Objective To investigate the effects of RNA interference (RNAi) targeting angiotensinconverting enzyme (ACE) on blood glucose,insulin resistance,as well as oxidative stress in type 2 diabetic rats.Methods Type 2 diabetic rats were divided into diabetes control group (caudal intravenation with control adenovirus named Ad5),gene treatment group (caudal intravenation with recombinant adenoviral vectors named Ad5-ACE-shRNA,expressing ACE gene-specific shRNA),and enalapril group (intragastric administration with enalapril every day).At the same time,the normal blood glucose control group was set up.All rats were injected two times during the experiment period.Blood glucose was measured before and after the intervention.At the third day of the experiment,expressions of ACE mRNA and protein in pancreas were evaluated by RT-PCR and Western blot,and serum concentrations of ACE and Ang Ⅱ were measured by ELISA.By the end of the experiment,insulin sensitivity index was calculated and expressions of glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) protein of epididymal adipose tissue and NAD (P) H (p22phox) protein of pancreas were measured.Results Blood glucose levels in the gene treatment group [(17.8 ±1.1) mmol/L] and the enalapril group [(17.9 ± 1.2) mmol/L] were lower than that in the diabetes control group [(24.9 ± 1.3) mmol/L] when the experiment was finished.ACE mRNA and protein expressions in pancreas of the gene treatment group were significantly decreased compared with the diabetes control group (P ＜ 0.05).Serum concentrations of ACE and Ang Ⅱ in the gene treatment group were (16.37 ± 3.01) ng/ml and (18.24 ± 3.69)pg/ml,significantly lower than those of the diabetes control group [(46.67 ± 3.92) ng/ml and (44.93 ± 4.12) pg/ml respectively,both P＜0.05].Insulin sensitivity indexes of the gene treatment group and the enalapril group were (-5.14 ± 0.41) and (-5.17 ± 0.38),being all significantly higher than that of the diabetes control group (-6.18 ±0.46,both P＜0.05).Expressions of GLUT4 protein in epididymal adipose tissue were higher and expressions of p22phox protein in pancreas were lower in the gene treatment group and the enalapril group than those of the diabetes control group (both P＜0.05).Conclusions RNAi targeting ACE gene may delay the progress of hyperglycaemia and improve the situation of insulin resistance and oxidative stress.The RNAi technology may be used as a new strategy of gene therapy for diabetes mellitus.

AIM: To compare and analyze the stereopsis of intermittent exotropia children under the different backgrounds of dynamic stimuli and static stimuli.
METHODS: We collected 56 children ( male 26, female 30 with intermittent exotropia at the age from 5y to 12y and examined their stereopsis under the different backgrounds of dynamic stimuli and static stimuli using a multidimensional sense perception training software. The differences between the dynamic stereopsis and static stereopsis were compared.
RESULTS: Totally 17 cases ( 30%) had both dynamicstereopsis and static stereopsis, 39 cases ( 70%) had either dynamic or static stereopsis deficit, only 10 cases ( 26%) had dynamic stereopsis, 25 cases ( 64%) static stereopsis left and 4 cases ( 10%) were without any form of stereopsis. The positive rate of dynamic stereopsis was better than the positive rate of static stereopsis, with statistical significance (P<0. 05).
CONCLUSION: Dynamicstereopsis is better than the static stereopsis to intermittent exotropia children.

OBJECTIVETo explore the clinical outcomes of percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) and percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP) in treating osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture (OVCF).

METHODSFrom January 2007 to February 2010, the data of 40 patients with osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture underwent treatment were retrospectively analyzed. Of them,20 patients were treated with PVP (PVP group), there were 8 males and 12 females with an average age of (66.37 +/- 2.34) years old (54 to 81); 20 patients were treated with PKP (PKP group), there were 11 males and 9 females with an average of (65.12 +/- 3.21) years old (56 to 79). Postoperative at 1 week, 12 weeks, 1 year, pain and daily life function were respectively assessed by visual analogue scale (VAS) and Barthel index (BI); and anterior height of responsibility vertebra, Cobb angle were measured by X-rays.

RESULTSIn PVP group, 1 case complicated with bone cement leakage without clinical symptoms and no operation to treat. No postoperative infection and deep vein thrombosis were found between two groups. All patients were followed up more than 1 year, pain and daily life function has obviously improved than preoperative (P < 0.01); and there was no significant difference on 1 week, 12 weeks, 1 year after operation (P > 0.05); there was no significant difference between two groups (P > 0.05). In PVP group, there was no significant difference in anterior height of responsibility vertebra, Cobb angle before and after operation;and in PKP group, postoperative data has obviously improved than preoperative (P < 0.01), but there was no significant difference postoperative at 1 week, 12 weeks, 1 year (P > 0.05); there was no significant difference between two groups at 1 week, 12 weeks, 1 year after operation.

