Four cases of primary malignant fibrous histiocytoma of the thorax, arising from the mediastinum, trachea, esophagus and lung respectively are reported. Primary malignant fibrous histiocytoma is rare in those regions, but more commonly in deep fascia and skeletal muscles of the extremities and in the retroperitoneum. It is a distinct form of sarcoma and has been considered to be of primitive mesenchy-mal cell origin. Most of the tumors contain both fibroblast-like and histiocyte-like cells; some contain pleomorphic giant cells and inflammatory celts. They are often confused with other sarcomas. It is impossible to make correct diagnosis preoperatively. Excision is the treatment of choice for malignant fibrous histiocytoma. Radiation and chemotherapy appear to be useful adjuncts to surgical therapy.

Objective To evaluate the quality of Psoralea corylifolia collected from 12 provinces of China.Methods An HPLCDAD-MS/MS method was used to identify,determine,and estimate 14 representative bioactive compounds in P.corylifolia.Then on the basis of the content data,the chemometrics method was used to differentiate 20 samples from different regions.Results The quality of P.corylifolia from 12 different provinces of China was evaluated by this method.Though the samples showed similar profiles,content of the detected markers varied significantly in different regions and batches.According to the results of the hierarchical cluster analysis and principle component analysis,it can be concluded that the samples from different origins could be clustered reasonably into two groups,as well as successfully distinguished.Conclusion A simple and reliable new method which used HPLC-DAD-MS/MS and chemometrics has been developed to characterize,classify,and control the quality of P.corylifolia.

Blood-brain barrier(BBB)is mainly composed of brain microvascular endothelial cells(BMECs).According to the special cell membrane transport system and the extensive tight junctions,the brain microvascular endothelial cells play an important role in the CNS.Also,there is a close relationship between BMECs and the cerebrovascular diseases,such as cerebral ischemia,cerebral edema,and so on.Therefore,the culture of brain microvascular endothelial cells provides a new tool for studying the cerebrovascular diseases in vitro.The researches in recent years have been reviewed in this test,approaching the cultivation of the rat brain microvascular endothelial cell from the segregation,purification and culture in turns,in order to provide a foundation for the studies of the brain microvascular endothelial cell;in vitro.

Objective To explore the potential mechanism of abnormal behavior resulted from maternal separation in neo-natal period in rat. Methods Neonatal rats were equally and randomly divided into maternal separation group and control group. The rats in maternal separation group were separated from the dam for 3h per day on postnatal days (PND) 2 to 21, nothing was done to the rats in the control group. The brain tissues were taken out after being killed on PND 7, 14, and 21. The expressions of Caveolin-l, BDNF and GFAP in hippocampal formation were detected by immunohistochemistry. Semiquantitative assessment of immunohistochemical images was performed by Image-Pro Plus software. Results Compared with control groups, the expres-sion of Caveolin-l on PND 7 had no signiifcant change, while BDNF and GFAP were signiifcantly increased in maternal separa-tion group (P<0.05). On PND 14 and 21, the expressions of Caveolin-l, BDNF and GFAP were signiifcantly decreased in maternal separation group (P<0.05). Conclusions Decreased expressions of Caveolin-l, BDNF and GFAP caused by maternal separation in neonatal period may be associated with abnormal behaviors in adulthood in rat.

Objective To evaluate the effects of Yangxue Qingnao Granules (YQG) in decreasing blood pressure in rats with renal hypertension and to investigate its mechanism.Methods Modified Goldblatt renal hypertension rat models were used.The rats were randomized into 6 groups: model group,YQG groups (treated with high-,moderate-and low-dose respectively),Captopril Tablets group and Niuhuang Jiangya Pills group, 10 rats in each group. The model group was given with distilled water and the other groups with corresponding drugs by gavage, once time a day. Blood pressure was detected in 1st, 2nd and 4th week after treatment. Four weeks after treatment plasma levels of endothelin (ET),calcitonin gene related peptide(CGRP) and nitric oxide(NO) were examined by radioimmunoassay.Results Plasma level of ET was increased and those of NO and CGRP were decreased in rats with renal hypertension. YQG could decrease ET level and increase the levels of NO and CGRP, high-dose YQG in particular (P

