Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Female ; Fluorescence ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis ; isolation & purification ; Paraffin Embedding ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; methods ; Retrospective Studies ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary ; diagnosis ; microbiology ; Young Adult

Objective To study the mode and clinical implications of onset of spontaneous tosade de pointes in the congenital long QT syndrome. Methods We reviewed electrocardiograms (ECGs) of 55 patients with congenital QT syndrome for syncope. Documentation of the onset of tosade de pointes was available for 16 patients. All these patients had "definitive long QT syndrome" by accepted clinical and ECG criteria. Results One hundren and forty-nine runs of tosade de pointes were documented in 16 patients,of whom,there were 130 runs of pause-dependent tosade de pointes. Conclusion Our results show that the pause-dependent tosade de pointes,which has been recognized as a hallmark of tosade de pointes in the acquired long QT syndrome,plays a major role in the genesis of tosade de pointes in the congenital long QT syndrome.

Objective To study the effect of injured podocytes on glomerular maturation and its underlying mechanism in neonatal mice.Methods Single i.p.injection with puromycin aminonucleoside (PA,0.1 mg/g BW) was given to ICR neonatal mice at day 1 after birth (1 dpp). Littermates injected with normal saline (NS) were used as control.Animals were examined for urine protein,blood pressure,kidney weight/body weight (KW/BW),renal histology at 2,4,8,12, 30,60 and 90 dpp (n=6～9 for each group).Immunohistochemistry and quantitative RT-PCR were performed to examine the expression of WT-1,CD31,VEGF,Flk-1,Ang-1,Ang-2,Tie-1 and Tie-2.Results Mice with PA injection had lower kidney weight and body weight at all time points as well as lower KW/BW at 4,8,12 dpp when compared with NS controls.Electron microscopy revealed nearly complete foot process effacement and segmental microvillous transformation as early as 1 day after PA injection.PA-injected kidneys showed fewer capillary loops and decreased maturation index as well as less CD31-positive endothelium in cortical glomeruli at 12 dpp. Glomerular mesangial injury and developing glomerulosclerosis along with proteinuria were noted in PA-injected kidneys starting from 30 dpp.Significantly increased systolic blood pressure was detected at 60 dpp in PA mice.Compared with NS injection,PA injection significantly induced decreased mRNA expression of Flk-1 and Tie-2 as well as increased expression of Ang-1,without obvious changes of VEGF at 2 dpp.Conclusions Podocytes in neonatal kidney of ICR mice are susceptible to PA. Such podocyte injury can alter the expression of VEGF and angiopoietin system in glomeruli,leading to abnormal development of glomerular capillaries,and subsequent proteinuria,hypertension and glomerulosclerosis.

Objective To further evaluate the safety and observe for unknown adverse reactions in the prelicensure trials of Anflu(split influenza virus vaccine)in children aged 6 months to 3 years old and 3 to 11 years old respectively.Methods This open clinical trial enrolled 100 healthy children in each of the two groups:6 months to 3 years old group and 3 to 11 years old group.The 6 months to 3 years group were vaccinated with two pediatric doses(0.25 ml/dose),28 days apart.The 3 to 11 years group were vaccinated with one adult dose(0.5 ml/dose).All the subjects were observed for 30 min after vaccination and had 3 follow-up visits at 24,48,72 h after vaccination. All subjects with adverse reactions were followed up till the symptoms resolved.Results The total adverse reaction rate was 6.0%(12/200).The occurrence rates of local reaction and systemic reaction were 1.0%(2/200)and 5.5%(10/200)respectively.For the younger group and older group,the adverse reaction rates were 8.0%and 4.0%respectively.Conclusion This vaccineis safe in children aged 6 months to 11 years old.

Objective To further evaluate the safety and observe for unknown adverse reactions in the prelicensure trials of Anflu(split influenza virus vaccine)in children aged 6 months to 3 years old and 3 to 11 years old respectively.Methods This open clinical trial enrolled 100 healthy children in each of the two groups:6 months to 3 years old group and 3 to 11 years old group.The 6 months to 3 years group were vaccinated with two pediatric doses(0.25 ml/dose),28 days apart.The 3 to 11 years group were vaccinated with one adult dose(0.5 ml/dose).All the subjects were observed for 30 min after vaccination and had 3 follow-up visits at 24,48,72 h after vaccination. All subjects with adverse reactions were followed up till the symptoms resolved.Results The total adverse reaction rate was 6.0%(12/200).The occurrence rates of local reaction and systemic reaction were 1.0%(2/200)and 5.5%(10/200)respectively.For the younger group and older group,the adverse reaction rates were 8.0%and 4.0%respectively.Conclusion This vaccineis safe in children aged 6 months to 11 years old.

