Objective To study some sensitive electrophysiological parameters in surveillance of allograft rejection.Methods Forty rats underwent heterotopic heart transplantations.IMEG was re- corded by an epicardiac unipolar pacing lead fixed at the right ventricular outflow tract.QRS amplitude and heart rate were determed daily in 10 syngeneic and 30 allogeneic transplants.Syngeneic transplants were killed at 7 th postoperative day,and allogeneic transplants killed at 3 rd,5 th and 7 th postopera- tive day.Histopathologie studies were performed at every transplanted heart.Results In syngeneic group,QRS amplitude kept constant after the transplantation while no significant differences were ob- served at the 3 rd,5 th and 7 th postoperative day.QRS amplitude was dropped obviously in allogeneic group after the first two postoperative days whereas significant differences were observed at the rejec- ting and non-rejecting hearts.Conclusions IMEG is a valid method to monitor acute allograft rejec- tion.QRS amplitude is a more sensitive electrophysiological parameter to diagnose severe rejections than heart rate,while mild rejections were not detected by this method.

Objective To study the prognostic value of procalcitonin(PCT) and C?reactive protein ( CRP ) in critically ill patients with ventilator?associated pneumonia ( VAP )?Methods A single?center prospective observational study was conducted?A total of 67 cases patients with VAP admitted into intensive care unit(ICU) from November 2013 to October 2015 were enrolled and grouped as survivors(43 cases) and non?survivors(24 cases)?Blood samples for PCT and CRP were collected on the day of the pneumonia diagnosis,and the 4th and 8th day after the diagnosis?Results There were 24 cases(35?8 %) died among the 28 days after the pneumonia diagnosis?There was no significant difference between the survivor and non?survivor groups in terms of PCT on the day of the pneumonia diagnosis( P>0?05) ,or CRP on the day of the pneumonia diagnosis, and the 4th and 8th day after the diagnosis ( P>0?05)?But the PCT values on the 4th and 8th day were significantly higher in the non?survivor group than the survivor group(4 d:0?4(0?3,1?1) μg/L vs?4?7(2?3, 10?8) μg/L,P<0?05;8 d:0?2(0?1,1?7) μg/L vs?3?9(3?2,14?8) μg/L,P<0?05)?PCT levels decreased significantly from the day of the pneumonia diagnosis(0?7(0?4,4?2) μg/L) to the 8th day after the diagnosis (0?2(0?1,1?7) μg/L,P<0?05) in the survivor group?The PCT level above 1 μg/L on the 4th day after the diagnosis was the strongest predictor of mortality,with an odds ratio of 23?Conclusion PCT is found to be a more important prognostic marker compared to CRP in terms of predicting mortality in critically ill patients with VAP?The PCT level on the 4th day after the diagnosis is the strongest predictor of mortality in VAP.

Objective To investigate the clinical features of rheumatoid arthritis combined with femur head necrosis. Methods The clinical data of 22 patients with rheumatoid arthritis combined with femur head necrosi were retrospectively analyzed. Results Among the 22 patients with rheumatoid arthritis combined with femur head necrosi, male was in 5 cases, female was in 17 cases, age was 28-69 (56.3 ± 1.9) years, and the disease duration of rheumatoid arthritis was 4-30 (14.1 ± 1.2) years. All patients had ≥ 2 grade femur head necrosis, with bilateral femur head necrosis in 9 cases, right femur head necrosis in 9 cases and left femur head necrosis in 4 cases. Only 2 cases did not take glucocorticosteroid, and the other 20 cases used glucocorticosteroid in the long-term. The treatment was no standardized. The multiple fracture was found in 4 cases by X-ray examination (the patients had no history of trauma); 4 cases examined bone density, and the results showed they all were osteoporosis. Conclusions Rheumatoid arthritis combined with femur head necrosis is not uncommon. The majority of patients receive long-term glucocorticosteroid treatment. Treatment is not standardized, and some patients are combined with osteoporosis.

