Objective To investigate the changes of plasma adrenodullin(ADM) and C-type natriuretic peptide(CNP) level in children with chronic heart failure(CHF) and its clinical implications.Methods Forty-two children with CHF were collected.The patients suffered from dilated cardiomyopathy,congenital heart defects,and other heart diseases.According to a modified scoring system described by Ross and Reithman,16 patients were classified as class Ⅱ,14 as class Ⅲ,and 12 as class Ⅳ.Plasma levels of ADM and CNP were measured by radioimmunoassay assay in these patients and 11 healthy children.Echocardiography was performed to measure left ventricular function and the ratio of E/A.Results Plasma ADM and CNP levels of CHF patients were significantly elevated as compared with those of the control subjects [(218.27?106.53) ng/L vs(74.39?53.99) ng/L,P=0;(190.27?108.38) ng/L vs(92.59?(59.46) ng/L),P0.05).ADM levels were elevated with the advancing severity of CHF determined by a modified scoring system described by Ross.However,the plasma CNP levels in the normal state wasn′t significantly different from those observed in class Ⅱ.Likewise,the plasma CNP level in the class Ⅲ was not significantly different from that observed in class Ⅱ.Conclusions ADM and CNP might play a compensatory and defensive roles in the pathophysiology of the pediatric CHF.ADM may be a biochemical marker for evaluation the severity of the chronic heart failure in children,but also a new prognostic indicator of this syndrome.

Objective To discover the role of interleukin-18(IL-18) and CD_(54) in congestive heart failure(CHF),and evaluate the diagnostic value of IL-18 and CD_(54) in CHF.Methods Blood samples were collected from 52 children with CHF,included 18 cases in classⅡ,17 cases in class Ⅲand 17 cases in class Ⅳ.Fifteen healthy children were normal control group.The levels of IL-18 was(detec-)ted by ELISA method and the expression of CD_(54) was examined by flow cytometry.Results The levels of IL-18 and CD_(54) in CHF were significantly higher than those of control subjects(P0.05),but the levels were respectively significantly higher than that of control subjects(P

10% and 20% HRP aqueous solution was injected into the anterior wall of the stomach of rabbit, and both the afferent and efferent nerve connections of this region were examined.1. Large number of labeled cells appeared in the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus nerve (dmnX) on both sides throughout its whole length, except the very rostral and caudal ends of it. The labeled cells were more numerous in the middle part of the nucleus at levels above and below the obex. The distribution of the labeled cells showed certain localization characteristics. Those in the caudal part of the nucleus occupied the medial portion, those in the levels around the obex distributed widely in the nucleus, while in the rostral part they were smaller in number and showed no definite localization.2. In the area between the dorsomedial border of the dmnX and the area pos- trema, the so-called area subpostrema, some disseminated labeled cells, the form of which was similar to that the labeled cells in the dmnX, were also observed.3. Numerous labeled cells appeared in the nodose ganglia on both sides, the number of which was several times more than that in the spinal ganglia, indicating that the afferent connection of the stomach via the vagus nerve predominated over that via the sympathetic nerve. The small-sized labeled cells in the ganglion, however, appeared up to more than 40% of all the labeled cells in it, the functional significance of them, as well as the relation between them and the labeled small cells in the spinal ganglia, is worth further investigation.4. The labeled neurons appeared in the spinal ganglia from Th_3 to L_3, most of them were in Th_3 to Th_(10), showing that the afferents of the stomach via the sympathetic system were diffusely arranged and at the same time concentrated in certain segments.5. Our observations confirmed that the stomach is innervated by elements of bilateral origin. In the vagus system the afferent and efferent neurons appeared almost equally in both dmnX and both nodose ganglia. And in the sympathetic system, the afferent neurons on the left side were 1 to 2 times more than those on the right, i. e., the left side is predominant.

