Brain ; pathology ; Central Nervous System Diseases ; congenital ; diagnosis ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Mobius Syndrome ; diagnosis ; pathology ; physiopathology

Objective To analyze the relationship between the clinical features and the dysfunction and derangement of knee osteoarthritis(OA),in order to improve the understanding of knee OA.Methods Clinical data including symptoms,physical signs,X-ray,arthroscopical findings,pathologic changes,preopera-tive and postoperative diagnosis,treatment and curative effects from206post-arthroscopy patients with OA were analyzed retrospectively.Results The common physical signs were tenderness in knee,positive grinding test of patella,McMurray sign,fricative,muscular atrophy of quadriceps femoris,and stretch or flexion limita-tion.X-ray abnormalities were found as follows in decreasing freguency:bony hyperplasia,articular facet sclero-sis,osteoporosis,uneven articular surface,narrowing of joint space and loose bodies.Arthroscopical findings were as follows:synovial congestion and proliferation,hypertrophy or entrapment of fat pad,osteophyte,syn-ovial fold entrapment,stripping of cartilage,meniscal lesions,subchondral bone exposure,anterior cruciate lig-ament friction or obstruction,and loose bodies.The common diseases that liable to misdiagnosis preoperatively were synovial chondroma,anterior cruciate ligament impingement syndrome and meniscal lesions.The rate of excellent and good results after arthroscopic treatment was86.6%.Conclusion Hypertrophy and entrapment of fat pad,thickening and entrapment of synovial fold,stripping of cartilage,meniscal lesions,anterior cruciate ligament friction or obstruction,and loose bodies are the key factors that cause knee dysfunction in OA.The arthroscopic treatment is an effective supplement in treating knee OA.

Objective To establish the genetic and biochemical loci in Mesocricetus auratus and its albino mua-tant.Methods Protein isozyme cellulose acetate electrophoresis was used to determine the genetic and biochemical loci in Mesocricetus auratus and its albino mutant, using the genetic and biochemical loci of mice and rats.Results 25 biochemi-cal markers of Mesocricetus auratus and albino mutant were established, and polymorphism of their genetic biochemical loci was analyzed.Conclusions Polymorphism of biochemical loci is present in Mesocricetus auratus.Some differences exist between the genetic biochemical loci of Mesocricetus auratus and their albino mutant.These results laid the foundation for further study on genetic mechanism of albino mutation in Mesocricetus auratus.

Objective To study the associations between daily mortality and the status of exposure to air pollution.Methods A time-series analysis was conducted to assess the relations between acute mortality and exposure to respiratory particulate matter (PM10),sulfur-dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in urban residents of Guangzhou (2004-2008),using Poisson regression.Results Through controling the factors as temperature,relative humidity,age,gender and time,significant increases were observed in all-cause mortality of 0.94％ (0.79-1.09) for PM10,1.55％(1.31-1.78) for NO2,and 1.09％ (0.91-1.27) for SO2,per 10 μg/m3,when increase of the lagging 2-day average concentrations of air pollution was seen,in Guangzhou.Stronger effects of exposure to air pollution were found on cardiovascular and respiratory mortality,as well as in elderly( ≥65 years) and female population.Conclusion Our results suggested that exposure to ambient pollution was significantly associated with the increase of excess risks,on total and cardio-respiratory mortality in the residents of Guangzhou.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the therapeutic effect of Compound Xuanju Capsule (CXC) on autoimmune prostatitis in rat models.

METHODSSixty healthy male Wistar rats were randomly divided into five groups of equal number: blank control, low-concentration purified prostate protein (low-conc PPP), low-conc PPP + CXC treatment, high-concentration PPP (hi-con PPP), and hi-conc PPP + CXC treatment. Autoimmune prostatitis models were established by intragastric administration of PPP solution at 15 mg/ml (low concentration) and 80 mg/ml, respectively. At 30 days after modeling, the rats in the blank control and low-conc and hi-conc PPP model groups were treated with normal saline, and those in the other two groups with CXC at a daily dose of 0.068 g/ml. At 30, 45, and 60 days, all the animals were sacrificed for observation of pathological changes in the prostate tissue and determination of the levels of IL-8, IL-10, and TNF-alpha in the serum.

