Adult ; Ergonomics ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multivariate Analysis ; Musculoskeletal Physiological Phenomena ; Regression Analysis ; Workplace

Humans ; Occupational Exposure ; Risk Assessment ; Workplace

OBJECTIVETo study the effect of endophytic fungi.

METHODA. formosanus, harvested after having been cultured for age, statistics were taken, fresh weight and dry weight were gained, and enzyme activities of chitinase, beta-1,3-glucase, phenylalanine ammonia-lyase and polyphenoloxidase were determined.

RESULTThe survial rates of A. formosanus inoculated with endophytic fungi was 100%. The effect of fungi on fresh weight was very significant (P < 0.01). The effect of fungi on dry weight was significant (P > 0.05). The four enzyme activities were enhanced by endophytic fungi, comparision with the controls.

CONCLUSIONSurvial rates of A. formosanus can be increased by using endophytic fungi in vitro culture.

Catechol Oxidase ; analysis ; Chitinases ; analysis ; Mycorrhizae ; physiology ; Orchidaceae ; enzymology ; growth & development ; microbiology ; Phenylalanine Ammonia-Lyase ; analysis ; Plants, Medicinal ; enzymology ; growth & development ; microbiology ; Symbiosis ; beta-Glucans ; analysis

Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma-Carthami Flos is a famous Chinese medicine pair (CMP). Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma can promote blood circulation for removing blood stasis, and Carthami Flos can promote blood circulation for removing meridian obstruction and remove blood stasis for relieving pain. The two herbs are important TCMs for activating blood. Danhong injection is the classic application of the two herbs compatibility, which was made from Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma and Carthami Flos with scientific formalation by extraction and refining. The CMP is used for treatement of organ flood insufficiency and ischemic infarction diseases. It can obviously relieving symptoms of angina pectoris, improve myocardial ischemia, regress atherosclerosis plaque, and inhibit thrombus. This paper elaberated the bio-active constituents, compatibility effects and action mechanism, and clinical applications of the CMP in order to further upgrade basic research and application levels of the CMP.
Animals ; Carthamus tinctorius ; chemistry ; Drug Compounding ; Drug Interactions ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; methods ; Salvia miltiorrhiza ; chemistry

In the experimental study on the electrophysiology and functions of heart in the animal, the thorax should be opened to expose the heart, at the same time natural breathing is maintained instead of artificial breathing. The key procedure of this new method is to avoid injuring the pleural cavity, so pneumothorax can be prevented. By means of this new method some subject studies have been finished.
Electrophysiology/instrumentation ; Heart/*physiology ; *Models, Animal ; *Respiration ; Swine ; Thoracic Surgical Procedures ; Time Factors

The combination of Danggui and Honghua (GH) is a popular herb pair commonly used in clinic for the treatment of blood stasis syndrome in China. To evaluate the activating blood circulation and dissipating blood stasis effects of the combination of different proportions of Danggui and Honghua on acute blood stasis rats, and optimize the proportion of GH to have the best activating blood circulation and dissipating blood stasis effect. Acute blood stasis rat model was induced by subcutaneous injection of adrenaline and ice water bath. The blood stasis rats were administrated intragastrically with GH (1 : 0, 4 : 1, 2 : 1, 3 : 2, 1 : 1, 2 : 3, 1: 2, 1 : 4 and 0 : 1) extracts. The whole blood viscosity (WBV), plasma viscosity (PV), and high shear whole blood relative index (HSWBRI), low shear whole blood relative index (LSWBRI), and erythrocyte aggregation index (EAI) were tested to observe the effects of GH on hemorheology of blood stasis rats. And the maximum aggregation induced by adenosine diphosphate (ADP) was tested to observe the effect of GH on platelet aggregation index of blood stasis rats. In addition, the prothrombin time (PT), thrombin time (TT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) and plasma fibrinogen (FIB) were tested to observe the effects of GH on blood coagulation function of blood stasis rats. Then principal component analysis and multi-attribute comprehensive index methods were both used to comprehensively evaluate the total activating blood circulation and dissipating blood stasis effects of GH. The results showed that the hemorheological indexes and coagulation parameters of model group both had significant differences with normal group. Compared with model group, GH (1 : 0, 4 : 1, 2: 1, 3 : 2, 1 : 1, 2 : 3, 1 : 2, 1 : 4 and 0 : 1) could improve all the blood hemorheology indexes and regulate part indexes of blood coagulation function and platelet aggregation in acute blood stasis rats. Based on principal component analysis and multi-attribute comprehensive index methods, GH 1 : 1 and GH 3 : 2 both had the best effect of blood circulation and dissipating blood stasis, and the effect of GH 1 : 1 was slightly better than GH 3 : 2. These results suggest that GH could obviously ameliorate the abnormality of hemorheology and blood coagulation function in acute blood stasis rats. The optimized proportion of GH was consistent with regulations of medicine usage that GH 1 : 1 had the highest frequency used in traditional Chinese formulae. It could provide scientific basis for more effective application of the compatibility between Danggui and Honghua in modern clinic medicine.
Animals ; Blood Coagulation ; Blood Viscosity ; Carthamus tinctorius ; China ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Erythrocyte Aggregation ; Hemorheology ; Partial Thromboplastin Time ; Platelet Aggregation ; Principal Component Analysis ; Prothrombin Time ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Thrombin Time

