AIM: To investigate the molecular mechanism of amylin in inducing apoptosis of human pancreatic islet ?-cells. METHODS: Human pancreatic islet cells were isolated and cultured. The cells were treated with amylin or amylin and aminoguanidine (AG group) for 24 h, respectively. Apoptosis of pancreatic islet ?-cells was studied by in situ TUNEL method combined with double staining for insulin and ELISA. The levels of insulin, NO 2 -/NO 3 - and glutathione (GSH), p53 mRNA and bcl-2 mRNA were also detected. RESULTS: (1) The enrichment factor and the apoptosis rate of pancreatic islet ?-cells in amylin group were markedly higher than that in control group and AG group ( P

Objective To evaluate the clinical effect of postural reduction combined with miniincision screw-rod system and percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP) in treating osteoporotic thoracolumbar burst fractures.Methods A retrospective case series study was performed for data of 35 patients with osteoporotic thoracolumbar burst fractures without neurological deficits undergone mini-incision screw-rod system fixation and PKP between January 2012 and January 2014.There were 14 males and 21 females,with a mean age of 63.2 years (range,50-72 years).Operation time,intraoperative blood loss,complications,visual analogue score (VAS),height of fractured vertebrae and kyphosis Cobb angle were recorded.Results Operation time was (49.6 ± 6.8) min,and intraoperative blood loss was (45.6 ±7.8)ml.All patients were followed up for 9-18 months (mean,13.5 months).No intraoperative or postoperative serious complications occurred,including intracanal cement leakage,breakage or loosening of the screws.VAS of back pain was decreased from (8.4 ± 1.1)points preoperatively to (3.5 ± 0.6)points postoperatively (P ＜ 0.05).Height of the fractured vertebrae was improved from (49.62％ ± 5.68)％ preoperatively to (86.64 ± 6.63) ％ postoperatively (P ＜ 0.05).Kyphosis Cobb angle was improved from (28.12 ± 1.06) °preoperatively to (5.15 ± 1.08) °postoperatively (P ＜0.05).At the final follow-up,VAS was further decrease and vertebral height and Cobb’ s showed a slight loss of correction.Conclusion Postural reduction combined with mini-incision screw-rod system and PKP can relieve back pain,restore the height of injured vertebrae,correct kyphotic deformity and reduce operation time and blood loss,indicating a minimally invasive,safe and effective procedure for treatment of osteoporotic thoracolumbar burst fractures.

AIM: To investigate the effect of losartan on the mRNA expression of type 2 angiotensin II receptor and cytokines in diabetic rat kidney.METHODS: SD rats were randomly divided by following groups: control rats(group C),diabetic rats(group D) and diabetic rats treated with losartan (30(mg?kg~(-1)?d~(-1)),by gavage,group DT).At the end of 8-weeks study,mRNA expressions of the type 2 angiotensin II receptor(AT_2),transforming growth factor-?_1(TGF-?_1),platelet-derived growth factor-B(PDGF-B),tumor necrosis factor-?(TNF-?) and collagen Ⅳ in rats renal cortex were measured by RT-PCR,respectively.In addition,angiotensin Ⅱ level in renal cortex was determined by the radioimmunoassay.RESULTS: In group D,urine protein excretion(P

Objective To investigate the risk of death between older and non-older critical patients in intensive care unit (ICU) in Shuyang People's Hospital.Methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted. The critical patients who aged 15 or above, and admitted to ICU of Shuyang People's Hospital from January 2014 to December 2016 were enrolled, and all the data was collected from theregistration and electronic medical records in the ICU. The prevalence and causes of death in ICU critical patients during the study period were observed. The patients were divided into elderly group (65 years and older) and non-elderly group (15-65 years), and logistic regression analysis was performed for the risk of death in the two groups.Results During the study period, 2707 critical patients in emergency were admitted to the ICU of Shuyang People's Hospital, and patients not satisfied the inclusion criteria were excluded. Finally, a total of 2466 patients were enrolled in the analysis with the male and female ratio of 1.6 : 1, an average age of (61.8±17.3) years, a median Glasgow coma scale (GCS) score of 6 (4, 8), and with a median ICU stay of 3 (1, 6) days. In 2466 critical patients, the most common cause of critical state was spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (25.5%) and traumatic brain injury (17.0%), with a fatality rate of 46.0% and 39.5% within first 7 days respectively. Compared with the non-elderly patients (n = 1415), the incidences of death of the elderly patients (n = 1051) due to traumatic brain injury, cerebral infarction, heart failure/cardiovascularcrisis, and respiratory critically ill were significantly increased (9.4% vs. 4.7%, 2.9% vs. 0.8%, 5.0% vs. 2.1%, 2.5% vs. 1.0%, respectively), while the incidence of death for pesticide/drug poisoning in the elderly group was significantly lower than that in the non-elderly group (0.2% vs. 1.2%, allP < 0.01). Stepwise logistic regression analysis showed that traumatic brain injury [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.878, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) = 1.233-2.864,P = 0.003), cerebral infarction (HR = 0.435, 95%CI = 0.229-0.826, P = 0.011), heart failure/cardiovascular crisis (HR = 0.399, 95%CI = 0.238-0.668,P = 0.000), and respiratory critically ill (HR = 0.239, 95%CI = 0.126-0.453,P= 0.000) in the older patients were significantly high risk factors of death as compared with those in non-older patients.Conclusions In the general ICU, the most common cause is spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage and traumatic brain injury in critical patients with a high fatality rate. The risk of death in elderly patients with severe traumatic brain injury, cerebral infarction, heart failure/cardiovascular crisis, respiratory critically ill is higher than that of the non-elderly patients.

Objective To investigate the promoting repair effects of chitosan/gelatin electrospinning membrane implantation on conjunctival injury.Methods Chitosan/gelatin electrospinning membrane was prepared using electrospinning technique,and the general characteristics of the membrane was examined under the scanning electron microscope.Conjunctival injury models were established in the right eyes of 30 New Zealand white rabbits by surgical resection of 6 mm×8 mm bulbar conjunctiva,bums of weak acid at injury site and then randomized into model group,human amniotic membrane (AM) implanted group and electrospinning membrane implanted group.AM or electrospinning membrane was interlayerly implanted between conjunctiva and sclera during operation according to grouping.The inflammatory response and histopathological change at injury site were examined by slit lamp microscope and optical microscope in 4,8,14 and 28 days after surgery.The use and care of the animals followed by code of ethics for animal experiments at the animal experiment center of He University.Results Chitosan/gelatin electrospinning membrane presented with a crosslinked network structure like AM,with the nano-microstructure of 0.1-0.5 μm fibre.No obvious inflammatory symptom was seen in the experimental eyes of various groups in 4 days after operation.In 8 days after operation,conjunctival edema and erosion were found in the model group,and slight conjunctival congestion was exhibited in the eyes of AM implanted group and electrospinning membrane implanted group.In 14 to 28 days after operation,conjunctival edema and new blood vessels were seen in the model group,and the conjunctivas were well recovered in the AM implanted group and electrospinning membrane implanted group.Histopathological examination showed dissociation,attaching,thickening and epithelization of injuried conjunctivas gradually in the model group from 4 to 28 days after operation.In the AM implanted group,attaching of AM was in 4 days,melting of AM was in 8 days,epithelization of injuried conjunctivas was in 14 days and renovation of conjunctivas was in 24 days after operation,and a rapid repairing procedure was found in the electrospinning membrane implanted group under the optical microscope.Conclusions Compared with the self-repairing process of conjunctival injury,implantion of chitosan/gelatin electrospinning membrane or AM can speed up the renovation of injuried conjunctivas,and the effects of chitosan/gelatin electrospinning membrane are better than those of AM in promoting conjunctiva repair and inhibiting scarring.

Objective:To investigate the safety and efficacy of short-segment fixation covering the fractured vertebrae via posterior intermuscular approach plus percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP) through the outer upper edge of the base of the fractured vertebral pedicle in the treatment of osteoporotic thoracolumbar burst fracture.Methods:A retrospective case series study was used to analyze the clinical data of 56 patients with osteoporotic thoracolumbar burst fracture admitted to Ningbo No.6 Hospital from January 2018 to February 2021, including 24 males and 32 females; aged 56-72 years [(63.5±4.6)years]. All patients underwent short-segment fixation covering the fractured vertebrae via posterior intermuscular approach combined with PKP through the outer upper edge of the base of the fractured vertebral pedicle. The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, hospitalization day and surgery-related complications were recorded. The visual analogue score (VAS) of back pain, ratios of the anterior, middle and posterior height of the fractured vertebrae and kyphotic Cobb angle were compared before operation, at postoperative 2 days and at the final follow-up.Results:All patients were followed up for 12-28 months [(14.5±2.2)months]. The operation time was 55-85 minutes [(62.0±12.1)minutes], intraoperative blood loss was 80-150 ml [(94.0±18.5)ml], and hospitalization day was 5-9 days [(7.4±1.1)days]. Based on CT examination at postoperative 2 days, there were 2 patients with paravertebral cement leakage, 2 with intervertebral space leakage and 1 with intracanal leakage, but none reported associated clinical symptoms. No implant failure or fractures of adjacent segments was detected during the follow-up period. The VAS was significantly decreased from preoperative (7.5±1.2)points to (3.2±0.8)points at postoperative 2 days ( P<0.01), and the score was further lowered to (2.2±0.8)points at the final follow-up when compared with that at postoperative 2 days ( P<0.01). The ratios of the anterior, middle and posterior height of the fractured vertebrae and kyphotic Cobb angle were significantly improved at postoperative 2 days [(89.5±13.2)%, (85.8±7.9)%, (89.5±9.0)% and (5.6±3.2)°] when compared with those before operation [(48.9±11.8)%, (61.9±11.9)%, (79.9±9.8)% and (26.3±5.6)°] (all P<0.01). Slight losses were observed in the ratios of the anterior, middle and posterior height of the fractured vertebrae and kyphotic Cobb angle at the final follow-up [(87.0±12.7)%, (82.1±7.8)%, (88.6±10.0)% and (5.4±3.2)°], but not significantly different from those at postoperative 2 days (all P>0.05). Conclusion:Short-segment fixation covering the fractured vertebrae via posterior intermuscular approach plus PKP through the outer upper edge of the base of the fractured vertebral pedicle can safely and effectively treat osteoporotic thoracolumbar burst fracture, for it can significantly improve back pain, restore the height of the fractured vertebrae and correct the kyphotic deformity.