Objective To investigate the relationship between the resting heart rate (RHR) and target organ damage (TOD) in elderly patients with metabolic syndrome(MS). Methods 264 elderly patients with MS were divided into four groups according to the level of RHR: RHR1 group, RHR<65 beats/minute (bpm) (46 cases) ;RHR2 group, 65≤RHR<75 bpm (77 cases);RHR3 group, 75 bpm≤RHR<85 bpm (89 cases);RHR4 group, RHR≥85 bpm (52 cases).Electrocardiography, echocardiography, carotid uhrasonography, crcatinine clearance rate (Ccr) and quantitative assay of 24 hours' albuminuria were performed. Results (1) Compared with RHR1, RHR2 and RHR3 groups, RHR4 group showed higher levels of carotid intima-medial thickness (IMT), carotid arterial diameter (CAD), left ventricular mass index (LVMI) and albuminuria(P< 0.05 or P<0.01), and lower levels of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and Ccr (all P< 0.01). (2) The IMT, CAD, LVMI and albuminuria were positively correlated with RHR (r=0.33, 0.23, 0.61, 0.58, respectively, all P<0.01). However, the LVEF and Ccr were negatively correlated with RHR (r=-0.59, -0.51, all P<0.01). (3) Logistic multivariate analysis showed that RHR and pulse pressure (PP) had effects on myocardial hypertrophy, coronary heart disease, heart failure, cerebral stroke and renal dysfunction(P<0.05 or P<0.01). Except heart failure, PP played a more important role than RHR. Coneinsions RHR may be an independent risk factors for TOD in elderly patients with MS,and RHR regulation is important for the development of MS in the elderly.

Professional features,which include taking students as its main body and improving the students' practical and operational ability as its aim are embodied in microbiology experimental teaching to improve the teaching quality and train high medical talents with different majors.Meanwhile,the design is intended to make medical graduates with different majors to quickly combine the microbiology knowledge with the practical situation in work thus to better serve the society.

Alzheimer Disease ; metabolism ; therapy ; Amyloid beta-Peptides ; immunology ; metabolism ; Antibodies ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Immunotherapy

?AlM: To investigate theprotective effect of melatonin against hydrogen peroxide ( H2 O2 )-induced oxidative damage to human lens epithelial cells.
?METHODS: Sub-culture human lens epithelial cells preprocessed with different concentrations of melatonin for 12h and then 100 μmol/L H2 O2 for 24h. The impact of melatonin on H2 O2-induced lens epithelial cell viability was detected by MTT assay, rate of apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry instrument and activity of apoptosis-related factors, Caspase-3 and Caspase-9, were detected by colorimetric method.
?RESULTS: MTT assay showed that melatonin had no effect on the activity of lens epithelial cells, and the drug can inhibit the decrease of H2 O2-induced cell activity, as well as flow cytometry showed that melatonin can inhibit H2 O2-induced apoptosis. ln addition, melatonin can also reduce H2 O2-induced Caspase-3 and Caspase-9 activity in lens epithelial cells, and their activity decreased with effect of melatonin along with extending time.
?CONCLUSlON: Melatonin can obviously inhibit H2 O2 -induced apoptosis of human lens epithelial cells, which provide reliable experimental basis for drug on treatment of cataract.

Objective To detect the expression of proteinase activated receptor 2 (PAR-2) in the skin of patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) and to evaluate the effects of tacrolimus on the expression.Methods Six patients with acute moderate or severe AD were enrolled in this study and topically treated with tacrolimus 0.1％ ointment twice daily for 3 weeks.Tissue samples were obtained from the lesions and non-lesional skin at least 10 cm away from the lesions before and after the 3-week treatment.Skin specimens from 6 normal human controls served as the control.Patients were evaluated at the baseline,1 and 3 weeks after the beginning of treatment for clinical symptoms and signs by visual analogue scale (VAS),eczema area and severity index (EASI) and investigator's global assessment (IGA).The expression of PAR-2 in tissue specimens were determined by immunohistochemistry.Results PAR-2 was expressed throughout the whole epidermis,especially in the granular layer,hair follicles,sweat glands,endothelial cells and nerve fiber-like structures.Before treatment,the expression level (mean optical density) of PAR-2 in keratinocytes was 4339.6 ± 115.8 in lesional skin of AD patients,significantly higher than that in non-lesional skin (4189.0 t 228.9,t =2.85,P ＜0.05) and in normal skin (3864.0 ± 237.3,t =4.31,P ＜ 0.05).After the 3-week treatment with tacrolimus ointment,the expression level of PAR-2 significant decreased to 3942.4 ± 176.6 in keratinocytes from lesional skin of patients with AD (t =4.55,P ＜ 0.05).The expression level of PAR-2 was positively correlated with VAS score for itch,EASI and IGA score in the patients.Conclusions The expression of PAR-2 is enhanced in keratinocytes of lesions from AD patients,and is positively correlated with itch and lesion severity.Topical tacrolimus may suppress the overexpression of PAR-2 in keratinocytes in lesional skin of AD.

