miRNAs were discovered less than a decade ago, and have emerged as important regulators of gene expression in mammals. A large number of miRNAs have been identified to be located within the intronic regions of protein-encoding genes(host genes) and called intronic miRNAs. The intronic miRNAs may play a key role in regulating the expression and function of their host genes due to the fact that most of them are co-expressed with the host genes. In this paper, the recent advances on the research on potential relationship between intronic miRNAs and their host genes are reviewed.

Hypoxia/ischemia is a common clinical pathophysiological process and cause of death,and it is a common problem in extreme conditions such as high altitude,astronautics and diving.Hamartin is a kind of effective endogenous neuroprotectant and could increase cell tolerance to acute hypoxia or ischemia, thus,is of significance to research.The role of hamartin in hypoxia/ischemia has been a research focus of many scientists.Elucidating the related protective effect and its DNA methylation on hypoxia/ischemia can not only reduce injury,but also lay a basic for further studying the role of hamartin and its DNA methylation in other pathophysiological processes and provide theoretical guidance for the following clinical study.In this paper,we review the structure,mechanism and role of hamartin and the effect of its DNA methylation on hypoxia/ischemia.

Objective To determine the effect of mild hypothermia on neonatal piglet cardiac hemodynamic function after hypoxia-ischemia (HI).Method Twenty five 7-day-old piglets were used for hypoxic ischemic brain damage (HIBD) model by the method of temporary occlusion of the bilateral carotid arteries and followed by mechanical ventilation with low concentration of oxygen (FiO_2=6%) for 30 minutes.The piglets were randomly divided into three groups:group A (normothermia with body temperature to 39℃,n=9),group B (body temperature to 36℃for 72 hours,n=8),and group C (body temperature to 34℃for 72 hours,n=8).Mild hypothermia was initiated at 4 hours after HI,the systolic and diastole function were evaluated by Doppler echocardiography at pre-HI,post-Hi 4 hours and post-HI 72 hours.Results There were no significant differences in left ventrieular ejection time/left ventrieular ejection time (LPEP/LVEF),right ventricular ejection acceleration time/right ventricular ejection time (RACT/RVET) and CO at post-HI with hypothermia 72 hours in three groups,but the heart rate decreased in B and group C group.Compared with nonnothermia,mild hypothermia treatment showed no significant differences in MAP,LPEP/LVET,RACT/RVET,CO,SV at post-HI with hypothermia 72 hours.Conclusions Body temperature decreased by 3～5℃for 72 hours will not aggravate hemodynamic abnormity.

OBJECTIVETo explore the expression of polymorphonuclear leucocyte adhesive molecules CD11b/CD18 and to study the possible mechanism of Chinese herbal medicine (TCM) for activating blood circulation to remove stasis in preventing vascular diseases.

METHODSForty-nine patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) but with no complications of hypertension and nephropathy were randomly divided into the treated group (26 patients treated by TCM) and the control group (23 patients treated by conventional treatment). They were treated for 3 months. The changes of urinary albumin excretion rate (UAER), CD11b/CD18 expression and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) concentration before and after treatment were observed.

RESULTSThe CD11b/CD18 expression and TNF-alpha concentration in DM patients were higher than those of normal range (P < 0.01). After treatment, the UAER, CD11b/CD18 expression and TNF-alpha concentration lowered significantly in the treated group (P < 0.01), but unchanged in the control group. Correlation analysis showed that the lowering of UAER was positively correlated with decreasing of CD11b/CD18 (r = 0.64, P < 0.01) and TNF-alpha (r = 0.56, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONExpression of CD11b/CD18 increases in patients with DM type 2. The mechanism of Chinese herbal medicine for activating blood circulation to remove stasis in preventing vascular disease in possibly related with its effect in inhibiting CD11b/CD18 expression.