Objective To explore the feasibility of in-flow inversion recovery (IFIR)sequence of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)at 1.5T in diagnosis of Budd-Chiari syndrome (BCS).Methods A total of 45 patients with Budd-Chiari syndrome diagnosed by surgery or interventional surgery in our institution were enrolled.The prerequisite of the study was that all medical imaging data including MRI and digital subtraction angiography (DSA)should be integrated.Then,the diagnostic accuracy rates between IFIR sequence and DSA were analyzed and compared.Results Of all 45 patients with BCS,40 (88.9%)were diagnosed accurately by IF-IR sequence,including typeⅠa in 10,typeⅠb in 14,typeⅡ in 10 and type Ⅲ in 6.Meanwhile,41 (91.1%)were diagnosed accu-rately by DSA,including typeⅠa in 8,typeⅠb in 14,typeⅡ in 13 and type Ⅲ in 6.No significant difference was showed in diag-nostic accuracy between two imaging methods (P >0.05).Spearman rank correlation analysis revealed that the diagnostic accuracy of IFIR sequence was highly consistent with that of DSA(r =0.853,P <0.001 ).However,there existed significant difference be-tween two methods in accurate diagnosis of typeⅠa and typeⅡ BCS (P <0.05).Conclusion MRI IFIR sequence at 1.5T is highly consistent with DSA in diagnosis and classification of BCS,which can be used as a reliable method of preoperative screening for BCS diagnosis.

Reflex tests are ordered when a particular test result indicates that additional testing should be performed according to the guidelines or the feedback process formulated by clinical consultation. The application scope of the reflex tests involves various subspecialties of laboratory medicine. The clinical application needs the support of qualified laboratory doctors, comprehensive information and financial system, clinical guidelines, and so on. Active application of reflex tests can promote the standardization of evidence-based medicine in clinical practice, save medical resources, and shorten the diagnosis and treatment time of patients.

Objective To investigate the effects of endogenous estrogen on blood glucose level,serum insulin level,and plasma total antioxidant capacity in streptozotocin-induced diabetic female mice,and to explore possible protective effects of estrogen on pancreatic islet cells.Methods Female mice were randomly according to body weight divided into four groups:( 1 ) Sham( Sham operation and vehicle administration) ; ( 2 ) Ovx( ovariectomy and vebicle administration ) ; ( 3 ) Sham + STZ ( Sham operation and STZ administration ) ; and ( 4 ) Ovx + STZ ( ovariectomy and STZ administration).The diabetic mice were induced by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ,50 mg/kg ).Blood glucose levels were measured once a week.Results The blood glucose level and malondialdehyde of Ovx group were higher than that in Sham group,while total anti-oxidant capacity ( T-AOC ) was lower than those in Sham group.the blood glucose level and MDA of Ovx+ STZ group were higher than those in Sham +STZ group,while T-AOC and serum insulin level were lower than those in Sham + STZ group.Conclusions Endogenous estrogen may have some protective effects on pancreatic islet function from streptozotocin-induced diabetes mellitus in female mice.

Objective To evaluate the effects of modified ultrafiltration on the expression of aquaporin 1 (AQP1) in cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB)-induced lung injury in dogs.Methods Eighteen healthy adult dogs of either sex,weighing 15-20 kg,were randomly divided into 3 groups (n =6 each):control group (group C),group CPB and modified ultrafiltration group (group MUF).The dogs were anesthetized with intraperitoneal 2.5％pentobarbital 25 mg/kg.Thoracotomy was performed in all the three groups and in addition lung injury was produced by CPB in CPB and MUF groups.In group MUF,modified ultrafiltration was performed at 10-15 min after termination of CPB.Arterial blood samples were collected before mechanical ventilation (T1),at end of CPB (T2),and at 1 h after termination of CPB (T3) to calculate respiration index (RI) and oxygenation index (OI).The lungs were removed for microscopic examination of pathologic changes in lung tissues under light microscope and for detection of AQP1 mRNA expression by real-time PCR.Results RI and OI were significantly higher and AQP1 mRNA expression was lower at T2 and T3 than at T1 in CPB and MUF groups (P ＜ 0.05).Compared with group C,RI was significantly increased and AQP1 mRNA expression was down-regulated at T2,3 in CPB and MUF groups,and OI at T2.3 in CPB group and at T2 in MUF group was decreased (P ＜ 0.05).Compared with group CBP,RI was significantly decreased,OI was increased and AQP1 mRNA expression was up-regulated at T3 in group MUF (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion Modified ultrafiltration can reduce CPB-induced lung injury in dogs and upregulation of AQP1 may be involved in the mechanism.

