Melanin is a kind of biopolymer, composed of a complex quinine/indole-quinone derived mixture which is produced in melanocytes from tyrosine. More than 100 genes related to melanin deposition have been found in mouse. Slc24a5 (solute carrier family 24, member 5) is a novel gene first cloned in zebrafish. And it has been confirmed that the Slc24a5 is involved in controlling the melanin deposition in zebrafish. Here the full length of the chicken slc24a5 mRNA sequence, its expression profile and a discussion of its relationship to melanin deposition in chicken were reported. Chicken Slc254a5 has a CDS of 1 269bp, predicting a protein of 423 amino acids which is about 80 amino acids shorter than in human and mouse. It has 9 exons and 8 introns and spans more than 1lkb of genome sequence. The quantitative real-time PCR confirmed that the chicken Slc24a5 was highly expressed in the eye of White Leghorn and Beijing Fatty Chickens, and in the eye, skin and muscle of Silky. The relative expression in Silky eye is more than two times that of White Leghorn. The relative expression in Silky skin is about 70 times that of White Leghorn and about 15 times that of Beijing Fatty Chickens. The relative expression in Silky muscle is about 15 times that of White Leghorn and about 3 times that of Beijing Fatty Chickens. And the expression result is in accordance with the melanocyte and melanin deposition in these tissues.

Background Retinal angiomatous proliferation (RAP) is a subtype of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD).There are currently very few studies on RAP.Objective This study was to explore the pathogenic mechanism of RAP in apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE-/-) mice with dyslipidemia.Methods Twenty-four 2-month-old SPF ApoE-/-mice were randomly divided into the high fat diet group and the normal diet group,and twelve 2-month-old C57BL/6 mice received the normal diet as controls.A diet with a higher content of fat was given for 4 consecutive months in the high fat diet group,and normal diet was given in the same way in the mice of the normal diet group.The mice were sacrificed at 6 months of age.The expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells,the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR-2) in the outer plexiform layer (OPL),microvascular density (MVD) and microvascular area (MVA) in the OPL were examined by immunohistochemistry and semi-quantitatively by histopathology with the Mias 2000 Imaging Analyzer System.The expression of VEGF protein in the retina was examined by Western blot.Results The MVD in the retinal OPL were (20.67±3.20) and (19.50± 1.87),respectively,in the ApoE-/-mice of the high fat diet group and the normal diet group,which were significantly higher than that (12.50±1.87) of the C57BL/6 normal diet group (all at P＜0.01).MVA in the retinal OPL were (626.49± 120.99) μm2 and (514.06±88.83) μm2 in the ApoE-/-mice of the high fat diet group and the normal diet group,respectively,showing a significant increase in comparison with the (336.52±84.96) μm2 of the C57BL/6 normal diet group (P＜0.01).The staining area of VEGF in RPE cells was (21 048±1849) μm2 in the ApoE-/-mice of the high fat diet group,showing a significant increase in comparison with the (17 116±2023) μm2 of the C57BL/6 normal diet group.However,no significant difference was found in the staining area of VEGF between the ApoE-/-mice with normal diet group and the C57BL/6 normal diet group ([17 854±2967] μm2 vs.[17 116±2023] μm2) (P＞0.05).Significant elevation was also seen in the staining area of VEGFR-2 in the retinal OPL of the ApoE-/-mice of the high fat diet group (12 193±3806)μm2 and the ApoE-/-mice of the normal diet group (11 969± 3616)xm2 compared with C57BL/6 mice of the normal diet group (5387±2225)μm2(all at P＜0.01).The relative expression values (VEGF/β-actin) of VEGF in the retinas were (1.51 ±0.32) and (1.17±0.39) in the ApoE-/-mice of the high fat diet group and the normal diet group,respectively,showing a significant increase in comparison with (0.28±0.14) of the C57BL/6 normal diet group (P＜0.01).Conclusions The expression of VEGF and VEGFR-2 in the retinas increases in the ApoE-/-mouse,which leads to the enlargement of MVD and MVA in the retinal OPL and subsequent RAP occurrence.

Objective To study the NR5A1 gene mutation in patients with idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism(IHH), and to find the new mutation point.Methods Sixty-one IHH patients and 100 normal control subjects were collected and genomic DNA was extracted from blood samples.These patients were with normal karyotype and no abnormality was discovered in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of the pituitary.Other endocrine diseases were also excluded.The 2-7 exons and splice-sites of NR5A1 gene were amplified with polymerase chain reaction.DNA of the coding sequence and splice-sites of NR5A 1 were sequenced by double deoxidizing terminal end sequencing method in 61 IHH and 100 normal control subjects.The results of sequencing were compared with their corresponding sequence data.61 IHH kindreds were investigated and the clinical data of these patients were collected.Finally, the phenotype and genotype positive cases were analyzed.Results Six patients carried NR5A1 gene mutational sites in 61 cases of IHH.Analysis of sequencing results from 100 age and ethnicity matched control subjects did not show any of these novel changes.Conclusions One mutation in NR5A1 gene may affect protein structure and function, which should be considered in male IHH patients with normal karyotype and without insufficiency of adrenal function.

The article has reviewed theShengyang-Yiweidecoction for the disease of digestive system, such as diarrhea-predominant pattern irritable bowel syndrome(D-IBS), chronic gastritis, diabetic gastric paralysis (DGP), ulcerative colitis (UC) and chronic diarrhea. Recently,Shengyang-Yiwei decoction was also used in some other diseases, such as diseases of urinary system, diseases of nervous system, orthopedic diseases, gynecological diseases and so on. This review aimed to provide reference and evidence for the clinic application ofShengyang-Yiwei decoction.

Objective To analyze the morbidity,mortality,and hospitalization of complications in late preterm infants.Meth-ods A total of 389 late preterm infants were retrospectively analyzed.The influence of delivery mode on respiratory complications was compared.And the influence of respiratory complications on length of hospital stay,hospital expenses and mortality were ana-lyzed and compared.Results Our data showed that main complications were diagnosed as respiratory complications(23.65%).Oth-er complications were diagnosed as hypoglycemia (20.57%),feeding intolerance (1 7.48%),hyperbilirubinemia (14.91%),and in-tracranial hemorrhage (8.23%).Respiratory morbidity was significantly higher in preterm infants by caesarean section than by va-ginal delivery (32.34% vs .10.39%,P <0.05).The time and cost of hospitalization and the mortality were higher in late preterm infants accompanied by respiratory complications than those in infants without respiratory complications(P <0.05).Conclusion There were very prone to a variety of complications in late preterm infants.In order to reduce the morbidity of respiratory complica-tions in late preterm infant,indications for caesarean section must be strictly mastered.We should pay more attention to respiratory complications,which might be helpful to short the length of hospital stay,save hospitalization expenses and reduce the mortality.

Objective To investigate the changes and clinical significance of plasma N‐terminal pro‐brain natriuretic peptide (Nt‐proBNP) in patients with asphyxia of newborns combined with myocardial injury .Methods Fifty‐eight term neonates with neonatal asphyxia born within 24 h were included in our study ,18 of the 25 severe asphyxia cases were combined with myocardial injury ,15 of 33 mild asphyxia cases were with myocardial injury ,there were 25 subjects were not cardiac injured after asphyxia to‐tally .Patients of the same age without asphyxia or any cardiovascular disease were recruited into the control group .Levels of plasma Nt‐proBNP and creatine kinase isoenzyme (CK‐MB) were detected on the first ,third and the fifth days after birth for statistical a‐nalysis .Results On the first and third days after birth ,levels of plasma Nt‐proBNP in severe and mild asphyxia combined with my‐ocardial injury group were significantly higher than the groups without myocardial injury and the control (P<0 .05) .Levels of plas‐ma Nt‐proBNP in severe asphyxia myocardial injured group were significantly higher than those of the mild asphyxia myocardial in‐jured ones (P<0 .05) .On the fifth day ,the levels of plasma Nt‐proBNP in severe asphyxia myocardial injured group were signifi‐cantly higher than others (P<0 .05) .There was no difference in Nt‐proBNP levels between mild asphyxia myocardial injured group and the ones without myocardial injury (P>0 .05) .On the first day after birth ,levels of Nt‐proBNP ,CK‐MB were positively corre‐lated in the mild asphyxia group (r=0 .58 ,P<0 .05) and severe asphyxia group (r=0 .47 ,P<0 .05) .On the first day after birth , the cutoff value for myocardial injury was 695 .87 fmol/mL ,the area under the ROC curve was 0 .763 ,with the sensitivity of 71 .9%and specificity of 65 .4% ,the positive predictive value was 73 .3% and negative predictive value was 63 .8% .Conclusion The Nt‐proBNP level has important clinical value for early evaluation of the severity of myocardial injury after asphyxia .

Objective:To investigate the mechanism of sinomenine (SIN) in inducing the immunosuppressive effects of rat-derived dendritic cells (DCs).Methods:The bone marrow-derived precursor cells from Wistar rats were cultured in vitro. The morphological differences between sinomenine treated DCs (sinomenine modified group, SIN group) and conventional induced DCs (conventional induced group, control group) were observed under microscope. The CD phenotype of DCs was detected by flow cytometry. DCs were induced maturation by lipopolysaccharides (LPS) stimulation. The impact of SIN on the expressions of Toll-like receptor (TLR)2, TLR3 and TLR4 on the DCs surface were detected by flow cytometry. Results:In the conventional induction group, the cells showed clusters or suspension growth, with obvious granular sense on the cell surface; while in the sinomenine induction group, the cells were clustered together, with no significant change in cell volume and morphology. The relative expressions of CD80 and CD86 were 70.7% and 71.3% in the conventional induction group, while 51.7% and 49.4% in the SIN group. The relative expression of TLRs on DCs in SIN + LPS group was TLR2 (51.2±0.34)%, TLR3 (50.3±0.14)%, TLR4 (52.1±0.16)%, which were significantly lower than those in LPS group [(94.35±0.16)%, (97.55±0.16)%, (94.6±0.12)%].Conclusions:SIN may induce immune tolerance by inhibiting the maturation of DCs via inhibiting the TLRs signaling pathways.

