Anticonvulsants ; therapeutic use ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Electroencephalography ; Epilepsies, Myoclonic ; complications ; diagnosis ; drug therapy ; physiopathology ; Female ; Fever ; complications ; physiopathology ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Prognosis ; Seizures ; drug therapy ; etiology ; physiopathology ; Severity of Illness Index

OBJECTIVESeizures occur more frequently in the neonatal period than at any other time in life. A controversy which has been debated for the recent years is whether recurrent neonatal seizures can lead to long-term adverse consequences or are simply a reflection of underlying brain dysfunction and are not intrinsically harmful. Despite numerous clinical observations showed that seizures may be detrimental to the developing brain, the pathological mechanism has not yet been completely understood. The goal of this study was to investigate what effect was induced by recurrent seizures in neonatal rats on dentate granule cell neurogenesis.

METHODSSixty-four neonatal Wistar rats were randomly divided into seizure group (n = 40) and control group (n = 24). The rats of seizure group were subjected to three times of pilocarpine injections intraperitonealy at postnatal day 1 (P1), 4 (P4) and 7 (P7). Neonatal rats of the control group were given saline injection (i.p.) at the same time points. The rat were sacrificed separately at the next four time points: immediately after the third seizure (P7), the fourth day after the seizure (P11), the fourteenth day (P21) and the forty fifth day (P52), corresponding control group rats were killed accordingly. The rats in both seizure and control groups were given bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) injection 36 hours before sacrifice to indicate newly generated cells. Brain tissue sections were prepared and subjected to Nissl staining for neuronal loss, by BrdU labeling for cell proliferation and by BrdU + NF200 (neurofilament 200) double labeling for the identification of the newly formed cells.

RESULTSThe numbers of BrdU-labeled cells were age-dependent in the control group, decreased with age, and their morphorlogy and distribution changed (P < 0.01). BrdU-labeled cells decreased significantly in the seizure group compared with the matched controls at P7 and P11 (P < 0.01), while at P21 there was no significant difficence between the two groups. On the contrary, BrdU-labeled cells increased significantly in the seizure group compared with the matched controls at P52 (P < 0.01). Most BrdU-labeled cells in granular cell layer (GCL) of both seizure group and control group coexpressed NF200.

CONCLUSIONRecurrent seizures during neonatal period lead to decreased neurogenesis at the early stage after the third seizure, and at later time points increase of neurogenesis. Most of newly generated cells can differentiate into neurons.

Age Factors ; Animals ; Animals, Newborn ; Bromodeoxyuridine ; Hippocampus ; physiology ; Neurogenesis ; physiology ; Pilocarpine ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Recurrence ; Seizures ; chemically induced ; physiopathology ; Staining and Labeling ; methods

OBJECTIVETo design an artificial trachea which can totally heal with the native trachea.

METHODSUsing memory-alloy mesh as the skeleton to construct an artificial trachea by two-stage operation. After 2-year animal experiment we successfully performed the operation in a patient with recurrent carcinoid of the trachea, radically resected the tumor and primarily reconstructed the trachea.

RESULTSThe inner side of this "sandwich" artificial tracheal prosthesis was coated with skin and outside the memory-alloy mesh was muscle and vessel pedicle with good blood supply. The upper and lower anastomosis completely healed with recipient's trachea with a full recovery of trachea. Six-month follow-up showed that the patients resumed their normal life.

CONCLUSIONThe artificial trachea completely healed with the native trachea and became a part of the human trachea. The inner side of artificial trachea is coated with intact native skin tissue with ample blood supply, totally alive without rejection. Therefore, the pedicled artificial tracheal prosthesis is an real artificial trachea.

Alloys ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Prostheses and Implants ; Trachea ; surgery ; Tracheal Neoplasms ; surgery

OBJECTIVEIt is well documented that epilepsy can increase neurogenesis in certain brain regions and cause behavioral alternations in patients and different epileptic animal models. A series of experimental studies have demonstrated that neurogenesis is regulated by various factors including glucocorticoid (CORT), which can reduce neurogenesis. Most of studies in animal have been focused on adulthood stage, while the effect of recurrent seizures to immature brain in neonatal period has not been well established. This study was designed to investigate how the recurrent seizures occurred in the neonatal period affected the immature brain and how CORT regulated neurogenesis in immature animals.

METHODSNeonatal rats were subjected to 3 pilocarpine-induced seizures from postnatal day 1 to day 7. Then neurogenesis at different postnatal ages (i.e. P8, P12, P22, P50) was observed. Behavioral performance was tested when the rats were mature (P40), and plasma CORT levels following recurrent seizures were simultaneously monitored.

