OBJECTIVESTo explore whether the angiotensin I -converting enzyme (ACE) I/D (insertion/ deletion) polymorphism is associated with the susceptibility to high altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) in the Han Chinese.

METHODSOne hundred and forty-seven HAPE-p (HAPE patients) and 193 HAPE-r (HAPE resistants) were enrolled from the Yushu earthquake reconstruction workers in Qinghai province where the altitude is over 3 500 m above sea level. Blood samples were collected from each of the HAPE-p and HAPE-r groups. Information about physiological phenotypes was obtained via fieldwork investigation. The ACE-I/D polymorphism in HAPE-p and HAPE-r was detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

RESULTSThe SaO2 was significantly lower while HR was significantly higher in HAPE-p group than those in HAPE-r group. The genotype frequencies of ACE-I/D for II, ID, DD in HAPE-r and HAPE-p groups were 0.430, 0.446, 0.124 and 0.435, 0.469, 0.095, respectively, the allelic frequencies of I and D were 0.650, 0.350 and 0.670, 0.330, respectively. The OR of ID, DD and D alleles relative to II for HAPE was 0.961 (0.610-1.514), 1.322 (0.634-2.758) and 1.080 (0.783-1.489). There was no significant difference of the genotypic and the allelic frequencies in ACE-I/D polymorphism between HAPE-p and HAPE-r groups.

CONCLUSIONSThere is no relation between ACE-I/D polymorphism and HAPE in the Han Chinese.

Alleles ; Altitude ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; genetics ; Case-Control Studies ; Gene Frequency ; Genotype ; Humans ; Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A ; genetics ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Pulmonary Edema ; genetics

Animals ; Chronic Disease ; Diet, High-Fat ; Hypoxia ; metabolism ; Lung ; metabolism ; physiopathology ; Male ; Nitric Oxide ; metabolism ; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

OBJECTIVETo explore the adaptive mechanism to hypoxia in skeletal muscle of tibetan antelope.

METHODSTibetan sheep which living at the same altitude (4 300 m) with tibetan antelope and low altitude (1 800 m) sheep as control, the content of myoglobin (Mb) and lactic acid (LA), the activity of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and malate dehydrogenase (MDH) in skeletal muscles among three animals were analyzed by spectrophotometer.

RESULTSThe content of myoglobin in skeletal muscle of tibetan antelope significantly higher than that of tibetan sheep and low altitude sheep (P < 0.05). And the content of LA in skeletal muscle of tibetan antelope significantly lower than that of tibetan sheep and low altitude sheep (P < 0.05), activity of LDH and MDH in skeletal muscle was significantly lower and higher respectively than that of tibetan sheep and low altitude sheep (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference between tibetan sheep and low altitude sheep.

CONCLUSIONTibetan antelope may improve their ability to get oxygen under hypoxia by increasing the content of myoglobin in skeletal muscle, and the proportion of aerobic metabolism is high in skeletal muscle, it may be relate that with high myoglobin content in skeletal muscle, we suppose that high myoglobin content in skeletal muscle of tibetan antelope might be one of the molecular basis to adapt hypoxia.

Altitude ; Animals ; Antelopes ; metabolism ; physiology ; Hypoxia ; metabolism ; L-Lactate Dehydrogenase ; metabolism ; Malate Dehydrogenase ; metabolism ; Muscle, Skeletal ; metabolism ; Myoglobin ; metabolism

The aim of the present study was to observe the effects of hypoxia on tensions of aortic rings of pika (Ochotona curzoniae) and Sprague-Dawley (SD) rat. The aortic rings were prepared, and in vitro vascular ring perfusion was used to assay the effects of hypoxia or different drugs on contraction responses of the rings with or without endothelium. The results showed that, there was no difference of the contractions to KCl (80 mmol/L) between the aortic rings of the pikas and SD rats. After pre-contraction with NE (1 μmol/L), the aortic rings with endothelium of the SD rats showed obvious relaxation to ACh (1 μmol/L), whereas the aortic rings of the pikas, no matter with or without endothelium, showed significant and unusual contraction to ACh. The aortic rings of pikas, no matter with or without endothelium, exhibited greater contraction when treated by 1 h of hypoxia, compared with those in SD rats; The similar result was showed under hypoxia in combination with Ca(2+) removal. These results suggest that the contraction response to hypoxia in pika is more sensitive compared to that in SD rat, which is dependent on the release of calcium from intracellular calcium store.
Animals ; Aorta, Thoracic ; physiology ; Arterial Pressure ; Calcium ; physiology ; Hypoxia ; In Vitro Techniques ; Lagomorpha ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

