Objective To investigate effects of very early hyperbaric oxygen treatment (HBOT) on patients with malignant brain edema after surgical operation for treatment of severe traumatic brain injury (TBI).Methods A total of 146 patients who suffered from malignant brain edema after last surgical operation for severe TBI were enrolled for this study.According to the intervention time of HBOT,they were randomized into a very early group (HBOT within 3 days after operation,n =55),an ordinary group (HBOT at 4 to 10 days after operation,n =65) and a control group (non-HBOT,n =26).Mortality rate of the 3 groups were recorded within 4 weeks after operation,and GCS (Glasgow Coma Scale) score were assessed in 1,2,3 and 4 weeks after operation.Dynamic head CT scan were performed for detecting brain status and for determine the duration of brain edema.Results The mortality of the very early group,the ordinary group and the control group were 10.9％,7.7％ and 11.5％,respectively,and no statistically significant difference was revealed among the groups (P ＞ 0.05).In very early group,the GCS scores of 1,2,3 and 4 weeks after operation were (8.837 ±3.350),(10.755 ± 3.388),(11.633 ± 3.408) and (12.367 ± 3.408),respectively,with significant difference between the time points 1 week and 2,3 and 4 weeks as well as 2 and 4 weeks after surgery (P ＜0.05),but not between 2 and 3 as well as 3 and 4 weeks after surgery (P ＞ 0.05).In ordinary group,the GCS scores at 1,2,3 and 4 weeks after surgery were (8.509 ±3.042),(9.458 ±3.115),(10.186 ±3.203) and (10.627 ±3.439),respectively,with significant difference between 1 week and 2,3 and 4 weeks after operation (P ＜ 0.05).In control group,the GCS scores at 1,2,3 and4 weeks after surgery were (8.042 ±2.881),(8.417 ±2.962),(8.542 ±3.02) and (8.958 ± 3.043),with no statistical difference among different time points (P ＞ 0.05).When compared with the very early group,the GCS sores of the ordinary group and the control group were significantly lower after intervention (P ＜ 0.05),and the GCS of control group was lower than that of the ordinary group (P ＜ 0.05).As for brain edema duration,the very early group was the shortest among the 3 groups (P ＞ 0.05) Conclusion Very early hyperbaric oxygen treatment could improve consciousness state and alleviate malignant brain edema after surgical operation in TBI patients.

Purpose To establish myocardial infarction model in rabbits and to evaluate cardiac function and pathological changes.Materials and Methods In 35 New Zealand white rabbits, the left anterior descending branch (LAD) of the coronary artery was ligated. The cardiac function was evaluated using echocardiography, and the blood serum brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) level was examined preoperatively, on postoperative day 1, and in 1 week, 2 weeks, 4 weeks and 8 weeks for comparison. Pathological sections and HE staining were performed to observe pathological changes. Results The death rate was 28.6% (10/35). There was progressive increase in left ventricular end systolic diameter (LVESD) and left ventricular end diastolic diameter (LVEDD) at 1 week, 2 weeks and 4 weeks (P<0.05). There was progressive decrease in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and left ventricular fractional shortening fraction (LVFS) at 1 day, 1 week, 2 weeks and 4 weeks (P<0.05). The BNP level started increasing in 1 day, peaked in 1 week, then gradually decreased but remained higher than preoperative level in 8 weeks (P<0.01). Pathological section showed typical myocardial cell degeneration, necrosis, ifbrosis, calciifcation and scar formation. Conclusion This myocardial infarction model is satisfactory with signiifcant decrease of cardiac function and increase of BNP level.

Objective To investigate the dynamic changes of the spinal cord during neck flexion in Hirayama disease for diagnosis.Methods MRI examinations in neutral neck position and a fully flexed neck position were performed on 18 cases of Hirayama disease and 31 young normal control subjects.We measured an antero-posterior diameter(APD)and transverse diameter(TD)of the cervical cord at the superior margin of the C6 vertebral body for each position,and investigate the dynamic changes.The different in frequency of these findings between the control and patient groups was examined by means of the x~2 test.The group means were compared by independent-sample t-test.Significance was defined as P

