OBJECTIVETo study the anti-asthmatic effect of sodium ferulate (SF) and its mechanism in guinea pig asthmatic model.

METHODSGuinea pigs were sensitized with ovalbumin as animal asthmatic model and treated with 3 different concentration of SF for 8 days. Levels of endothelin (ET) and nitric oxide (NO) in blood and lung tissue, and eosinophil (EOS) in blood and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BLAF) was counted at the end of trial.

RESULTSSF could significantly lower the ET content and increase the NO concentration in serum and lung tissue, reduce the number of EOS in blood and BLAF (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). Stronger effect was showed in the high dose group.

CONCLUSIONMechanism of anti-asthmatic action of SF might be to increase NO concentration, lower ET content, alleviate EOS infiltration.

Animals ; Anti-Asthmatic Agents ; pharmacology ; Asthma ; blood ; chemically induced ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid ; cytology ; Coumaric Acids ; pharmacology ; Endothelin-1 ; blood ; Eosinophils ; pathology ; Female ; Guinea Pigs ; Male ; Nitric Oxide ; blood ; Ovalbumin

This study is to investigate the effect of ibudilast on apoptosis of airway eosinophil in asthmatic guinea pigs and its mechanism. Experimental asthma model of guinea pigs was induced with ovalbumin (OVA). Differential count in BALF was examined. The apoptosis of eosinophils (EOS) was labeled with TdT-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) technique. Fas mRNA expression of EOS was detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The quantification of GM-CSF and IL-5 in BALF was conducted with ELISA. After treatment of ibudilast, the number of EOS and the quantification of GM-CSF and IL-5 decreased significantly. The number of apoptotic cells as well as Fas mRNA expression of EOS obviously increased. The results indicated that anti-asthma mechanisms of ibudilast can antagonize asthma through decreasing the number of EOS, inducing apoptosis of EOS, enhancing Fas mRNA expression of EOS and reducing the content of GM-CSF and IL-5.
Animals ; Anti-Asthmatic Agents ; pharmacology ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Asthma ; metabolism ; pathology ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid ; Eosinophils ; cytology ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Female ; Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor ; metabolism ; Guinea Pigs ; Interleukin-5 ; metabolism ; Male ; Pyridines ; pharmacology ; fas Receptor ; metabolism

AIMTo evaluate the effect of interleukin-1 receptor antagonist(IL-1ra) on apoptosis and associated mechanism of eosinophil in guinea pig with asthma.

METHODSA model of guinea pig with asthma was established. After inhalation of different concentrations of IL-1ra, asthma was induced in the guinea pig for 8 days, the concentration of eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) in serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), IL-5 in serum, the eosinophil counts and apoptosis were assayed by radioimmunology, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA), fluoromicroscope and light microscope.

RESULTSIL-1ra indirectly decreased the level of IL-5 in serum, improved the apoptosis of eosinophil(EOS) in lung, then decreased the level of ECP in serum and BALF.

CONCLUSIONInhalation of nebulized IL-1ra showed protective effect against asthma through change of the activity and infiltration of EOS in lung.

Animals ; Apoptosis ; Asthma ; blood ; chemically induced ; pathology ; Blood Proteins ; metabolism ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid ; chemistry ; Eosinophil Granule Proteins ; Eosinophils ; drug effects ; pathology ; Female ; Guinea Pigs ; Interleukin 1 Receptor Antagonist Protein ; Interleukin-5 ; blood ; Leukocyte Count ; Male ; Ovalbumin ; Random Allocation ; Receptors, Interleukin-1 ; antagonists & inhibitors ; Ribonucleases ; blood ; metabolism ; Sialoglycoproteins ; pharmacology

Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Mucociliary Clearance ; Nasal Mucosa ; diagnostic imaging ; physiology ; Radioimmunoassay ; Radioisotopes ; Radionuclide Imaging

OBJECTIVETo research the clinical application of lower cervical pedicle screw fixation procedure.

METHODSFrom September 2011 to July 2013,32 patients underwent posterior pedicle screw-rod system fixation were retrospective analyzed includinig 20 males and 12 females with an average age of 56.4 years old ranging from 21 to 78 years. Among them, 10 patients were traumatic cervical spinal injury, 9 patients were cervical spinal canal tumors, 7 cases were posterior longitudinal ligament ossification of cervical vertebrae, 6 cases were multiple segmental cervical spondylopathy. Preoperatively, X-ray, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic resonance angiography of the vertebral artery were performed in all patients. After the operation and during the follow-up,X-ray and computed tomography were performed to confirm the pedicle screw position. The accuracy of the pedicle screw placement was evaluated by 4 grades classification from Lee. The spinal cord function was assessed by ASIA impairment scale for traumatic patients and JOA score for non traumatic patients.