Bio-heat transfer in the tongue body is studied combining the mechanism of tongue inspection in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Parameters such as the temperature of lingual surface, the blood perfusion of the dog's tongue and so on are measured and the influences of the blood perfusion, the arterial blood temperature, the arterial cross-sectional areas and positions on the temperature distribution in the cross-sections are studied. Then the two-dimensional temperature fields in different cross-sections are numerically solved by the finite element method (FEM). The results show that the vascular cross-sectional areas vary with the elasticity change of the vessel walls resulting from the variation of the blood perfusion. And the temperature distribution in the cross-section mainly depends on the arterial cross-sectional areas and positions. The results can help to analyze the bio-heat transfer characteristic of the tongue. According to this method, the sectional temperature fields in whatever place of the tongue can be calculated under different blood perfusion and on the condition that the influence of the venous blood temperature on the temperature field of the tongue is considered. We can further probe into the relationship between the temperature fields of the lingual surface and that of cross-sections. This can provide the foundation for further investigation into the bio-heat transfer mechanism and the calculation on three-dimensional temperature fields of the tongue.
Animals ; Body Temperature ; physiology ; Dogs ; Finite Element Analysis ; In Vitro Techniques ; Models, Biological ; Regional Blood Flow ; Thermal Conductivity ; Tongue ; blood supply ; physiology

ObjectiveTo compare the effects on left ventricular remodeling of bone marrow mononuclear cells transplantation one week and three months after acute myocardial infarction.MethodsAcute myocardial infarction models were successfully established in 15 swine,which were randomly divided into three groups:placebo group,early transplantation group and late trasplantation group.One week after model had been established,early transplantation group underwent bone marrow mononuclear cells transplantation,and then so did the late trasplantation group three months after acute myocardial infarction.B-ultrasound and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) examinations were performed to assess the left ventricular end diastolic dimension( LVd),left ventricular end diastolic volume(EDV) and left ventricular ejection fraction(EF) before and one week,three months,six months after acute myocardial infarction.ResultsThe LVd of late transplantation group [ (54.20:t:3.70) mm] was lower than placebo group [ (63.20 ±5.63)mm],but higher than early transplantation group [ (47.40 ± 1.14)mm].The EDV of late transplantation group [ ( 163.00 ±6.96)ml] was lower than placebo group [ (209.40 ± 18.69)ml],but higher than early transplantation group [ ( 135.40 ± 4.93 ) ml ].The EF of late transplantation group (0.25 ±0.02) was higher than placebo group (0.19 ±0.02),but lower than early transplantation group (0.37 ±0.02).ConclusionsBone marrow mononuclear cells transplantation can alleviate progressing ventricular remodeling,even it is performed three month after acute myocardial infarction,but its therapeutic effects are inferior to early transplantation's.

Objective:To investigate the assisted pregnancy clinical effect of autologous peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) combined with low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) on patients with intrauterine adhesion separation.Methods:Nine patients with intrauterine adhesion separation were treated with intrauterine perfusion of PBMCs 48 hours before transplantation. The low molecular weight heparin 3 200 IU injected daily subcutaneously were carried out on the day of transplantation. Measurement of endometrial thickness and observation of pregnant outcome were perfomed.Results:After 9 patients were injected into the uterine cavity with autologous PBMCs. It was found that, compared to the previous, the thickness of the endometrium was increased, and the morphology of the endometrium was improved in 6 cases. After transplantation, 7 cases of the patients were clinically pregnant, 1 of the patients was biochemically pregnant, and 1 of the patients was not pregnant; among the 7 clinical pregnancy cases, 1 case was intrauterine compound pregnancy (operation on the affected side of fallopian tube pregnancy had been performed), another 2 cases had embryo termination at the 7-8th week of gestation by B-scan ultrasonography analysis. However, 3 cases of clinical pregnancy in 4 patients with repeated implantation failure. At present, 2 cases were in live labor, and the other three cases were in normal continuous pregnancy.Conclusions:Intrauterine perfusion of human PBMCs combined with low molecular weight heparin is beneficial to the improvement of endometrial receptivity and the pregnancy outcome of some patients after the separation of intrauterine adhesions.