[Objective] The present study was to evaluate the association of serum total cholesterol level and prognosis in patients with acute left heart failure and associated mechanisms.[Methods] Sixty-eight patients due to acute episode of left heart failure prospectively enrolled,and baseline data and biochemical parameters were collected.After discharge,patients were follow-up for 1 month and they were divided into two groups (with and without cardiovascular events).Differences between groups were evaluated and the association of serum total cholesterol level and cardiovascular events were analyzed by logistic regression analysis.[Results] The mean age was 57.3 ± 12.6 years old and 52 cases were male patients accounting for 76.5 ％.Among these patients,46 had a diagnosis of coronary heart disease (67.6 ％),10 rheumatic heart disease (14.7 ％),12 dilated cardiomyopathy (17.7％),38hypertension (55.9％) and 24 diabetes mellitus (35.3％).After 1 month's follow up,39 patients (57.4％) had experienced cardiovascular events,36 cases were re-hospitalized,and 3 died from heart failure.Compared to those with cardiovascular events,event free individuals were younger and were less likely smokers (P ＜ 0.05).In addition,event free group had lower serum levels of N-terminal pro-BNP and C-reactive protein (P ＜ 0.05) while serum levels of total cholesterol and albumin were significantly higher (P ＜ 0.05).There was no significant difference in medication between these two groups.After adjusted for age,gender,smoking,systolic blood pressure,serum albumin level,diabetes,hypertension and medications,increased total cholesterol level was independently associated with better prognosis with odds ratio of 0.91 (95 ％ confidence interval 0.80-0.96).Further adjusted for C-reactive protein,the association was attenuated to non-significance,with odds ratio of 0.97 (95 ％ confidence interval 0.87-1.09).[Conclusion] Adequate serum total cholesterol level was beneficial for improving short-term cardiovascular outcomes in patients with left heart failure and the potential mechanisms might be related to cholesterol effects on improving nutritional status and anti-inflammation.

Objective: To explore correlation among clinic blood pressure (CBP), ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) and cardiovascular diseases in diabetic populations.Methods: A total of 336 patients complicated with type 2 diabetes mellitus, who received 24h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, were selected.According to complicated with coronary heart disease or stroke or not, they were divided into cardiovascular disease group (CVD group, n=122) and no cardiovascular disease group (NCVD group, n=214).Blood lipids, blood pressure, CBP and ABP etc.were compared between two groups;according to median of 24h mean SBP (122mmHg), they were divided into <122mmHg group (n=168) and ≥122mmHg group (n=168), incidence of cardiovascular diseases was compared between these two groups.Results: (1) Compared with NCVD group, there were significant rise in age, percentages of smoking and hypertension, and plasma hsCRP level in CVD group (P<0.05 or <0.01);for ambulatory blood pressure,there were significant rise in levels of 24h mean SBP(mSBP) [(119.8±8.7)mmHg vs.(124.4±9.6) mmHg], daytime SBP (dSBP)[(121.4±9.3) mmHg vs.(128.0±10.3) mmHg] and nighttime SBP(nSBP) [(114.4±4.2) mmHg vs.(120.8±4.7) mmHg] in CVD group, P<0.01 all;there was no significant difference in CBP between two groups;(2) compared with <122mmHg group, there were significant rise in percentages of stroke (20.2% vs.25.0%) and total cardiovascular diseases (32.7% vs.39.9%) in ≥122mmHg group, P<0.01 both;(3) Logistic regression analysis indicated that diabetic patients no matter complicated with hypertension or not, 24h mean SBP was always an independent risk factors of diabetic patients complicated cardiovascular diseases (OR=1.83, 1.36, P<0.05 all).Conclusion: ABP is superior to CBP in predicting cardiovascular risk in patients with diabetes, and 24h mean SBP may be a good ABP index to predict cardiovascular risk.

In the experimental study on the electrophysiology and functions of heart in the animal, the thorax should be opened to expose the heart, at the same time natural breathing is maintained instead of artificial breathing. The key procedure of this new method is to avoid injuring the pleural cavity, so pneumothorax can be prevented. By means of this new method some subject studies have been finished.
Electrophysiology/instrumentation ; Heart/*physiology ; *Models, Animal ; *Respiration ; Swine ; Thoracic Surgical Procedures ; Time Factors