Objective To observe the effects of losartan and amlodipine on blood pressure,plasma levels of leptin,adiponectin and norepinephrine (NE) and insulin sensitivity in obese hypertensive patients.Methods The levels of plasma leptin and adiponectin were determined by RIA and the plasma NE level was assayed by high- performance liquid chromatography.Insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) was evaluated using the homeostasis model.Results Compared with basal levels,after 16-weeks' therapy,plasma leptin,HOMA-IR and body mass index were significantly decreased in losartan group [(35.6?18.5 vs 32.0?17.1)?g/L,P

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the genetic polymorphisms of 19 STR Loci in Shandong Han population in order to provide the genetic data for paternity testing. METHODS: The genotypes of 205 unrelated individuals in Shandong Han population were typed by Goldeneye 20A kit to get the allele frequencies and population genetic parameters of 19 STR loci. Four kits, Identifiler kit, SinoFiler kit, PowerPlex 16 kit, and Goldeneye 20A kit, were compared with each other and used in the analysis of a special paternity test case. RESULTS: The population genetic parameters of 19 STR loci in Shandong Han Population were obtained. The cumulative discrimination power (CDP) and cumulative probability of exclusion (CPE) ranked from high to low were Goldeneye 20A kit, SinoFiler kit, PowerPlex 16 kit and Identifiler kit, respectively. As duo case, the result of the real case showed that Identifiler kit had no excluding loci, and none of the SinoFiler kit, PowerPlex 16 kit or Goldeneye 20A kit could exclude fatherhood. CONCLUSION Compared with Identifiler kit, SinoFiler kit, and PowerPlex 16 kit, Goldeneye 20A kit shows the higher efficiency than the others, but is not completely satisfied for duo cases.
Asian People/genetics* ; China ; Forensic Genetics/methods* ; Gene Frequency ; Genetic Loci/genetics* ; Genetics, Population ; Genotype ; Humans ; Male ; Microsatellite Repeats ; Paternity ; Polymorphism, Genetic/genetics*

In the current study, nine flavonoids were isolated and purified from 75% ethanol extract of Selaginella uncinata (Desv.) Spring by column chromatographic techniques over macroporous resin, polyamide, silica gel, Sephadex LH-20 and pre-HPLC. On the basis of their physico-chemical properties and spectroscopic data analyses, these compounds were elucidated as cirsimarin (1), nepitrin (2), apigenin-6-C-α-L-arabinopyranosyl-8-C-β-D-glucopyranoside (3), apigenin-6-C-β-D-glucopyranosyl-8-C-α-L-arabinopyranoside (4), apigenin-7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (5), 2,3-dihydroamentoflavone (6), 4'-O-methylamentoflavone (7), 2,3-dihydro-4'-O-methyl-amentoflavone (8), and 2,3,2",3"-tetrahydron-4'-O-methyl-robustaflavone (9). Compounds 1-5 belong to flavonoid glycosides and were isolated from the genus Selaginella for the first time.
Flavonoids ; analysis ; Selaginellaceae ; chemistry

Aged ; Antigens, CD34 ; analysis ; Female ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 ; analysis ; Solitary Fibrous Tumors ; metabolism ; pathology

