Cardiomyopathy, Dilated ; genetics ; Humans ; Molecular Biology

Objective To evaluate tear ferning changes of conjunctivochalasis.Design Prospective case study series.Partici- pants 30 patients(60 eyes)of conjunctivochalasis and normal subjects were selected.Methods The subjects were observed with gen- eral ophthalmic examination and tear fern test(TFT).Tear ferning was classified into 4 types.TypeⅠand TypeⅡare normal.TypeⅢand TypeⅣare abnormal.Main Outcome Measures The type of tear feming.Results TFT showed that tear ferning was de- creased in conjunctivochalasis group(TypeⅢand TypeⅣoccupied 61.7%).The difference between conjunctivoehalasis and normal control group was significant(P

Objective To screen the factors that can affect α-toxin expression of CA-MRSA except for quorum-sensing system and to investigate the regulative mechanism of the interesting genes. Methods S. aureus CA-MRSA transposon mutagenesis library was constructed by using mariner based transposon mutagenesis system. The clones with significantly changed level of hemolysis were selected, the location of erm insertion in a gene was confirmed by arbitrary primed (inverse) PCR and nucleotide sequence. Genetic complementation, mice bacteremia and skin abscess models and real time RT-PCR were used to study the function of the interesting gene. Results Twenty-five mutants with down-expression of α-toxin were selected by screening about 104 isolates of transposon mutagenesis library. The hemolytic diameter of CA-MRSA wild type was about 212 mm, no clear hemolysis was found in AraC-, The hemolytic diameter of AraC-pT181 araC was about 197 mm. Real time RT-PCR results showed that compared to the expression of the virulence factors in CA-MRSA wild type( PSMα 257. 30 ±37. 33 ;agr 115. 60 ±0. 81 and α-toxin 3.23 ±0. 21), in AraC-, α-toxin, PSMα and agr were significantly down regulated(α-toxin 1.09 ±0.01 :t = 10. 18, P <0.01 ;PSMα 34.85 ±2. 15:t=5.95,P<0.05;agr35. 19 ±1. 72:t =42. 33, P<0. 01). The result of mice bacteremia model showed that the virulence of wild type and AraC- ( (x) ± s ) were significantly different (x2 = 21. 34, P < 0.01). The expression of PSMα, agr and α-toxin in AraC-pT181araC ( PSMa 180.10 ± 15.29;agr 101. 50 ±8. 96;α-toxin 2.59 ±0.26) had no significant difference compared to the expression of the virulent factors in CA-MRSA wild type (PSMα: t =1.914, P>0.05;agr:t= 1.563, P>0.05;α-toxm: t = 1. 923, P > 0. 05 ). There were no significant difference of the expression of ClpP in AraC-(0. 21 ±0.01) and in AraC-pT181araC(0.17 ±0.03)compared to the expression of ClpP in CA-MRSA wild type (0. 20 ± 0.01) (t=0.555, P>0.05 and t=0. 851, P>0.05). The result of mice skin abscess model showed that the dermonecrosis area caused by CA-MRSA was (136. 5 ±21.45) mm2, the dermonecrosis area caused by AraC- was (55. 69 ± 13. 81) mm2, the different was significant (t = 3.169, P < 0. 05). Conclusion In CA-MRSA, AraC-type transcriptional regulator controlled the pathogenesis of CA-MRSA by regulating the expression of the most important virulence factors such as hla, PSMα and agr.

Objective To investigate the prevalence of VRE in Huashan hospital of Shanghai from 2007 to 2009, and to examine the molecular characteristics of the VRE isolates.Methods A total of 890 non-repetive clinical isolates of Enterococcus were screened by the agar screening method ( ADSP method).Broth dilution susceptibility test was performed to determine the antimicrobial susceptibility of Enterococcus isolates to vancomycin and teicoplanin.The resistant genes and virulent genes of VRE isolates were investigated by PCR and sequencing methods.VRE isolates were classified by MLST and six isolates of VRE from 2007 to 2008 were analyzed by PFGE.Results Thirteen VRE isolates were identified by ADSP method and broth dilution susceptibility test. Six of them were resistant to vancomycin but sensitive to teicoplanin ( vancomycin MICs were from 64 to 256 μg/ml).The sequencing data of PCR products indicated these isolates might harbor a potential novel vancomycin resistant gene, which was different from the one reported in previous studies. The rest 7 isolates harbored vanA gene. The MICs of these isolates to vancomycin and teicoplanin were 32 - 64 μg/ml and 16 - 32 μg/ml, respectively.MLST results revealed 4 STs were identified in 13 VRE isolates.Eleven isolates belonged to clonal complexes(CC) 17.The positive rates of esp gene and hyl gene were 69.2% and 30.8%, respectively.Conclusions This study suggests that the most common VRE clone in Huashan Hospital was CC17.A potentially novel vancomycin resistance gene was identified, and further work needs to be done to investgate the function and the location of this novel gene.

