Animals ; Dust ; Male ; Malondialdehyde ; blood ; Mice ; Nanoparticles ; Oxidation-Reduction ; drug effects ; Particle Size ; Silicon Dioxide ; toxicity ; Superoxide Dismutase ; blood

In this paper, five different methods were carried out for DNA extraction directly from soil. The result shows that all five methods could generate DNA with more than 15 kb in size. They were subsequently used as templates for PCR amplification with success, using primers of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene and Shiva-1 gene encoding an antibacterial peptide. However, method 5 is more suitable for DNA extraction directly from a small amount of soil sample as it produced a good yield of DNA in high integrity with reliable reproducibility.

This study was aimed to explore the role of human fetal bone marrow stromal cells (FBMSC) in combination with exogenous cytokines in supporting the in vitro expansion of cord blood mononuclear cells and the expression of CXCR4(+) and CD49d(+) in CD34(+) cells. Mononuclear cells (MNC) separated from cord blood (CB) were cultured in a serum-free support culture system with FBMSC or exogenous cytokines or both of them. On day 0, 6, 10 and 14, total cells were counted, CD34(+), CD34(+)CXCR4(+) and CD34(+)CD49d(+) cells were quantitated by FACS, and hematopoietic progenitor cells were assessed by semisolid culture assay. The results showed that after culturing for 14 days, CD34(+) cells, CD34(+)CXCR4(+) cells, CD34(+) CD49d(+) cells and colony forming unit (CFU) were significantly increased (P < 0.05). Compared with other groups, expansion multiple of CD34(+), CD34(+)CXCR4(+), CD34(+)CD49d(+) cells and CFU were higher than that in FBMSC and cytokine group (P < 0.05). It is concluded that the culture system used in this study can not only support the expansion of CB MNCs but also increase the number of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells which has chemokine and adhesion capacity. This culture system may be a feasible way for in vitro culture of cord blood cells.
Antigens, CD34 ; blood ; Bone Marrow Cells ; cytology ; immunology ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Cells, Cultured ; Coculture Techniques ; Cytokines ; pharmacology ; Fetal Blood ; cytology ; Fetus ; Flow Cytometry ; Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Integrin alpha4 ; blood ; Interleukin-3 ; pharmacology ; Leukocytes, Mononuclear ; cytology ; immunology ; Receptors, CXCR4 ; blood ; Stromal Cells ; cytology ; immunology ; Time Factors

OBJECTIVETo study the effect of Zhenzhu Qishi Wan on blood pressure(BP), body weight(BW), stroke and survival rate of stroke-prone spontaneously hypertension rats(SHRsp).

METHOD8-week-old SHRsp was randomly divided into three groups: control group, Zhenzhu Qishi Wan prevention group and therapy group (n = 10). SHRsp of prevention group were treated with Zhenzhu Qishi Wan by ig 150 mg.kg-1 per day for 6 weeks, and therapy group were given the same treatment two weeks later. Behavior and stroke were observed everyday; BW were weighted every week; BP were estimated every 2 weeks. Time of the first cerebral seizure of SHRsp was recorded.

RESULTZhenzhu Qishi Wan had obvious preventive and therapeutic effect on genetic hypertension. The BP of prevention and therapy groups were significantly lower than that of control group (P < 0.05 [symbol: see text] P < 0.01). The drug ameliorated general behavior of SHRsp, BW of prevention group increased faster than that of control group(P < 0.05 or P < 0.01), and BW of therapy group were also heavier than that of control group at the age of 14 weeks(P < 0.05). When the experiment ended, 60% SHRsp of control group showed stroke and 20% of them were dead, while only 20% SHRsp in each of Zhenzhu Qishi Wan-treated groups showed stroke and none of them died.

CONCLUSIONZhenzhu Qishi Wan had significant hypotensive effect, and some protective effect on the stroke caused by hypertension.

