Embolic stroke of undetermined source ( ESUS ) refers to non-lacunar brain infarcts without definite proximal arterialstenosis or major cardioembolic sources.Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation may be the most important cause of ESUS, thus anticoagulation may be more effective than antiplatelet therapy for secondary stroke prevention to this group of patients.This paper reviews the latest progress on the definition, epidemiology, diagnostic approach, relation to atrial fibrillation and management of ESUS.

Acrylonitrile ; toxicity ; Carcinogens ; toxicity ; Humans ; Mutagens ; toxicity ; Occupational Exposure

Objective To analyse the key influential factors for research performance of medical colleges and provide evidenes for further research management. Methods A questionnaire suvery was carried out in Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine.Through stratified cluster sampling,those who assumed all ranks of projects from 2001 to 2006 in Basic Medical College and some affiliated hospitals were investigated.Two hundred and sixty questionnaires were sent out and 211(81.2%) were reclaimed.Delphi and comprehensive analysis were used to measure the research performance,and multi-Logistic regression was employed to analyze the influential factors for research performance.Results The key influential factors for research performance included research team,research investment,age of researchers,international exchanges and communications,and extra working hours for research.Conclusion To improve the research performance of medical colleges,it is most important to strengthen research team development,expand research investment,promote acedemic exchanges and communications,and initiate dedicated spirit for research work.

Objective To provide basis for the formulation of policies and measures that will reduce the work pressure on nurses and to provide them with a better working environment. Methods An investigation was made via questionnaires into 942 nurses working in designated SARS hospitals and a comprehensive analysis was conducted by means of multivariant stepwise regression. Results The major factors affecting the pressure on nurses include: lack of support from and communications with families, arduousness of tasks to an unbearable point, extreme strictness in management, and unsoundness of treatment and living conditions. Conclusion Good communications with families are of great significance to nurses working in isolated areas. It is imperative to rationally allocate the human resources of nurses, show more concern for them, encourage them to participate in management, and strengthen scientific prevention so as to create a better working environment.

Skillful in the treatment of gouty arthritis (GA) by integrated therapies of Chinese and Western medicine,chief physician Zhang Tang-fa proposes to ‘deal with the exterior with the needles,and attack the interior with the drugs,by integrated application of acupuncture and herbal medicine',in combination with comprehensive intervention of dietetic therapy and health education.In the treatment of GA,he adopts the syndrome differentiation based upon the pathogenic factors,in combination of syndrome differentiation based upon the six meridians,to reinforce and benefit the spleen and kidney,clear away heat and remove dampness as the therapeutic principle.By acupuncture mainly at the acupoints of the Spleen and Liver Meridians,he also proposes to select the acupoints by the theory of Na Zi Fa (earthly branch method) of Zi Wu Liu Zhu (midnight-noon ebb-flow),and to puncture the surrounding area of the involved joints shallowly by multiple needles as the major needling method,simultaneously with the reinforcing and reducing manipulations based upon the respiration.In the treatment,acupuncture and acupoint-injection are often used.In diet,low purine diet is often suggested.In health education,the patients are often instructed to understand the disease correctly,eliminate fears and cooperate with doctor's treatment positively.

Bioactive natural products are the material bases of Chinese materia medica resources. With successful applications of synthetic biology strategies to the researches and productions of taxol, artemisinin and tanshinone, etc, the potential ability of synthetic biology in the sustainable utilization of Chinese materia medica resources has been attracted by many researchers. This paper reviews the development of synthetic biology, the opportunities of sustainable utilization of Chinese materia medica resources, and the progress of synthetic biology applied to the researches of bioactive natural products. Furthermore, this paper also analyzes how to apply synthetic biology to sustainable utilization of Chinese materia medica resources and what the crucial factors are. Production of bioactive natural products with synthetic biology strategies will become a significant approach for the sustainable utilization of Chinese materia medica resources.
Artemisinins ; metabolism ; Biosynthetic Pathways ; Biotechnology ; Diterpenes, Abietane ; genetics ; metabolism ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; metabolism ; Escherichia coli ; metabolism ; Ginsenosides ; genetics ; metabolism ; Metabolic Engineering ; methods ; Paclitaxel ; metabolism ; Saccharomyces cerevisiae ; genetics ; metabolism ; Salvia miltiorrhiza ; genetics ; metabolism ; Synthetic Biology

Accidents, Occupational ; statistics & numerical data ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hand Injuries ; epidemiology ; etiology ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Young Adult

