Objective To explore the effect of endothelin (ET)、nitric oxide (NO) in plasma on retinopathy in the pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH). Methods The level of ET and NO in plasma of 75 cases of in-patient women with PIH and 20 cases of women with the full terms and normal pregnancy before and after delivery was determined by radioimmunoassay. The retinopathy of the patients with PIH before and after delivery was detected by appointed doctor. The levels of ET and NO in both groups were compared and the relationship between ET and NO in plasma and the retinopathy before and after the delivery was detected. Results The levels of ET [(145.00?54.41) ng/L] in serious PIH patients were much higher than that in the control [(81.50?43.80) ng/L], the minor [(85.30?33.33) ng/L] and middling PIH group [(90.20?39.25) ng/L]. The levels of ET in plasma before and after pregnancy were not changed in PIH patients [(118.70?33.44) ng/L], but were higher than that in the control group. The levels of plasma NO in serious [(87.56?35.58) ng/L] and middling [(78.11?28.96) ng/L] PIH group were both higher than that in the control group [(46.70?32.64) ng/L], and the levels in minor[(52.56?28.35) ng/L] and middling PIH group were lower than that in the serious PIH group. The level of NO in plasma of PIH patients after the delivery was much lower than that before the delivery, while higher than that in the control. The positive correlation between levels of ET and NO and retinopathy was found in PIH patients. Conclusions The levels of plasma ET and NO in PIH patients are related to the extent of the disease, and the level of ET in plasma is highly related to the retinopathy in PIH patients. ET and NO might be played an important role in pathogenesis of retinopathy and ET might be a good index in reflecting the rank of retinopathy in PIH.

Objective To investigate the correlation between the degree of pathogenetic condition and cogni-tive impairment in young OSAHS patients. Methods Sixty-three patients (18～44 years old) were divided into 3 groups according to the assessment criteria regarding the degrees of pathogenetic conditions of hypoxemia and its persistence time: mild group(the lowest SaO2 ≥ 85 %, n = 20 ), moderate group (the lowest SaO2 : 65 ～ 84 %, n =24), and severe group (the lowest SAO2<65%, n= 19). Twenty-five healthy young adults were selected as the control group. All the subjects were tested with event-related potential, namely P300, the polysomnogram and the mini-mental state examination scale(MMSE). Results P300 latency in patients of three OSAHS groups was sig-nificantly prolonged as 326.1±12.7, 346.9±19.1, and 34.9±18.3 ms, as compared with those of control group: 311.9±18.3 ms (P< 0.05, respectively). In severe group, P300 latency was markedly increased compared with mild and moderate groups(P<0.01, P<0.05, respectively). No obvious differences were observed between mild and moderate groups(P=0. 095). The difference of hypoxemia lasting time could influence the P300 latency, such as when the hypoxemia lasting time was 4～60 seconds, the latency was 338. 12±13.7 ms, and when the hypoxemia lasting time increased to 60 ～ 140 s, the latency was prolonged to 354.74±16.7 ms(P = 0. 031 ). There was no difference among all groups in the P300 amplitudes. The MMSE scores for all patients were within normal limits andthere were differences between serve and control group(RA -RB=9. 91, P= 0. 003). Conclusion Among patients with OS-AHS, the impairment of cognitive function is con'anon. The degrees of pathogenetic conditions of hypoxemia and its lasting time may be used to evaluate the impairment degree of cognitive function in patients with OSAHS.

Objective To investigate the MR manifestations and diagnostic value in patients with choroidal fissure cyst of the brain. Methods Characteristic MR findings in 16 patients with choroidal fissure cyst were retrospectively analyzed, and the correlation between MR imaging and clinical manifestations was reviewed. Results The cysts were situated within the choroidal fissure in all cases, representing as cystic lesion with clear border, no detectable soft tissue mass in the cyst wall or adjacent area, homogenous signal intensity identical to CSF on all sequences, with the average size of 0.9 cm?1.3 cm?1.5 cm, and no associated edema. Gd-DTPA was performed in 6 cases and revealed no evidence of enhancement. Conclusion The choroidal fissure cyst of the brain is a benign and congenital developmental abnormality, and has minor clinical significance. Because of its specific anatomic location, the choroidal fissure cysts simulate intraparenchymal cystic lesions on axial images. Coronal and sagittal MR imaging can be used to delineate its extraaxial location and make the correct diagnosis, and, thus, differentiate with other cystic lesions.

