Objective To investigate the effects of low frequency ultrasound (LFU) on the proliferation and apoptosis of smooth muscle cells (SMCs) in rabbits with carotid atherosclerosis(CA).Methods CA models were established in 30 New Zealand rabbits using a high fat diet and air-drying.They were randomly divided into a control group and four LFU groups:group A received 0.5 W/cm~2 LFU for 5 min/d,group B 0.5 W/cm~2 for 10 min/d, group C 1 W/cm~2,5 min/d,and group D 1 W/cm~2,10 min/d.The rabbits' carotid arteries were autopsied after 20 d of the LFU treatment.The expression of PCNA and TUNEL staining were used to explore the proliferation and apopto- sis of SMCs,and the proliferation rates (PRs) and apoptosis rates (ARs) were calculated.Results Compared with the control group,the PRs in groups B,C and D were significantly lower,while the ARs in groups B,C and D were significantly higher.There was no significant difference in ARs or PRs among groups B,C and D.Con- clusion LFU can induce SMC apoptosis and inhibit SMC proliferation in rabbits with CA.

The dissolution of Panacis Quinquefolii Radix ultrafine granular powder and common powder, traditional pieces in water and simulated gastric juice in vitro was compared, and the effect of particles size of Panacis Quinquefolii Radix on the dissolution was studied. HPLC method was used for determination of five ginsenosides including Rg1, Re, Rb1, Rc and Rd from ultrafine granular powder and common powder, traditional pieces of Panacis Quinquefolii Radix at different points in time, furthermore, the dissolution curves of Panacis Quinquefolii Radix ultrafine granular powder and common powder, traditional pieces were obtained. The dissolution characteristics of the three Panacis Quinquefolii Radix forms were also compared in this study. According to the results, the dissolution rates of ginsenosides from ultrafine granular powder exceeded 90% of the total content with 5 min, significantly higher than that of the other two forms in water in vitro. At the same time, the dissolved amount of the ultrafine granular powder was fourteen percent higher than that of the traditional pieces and eight percent higher than that of the common powder. Under the condition of simulated gastric juice in vitro, the dissolution rates of ginsenosides from ultrafine granular powder were little lower than that of the other two, but the maximum dissolved amount of the former was fourteen percent higher than that of the common powder and five percent higher than that of the extracts. Therefore the conclusion is that micronization of Panacis Quinquefolii Radix contributed to dissolution of effective components.
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Ginsenosides ; chemistry ; Panax ; chemistry ; Plant Roots ; chemistry ; Powders ; Solubility

OBJECTIVETo study the effect of Q-switched 1 064 nm Nd:YAG laser treatment on the proliferation of dermal collagen and expression of immunoglobulin binding protein/glucose related protein 78 (BiP/GRP78) in rats' skin and the mechanism of endoplasmic reticulum stress.

METHODSDorsal skin of 25 Wistar rats was divided into two parts equally after hair removal. Q-switched 1 064nm Nd:YAG laser was applied to treat rats' dorsal skin for 4 times at an interval of 2 days in the experiment part. The control part received no laser treatments. The rats' dorsal skin samples were taken on the 14th and 30th day after laser treatment to measure the dermis thickness and collagen bundles under HE stain and to measure the hydroxyproline content by alkaline hydrolysis method after laser treatment. The expression of BiP/GRP78 was also detected by immunohistochemical method. Statistics was used to analyze the data.

RESULTSThe dermis thickness increased by 29. 6% on the 14th day and 16.7% on the 30th day after laser treatment. The collagen bundles became thicker and denser. The hydroxyproline in the skin was also raised after laser treatment (P < 0.05). The immunohistochemical result showed the expression of BiP/GRP78 increased to 100% after laser treatment, showing a significant difference from the control group(X2 = 28.76, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONSThe Q-switched 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser treatment can induce endoplasmic reticulum stress, so as to enhance the protein folding and synthesizing precisely. The proliferation of dermis collagen is the base of effect of non-ablative skin rejuvenation.

Animals ; Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress ; Female ; Hydroxyproline ; chemistry ; Lasers, Solid-State ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Rejuvenation ; Skin ; radiation effects ; Skin Aging

Grounding technique is very important to ensure the human safety, imaging devices' safety and the devices' reliable running. This paper expatriates the principles of the grounding safety, interference rejection earth, and the grounding modes and the mode selection for each imaging devices and equipments, and related grounding requirements.
Equipment Safety ; methods ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; instrumentation

BACKGROUNDAspirin and clopidogrel resistance plays a significant role in the development of cardiovascular ischemic events for ninety patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention. Recent studies have indicated that increasing the dose of antiplatelet drugs maybe a potent method to improve the inhibition of platelet aggregation.

