Objective To investigate the possible pathogenic mechanisms of narrow pharynx in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) induced by neurogenic inflammation Methods The levels of nitric oxide (NO) and calcitonin gene related peptide (CGRP) in fasting plasma and pharyngeal soft tissue homogenate from mild, moderate, and severe OSAS patients, the normal controls, and patients undergoing uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) were detected by immunoradioassay and enzyme reduction Results Plasma NO level in serious OSAS patients was the lowest in the five groups and that in the control group was the highest [severe OSAS=(53 33?7 83) mmol/L, controls=(74 30?6 40) mmol/L, UPPP group=(68 12?7 46) mmol/L, moderate OSAS=(60 45?7 51) mmol/L, mild OSAS=(69 24?6 32) mmol/L, P 0 05) [severe OSAS =(44 18?5 80) mmol/L, moderate OSAS=(48 04?6 66), mild OSAS=(50 72?5 33) mmol/L, controls =(54 37?4 43) mmol/L, UPPP group =(54 10?3 70) mmol/L] NO level in pharyngeal tissue of OSAS increased significantly [OSAS =(0 748?0 053) ?mol/g, controls=(0 382?0 031) ?mol/g, P

In order to explore the dormancy physiological and biochemical mechanism of Paris seeds, the seed embryo growth courses, and the dynamic change of 5 enzymes, include SOD, POD, CAT, MDH, G-6-PDH were measured during variable temperature stratification. The results indicated that Paris seeds embryo grew quickly after 40 d in warm-stratification (18 ± 1) °C, at the meantime the metabolic activity was significantly strengthened. These facts showed that Paris seeds turned into physiological after-ripening process. After 60-80 d, the morphological embryo after-ripping process basically completed, and the following cold-stratification (4 ± 1) °C furthered Paris seed to finish physiological after-ripening. After 40 d, the activity of MDH decreased while G-6-PDH increased significantly. This showed that the main respiratory pathway of seed changed from TCA to PPP, which benifited breaking seed dormancy. In the whole period of stratification process, the activity variation of SOD and CAT was insignificantly and the activity of POD was enhanced significantly after shifting the seed in cold stratification process. This showed that SOD, CAT had no direct effects on breaking Paris seed dormancy but keeping the seed vigor, while the POD might involve in the process of Paris seed dormancy breaking.
Germination ; Liliaceae ; chemistry ; embryology ; enzymology ; Plant Proteins ; metabolism ; Seeds ; chemistry ; enzymology ; growth & development ; Temperature

OBJECTIVETo study the effect of acupuncture on the immune function of sepsis patients.

METHODSNinety sepsis patients were assigned to the control group, the thymosin a1 group, and the acupuncture treatment group according to random digit table, 30 patients in each group. Patients in the control group were treated according to the guideline of Surviving Sepsis Campaign (SSC). Patients in the control group received routine treatment. Those in the thymosin alpha1 group additionally received subdermal injection of thymosin alpha1 (1.6 mg), once per day for 6 successive days. Needling at related points such as Zusanli (ST36), Yanglingquan (GB34), Neiguan (PC6), Guanyuan (RN4), and so on, was performed in patients of the acupuncture treatment group, once per day for 6 successive days. T cell subgroups (CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, CD4+ /CD8+) and immunoglobulin levels (IgG, IgA, IgM) were detected. The length of ICU hospital stay, hospital readmission rate, and 28-day mortality were compared among the three groups.

RESULTSAfter six days of treatment, CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, IgG, IgA, IgM, and CD4+ /CD8+ ratio of three groups were all significantly increased (P < 0.01). Of them, CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, IgG, IgA, and IgM increased more significantly in the thymosin alpha1 group and the acupuncture treatment group (P < 0.01). Compared with the control group, the ICU hospitalization length was significantly shortened, the hospital readmission rate and the 28-day mortality were lower in the thymosin alpha1 group and the acupuncture treatment group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). There was no statistical difference in each index between the thymosin alpha1 group and the acupuncture treatment group (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONAcupuncture could adjust the immune function of sepsis patients, improve their immunological indicators and prognoses.

Acupuncture Therapy ; CD4-CD8 Ratio ; Humans ; Length of Stay ; Prognosis ; Sepsis ; diagnosis ; immunology ; therapy ; T-Lymphocyte Subsets ; Thymosin ; analogs & derivatives

Objective To establish the linear regression equation between body height and com bined length of manubrium and mesosternum of sternum m easured by CTvolum e rendering technique (CT-VRT) in southw est H an population. Methods One hundred and sixty subjects, including 80 m ales and 80 fem ales w ere selected from southw est H an population for routine CT-VRT(reconstruction thickness 1 m m ) ex-am ination. The lengths of both manubrium and mesosternum w ere recorded, and the com bined length of manubrium and mesosternum was equal to the algebraic sum of them . The sex-specific linear regression equations between the com bined length of manubrium and mesosternum and the real body height of each subject w ere deduced. Results The sex-specific sim ple linear regression equations between the com bined length of manubrium and mesosternum (x3) and body height (y) w ere established (m ale:y=135.000+2.118x3 and fem ale:y=120.790+2.808x3).Both equations show ed statisticalsignificance (P<0.05) w ith a 100% predictive accuracy. Conclusion CT-VRTis an effective m ethod for m easurem ent of the index of sternum . The com bined length of manubrium and mesosternum from CT-VRTcan be used for body height estim ation in southw est H an population.

