Objective To evaluate the effect of rhubarb on intestinal mucosal damage in septic rats by comparing with ulinastatin.Methods A total of 84 healthy Sprague-Dawley rats (half male,half female),aged 3 months,weighing 200-330 g,were randomly divided into 5 groups according to the random number table:control group (group C,n =6),sham operation group (group S,n =6),sepsis group (group Sep),rhubarb group (group R,n=24) and ulinastatin group (group U,n=24).Sepsis was induced by cecum ligation and puncture.In group R,rhubarb 1.2 g/100 g was dissolved in normal saline at room temperature,3 and 4 h later the filtrate about 2-3 ml was obtained and injected through a gastric tube into stomach once every 12 h,and 72 h later sepsis was induced.In group U,ulinastatin 50 000 U/kg (in 2 ml of normal saline) was injected once every 24 h,and 72 h later sepsis was induced.In Sep,R and U groups,at 6,12,24 and 48 h after ligation (T1 4),blood samples were collected from the orbital venous plexus for determination of plasma diamine oxidase (DAO) activity.Results The activity of plasma DAO was significantly higher at T1-4 in Sep,R and U groups than in C and S groups.The activity of plasma DAO was significantly lower at T3,4 in R and U groups than in Sep group.There was no statistical difference in the plasma DAO activity between R group and U group.Conclusion Rhubarb can reduce intestinal mucosal damage in septic rats,which is similar to that of ulinastatin.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of Naohuandan Recipe on learning and memory abilities of SAM-P/8 mice and its role in anti-oxidation and anti-apoptosis. METHODS: Forty SAM-P/8 mice were randomly divided into four groups, which were untreated (normal saline-treated) group, Yinkeluo Tablets (extracts of gingko leaf)-treated group, low-dose Naohuandan Recipe-treated group and high-dose Naohuandan Recipe-treated group. Mice in these groups were given corresponding drugs orally for 105 days. Then the performances of learning and memory of mice were tested by a step-down passive avoidance task and a Y-maze test. The serum levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) were detected. The expression level of bcl-xl mRNA in cerebral cortex and hippocampus of mice was detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). RESULTS: The performances of learning and memory in the Yinkeluo Tablets-treated group, low- and high-dose Naohuandan Recipe-treated groups were significantly improved as compared with those in the untreated group (P<0.05 or P<0.01), and such performance was the best in the high-dose Naohuandan Recipe-treated group among these four groups (P<0.01). The serum levels of SOD and GSH-Px and the expression of bcl-xl mRNA in cerebral cortex and hippocampus of mice in the Yinkeluo Tablets-treated group, low- and high-dose Naohuandan Recipe-treated groups were also significantly higher than those in the untreated group (P<0.05 or P<0.01), while the serum level of MDA in the untreated group was higher than that in the other three groups (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: Naohuandan Recipe can improve learning and memory abilities of SAM-P/8 mice, and this effect may be related to its anti-oxidation efficacy and enhancement of expression level of bcl-xl mRNA.

AIM:To investigate the potential role of Sonic hedgehog (Shh) signaling pathways in the radioresistance of esophageal cancer.METHODS:Radioresistant cell line Eca109R was established by repeating X-ray irradiation at dose of 60 Gy in total using Eca109 cells as parental cells.The radiosensitivity of the parental and radioresistant cells was confirmed by colony formation assay.The cell viability was detected by CCK-8 assay.The intracellular protein levels of Shh and Gli1 were determined by Western blot and immunofluorescence.RESULTS:The survival fractions at dose of 2 Gy for Eca109R cells and Eca109 cells were 0.937±0.013 and 0.499±0.042, respectively.The inhibitory rate of cell viability decreased gradually in the Eca109R cells (P<0.05), suggesting that the radioresistant cell line was successfully established.The results of Western blot indicated that the protein expression of Shh and Gli1 was much higher in the Eca109R cells than that in the Eca109 cells (P<0.05).Immunofluorescence staining showed that Gli1 was expressed in the cytoplasm and nucleus, and presented nuclear clustering in the Eca109R cells.The positive rate of Gil1 expression in Eca109 cells was 52.3%± 0.035%, while that in Eca109R cells was 87.6%±0.021% (P<0.05).CONCLUSION:The radioresistance of esophageal cancer may be related to the activation of Shh signaling pathways with over-expression of Gli1 and other related proteins.

Abdominoscrotal hydrocele is rare in clinic. In the past, routine examination and diagnosis were difficult, easy to be misdiagnosed. The daily operations were mostly completed through the groin area or abdominal incision, the wound is large. The application of laparoscopy can clearly diagnose the abdominoscrotal hydrocele through "springing back ball" sign, and can cure the disease by laparoscopic resection of interperitoneal mass and closure of the internal ring. It is worthy of clinical application. In this article, we summarized and analyzed the clinical experience of 15 cases of children with abdominoscrotal hydrocele diagnosed and treated by laparoscopy, to explore the value of the laparoscopic technology in the diagnosis and treatment of the abdominoscrotal hydrocele.

Objective To analyze the correlation of clinical phenotype and genotype and gene mutation frequency characteristics of 21-hydroxylase deficiency,and to provide the basis for clinical diagnosis and methods for early intervention.Methods The clinical phenotypic signs and examination results of 14 cases with 21-hydroxylase deficiency were collected from September 2008 to December 2016 in Children's Hospital of Shanxi Province.Point mutations,deletions and conversion mutations for gene CYP21A2 coding 21-hydroxylase were detected through using next generation sequencing(NGS) and multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA).The captured mutations were further confirmed with Sanger sequencing.Furthermore,the family members underwent the co-segregation validation through the Sanger sequencing or MLPA in those captured mutated sites.Results Among the total 14 cases,9 cases were identified as the salt wasting,5 cases the simple virilizing;10 cases of compound heterozygous mutations,and 4 cases of homozygous mutations.Analysis of the 14 patients revealed 8 different kinds of mutations in CYP21A2 gene.The most frequent mutations of CYP21A2 gene were I2G [50％ (14/28)] and I173N [21.4％ (6/28)],followed by Arg357Trp[10.7％ (3/28)].Del[10.7％ (3/28)] mutations including E247fs,Gly1 1 1fs and R484fs.Q319X [3.6％ (1/28)] and Arg355His[3.6％ (1/28)] were rarely found.Missense mutation was found in 10 cases,splicing mutation in 14 cases,frameshifi mutations in 3 cases,nonsense mutations in 1 case.All of the mutations were inherited from their parents,and no new mutation was found.The most common mutations for salt wasting and simple virilizing were respectively I2G[50％ (9/18)] and I173N [50％ (5/10)].Collectively,genotypes and phenotypes were matched with each other.Conclusions The combination of clinical phenotypes with laboratory examination by gene sequencing and comprehensive analysis,is helpful to early diagnosis,differential diagnosis and optimized treatment,which will improve prognosis and provide guidance for genetic consultancy.