OBJECTIVETo improve the X-ray diagnosis of cervical spondylosis of vertebral artery type (VCS).

METHODSA blinded design research. The X-ray signs both 60 patients with VCS and 60 patients with cervical spondylotic radiculopathy were collected from January 2011 to November 2012. There were 36 males and 84 females, aged from 25 to 65 years old with an average of (48.4 ± 12.3) years old. Cervical curvature, atlanto-occipital joint angle, atlanto-axial joint angle, C2/C3 joint angle and lower cervical instability condition and segmental distribution were measured and recorded by X-rays. These data were analyzed and compared between the two groups after unblended. Combined with clinical manifestations,the X-ray imaging features of VCS were further analyzed.

RESULTSThere was significant difference in cervical curvature between two groups in anteflexion X-ray films (P < 0.05). There was significant difference in extension degree of atlanto-occipital joint angle between two groups (P < 0.01). There was significant difference in atlanto-axial joint angle between two groups in lateral X-ray films (P< 0.05). There was significant.difference in anteflexion degree of atlanto-axial joint angle between two groups (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in C2/C3 joint angle between two groups. There was no significant difference in the lower cervical instability condition and segmental distribution between two groups. In VCS group, the mild and moderate dizziness was main symptom, flexion and extension activities of neck was most common cause in the dizziness; and always accompanied with headache; tenderness mostly concentrated in the upper cervical area.

CONCLUSIONBoth X-ray signs and clinical manifestations can prompt the abnormalities of the upper cervical structure or function in patients with VCS. Anteflexion activities of neck observed by functional position of X-ray films should be emphasized in diagnosis of VCS.

Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Radiculopathy ; diagnostic imaging ; Radiography ; Spondylosis ; diagnostic imaging ; Vertebral Artery ; X-Rays

BACKGROUNDCellular cardiomyoplasty by transplantation of various cell types has been investigated as potential treatments for the improvement of cardiac function after myocardial injury. A major barrier for the clinical application of cell transplantation is obtaining sufficiently large quantities of suitable cells. Allogeneic cellular cardiomyoplasty may provide an alternative source of abundant, transplantable, myogenic cells by in vitro manipulation of cardiac fibroblasts using chemicals including 5-azacytidine. This study evaluated cardiomyogenic differentiation of cardiac fibroblasts, their survival in myocardial scar tissue, and the effect of the implanted cells on heart function.

METHODSPrimary cardiac fibroblasts from neonatal rats were treated with 5-azacytidine (10 µmol/L) or control. Treatment of 5-azacytidine caused myogenic differentiation of cultured cardiac fibroblasts, as defined by elongation and fusion into multinucleated myotubes with sarcomeric structures as identified by electron microscopy, and positive immunostaining for cardiac specific proteins, troponin I and β-myosin heavy chain (β-MHC) and the gap junction protein connexin 43. The myogenic cells (1.0 × 10⁶) were transplanted into the infarcted myocardium 2 weeks after coronary artery occlusion.

RESULTSBy 1 month after transplantation, the converted fibroblasts gave rise to a cluster of cardiac-like muscle cells that in the hearts occupied a large part of the scar with positive immunostaining for the myogenic proteins troponin I and β-MHC. Engrafted cells also expressed the gap junction protein connexin 43 in a disorganized manner. There was no positive staining in the control hearts treated with injections of culture medium. Heart function was evaluated at 6 weeks after myocardial injury with echocardiographic and hemodynamic measurements. Improvement in cardiac function was seen in the hearts transplanted with the 5-azacytidine-treated cardiac fibroblasts which was absent in the hearts treated with control.

CONCLUSIONThe 5-azacytidine has a unique capacity to induce myogenesis in cardiac fibroblasts in vitro and transplantation of cardiac-like muscle cells into ventricular scar tissue improves myocardial function.