Animals ; Antihypertensive Agents ; therapeutic use ; Blood Pressure ; drug effects ; Drug Combinations ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Hypertension ; drug therapy ; prevention & control ; Male ; Materia Medica ; therapeutic use ; Phytotherapy ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Inbred SHR ; Stroke ; drug therapy ; prevention & control

Background: Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) infection is ubiquitous around the world.Diagnosis of the porcine circovirus-associated disease requires clinic-pathological elements together with the quantification of viral loads. Furthermore, given pig farms in regions lacking access to sufficient laboratory equipment, developing diagnostic devices with high accuracy, accessibility, and affordability is a necessity. Objectives: This study aims to investigate two newly developed diagnostic tools that may satisfy these criteria. Methods: We collected 250 specimens, including 170 PCV2-positive and 80 PCV2-negative samples. The standard diagnosis and cycle threshold (Ct) values were determined by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Then, two point-of-care (POC) diagnostic platforms, convective polymerase chain reaction (cPCR, qualitative assay: positive or negative results are shown) and EZtargex (quantitative assay: Ct values are shown), were examined and analyzed. Results: The sensitivity and specificity of cPCR were 88.23% and 100%, respectively; the sensitivity and specificity of EZtargex were 87.65% and 100%, respectively. These assays also showed excellent concordance compared with the qPCR assay (κ = 0.828 for cPCR and κ = 0.820 for EZtargex). The statistical analysis showed a great diagnostic power of the EZtargex assay to discriminate between samples with different levels of positivity. Conclusions The two point-of-care diagnostic platforms are accurate, rapid, convenient and require little training for PCV2 diagnosis. These POC platforms can discriminate viral loads to predict the clinical status of the animals. The current study provided evidence that these diagnostics were applicable with high sensitivity and specificity in the diagnosis of PCV2 infection in the field.

OBJECTIVETo assess the clinical outcomes of brachiocephalic artery-sparing aortic arch repair combined with stent-graft elephant trunk technique for treatment of Stanford type A aortic dissection.

METHODSTwenty-three patients with Stanford type A aortic dissection requiring arch replacement underwent brachiocephalic artery-sparing aortic arch repair combined with stent-graft elephant trunk technique. The operations were performed within 72 h (20 cases) or 3-14 days (3 cases) after the onset of aortic dissection.

RESULTSThere was no perioperative death in these cases. The mean extracorporeal circulation time was 209∓52 min, the aortic cross clamp time was 85∓21 min, and the mean chest tube output within the first 24 h after the operation was 570∓263 mL; none of the patients required chest reopening for management of bleeding. Postoperative acute renal failure requiring hemodialysis occurred in 3 cases, transient neurologic dysfunction in 2 cases, paraplegia in case and hematosepsis in 1 case. No such complications as permanent neurologic deficit or postoperative visceral malperfusion occurred in these cases. All the patients survived and were discharged from hospital without experiencing severe complications in the follow-up for 6-18 months.

CONCLUSIONBrachiocephalic artery-sparing aortic arch repair combined with stent-graft elephant trunk technique is a safe and simple procedure with controllable bleeding and can serve as an optional procedure for aortic arch replacement.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate a new technique to treat severe maxillofacial deformity and dysfunction of occlusion after the maxillofacial fractures.

METHODSThirty-four consecutive patients, with delayed maxillofacial deformities and dysfunction of occlusion after the maxillofacial fractures, were treated by the use of x-ray cephalometric analysis, model surgery, open reduction and rigid internal fixation.

RESULTSThirty-three patients were successfully corrected the maxillofacial deformities, facilitated normal occlusal relationship. Only one patient with severe damage of the brain was presented a mild occlusion dysfunction one year after the operation.

CONCLUSIONSThe above-mentioned technique may be a viable and effective option for the management of the deformities of the face and dentition after the maxillofacial fractures.

Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Fracture Fixation ; methods ; Fracture Fixation, Internal ; methods ; Humans ; Male ; Maxillofacial Abnormalities ; surgery ; Maxillofacial Injuries ; surgery ; Middle Aged ; Oral Surgical Procedures ; methods ; Orthopedic Procedures ; methods ; Treatment Outcome

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVEDJ-1, a suppressor of PTEN, promotes metastasis of different tumors, but its function and mechanisms in glioma metastasis remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the effect of the DJ-1 protein on the migration and invasion of human glioma cells, and to explore potential mechanisms.

METHODSThe eukaryotic expression vector pEGFP/DJ-1 and small interfering RNA (siRNA) were constructed and transfected into human glioma SWO-38 cells. The expression of DJ-1 and PTEN in SWO-38 cells were detected by Western blot. Cell migration and invasion were detected by transwell assay.