RESULTSCompared with the PPP models, the hi-conc PPP + CXC group showed significantly reduced levels of IL-8 and TNF-alpha in the serum at 45 days ([148.54 +/- 17.23] and [62.14 +/- 5.59] pg/ml vs [100.77 +/- 11.08] and [32.63 +/- 2.91] pg/ml, P < 0.05) and at 60 days ([143.69 +/- 17.28] and [59.38 +/- 5.50] pg/mlvs [95.77 +/-10.53] and [29.63 +/- 2.66] pg/ml, P < 0.05), and so did the low-cone PPP + CXC group at 45 days ([128.47 +/- 12.21] and [40.43 +/- 3.64] pg/ml vs [111.76 +/- 10.07] and [35.44 +/- 3.17] pg/ml, P < 0.05) and at 60 days ([131.07 +/- 10.93] and [43.34 +/- 3.91] pg/ml vs [97.46 +/- 8.75] and [30.44 +/- 2.75] pg/ml, P < 0.05). The serum level of IL-10 was remarkably elevated in the hi-cone PPP + CXC group as compared with that of the PPP models at 45 and 60 days ([189.14 +/- 16.78] and [184.14 +/- 15.89] pg/ml vs [230.48 +/- 29.96] and [248.48 +/- 31.03] pg/ml, P < 0.05), and so was it in low-cone PPP + CXC group ([223.14 +/- 17.87] and [224.14 +/- 17.93] pg/ml vs [231.42 +/- 23.18] and [249.42 +/- 24.97] pg/ml, P < 0.05). Pathological examination revealed morphological damages to the prostate tissue and infiltration of inflammatory cells in the model rats, but no obvious changes in the normal controls. At 15 days of treatment, the rats in the PPP + CXC group showed enlarged prostate glandular cavity, mild proliferation of epithelial cells, no obvious infiltration of inflammatory cells in the interstitial tissue, and a few visible fibrous tissues under the light microscope.

CONCLUSIONCompound Xuanju Capsule is efficacious on autoimmune prostatis in rats by reducing inflammatory changes in the prostate tissue and improving the expression of inflammatory factors.

Animals ; Autoimmune Diseases ; blood ; chemically induced ; drug therapy ; Capsules ; Interleukin-10 ; blood ; Interleukin-8 ; blood ; Male ; Prostatic Hyperplasia ; pathology ; Prostatic Secretory Proteins ; Prostatitis ; blood ; chemically induced ; drug therapy ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; blood

OBJECTIVETo establish a rat model of autoimmune prostatitis using purified prostatic proteins (PPP).

METHODSThirty-six male Wistar rats were randomized into three groups of equal number to receive intramuscular injection of normal saline (normal control group) and PPP at 15 mg/ml (low-concentration group) and 80 mg/ml (high-concentration group). At 4 weeks after modeling, the rats were sacrificed for HE staining of the prostate tissue and examination of the inflammatory factors IL-8 and IL-10 in the serum, immunoglobulins IgA and IgM, and regulatory T cells Th1/Th2.

RESULTSThree rats died in the high-concentration PPP group but none in the low-concentration PPP and normal control groups. Gross observation of the prostate showed increased volume and hard texture of the prostate in the two PPP groups, but no significant change in the normal controls. Pathological examination exhibited morphological damage to the prostatic tissue and inflammatory cellular infiltration in the experimental rats. The serum level of IL-8 was significantly higher in the low- and high-concentration PPP groups ([129.07 +/- 11.48] and [147.58 +/- 17.70] pg/ml) than in the control ([94.12 +/- 7.04] pg/ml) (P < 0.05), while that of IL-10 was remarkably lower in the former two groups ([227.14 +/- 18.19] and [187.14 +/- 16.32] pg/ml) than in the latter ([252.48 +/- 21.72] pg/ml, P < 0.05). The serum level of IgA was markedly elevated in the low- and high-concentration PPP groups as compared with that in the control ([0.25 +/- 0.37] and [0.31 +/- 0.42] vs [0.19 +/- 0.14] mg/ml, P < 0.05), and so was that of IgM ([0.23 +/- 0.41] and [0.34 +/- 0.58 ] vs [0.17 +/- 0.33] mg/ml, P < 0.05). No significant changes were observed in the levels of regulatory T cells Th1/Th2.

CONCLUSIONBoth low and high concentrations of purified prostatic proteins can be used for the construction of autoimmune prostatitis models in rats, while low concentration is preferable for its advantages of lower mortality of the rats and inducement of more consistent manifestations of autoimmune prostatitis.

Animals ; Autoimmune Diseases ; blood ; chemically induced ; pathology ; Disease Models, Animal ; Humans ; Interleukin-10 ; blood ; Interleukin-8 ; blood ; Male ; Prostatic Secretory Proteins ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; Prostatitis ; blood ; chemically induced ; pathology ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar

OBJECTIVETo provide a possible targeted gene therapy scheme for prostate cancer, and explore the expression efficiency and tissue-specific expression of prostate specific antigen (PSA) promoter.

METHODSThree plasmids with egfp, pa-EGFP(including ARI, ARII), pba-EGFP (including ARI, ARII, ARIII) and pdeltaba-EGFP (including ARI, ARII and mutated ARIII) were designed, and the expression status was observed by transfecting into HepG2, SMMC-7721, Hela and PC-3.

RESULTSIn prostate cancer cell PC-3, pba-EGFP expressed more GFP than pa-EGFP and pdeltaba-EGFP, which showed that ARIII could notably increase the transcription efficiency of PSA promoter. Further, there was no GFP expression in HepG2, SMMC-7721 and Hela transfected with pa-EGFP, p deltaba-EGFP and pba-EGFP.

CONCLUSIONAn expression vector based on elements of the PSA gene regulatory sequences has been developed and shown to be tightly regulated in a panel of cells from tissues of various origins. With the tissue-specific functional protein, it should provide a solid platform for clinical studies.