BACKGROUND: Mechanical ventilation is a double-edged sword to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) including lung injury, and systemic inflammatory response high tidal volumes are thought to increase mortality. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effects of dynamic ventilatory factors on ventilator induced lung injury in a dog model of ARDS induced by hydrochloric acid instillation under volume controlled ventilation and to investigate the relationship between the dynamic factors and ventilator-induced lung injuries (VILI) and to explore its potential mechanisms. METHODS: Thirty-six healthy dogs were randomly divided into a control group and an experimental group. Subjects in the experimental group were then further divided into four groups by different inspiratory stages of flow. Two mL of alveolar fluid was aspirated for detection of IL-8 and TNF-α. Lung tissue specimens were also extracted for total RNA, IL-8 by western blot and observed under an electronic microscope. RESULTS: IL-8 protein expression was significantly higher in group B than in groups A and D. Although the IL-8 protein expression was decreased in group C compared with group B, the difference was not statistically significant. The TNF-α ray degree of group B was significantly higher than that in the other groups (P<0.01), especially in group C (P>0.05). The alveolar volume of subjects in group B was significantly smaller, and cavity infiltration and cell autolysis were marked with a significant thicker alveolar septa, disorder of interval structures, and blurring of collagenous and elastic fiber structures. A large number of necrotic debris tissue was observed in group B. CONCLUSION: Mechanical ventilation with a large tidal volume, a high inspiratory flow and a high ventilation frequency can cause significant damage to lung tissue structure. It can significantly increase the expression of TNF-α and IL-8 as well as their mRNA expression. Furthermore, the results of our study showed that small tidal ventilation significantly reduces the release of pro-inflammatory media. This finding suggests that greater deterioration in lung injury during ARDS is associated with high inspiratory flow and high ventilation rate.

Objective To evaluate the role of imaging diagnosis in surgical treatment of primary aldosteronism(PA). MethodsFrom Jan 1995 to Dec 2004,245 patients with PA were hospitalized in our hospital.Before the operations,all the patients underwent B-ultrasonography and CT scaning,240 received intravenous pyelography and 75 MRI.The preoperative imaging diagnosis were compared with the findings during the operations and postoperative pathologic results. Results Compared with the findings during the operations,the accuracy rates of localized diagnosis for PA with B-ultrasonography,CT scanning and MRI were 92.7%,98.2% and 90.4%,respectively.Compared with the postoperative pathologic results,the accuracy rates of qualitative diagnosis for aldosterone-producing adenoma(APA) with B-ultrasonography,CT scanning and MRI were 83.0%,90.7% and 72.2%,respectively. Conclusion The comprehensive imaging data are helpful in the localized diagnosis of PA.Correct preoperative qualitative diagnosis of APA is the key step for the surgical treatment for PA.

OBJECTIVETo construct a short hairpin (sh)RNA targeting aquaglyceroporin 9 (AQP9) that effectively silences gene expression in liver cells in order to investigate of the role of AQP9 in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) pathogenesis using an in vitro cell model system.

METHODSSmall interfering (si)RNAs were designed against the human gene sequences encoding AQP9 (NCBI GenBank Accession No. AB008775) and unrelated control sequences, synthesized, annealed to form double-strands, and inserted into the pGenesil- 1 shRNA-expression plasmid. The silencing effects of the four pshRNA-AQP9 constructs (a-d) and the pshRNA-negative control construct were investigated by transfecting into the L02 human normal liver cell line and detecting expression of AQP9 mRNA and protein (relative to beta-actin) by reverse transcription-PCR and western blotting. The NAFLD cell model was established by treating L02 cells with oleic acid to induce fatty degeneration. After transfecting the NAFLD cell model with various constructs, the effects on NAFLD-related features were investigated by staining with Oil Red O (to detect lipid droplets) and performing enzymatic assays (to quantitate triglyceride (TG), free fatty acid (FFA) and glycerol content). The significance of intergroup differences was assessed by analysis of variance test.

RESULTSOf the four pshRNA-AQP9 constructs, pshRNA-AQP9a produced the most robust silencing effect on AQP9 mRNA (25.1 - 1.2% vs. untransfected: 39.3 +/- 1.7% and pshRNA-negative control: 39.4 +/- 1.5%, P < 0.01) and protein (25.4 - 2.0% vs. untransfected: 35.1 +/- 1.9% and psh-RNA-negative control: 35.6 +/- 2.3%, P < 0.01). Oleic acid-induced L02 cells showed enhanced AQP9 mRNA and protein expression, and increased intracellular content of lipid, TG, FFA, and glycerol, which were significantly reduced by pshRNA-AQP9a transfection (all P <0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe new pshRNA-AQP9a construct can efficiently reduce AQP9 expression in cultured human liver cells and relieve steatosis-related features in an NAFLD cell model, pshRNA-AQP9a represents a novel tool for studying the role ofAQP9 in NAFLD pathogenesis and its potential as a gene therapy strategy.