Objective The aim of this study was to compare the basic characters of the speech - evoked audi‐tory brainstem response (speech - ABR) in healthy young women with that in post - menopause women and to get the changes of the probable factors for the auditory brainstem pathway encoding of speech sounds in healthy post -menopause women .Methods Speech - ABR of forty - seven normal hearing subjects including twenty - seven young women and twenty post - menopause women were recorded .The speech syllable /da/ as stimulus sound was trans‐mited to right ear by the insert earphones in speech - ABR test .Results The response waves of speech - ABR in post - menopause women were similar to those in young women ,which containal the onset responses (peak V and A) ,the transition (peak C) ,the frequency following responses (peak D ,E and F) and the offset response (peak O) .Except wave C ,the latency of wave V (6 .99 ± 0 .34ms) ,wave A (8 .32 ± 0 .49 ms) and wave O (48 .86 ± 0 .50 ms) in post - menopause women were evidently longer than those of in young women (the waveV :6 .60 ± 0 .25 ms ,wave A :7 .56 ± 0 .31 ms and wave O :47 .88 ± 0 .31 ms) ,while the amplitude of wave A ( - 0 .16 ± 0 .06 μV ) and O ( - 0 .12 ± 0 .06 μV ) in post - menopause women were obviously lower (modulus) than those of in young women (the wave A : - 0 .27 ± 0 .08 μV and O : - 0 .18 ± 0 .07 μV)(P< 0 .05) .In the FFR of speech - ABR ,the latency of wave D (23 .27 ± 0 .67 ms) ,wave E (31 .88 ± 0 .58 ms) and F (40 .61 ± 1 .22 ms) in post - menopause women were also longer than those of in young women (the wave D :22 .40 ± 0 .44 ms ,wave E :31 .00 ± 0 .43 ms and F :39 .53 ± 0 .61 ms) .Besides ,the amplitudes of wave D ( - 0 .12 ± 0 .04 μV ) and F ( - 0 .08 ± 0 .06 μV ) in post -menopause women were visibly lower (modulus) than those of in young women (the wave D : - 0 .17 ± 0 .08 μV and F : - 0 .16 ± 0 .07 μV)(P< 0 .05) . ④ The V /A slope also showed very significant difference ,the V/A slope in young women was much bigger than that in post - menopause women (P< 0 .05) .Conclusion The synchronism and phase locking of auditory brainstem pathway to processing and encoding capability in healthy post - menopause women is poorer than those of in young women .It may suggest that the growth of the age and the decrease of hor‐mone will weaken the ability to processing of speech sounds in women .

AIM:To investigate the effect of oleuropein on interleukin-1β( IL-1β)-induced SD rat articular chondrocytes .METHODS:The SD rat articular chondrocytes were isolated by 2 step enzyme digestions .The chondrocytes were cultured in vitro.Inverted microscopic observation was performed during the culture .Alcian blue staining and type II collagen immunohistochemical staining were used to identify the chondrocytes .The effects of oleuropein on the viability of chondrocytes were determined by CCK-8 assay.The cells in 3rd passage were pretreated with oleuropein at 10, 50 or 100 μmol/L and subsequently stimulated with IL-1βat 10 μg/L for 24 h.Production of prostaglandin E 2 ( PGE2 ) and ni-tric oxide (NO) were evaluated by the Griess reaction and an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).The mRNA expression of matrix metalloproteinase ( MMP)-1 and MMP-13 was measured by real-time PCR.The protein levels of in-ducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) were detected by Western blotting .RESULTS:The cell viability of chondrocytes was not significantly impaired by treating with oleuropein at concentration of 10, 50 or 100μmol/L for 24 h compared with control group .Pretreatment with oleuropein significantly in-hibited the production of PGE 2 and NO induced by IL-1β.Oleuropein also significantly decreased the IL-1β-stimulated MMP-1 and MMP-13 mRNA expression in articular chondrocytes .Pretreatment with oleuropein inhibited the IL-1β-media-ted activation of NF-κB by suppressing the degradation of its inhibitory protein IκBαin the cytoplasm .CONCLUSION:Oleuropein inhibits IL-1β-induced inflammatory gene expression by suppressing NF-κB activation at the transcriptional le-vel, suggesting a new mechanism for the anti-inflammatory effects of oleuropein as a novel agent on treating with osteoarthri-tis.