Androgens ; metabolism ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cloning, Molecular ; Humans ; Male ; Promoter Regions, Genetic ; Prostate ; metabolism ; Prostate-Specific Antigen ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Response Elements ; Transfection

OBJECTIVETo evaluate total antioxidant capacity (TAC) of seminal plasma in fertile and infertile men and understand the relation between seminal plasma TAC and male fertility.

METHODSTwo hundred and twenty-five infertile men were divided into 10 cases of obstructive azoospermic men, 42 cases of non-obstructive azoospermic men,20 cases of oligozoospermic men, 78 cases of asthenozoospermic men, 57 cases of oligoasthenozoospermic men, and 18 cases of normozoospermic men, then 28 fertile men were taken as the control. The seminal parameter analysis was performed by computer-assisted semen analysis (CASA) system. Seminal plasma TAC was measured using spectroscopic analysis.

RESULTSSeminal plasma TAC were (1.71 +/- 1.33) U in obstructive azoospermic men, (12.73 +/- 9.44) U in non-obstructive azoospermic men, (10.85 +/- 6.64) U in oligozoospermic men, (13.88 +/- 8.24) U in asthenozoospermic men, (11.20 +/- 7.02) U in oligoasthenozoospermic men, (18.07 +/- 8.73) U in normozoospermic men, and (19.82 +/- 6.33) U in fertile men. There was no significant difference in TAC between normozoospermic men and fertile men (P > 0.05). Compared with fertile men, seminal plasma TAC in other infertile groups was significantly lower (P < 0.01). There were significantly made positive correlation between seminal plasma TAC and sperm density (r = 0.182, P < 0.05), as well as sperm with grade a (r = 0.150, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSeminal plasma TAC is closely related to male fertility, and the decreased level of TAC in seminal plasma may be one of the causes of male infertility.

Adult ; Case-Control Studies ; Fertility ; physiology ; Humans ; Infertility, Male ; physiopathology ; Male ; Oxidation-Reduction ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; metabolism ; Semen ; chemistry

BACKGROUNDDecayed teeth are harmful to children's growth and development and can severely jeopardize their health. This study was set out to investigate and analyze the prevalence of dental caries in preschool children in Shanghe County in Shandong Province, China, and provide new insights into potential prevention and treatment strategies.

METHODSBased on the random sampling method, we performed dental examinations of children aged 2 to 6 years in kindergartens of Shanghe County. The prevalence of caries, the average number of decayed teeth per capita as well as the constituent rates of decayed, missing and filled teeth were determined retrospectively. SPSS software was used for data analysis.

RESULTSDental caries were found in 1088 out of 2052 children from 56 kindergartens. The total number of decayed teeth was 4487 with a prevalence of 53.02%. The average number of decayed teeth per capita was 2.187, and the filling rate was 0.29%. There was no statistical difference in the prevalence of caries between boys and girls though there were significant differences between different age groups. The prevalence of decayed teeth as well as the mean number of decayed teeth infected per capita increased with age. In addition, urban children had a higher prevalence than those from rural areas (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONSThe prevalence of decayed caries among kindergarten children in Shanghe County was high, suggesting that more emphasis should be put on improving oral health education with priority given to prevention. Further efforts should be made to increase the decayed caries filling rate.

Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; epidemiology ; Dental Caries ; epidemiology ; pathology ; prevention & control ; Female ; Health Education, Dental ; methods ; Humans ; Male ; Prevalence

OBJECTIVETo study vertebral body stress distribution of normal disc, post-Diskectomy and artificial disk respectively by 3-D finite element methods, and to explore artificial intervertebral disk insertion impact on stress distribution of vertebral body.

METHODSModels of normal disk, post-Diskectomy, artificial disk and L(4 - 5) motion segment were established by using finite element software MSC. MARK, then vertebral body stress was analyzed through model of L(4 - 5) motion segment respectively.

RESULTSThe vertebral body's stress was the smallest after insertion of artificial intervertebral disk (AID), and its stress distributed equally. But the stress under post-discectomy was bigger than the normal disc's in all the motion state. On the other hand, the stress distribution state of the post-discectomy changed while the spine were in different motion state, during the spine flexion, the stress in the anterior of vertebral body was the biggest; While extension, in the posterior and in right flexion state, the biggest stress was in the right. While vertical compression and rotation, the stress distributed equally.

CONCLUSIONThe results illustrate that the vertebral body's stress is the smallest after insertion of AID in 3 groups of all motion state, and its stress distributes equally. But the level of vertebral body stress increases after discectomy comparing with the normal group. In generally, it is much more reasonable that the disc is reconstructed with AID because of the biomechanical effect on vertebral body made by AID insertion.

Diskectomy ; Finite Element Analysis ; Humans ; Intervertebral Disc ; physiology ; surgery ; Lumbar Vertebrae ; physiology ; surgery ; Models, Biological ; Prostheses and Implants ; Prosthesis Implantation ; Stress, Mechanical