Relevant literatures on the relationship betw een fluorosis and oxidative stress were reviewed.Based on most of the original papers published in recent years,we can see the increased free radicals and oxidative stress may occur in certain stage of fluoride intoxication,but confirmation of the causality between oxidative stress and fluoride-induced damages still remains much work to do.

Objective: To observe the changes of endothelial-dependent vasodilatation and cyclophilin A (CyPA) expression at different phases of atherosclerosis in experimental rats. Methods: A total of 30 male Wistar rats were divided into 4 groups: Control group, the rats received normal diet, and 3 atherosclerosis groups, the rats received high cholesterol diet for different period of time and a single dose intraperitoneal injection of Vitamin D3 at 600,000 IU/kg, as Atherosclerosis at 8 weeks (AS 8W) group, AS 12W group and AS 15W group, n=8 in each AS group. The rats were sacriifced at the same time to isolate aorta abdominalis. The expression of CyPA at the wall of aorta abdominalis was detected by HE staining and immunohistochemistry. In addition, the aorta abdominalises was cut into 5 mm rings to observe its response to acethylcholine in exvivo organ bath. Results: With prolonged modeling time, the rats at different groups presented normal vessel structure, endothelial cell damage, vessel smooth muscle cell proliferation, atherosclerosis plaque formation and calciifed plaque formation for differentpathological characteristics. The endothelial-dependent vasodilatation was decreased and the maximum vasodilatation percentage in Control group, AS 8W group, AS 12W group and AS 15W group were at (93.46 ± 2.80) %, (82.58 ± 3.25) %, (61.19 ± 3.72)% and (41.28 ± 2.68)% respectively,P<0.05 between each group. The CyPA expression in endothelial cell and vessel smooth muscle cell were increased accordingly in 4 groups by OD value as (0.25 ± 0.06), (0.34 ± 0.09), (0.53 ± 0.09) and (0.68 ± 0.13) respectively,P<0.05 between each group. Conclusion: The CyPA expression increased and the endothelial-dependent vasodilatation decreased with the progress of atherosclerosis accordingly in experimental rats. The expression level of CyPA is related to atherosclerosis degree and it is one of the initial factors for atherosclerosis in rats.

Objective Thoracic cavity fistula following esophagus carcinoma resection is a serious complication with a high mortality.This study aims at a better therapy for thoracic cavity fistula following esophagus carcinoma resection by summarizing the ex-perience with the four-tube strategy ( jejunal fistula tube, stomach tube, chest drainage tube, and nasal fistula tube) in the treatment of the complication. Methods We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data about 62 cases of thoracic cavity fistula following esopha-gus carcinoma resection, 35 treated with the four-tube strategy ( treatment group) and the other 27 with the three-tube ( stomach tube, chest drainage tube, and nasal fistula tube) method ( control group) .We compared the hospital days, wound healing time, mortality, and incidence of anastomotic stenosis at 6 months after operation between the two groups of patients. Results Compared with the controls, the treatment group showed remarkable decreases in the hospital days (P<0.05), wound healing time (P<0.05), and mortality (P<0.05), but no statistically significant difference was observed in the incidence rate of anastomotic stenosis at 6 months after operation between the two groups of patients ( P >0.05 ) . Conclusion Compared with the three-tube method, the four-tube strategy has the advantages of shorter healing time and lower mortali-ty, and therefore is preferable for the treatment of thoracic cavity fis-tula following esophagus carcinoma resection.

CBS(Case Based Study)is a new teaching method,which is based on the case given.It requires students to answer questions according to the case. In the teaching,the students who are divided into groups,seek for resolvent by themselves. They should combine the information provided in the case,find the key answer and the relationship.The students gain the knowledge by reviewing and studying in the textbook,then analyse and solve questions with them. The application of CBS could make knowledge more relatively and systematic, moreover,it also make study more actively and initiatively.

Objective To evaluated the effect of hyperbaric oxygenation therapy(HBO)on the RhoA ex- pression and nerve function after transient focal cerebral ischemia in a rat model of middle cerebral artery occlusion. Methods One hundred and twenty-six healthy Sprague-Dawley rats were used and randomly divided into a sham op- eration group(shame group,n=42),a treatment group(n=42),and a control group(n=42).The animal model of middle cerebral artery occlusion(MCAO)was established by using the Zea-Longa method with the animals in the treatment and the control groups,and sham operation was performed with those in the sham group.HBO was applied to the animals in the treatment group.The RhoA protein expression was observed by using immunohistochemistry technique,and the neurological function was evaluated by Bederson's scale at different time points after MCAO.Re- sults(1)Weakly positive expression of RhoA could be located in bilateral cortex and the basal ganglia in the sham group.The expression of RhoA in the treatment group and control group was increased as early as 6 hours after MCAO when compared with that of the sham group,and peaked at 48 h after MCAO and decreased after then,but was still higher than that of the shame group at 7th day to 14th day after MCAO.It was also found that the expression of RhoA of the treatment group was significantly lower than that of the control group(P