Aquaporins ; genetics ; Cell Line ; Fatty Liver ; genetics ; Gene Expression ; Genetic Vectors ; Hepatocytes ; metabolism ; Humans ; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease ; Plasmids ; RNA Interference ; RNA, Messenger ; RNA, Small Interfering

Objective To study the exact function of human gene 5 transactivated by pre-S1 protein of hepatitis B virus(PS1TP5)by investigating the gene expression of PS1TP5 in yeast cells. Methods Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR)was performed to amplify the gene of PS1TP5 using the mRNA of HepG2 cells as template and the gene was cloned into pGEM-T vector.The gene of PS1TP5 was cut from pGEM-T-PS1TP5 vector and cloned into yeast expressive plasmid pGBKT7,then pGBKT7-PS1TP5 was transformed into yeast cell AH109.The yeast protein was isolated and analyzed with sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis(SDS-PAGE) and Western hybridization.Results PS1TP5 gene was successfully amplified and identified by DNA sequencing.The digested fragment was cloned into pGBKT7 vector and transformed into yeast cell AH109.The results of SDS-PAGE and Western assay showed that the relative molecular weight of the expressed product was about 36 950,and PS1TP5 protein existed in yeast cells.Conclusion The findings suggest that PS1TP5 can be successfully expressed in yeast cell.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the alleles and genotype frequency of 8 short tandem repeat (STR) loci (DXS6804, DXS8378, DXS7132, DXS7133, DXS6789, DXS101, HPRTB and DXS7423) on the X chromosome in Luoba ethnic group of China.

METHODSThe eight X chromosome STR (X-STR) loci were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed by polyacylamide gel electrophoresis and silver stain.

RESULTSAmong 96 unrelated Luoba individuals, the numbers of alleles in the 8 X-STR loci (DXS7133, DXS6789, DXS6804, DXS8378, DXS101, DXS7424, DXS7132 and HPRTB) were 5, 8, 7, 5, 8, 8, 8 and 5, respectively. The genotype frequencies in females were in accordance with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium.

CONCLUSIONThe eight X-STR loci are appropriate for individual identification, paternity testing involving a female child and studies on related diseases.

China ; Chromosomes, Human, X ; genetics ; Female ; Gene Frequency ; Genetics, Population ; Genotype ; Humans ; Male ; Microsatellite Repeats ; genetics ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; genetics

PURPOSE: The purposes of this study were to explore postpartum stress and breast symptoms in postpartum breastfeeding of parturient mothers as well as to identify the factors influencing the breast symptoms in breastfeeding women after cesarean section delivery. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted. A total of 162 breastfeeding women after cesarean section delivery were recruited from five hospitals in Taiwan. Structured questionnaires were used to collect data. RESULTS: The five highest postpartum stress comes from the flabby flesh of maternal belly, the baby getting sick suddenly, interrupted sleep, insufficient breast milk, and discomfort due to breast engorgement. The most two common breast symptoms in breastfeeding encountered by subjects in this study were breast engorgement and breast hardening, whereas the least common one was nipple bloody discharge. Cesarean section women with early suckling on the operating table had more breast symptoms in postpartum breastfeeding; and the higher the postpartum stress of them, the more the breast symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Breastfeeding in a comfortable condition is a key factor of precipitating breast milk secretion, so early suckling on the operating table may result in discomfort and stress of the woman and interfere with the secretion or production of breast milk. Additionally, it is a crucial factor of the success in breastfeeding that the nursing personnel can provide women help in maintaining breast milk production and secretion, taking care of a baby, and reminding women's families (especially their husbands) of giving their assistance, encouragement and praises to relieve women's postpartum stress.
Breast ; Breast Feeding ; Cesarean Section ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Milk, Human ; Mothers ; Nipples ; Operating Tables ; Postpartum Period ; Pregnancy ; Taiwan ; Surveys and Questionnaires

No abstract available.