Objective To determine the content and distribution of manganese in rural drinking water in Guangxi province, and to provide scientific evidence for improving drinking water quality and safety. Methods The monitoring results of manganese in rural drinking water in Guangxi from 2014 to 2019 were evaluated according to GB 5749-2006 Sanitary Standards for Drinking Water. Results 47 637 samples were analyzed during 2014-2019.Manganese detection rate was 28.46 %, with the range from 0.05 to 2.71 mg/L, and the qualified rate was 99.46%.The difference of manganese compliance rate in different years was statistically significant (χ²=25.049, P < 0.01), and the rate increased with the increase of year (χ² =17.498, P < 0.01).The compliance rate in dry seasons was higher than that in wet seasons(χ²=5.871, P < 0.05).The qualified rate of manganese was statistically different between the water samples collected from centralized and scattered supply sources (χ²=90.983, P < 0.01).The qualified rate of manganese in large centralized water supply was higher than that in small centralized water supply (χ²=10.294, P < 0.01).The geographic distribution of the qualified manganese rate was in the following order:center>west>north>south>east.(χ²=103.908, P < 0.01). Conclusion There are high and low concentrations of water manganese in rural areas of Guangxi.While most areas showed low manganese in drinking water, some areas dispayed a local point distribution of high water manganese.

Alveolar echinococcosis (AE) is considered as a fatal zoonosis caused by the larvae of Echinococcus multilocularis. The lungs and brain are the most common metastatic organs. We report a human case of hepatic alveolar echinococcosis accompanied by lung and brain metastasis. In particular, the patient had a history of tuberculosis and the lung lesions were easily misdiagnosed as lung abscesses. The lesions of liver and lung underwent radical resection and confirmed as alveolar echinococcosis by pathological examination. The patient had no surgical complications after operation and was discharged after symptomatic treatment. Unfortunately, the patient later developed multiple intracerebral AE metastases. We required the patient to take albendazole orally for life and follow up.

Alveolar echinococcosis (AE) is considered as a fatal zoonosis caused by the larvae of Echinococcus multilocularis. The lungs and brain are the most common metastatic organs. We report a human case of hepatic alveolar echinococcosis accompanied by lung and brain metastasis. In particular, the patient had a history of tuberculosis and the lung lesions were easily misdiagnosed as lung abscesses. The lesions of liver and lung underwent radical resection and confirmed as alveolar echinococcosis by pathological examination. The patient had no surgical complications after operation and was discharged after symptomatic treatment. Unfortunately, the patient later developed multiple intracerebral AE metastases. We required the patient to take albendazole orally for life and follow up.

Objective To explore the prevalence and analyze the related risk factors for post-stroke depression among middle-aged and elderly stroke patients of Mongolia and Han nationality in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.Methods A stratified multistage random cluster sampling method was used to investigate the prevalence of stroke in the population aged &ge;45 years in different areas of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.A total of 11 088 people were investigated and 498 were stroke patients among them.A set of scale assessment and the general situation were used to investigate stroke patients and 443 patients completed the whole survey.Results The total prevalence of post-stroke depression (PSD) was 41.08％ in 443 stroke patients,among which the prevalence rate was 40.57％ for Mongolian population and 41.85％ for Han population,and no significant difference was found between Mongolian and Han nationality(x2=1.372,P=0.504).There were significant differences in the types of stroke between the Mongolian and Han nationality (x2 =7.347,P=0.025).The age (t=4.321,P=0.000),educational level (x2 =27.036,P=0.001) and economic burden (x2=27.877,P=0.000) were statistically significant between Mongolian and Han nationality.The differences of frequency of stroke (x2 =6.545,P=0.011),economic burden (x2 =16.148,P=0.001),cognitive dysfunction (x2 =9.065,P=0.003),daily living ability (x2 =34.466,P =0.000),alcohol consumption history(x2=4.516,P=0.034)were statistically significant.Logistic regression analysis showed that alcohol consumption history,economic burden,the frequency of stroke,and cognitive dysfunction were the influencing factors of PSD.Conclusion PSD is one of the important factors affecting the post-stroke psychological burden in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.There is no national difference in the prevalence of PSD among Mongolian and Han people,which provides a theoretical basis for the treatment and intervention of PSD.

