Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia,but its pathogenesis is still unclear.With the development of sleep medicine,obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is found to associate with the occurrence of AF and recurrence after catheter ablation.This article reviews the pathophysiology of OSA,and relationship between OSA and the occurrence of AF,and its mechanism.It indicates that clinicians should pay close attention to the existence of OSA during diagnosis and treatment of AF.

Objective To assess the effect of IL 1Ra gene transfer on amelioration of symptoms and cartilage injury of osteoarthritis (OA) in rabbit. Methods Thirty New Zealand rabbits were divided into 3 groups. Synovial membrane was harvested from the left knee, and synovial fibroblasts were isolated and cultured. Fibroblasts from each rabbit were traanfected using the retrovirus with either IL 1Ra gene (group 3) or marker gene (group 2) in vitro . OA was induced in the right knee of all rabbits by anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLT). The autologous cells tranfected with IL 1Ra gene or marker gene were respectively injected into the right knee of group 3 and 2. At the end of 2nd and 4th week, IL 1Ra level in synonival fluid (SF) of the right knee were determined by ELISA. The results were evaluated by grading local pain stimulating response, change of gait, joint swelling, and range of joint motion. The degree of injury to the cartilage was graded by the staining of India ink and pathological examination. Results The IL 1Ra level in the right knee SF of group 3 were 20 16?1 8 ng/ml and 4 82?0 52 ng/ml at the end of 2 and 4 weeks after gene delivery, respectively, while that in the group 2 and group 1 was very low. In IL 1Ra gene transfection group, the symptoms of the joint injury and the degree of cartilage lesion were less severe compared with control group. Conclusion This study showed that IL Ra transfer could raise IL 1Ra level in knee joints, thereby alleviate the symptoms and cartilage injury in experimental osteoarthritis

Objective To address the standard first-line management under the new diagnostic criteria in adult immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted involving 178 adult ITP patients treated with high-dose dexamethasone or prednisone in Qilu Hospital from March 2004 to November 2009 using new diagnostic criteria. Results The median age was 41 years with a male/female ratio of 0. 73: 1. Among the 178 ITP patients, 87 were newly diagnosed, 30 persistent ITP, 58 chronic ITP, and 3 unable to follow up. The efficacy rates among 167 patients able to assess in the three groups were 77.4% ( 65/84 ), 64. 0% ( 16/25 ) and 62. 1% ( 36/58 ) respectively, and their complete remission (CR) rates were 57. 1% (48/84), 36. 0% (9/25) and 32. 8% (19/58). The efficacy rate and CR rate of the newly diagnosed ITP category were significantly higher than those of the chronic ITP category (x2 = 3. 917, P ＜ 0. 05 ;x2 = 8. 186, P ＜ 0. 01 ). The patients treated with high-dose dexamethasone or prednisone therapy had no significant differences in sex, age or blood platelet count before treatment.Moreover, the short or long term response rates and the CR rates between the two therapies had no statistically significant differences while the former had a shorter onset time ( F = 10. 34, P ＜ 0. 01 ).Conclusions The study sets up a basis for the application of the recommended new definition and outcome criteria for adult ITP. Dexamethasone therapy is favored as first-line therapy.

Bioethics, one of the focus subjects in 21 century,attracts the attention in the worldwide.Originated from western developed countries,it has been branded with distinct western civilization,which is disadvantageous to the development of the subject.Some suggestions are put forward as following: 1.Communication between the East and the West should be promoted in order to form a solid multi-cultural base for bioethics. For instance, in America ethics bears the imprint of religious conventionality,while in China politics is infiltrated into traditional ethical ideas. Both of them are not perfect. So they cannot form the base of bioethics. 2.Research on the "base line" of the bioethics should be emphasized in order to provide freer academic atmosphere. Transplanting the western bioethical ideas to the developing countries will never work. As for the bioethical"base line",different countries should establish feasible ethical codes according to their own actual situations. 3.Scientists should be encouraged to adopt various technical ways to explore the problems in the field of bioethics.Such methods as tissue-engineering,antologous stem-cell replanting and cell diffrenttation inducing may bring about earlier breakthrough than fetus stem-cell.Equal attention,encouragement and support should be given to bioethics.

OBJECTIVETo study the relationship between serum testosterone levels and the plaque formation of the carotid artery in a population-based cohort of independently living healthy women above 60 years of age.

METHODSAnalysis of the healthy elders from a population-based cohort study in 9 communities of Beijing. Carotid intima-media thickness and atherosclerotic plaques were determined ultrasonographically. Serum testosterone levels were measured by immunoassay. The data were analyzed with ANOVA and logistic regression analysis.

RESULTSThere was an inverse correlation between testosterone and plaque formation in old females (P < 0.01), while no association was found in males. Female with testosterone levels in the lowest quartile (< 0.49 nmol/L) had more risk of plaque formation (OR = 3.805, P < 0.01) after adjusted with age and other traditional factors of atherosclerosis.

CONCLUSIONTestosterone concentrations are negatively associated with carotid artery atherosclerosis in old women in Beijing, experimental and prospective studies are needed to determine the possible therapeutic role of testosterone in atherosclerosis.