Objective To observe the effects of electro-acupuncture on the expression and inhibition of DNA binding protein 2 (Id2) and myelin basic protein (MBP),and to explore the mechanism of remyelinization after compressive spinal cord injury (CSCI) in rats.Methods Fifty-four SD rats were randomly divided into a control group and a treatment group,and each was further subdivided into 3 time point subgroups:3,7 and 14 days.There were 9 rats in each subgroup.The CSCI models were made with a self-designed method.The acupuncture points Jiaji (EX-B2),bilateral Zusanli (ST36) and Taixi (KI3) were selected for treatment.Electro-acupuncture (continuous wave,2 Hz,1.5 V)was applied to the bilateral Zusanli (ST36) and Taixi (KI3) points.The control group received the injury but no treatment.The changes in the ultrastucture of the nerve fibers＇ white matter were de-termined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM).The alterations in the expression of MBP and Id2 were observed by double labeled immunofluorescence and Western blotting on the 3rd,7th and 14th day after the injury.Results TEM showed that the myelin sheaths in the control group had degenerated,swollen,and even broken down after CSCI.Changes to the myelin sheaths in the treatment group were milder than those in the control group.The immunofluorescence results showed the amount of Id2-immunoreactive oligodendrocytes in the control group to be (20 ±2) on the 3rd day after CSCI,becoming (16 ± 1) on the 14th day.The differences among the 3 control subgroups were not statistically significant.The amount of Id2-immunoreactive oligodendrocytes in the treatment group was (13 ± 1) on the 3rd day,reaching a minimum the 14th day.The differences among the 3 treatment groups were statistically significant.The differences compared with the control group at the same time points were also statistically significant.Western blotting showed that the expression of Id2 in the contrast and treatment groups was (1.12 ±0.12) and (0.67 ±0.01) respectively on the 3rd day after CSCI,and both decreased with time.The expression of Id2 in both groups reached their minima ((0.86 ±0.02) and (0.25 ±0.01) respectively) on the 14th day.The difference between the treatment groups and the contrast group was statistically significant at each time point.The expression of MBP in the contrast and treatment groups at day 3 was (0.44 ± 0.02) and (0.67 ± 0.04) respectively,and these increased with time.The expression of MBP in both groups peaked at the 14th day (at (0.95 ± 0.04) and (1.74 ± 0.09) respectively).These differences were again statistically significant.Conclusion Electro-acupuncture can regulate the expression of Id2 and MBP after CSCI.The down-regulation of Id2 which controls MBP negatively and the up-regulation of MBP may contribute to remyelination in the injured spinal cord.

Objective To investigate the efficiency of biology function of ITIH4 gene silenced by small interfering RNA (siRNA) on ovarian cancer.Methods The four pairs ITIH4 gene siRNA interference fragments(ITIH4-546,ITIH4-795,ITIH4-917 and ITIH4-1568) were designed respectively,and transfected into HO8910pm cells with ITIH4 mRNA high expression by liposomal method transiently.Quantitative PCR method was used to detect the ITIH4 mRNA expression in HO8910pm cells transfected with interference fragment.The ITIH4 917 was selected as the best silencing effect of siRNA interference fragment and then the recombinant plasmid expression vector pGPU6/GFP/Neo-shRNA-ITIH4-917 was constructed and transfected into HO8910pm cells.The stably transfected cells-pGPU6/GFP/Neo-shRNA-ITIH4-917-HO8910pm cells was obtained by screening of aminoglycoside antibiotics (G418).The experiment was divided into three groups,namely ITIH4-917 transfection group,the HO8910pm cell group transfected with pGPU6/GFP/Neo-shRNA plasmid (empty vector group),and the HO8910pm cell group transfected with pGPU6/GFP/Neo-shRNA-ITIH4-NC the plasmid (negative control group).Fluorescence quantitative reverse transcription(RT)PCR and western blot were used to detect the ITIH4 mRNA and protein expression.The cell proliferation,the cell cycle,colony formation of cells,cells migration and invasion in vitro were determined by using methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT),flow cytometry,colony formation assay and transmembrane (transwell) small chamber method [value represented by absorbance (A)],respectively.Results The fluorescent quantitative PCR results showed that the ITIH4 mRNA expression levels in ITIH4-917 HO8910pm cells was significantly lower than that in the control cells,the relative copy number was only 0.26 ± 0.15.Also the relative copy number of ITIH4 mRNA in ITIH4-917 transfection group cells was 0.34 ±0.10,it significantly lower than that in empty vector group (1.87 ±0.12,P =0.008) and negative control group (1.58 ±0.21,P =0.032) ; Western blot results showed that the ITIH4 relative expression levels of the protein in ITIH4-917 HO8910pm group cells,empty vector group and negative control group were 0.51,1.64 and 1.74,respectively,there were statistically significant differences (0.51 vs.1.64,P =0.012; 0.51 vs.1.74,P =0.014).MTT colorimetric assay showed that the proliferation of ITIH4-917 HO8910pm group cells was significantly faster than that in the empty vector group and negative control group,and there were statistically significant differences among them (P =0.001).The S ± G2/M phase cell ratio in ITIH4-917 HO8910pm group cells was 54.2％,which was significantly higher than that in the empty vector group or negative control group (26.3％ and 31.3％,respectively,all P ＜ 0.05).The colony formation rate (55.7 ± O.7) ％ in ITIH4-917 HO8910pm group cells was also significantly higher than that in empty vector group (29.7 ±0.9) ％ (P =0.037) and negative control group (31.4 ± 0.3) ％ (P =0.043).Migration and invasion experiments showed that cell migration in ITIH4-917 HO8910pm group cells was 0.40 ± 0.18,whicht was significantly higher than that in the negative control group or empty vector (0.30 ±0.03,P =0.031 ;0.25 ±0.03,P =0.028,respectively).Although the invasive ability of ITIH4-917 HO8910pm group cells (1.31 ±0.34) was higher than that in the control cells (1.05 ±0.68) and empty vector group (1.14 ±0.08),while there were not significant difference (P ＞ 0.05).Conclusion It would be to promote the cell doubling time and increase the migration capability in HO8910pm cells that ITIH4 expression was down-regulating by ITIH4 mRNA interference.