RESULTSRats with neonatal seizures had a significant reduction in the number of Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) labeled cells in the dentate gyrus compared with the control groups when the animals were euthanized on P8 or P12 (P<0.05); whereas there was no difference between the two groups on P22. Until P50, rats with neonatal seizures had increased number of BrdU-labeled cells compared with the control group (P<0.05). In Morris water maze task, pilocarpine-treated rats were significantly slower than the control rats at the first and second day, and there were no differences at other days. In probe trial, there was no significant difference in time spent in the goal quadrant between the two groups. Endocrine studies showed a correlation between the number of BrdU positive cells and the CORT level. Sustained increase in circulating CORT levels was observed following neonatal seizures on P8 and P12.

CONCLUSIONNeonatal recurrent seizures can biphasely modulate neurogenesis over different time windows with a down-regulation at early time and up-regulation afterwards, cause persistent deficits in cognitive functions of adults, and increase the circulating CORT levels. CORT levels are related with the morphological and behavioral consequences of recurrent seizures.

Age Factors ; Animals ; Animals, Newborn ; Critical Period (Psychology) ; Dentate Gyrus ; cytology ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Glucocorticoids ; blood ; Male ; Maze Learning ; physiology ; Neurons ; cytology ; metabolism ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Seizures ; metabolism ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Stem Cells ; cytology ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo investigate the metabolic regulation and apoptosis of Sailong bone extracts on rat osteoblast cells in vitro.

METHODSailong bone fat-soluble extract, Sailong bone ethanol extract and Sailong bone aqueous extract were extracted with super critical fluid extraction (SCFE) , and Sailong bone boiling water component was extracted with distilled water directly. MTT assay was applied to determine the proliferation of the cell promoted by four Sailong bone extracts and PAS assay for the aqueous proportion of the cell at different doses.

RESULTSailong bone fat-soluble and aqueous extract (each 10 mg x mL (-1)) could significantly improve the proliferation of rat osteoblast cells ROS 17/2. 8 (P < 0. 01). Compared with the blank, the proportion of xub-G, of the different extracts from Sailong bone is reduce evidently. The result have shown the extracts from Sailong bone could reduce the rate of aqueous of cell and could suspend the aqueous.

CONCLUSIONSailong bone can promoting the proliferation, degrading the rate of the apoptosis and delay the development of osteoblast to be the substitute of the bone of tiger as a Chinese materia medica.

Animals ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Bone and Bones ; chemistry ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Cells, Cultured ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Materia Medica ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Osteoblasts ; cytology ; drug effects ; Rats ; Rodentia ; Time Factors

BACKGROUNDRhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is an uncommon malignancy of the breast. The aim of this study was to summarize its clinicopathologic features and biological behavior.

METHODSFive primary or secondary breast RMSs were collected. Their clinicopathological characteristics and all published literature about breast RMS were reviewed. Immunohistochemical study of desmin, myogenic differentiation 1 (MyoD1), myogenin, leukocyte common antigen (LCA), vimentin, cytokeratin (AE1/AE3), E-cadherin, neuron specific enolase (NSE), CD99, chorioallantoic membrane 5.2 (CAM5.2) and epithelial membrane antigen (EMA) expression were performed.

RESULTSThe five patients were all female with ages ranging from 16 to 46 years old (mean, 30 years). Three were metastatic breast RMSs, two embryonal and one solid variant alveolar, with the primary tumor sites the right labium majus, left nasal meatus and nasopharynx, respectively. The other two, one embryonal and one alveolar, were primaries. Grossly, the surgical specimens revealed round or oval, well-demarcated but nonencapsulated masses. Their cut surfaces consisted of homogeneous grayish yellow or white tissue. Microscopically, most tumor cells were poorly differentiated small round, oval or small polygons with eosinophilic cytoplasm. All cases were positive for vimentin, desmin, MyoD1 and myogenin. One embryonal RMS also had a few cells with perinuclear staining of AE1/AE3. The other markers were negative.

CONCLUSIONSAlthough primary or metastatic RMS in breast was almost confined to young adolescent females, our cases suggested that it can also happen to the middle-aged women. Embryonal RMS has a certain metastatic potential. MyoD1 and myogenin are two useful markers when making differential diagnosis. Axillary lymph node status and age may play a role in the prognosis of primary breast RMS patients.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Breast Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Middle Aged ; Rhabdomyosarcoma ; diagnosis ; metabolism ; Young Adult

BACKGROUNDWhether the low molecular weight heparin microcapsule coated occluder is helpful to endothelialization in atrial-septal defect models is uncertain. This study aimed to investigate the best conditions for low molecular weight heparin coated NiTi alloy occluder and provide the evidence of the efficacy and safety of atrial-septal defect occluders in vivo.

METHODSLow molecular weight heparin microcapsules were investigated using gelatin as microcapsule material. The prepared low molecular weight heparin gelatin particles were subjected to nickel and titanium alloy occluder coating by sodium hyaluronate. A dog model of atrial septal defects was established after treatment with low molecular weight heparin microcapsule coated occluder (n = 4) and uncoated occluder (n = 4). Endotheliocytes and fibroblastic cells in occluders were observed. And the rate of endothelialization was detected.