Objective To estimate the impact of universal salt iodization on child intelligence quotient (IQ) development in Hainan province. Methods In this is a cross-section study from September in 2008 to April in 2009,the observation group was historical iodine deficiency ward which includes 2 counties and 6 townships,and the control group was non-historical ward which includes 6 counties and 9 townships. Comparison of child IQ distribution according to different geographical housing position(plain,mountainous area,coast),age and sex based on the result of urine iodine examination and the IQ test of children between 8 and 10 years old. Results The median of urinary iodine of children in the observation group was 196.2μg/L which was 2.13 times of the urinary iodine median in the control group(91.9μg/L). The average IQ of children in the observation group was 94.7 which was 8.5 higher than the control group(86.2) ; IQ≤69 rate in this group was 7.7%(91/1179),and it was 8.9 percentage point lower than the control group[16.6%(253/1520)]; IQ≥ 110 rate of the group was 18.3%(216/1179),and it was 10.0 percentage point higher than the control group[8.3%(126/1520)]. The average IQ of children living in mountainous area(83.1) was the lowest in the control group. It was 3.5 and 5.1 lower than that of the children living in the plain(86.6) and coastal area(88.2) respectively; the IQ≤69 rate of children living in mountainous area [20.5%(91/443)]was the highest,and it was 3.8 and 7.1 percentage point higher than that of the children living in the plain [16.7% (89/533)]and coastal areas [13.4% (73/544)]respectively. The average IQ of children aged 8 (97.4) was similar to those aged 9(95.9) in the observation group which was 6.8 and 5.3 higher than that of the children aged 10(90.6) in the same group respectively; However,the average IQ of children aged 8,9 and 10 was close in the control group(86.8,86.3 and 85.6). The average IQ of boys(96.2) was 3.1 higher than that of the girls(93.1),and their IQ≤69 rate[6.3%(37/590)]was 2.9 percentage point lower than that of the girls[9.2% (54/589)]in the observation group. On the other hand,the average IQ(87.2) of boys was 2.1 higher than that of the girls(85.1),and IQ≤69 rate[14.5%(114/787)]was 4.5 percentage point lower than that of the girls [19.0%(139/733)]in the control group. The average IQ of children with different housing geographical position,age and sex in observation group was 5.0-12.4 higher than that of the control group; their IQ≤69 rate was 7.7-13.2 percentage point lower than that of the control group; their IQ≥110 rate was 5.6-13.0 percentage point higher than that of the control group. Conclusions Supplementing salt iodization can improve child intelligence. Supplementing iodine can increase the child IQ and reduce the child mental retardation.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of bone marrow stem cell transplantation (BMT) on the diaphragm muscles of mdx mice, a mouse model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).

METHODSThe bone marrow-derived stem cells form male SD rats was transplanted through the tail vein into 18 female 8-week-old mdx mice, which were sacrificed at 4, 8 and 12 weeks after BMT (6 at each time point), respectively. The diaphragm muscles of the mice were subjected to HE staining, immunofluorescence detection of dystrophin, reverse transcription (RT)-PCR analysis of dystrophin mRNA transcripts and PCR analysis of Sry (sex-determining region on the Y chromosome) gene, with age-matched female C57 mice and untreated mdx mice as the controls.

RESULTSThe proportion of centrally nucleated fibers (CNF) in the diaphragm muscle of the recipient mdx mice was (15.58+/-0.91) %, (12.50+/-1.87) % and (10.17+/-1.17) % at 4, 8 and 12 weeks after BMT, respectively, significantly smaller than that of untreated mdx mice [(19.5+/-1.87) %], and the fibers after BMT showed less inflammatory infiltration. Compared with the untreated mice, the recipient mdx mice showed green fluorescence on significantly more diaphragm muscle cell membranes [with the proportion of dystrophin-positive fibers of (1.00+/-0.32) %, (6.00+/-1.05) % and (11.92+/-1.11) % at 4, 8, and 12 weeks after BMT]. RT-PCR of dystrophin mRNA also demonstrated significantly higher relative levels of dystrophin in the recipient mdx mice (0.19+/-0.05, 0.26+/-0.06 and 0.36+/-0.04 at 4, 8 and 12 weeks after BMT) than in untreated mdx mice, and Sry gene was present in the recipient mice.

CONCLUSIONBMT can partially restore dystrophin expression and ameliorate the pathology in the diaphragm muscles of mdx mice, and has great potential to produce general therapeutic effect in patients with DMD.

