Inflammation is an important mechanism and etiology of depression. In recent years, researchers have demonstrated that many depression patients are with inflammatory reactions in the corresponding brain regions, and simultaneously chemokines play an important role in depression and inflammation. Meanwhile , in the course of depression, chemokines and their receptors are involved in neuroplasticity, the decrease of monoamine neurotransmitters and neuroendocrine system. In this review, in order to further understand and find better treatment of depression, we summarize the recent studies of the relationship between chemokines and depression disorder.

Objective To study the influence of different degrees of pain on the quality of life (QOL) in patients with advanced gastrointestinal cancer. Methods The degrees of pain were grouped into four levels according to the WHO standard. The QOL of 200 advanced gastrointestinal cancer patients in hospital was assessed by EORTC QLQ-C30. Results There were 56 cases with no pain, 101 cases with mild pain, 34 cases with moderate pain and 9 cases with severe pain. The QOL of advanced gastrointestinal cancer patients is poorer. With the increasing degrees of pain, the total score of QOL in patients with advanced gastrointestinal cancer decreased graduately from(46.354±13.194) to (17.593±14.699). The analysis of variance on total quality of life among differem degrees of pain showed that there was no significant difference between no pain and mild pain in patients with advanced gastrointestinal cancer (P>0.05). There were significant differences between no pain and moderate pain (P<0.05), between no pain and severe pain (P<0.05), between mild pain and moderate pain (P<0.05), between mild pain and moderate pain (P<0.05), between moderate pain and severe pain (P<0.01). Conclusions Different degrees of pain had different influences on the total quality of life in patients with advanced gastrointestinal cancer. The total score of QOL is negatively correlated with different degrees of pain. It should pay more attention to care and support the advanced gastrointestinal cancer patients and seek active measures to improve their QOL.

OBJECTIVETo probe the expression level of insulin-like growth factor-I receptor (IGF-IR) in malignant clone cells of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS).

METHODThe combination of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and immunochemistry (alkaline phosphatase anti-alkaline phosphatase, APAAP) was used to detect the expression of IGF-IR in the bone marrow cells of 40 MDS patients with abnormal karyotypes.

RESULTSThe average IGF-IR expression level on the clone cells \[(84.5 ± 14.2)%\] from the MDS cases was markedly elevated compared to the corresponding level on normal cells \[(11.4 ± 12.1)%\]. And the percentages of malignant clone cells in all 40 MDS cases were significantly correlated with the relevant percentages of IGF-IR positive nucleated cells (r = 0.929, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONSIGF-IR might be taken as a marker of clone cells in MDS for its trait to malignant proliferation.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Clone Cells ; metabolism ; pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Myelodysplastic Syndromes ; metabolism ; pathology ; Receptor, IGF Type 1 ; metabolism ; Young Adult

Objective To retrospectively analyse the clinical data of off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting surgery(OPCAB)in our department and summarize the clinical experience of peri-operative management.Methods From January 2007 to May 2008,253 patients underwent OPCAB.Seventy-six cases with left main disease(including 18 cases of single left main lesion and 58 cases of complex lesion);13 cases had single vessel disease;32 cases had double vessels disease and 190 cases had triple vessels disease.Eighteen cases received emergency OPCAB.All vessel anastomosis were performed with coronary artery stablizer and shunt through median sternotomy.Resuits Three cases died after operation(1.2%).Intra-aortic balloon pump was used in 11 cases.Mechanical ventilation time was 3-168 h[(24.1±22.3)h],and ICU stay time was 1-14 day[(2.8±2.0)d].Postoperative hospital stay time was 8-42 days[(15.6±6.3)d].Conclusion OPCAB is reliable for most bypass cases.With appropilate peri-operative management,a satisfied result will be acceptable.

Objective To summarize the clinical experiences of 1386 patients undergoing off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting(OPCAB)during Jan 2002 to Mar 2008.Methods OPCAB was done through midsternumtomy under ordinary-temperature anesthesia after radial artery,left breast artery and vena saphena magna were taken.Patients over 70 years old accounted for 32.35%,and the oldest was 99 years old.Emergency and subemergency OPCAB was done in 111 cases,re-do CABG with off-pump technique was done in 52 patients.Results 24 cases died during perioperation,with mortality of 1.73%and all other patients discharged from the hospital.Following operation,the symptoms of angina pectoris were relieved and the life quality was much beaer than that before operation.Conclusion OPCAB is feasible for older patients,who are complicated with other chronic diseases for elder patients.Skillful technique of surgeon,right indications for OPCAB and management of peri-and postoperation are key to success of operation.

