Diabetic Neuropathies ; blood ; drug therapy ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Nitric Oxide ; blood ; Phytotherapy

Objective To observe the effects of human retinal pigment epithelium conditioned medium(HRPE-CM) on the biological characteristics of human retinal stem cells(HRSCs). Methods HRSCs were exposed to HRPE-CM and cultivated in three different cultures,including the control,epidermal growth factor(EGF) + basic fibroblast growth factor(bFGF) and HRPE-CM.Cell counting was performed to explore the effects of different culture media on the proliferation of HRSCs,and their properties as neural stem cells were further identified. Results Compared with control group,HRPE-CM significantly promoted the proliferation of HRSCs(P

Objective To compare the efficacy of ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration(US-FNA)biopsy in diagnosing solid and complex thyroid nodules with different size. Methods One hundred and seventy-five thyroid FNA biopsies were prospectively performed on 168 patients ranging from 4 to 75 years of age. Sixty-three nodules were surgically excised and the others were clinically followed-up. The cytology diagnoses were categorized into four groups: benign, malignant, suspicious and unsatisfactory. Results There was no significant complication in the all 115 solid and 60 complex thyroid lesions and there were 36and 3 malignant nodules respectively in solid and complex thyroid nodules. The nondiagnostic rates of solid and complex nodules were 7％ and 8％. The accuracy of US-FNA in diagnosing complex thyroid nodules was comparatively equal to that of in solid thyroid nodules. In solid thyroid nodules, the sensitivity and accuracy in ≤1 cm group were similar to that of in ＞1 cm group. Conclusions US-FNA was an accurate and reliable method to diagnose thyroid solid and complex lesions.

OBJECTIVETo learn about the pathogen spectrum and genetic characterization of HFMD with encephalitis in Yantai city.

METHODSStool samples and cerebrospinal fluids (CSF) collected from HFMD with encephalitis cases in Yantai. Virus were isolated from stool samples and identified by fluorescence reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. The VPl region was amplified and sequenced from positive specimens. Genetic characterization was identified by sequence analysis.

RESULTSGetting 3 virus strains from 10 stool specimens and all of them belong to EV71. The nucleotide and amino acid homogeneity with the representative isolates of C4a were 98%-99% and 98.90%-99.45% respectively.

CONCLUSIONThe pathogen of HFMD with encephalitis in Yantai city were mainly EV71 wich belong to subgenogroup C4 cluster C4a.

Capsid Proteins ; genetics ; Encephalitis, Viral ; virology ; Enterovirus A, Human ; classification ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease ; complications ; virology ; Humans ; Phylogeny

BACKGROUNDDiagnosis and appropriate treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) remain major challenges. We sought to elucidate that persons who share a household with drug resistance tuberculosis patients are at high risk for primary drug resistance tuberculosis and how to prevent these outbreaks.

METHODSWe used 12-locus mycobacterial interspersed repetitive unit and 7-locus variable-number tandem repeat to identify household transmission of extensively drug resistant and multiple drug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis in three families admitted in Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital affiliated with Tongji University. Drug susceptibility tests were done by the modified proportion method in the MGIT 960 system in the same time. Clinical data were also obtained from the subjects' medical records.

RESULTSAll of the six strains were defined as Beijing genotype by the deletion-targeted multiplex PCR (DTM-PCR) identification on the genomic deletion RD105. Strains from family-1 had the same minisatellite interspersed repetitive unit (MIRU) pattern (232225172531) and the same MIRU pattern (3677235). Strains from family-2 had the same MIRU pattern (2212261553323) and the same MIRU pattern (3685134). Strains from family-3 did not have the same MIRU pattern and they differed at only one locus (223326173533, 223325173533), and did not have the same VNTR pattern with two locus differed (3667233, 3677234).

CONCLUSIONSHousehold transmission exists in the three families. A clear chain of tuberculosis transmission within family exists. Tuberculosis susceptibility should be considered when there is more than one tuberculosis patients in a family. Household tuberculosis transmission could be prevented with adequate treatment of source patients.

Adult ; Female ; Genotype ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis ; classification ; genetics ; pathogenicity ; Radiography ; Tuberculosis, Multidrug-Resistant ; diagnostic imaging ; transmission ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo study the chemical components from dried roots of Zanthoxylum dimorphophyllum var. spinifoliun.

METHODThe chemical components were isolated by low pressure column chromatography and their structures were identified by spectroscopic methods.

RESULTFive compounds were isolated and identified as 6-(2', 3'-dihydroxy-3'-methyl-butyl)-7-hydroxy-5-methoxy-2H-1-benzopyran-2-one (I), 6-(2',3'-dihydroxy-3'-methyl-butyl)-7-methoxy-8-(3'-methyl-but-2'-enyl)-2H-1-benzopyran-2-one (II),6-(2',3'-dihydroxy-3'-methyl-butyl)-7-hydroxy-2H-1-benzopyran-2-one (III), 6-(2', 3'-oxiranyl-3'-methyl-butyl)-7-methoxy-8- (3-methyl-but-2-enyl)-2H-1-benzopyran-2-one (IV), 7-methoxy-8-(3'-methyl-but-2'-enyl)-2H-1-benzopyran-2-one (V).

CONCLUSIONThese compounds were isolated from the plant for the first time.

