Objective To observe the effects of intervention with Simvastatin and Aspirin on carotid artery atherosclerosis(CAA).Methods 120 patients with ischemic cerebrovascular disease and complicated CAA and blood-lipid abnormality were randomly divided into the Simvastatin group,Aspirin group,Simvastatin+ Aspirin group.Each group received corresponding therapy for 6 months.The changes of serum C-reactive protein(CRP) level,blood-lipid level,the carotid artery intimal and media thickness(IMT),the plaque areas before and after treatment and the recurrence rate of cerebrovascular event among the 3 groups were compared.Results Compared with before treatment,the levels of serum CRP were significantly decreased in the 3 groups after treatment(all P

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effects of modified interocclusal lip arch appliance in correcting primary dentition functional crossbite.Methods Twenty children with functional crossbite were selected and treated with this new method.Cephalometric radiographs were taken and analyzed at the pre-treatment time (T1) and the post-treatment time (T2).Students't-test was used to determine if there were significant differences between the 2 time periods.ResultsSNA increased by (0.35 ±1.12)°,SNB decreased by (2.53±0.91)°,and ANB increased by (2.88± 2.24)°.Ns-Sn-Pos increased by (3.32±2.14)°,Ns-Prm-Pos decreased by (3.46±2.63)°.All of the anterior crossbites were corrected and the profiles were improved satisfactorily.Conclusions Modified interocclusal lip arch appliance is a clinically effective method for correcting primary dentition functional crossbite,balancing anteroposterior jaw relationship,and improving the face profile.

Objective To evaluate the effects of multiloop edgewise arch wire(MEAW)technique combined with rapid maxillary expansion(RME)in correcting skeletal crossbite young adults with mandibular deviation.Methods 9 young adults with skeletal class Ⅲ malocclusion and mandibular deviation were selected(4 males,5 females,aged from 16.2-18.8 years).They were all corrected with RME and MEAW techniques.Cephalometric radiographs were taken and analyzed at the pretreatment(T1)and post-treatment(T2).Students't-test was used to determine if there were significant differences between the 2 time periods.Results SNA increased by(1.4+1.7)°,SNB decreased by(0.7+0.9)°,and ANB increased by(2.1+0.9)°;U1-SN increased by(2.7+3.7)°and L1-MP decreased by(5.4+2.9)°.MP-SN and Mp-FH increased by(1.9+2.0)°and(1.1+2.6)°respectively,neither of which had significant difference.Maz-Maz' increased by(2.6+2.8)mm,while Um-Um'increased by(6.2+5.9)mm.The latter had significant difference.△Cd-Me and △Cd-Go decreased by (3.7+2.1)mm and(2.8+1.6)mm respectively;while ManDP-MSL and Me-MSL decreased by (3.8+2.3)mmand(3.6+2.5)mm,respectively.All of them had significant differences.Conclusion MEAW technique combined with RME is a clinically effective method for correcting adults with mild and moderate skeletal crossbite and mandibular deviation.

Aim To investigate the effect of ultra low molecular weight heparin(ULMWH)to protect primarily cultured rat cortical neurons from the deleterious effects of the neurotoxicant glutamate (Glu)and explore the related mechanism.Methods Cortical neurons of fetal rats were cultured carefully in vitro and treated with 100 ?mol?L-1 Glu so that the protective effects of ULMWH were observed thoroughly. And then the viability of cortical neurons, morphological change together with the number of apoptotic neurons,and the concentration of intracellular free Ca2+([Ca2+]i)were measured by MTT assay, Hoechst33258 staining and Fura-2/AM double wavelength fluoremetry, respectively.Results Brief exposure of cultures to 100 ?mol?L-1Glu led to extensive neuronal death and rapid increase of [Ca2+]i.Pretreatment with ULMWH over the concentration range of 0.01~1 mg?L-1 significantly inhibited the Glu-induced neuronal cell death assessed by a MTT assay and the number of apoptotic nuclei, evidenced by Hoechst 33258 staining.Glu-induced elevation of[Ca2+]i was decreased by pretreatment with 1 mg?L-1 ULMWH, which was indicated by Fura-2/AM not only in assay medium containing Ca2+ but also in Ca2+-free assay medium.Conclusions Those results suggest that ULMWH protects the cultured neurons from Glu-induced neurotoxicity, which may be attributed to its alleviating intracellular free Ca2+ overload via suppressing intracellular Ca2+ release from internal stores induced by Glu.