ObjectiveTo optimize the b-value of breast diffusion-weighted MRI (DW-MRI) at 1.5T by applying a range of b values and comparing the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) on a phantom,disease-free breast tissues,and benign and malignant lesions.Methods A phantom and 32 women with pathologically confirmed malignant ( 18 ) and benign ( 14 ) lesions were examined using EPI-DWI with different b values on a 1.5 T MR scanner.The b-value of EPI-DWI was 0,50,100,200,400,600,800,1000,1200,1400,1600,1800,2000,2200,2400,and 2600 s/mm2,respectively.The SNR and ADC values of the phantom,disease-free breast tissues,and benign and malignant lesions were measured.The correlation between the b-value and ADC or SNR of each image was analyzed.ResultsThe SNR of DWIdecreased as the b-valueincreased,showing aninversecorrelation (r =-0.802,P ＜0.01 ).The ADC values of benign and malignant lesion decreased as the b-value increased (r =-0.923 and -0.855,P ＜0.01 ).The maximum difference in ADC between malignant and benign lesions was observed when the b-value is between 800 and 1000 s/mm2 and diminished when the b-value was greater than 1400 s/mm2.ConclusionFor good image quality and valid differentiation between malignant and benign lesions,the optimized b-value of DWI at 1.5 T is between 800 s/mm2 and 1000 s/mm2.

Objective To investigate the value of apparent diffusion coefficient(ADC)of breast carcinoma before and one course after neoadjuvant chemotherapy,and to predict the response of breast carcinoma to neoadjuvant chemotherapy.Methods Twenty female patients with 21 breast carcinoma lesions were examined with diffusion weighted imaging(DWI)and contrast-enhanced MRI within 7 days prior to neoadjuvant chemotherapy(adriamycin + taxinol),during 18-21 days after the first couse of therapy and within 7 days prior to the surgery resection.The tumors were divided into response group and relative nonresponse group by change of the tumor.The difference of ADC between the two groups before and after 1st course of chemotherapy was compared.Results In chemotherapy response group with 15 lesions,the mean ADC was(0.98±0.15)×10-3 mm2/s before chemotherapy and increased to(1.22±0.23)×10-3 mm2/s after 1 st course of chemotherapy(P＜0.05),while in nonresponse group with 6 lesions,the mean ADC before and after chemocherapy was(1.09±0.08)×10-3 mm2/s and(1.11±0.07)×10-3 mm2/s,respectively,with no statistical difference(P>0.05).The mean ADC of response group prior to chemotherapy was significantly lower than that of nonresponse group(P＜0.05).A significant negative correlation(r=-0.51,P＜0.05)was observed between the ADC prior to treatment and change of ADC after the first couse therapy.Conclusion Preliminary results revealed the initial ADC of the tumor in patient with breast carcinoma and the changes of ADC after 1 st couse treatment may predict response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Objective To investigate sequence variations of 12 miRNA genes in multiple myeloma(MM) in order to find whether sequence variations in miRNA genes are associated with tumorigenesis and discuss the clinical significance of MM associated with miRNA genes mutations. Methods The miRNA gene mutations in 20 cases of MM, 4 MM-derived cell lines and 20 controls were detected by the methods of polymerase chain reaction single stranded conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) and silver staining technique. Both clinical features and laboratory results were analyzed simultaneously. Results The electrophoretic patterns showed a total of three variations in miR-19a, miR-19b and miRNA-335,which were observed in 3 MM cells (15 %, 3/20). We also found variations of miRNA-335 in MM-derived cell lines KM-3and RPMI8226. However, no sequence alteration in the miRNA genes was observed in our set of controls. One of the three MM patients died, and two of them were detected mutations at the terminal stage of the disease.Conclusion A relative high frequency of miRNA gene mutation was found in MM and MM derived cell lines, which suggests possibility of a main mechanism underlying tumorigenesis. And, detecting miRNA gene mutations in MM might be benefit to evaluate the progression and prognosis of disease.