Objective:To investigate the prognosis of severe hyperbilirubinemia in full-term infants who met the exchange transfusion criteria and were treated by blood exchange transfusion and phototherapy.Methods:A total of 168 full-term infants with severe hyperbilirubinemia who met the criteria for exchange transfusion and were hospitalized in the Neonatology Department of seven tertiary hospitals in Hebei Province from June 2017 to December 2018 were retrospectively included. According to the treatment protocol, they were divided into two groups: exchange transfusion group (38 cases) and phototherapy group (130 cases). Two independent sample t-test and Chi-square test were used to compare the clinical manifestations and follow-up results between the two groups. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the risk factors for poor prognosis. Results:Neonatal severe hyperbilirubinemia in the exchange transfusion and phototherapy group were both mainly caused by hemolytic disease [42.1%(16/38) and 29.2%(38/130)], sepsis [28.9%(11/38) and 11.5%(15/130)] and early-onset breastfeeding jaundice [15.8%(6/38) and 11.5%(15/130)]. Total serum bilirubin level on admission in the exchange transfusion group was significantly higher than that in the phototherapy group [(531.7±141.3) vs (440.0±67.4) μmol/L, t=3.870, P<0.001]. Moreover, the percentage of patients with mild, moderate and severe acute bilirubin encephalopathy in the exchange transfusion group were higher than those in the phototherapy group [15.8%(6/38) vs 3.8%(5/130), 7.9%(3/38) vs 0.8%(1/130), 13.2%(5/38) vs 0.0%(0/130); χ2=29.119, P<0.001]. Among the 168 patients, 135 were followed up to 18-36 months of age and 12 showed poor prognosis (developmental retardation or hearing impairment) with four in the exchange transfusion group (12.9%, 4/31) and eight in the phototherapy group (7.7%, 8/104). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that for full-term infants with severe hyperbilirubinemia who met the exchange transfusion criteria, phototherapy alone without blood exchange transfusion as well as severe ABE were risk factors for poor prognosis ( OR=14.407, 95% CI: 1.101-88.528, P=0.042; OR=16.561, 95% CI: 4.042-67.850, P<0.001). Conclusions:Full-term infants who have severe hyperbilirubinemia and meet the exchange transfusion criteria should be actively treated with blood exchange transfusion, especially for those with severe ABE, so as to improve the prognosis.

BACKGROUNDVascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a major mediator of angiogenesis, and plays a key role in the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy (DR). This study was designed to identify the possible role of VEGF gene polymorphisms in the development of DR in type 2 diabetic patients in Chinese and clarify the relationship between VEGF serum levels and the risk of DR.

METHODSThis cross-sectional study included 1 040 Chinese subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus. There were 372 patients diagnosed with DR in the case group and 668 patients without DR in the control group. DNA from each patient was analyzed for VEGF polymorphisms of -2578A/C (rs699947), -1154G/A (rs1570360), -460C/T (rs833061), +405C/G (rs2010963), and +936C/T (rs3025039) using MassARRAY compact analyzer. The VEGF serum levels were quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

RESULTSNo evidence of association was observed between -2578 A/C (rs699947), +405C/G (rs2010963), +936C/T (rs3025039), and DR risk under stringent Bonferroni's correction. However, VEGF serum levels were significantly higher in DR patients than those of control group. The genetic variation of VEGF polymorphisms influenced VEGF serum levels; subjects carrying the VEGF -2578 C/C (rs699947) genotype had greater VEGF serum levels than those carrying the C/A genotype and VEGF serum levels were significantly higher in CC genotype of the +405C/G (rs2010963) compared with those of the other genotypes.

CONCLUSIONSThe data did not suggest significant association between the VEGF polymorphisms and DR risk under stringent Bonferroni's correction. However, our study indicated that DR patients have higher VEGF levels than diabetic patients without retinopathy, and -2578A/C (rs699947) and +405C/G (rs2010963) may be important factors in determining serum VEGF levels.

Aged ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; genetics ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; complications ; Diabetic Retinopathy ; blood ; genetics ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; blood ; genetics