AIM: To study the effects of cyproheptadine (Cyp) and anisodamine (Ani)on the changes of intracellular free Ca 2+ concentration ([Ca 2+ ] i) induced by tumor necrosis factor (TNF ?) in single endothelial cells, and to explore the mechanisms of TNF ?-mediated shock and antishock actions of Cyp and Ani. METHODS: Human umbilical vein endothelial cell strains(ECV304) were seed in 35 mm tissue culture dish with 2 mL DMEM culture medium. The cultured cells were loaded by Fluo-3/AM. The spatial distribution and the dynamic changes of [Ca 2+ ] i in single endothelial cell was determined by laser scanning confocal microscopy(LSCM). RESULTS: [Ca 2+ ] i in single endothelial cell after stimulation of TNF ? rapidly increased in a dose-dependent manner and approached the peak value within 60 seconds, afterwards, decreased and kept above the basal level. The confocal scanning image showed that [Ca 2+ ] i elevation was more obvious in nuclear than in cytoplasma, and decreased slowly. Cyp (3?10 -5 , 6?10 -5 mol/L) and Ani (2?10 -5 , 4?10 -5 mol?L -1 ) markedly inhibited TNF ? (1.2?10 -9 mol?L -1 )-induced [Ca 2+ ] i elevation. CONCLUSIONS: TNF ? markedly induces elevation of [Ca 2+ ] i in single endothelial cell, it may be an important mechanism of TNF ?-induced shock and tissue injury. Cyp and Ani obviously suppress TNF ?-induced [Ca 2+ ] i elevation, which probably is one of the mechanisms of their antishock effects.

To study the effects of forkhead transcription factor O1 (FoxO1) on the expression of type Ⅳ collagen and desmin in podocytes of diabetic rats.Streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats were divided into three groups:diabetic rats (DM group),rats transfected with blank lentiviral vectors (diabetes mellitus plus LV-pSC-GFP group,LV-NC group),and rats which were transfected with lentiviral vectors carrying constitutively active FoxO1 (diabetes mellitus plus LV-FoxO1-AAA group,LV-CA group).Rats which received an injection of diluent buffer served as normal control.At 2,4,and 8 weeks after transfection,the levels of urine albumin,blood glucose,blood urea nitrogen,and serum creatinine were measured.Realtime PCR and Western blotting were performed to measure the mRNA and protein levels of FoxO1,COL4A3,COL4A5,and desmin in the renal cortex.Moreover,light microscope and electron microscope were used to observe the structural changes in glomerulus and podocytes.Compared with LV-NC and DM group,in LV-CA group,there was a significant increase in the mRNA and protein levels of FoxO1,and a distinct decrease in the levels of urine albumin,blood urea nitrogen and serum creatinine of rats (except at the twoweek time point) (all P＜0.05),the mRNA and protein levels of COL4A3,COL4A5,and desmin were all decreased (all P＜0.05),and pathological changes in kidney were also improved.Upregulating the expression of FoxO1 by transfecting with constructed lentiviral vectors can definitely improve the abnormal expression of type Ⅳ collagen and desmin in podocytes of diabetic rats.

Aim To investigate the protective effects of LMWH-SOD(Low molecular weight heparin- Superoxide dismutase Conjugate)on the injuries induced by oxygen and glucose deprivation in cultured neurons. Methods The cortical neurons of fetal rat were cultured in vitro. The antioxidant and protective effects of LMWH-SOD were observed by treating neurons with oxygen and glucose deprivation. Results LMWH-SOD reduced the number of cell death and the efflux of LDH and the content of NO,MDA and increased the membrane fluidity after the injuries of cells. Conclusion LMWH-SOD has protective effects on cerebral cortical neurons through its action of scavenging free radicals.