AIMThe clinical manifestation of chronic mountain sickness (CMS) is polycythemia, pulmonary hypertension and mionectic blood. However, the pathogenesis of it is not identified now. So it is necessary to investigate the effects of the angiogenic growth factors on the pathophysiologic development of CMS.

METHODSThe serum levels of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in 13 healthy Tibetan natives (Native), 17 healthy people in Xining (control group) and 35 CMS patients were determined by quantitative sandwich enzyme immunoassay. Meanwhile, the levels of Hb, Hct and SaO2 were determined.

RESULTSThe serum levels of bFGF (107.26 +/- 7.86) ng/L, PDGF (630.18 +/- 9.89) ng/L and VEGF (543.74 +/- 6.76) ng/L in CMS were significantly higher than those in Natives (37.01 +/- 9.16; 292.16 +/- 6.88; 125.51 +/- 7.26) ng/L, and in control group (40.58 +/- 5.34; 287.68 +/- 8.33; 76.26 +/- 4.60) ng/L, respectively (P < 0.01). There was no difference between the natives and the control group in bFGF and PDGF (P > 0.05), while there was predominant difference between the Natives and the control group in VEGF (P < 0.01). There was a predominant positive correlation between the serum levels of bFGF, PDGF or VEGF and hemoglobin concentrations in CMS respectively (P < 0.01). And there were positive relations between angiogenic growth factors each other.

CONCLUSIONThe serum levels of bFGF, PDGF and VEGF in patients with CMS significantly increase, these angiogenic growth factors may play important role on the pathophysiologic development of CMS; the VEGF level likely contributes to the adaptation to plateau hypoxia in healthy Tibetan natives; the elevated bFGF, PDGF and VEGF levels are likely associated with excessive erythropoiesis in CMS.

Adult ; Altitude Sickness ; blood ; Case-Control Studies ; Chronic Disease ; Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 ; blood ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Platelet-Derived Growth Factor ; metabolism ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; blood

Objective To explore the changes in neuroglobin(NGB)expression in rat cerebral cortex induced by acute and chronic hypoxia at high altitude.Methods Seventy SD rats were randomly divided into normal control and experimental groups,and in the latter group,the rats kept in a high-altitude research base in Kekexili(4600 m),while the control rats were kept in a facility at the altitude of 2295 m.The rats in the experimental group were divided into 6 groups with the exposure time of 12,24,48,72 h,1 week and 1 month.An oximeter was used to measure the SaO2 level.Semi-quantitative PCR and Western blotting were performed to detect the expression levels of NGB mRNA and protein in the cortical neurons of the rats after the exposure.Results After explosure of the rats to hypoxia at high altitude for 12h,the SaO2 was lowered to(70.70±2.83)%and increased gradually as exposure time prolonged,but remained lower than that in the control group throughout the exposure.RT-PCR showed a rapid increase of NGB mRNA expression after 24-h exposure to hypoxia,followed by gradual decrease till recovery of the normal level at 1 week;the expression slowly increased after 1 week and maintained a high level till 1 months.showing significant difference from that in the control group(P＜0.05).Western blotting showed an identical pattem of NGG protein expression alterations during the experiment.Conclusion NGB expressions in the cerebral cortex increase significantly after acute and chronic hypoxia at an altitude of 4600 m to enhance the tolerance to hypobaric hypoxia,suggesting the possible role of NGB as an important endogenous mechanism for protecting the neural tissues against hypoxic injuries.