AIMTo study the modulation of extracellular pH on the voltage-gated potassium currents (I(Kv)) in isolated pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs).

METHODSI(Kv) was recorded using whole-cell patch clamp technique under the external solutions with different pH. The electrophysiological characteristics of I(Kv) were then analyzed.

RESULTS(1) As compared to the normoxic group, I(K), decreased under acidic condition. When the extracellular pH were 7.0, 6.5, 6.0, the peak currents at a potential of +60 mV were inhibited by 16.93% +/- 2.47% (P < 0.01), 33.03% +/- 2.13% (P < 0.01), 41.59% +/- 6.53% (P < 0.01) respectively, and the current-voltage relationship (I/V) curve shifted to the right. (2) When the extracellular pH was 7.0, 6.5, 6.0, the voltage-depended Gk-Em was shifted to the direction of positive and the activation was sped up.

CONCLUSIONThe results suggest that with the development of hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction (HPV), extracellular pH may take part in the modulation of Kv channels partly, then make the cell depolarized and decrease the Kv currents, this will lead to open the L-type calcium channel and contract the pulmonary artery smooth muscle. It may be one of the mechanisms that hypoxic leads to HPV and finally accelerate the development of HPV.

Animals ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Male ; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular ; cytology ; Myocytes, Smooth Muscle ; metabolism ; physiology ; Patch-Clamp Techniques ; Potassium Channels, Voltage-Gated ; physiology ; Pulmonary Artery ; cytology ; metabolism ; physiology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of gestational isoflurane exposure on postnatal memory and learning and growth-associated protein-43 (GAP-43), neuropeptide Y(NPY) expression in the hippocampus of pups.

METHODSTwelve maternal Sprague-Dawley rats at gestation d 18(E18) were randomly divided into isoflurane group (n=6) and control group (n=6). Rats in isoflurane group were exposed to 1.3 % isoflurane for 6 h. For control group, animals breathed in 30 % oxygen and air mixed gas at the same condition. Spatial learning and memory of the offspring were determined with the Morris Water Maze(MWM) after postnatal 4 weeks. The changes of GAP-43 and NPY expression in the hippocampal CA1 region of the pups were determined by immunohistochemistry.

RESULTSIn MWM training, the escape latency to platform of the pups in isoflurane group was significantly longer, and the time spent in the third quadrant and times of original platform crossing were less than those of control animals (P<0.05). The number and optical density of GAP-43 and NPY positive neurons in the hippocampus of pups decreased significantly in the isoflurane group compared with the controls (P <0.01).

CONCLUSIONIsoflurane exposure in pregnant rats significantly impairs the spatial memory and learning of their pups at a juvenile age, which may be associated with the down-regulation of GAP-43 and NPY in the hippocampus.