Objective To describe MR findings in inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor(IMT)of the soft tissue.Methods MR manifestations of 11 cases of IMT of the soft tissue were retrospectively analyzed,and the MR findings were correlated with surgical and histological results.Results The pathological classification of the tumors was type Ⅰ in 1 case,type Ⅱ in 4 cases.mainly type Ⅱ admixed with type Ⅰ in 3 cases,and mainly type Ⅱ admixed with type Ⅲ in 3 cases.In 4 cases with primary tumor,the tumors were spheroid in shape,with well-defined margin and pseudocapsule.In 2 cases with primary axillary tumor and 5 cases with recurrent tumor,the tumors were irregular in shape,with ill-defined margin and invasion of adjacent structures.The tumors were mainly isointensive in T1-weighted images.Tumors of different pathological classifications had different signal intensities in T2-weighted images:1 case of type Ⅰ tumor was bright:4 cases of type Ⅱ tumor and 3 cases of type Ⅱ tumor admixed with type Ⅰ tumor were slig}ltly bright;3 cases of type Ⅱ tumor admixed with type Ⅲ were isointense or slightly hypointense in signal.All of the 11 eases in the study exhibited"pitaya cross-section sign"in T2-weighted sequence,which referred to discrete punctuate foci of relatively hypointensity in the background of hyperintensity,slightly hypointensity or isointensity.All of the 11 cases exhibited inhomogeneously significant enhancement after gadolinium administration.In the follow-up of the 6 cases of primary tumor,4 cases had recurrence,1 case had no recurrence,and 1 ease was lost in the follow-up process.In the follow-up of the 5 cases of recurrent tumor,4 cases showed recurrence again,and 3 cases were lost in the follow-up process.Conclusions The IMT of the soft tissue has characteristic MR features.The signal intensity of the tumor on T2-weighted sequence could reflect the pathological type of the tumor to some extent."pitaya cross-section sign"could be a pathogenomic sign of the IMT of the soft tissue.

AIM:To investigate the autophagy induced by sepsis and acute kidney injury , and the regulation of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt) signaling pathway in this process.METHODS: The rats were subjected to cecal ligation and puncture ( CLP) or sham operation .Histopathologic changes of the renal tissues were examined by HE staining .Blood urea nitrogen ( BUN) and serum creatinine ( SCr) were measured by chemical colorime-try.The protein expression of microtubule-associated protein light chain 3 I/II (LC3 I/II), beclin-1 and p-Akt at different time points after CLP was detected by Western blotting .In vitro, human proximal tubular epithelial cell line HK-2 were treated with LPS to induce autophagy .The protein expression of LC 3 I/II and p-Akt in the HK-2 cells after LPS treatment at different time points and different concentrations was detected by Western blotting .These molecules in HK-2 cells and apoptosis of HK-2 cells treated with LPS plus PI3K inhibitor or Akt inhibitor were also detected .RESULTS: Compared with sham group , the severe changes of renal histopathological injuries in CLP groups were observed , the levels of BUN and SCr in CLP groups were significantly increased .LC3 I/II, beclin-1 and phosphorylation of Akt gradually increased after CLP.After treatment with LPS, the expression of p-Akt (308) in the HK-2 cells gradually increased in a dose-and time-dependent fashion.The expression of beclin-1 and p-Akt (472) reached a peak at 8 h or 10 mg/L LPS treatment.Treat-ment with PI3K or Akt inhibitor down-regulated the expression of LC3 and promoted the apoptosis of HK-2 cells.CON-CLUSION:Autophagy in the kidney is induced by sepsis and acute kidney injury .PI3/Akt signaling pathway may be in-volved in this process .

Objective To construct the prokaryotic expression vector pET30a( +)-VH-mms13 and identification of its protein after induced with IPTG.Method Heavy chain variable region VH gene of typeⅣcollagenase monoclonal antibody and magnetosome membrane protein gene mms13 were amplified separately,the fusion gene VH-linker-mms13 were synthesized by SOE-PCR technique and inserted into pET30a ( +) plasmid, which was confirmed by restriction enzyme digest and sequencing.Then the recombinant plasmid pET30a ( +)-VH-mms13 was transform into E.coli DE3 and induced with 0.4 mmol/L IPTG.The fused protein was identified by SDS-PAGE and Western blot.Results The length of fusion gene VH-mms13 was 738 bp,and the sequence was correct.After induced with IPTG,the fused protein was found in the inclusion body and Western blot results suggested that the fused protein can bind with His-tag antibody specifically.Conclusion Expression vector pET30a ( +)-VH-mms13 is successfully constructed and the fusion protein has good immunogenicity,which lay the foundation for the development of biomagnetism-targeted drug.

