepared only, but were not induced by cortical contusion. Electronic brain cortical damage impactor (eCCI) was used for establishing TBI model in TBI group and β-aescinate group after opening the bone window. TBI group was only established TBI model, but no intervention. After establishment of TBI model in β-aescinate group, β-aescinate (5 mg/kg body weight) was intraperitoneally injected, once every 24 hours. The modified neurological severity scores (mNSS) was used for evaluating changes of neurological function. After 48 hours, SD rats were sacrificed for hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining (n=6). Additionally, water content of the brain tissue was evaluated using the wet-to-dry weight ratio (n=10). Evans blue assay was performed to investigate the blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability (n=4). The expression of aquaporin 4 (AQP4) was measured by Western blot assay (n=6). Results Compared with the Sham group, neurologic deficit, increased brain water content and the expression of AQP4 were found in TBI group (all P<0.05). Moreover, BBB permeability was destroyed. However, β-aescinate can improve the neurological function, reduce the brain water content and significantly decrease the expression of AQP4 in TBI rats. The BBB permeability was significantly improved in treatment group (all P<0.05). Conclusion These findings suggest that β-aescinate can reduce cerebral edema and improve neurological outcome in SD rats after TBI. This neuroprotection may be related with the down-regulation of AQP4 protein.

Objective To investigate the inhibitory effects of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) on inflammatory factors after acute spinal cord injury, and the mechanisms thereof. Methods A total of 54 clean and healthy adult female SD rats were divided into three groups according to the principle of randomization:simple laminectomy group (Sham group), spinal cord injury group (SCI group) and N-acetylcysteine group (NAC group), with 18 rats in each group. The Sham group was treated with T9-10 laminectomy only without spinal cord injury. Aneurysm clamp was used to establish rat model of T9-10 spinal cord injury in SCI group and NAC group. At the time of 15 min and 12 h after injury, the rats of NAC group were injected N-acetylcysteine intraperitoneally (150 mg/kg). At the time of 24 h post modeling, 12 rats were sacrificed in each group for observing the severity of tissue injury by using hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining (6 rats), and detecting the contents of inflammation factors including tumor necrosis factor (TNF)- α and interleukin (IL)- 6 by using enzyme- linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) (6 rats). The remaining 6 rats in each group were raised for 8 weeks. During the first week, the ones in NAC group were injected NAC twice a day at 12 h intervals for 7 d. Additionally, the neurological function evaluation was performed at week 1, week 2, week 4, week 6 and week 8 after injury in rats by using the spinal cord injury motor function score (BBB) and the inclined plate test. Results The results of HE staining showed that the spinal cord was intact without hemorrhage and inflammatory cell infiltration in Sham group. The morphology and inflammatory status were significantly worse in SCI group than those in NAC group and Sham group. The results of ELISA showed that the expressions of TNF-αand IL-6 were significantly higher in SCI group and NAC group than those in Sham group (P<0.05), while the expression levels of TNF-αand IL-6 were significantly lower in NAC group than those of SCI group (P<0.05). The BBB scores and inclined plate test showed that both were significantly lower in SCI group and NAC group than those of Sham group (P<0.05), and the results were better in NAC group than those of SCI group. Conclusion NAC may promote the recovery of neurological function in rats by reducing the local inflammatory response through diminishing the contents of TNF-αand IL-6 in spinal cord.

Objective To establish a method for amplification of immature dendritic cells(DC) from murine bone marrow in vitro and investigate correlations between maturation degree of DC and varying dosages of granulocyte-macrophage-colony stimulating factor(GM-CSF).Methods Dendritic cells from murine bone marrow were cultured with different dosages of rm GM-CSF.The suspension cells were examined with scanning electronic microscope,and the non-sensitized T lymphocyte proliferation was observed by mixed lymphocyte reaction.Results DC cultured in lower dosage of rmGM-CSF(GMlow DC) exhibited typical characteristics of DC,and had immature characteristics in cell phenotype and cell functions with high expression of CD11c and low expression of CD80,CD86 and MHC II on the surface of the cells.The ability of GmlowDC to stimulate the proliferation of non-sensitized T lymphocyte in vitro was weaker than that of GmhighDC.Conclusions The methods of immature DCs culturing establised by allthors was feasible.The dosage of rm GM-CSF has a direct relationship with the maturation degree of DC.

ObjectiveTo study the injuries of liver after ischemia-reperfusion of small intestine of the rat.MethodsModels of ischemia-reperfusion of small intestine was made with rats. At 0 min, 30 min, 1h, 2h, 1d, 3d,7d after reperfusion, the concentration of nitric oxide(NO), superoxide dismutase (SOD) in the serum was examed and the expression of Bax, Bcl-2 and p53 in the liver was observed by the immunohistochemical SP method.ResultsThe concentration of NO increased apparently 0 min after reperfusion, but decreased 2 h after, then increased gradually to a peak at 7th day. But for SOD, the concentration decreased 0 min after reperfusion, increased 2 h after,and decreased to the lowest level at 7th day. The immunohistochemical SP positive cells were observed in sinus endothelial cells and hepatocytes. The ratio of positive cells of Bax,p53 and Bcl-2 began to increase 0 minute after reperfusion and increased continuously 30 min after, while that of Bcl-2 was higher than that of Bax(P<0.01). It decreased apparently 2h after, and then increased till 7d after reperfusion,while the ratio of Bax positive cells was higher than that of Bcl-2(P<0.01).ConclusionThe change of concentration of NO, SOD and the expression of positive cells of Bax, Bcl-2 and p53 might play a important role in apoptosis and injuries of the liver after ischemia-reperfusion of small intestine of rat.

Objective To explore the risk factors for vascular invasion and its influence on prognosis of resectable gastric cancer patients by analyzing the clinicopathological features. Methods We retrospectively analyzed the data of 1077 patients with stage Ⅰ-Ⅲ gastric cancer who underwent surgical resection. According to whether vascular invasion occurred, they were divided into LVI positive group (n=672) and LVI negative group (n=405). Logistic univariate and multivariate analyses were used for the relation between clinical pathological features and LVI. Survival analysis was used to study the relation between vascular invasion and survival rate in patients with stage Ⅰ gastric cancer. Results Univariate analysis showed that tumor size, type of differentiation, depth of invasion, lymph node metastasis, TNM stage, Lauren classification, nerve invasion and the increase of CEA, CA125 and CA199 were risk factors for vascular invasion (P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that poor differentiation, deep invasion, lymph node metastasis, nerve invasion and elevated CA724 were independent risk factors for vascular invasion. The 5-year survival rate of stage Ⅰ gastric cancer patients with vascular invasion was significantly lower than that without vascular invasion (P < 0.01). Conclusion Gastric cancer patients with poor differentiation, deep invasion, lymph node metastasis, nerve invasion and elevated CA724 are more prone to vascular invasion. Patients with stage I gastric cancer at risk of vascular invasion should be treated more aggressively.