Coumarins ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Plant Roots ; chemistry ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Zanthoxylum ; chemistry

Hemorrhage is one of major clinical features of the patients exposed to large dose of ionizing radiation and a sudden decrease of peripheral platelet counts in hemorrhage complication may bring the patients into life-threatening situation. Cytokines had been used to improve thrombocytopoiesis in various radiation induced thrombocytopenia. Current measures for this purpose involve repeated injection of recombinant cytokines, which bring much inconvenient and agony to the patients, or gene therapy with viral vectors that could not obviate the risk of infection. This work tried to determine the possibility of gene therapy with plasmid vectors for radiation-induced hematopoietic injury. After a single intramuscular injection of plasmid hIL-6 cDNA on 6.5 Gy irradiated mice, the IL-6 level began to increase from the day 4, reached the peak value about the day 11 and maintained at a higher level on the day 28, but the hIL-6 level showed less changes in unirradiated mice. Further experiments demonstrated the IL-6 level in 7.5 Gy irradiated mice was about three times higher than that of 5.0 Gy irradiated mice and the expression of hIL-6 in vivo showed significant effect on hematopoietic recovery. Not only the platelet nadir in peripheral blood, but also the number of colony-forming cells in bone marrow rose. It is concluded that radiation could significantly enhance the gene transfer efficiency of plasmid DNA and gene therapy with plasmid vectors for treating radiation-induced hematopoietic injury might be more effective than other diseases without DNA repair.

Objective To evaluate contrast-enhanced fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) imaging in the detection of leptomeningeal lesions.Methods Seventeen patients with a variety of leptomeningeal lesions were analyzed.The MRI protocol included un-enhanced and contrast-enhanced FLAIR images and contrast-enhanced T_1WI,Comparisons between contrast-enhanced FLAIR images and T_1WI and between un-enhanced and contrast-enhanced FLAIR images were made to determine which sequence better depicted the lesions.Results Leptomeningeal lesions showed as either diffusely or locally abnormal hyper-intensity along sulci or cistern on three sequences.Comparison between contrast-enhanced FLAIR and T_1WI showed that only contrast-enhanced FLAIR revealed the abnormalities in 7,both revealed the abnormalities but the former was superior in 2 ,and both were conspicuous in 7. In 1 patient of tuberculous meningitis,diffuse abnormalities of sulci were shown only on contrast-enhanced FLAIR, abnormalities of cisterns were shown on both sequences but the former was superior.Comparison between un- enhanced and contrast-enhanced FLAIR showed that only contrast-enhanced FLAIR revealed the abnormalities in 9,both revealed the abnormalities but the former was superior in 3,and both were conspicuous in 4. In 1 patient of tuberculous meningitis,abnormalities of cisterns were shown only on contrast-enhanced FLAIR,diffuseabnormalities of sulci were shown on both sequences but the former was superior.Conclusions Contrast-enhanced FLAIR images were superior to un-enhanced FLAIR images and contrast-enhanced T_1WI in the detection of leptomeningeal lesions. Contrast-enhanced FLAIR images are helpful and should be considered when findings on un-enhanced FLAIR images and/or contrast-enhanced T,WI are inconclusive.

OBJECTIVESurvey of the coastal city of Yantai, from human and swine hepatitis E virus (HEV) genotype correlation.

METHODApplication of reverse transcription nested polymerase chain reaction (RT-nPCR) method for local acute sporadic hepatitis E patients,normal population of HEV-IgM positive and local pig farm pigs were HEV RNA detection. And HEV RNA positive samples for cloning sequencing and sequence analysis.

RESULTSIn 16 patients with acute sporadic hepatitis E in 7 cases of RNA positive stool specimens of HEV; 51 IgM positive sera of normal people in specimens with 1 HEV RNA positive; 34 pig bile specimens with 1 HEV RNA positive. Sequence analysis revealed the region HEV strains and swine strains in the ORF2 region of nucleotide sequence homology is 87%-98.1%. 7 strains of hepatitis E virus genotype in patients and 1 strains of swine hepatitis E virus genotypes are type IV, gene sequence homology between the 87%-98.1%; there were 6 patients and porcine gene sequence homology in 93.9%-98.1% between,for type a subtype; 1 patients and porcine gene sequence homology in 87%, for the type D subtype. Normal population of 1 cases of hepatitis E virus genotype for I type D subtype. Human and porcine HEV ORF2 gene fragment and HEV part I-IV representative strains were compared, and the nucleotide sequence homology were 82.5%-100%, 81.7%-92.9%, 81.4%-93.9%, 84.9%-100%.

CONCLUSIONThe area population prevalence of HEV in the presence of 2 genotype 3 subtype genes, mainly to IV A, in pigs with popular HEV gene with a high homology; HEV type I in the crowd disperses in the presence of.

Animals ; Genotype ; Hepatitis E ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; Hepatitis E virus ; classification ; genetics ; Humans ; Phylogeny ; RNA, Viral ; analysis ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Swine

AIMTo assess whether exposure to computers harms the semen quality of healthy young men.

METHODSA total of 178 subjects were recruited from two maternity and children healthcare centers in Shanghai, 91 with a history of exposure to computers (i.e., exposure for 20 h or more per week in the last 2 years) and 87 persons to act as control (no or little exposure to computers). Data on the history of exposure to computers and other characteristics were obtained by means of a structured questionnaire interview. Semen samples were collected by masturbation in the place where the semen samples were analyzed.

RESULTSNo differences in the distribution of the semen parameters (semen volume, sperm density, percentage of progressive sperm, sperm viability and percentage of normal form sperm) were found between the exposed group and the control group. Exposure to computers was not found to be a risk factor for inferior semen quality after adjusting for potential confounders, including abstinence days, testicle size, occupation, history of exposure to toxic substances.

CONCLUSIONThe present study did not find that healthy men exposed to computers had inferior semen quality.

Adult ; Case-Control Studies ; China ; Computers ; Electromagnetic Fields ; adverse effects ; Humans ; Male ; Semen ; Surveys and Questionnaires