RESULTSTotally 144 pedicle screws performed on 32 patients from C3 to C7 involving 132 screws of grade 0,5 screws of grade 1,5 of screws grade 2 and 2 screws of grade 3 according to postoperative CT. There were 12 screws penetrating the pedicle cortex including 8 screws at lateral,2 screws at caudal, 1 screw at medial and 1 screw at cranial. The follow-up time was 12 to 33 months with an average of (21.0±1.5) months. The spinal cord function was not improved in 6 complete cervical spinal cord injury patients,but their paraplegic level descended 1 to 3 segments. Four incomplete cervical spinal cord injury patients' ASIA impairment scale was increased by 1 to 2 grades in average. The JOA score of 22 atraumatic patients increased from preoperative 11.5±0.8 to 15.9±0.6 of postoperative at 6 months (P<0.01). There were no screw loosening,screw pullout and screw-rod breakage.

CONCLUSIONThe lower cervical pedicle screw fixation can provide excellent 3D stability of the vertebral column. The operation risk and Complication could be minimized by adequate preoperative evaluation for appropriate cases and individual pedicle screw placement. It deserved the clinical expansion.

Adult ; Aged ; Cervical Vertebrae ; injuries ; surgery ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pedicle Screws ; Retrospective Studies ; Spinal Cord Injuries ; physiopathology ; surgery

Objective To estimate the impact of the image quality of conebeam CT on the accelerator for the Bowtie filter. Methods This study used the system of conebeam CT on the accelerator,and scaned the phantom of Catphan 500 in the multiplicate scanning conditions with and without the Bowtie filter. The scanning conditions were : voltage :120 kV, 100 kV, 80 kV, electricity:25 mA, 40 mA, 64 mA,time of exposure :40 MHz, collimator: M20, L20, scanning angle :358°. We transmitted the scanning data in the treatment planning systems of Philips Pinnacle 8. 0, and estimated the influence of the image quality.Results With and without the Bowtie filter, all of the images had high geometric precision, and the maximum difference of the nominal and actual distance at the horizontal, vertical and arrowy directions in the transection were 0. 50% and 0. 56% ( t = 0. 44, P ＞ 0. 05 ), 0. 44% and 0. 48% ( t = 1.01, P ＞ 0. 05 ),0. 50% and 0. 56% (t = 1.06,P ＞0. 05 ), respectively. The spatial resolution was 0. 167 cm, immutably.The ununiformity with the Bowtie filter was decreased of 28.0% -76.0% (t=2.53,P＜0. 05)、2.8%-50.0% (t= 3.02,P＜0.01 ) than those without the Bowtie filter, and the contrast-to-noise ratio was increased of 4.0% -41.6% (t=2.70,P＜0.05)、4.0% -50.0% (t=2.14,P＜0.05), using the collimators of M20 and L20, respectively. The Bowtie filter could display clearly the edge of scanning phantom, and improve the CT number of the image edge of phantom. And the linearity of CT number was also improved. Couclusions With the Bowtie filter, the image uniformity, the precision and linearity of CT number and the contrast-to-noise ratio were improved obviously, the edge artifacts were decreased, and the geometric precision and the spacial resolution did not change.

Objective To investigate the pathogenesis of gallbladder chaotic dynamics after partial gastrec-tomy. Methods 140 cases operated by partial gastrectomy after 6 months were randomly examined, they in-cluded one group of 40 cases by Billroth type and the other 100 cases by Eiselsberg type. The ultrasonograph was applied to evaluate the function of gallbladder dynamics and radio-immunity method to determine the content of CCK at the time of having no food and 30 minutes after med. Results BV and RV of Eiselsberg group were bigger than Billroth Ⅰ obviously P<0.05. Gallbladder contraction rate displayed not well obvi-ously as too. The plasm level of CCK had no manifested distinctions in empty stomach cases of the 2 groups, but the increasing gradient plasm level of CCK in Billroth Ⅰ exceeded Eiselsberg type. Conclusions The pathogenesis of gallbladder chaotic dynamics after partial gastrectomy was correlated with the alterative type of partial gastrectomy, the reduction of CCK plasm level, the damage of anterior vagal trunk hepatic branches during the operations and so on led to the disorder of gallbladder emptying and induced cholecystolithiasis.