The brain modulates the immune system in an asymmetrical way, as shown by the association between paw preference and immune response in the mice. The purpose of the present work was to study the relationship between plasma tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), nitric oxide (NO) and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and brain lateralization. In the study, paw preference test was used to select right-pawed, left-pawed and ambidextrous mice. Mice were classified as the right-pawed if the right paw entry (RPE) score was equal to or greater than 30 (30-50), as the left-pawed if the score was equal to or less than 20 (0-20), and as the ambidextrous if the score was between 21 and 29. One week after the paw preference testing, the animals were injected intraperitoneally with either sterilized 0.9% saline or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (5 microg/0.5 ml NS) and were killed 2 h later. Plasma was collected from each mouse. The level of plasma TNF-alpha was measured with ELISA kits provided by ENDOGEN. NO and NOS levels of plasma were detected with kits from Juli Biotechnology Company. The results showed that (1) in the normal mice, ambidextrous mice had higher NO levels compared with left-pawed mice (P<0.05). After the injection of LPS, plasma level of TNF-alpha was lower in left-pawed mice compared with those of the right-pawed and ambidextrous mice; plasma level of NO was higher in ambidextrous mice compared with those of the right- (P<0.01) and left-pawed (P<0.05) ones, and there was no significant difference in the plasma levels of NOS among ambidextrous, right- and left-pawed mice. (2) Immune parameters were correlated with the RPE scores. The shape of the curve describing this relation was similar to a parabola. In general, the levels of TNF-alpha, NO, NOS rose along with the increase of RPE if the scores were in the score range of left-pawed mice.After that, they reached a peak if the scores were in the score range of ambidextrous mice. Then they declined along with the increase of RPE if the scores were in the score range of right-pawed mice. In conclusion, plasma levels of TNF-alpha, NO and NOS were associated with brain lateralization, suggesting that the activities of Mo/Mphi were influenced by brain lateralization, and that the immune parameters were correlated with the RPE scores.
Animals ; Brain ; physiology ; Female ; Functional Laterality ; physiology ; Macrophages ; immunology ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Nitric Oxide ; blood ; Nitric Oxide Synthase ; blood ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; blood

BACKGROUNDAtrial fibrillation (AF) occurs commonly in patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI) and is associated with an increased long-term mortality. This study aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics and outcomes of AF in in-hospital elderly Chinese patients with acute MI.

METHODSA total of 967 patients with acute MI, aged >/= 65 years, were categorized on the basis of the absence or presence of AF. Patients with documented AF were classified into two subgroups: the ongoing AF group and the new-onset AF group. We retrospectively evaluated the clinical profile, in-hospital outcomes, and effects of revascularization on the incidence of AF in elderly patients with acute MI.

RESULTSAF was documented in 100 (11.53%) patients and the incidence of new-onset AF was 6.51% during hospitalization. History of old MI and cerebrovascular events were more common in patients with AF than in those without AF (P < 0.001, P < 0.01, respectively). The incidence of AF was higher in patients with non-ST elevated MI (P = 0.014), inferior wall MI (P = 0.004) and cardiac function of Killip class III or IV (P = 0.008). Patients with AF had more complication of pneumonia (P = 0.003) and longer hospital stay. Left circumflex coronary artery involvement was more common in patients with AF (compared with patients without AF, P < 0.001). Percutaneous coronary intervention or coronary artery bypass grafting significantly decreased the incidence of new-onset AF from 7.97% to 3.82% (P = 0.017). AF depended to heart failure, increased the in-hospital mortality.

CONCLUSIONSAF is common in elderly patients with acute MI and is associated with poorer clinical outcomes. Revascularization reduces the incidence of AF and thus improves the clinical outcomes in these patients.

Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary ; Atrial Fibrillation ; complications ; pathology ; therapy ; Coronary Artery Bypass ; Female ; Humans ; Inpatients ; statistics & numerical data ; Male ; Myocardial Infarction ; complications ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome

Forearm ; innervation ; Ganglion Cysts ; surgery ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Muscle, Skeletal ; innervation ; surgery ; Tendons ; surgery ; Ulnar Nerve ; surgery

Arnebia euchroma is the main source for medicinal herb Zicao. and its most important component shikonin compounds have high medicinal and industrial value. This research is aimed to build overexpression vectors and RNAi vectors for key secondary metabolism genes of A. euchroma, and bulid platform for constructions of related transgenic lines using GATEWAY technology. To build genetic material based genetic research platform is to provide a great convenience for digging and functional verification of the genes on secondary metabolic pathway, and also to fill the gaps in transgenic research of A. euchroma. This study is also important for the cultivation of shikonin high-yielding strains of A. euchroma.
Boraginaceae ; genetics ; metabolism ; Genetic Vectors ; genetics ; metabolism ; Plant Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; RNA Interference ; Secondary Metabolism

PBL(Problem-Based Learning, PBL) is a problem-oriented and effective supplementary teaching method. PBL is giving a great help to improve self-learning, communication and cooperation, thinking and problems solving abilities for the students. In the process of PBL teaching, attention should be paid to two important items. One item is the role transfer for the teacher. Teacher is only a guider in PBL teaching, teacher should avoid excessive interfere of the process for keeping the passion and enthusiasm of the students. Meanwhile, students should always be realized that they are the main part in PBL teaching, they should not depend on their teacher too much. Another important item is how to find and solve the frequently encountered problems, in order to avoid students wandering from the subject, and lead them toward the main goal to get effective teaching and learning.