METHODSThrombelastograph (TEG) determinations were used to evaluate the effect of antiplatelet therapy. According to the results, 90 patients were divided into three groups and given different doses of aspirin and clopidogrel. Thirty patients with both an inhibition rate of aspirin > 50% and an inhibition rate of clopidogrel > 50% were defined as the control group. Sixty patients with an inhibition rate for aspirin < 50% and an inhibition rate for clopidogrel < 50% were defined as the resistance group. Patients in resistance group were randomly assigned to be given a routine dose (100 mg aspirin plus 75 mg clopidogrel per day, which we called a resistance plus routine dose group, R + R) and a loading dose (200 mg aspirin and 150 mg clopidogrel per day, which we called resistance plus loading dose group, R + L) of antiplatelet therapy. A 12-month follow-up was observed to examine the change of inhibition rate of antiplatelet therapy and to estimate the relationship between inhibition rate and the occurrence of cardiovascular ischemic events.

RESULTSAfter 6 months of antiplatelet therapy, the inhibition rate of aspirin in the R + L group increased from (31.4 ± 3.7)% to (68.6 ± 7.1)%, which was significantly higher than that in R + R group, (51.9 ± 8.2)% (P < 0.01). The inhibition rate of clopidogrel in the R + L group increased from (22.1 ± 3.8)% to (60.2 ± 7.4)%, which was significantly higher than in the R + R group, (45.9 ± 4.3)% (P < 0.01). The occurrence rates of cardiovascular ischemic events, stent thrombosis, recurrent unstable angina and myocardial infarction in the R + R group were 20%, 36% and 17%, respectively. Occurrence was significantly increased compared with that in the control group, 3%, 10% and 1%, respectively (P < 0.01). In contrast, the occurrence rates in the R + L group (10%, 23% and 6%, respectively) were attenuated compared with those in the R + R group (P < 0.01), although still higher than in the control group (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONSAlmost all of the cardiovascular ischemic events occurred in the first six months after percutaneous coronary intervention. According to the result of TEG determinations, earlier application of a loading dose of aspirin and clopidogrel can decrease the rate of recurrent cardiovascular ischemic events.

Adult ; Aged ; Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary ; adverse effects ; Aspirin ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Myocardial Ischemia ; prevention & control ; Platelet Aggregation ; drug effects ; Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Prospective Studies ; Thrombelastography ; Thrombosis ; prevention & control ; Ticlopidine ; analogs & derivatives ; therapeutic use

BACKGROUNDNonselective muscarinic receptor antagonist, atropine, was believed to inhibit myopic progression. The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy, through topical administration, of the M1-selective muscarinic antagonist pirenzepine in preventing experimentally induced form-deprivation myopia in guinea pigs.

METHODSFifty-three guinea pigs, which underwent monocular deprivation with their eyelids sutured, were divided into 6 groups. Three groups were treated with 1%, 2% or 4% pirenzepine ophthalmic solutions; the fourth group with atropine; the fifth with saline and the last group left untreated. Ocular refraction, in vivo biometric measurements and wet eye weight were collected before and after the experiment. All the eyes were finally enucleated for histopathological examination to evaluate the possible toxic effects on ocular structures.

RESULTSAnimals untreated or treated with saline produced (-2.31+/-1.47) D and (-2.25+/-0.88) D of axial myopia respectively. Those treated with 1% pirenzepine ophthalmic solution produced relative myopia of (-1.63+/-0.48) D, and those under the treatment of 2% and 4% pirenzepine ophthalmic solution only developed a relative myopia of (-0.89+/-0.42) D and (-0.70+/-0.41) D (F=9.56, P<0.05). The significant reduction in myopia in 2% and 4% pirenzepine treated animals was caused by significantly less vitreous chamber elongation and axial elongation of the deprived eyes [2% group: (0.009+/-0.052) mm, 4% group: (0.006+/-0.078) mm] when compared with untreated, saline treated or 1% pirenzepine treated guinea pigs (0.057+/-0.056) mm, (0.064+/-0.053) mm and (0.033+/-0.035) mm, respectively]. Histological examinations revealed no obviously toxic effects on the eyes treated with pirenzepine.

CONCLUSIONTopical administration of the M1-selective muscarinic antagonist, pirenzepine, can prevent induced form-deprivation myopia in guinea pigs by inhibiting axial elongation without obvious damage to ocular tissues.

Animals ; Eye ; drug effects ; pathology ; Guinea Pigs ; Muscarinic Antagonists ; therapeutic use ; Myopia ; prevention & control ; Ophthalmic Solutions ; Organ Size ; drug effects ; Pirenzepine ; therapeutic use ; Refraction, Ocular ; drug effects

OBJECTIVETo explore the effects of lead on the thyroid function of occupationally exposed workers.