Objective To detect the genetic transcription and protein expression level of endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase 1 (ERAP1) in human ovarian cancer cells and tissue and study their relationship with directional lymphatic metastasis. Methods Real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR and western blot were used to determine the expressions of ERAP1 gene and protein in the human ovarian cancer cell lines between non-directional (SKOV3) and directional highly lymphatic metastasis (SKOV3-pm2, SKOV3-pm3, SKOV3-pm4 ). Immunohistochemistry method was used to further validate the ERAP1 expressions of the transplanted ovarian tumor primarily focus and the lesions of lymph node metastasis from nude mice and the human ovarian cancer primarily focus and the lesions of lymph node metastasis. Results The expression level of ERAP1 gene and protein were down-regulated in SKOV3, SKOV3-pm2, SKOV3-pro3, SKOV3-pm4 cell sublines (0.118±0.012, 0.031±0.003,0.028±0.003, 0.016±0.005 ; 0.91± 0.33, 0.09±0.03, 0.10±0.04, 0.05+0.04; respectively), and the level of ERAP1 in SKOV3 cell was higher than those in the other three kinds of cell lines (P<0.05 ). The results showed that there were significant declining trend of expression of ERAP1 in the human ovarian cancer cell lines between non-directional and directional highly lymphatic metastasis; the transplanted ovarian tumor primarily focus and the metastasis lesions of lymph node from nude mice (143±22 vs. 97±12, P<0.05), the primarily focus (184±14) and the lesions of lymph node metastasis from human ovarian tumors (P<0.05). Conclusion The absence or down-regulated expression of ERAP1 is closely related to the metastasis and invasion of lymph node in ovarian carcinoma.

This study aims to develop a method for determination of beta-elemene, curcumol, germacrone and neocurdione in the volatile oil of Curcuma phaeocaulis, and to provide the basis of the quality control method for the volatile oil of C. phaeocaulis and the related preparations. Based on GC-MS, the 4 main compounds were simultaneously determined, with the internal standard n-tridecane. The Agilent 19091S-433 column (0.25 microm x 250 microm x 30 m) was adopted at the temperature of 250 degrees C, the programmed temperature method (60 degrees C for 1 min, 5 degrees C x min x to 110 degrees C for 5 min, 1 degrees C x min(-1) to 140 degrees C, 5 degrees C x min(-1) to 160 degrees C, 10 degrees C x min(-1) to 240 degrees C) was used. Helium gas was used as the carrier gas at a constant flow rat of 1 mL x min(-1), with an injection volume of 1 RL. Mass spectra were taken at 70 eV; the ion-source temperature was 200 degrees C. The relation time and character acteristic ions for each target compound were determined by full scan mode and SIM, and m/z 85.1, 93.1, 121.1, 107.1 and 180.1 were the detection ions of n-tridecane, beta-elemene, curcumol, germacrone and neocurdione. As a result, beta-elemene, curcumol, germacrone and neocurdione were all detected with good separation. They were all in a good linear relationship within each concentration scope. The average recovery rates were in the range of 98.2%-101%. So, the method can be used to control the quality of the volatile of C. phaeocaulis Val. and the preparations related.
Acetic Acid ; chemistry ; Curcuma ; chemistry ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; analysis ; isolation & purification ; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry ; methods ; Oils, Volatile ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Plant Oils ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Sesquiterpenes ; analysis ; isolation & purification ; Sesquiterpenes, Germacrane ; analysis ; isolation & purification