Animals ; Bone Marrow Transplantation ; methods ; Diaphragm ; metabolism ; pathology ; Dystrophin ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Female ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Mice, Inbred mdx ; Muscular Dystrophy, Duchenne ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Transplantation, Heterologous

OBJECTIVETo observe the clinical manifestations of bullous retinal detachment and analyze the etiological factors.

METHODSA retrospective analysis of the clinical data was conducted in 22 patients with multifocal retinal pigment epitheliopathy (DRPE) and big bullous retinal detachment (BBRD), who were admitted between 2003 and 2008 in Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center with the diagnoses established by ocular fundus examination, fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA) and/or indocyanine green angiography (ICGA).

RESULTSThe patients included 15 men (68%) and 7 women (32%), with a mean age at the initial visit of 42 years, ranging from 25 to 64 years. Four patients (18%) received previously systemic corticosteroid therapy, and 2 of them used corticosteroids before retina detachment, 1 suffered progression of retinal detachment after corticosteroid therapy, and the other developed retinal detachment in the healthy eye during the therapy. Multifocal bullous retinal detachment was diagnosed as diffuse pigment epitheliopathy (DRPE) in 9 cases. Most of the 13 cases of big bullous retinal detachment had poor vision after operation and laser therapy.

CONCLUSIONBullous retinal detachment occurs most frequently in mid-life and more often in men than women. Abnormal retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and hyperpermeability of the choroid vessels are associated with its occurrence. Systemic corticosteroid therapy and mental stress may induce and aggravate this disease. Early medication and laser therapy are effective, and surgical intervention may save only part of the vision in advanced cases.

Adult ; Female ; Fundus Oculi ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retinal Detachment ; diagnosis ; etiology ; pathology ; therapy ; Retrospective Studies

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the effectiveness of locking plate external fixator in treating middle and distal tibial fractures.

METHODSFrom January 2010 to January 2013,18 patients suffered from middle and distal tibial fractures were treated by locking plate external fixator,including 11 males and 7 females, with an average age of 53.5 (ranged from 13 to 80) years old,the course of disease ranged from 2 h to 3 d. According to AO classification, 4 cases were type A,11 cases were type B and 3 were type C. Among them,6 patients were open fracture, including 2 cases with type I, 3 cases with type II and 1 case with type III, according to Gustilo classification), 12 patients were close fracture. Operation time, postoperative complications were observed, and Johner-Wruhs scoring were used to evaluate clinical outcomes.

RESULTSAll patients were followed up from 6 to 15 (meaned 11) months. Two cases occurred skin necrosis (1 case occurred bone exposure), 2 cases occurred delayed union (all were open fracture), and 1 case occurred nail infection. No screw loosening or broken occurred. According to Johner-Wruhs scoring, 10 cases obtained excellent result,6 cases good,and 2 cases fine.

CONCLUSIONLocking plate external fixator for the treatment of middle and distal tibial fractures, which has advantages of lessen damage, shorter operative time, less complications and rapid functional recovery, is one of good choice.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Bone Plates ; utilization ; External Fixators ; utilization ; Female ; Fracture Fixation ; instrumentation ; methods ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Tibial Fractures ; surgery ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo investigate the vascular effect of acute and chronic treatment of interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) in rat aortic rings.

METHODSIsolated thoracic aortic rings were mounted on the organ bath and the tension of the vessel was recorded.

RESULTSIFN-alpha(10, 100, 1,000 and 10,000 U/ml) caused concentration -dependent relaxation of endothelium-intact aorta rings preconstricted with phenylephrine (PE,10(-6)mol/L), to(90.1+/-0.91)%, (65.1+/-5.21)%, (39.5+/-8.22)% and (35.3+/-8.27)% of pre-drug control, respectively. Removal of the endothelium inhibited the relaxation by IFN-alpha. The vasorelaxant effect of IFN-alpha (100 U/ml ) was attenuated by pretreatment with L-NAME (10(-4)mol/L), methylene blue (10(-5)mol/L) or AMG (10(-4)mol/L), to (97.2+/-5.34)%, (95.1+/-6.25)% and (93.7+/-8.82)% of the control, respectively. Pretreatment with IFN-alpha (1,000,000 U/d, i.p.) for five days markedly inhibited the endothelium-dependent relaxation of the aortic rings to acetylcholine. But the endothelium-dependent relaxation to acetylcholine was not changed by pretreatment of IFN-alpha (10,000 U/ml) with the isolated aorta rings for 2 h.