Objective To analyze the correlations of vascular structure, hemodynamic changes and surgical recanalization of carotid endarterectomy ( CEA) for the treatment of subtotal or complete occlusion of carotid artery. Methods A total of 107 patients with carotid artery occlusive disease diagnosed at Beijing Xuanwu Hospital,Capital Medical University received CEA therapy from January 2005 to January 2014 and were enrolled retrospectively. According to the findings of introperative ultrasound,they were divided into either a recanalization group (n=86) or a non-recanalization group (n=21). Preoperative and intraoperative carotid artery diameter and blood flow velocity were compared and analyzed with carotid ultrasonography. Intraoperative detected vascular abnormalities, residual vascular stenosis rate, blood flow velocity and pulsatility index of the ipsilateral middle cerebral artery ( MCA) were documented. Results (1) The peak systolic velocity (PSV) (82 ± 32 cm/s and 60 ± 17 cm/s),mean velocity (MV) (50 ± 19 cm/s and 42 ±13cm/s),and pulsatility index (PI) (0. 97 ± 0. 25 and 0. 67 ± 0. 14) on the ipsilateral MCA in patients of carotid artery recanalization before and after procedure were significantly higher than those during the procedure. There were significant differences (all P=0. 000). In patients failed to recanalize,the intraoperative and preoperative PSV,EDV,and MV of MCA were 46 ± 20 cm/s and. 63 ± 21 cm/s,24 ± 13 cm/s and 34 ± 12 cm/s, and 32 ± 16 cm/s and 44 ± 15 cm/s,respectively. They were reduced more significantly during the procedure than those after procedure. There were significant differences ( all P=0. 000 ) . But there was no significant difference in PI (0. 70 ± 0. 18 and 0. 67 ± 0. 15) compared with that before procedure (P=0. 317). (2) The diseased vascular diameter of the recanalization group was significantly widened (0. 6 ± 0. 4 mm vs. 3. 4 ± 0. 9 mm,P=0. 000) compared with before procedure. The overall recanalization rate was 80. 4% (86/107). Intraoperative ultrasound revealed that 13 patients had mild abnormal vascular structures among the recanalized patients. The non-recanalized patients had significantly abnormal vascular structure. Conclusion Intraoperative carotid ultrasound in combination with transcranial Doppler (TCD) for monitoring cerebral blood flow may effectively identify the carotid structure and the degree of cerebral hemodynamic improvement,and timely guide the secondary repair.

Objective Using transcranial Doppler (TCD) to evaluate the effect of selective shunt (SS) during carotid endarterectomy (CEA). Methods TCD was used for intraoperative bilateral middle cerebral artery (MCA) cerebral blood flow continuous monitoring in 169 patients with carotid stenosis treated with CEA. The patients were divided into shunt (n =32)and non-shunt (n = 137) groups according to whether they performed shunt or not. The open approaches of anterior collateral circulation were recorded. The peak systolic velocity (PSV),mean velocity (MV), pulsatility index (PI), and ratio of MV in bilateral MCA were compared after anesthesia, before and after carotid artery occlusion, before and after shunt, and after carotid artery open. Results MV before carotid artery occlusion in the shunt and non-shunt groups were 34.73 ± 13.54 cm/sand 35.32 ± 13.18 cm/s, respectively, and there was no significant difference (P = 0. 825). MV in the shunt group after carotid artery occlusion was significantly decreased in the non-shunt group (P =0. 000). The mean decline rate of MCA MV was 69.34% ± 20. 93%, and it was decreased more significantly than that in the non-shunt group (P=0. 000). The decline rate of MCA MV was increased significantly after shunt operation, the average increase was 35.68 ± 16.69 cm/s (P=0. 000). Conclusions TCD can objectively evaluate the hemodynamic changes before and after shunt operation.

Objective In the present study,we use GC/MS-based metabolomics approaches to make analysis of serum metabolic profiles of healthy people and the hyperactivity of liver yang type of constitution in patients with essential hypertension.Try to establish the discriminant model,to discover biomarkers (group) of the hyperactivity of liver yang type of essential hypertension,and to explore the essential material basis of Traditional Chinese medicine syndrome theory.Methods Classified according to the guiding principles of Chinese medicine research,the hyperactivity of liver yang type of constitution in male patients with essential hypertension (n=18),as well as health volunteers (n=15) were randomly selected from Guang An Men Hospital clinic,wards and medical center in the first half of 2010,selected patients with essential hypertension requirements are not taking any drugs or Chinese herbs,or stop taking the various drugs more than one week.Extracted Venous Blood of subjects fasting for 12 hours,and serum was separated through centrifugation.Serum samples are stored and at-86℃ refrigerator.Survey and evaluate endogenous metabolism in serum samples of health control group and types of syndrome mentioned above by gas chromatograph mass spectrometry (GCMS)analysis.Then,analyze the metabolites with Partial Least Squares-Discriminant Analysis.Further use PCA to analyze the principal component factor loadings matrix analysis,and for variable scatter plot (Loading plot),significant increase or decrease the variables can be found from the figure.The combination of these variables is the lesion biomarkers group.Results Compared with the health control group,13 differentially expressed metabolites in the essential hypertension hyperactivity of liver yang type group can be identified (P＜0.05).8 metabolites were up-regulated expression:Uric acid,citrate,Octadecanoic acid,Hexadecanoic acid,Octadecadienoic acid,Leucine,Cholesterol,Norvaline,and 5 metabolites were down-regulated expression:arachidonate,Oleate,Alanine,Aspartic acid,glycine.Conclusion We are incline to regard that the 13 of EH patient serum differentially expressed metabolites are EH hyperactivity of liver yang syndrome metabolic biomarkers:Uric acid,citrate,Octadecanoic acid,Hexadecanoic acid,Octadecadienoic acid,Leucine,Cholesterol,Norvaline,Arachidonate,Oleate,Alanine,Aspartic acid,glycine.