Objective:To investigate the correlation of plasma D-dimer levels with the response to first-line chemotherapy and the prognosis of patients with serous ovarian cancer (SOC). Methods:The preoperative plasmic D-dimer levels of 143 patients with prima-ry SOC were retrospectively evaluated. The patients were admitted to Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital between January 2008 and May 2010. The patients were divided into two groups on the basis of plasmic D-dimer levels. Group A consisted of 100 patients with a normal plasmic D-dimer level of≤0.3 mg/L. Group B included 43 patients with an increased plasmic D-dimer level of>0.3 mg/L. The correlations of the different plasmic D-dimer levels with clinicopathological features, therapeutic effects, and surviv-al outcomes were further analyzed. Results:The plasmic D-dimer levels were positively correlated with the staging of the Federation of International Gynecology and Obstetrics, residual tumor size, presence of malignant ascites, preoperative serum CA125 level, and neo-adjuvant chemotherapy. Group B exhibited a significantly lower (P<0.001) complete response (CR) rate of 34.88%(15/43) than group A, which yielded a CR rate of 73.00%(73/100). The progression-free survival and overall survival rates of group B were significantly lower than those of group A (25.58%vs. 50.00%and 32.56%vs. 65.00%;P<0.05). Multivariate analysis revealed that the plasmic D-di-mer level is an independent prognostic factor associated with unfavorable prognosis. Conclusion:Increased preoperative plasmic D-di-mer levels may be a potential biomarker of weak responses to first-line chemotherapy and poor clinical outcomes in patients with SOC.

To create a comparative referential system for syndrome classification study by viewing from the thinking characteristics of TCM on syndrome differentiation dependent therapy (SDDT), through analyzing the thinking process of SDDT, and the basic features of disease, syndrome and prescription, combining the basic principles of modern evidence-based medicine and feasibility of establishing integrative disease-syndrome animal model. The practice of creating a comparative referential system based on clinical efficacy of prescription was discussed around syndrome pathogenesis and its relationship with disease and prescription, which was one of the important scientific problems in TCM syndrome study. The authors hold that, it may be one of the available approaches for the present study on integration of disease with syndrome by way of insisting on the thinking pathway of stressing the characteristics of TCM and intermerging with modern scientific design; on taking the efficacy of prescription as the comparative reference system to accumulate and improve unceasingly according to the TCM method of syndrome diagnosis inferred from effect of prescription with reverse thought (i.e., to differentiate syndrome from the effect of prescription), and thus build up the syndrome diagnostic standard on the solid clinical and scientific base.
Clinical Medicine ; methods ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; methods ; standards

Objective To prepare urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA)-loaded anionic lipid microbubbles (uPA-MBs) for thrombolysis with low-frequency ultrasound in vitro.Methods Anionic microbubbles composing of 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DSPC),1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho-(l'-rac-glycerol) (DPPG),1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanol amine-N (succinyl PEG2000) (DSPE-PEG2000) and perfluoropropane (C3F8) were prepared by the mechanical vibration method.Then,the resulting anionic microbubbles were incubated with uPA.uPA-MBs were obtained via electrostatic adsorption.Bubble size and distribution were measured by particle size analyzer.FITC-labeled uPA-MBs were obtained and observed under fluorescence microscope.The surface potential of uPA-MBs and plain microbubbles (P-MBs) were detected by Zeta potential analyzer.Sodium dodecyl sulfonate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) was used for confirming the binding of uPA protein and anionic microbubbles.The encapsulation efficiency of uPA-MBs was determined by bicinchoninic acid (BCA) protein assay kit under three different dosages of uPA (10 000,50 000 and 100 000 U).The thrombolysis efficiency of uPA-MBs combined with low-frequency ultrasound was examined in vitro.Two-sample t test,one-way analysis of variance and Bonferroni test were performed to analyze the data.Results UPA-MBs were successfully obtained with the mean particle size of (1.76±0.29) μm.The surface potential of these bubbles was significantly higher than that of P-MBs:(-36.64±0.21) mV vs (-66.33±2.38) mV (t =21.538,P＜0.05).Fluorescence microscope showed a green shell of FITC-labeled uPA-MBs.The encapsulation efficiency of uPAMBs with the added dosage of 10 000 U was (42.01±2.02) ％,which was significantly higher than those of 50000 and 100 000 U ((33.24±1.95)％ and (33.10±1.65)％ respectively,F=22.340,P＜0.05).The thrombolysis efficiency by saline was (4.09±0.80)％,saline + ultrasound (8.50±1.48)％,MBs + ultrasound (14.27± 1.59) ％,uPA-MBs + ultrasound (35.72±6.31) ％ and uPA (16.87±0.46) ％,respectively (F =48.783,t =-8.613,-7.273,-5.942,-6.908,all P＜0.05).Conclusion Anionic microbubbles can successfully load uPA,and achieve significantly better thrombolysis effect when combined with low-frequency ultrasound.