METHOD157 workers occupationally exposed to lead in a smelting factory were investigated. The concentration of lead in air at workshop was measured by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry (FAAS) and the levels of blood lead (PbB) by atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS), zinc protoporphyrin (ZPP) by ZnPP meter, as well as the indexes of thyroid function, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), triiodothyronine (T(3)), thyroxin (T(4)), free T(3) (FT(3)), and free T(4) (FT(4)) in serum by radioimmunoassay.

RESULTSThe workers with higher level of blood lead (> 2.88 micro mol/L) showed lower levels of T(3) [(1.54 +/- 0.39) nmol/L] and FT(3) [(5.50 +/- 1.26) pmol/L] than those with lower blood lead level [PbB: (1.92 approximately 2.88) micro mol/L group, T(3): (1.71 +/- 0.45) nmol/L, FT(3): (6.12 +/- 1.64) pmol/L, P < 0.05]. There was no obvious effect of length of service on thyroid hormone of exposed workers.

CONCLUSIONHigher level of blood lead may cause certain damage to thyroid function by inhibiting deiodination of T(4). No obvious relation between length of service and thyroid function was found.

Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Lead ; blood ; toxicity ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Occupational Exposure ; Thyroid Gland ; drug effects ; physiology

OBJECTIVESTo investigate the clinical effect of sequential therapeutic intervention Yupei Qisun [compensating for weakness by invigorating Kidney (Shen) and Spleen (Pi) in advance] in Chinese medicine (CM) and hysteroscopic endometrial mechanical stimulation on the treatment of infertile patients with repeated implantation failure (RIF); and to study the differences in patients' endometrial thickness and type on the day of embryo transfer, serum hormone levels on embryo transfer day and clinical pregnancy outcomes.

METHODSIn the clinical study, 168 frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FET) cycles for couples with RIF conforming to the research protocol were randomly divided into three groups: a CM group with 56 cycles (CM combined with FET), a hysteroscopy group with 55 cycles (hysteroscopic endometrial mechanical stimulation), and a control group with 57 cycles (conventional FET). Differences in endometrial thickness on the embryo transfer day, levels of serum estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P) on the embryo transfer day, the E2/P ratio on the embryo transfer day, biochemical and clinical pregnancy rates, implantation rate, abnormal pregnancy rate and other indices were compared among the three groups.

RESULTSEndometrial thickness, E2 and P levels, and the E2/P ratio on embryo transfer day and other factors had no significant differences among groups. The biochemical pregnancy, clinical pregnancy, and implantation rates of the CM and hysteroscopy groups were significantly higher than the control group (P<0.05), and there were no significant differences between these two groups. The abnormal pregnancy rate had no significant difference among the three groups.

CONCLUSIONSSequential therapy of Yupei Qisun could significantly improve the clinical outcomes of rif-fet cycles, being equivalent to hysteroscopic endometrial mechanical stimulation, and provided a reliable method to treat such infertile couples.

Abortion, Habitual ; therapy ; Adult ; Embryo Implantation ; Embryo Loss ; therapy ; Embryo Transfer ; Endometrium ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Female ; Humans ; Hysteroscopy ; Infertility, Female ; pathology ; therapy ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; methods ; Physical Stimulation ; methods ; Pregnancy ; Retreatment ; statistics & numerical data

Female gender is an independent risk factor for the development of torsade de pointes (TdP) arrhythmias not only in congenital long QT syndromes(LQTs)but also in acquired long QT syndromes. Clinical evidences imply that sex steroid hormones appear to play important roles in gender differences by affecting the cardiac repolarization process of action potential. This review summarizes the effects of sex hormones on cardiac ion channel currents and the effects of gender differences on drug-induced long QT syndromes, and reveals the mechanism of sex hormone induced arrhythmia by computer simulation

Both chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and sudden cardiac death (SCD) are major health burdens.In conclusion,cumulating evidence associates COPD with an increased risk of SCD.First,it is found that asystole and pulseless electric activity(PEA)are more common than ventricular tachycardia/ventricular fibrillation(VT/VF)in deaths associated with COPD in studying interrelationship between COPD and ventricul ararrhythmias and cardiac arrest. The underlying mechanism explaining this association requires further investigation.Second,it is found that COPD is associated with a prolonged and shortened QT interval in studying the role of ECG markers between SCD and COPD.Finally,studies of the potential impact of respiratory treatment on the occurrence of SCD showed conflicting results.Accurate prediction of SCD in the general population is still a challenge. The risk assessment of SCD might be guided by studying the link between COPD and SCD.