Objective To understand the epidemiological features of Alzheimer's disease (AD)in the community-based elderly living in cities and counties in Hebei province.Methods Under the stratified random sampling method,Mini Mental State Examination(MMSE)was used to evaluate senile dementia and Activity of Daily Living Scale(ADL)and to evaluate the daily lives of the elderly.Related dementia standard on the diagnose of AD and its subtypes was used.Statistically,data was analyzed through SPSS 13.0 software.Results The overall prevalence was 64.84%(2355/3632) on chronic diseases in those elderly who were over 60 years of age while AD appeared to be high and increased with age.The prevalence rate of dementia was 7.24%(263/3632),in which AD accounted for 4.87%(177/3632).Rates for other chronic diseases were as follows:hypertension (32.35%),diabetes(11.37%),chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(9.25%),coronary heart disease(8.84%)and stroke(7.16%).The prevalence of AD increased with age and was related to the low degree of education having.Conclusion Elderly living in the communities of Hebei province showed high prevalent rates of chronic diseases including AD,which had become the major kind of diseases related to old age.

Objective To evaluate the diagnostic value of contrast-enhanced digital subtraction MRI in vertebra]metastatic tumors.Methods Forty-four vertebral metastatic tumors in thirty patients were scanned by routine MRI including SE T_1WI,SE T_2WI,STIR and enhanced T_1WI with an injection of Gd-DTPA(0.1 mmol/kg).Digital subtraction was performed between pre-contrast and enhanced T_1 weighted images.All the images of vertebral malignant tumors were evaluated by means of signal intensity ratio(SIR) and nose ratio(NR).The quality of images was also evaluated by comparing subtraction MRI with routine MRI.Results SIR and NR of subtraction MRI was 2.93,0.98 respectively.SIR of routine MRI (enhanced T_1WI,SE T_1 WI,SE T_2WI,STIR)was as follows:1.15,1.16,1.26,1.69.While NR of those was 5.25,3.44,4.56,23.32 respectively.SIR and NR of subtraction MRI images had significant statistical differences from those of routine MRI images(P

ObjectiveTo study how to diagnose thrombosis of intracranial venous sinus and cerebral venous thrombosis(CVT). Methods6 cases with intracranial venous sinus and CVT were analysed by clinical features and imaging signs. ResultsMost patients had symptoms and signs of intracranial hypertension. Some patients manifested symptoms of whole brain or focal neurological deficits. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance venography (MRV) play important roles for the diagnosis of intracranial venous sinus and CVT, however, digital subtraction angiography (DSA) is one of the most reliable method for early diagnosis of the above diseases.Conclusions According to clinical features and imaging signs, intracranial venous sinus and CVT could be diagnosed accurately .

OBJECTIVETo explore ginseng fermentation process by Lactobacillus plantarum, and to make part of total saponins transformed into more reactive ginsenoside Rd.

METHODMicrobial fermentation was carried out by still dark culture. Total saponins were extracted by Soxhlet extraction, and determined by UV visible spectrophotometry with colours reaction by vanillin-sulfuric acid. Ginsenoside Rd was determined by HPLC method.

RESULTThe fermentation process was: MRS medium, 35 degrees C, pH 5.0, cultured for 2 days. The content of total saponins was inhance 32%, and the content of ginsenoside Rd was increased 4.864 mg x g(-1).

CONCLUSIONThe fermentation system's process was reasonable, and it's suitable for mass production, important significance for ginsenoside microbial transformation.

Biotransformation ; Culture Media ; chemistry ; metabolism ; Fermentation ; Ginsenosides ; chemistry ; metabolism ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Lactobacillus plantarum ; chemistry ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Molecular Structure