Objective To explore the efficacy of long- and short-acting triptorelin on pituitary down-regulation in long protocol and the pregnancy outcome in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) . Methods Three hundred and seventeen patients for IVF-ET were enrolled as study and randomized them into two groups. In group A (n=145), patients received single dose subcutaneous injection of 1.25 mg long-acting diphereline in mid-luteal phase. In group B (n=172), patients received 0.1 mg/d subcutaneous injection of short-acting diphereline in mid-luteal phase for 14-18 days until pituitary suppression were got,and then reduced to 0.05 mg/d until the injection of HCG. Results The dose and the days of gonadotropin administration in group A were bigger and longer than those in group B ( <0.05) . There were no significant differences in the number of retrieved oocytes, fertilization rate,high quality embryos,implantation rate and clinical pregnancy rate between the two groups (all > 0.05) . But clinical pregnancy rate of group B had increasing trend. Conclusion Administration of short-acting diphereline has the similar effect with that of long-acting diphereline on pituitary down-regulation in long protocol. Short-acting diphereline requires lower amount of gonadotropin and is more flexible,so it should be recommended.

The technique of liquisolid compress is a new technique developed in 1990s, which was considered to be the most promising technique to improve the dissolution of water-insoluble drugs. In this article, tanshinone II(A) and the extracts of the ester-solubility fractions were chosen as the model drugs to evaluate the effects of the liquisolid technique for enhancement of dissolution properties of tanshinone II(A). Several liquisolid tablets (LS) formulations containing different dosage of drugs and various liquid vehicle were pre-pared and for all the formulations, microcrystalline cellulose and silica were chosen as the carrier and coating materials to evaluate their flow properties, such as angle of repose, Carr's compressibility index and Hausner's ratio. The interaction between drug and excipients in prepared LS compacts were studied by differential scanning calorimetry(DSC) and X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD). The dissolution curves of tanshinone II(A) from liquisolid compacts were investigated to determine the technique's effect in improving the dissolution of tanshinone II(A) and its impacting factors. According to the results, the dissolution increased with the rise in the dissolution of the liquid-phase solvent. The R-value and drug dosage can significantly affect the drug release, but with less impact on active fractions. This indicated that liquisolid technique is a promising alternative for improvement of dissolution property of water-soluble drugs, and can make a synergistic effect with other ester-soluble constituents and bettern improve the release of tanshinone II(A). Therefore, the technique of liquisolid compress will have a better development prospect in traditional Chinese medicines.
Calorimetry, Differential Scanning ; Diterpenes, Abietane ; chemistry ; Solubility ; X-Ray Diffraction

Crocetin, a naturally occurring carotenoid, possesses antioxidant and antiatherosclerotic properties, of which the underlying mechanism remains unclear. In the present study, we examined the effects of crocetin (0.1, 1, 10 μmol·L(-1)) on angiotensin II (Ang II, 0.1 μmol·L(-1)) induced expression of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and monocyte-endothelial cell adhesion. The effects of crocetin on the activation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) were also observed. The results demonstrated that crocetin notably suppressed Ang II induced NF-κB activation (P<0.01) and VCAM-1 expression (P<0.05, P<0.01) in HUVECs, accompanied by a markedly reduced monocyte-endothelial cell adhesion (P<0.05, P<0.01). In addition, preincubation with crocetin resulted in a significant enhancement of cellular antioxidant capacity (P<0.05, P<0.01), while Ang II induced intracellular ROS decreased markedly (P<0.05, P<0.01). These results indicated that crocetin was capable of suppressing Ang II induced VCAM-1 expression and monocyte-endothelial cell adhesion by suppression of NF-κB activation, which might be derived from the enhancement of antioxidant capacity and subsequent reduction of intracellular ROS.
Angiotensin II ; metabolism ; Antioxidants ; pharmacology ; Carotenoids ; pharmacology ; Cell Adhesion ; drug effects ; Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells ; cytology ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Humans ; Monocytes ; cytology ; NF-kappa B ; metabolism ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; metabolism ; Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 ; metabolism

Objective To clarify the pathogen for rubella in Beijing from 2007 to 2010. Methods Beijing Center for Disease Preventipn and Control ( CDC ) collected the specimens (including blood, urine and throat swab specimens) frqm clinically diagnosed rubella cases for serological test and virus isolation. The nucleic acid of rubella virus in clinical specimens and isolations was detected by real-time PCR. Results Fifty-five out of 99 blood specimens were positive for anti- rubella IgM. Fifty-one out of 99 clinically diagnosed rubella cases were confirmed as rubella cases by virus isolation. Seventy-two were confirmed as rubella virus infections with real-time PCR method for detecting the nucleic acid of rubella virus in clinical specimens. Compared with the sequences of reference strains of rubella virus, all of detected rubella virus belonged the IE gene type. Conclusion This study indicates that IE gene type virus was the predominant endemic rubella virus in Beijing.