Animals ; Azacitidine ; therapeutic use ; Cells, Cultured ; Fibroblasts ; drug effects ; transplantation ; ultrastructure ; Immunohistochemistry ; Microscopy, Electron, Transmission ; Myocardial Infarction ; drug therapy ; therapy ; Rats

OBJECTIVETo study the predictors of depression in patients with chronic prostatitis (CP).

METHODSWe enlisted 49 CP patients in this study, and evaluated their clinical symptoms with NIH-CPSI and IIEF-5, their depression symptoms with the Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) and Symptom Checklist 90 (SCL-90), their trait-oriented coping styles with the Trait-Oriented Coping Styles Questionnaire (TCSQ), and their illness perceptions with the Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ-R). We conducted Pearson correlation analysis on the correlation of depression with the clinical symptoms of the patients and used multivariate Logistic regression models to analyze the predictors of their depression.

RESULTSPain or discomfort, urination symptoms, impact of symptoms and total score in NIH showed a significant positive correlation with depression symptoms, but a negative correlation with erectile function (r = 0.32, 0.31, 0.35, 0.38, and -0.36, P<0.05). Besides, 43.4% of the depression symptoms in the CP patients could be explained by negative trait-oriented coping and disease impact factors (R2 = 0.434, adjusted R2 = 0.456, F = 14.853, P<0.001).

CONCLUSIONDepression symptoms are closely associated with clinical symptoms, and negative trait-oriented coping and disease impact factors are the main predictors of depression in CP patients.

Adaptation, Psychological ; Adult ; Chronic Disease ; Depression ; etiology ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Multivariate Analysis ; Prostatitis ; psychology ; Self-Assessment ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of ischemic postconditioning (IPostC) on pneumocyte apoptosis after lung ischemia/reperfusion injury in rats.

METHODSAdult male SD rats were randomly divided into 3 groups based upon the intervention (n = 8): control group (C), lung ischemic reperfusion group (LIR), LIR+ IPostC group (IPostC). At the end of the experiment, blood specimens drawn from the arteria carotis were tested for the content of malondialdehyde (MDA), the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and myeloperoxidase (MPO); the pneumocyte apoptosis index (AI) was achieved by tennrminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase mediated dUTP nick end abeling (TUNEL); the expression of Bcl-2, Bax protein in lung tissue was accessed by quantitative immunohistochemistry (MHC) and Bcl-2, Bax mRNA by RT-PCR.

RESULTSIPostC could significantly attenuate the MDA level, MPO activity and improve SOD activity in blood serum which was comparable to I/R and significantly reduced the number of TUNEL-positive cells compared with I/R group, expressed as Al (% total nuclei) from (39.0 +/- 3.46) to (8.0 +/- 0.88) (P < 0.01). The protein and mRNA expression of Bcl-2 and Bax showed that IPO significantly attenuated the ischemia/reperfusion-upregulated expression of Bax protein but improved the expression of Bcl-2 that improved the Bcl-2/Bax ratio (P < 0.01) .

CONCLUSIONIPostC may attenuate pneumocyte apoptosis in LIRI by up-regulating expression of Bcl-2/Bax ratio and by inhibiting oxidant generation and neutrophils filtration.

Alveolar Epithelial Cells ; cytology ; Animals ; Apoptosis ; Ischemic Postconditioning ; Lung ; metabolism ; pathology ; Lung Injury ; physiopathology ; Male ; Malondialdehyde ; metabolism ; Peroxidase ; metabolism ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Reperfusion Injury ; physiopathology ; Superoxide Dismutase ; metabolism ; bcl-2-Associated X Protein ; metabolism

The gene orf25 encodes functional protein that may play an important role in plant fertility control in nature. To clone the orf25 from Salicornia europaea Xinjiang into a T-vector, a single designed primer was used to amplify 1.7kb cDNA fragment with RT-PCR. Sequence analysis reveals that the cloned fragment contains entire orf25 coding region with 98%, 95%, 92% and 88% identity to that of orf25 from Beta vulgaris, Nicotiana, wheat and maize mitochondrion, respectively. This analysis suggests that orf25 gene is highly conserved in terms of evolution in plant; and it also suggests that wild plant Salicornia europaea contain a male-sterility gene similar to crops that is of great importance in improvement of the breed of crop.
Base Sequence ; Chenopodiaceae ; genetics ; DNA Primers ; genetics ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Plant Infertility ; genetics ; physiology ; Plant Proteins ; chemistry ; genetics ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; methods ; Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid