OBJECTIVE: To establish the electricity plate digestion and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) method for determination of 33 inorganic elements in human hair. METHODS: Lithium (6Li), Germanium (72Ge), Yttrium (89Y), Indium (115In), and Terbium (159Tb) were used as internal standards. The electric heating board digestion in a mixture of nitric acid and hydrogen peroxide was used as the pre-treatment of the hair. Thirty-three inorganic elements in human hair were analyzed by ICP-MS method. RESULTS: The detection limit of ICP-MS was 0.0001 microg/g(Th)-10.9 microg/g (Ca) and the limit of quantitation was 0.0005 microg/g (Th)-25 microg/g (Ca). The recovery rate of this method was 86%-113%. The RSD for the intra-day and inter-day were less than 9.2%. The method was not statistically different from microwave digestion method. CONCLUSION This method is highly efficient and accurate. It can be used for analysis of 33 inorganic elements in human hair.
Electricity ; Hair/chemistry* ; Humans ; Limit of Detection ; Mass Spectrometry/methods* ; Microwaves ; Reference Standards ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Trace Elements/analysis*

OBJECTIVE: To determine the normal reference values of 33 elements, Ag, Al, As, Au, B, Ba, Be, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cs, Cu, Fe, Ga, Hg, Li, Mg, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Rb, Sb, Se, Sr, Th, Ti, Tl, U, V, Zn and Zr, in the blood and urine samples from the general population in Sanmen County of Zhejiang province, a typical coastal area of eastern China. METHODS: The 33 elements in 272 blood and 300 urine samples were determined by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The normality test of data was conducted using SPSS 17.0 Statistics. The data was compared with other reports. RESULTS: The normal reference values of the 33 elements in the blood and urine samples from the general population in Sanmen County were obtained, which of some elements were found to be similar with other reports, such as Co, Cu, Mn and Sr, while As, Cd, Hg and Pb were generally found to be higher than those previously reported. There was a wide variation between the reports from different countries in blood Ba. CONCLUSION The normal reference values of the 33 elements in the blood and urine samples from the general population in Sanmen County are established, and successfully applied to two poisoning cases.
Blood Chemical Analysis ; China ; Elements ; Environmental Monitoring ; Humans ; Urinalysis

OBJECTIVETo investigate the nephrotoxic effects of methyl cantharidimide tablets on urinary protein and enzymes in Beagle dogs.

METHODBeagle dogs were randomly divided into negative control group(blank tablet), methyl cantharidimide tablets group (6.11,12.21, 24.42 mg x kg(-1)), continuously 30 days of oral adminiStration, once a day. The drug and control group were collected and determined fresh urine in 1, 2, 3 and 4 weeks of the administration; Serum urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine (Crea), total protein (TP) and albumin (ALB) as well as sodium, potassium, chloride electrolyte were determined on 15 and 30 days of the administration; Urine albumin (mAlb), kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1), neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin( NGAL), N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (NAG), clusterin, beta2-microglobulin (beta2-MG), alpha1-microglobulin (alpha1-MG), alanine aminopeptidase( AAP) and im- munoglobulins IgG were tested on 15 and 30 days of the administration.

RESULTCompared with the control group, urine protein and white blood cells was significantly increased in each dose group. On 15 days of the administration, mAlb were higher in each dose group, KIM-1, NGAL, clusterin, NAG and AAP were significantly higher in high-dose group, while the middle and low dose group had no significant difference, as well as blood SCr and BUN no obvious abnormalities. On 30 days, mAlb, KIM-1, clusterin, NAG, AAP were increased in each dose group, appearing dose-effect relationship, beta2-MG and NGAL levels were significantly increased in high-dose group. Contents above indicators were increased with significant dose and time relationship, and serum BUN, Scr were correlated, suggesting that urine mAlb, KIM-1, clusterin, NAG and AAP indicators that can sensitively respond the changes of proteins and enzymes in urine.

CONCLUSIONMethyl cantharidimide tablets has a renal toxicity, urine mAlb, KIM-1, clusterin, NAG and AAP can be used as the early nephrotoxic biomarkers of methyl cantharidimide tablets.