Fifteen tissues of 4-year-old fruit repining stage Jilin ginseng were chosen as materials, six kinds of monomer saponins (ginsenosides Rg1, Re, Rb1, Rc, Rb2 and Rd) content in 15 tissues was measured by HPLC and vanillin-sulfuric acid method. The relative expression of FPS, SQS, SQE, OSC, β-AS and P450 genes in 15 tissues was analyzed by real-time PCR. The correlations between ginseng saponin content in 15 tissues of Jilin ginseng and biosynthetic pathway -related genes were obtained. The results showed that was a synergistic increase and decrease trend of positive linear correlation among six kinds of monomer saponin content, and there was a significantly (P < 0.01) positive correlation between monomer saponin content and total saponins content. Monomer saponin content and 6 kinds of enzyme gene correlation were different. Biosynthesis of ginseng total saponins and monomer saponin were regulated by six kinds of participation ginsenoside biosynthesis enzyme genes, the expression of these six kinds of genes in different tissues of ginseng showed collaborative increase and decrease trend, and regulated biosynthesis of ginseng ginsenoside by group coordinative manner.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; analysis ; Gene Expression Profiling ; Panax ; chemistry ; genetics ; metabolism ; Plant Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Plant Structures ; chemistry ; genetics ; metabolism ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; genetics ; metabolism ; Saponins ; analysis ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo investigate the different expressions of cytoskeletal organizer ezrin and cytoskeleton protein beta- and gamma-actin in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell lines with different metastatic potentials and to explore the role of ezrin in cell growth and metastasis in HCC cell lines SF7721 and MHCC97-H.

METHODSImmunofluorescence, RT-PCR and Western blot were used to detect the gene and protein expressions of ezrin and actin in hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines with different metastatic potentials. RNA interference (RNAi) was applied to down-regulate the ezrin expression in SF7721 and MHCC97-H. Changes of the cell growth and metastasis potentials after the RNAi treatment were studied. MTT assay was used to detect cell proliferation changes and Transwell assay was applied to observe the changes of cell motility and invasiveness.

RESULTSBoth ezrin and cytoskeleton protein were demonstrated in the cytoplasma of the cells at the same time. The expression of them in cell lines with high metastatic potential, such as SF7721, MHCC-1 and MHCC97-H was obviously higher than in those with low metastatic potentials, such as SMMC-7721, Hep3B and HepG2 (chi2= 13.277, P = 0.010; chi2= 21.815). The mRNA and ezrin and cytoskeleton protein gamma-actin were over-expressed in HCC cell lines with high metastatic potentials. The expressions of beta-actin of cell lines with different metastatic potentials showed no differences. Ezrin protein was successfully down-regulated and the proliferation and the invasiveness of the cells decreased with low ezrin protein level in SF7721 and MHCC97-H.

CONCLUSIONOver-expression of ezrin and cytoskeleton protein gamma-actin are associated with the process of metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma cells. The growth and invasiveness of SF7721 and MHCC97-H cells can be inhibited by down-regulating ezrin expression.

Actins ; metabolism ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; metabolism ; pathology ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Movement ; Cell Proliferation ; Cytoskeletal Proteins ; metabolism ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Neoplasm Invasiveness

OBJECTIVETo investigate the safety and efficacy of asymmetrical osteotomy in treating elderly degenerative lumbar kyphoscoliosis.

METHODSFrom January 2010 to June 2012,17 elder patients with degenerative lumbar kyphoscoliosis were treated with asymmetrical osteotomy,their data were retrospectively analyzed. There were 6 males and 11 females with an average age of 61 years old (57 to 72). Total length spinal X-ray was performed for all patients before operation,and sagittal and coronal balance were analyzed. The follow-up time was 1 year at least. VAS score, thoracolumbar Cobb angle and pelvic parameters were analyzed.

RESULTSAll patients were operated successfully. The average operation time was 210 min (180 to 260) and intraoperative blood loss was 1,100 ml (750 to 2 200). At 1 year after operation, VAS score decreased from preoperative 7.0 +/- 1.5 to 1.1 +/- 0.6; lumbar lordosis (LL) corrected from (1.9 +/- 9.6) degrees to (35.2 +/- 6.7) degrees; thoracic kyphosis (TK) increased from (26.3 +/- 9.7) degrees to (32.5 +/- 11.2) degrees; lumbar scoliosis decreased from (25.1 +/- 11.0) degrees to (7.9 +/- 3.6) degrees; pelvic tilt (PT) restored from (33.0 +/- 10.1) degrees to (25.3 +/- 8.9) degrees; sacral slope (SS) increased from (13.9 +/- 9.7) degrees to (27.2 +/- 11.0) degrees; sagittal balance improved from (10.3 +/- 8.1) cm to (3.1 +/- 4.2) cm,and coronal balance improved from (3.5 +/- 2.1) cm to (1.3 +/- 1.1) cm. There was statistically significant difference above data between preoperation and postoperation.