[ ABSTRACT] AIM: To detect basic fibroblast growth factor ( bFGF ) expression in clinical common malignant tumor ( non-small-cell lung cancer,breast cancer, colon cancer and melanoma) , and to identify relationship between the expression and tumor clinicopathological characteristics.METHODS:Immunohistochemical SP method was used to detect the expression of bFGF at protein level in 208 cases of paraffin-embedded tissue of primary malignant tumor patients ( 68 cases of lung cancer, 80 cases of breast carcinoma, 41 cases of colon cancer and 19 cases of melanoma) .RESULTS:The bFGF protein expression levels were significantly higher in low differentiated non-small-cell lung cancer with lymph node metastasis, and were positively correlated with TNM.In addition, no significant influence of the bFGF protein expression on the patients with median survival period was observed.The protein expression of bFGF was higher in advanced breast cancer with lymph node metastasis and was commonly found in the middle/higher differentiated colon cancer with regional lymph node metastasis.Meanwhile, bFGF protein was highly expressed in advanced melanoma patients with lymph node metastasis.CONCLUSION:bFGF may participate in the process of occurrence and progression of malignant tumor.Ex-pression of bFGF protein may be an effective parameter for evaluating metastasis and prognosis of malignant tumor.

Phenazine-1-carboxylic acid(PCA)is one of the major antifungal compounds produced by plant growth-promoting rhizosphere(PGPR)pseudomonads and has been shown to contribute to the biological control of soil-borne plant pathogens.Model on secondary metabolite phenazine-1-carboxylic acid(PCA)fermentation nutrition conditions of gacA inactivate mutant Pseudomonas sp.M18G was constructed by Plackett-Burman design(PB)and Response Surface Method(RSM).In PB design four key components selected from 12 different factors have shown to play an important role for promoting PCA production.Center Composite Design(CCD)was adopted to establish a fermentation model for the four nutrition components using RSM.The optimal concentration of the four components based on analysis of regression equation were determined that soybean meal 33.4 g/L,glucose 12.7 g/L,soy peptone10.9 g/L,ethanol13.8 g/L,and the highest PCA production could reached 1.89 g/L after 60h fermentation and the yield increased to 6 fold over that before optimization.The contour graphs depicted interactions of the two nutrition components showed that soybean meal and ethanol played an even more crucial role for the highest production of PCA in fermentation.It establishes a method for high PCA production and lays a foundation for the further PCA commercial development.

Objective To evaluate the safety of surgical procedures for patients after heart valve prosthesis implantation.Methods Clinical data of 12 cases with heart valve prosthesis implantation undergone other surgical treatment from November 1996 to December 2005 were retrospectively analyzed.All the cases had routine oral warfarin with prothrombin time (PT) of 20.0—28.3 s averaged 23.5 s, international normalized ratio (INR) for prothrombin of 1.79—2.23 averaged 1.95 and heart functional class Ⅰ—Ⅲ.Among them,appendectomy was performed in three cases with acute appendicitis,reposition and repair in one with inguinal hernia,radical gastrectomy in two with gastric carcinoma,left hemicolectomy in one,cholecystectomy in three,left femoral head replacement in one,and bilateral high ligation and ablation of great saphenous vein in one.Elective surgical operation was performed in seven cases,and emergency operation in five.In those with elective surgery,warfarin was stopped 2—3 days before operation,while 5—10 mg vitamin K_1 was injected intramuscularly 6—8 hours before emergency surgery with preoperative median PT of 15.1 and 15.3 s and median INR of 1.24 and 1.30,respectively.In operation,5—10 mg vitamin K_1 were injected intravenously into the patients by drip depending on their bleeding on the surface of wound.ECG,blood pressure,hemoglobin and oxygen saturation were routinely monitored for all the cases intraoperatively and postoperatively.For the cases with heart function above class Ⅱ,fluid infusion was adjusted based on intubated central venous pressure,and for those with general anesthesia,analyses of blood gases and electrolyte were monitored routinely in operation.Results OPeration time averaged 20—160 rain in all the 12 patients,with blood loss 5—280 ml in average and without complications of massive hemorrhage,thrombosis and heart failure.Conclusions Surgical operation was safe for patients with heart valve prosthesis implantation,if preoperative PT and INR were adjusted to about 15 s and 1.30,respectively by cessation of warfarin or application of vitamin K_1,combined with careful manipulation and strengthened perioperative management.