Animals ; Female ; GAP-43 Protein ; metabolism ; Hippocampus ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Isoflurane ; pharmacology ; Maze Learning ; drug effects ; Neuropeptide Y ; metabolism ; Pregnancy ; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

OBJECTIVETo investigate the clinicopathologic, radiological and immunohistochemical characteristics of osteochondroma with malignant transformation.

METHODSThe clinical data, radiological imagings and hematoxylineosin stained histologic sections were reviewed in 463 cases of osteochondroma diagnosed in Shanghai 6th Hospital from 1991 to 2008, including 11 cases with malignant transformation. Immunohistochemical two-step staining was used to detect CK, vimentin, S-100 protein, p53 and c-myc expression in seven cases of osteochondroma with malignant transformation and 10 cases without malignant transformation. The relevant literature was reviewed.

RESULTSAmong the 11 cases with malignant transformation, five were single osteochondroma (5/408, 1.2%), and six were multiple osteochondromas (6/55, 10.9%). The male to female ratio was 10:1. These 11 cases were derived from femur (4 cases), tibia (3 cases), ilium (3 cases), shoulder bone (1 case) and pubis (1 case). There was one case that showed malignant transformation in both the femur and ilium. The mean ages for the malignant and non-malignant cases were 39.8 years and 20.4 years respectively. All the malignant cases showed large sized lesions with prominent calcification in the thick cartilage caps. The malignant component was low grade, peripheral chondrosarcoma (grade I-II). In some areas the tumor cells infiltrated the peripheral soft tissue and bone marrow. Of the seven cases with malignant transformation that had immunohistochemical staining, all were positive for vimentin and S-100 protein; p53 protein was positive in 2 of 7 cases.

CONCLUSIONSMalignant transformation of osteochondroma was usually encountered in multiple lesions. Most patients were more than 30 years old with a long clinical history and with a male predominance. These tumors showed thick cartilage caps with prominent calcification. The lobulated nature of the tumors was evident and they infiltrated the surrounding soft tissue. The sarcomatoid component was peripheral type, well differentiated chondrosarcoma. p53 mutation may explain part of the molecular mechanism in the malignant transformation.

Adult ; Aged ; Bone Neoplasms ; diagnostic imaging ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Cell Transformation, Neoplastic ; pathology ; Chondrosarcoma ; diagnostic imaging ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Exostoses, Multiple Hereditary ; diagnostic imaging ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Osteochondroma ; diagnostic imaging ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Radiography ; S100 Proteins ; metabolism ; Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 ; metabolism ; Vimentin ; metabolism ; Young Adult

BACKGROUNDCerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) is one of the main causes of spontaneous intracranial hemorrhage (ICH). No established link is available between pathological scores of CAA and its outcome. This study aimed to identify the correlations between pathological severity and poor postoperative outcome in the Chinese population.

METHODSBetween May 2006 and April 2011, 367 consecutive patients who underwent surgery for CAA-related ICH in 71 hospitals throughout the mainland of China were enrolled in this study. Twelve months after surgery, we evaluated these patients' outcomes according to the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) and statistically correlated risk factors (demographics, medical history, pathological results, and surgical details) that are associated with a favorable (mRS < 3) and poor (mRS ≥ 3) outcome groups.

RESULTSRisk factors for poor postoperative outcome in 367 patients with CAA-related ICH included advanced age (OR 1.034, 95%CI 1.001 - 1.067, P = 0.042), CAA pathology severity (OR 2.074, 95%CI 7.140 - 16.25, P < 0.001), lobar hematoma (OR 0.225, 95%CI 0.104 - 0.486, P < 0.001), presence of intraventricular hemorrhage (OR 0.478, 95%CI 0.229 - 1.001, P = 0.050), and/or subarachnoid hemorrhage (OR 2.629, 95%CI, 1.051 - 6.577, P = 0.039).

CONCLUSIONSPoor postoperative outcome of patients with CAA-related ICH was more related to the severe pathological manifestation instead of other factors. Prior ischemia may present an early stage of CAA.

Aged ; Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy ; pathology ; physiopathology ; China ; Female ; Humans ; Intracranial Hemorrhages ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Risk Factors