CONCLUSIONAsymmetrical osteotomy can not only correct scoliosis deformity, but also restore lumbar lordosis, and may safely and effectively solve the problem of elderly degenerative lumbar kyphoscoliosis.

Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Kyphosis ; complications ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Osteotomy ; methods ; Pain ; complications ; Scoliosis ; complications ; surgery ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate influences of regular-dose of adriamycin (ADR) on heart function and sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+ -ATPase in cardiomyocyte of rabbits. METHODS: Nine rabbits received intraveneous injection of ADR (2mg/kg) once a week for 8 weeks, the rabbits injected with saline were used as control group. Cardiac output (CO), blood pressure (BP), mean artery pressure (MAP), left ventricular systolic pressure( LVSP), left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP), calcium in cardiomyocyte (MyoCa2+) of rabbits and SR Ca2+ -ATPase activity were examinated 3 weeks after the final injection. RESULTS: CO, LVSP and SR Ca2+ -ATPase activity were significantly decreased in ADR treated group compared with the control group. Conversely, LVEDP and MyoCa2+ were significantly increased in ADR treated rabbits. CONCLUSION: Heart function can be decreased by regular-dose of ADR in injection. Calcium overload in cardiomyocyte and decrease of SR Ca2+ -ATPase activity is important physiopathologic mechanism in ADR-induced impairment of heart.

OBJECTIVETo study the change of the serum gastrin (GAS) and plasma motilin (MTL) levels as well as the gastric motility in gastric cancer patients after subtotal gastrectomy.

METHODSWe used radioimmunoassay method to detect the levels of serum GAS and plasma MTL in 39 healthy volunteers (control group) and 39 gastric cancer patients before and after gastrectomy (gastric cancer group). Electrogastrography (EGG) was measured at the same time points.

RESULTSThe levels of serum GAS and plasma MTL in gastric cancer group before operation were significantly higher than those in control group (P = 0.000), and the levels of serum GAS and plasma MTL in gastric cancer stage II patients were also significantly higher than those in stage III patients (P <0.05). The levels of serum GAS and plasma MTL in gastric cancer group significantly decreased on the first post-operative day (P = 0.000), but returned to the pre-operative levels on the seventh post-operative day. The incidence of the abnormity of gastric motility in gastric cancer group on the seventh post-operative day was significantly higher than the pre-operation incidence (89.7% vs. 43.6%; chi2 = 18.692, P <0.01).

CONCLUSIONSThe levels of serum GAS and plasma MTL transiently decreased in gastric cancer patients. Subtotal gastrectomy could affect the gastric motility in gastric cancer patients.

Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Gastrectomy ; methods ; Gastrins ; blood ; Gastrointestinal Motility ; physiology ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Motilin ; blood ; Radioimmunoassay ; Stomach Neoplasms ; blood ; surgery ; Treatment Outcome

BACKGROUNDTo evaluate the influence ultrasonic processing on the aggregation of PrP(Sc) in the brain extracts prepared from the scrapie-infected hamsters, and to seek for the way to prepare lower molecular PrP(Sc) polymer.

METHODSThe extracts of infected brains were prepared with a lysis solution, and treated with ultrasonics at various conditions during the different phases. The distribution and aggregation state of PrP(Sc) were analyzed by proteinase K treated. Western blot, and afterwards, quantitatively calculated with a commercially supplied software Image Totaltech.

RESULTSThe amount of PrP(Sc) in the supernatant of brain homogenates was 1.29-to 1.58-fold increased with appropriate sonication (15 s for 30 times). At the same conditions of ultrasound, the PrP amount in the supernatant prepared from the scrapie-infected hamster brain was significantly increased, whereas that prepared from healthy animal used as normal control showed little change. Comparative analyses of PrP(Sc) pellets prepared by high-speed centrifugation revealed that about 90% PrP(Sc) released into supernatant after ultrasound processing.

CONCLUSIONAppropriate sonication of homogenate of scrapie-infected brain increases the extracted amount of PrP(Sc), being favorable to laboratory diagnosis. Larger molecular PrP(Sc) aggregates can be crashed by ultrasonic processing, engendering lower molecular PrP(Sc) polymers.

Animals ; Blotting, Western ; Brain Chemistry ; Cricetinae ; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted ; PrPSc Proteins ; analysis ; Scrapie ; metabolism ; Sonication