Objective To study the renal damage of patients with juvenile primary Sjgren's syndrome (pSS)and its clinical manifestations,pathologic characteristics with biopsy,treatment and prognosis.Methods Ten patients with juvenile pSS complicated with renal impairments were retrospectively analyzed.Data of these 10 patients were compared with those without renal impairments.Results Ten patients complicated with renal impairments in 24 patients with juvenile pSS,9 of them presented with type I renal tubular acidosis(RTA), 5 with hypokalemia paralysis,3 with calcification of the renal tissue,3 with positive urine protein.1 with dia- betes insipidus.There was no significant difference between patients with renal impairments and those without. Three patients underwent kidney biopsy that showed chronic interstitial nephritis(CIN)with extensive lymp- hoplasmie cell infiltration.Two patients had glomerular lesions and one of them was diagnosed as pSS over- laped with systemic lupus erythematosus(SLE).Steroid and immunosuppressive agents had significantly alle- viated symptoms and the hypergammaglobulinemia was significantly improved.Conclusion Renal impairment may be the major complication in juvenile pSS.The major clinical manifestations are RTA and the glomeruli are involved occasionally.Treatment with steroid anti immunnsuppressive agents should be given to those who have evidence of systemic involvement.

Background Bulbar conjunctiva tissue appears to be thinning,elasticity declined,tension reduced and fascia atrophied in conjunctivochalasis.Histopathological examination of conjunctivochalasis shows decrease of elastic fibers and melt of collagen fibers.But there are fewer studies on the ultrastructure of conjunctiva of conjunctivochalasis up to now.Objective This study was to investigate the ultrastructure change of conjunctiva tissue in conjunctivochalasis.Methods Five loose conjunctiva samples of conjunctivochalasis and 5 normal conjunctival tissue samples were collected and ultra-microstructure changes of these samples were observed under the transmission electron microscope.Results The number of fibroblasts in conjunctivochalasis lamina was progressively decreased.The shape of fibroblasts was long and fusiform.Somatic synapse was slim.Nucleus-cytoplasm ratio was increased.Disorder,scattered and broken of the collagen fibril were seen,and some areas were dissolved or lacunae.Normal conjunctival fibroblasts were oval or polygonal,with wieners and long somatic synapse,and intercellular matrix was full of collagen fibril and dense arranged fibers.Fibroblasts in fascia of eonjunctivochalasis were linear,and collagen fibril was seriously defected.Fascia fibroblasts of normal bulbar conjunctiva were spindleshaped and bigger than conjunctivochalasis fibroblasts.There were full of collagen fibrils in intercellular matrix.Conclusions The collagen fibril is decreased and fibroblast cells are degenerated in lamina and fascia of conjunctivochalasis.

AIM: To study the role of nitric oxide ( NO ) and γ-aminobutyric acid ( GABA) in the formation of amblyopia by establishing 2 different types of amblyopic models.METHODS:A total of 18 aged 3-week kittens were randomly divided into monocular deprivation, strabismus and normal groups. All types of amblyopia were developed in the experimental eyes that were detected by P-VEP 12wk later. The cats were killed and the immunocytochemistry staining method were applied to observe under the light microscope the changes of distribution and positive cells areas of NO and GABA across the amblyopic retinal, compared to that from the normal cats of identical age.
RESULTS: The P-VEP showed that the amplitude of wave P1 was lower (P<0. 05) and the P1 latent time was longer ( P<0. 05 ) in two types of amblyopic cats than those in the normal cats. Compared to the normal cats, the NO and GABA positive cells areas were obviously reduced ( P<0. 05 ) across the retina in the amblyopic cats. But no significant difference was found between two kinds of amblyopic cats.
CONCLUSION:The NO and GABA play an important role in the formation of amblyopia in the level of retinal.

Actins ; metabolism ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Carcinoma, Renal Cell ; metabolism ; pathology ; Cell Differentiation ; Female ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Keratin-7 ; metabolism ; Keratin-8 ; metabolism ; Kidney Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Sarcoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; Vimentin ; metabolism

0.05). ConclusionThe expression of VOCC mRNA and BKCa mRNA in kidney tissues of IgA nephropathy patients are abnormal.There is positive correlation between the abnormal expression of VOCC mRNA and BKCa mRNA and total glomerular pathological lesions integrals.The expression of VOCC mRNA and BKCa mRNA in kidney tissues of IgA nephropathy may serve as the indictor for the disease progression.

Objective:To examine the expression of nitric oxide synthase(NOS),the content of nitric oxide and blood flow in nasal mucosa of allergic rhinitis guinea pigs,so as to further investigate the mechanism of allergic rhinitis.Methods:One hundred and twenty guinea pigs were randomly divided into control group(injected with normal saline)and allergic group(nasal challenge with egg albumin).The guinea pigs were executed before and immediately,24,48,72 h after the last nasal challenge;the expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase(eNOS)and inducible nitric oxide synthase(iNOS)and the content of nitric oxide were examined in mucosa tissues.The blood flow in the nasal mucosa was determined in animals before execution.Linear regression correlation was used to analyze the relationship between the nitric oxide content and blood flow in nasal mucosa.Results:The immunostaining for iNOS in surface epithelium of allergic rhinitis guinea pigs was markedly stronger than that of normal guinea pigs at all time points(P