AIMTo determine the effect of piperazinyl estrone, a new estrogen derivative, on bone turnover, bone mass and uteri in ovariectomized rats.

METHODSFemale Sprague-Dawley rats were ovariectomized (OVX) or sham operated (sham) at the age of 3 months and treated with estrone (E) at 0.75 mg.kg-1.d-1, or with piperazinyl estrone (P-E) at 1 or 10 mg.kg-1.d-1, orally, for 3 months. At the time of death, the uterine weight was measured. Bone histomorphometric analysis of proximal tibial metaphyses (PTM) was performed in undecalcified sections.

RESULTSBone histomorphometric data showed that the percent trabecular area (% Tb.Ar) of OVX rats with bone high turnover was significantly decreased. The uteri were atrophied. The percent trabecular area (% Tb.Ar) of estrone treated group was increased in decreasing bone turnover manner. But the size and weight of uteri in this group were increased vs OVX group. The bone loss induced by OVX was preserved by P-E treatment, but the mechanism of maintaining bone is different from that of E-treated rats. P-E treatment in low dose did not decrease any bone formation indices, such as percent labeling perimeter, bone formation rate per bone volume (BFR/BV), except bone mineral apposition rate (MAR) compared with E-treated group, and maintained them at OVX level. The uteri were found to be in atrophy compared with the match dose (0.75 mg) of E-treated OVX rats. But rats treated with high dose of P-E showed the same change like E-treated group.

CONCLUSIONThe finding of this study shows that lower dosage of piperazinyl estrone has effect on preventing the bone losses in OVX rats, while the bone formation and the uterus are not affected, thus supporting the hypothesis that piperazinyl estrone has the potential to prevent postmenopausal bone loss in women with less side effects.

Animals ; Atrophy ; prevention & control ; Bone Density ; Estradiol Congeners ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Estrone ; analogs & derivatives ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Organ Size ; drug effects ; Osteogenesis ; drug effects ; Osteoporosis ; prevention & control ; Ovariectomy ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Uterus ; pathology

OBJECTIVETo observe the changes of free radicals in rats after ovariectomy and the intervention effect of fetal renal cell suspension (FRCS) on them.

METHODSTotally 48 Sprague-Dawley rats, eight in the normal control group were sham-operated and treated with saline; the other 40 were ovariectomized and randomly divided into four groups: the model control group (A) administered with normal saline, the positive control group (B) administered with nilestriol, the two testing groups (C and D) administered respectively with living and dead FRCS. The administration was beginning from 12 weeks after operation and lasted for four weeks. Levels of serum superoxide dismutase (SOD) and nitric monoxide synthase (NOS) activity, malondialdehyde (MDA) and nitric oxide (NO) contents were measured at the terminal of the study.

RESULTSCompared with the sham-operated group, levels of SOD, NOS and NO in Group A were significantly lower, while level of MDA was significantly higher (P < 0.01). Compared with Group A, all above-mentioned abnormalities of indices were inversely changed in the three intervened groups significantly (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01), but showed insignificant difference in the paired comparisons of the three groups (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONHigh free radical condition is surely present in ovariectomized rats, FRCS can lessen the injury of free radicals and enhance the oxidation antagonizing capacity of the organism.

Animals ; Cells, Cultured ; Female ; Free Radicals ; metabolism ; Kidney ; cytology ; embryology ; Malondialdehyde ; metabolism ; Nitric Oxide ; metabolism ; Ovariectomy ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Superoxide Dismutase ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the efficacy of Salviae injection and ligustrazine injection (S & L) in combining with Western medicine for treatment of early onset of severe pre-eclampsia (EOSP), and its impact on pregnancy.

METHODSAn open prospective controlled study was conducted on 63 women suffering from EOSP during the 29th-32th week of pregnancy. They were assigned, according to the sequence of hospitalizing, to the treated group (32 cases) and the control group (31 cases). Both groups were treated with conventional Western medical treatment, but S & L were administered additionally to the treated group. Levels of plasma D-dimer, blood viscosity, and outcome of the pregnancy were analyzed.

RESULTSThe effect in prolonging the pregnancy and lowing the incidence of fetal distress and newborn death in the treated group was superior to that in the control group, the corresponding data were 11.0 +/- 1.2 days, 11 cases, 4 cases in the treated group and 6.0 +/- 1.5 days, 16 cases and 8 cases in the control group, respectively. Levels of blood viscosity ratio and D-dimer in the treated group were lowered significantly after treatment (1.20 +/- 0.13 vs 2.29 +/- 0.13, 1.61 +/- 0.45 mg/L vs 2.40 +/- 0.09 mg/L), which had no remarkable change in the control group.