RESULTSAfter transfection of pEGFP/DJ-1, the expression of DJ-1 (1.28 ± 0.15 vs. 0.89 ± 0.04, P < 0.05) and focal adhesion kinase (FAK) phosphorylation (0.76 ± 0.12 vs. 0.51 ± 0.04, P < 0.05) were increased, whereas the expression of PTEN (0.74 ± 0.2 vs. 1.04 ± 0.14, P < 0.05) was suppressed. After transfection of DJ-1 siRNA, both DJ-1 (0.33 ± 0.04 vs. 0.88 ± 0.06, P < 0.05) and p-FAK levels (0.33 ± 0.01 vs. 0.44 ± 0.05, P < 0.05) were decreased, but PTEN expression (1.1 ± 0.06 vs. 0.81 ± 0.12, P < 0.05) was increased. Transwell assay data showed that pEGFP/DJ-1 transfection promoted SWO-38 cell migration (57.2 ± 6.50 vs. 40.4 ± 5.0, P < 0.05) and invasion (54.6 ± 4.9 vs. 27 ± 6.7, P < 0.05), whereas DJ-1 siRNA transfection inhibited SWO-38 cells migration (54.4 ± 6.9 vs. 73.4 ± 7.6, < 0.05) and invasion (44.6 ± 5.8 vs. 69.2 ± 9.2, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONOver-expression of DJ-1 promotes SWO-38 cell migration and invasion possibly through the DJ-1 and the PTEN/FAK pathway.

Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Movement ; Down-Regulation ; Focal Adhesion Protein-Tyrosine Kinases ; metabolism ; Genetic Vectors ; Glioma ; metabolism ; pathology ; Humans ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; Oncogene Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; physiology ; PTEN Phosphohydrolase ; genetics ; metabolism ; Peroxiredoxins ; Phosphorylation ; Plasmids ; Protein Deglycase DJ-1 ; RNA, Small Interfering ; Signal Transduction ; Transfection

OBJECTIVETo develop a near-infrared fluorescence imaging system based on the fluorescence properties of methylene blue.

METHODSAccording to the optical properties of methylene blue, we used a custom-made specific LED light source and an interference filter, a CCD camera and other relevant components to construct the near-infrared fluorescence imaging system. We tested the signal-to-background ratio (SBR) of this imaging system for detecting methylene blue under different experimental conditions and analyzed the SBR in urine samples collected from 15 Wistar rats with intravenous injection of methylene blue at the doses of 0, 1.4, 1.6, 1.8, or 2.0 0 mg/kg methylene blue.

RESULTSThe SBR of this imaging system for detecting methylene blue was affected by the concentration of methylene blue and the distance from the sample (P<0.05). In the urine samples from Wistar rats, the SBR varied with the the injection dose, and the rats injected with 1.6 mg/kg methylene blue showed the highest SBR (8.71∓0.20) in the urine (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONThis near-infrared fluorescence imaging system is useful for fluorescence detection of methylene blue and can be used for real-time recognition of ureters during abdominal surgery.

Objective To identify the surface electromyographic (sEMG) characteristics of bilateral stemocleidomastoid muscles in infants with congenital muscular torticollis (CMT) after rehabilitation.Methods One hundred and twenty two infants were enrolled from Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine between January 2013 and December 2015,including 63 cases receiving rehabilitation (treatment group) and 59 cases without rehabilitation (control group).The sEMG parameters of bilateral sternocleidomastoid muscles in cervical neutral,left and right rotation and stretching posture in the supine position were retrospectively collected before and after treatment/follow-up;and the root mean square (RMS) was analyzed.Results Before treatment,the RMS values of the affected side in cervical neutral position,cervical rotation and stretching posture were significantly lower than those of the unaffected side in both groups(t=15.758 and 11.950,4.871 and 4.746,4.142 and 4.318,P＜0.01).In the follow-up for control group,the RMS values of the affected side in cervical neutral position,cervical rotation and stretching posture were significantly lower than those of the unaffected side (t=10.692,2.198 and 3.239;P＜0.01,=0.03 and ＜0.01).In the treatment group there were no significant differences in the RMS values in cervical neutral position,cervical rotation and stretching posture between affected side and unaffected side after treatment(t=1.647,1.090 and 0.136,P=0.10,0.28 and 0.89).Conclusion Rehabilitation reduces the difference of the RMS values between the affected and unaffected sternocleidomastoid muscles in infants with CMT.