CONCLUSIONBoth the methods can obviously relieve pain and completely or partly recover daily life function in treating OVCF. But PKP has advantages of recovery of anterior height of responsibility vertebra and correction of Cobb angle, especially for serious compression.

Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Female ; Fractures, Compression ; diagnostic imaging ; physiopathology ; surgery ; Humans ; Kyphoplasty ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Osteoporotic Fractures ; diagnostic imaging ; physiopathology ; surgery ; Radiography ; Recovery of Function ; Retrospective Studies ; Spinal Fractures ; diagnostic imaging ; physiopathology ; surgery ; Spine ; surgery ; Treatment Outcome

Animals ; Animals, Newborn ; Chronic Disease ; Daunorubicin ; adverse effects ; Disease Models, Animal ; Heart Failure ; chemically induced ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

Objective To investigate the effects of cognitive interventions (CIs) in the context of communi- ty based rehabilitation (CBR) on cognitive deficits (CDs) in stroke patients.Methods Ninety-two stoke patients with CDs were randomly divided into a CI group and a control group.All patients were treated with conventional CBR.In addition,the patients in the CI group were also treated with special intervention therapy.The patients in both groups were assessed with the neurological and cognitive status examination (NCSE) for cognitive functioning, the FCA for motor function and the BI for their ability in the activities of daily living.Results The NCSE,FCA and BI scores in the cognitive intervention group after treatment were significantly higher than those before treatment and also significantly higher than those in the control group after treatment.Conclusion CIs can not only improve CDs,but also enhance recovery of motor function and ADL.

Objective To explore the establishment of a rat model of acute radiation-induced liver injury and sig-nificance of the dynamic changes of TGF-β1 expression.Methods Forty healthy 6-week old male SD rats were randomly divided into model group (n=30) and control group (n=10).The right liver of rats in the model group was given a single dose of 25 Gy 6 MV X-ray irradiation.Histopathological examination using HE staining and transmission electron microsco-py were conducted to observe the liver pathological changes in rats at 3, 5, and 10 days after irradiation, serum TGF-β1 was detected, and relevant indicators of liver function ( ALT, AST, ALP) were determined.Statistical analysis was per-formed using SPSS 17.0 software.Results At 3, 5 and 10 days after irradiation, early pathological changes in the liver cells were observed by electron microscopy, the expression of TGF-β1 was gradually increased with the time prolongation, and significant differences were found between the model group and the control group at different time points (P<0.05). The light microscopic observation of liver tissues did not show significant differences between the control group and model group.The liver ALT, AST, ALP at different time points did not show significant differences between the two groups ( P>0.05).Conclusion Electron microscopy can be used to evaluate the early changes of radiation-induced liver injury, pri-or to the alterations visible by routine light microscopy.TGF-β1 can be used to predict the degree of radiation-induced liver injury, and may be used as a sensitive serum cytokine in predicting the degree of radiation-induced acute liver injury.

The response rules of pressing pain on the back section in the Governor Vessel in patients with gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD) were studied to provide references for the diagnosis and treatment of GERD. Seventy-six cases of GERD were included into an observation group while 30 healthy volunteers were recruited into a control group. A mechanical measurement device of pressing pain that could measure the pain threshold was adapted to observe the pressing pain on the back section in the Governor Vessel in GERD patients and healthy volunteers. The test area is from spinous process of the 1st thoracic vertebra to that of the 12th thoracic vertebra (T1 -T12), including acupoints and non-acupoints on the Governor Vessel. As a result, in the observation group the pain threshold of T5-T7 spinous process clearance, which was the location of Shendao (GV 11), Lingtai (GV 10) and Zhiyang (GV 9), was lower than that in the control group (all P < 0.05). This result indicated that there was significant pressing pain in T5-T7 spinous process clearance in patients with GERD, which could be taken as an important auxiliary diagnosis and a new thinking method in the treatment of GERD with acupuncture.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Gastroesophageal Reflux ; diagnosis ; physiopathology ; Humans ; Male ; Meridians ; Middle Aged ; Pressure ; Sensation ; Thoracic Vertebrae ; physiopathology ; Young Adult