CONCLUSIONCombined application of S & L for treatment of EOSP could improve the blood hyperviscosity, prolong the pregnancy week, and improve the outcome of pregnancy to reduce incidence of perinatal morbidity and mortality in patients.

Adult ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Integrative Medicine ; methods ; Pre-Eclampsia ; drug therapy ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Complications ; drug therapy ; Pregnancy Trimester, Third ; Prospective Studies ; Pyrazines ; therapeutic use ; Salvia miltiorrhiza ; chemistry ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo distinguish spermatic cord torsion from acute orchitis by color Doppler flow imaging (CDFI).

METHODSThirteen patients with acute orchialgia were examined by CDFI. The clinical data of diagnosis and treatment were reviewed and analyzed.

RESULTSThe findings of CDFI showed lower or even no blood flow in the testes in 8 cases, which were diagnosed as spermatic cord torsion. Among them, 1 received manual detorsion and 7 were proved by operations. The other 5 showed abundant blood flow signal in the testes and were diagnosed as acute orchitis or epididymo-orchitis. After the use of antibiotics, their symptoms were relieved and the blood flow of the testes reduced upon reexamination.

CONCLUSIONSCDFI plays an important role in the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of spermatic cord torsion, and could be regarded as a detecting method of first choice for patients of acute orchialgia.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Child ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Orchitis ; diagnostic imaging ; Spermatic Cord Torsion ; diagnostic imaging ; Testis ; blood supply ; diagnostic imaging ; Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color ; methods

OBJECTIVETo study the effect of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-3 PUFA) on inflammation in lung tissue of rats with severe scald and its mechanism.

METHODSSeventy-two adult SD rats were divided into sham scald group (SS, n = 8), treatment group 1 (T1, n = 32), treatment group 2 (T2, n = 32) according to the random number table. Rats in T1 group and T2 group were inflicted with 30% TBSA full-thickness scald, and then they were respectively injected with 100 g/L omega-3 PUFA (1 mL/kg) and 200 g/L long-chain fatty acid (2 mL/kg) via tail vein within 5 minutes after burn. The above two fatty acids with equivalent calories were continuously injected for 10 days (once a day). On post burn day (PBD) 1, 4, 7, and 10, serum level of TNF-alpha and level of macrophage inflammatory protein 1alpha (MIP-lalpha) in lung homogenate of T1 and T2 groups were detected, the levels of NF-kappaBp65 and macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) in lung tissue of T1 and T2 groups were observed with immunohistochemical staining (recorded as score). Above-mentioned parameters were also determined in SS group. Data were processed with t test.

RESULTSThe levels of 4 parameters in T1 and T2 groups on PBD 1, 4, 7, 10 were higher than those in SS group (with t values from 3.411 to 8.782, P values all below 0.01), and those in T1 group on PBD 4, 7, 10 were lower than those in T2 group (with t values from 2. 321 to 2.785, P values all below 0.05). The serum level of TNF-alpha and levels of MIP-1alpha, NF-kappaBp65, and MIF in lung tissue in SS group was respectively (0.96 +/- 0.32) ng/mL, (76 +/- 16) pg/mL, 0.24 +/- 0.03, 1.31 +/- 0.03, and those in T1 and T2 groups all peaked on PBD 7 [(2.43 +/- 0.32) ng/mL, (210 +/- 56) pg/mL, 4.23 +/- 2.15, 4.69 +/- 1.83; (3.15 +/- 0.54) ng/mL, (274 +/- 64) pg/mL, 5.15 +/- 2.31, 5.37 +/- 2.16].

CONCLUSIONSOmega-3 PUFA can effectively reduce serum level of TNF-alpha and levels of MIP-1alpha, NF-kappaBp65, and MIF in lung tissue of rats with severe scald, showing that it has a protective effect against injury of lung tissue.

Animals ; Burns ; metabolism ; pathology ; therapy ; Chemokine CCL3 ; metabolism ; Fatty Acids, Omega-3 ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Inflammation ; metabolism ; Intramolecular Oxidoreductases ; metabolism ; Lung ; metabolism ; Macrophage Migration-Inhibitory Factors ; metabolism ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Transcription Factor RelA ; metabolism ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; blood