Objective To study the effect of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 on bone metabolism in diabetic rats and the related molecular mechanism.Methods A total of 45 healthy 6-8 weeks old male Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were treated with streptozotocin.The streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats were randomly assigned to diabetic group (DM),low dose vitamin D treated group(LD),and high dose vitamin D treated group(HD).Another 12 healthy SD rats were used as normol control group(NC).The rats in NC group and DM group were fed with 0.05 ml/d nut oil;those in the LD group and HD group were fed respectively with 0.03 and0.10 μg · kg-1 · d-1 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 dissolved in 0.05 ml nut oil.12 weeks later,serum calcium,phosphorus,osteocalcin,type Ⅰ collagen cross-linked telopeptide (NTX),and 24 h urinary calcium were determined.Right femurs were harvested for pathohistological analysis by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining.Expressions of osteoprotegerin,receptor activator nuclear factor κB ligand (RANKL),core binding factor α1(Cbfa1) were detected by immunohistochemical staining.The osteoprotegerin,RANKL,Cbfa1,osteocalcin mRNA levels of bone tissue were performed by realtime quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction assay.Results (1) Compared with the NC group,serum calcium and 24 h urinary calcium in LD and HD groups were significantly higher (P＜0.05) ; 24 h urinary calcium in DM group was significantly higher than that in NC group (P ＜ 0.05).(2) Serum osteocalcin level in DM and LD groups was significantly lower than that in NC group (P＜0.05) ; there was no significant difference between the serum NTX levels of all groups (P＞0.05).(3) There was no significant difference in the mRNA expression of Cbfa1 in all groups (P＞0.05).The mRNA expression of osteocalcin in DM group was significantly lower than that in NC group (P ＜0.05).The mRNA expression of RANKL in DM group was significantly lower than that in NC group (P＜0.05) ; and that in LD and HD group was significantly higher than that in DM group (P＜0.05),and that in HD group was significantly higher than that in LD group (P＜0.05).The mRNA expression of osteoprotegerin in DM group was significantly lower than that in NC group (P＜0.05).The ratio of RANKL to osteoprotegerin in HD group was significantly higher than that in DM group (P＜0.05).Conclusions Vitamin D may promote bone metabolism in diabetic rats by up-regulating the expressions of osteocalcin and RANKL or in addition to other means.

Objective To investigate the clinical features,diagnosis,treatment and prognosis of bladder hemangio-ma. Methods The clinical data of 12 patients with bladder hemangioma were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed in com-bination with relevant literature. Results Ten patients were treated with partial cystectomy,and two patients treated with transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TUR-BT). All patients were diagnosed as the bladder hemangioma by postoperative pathology. Patients were followed up from 4 months to 6 years. There were no recurrence and metastasis in all cases. Conclu-sion Bladder hemangioma is a rare benign tumor, which can be preliminarily diagnosed by combinating with medical imag-ing. The final diagnosis depends on the pathological examination. Treatment options should rely on the factual situations. The partial cystectomy is the first choice for the treatment of bladder hemangioma. The prognosis is good.

This study evaluated, over a 4-month study period, the amount of apical root resorption occurring in maxillary central incisors following their retraction when employing either micro-implant or J-hook headgear anchorage. The prospective randomised clinical trial was conducted in Orthodontic Clinic, College of Stomatology, China from 2008-2009. Subjects are patients requiring fixed appliances on waiting list (n=20). In female Han Chinese patients aged from 16-26 years, standardized periapical radiographs from 10 randomly assigned patients with maxillary protrusions comprising the micro-implant group, and from 10 similar patients comprising the J-hook headgear group, were assessed for maxillary central incisor apical root resorption. Measurements before and after orthodontic therapy were also obtained from lateral cephalometric radiographs to calculate incisor horizontal retraction and vertical intrusion distances. Estimated retraction force vectors were calculated in horizontal and vertical directions for both treatment groups. Data analysis employed t-tests and the Pearson correlation test, with α=0.05 for statistical significance. The results showed that when compared with the J-hook group, significantly more apical root resorption shortening of the maxillary central incisors was observed in the micro-implant group (1.27 mm difference, 95% CI=0.70-1.84, P<0.001), which was associated with a significantly larger retraction distance (P=0.004) and a smaller vertical force component (P<0.0001). We are led to conclude that continuous activation of the nickel-titanium coil springs used in the micro-implant group resulted in significantly more apical root resorption shortening and maxillary central incisor retraction than when intermittent J-hook retraction was employed. The employment of continuous duration orthodontic forces presents a risk for increased apical root resorption that requires careful radiographic monitoring.