This study was purposed to analyze the characteristics of morphology, immunology, cytogenetic and molecular biology of leukemia cells in 12 AML patients with Ph(+) and their correlation with survival of patients. 12 patients with Ph(+) AML were diagnosed according to diagnostic criteria of WHO and existence of t(9;22) (q34;q11) or t(9;22) abnormality, meanwhile no evidence of CML chronic phase was observed. The results showed that 8 out of 12 cases were confirmedly diagnosed to be AML by morphologic and immunophenotypic examination, 4 cases were diagnosed as myeloid and B lymphocytic mixed acute leukemia. The Ph chromosome was detected in 10 cases by chromosome analysis at the first time of diagnosis, and some of the cases had coexistence of complex chromosome and/or normal karyotype. BCR-ABL transcript was detected in all 12 cases, including 7 cases with b3a2, 1 case with b2a2, 1 case with b2a2 variants, 2 cases with e1a2 and 1 case with e18a2. The 12 cases all got complete remission after chemotherapy and/or gleevec treatment, out of them 3 cases received chemotherapy and gleevec treatment, but 2 cases died; 9 cases received allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (allo-HSCT), 1 case died from relapse, among them 1 case died from transplant complications. The median survival was 24 (8 - 80) months, the overall survival of 3 years was (51.4 ± 17.7)%. It is concluded that the Ph(+) AML is a acute myelogenous leukemia with poor prognosis, but long-term survival may be achieved with HSCT as quick as after complete remission from gleevec and chemotherapy treatment. Meanwhile, the detection of BCR-ABL gene and it variants may be give more opportunity for diagnose and treatment, which can be used as routine screening for newly diagnosed leukemia.
Adult ; Child ; Female ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Humans ; Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive ; diagnosis ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma ; diagnosis ; Prognosis

Objective To investigate the correlation between cerebral infarction and homocysteine (Hcy) level and atherosclerosis index (ASI) , and to provide reference for prevention and treatment of cerebral infarction. Methods 2525 patients hospitalized with cerebral infarction and 8151 healthy subjects were included in the study, the blood serum homocysteine and blood lipid levels were detected by enzymatic cycling and enzymatic method, and the ASI was calculated according to the results of blood lipid test. The risk factors of cerebral infarction were analyzed by logistic regression analysis model. Results The Physical examination Health Group male 4952, female 3199, average (45.65±10.77) years old, in the cerebral infarction Group male 1590 cases, female 935, average (65.47±12.16) years old. A total of 360 patients with high homocysteine were detected in the Health examination group, the detection rate was 4.42%, the cerebral infarction group detected 268 patients with high homocysteine, the detection rate was 10.61%, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.01) . Logistic regression analysis showed that age (OR=1.147, 95%CI: 1.140~1.154), homocysteine (OR=1.022, 95% CI: 1.010 ~1.035) and total cholesterol (OR=2.815, 95% CI: 2.603 ~3.045) level, ASI (OR=1.914, 95%CI: 1.794~2.042) are the risk factors of cerebral infarction, women (OR=0.694, 95%CI: 0.606~0.697) are the protective factors for the occurrence of cerebral infarction. Conclusion Serum homocysteine and total cholesterol levels, ASI elevated can increase the risk of cerebral infarction, regular detection of serum homocysteine and lipid levels can help early detection and prevention of cerebral infarction.

OBJECTIVETo detect potential mutations for probands from families affected with Duchenne/Becker muscular dystrophy (DMD/BMD), and to carry out prenatal diagnosis through identification of female carriers.

METHODSA total of 43 DMD/BMD families were recruited. Multiplex PCR was used to analyze 18 exons within hotspots for DMD gene deletions. Multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) was used to detect potential deletions and duplications of DMD gene for 43 patients and 36 females from 32 families. Prenatal diagnosis was performed for 27 families.

RESULTSDeletional mutations were detected in 26 patients with multiplex PCR. In addition, MLPA has detected 3 deletions and 6 duplicational mutations, and the ranges of mutations were all determined. Among 36 female members, 18 were determined as carriers of deletional mutations, 10 were excluded as mutation carriers. The status of remaining 8 could not be determined. For prenatal diagnosis, 3 out of 18 male fetuses were diagnosed as patients and 1 female fetus was identified as carrier.

CONCLUSIONMLPA is an accurate and reliable method for detecting deletional/duplicational mutations of DMD gene as well as for prenatal diagnosis and detection of female carriers.

Adolescent ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Dystrophin ; genetics ; Female ; Heterozygote ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Muscular Dystrophy, Duchenne ; diagnosis ; genetics ; Mutation ; Pedigree ; Pregnancy ; Prenatal Diagnosis