RESULTSWhen the concentration of gelatin was 1%, the diameters of particles were mostly about 100 microm, and the particle size was uniform. The envelope efficiency of low molecular weight heparin microcapsule was about 80%. The endothelialization of occluder in the model was more obvious in the coated group than in the uncoated group (P < 0.0001).

CONCLUSIONSLow molecular weight heparin can be prepared into microcapsules with their particle size in nanometric grade. The antithrombotic properties are kept in the nickel and titanium alloy occluder successfully coated with sodium hyaluronate. The endothelialization after the interventional occlusion in the coated group is obvious, indicating that low molecular weight heparin is helpful to the growth of endothelial cells in the occlude and the healing after the interventional occlusion.

Alloys ; chemistry ; Animals ; Anticoagulants ; pharmacology ; Capsules ; chemistry ; Disease Models, Animal ; Dogs ; Endothelial Cells ; drug effects ; ultrastructure ; Fibroblasts ; drug effects ; Gelatin ; chemistry ; Heart Septal Defects, Atrial ; drug therapy ; Heparin, Low-Molecular-Weight ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Immunohistochemistry ; Microscopy, Electron, Transmission ; Particle Size ; Random Allocation

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the safety of human umbilical cord derived-mesenchymal stem cell (UC-MSC) transplantation therapy in patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis.

METHODSUC-MSCs were transplanted intravenously into patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis. Serum levels of glucose (GLU), total cholesterol (TC), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), alpha fetoprotein (AFP), white blood cells (WBC), and prothrombin activity (PA) were detected at different time points after UC-MSCs transplantation.

RESULTSMost UC-MSC transplanted patients experienced an improvement in quality of life, to varying degrees. With the exception of low-grade fever in a few patients, side effects and oncogenic events were rare (treatment group: 1/38 vs. control group: 1/16; P more than 0.05). The UC-MSCs transplantation showed no effect on GLU, TC, BUN, AFP, WBC, or PA.

CONCLUSIONUC-MSCs transplantation in patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis is safe and may improve the patient's quality of life.

Adult ; Aged ; Cord Blood Stem Cell Transplantation ; adverse effects ; Female ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis ; complications ; surgery ; Male ; Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation ; adverse effects ; Middle Aged ; Prospective Studies

Objective To study the impairnlent of cognitive function and the change of P300 event-related potential(ERP)parameters in the patients with tumor in frontal lobe so as to investigate the role of the front lobe in cognitive function and the P300 production. Methods P300 examination and neuropsychological tests for cognition,including Stroop Test,Symbol Digit Modalities Test,and Verbal Fluency Test,et al,were performed in 31 patients with tumor in front lobe(left 15 and right 16)and 30 healthy controls. Results Compared with healthy controls, in the patients with front lobe tumor,cognitive function was degraded(P＜0.05),the latency of N3,P3 of P300 was significantly longer,and the amplitude of P3 was significantly lower(P＜0.05).Funhermore,the patients with tumor in right front lobe had signmcantly lower scores in cognitive tests compared with healthy controls (P＜0.05), but the ones with tumor in left front lobe were demonstrated obviously impaired only in Verbal Fluency Test(P＜0.05).Compared with healthy controls, the patients with tumor in eimer right or left flront lobe, the latency of N3,P3 of P300 was significantly longer,the amplitude of P3 was significantly lower(P＜0.05),while in the comparison of two sides, there was no statistically significantly difference in P300 (P＞0.05).Conclusions The cognitive function is obviously impaired in the patients with tumor in frontal lobe,and the impainnent is more serious in the ones with right frontal lobe tumor. Frontal lobe may be related to the generation and transmission of P300,and it is not significantly different in between left and right frontal lobes.

Objective To evaluate the effect of surgical excision of the anterior temporal lobe and hippocampus on the cognitive function of patients with refractory temporal lobe epilepsy. Methods Nineteen patients with refractory temporal epilepsy received surgical excision of the anterior temporal lobe and hippocampus, and cognitive neuropsychologieal assessments were conducted, 3 and 6 months after the surgery, to evaluate the changes in the patinets' cognitive functions. Results Satisfactory effects were achieved in these patients after the operations. One patient showed temporary speech disorder, and two exhibited temporary euphoria. Patients with refractory temporal lobe epilepsy had severe cognitive dysfunctions involving especially in the intelligence, attention and memory, which were not aggravated after the operation, Conversely, the operation resulted in gradual improvement of some of the cognitive functions in these patients. Conclusion Patients with refractory temporal lobe epilepsy have cognitive dysfunction, and surgical excision of the anterior temporal lobe and hippocampus can cure or reduce seizure of temporal lobe epilepsy and improve the cognitive dysfunctions to some extent.