Animals ; Biomarkers ; urine ; Dogs ; Female ; Kidney ; drug effects ; Kidney Diseases ; chemically induced ; Male ; Proteins ; metabolism ; Tablets ; adverse effects ; Urine ; chemistry

OBJECTIVE: To establish the method for measurement of acetonitrile in blood and urine by head-space gas chromatography. METHODS: DB-ALC1 (30 m x 320 microm x 1.8 microm) and DB-ALC2 (30 m x 320 microm x 1.2 microm) capillary column were used to measure the acetonitrile in blood and urine with the isopropanol as internal standard reference. RESULTS: The limits of detection of acetonitrile in both blood and urine were 0.5 microg/mL, with a linear range of 5-1000 microg/mL (r = 0.999).The accuracy of this method was 93.2%-98.0%. The RSD for the intra-day and inter-day were less than 3.7%. CONCLUSION The method is capable for measurement analysis of acetonitrile in blood and urine.
Acetonitriles/urine* ; Chromatography, Gas/methods* ; Cyanides/urine* ; Forensic Toxicology/methods* ; Humans ; Reproducibility of Results ; Suicide, Attempted

Objective To investigate the neuroprotective effects of angiotensin Ⅱ type 1 receptor (AT1R) blocker olmesartan medoxomil (OLM) on intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs). Methods SHRs (male, 12 weeks old; weighing 300±20 g) were randomly assigned to normal, ICH, vehicle-treatment ICH (control), OLM-treatment ICH (OLM) groups. ICH was induced via stereotaxic right basal ganglia administration of collagenase type Ⅶ. One hour after ICH, the rats in OLM group were given a single oral dose of OLM (10 or 3 mg/kg solved in 1 mL sodium carboxymethylcellulose) via nasogastric feeding, and those in the control group received an equal volume of sodium carboxymethylcellulose only. Six hours after ICH induction, mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) was measured using the non-invasive method of tail-cuff plethysmography in conscious rats. Twenty-four hours after ICH induction, neurobehavior was detected by the modified limb placing test (MLPT); brain water content was measured by dry-wet method; the mRNA expression levels of receptor and target genes were analyzed by real-time PCR. Results MAP in the ICH group ([121.4±3.5] mm Hg) did not significantly differ from baseline pressure in the normal group ([120.2±3.8] mm Hg)(P>0.05); MAP in the OLM group with 10 mg/kg ([105.6±3.1] mm Hg) was significantly lower than that in the ICH group (P<0.05); the OLM group with 3 mg/kg ([120.8±3.1] mm Hg) and control group ([118.6±3.9] mm Hg) did not induce blood pressure reduction, and did not show significant difference as compared with the ICH group (P>0.05). In the hemorrhagic hemisphere, brain water content in the OLM group with 3 mg/kg (80.02%±0.32%) had significant difference from that in the ICH group (80.90%±0.36%, P< 0.05); brain water content of the control group (80.81%±0.32%) was slightly lower than that of the ICH group, without significant differences (P>0.05). The OLM group with 3 mg/kg (5.03±0.71) was showed significantly lower score of MLPT as compared with that in the ICH group (6.62±0.55, P<0.05). The score of MLPT in the control group (6.41 ±0.55) did not differ from that in the ICH group (P>0.05). In the hemorrhagic hemisphere, the mRNA expressions of AT1R and target genes, such as HO-1, COX-2, IL-6 and VCAM-1, in the OLM group with 3 mg/kg were significantly lower than those in the ICH group (P<0.05), but the difference between the control and ICH groups did not show statistical significance (P>0.05). Conclusion Treatment with low doses of OLM in the experimental ICH of SHRs may promote its neurological recovery and induce its neuroprotective effects, including reduction of edema, inhibition of inflammation and oxidative stress.

Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of oxiracetam in the treatment of neurological deficits resulting from brain injury through the comparison of oxiracetam for injection and piracetam for injection in clinical trials. Methods A multiple-center, randomized, double-blind,parallel study was performed on 239 patients; these patients were divided into experimental group (oxiracetam for injection, n=120) and control group (piracetam, n=119). National institutes of health stroke scale (NIHSS), Glasgow coma scale (GCS), myodynamia grading, mini-metal state examination (MMSE) were employed to evaluate the therapeutic effects; electrocardiogram and laboratory examination were performed, and the side effects were also observed. Results The scores of NIHSS,GCS and myodynamia grading after treatment in the 2 groups were all significantly higher than those before treatment (P＜0.05); however, no significant differences on these scores were noted between the experimental group and control group (P＞0.05). No serious adverse events were noted in both groups.Conclusion Oxiracetam, the same as piracetam, is safe and effective in the treatment of neurological deficits secondary to brain injury.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the relationship between changes and clinical significance of serum glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) and the degree of liver lesions in chronic hepatitis B (CHB).

METHODSExaminations of serum ALT, AST, GGT levels and liver biopsy were carried out and classification and staging of liver fibrosis and inflammation were performed for 70 patients with CHB. The relationship between ALT, AST, GGT and CHB was analyzed.

RESULTS(1) ALT, AST and GGT increased with the degree of inflammation and fibrosis, but their levels declined with the degree of G4 and S4. The correlation coefficients of ALT and GGT, AST and GGT were (0.322 and 0.328, P less than 0.05). With liver-protective treatment, in the cases with mild CHB, ALT was normalized quickly but GGT remained at a lower level. While ALT declined, GGT was still at a relatively high level for moderate and severe CHB cases, among them the level of GGT fluctuated.