Objective To study the chronic toxicology of Zukamu granules in rats. Methods A total of 120 healthy SD rats ( male  female = 1 1 ) were randomly divided into the control, low ( 0. 72 g · kg-1 · d-1 ), middle (1.43 g·kg-1·d-1),and high (2.86 g·kg-1·d-1) doses of Zukamu granules. The drug was given orally,once daily for a month,and the controls were given with sodium carboxymethyl cellulose. A 2-week recovery period was allowed after the drug withdrawal. Results Three rats in the high dose group developed diarrhea and loose stools for one day. Compared with the control group,the white blood cells ( WBC) ,red blood cells ( RBC) ,hemoglobin ( HGB) ,hematocrit ( HCT) and chlorine ( Cl-) in the high dose group increased. Prothrombin time ( PT ) , blood urea nitrogen ( BUN ) , alanine aminotransferase ( ALT ) , cholesterol(CHO),and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) decreased markededly in the low,middle and high dose group. No obvious change was found in histopathological examination. Conclusion No obvious toxicity was observed in SD rats treated with Zukamu granules at 1. 4g·kg-1·d-1(equivalently to crude drug of 20. 8 g·kg-1·d-1) given orally for one month.

Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of Percu Twist (PT) tracheostomy comparing with that of operative tracheostomy(OT)in intensive care unit(ICU). Methods Related data were retrieved from CBM,CNKI,Wanfang Data,VIP,PubMed,EMBASE,CENTRAL,and Web of Science from the time of their establishment to May 15th 2014,and the data of randomized controlled trials(RCTs)concerning PT and OT were selected. The risk of bias assessment and data extraction were performed by two independent reviewers. Meta analysis was conducted using RevMan 5.2 software. Results A total of 12 RCTs were identified,and 893 patients in ICU were involved. The results of Meta-analysis showed that PT could significantly shorten the operation time〔mean difference (MD)=-15.11,95% confidence interval(95%CI)=-17.14 to -13.07,P<0.000 01〕,reduce the volume of blood loss(MD=-17.59,95%CI=-21.90 to-13.28,P<0.000 01),reduce the size of incision(MD=-2.20, 95%CI=-2.57 to -1.82,P<0.000 01),shor ten the time of healing(MD=-3.60,95%CI=-4.15 to -3.05, P<0.000 01),and reduce complications such as infection of the wound〔odds ratio(OR)=0.20,95%CI=0.10-0.44,P<0.000 1〕and cutaneous emphysema/mediastinal emphysema(OR=0.22,95%CI=0.10-0.47,P<0.000 1)compared with OT group. The funnel plot suggested that publication bias might be found among 12 researches. Conclusions PT was shown to be more effective than OT in ICU with lower incidence of complications. As number of RCT cases is still small with unsatis factory quality,further clinical use is warranted for a better assessment.

Background It has been determined that dipeptidyl peptidase Ⅲ (DPPⅢ) plays an important role in the metabolism and modification of proteins and DPPⅢ of human has highly homologous to rat.Researches have shown that DPPⅢ is associated with the formation of cataract.However,few relevant studies have been reported.ObjectiveThe present study is to find out the relationship between the expression of DPPⅢ in rat lenses and age-related cataract.Methods Lenses were obtained from general Wistar rats of ages 3,6,9,or 12 weeks old (10 lenses each ) and homogenized with different concentrations of standard bovine serum.The proteins were resolved using SDS-PAGE gel electrophoresis.Peak concentration and total concentration of DPPⅢ protein in lenses from rats of different ages were detected by Western blot.Enzyme activity of DPPⅢ was determined by monitoring the amount of dipeptides removed from a special substrate (Arg-Arg-4mb NA) by measuring the absorbance with UV-2500PC at 525 nm.The relationship between the enzyme activity of DPPⅢ in lenses and age of rats was evaluated using regression analysis.Results DPPⅢ was detected at a molecular weight of 82000 Da.The peak concentration and total concentration of DPPⅢ in normal rat lenses increased with the growth of age.The total protease activity of DPPⅢ in the lenses of rats was correlated with the ages of the rats (r=0.99,P＜0.05).Conclusion DPPⅢ may be involved in the alteration of crystallin during the development of lenses,and it may play an important role in the formation and aggravation of age-related cataract.