Objective To investigate the correlation between reproductive hormone concentration and the amplitude and latency of speech-evoked auditory brainstem response (speech-ABR) in young adults, and to explore the effects of reproductive hormone on the speech processing ability of young people.Methods Speech-ABR of thirty five normal hearing young adults, including seventeen females (27.29±1.83 years old) and eighteen males (28.17±2.50 years old) were recorded.The speech syllable /da/ was transmitted as a stimulus sound to the right ears through insert earphones in speech-ABR test.All participants had air conduction hearing thresholds of 20 dB HL or better across the standard audiometric frequencies (250~8 000 Hz) in both ears, and click-ABRs were also within normal limits.At the same time, the concentrations of estradiol and testosterone in the serum were examined.Results ① Females had a shorter latency than males in transient responses (waves V, A and O) and sustained responses (waves D, E and F) of speech-ABR (P<0.05, respectively).The amplitude of transient response (waves V and A) and sustained response (waves D, E and F) in females was also significantly larger than that in males (P<0.05, respectively), except for amplitude of peak O (P>0.05).The V/A slope in females was significantly steeper than that in males (P<0.05).② Estradiol levels in females (118.77±102.66 pg/ml) were significantly higher than that in males (52.91±14.77 pg/ml) (P<0.05), and the total testosterone concentration in females (457.65±140.82 pg/ml) was significantly lower than that in males (3 677.37±1 155.80 pg/ml) (P<0.05).③ A correlation analysis between speech-ABR and estradiol or total testosterone showed that all peak latencies of speech-ABR in transient responses (waves V, A and O) and sustained responses (waves D, E and F) were negatively correlated with the estradiol concentration (P<0.05 respectively), in which the correlation coefficient was between 0.2~0.4.All peak latencies of speech-ABR were positively correlated with the total testosterone concentration (P<0.05 respectively), in which the correlation coefficient was between 0.4~0.7.④ The amplitudes of speech-ABR increased with estradiol concentration growing, the wave V and estradiol concentrations were positively correlated (P<0.05).The estradiol concentrations showed a significant negative correlation with wave A, D, E, F and O wave (P<0.05 respectively), with a correlation coefficient between 0.2~0.7.On the contrary, the amplitudes of speech-ABR decreased with the increasing of total testosterone concentration, and the wave V, wave A, V/A slope and total testosterone concentration were moderately correlated (P<0.05),with a correlation coefficient between 0.4-0.6.The correlation between the amplitudes of D wave and total testosterone concentration was not statistically significant (P>0.05), and the correlation between wave E and wave F and total testosterone concentration was weakly correlated (P<0.05).In addition, the amplitudes of the wave O were also independent with testosterone levels (r=0.133, P>0.05).Conclusion There are correlations between the level of reproductive hormone and the amplitude and latency of speech-ABR.It is one of the reasons for the gender difference in the brainstem speech coding ability of normal young adult.

Objective To investigate the effects of aging on the brain stem speech encoding in spontaneous post-menopause women.Methods There were twenty post-menopause women with normal hearing for test and twenty ovariectomized women with normal hearing for contrast.Speech-evoked auditory brainstem response (speech-ABR) was used.The speech syllable /da/ as stimulus sound was transmitted to right ear by the insert earphones in speech-ABR test.Results Response waves of speech-ABR in ovariectomized women were similar to those in post-menopause women, which contained the onset response (peak V and A), the transition (peak C), the frequency following responses (peak D, E and F) and the offset response (peak O).The characteristics of speech-ABR's peak latency and magnitude were similar between the two groups.Except that the bilateral ovariectomized women had a shorter latency of waves O for the transient response (P<0.01), the larger amplitude of peak F for the periodic portion than post-menopause women (P<0.05).No significant differences were found in the amplitude the latency of the other waves, and V/A slope between bilateral ovariectomized women (0.21±0.10 μV /ms)and post-menopause women (-0.20±0.09 μV/ms) was similar and had no statistical significance (P>0.05).After the combination of ovariectomized women and post-menopause women, the age of these subjects was positively correlated with the latency of O wave (P<0.05).Others had no correlation with age in the amplitude and latency of the waves of speech-ABR.Conclusion Aging does not affect on brain stem speech encoding in spontaneous post-menopause women.