CONCLUSIONSerum GGT reflects the degree of liver inflammation more accurately than ALT and AST do and GGT activity can provide important evidence for clinical assessment of chronic hepatitis B.

Adult ; Alanine Transaminase ; blood ; Aspartate Aminotransferases ; blood ; Female ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; drug therapy ; enzymology ; Humans ; Male ; gamma-Glutamyltransferase ; blood

OBJECTIVETo summarize and analyze the clinical characteristics and diagnostic and therapeutic measures for the first human case of H5N1 avian influenza pneumonia in mainland of China.

METHODSThe clinical data of the first case of H5N1 avian influenza virus infection in China were analyzed and summarized.

RESULTSThe case is a 9-year old boy, who developed acute symptoms of a light common respiratory infection, including fever and dry cough without obvious catarrh. On the 7th day after onset, his temperature reached 40 degrees C, tachypnea occurred, distinct rales could be heard and large areas of consolidation were seen in the lungs on chest X-ray. The patient's peripheral blood leukocyte count was 2.81 x 10(9)/L and neutrophils dominated. After comprehensive therapeutic approaches, including antiviral therapy (amantadine) and use of low-dosage glucocorticoid, the patient's temperature returned to normal on the 3rd hospitalization day, chest X-ray showed absorbed inflammatory change on the 5th day after admission, and leukocyte count became normal on the 6th day. No complication occurred during the whole course. The case was diagnosed by the 4 fold raised antibody to the H5N1 influenza virus in recovery stage serum because the H5N1 nucleic acid test in early stage was negative. The case was cured and discharged after 3 weeks comprehensive treatment.

CONCLUSIONSIt is very important for clinicians to pay enough attention to epidemiological history, especially history of exposure to avian influenza virus contaminated material, which will be very helpful for early detection, early diagnosis of the disease, and also very important for effective treatment and better prognosis.

Amantadine ; therapeutic use ; Animals ; Antibodies, Viral ; blood ; immunology ; Antiviral Agents ; therapeutic use ; Birds ; Child ; China ; Glucocorticoids ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Influenza A Virus, H5N1 Subtype ; immunology ; isolation & purification ; Influenza in Birds ; transmission ; Influenza, Human ; complications ; diagnosis ; Male ; Pneumonia ; diagnosis ; drug therapy ; physiopathology ; virology ; Treatment Outcome

Objective To explore the relationship between serum homocysteine and metabolic syndrome (MS).Methods A cohort with 1680 people involved in a community-based population in Beijing was investigated.Metabolic syndrome was defined by NCEP-ATP Ⅲ criteria.Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the odds ratios (OR) of MS.Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to analyze the association between Hcy and characteristic variables.Results Homocysteine was higher in MS population compared to those without MS ( 17.99 μmol/L vs.17.18 μmol/L,P=0.007) after adjusted for age and sex.Levels of homocysteine increased with the presence of MS components (from 0 to 4 or 5) (16.71,16.94,17.62,18.20,17.82 μmol/L respectively,P=0.044 for linear trend).Among the components,groups with larger waist circumference,higher blood pressure and triglycerides showed significantly higher Hcy level than their counterparts.Results from multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that the highest Hcy quartile (Hcy Ⅳ ) was significantly associated with MS.Compared with the lowest Hcy quartile (Hcy Ⅰ ),the adjusted odds ratio of having MS in HcyⅣ was 1.379(1.005-1.892) after adjusting for age,sex,levels on creatinine/estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR)/low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and uric acid,smoking,alcohol intake and exercise.In the partial correlation analyses,Hcy was positively associated with body mass index (BMI),waist circumsternece,blood pressure,LDL-C,triglycerides (TG),uric acid,serum creatinine,eGFR,but inversely associated with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and independently with age and sex.In multiple linear regression analysis,age,male sex,BMI,LDL-C,creatinine and uric acid were found to be independently associated with Hcy level.Conclusion There was an association noticed between the MS using NCEP-ATP Ⅲ criteria and the highest quartile level of Hcy in this study.Factors as age and being male,the levels of BMI,LDL-C,creatinine and uric acid were independently associated with the Hcy level.

Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal(HPA)axis-related factors in patients with type 2 diabetes were studied according to different levels of HbA1C.It showed that HPA axis was normal in HbA1C≤ 7% group[ACTH (18.03±8.39)ng/L,blood cortisol(49.22±8.68)μg/L],hyperactive in 7%11% group with weak feedback regulation[ACTH(26.08±15.41)ng/L,blood cortisol(55.64±24.27)μg/L].These results suggest that HPA axis-related factors in type 2 diabetic patients are different with different grades of glucose metabolic turbulence.