CONCLUSIONThe vasorelaxation induced by IFN-alpha in rat aorta rings is endothelium-dependent and is possibly mediated by inducible nitric oxide synthase. Chronic treatment of IFN-alpha may impair the endothelium or NO-sGC pathway.

Acetylcholine ; pharmacology ; Animals ; Aorta, Thoracic ; drug effects ; physiology ; Endothelium, Vascular ; physiology ; Guanylate Cyclase ; physiology ; Interferon-alpha ; pharmacology ; Male ; Nitric Oxide ; physiology ; Nitric Oxide Synthase ; physiology ; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II ; Phenylephrine ; pharmacology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Vasodilation ; drug effects

OBJECTIVETo analyze the comorbidities in patients with cerebral palsy (CP) from two perspectives as neurologic subtype and gross motor functions, and find their correlations.

METHODSChildren with cerebral palsy treated in the rehabilitation center from January 2007 to June 2009 received the following examinations: intelligence capacity test, ophthalmologic consultation, language-speech test, brainstem auditory evoked potential and electroencephalogram. They were stratified according to both neurologic subtype and gross motor functions to detect the occurrence of comorbidities.

RESULTSOf all the 354 cases, 166 (46.89%) had mental retardation, 15 (4.24%) auditory limitations, 138 (38.98%) visual disorder, 216 (61.02%) language-speech disorder and 82 (23.16%) epilepsy. The frequency of individual comorbidities were distributed disproportionately between the different neurologic subtypes. Correlation analysis showed that there was a significant correlation between the spastic diplegia and the visual disorder (correlation coefficient = 0.26), between spastic hemiplegia and epilepsy (correlation coefficient = 0.17), between spastic quadriplegia and epilepsy and mental retardation (the correlation coefficient was 0.38 and 0.11, respectively) and between both dyskinetic and mixed children and language-speech disorder (the correlation coefficient was 0.24 and 0.27, respectively). The frequency of individual comorbidities was distributed disproportionately between the different neurologic subtypes and between the different GMFCS levels (P < 0.05), except for the frequency of visual disorders (chi(2) = 1.90, P > 0.05); and with the increase of the GMFCS levels, the burden of the comorbidities were more heavy and the incidence of the comorbidities was higher. Multi-comorbidities were relatively infrequently encountered in those with spastic hemiplegic or spastic diplegic children or patients whose GMFCS levels were I-III, while these entities occurred at a frequent level for those with spastic quadriplegic, dyskinetic, or mixed or children whose GMFCS levels were IV and V, and the differences were significant (P < 0.05). The mean GMFCS levels of children with spastic quadriplegic, dyskinetic or mixed CP were higher than level III, most of them had no ability of ambulation;while the mean GMFCS levels of spastic hemiplegic or spastic diplegic children were below level III, most of them could walk independently.

CONCLUSIONSThere are correlations between the occurrence of the comorbidities such as mental retardation, auditory or visual impairments, language-speech disorders, epilepsy and the cerebral palsy subtype and the gross motor function levels. Clinicians should have a full recognition of these comorbidities, and we should have a cooperation between the different subjects to have an overall evaluation and rehabilitation and to improve the prognosis.

Adolescent ; Cerebral Palsy ; classification ; epidemiology ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Comorbidity ; Epilepsy ; classification ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Motor Skills ; classification ; Motor Skills Disorders ; classification ; epidemiology ; Quadriplegia ; classification ; epidemiology ; Vision Disorders ; classification ; epidemiology