OBJECTIVETo observe the clinical effect of acupuncture on acute heart failure (AHF) patients.

METHODSTotally 60 patients who were diagnosed as AHF were assigned to the acupuncture group and the control group, 30 in each group. Those in the control group received inotropic agents, preload and afterload reducing therapy, anti-infection and so on. Besides, those in the acupuncture group received needling at relative points, once daily for 5 consecutive days. The mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), cardiac index (CI), stroke volume index (SI), left ventricle working index (LCWI) were monitored by thermodilution pulse-indicated continuous cardiac output (PiCCO) technique. Changes of the aforesaid data were compared between before and after treatment. The ICU length of stay, readmission rate,and the 28-day mortality were also compared between the two groups.

RESULTSAfter 5 days of the treatment, CI, SI, and LCWI increased more obviously (P < 0.01), HR and MAP decreased significantly (P < 0.05). Of them, CI, SI, and LCWI increased more obviously in the acupuncture group (P < 0.05).There was no obvious difference in HR or MAP between the two groups (P > 0.05). Compared with the first day of admission in the same group, CI, SI, and LCWI obviously increased in the acupuncture group from the second day (P < 0.05). HR started to decrease since the fourth day (P < 0.05), and MAP began to decrease until the fifth day (P < 0.05). CI, SI, and LCWI started to increase in the control group from the third day (P < 0.05); HR and MAP both began to decrease since the fifth day (P < 0.05). Compared with the control group, the ICU length of stay was obviously shortened in the acupuncture group (P < 0.05). The readmission rate and the 28-day mortality rate were lower than those of the control group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe combination of acupuncture and Western medical therapy might strengthen acute heart failure patients' heart functions, elevate the therapeutic effect, and improve the prognosis.

Acupuncture Therapy ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Female ; Heart Failure ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Stroke Volume

OBJECTIVETo explore the relationship between NB4 cell apoptosis induced by tanshinone IIA (TanIIA) and the cell mitochondrial transmembrane potential (DeltaPsim).

METHODSNB4 cells were treated with TanIIA, As(2)O(3), TanIIA plus 1.0 micro g/ml CsA and As(2)O(3) plus 1.0 micro g/ml CsA, respectively. Morphological changes were observed under light microscope and transmission electron microscope. The percentages of sub-G(1) cells and DeltaPsim of cells doublely stained with PI and Rh123 were assayed by flow cytometry.

RESULTSThe percentages of sub-G(1) cells after treatment with 1.0 micro g/ml and 2.0 micro g/ml TanIIA had no significant difference but was higher than that of 0.5 micro g/ml. After treatment with TanIIA, NB4 cells appeared the classical apoptotic morphology. The percentages of sub-G(1) cells were increased, while the DeltaPsim reduced (P < 0.01) and there was a linear correlation between them. The increment of sub-G(1) cell percentages and decrement of DeltaPsim induced by TanIIA were partly inhibited by CsA (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONSTanIIA can induce NB4 cells apoptosis through opening the mitochondrial permeability transition pore and reducing DeltaPSgr;m, and this effect could be inhibited by CsA.

Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic ; pharmacology ; Apoptosis ; DNA ; metabolism ; Diterpenes, Abietane ; Humans ; Membrane Potentials ; drug effects ; Mitochondria ; drug effects ; Phenanthrenes ; pharmacology ; Tumor Cells, Cultured

AIM: To establish human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) to express green fluorescent protein (GFP), and to study the suppression of GFP by siRNA in HUVECs. METHODS: Using lipofectamine 2000 to transform plasmid pN_3-EGFP encoding GFP into HUVECs. The HUVEC containing pN_3-EGFP, named HUVEC-GFP, was screened and selected by antibiotic G418. Using in vitro transcription T7 kit, GFPsiRNA targeting GFP mRNA and control-siRNA used as control were synthesized. The siRNAs were transfected into HUVEC-GFP with oligofectamine. 48 h later, the expression levels of GFP protein and mRNA in HUVEC-GFP were determined. RESULTS: The HUVEC-GFP was screened to express GFP in the presence of G418. The agarose gel electrophoresis analysis showed that the siRNAs prepared were integrated. 48 h after transfection with siRNAs, compared to control group, the level of GFP fluorescence was obviously decreased in the HUVEC-GFP transfected with GFPsiRNA. The results of RT-PCR detection showed that GFP mRNA expression was obviously suppressed by GFPsiRNA at the rate of 40%, and no obvious suppression of GFP mRNA expression was found in the HUVEC-GFP transfected with control siRNA. CONCLUSION: The siRNA targeting GFP mRNA, synthesized in vitro, efficiently suppresses the GFP expression in HUVECs.