Aged ; Atherosclerosis ; blood ; Carotid Arteries ; pathology ; Carotid Intima-Media Thickness ; Carotid Stenosis ; blood ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Prospective Studies ; Testosterone ; blood

Objective: To observe the effect of extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) on proliferation, cell cycle and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) expression in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Methods: HUVECs were culturedin vitro at the concentration of (1×105/ml) and the cells were divided into 2 sets of groups:CSWT group, the cells were treated by different energy of (0.03, 0.09, 0.18, 0.24) mJ/mm2 respectively and corresponding Control group, in which the cells had no CSWT. HUVEC proliferation was detected by CCK colorimetric method, cell cycle was measured by lfow cytometry, mRNA and protein expressions of ICAM-1 were examined by RT-PCR and Western blot analysis respectively. Results: Compared with Control group, (0.09 mJ/mm2) CSWT group had promoted HUVECs proliferation,P<0.05 and the other CSWT groups were similar to corresponding Control groups,P>0.05; (0.09 mJ/mm2) CSWT group showed decreased proportion of G0/G1 stage and increased S and G2/M stages, allP<0.05; while (0.03 mJ/mm2) CSWT group only increased the proportion of G2/M stage,P<0.05 and the other CSWT groups were similar to corresponding Control group,P>0.05. Compared with Control group, (0.09 mJ/mm2 ) and (0.03mJ/mm2) CSWT groups showed increased mRNA expression of ICAM-1 (9.27±0.95) vs (1.02±0.27),P<0.001 and (7.08±0.60) vs (1.02±0.27),P<0.01; (0.09 mJ /mm2) CSWT group had elevated protein expression of ICAM-1,P<0.05. Conclusion: ESWT especially at (0.09 mJ/mm2) may accelerate cell cycle transition from G0/G1 stage to S and G2/M stages, promote HUVECs proliferation and increase ICAM-1 expression which may play important roles in ESWT facilitated angiogenesis in vitro.

Objective To study the difference in fibrinogen and D-dimer between the patients with ST-ele-vation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and those with normal angiography of coronary artery.Methods 100 patients with STEMI who underwent PCI and 100 patients with normal coronary arteriograms as controls from Jan.2005 to Dec.2007 were studied.Plasma concentrations of fibrinogen and D-dimer were compared.Results There was no significant difference in gender, age, history of hypertension and diabetes and smoking between the two groups.Plas-ma concentration of fbfinogen(Fg) was higher in control group [(2.65±0.68 )g/L ] than STEMI group [(2.38±0.91)g/L] (P<0.05).The square root of plasma concentration of D-dimer was higher in STEMI group [(13.23±5.08) μg/L] than control group [(9.40±5.03)μg/L ] (P<0.01).The square root of the rate between D-dimer and fibrinogen was higher in STEMI group (9.11±4.13 ) than control group (5.92±3.35 ) (P<0.01).Conclusion The levels of fibrinogen in patients with STEMI are significantly lower than that of control group, and D-dimer is higher in the former group than in the latter group, suggesting that fresh thrombosis and secondary fibrinolysis exit in STEMI patients at the acute stage.

BACKGROUND:Studies have shown that extracorporeal shock wave therapy is an effective, safe, and non-invasive treatment for ischemic heart disease, which can improve angiogenesis in the ischemic myocardium. OBJECTIVE:To summarize the research advances in promotion of angiogenesis for ischemic myocardium by extracorporeal shock wave therapy. METHODS:A computer-based online search of PubMed database and CNKI database was performed for relevant articles published between 1998 and 2014 with key words of “shock wave, ischemic heart disease, angiogenesis, cytokine, stem cel” in English and Chinese, respectively. Articles related to the promotion of angiogenesis for ischemic cardiovascular disease by extracorporeal shock wave were selected. Repetitive articles were excluded. According to inclusion criteria, 51 literatures were selected in result analysis. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Extracorporeal shock wave therapy can improve angiogenesis in the ischemic myocardium by mobilizing proliferation and differentiation of stem cels into vascular endothelial cels, and by enhancing the expression of growth factors such as vascular endothelial growth factor and basic fibroblast growth factor. Moreover, the extracorporeal shock wave therapy can create a local favorable microenvironment for angiogenesis by inhibiting inflammation, oxidative stress and apoptosis and by regulating components of the extracelular matrix. Extracorporeal shock wave therapy plays an important role in the angiogenesis of ischemic myocardium and displays a good clinical prospect in the treatment of ischemic heart disease. However, the specific mechanism requires further studies.

Adenocarcinoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Adult ; Choriocarcinoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Endometrial Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Female ; Humans ; Keratin-7 ; metabolism ; Mucin-1 ; metabolism ; Ovarian Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery

The present of atlanto-axial pedicle screw fixation through posterior approach provide a new remedy for treating instability of pillow and cervical. A lot of researches have reported feasibility of atlanto-axial pedicle screw fixation, the results showed that it had advantages of easily exposure, less blood loss, shorter operative time, especially in treating as remedy fixation for atlanto-axial joint screw, atlas lateral mass screws and pedicle screw caused by injuries of tumor,inflammation and trauma. If not done properly, it can cause serious complications, such as iatrogenic fracture,injuries of vertebral artery and cervical spinal cord. Therefore,the safty and effectiveness of atlanto-axial pedicle screw fixation may be focus of research.
Atlanto-Axial Joint ; surgery ; Bone Screws ; utilization ; Cervical Atlas ; surgery ; Fracture Fixation, Internal ; instrumentation ; methods ; trends ; Humans ; Spinal Fractures ; surgery