Aged ; CD11b Antigen ; biosynthesis ; blood ; CD18 Antigens ; biosynthesis ; blood ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; blood ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Phytotherapy

Objective To explore the expression of c-Fos protein and character of mossy fiber sprouting(MFS) in hippocampus of rat with febrile seizures(FS).Methods Thirty-six 21-day-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into FS group,febrile control(FG) group and normal control(NG) group.FS was established by hyperthermal bath.Immune histochemistry and(Timm′s) staining were used to examine the expression of c-Fos protein in CA1 region and MFS in CA3 region of hippocampus.Results Excessive expression of c-Fos protein presented in the hippocampal CA1 region of FS group.The surface area percentage of c-Fos protein of FS group[(2.26?0.23)%] was higher than that of FG group[(1.08?0.19)%] and NG group[(0.71?0.14)%],there were significant difference between FS group and the other two groups(?~2=10.48 P

Objective:To develop and optimize a novel assay for determination of cytotoxicity based Calcein -AM release.Methods:The target cells stained by Calcein-AM dye,then effectors and targets were incubated at E/T ratios from 30∶1-1∶1 for 4 h at 37℃,and the supernatant of reactions were detected by Fluorescence-Measurement to analyze specific cytotoxity.Results:The optimal excitation and emission wave lengths of Calcein were 485 nm and 515 nm.Dilutions of target cells stained by Calcein-AM had a linear relationship with measured fluorescence values.The Calcein-AM dye used to stain the living cells was shown to have a low spontaneous leakage rate-less than 15% in 4 hours at 37℃.Cytotoxicity activity of CIK showed a significant and positive correlation with E/T ratio when incubated at 4 h.Conclusion:The developed cytotoxicity test by Calcein-AM release is accurate and can avoid the application of radioactive reagents.

Objective: To investigate echocardiography characteristics and clinical significance in patients with diastolic mitral regurgitation. Methods: A total of 15 patients with diastolic mitral regurgitation were studied including 1 patient with large volume of aortic regurgitation, 6 with atrial ifbrillation (AF), 2 with atrial lfutter, 1 with II° type I atrio-ventricular block (A-V block), 1 with II° type II A-V block and 4 with III° A-V block. The characteristics of mitral regurgitation were observed, the heart rates, left ventricular size were measured and left ventricular function was detected in all patients. Results: There was 1 large volume aortic regurgitation patient with diastolic mitral regurgitation occurred in slow iflling phase with less volume, it was less than positive velocity; 1 AF patient occurred in mid and late diastolic phase with less volume, it was obviously less than positive velocity; the rest 8 patients all occurred in mid and late diastolic phase, the velocity reached or surpassed to positive velocity. All 15 patients had slow heart rate, increased left heart, decreased left ventricular ejection fraction, tissue Doppler imaging showed that the early diastolic peak slowed down in mitral ring. There were 93% (14/15) patients having obvious systolic regurgitation. Conclusion: The time phase, quantity and velocity of diastolic mitral regurgitation have various characteristics, most of them associated with systolic regurgitation combining abnormal cardiac structure and function. Echocardiography provides important information for clinical treatment.

Objective To investigate the influence of simvastatin treatment on Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) in monocytes of peripheral blood in patients with sepsis and severe sepsis and its significance. Methods A prospective randomized controlled trial was conducted. 106 patients with sepsis and 92 patients with severe sepsis admitted to Department of Critical Care Medicine of Henan Provincial People's Hospital from August 2013 to June 2015 were enrolled. These two groups of patients were randomized into conventional treatment group and simvastatin group. All patients received treatment according to the 2012 International Sepsis Treatment Guidelines, including anti-infection drugs, nutritional support, and palliative treatment, and the patients with severe sepsis were given early goal-directed therapy (EGDT). The patients in simvastatin group received simvastatin 40 mg daily orally for at least 15 days. The peripheral blood was collected and the monocytes were isolated at 1, 5, 10, 15 days after intensive care unit (ICU) admission. TLR4 expression on the surface of TLR4/CD14+ double positive monocytes was determined by flow cytometry, and adverse reaction was observed during treatment. Results TLR4 expression on the surface of monocytes showed a tendency of decreasing with prolongation of simvastatin treatment in the simvastatin group in patients with sepsis (n = 59) or severe sepsis (n = 54). However, in patients with sepsis, TLR4 level was significantly decreased from 10 days in simvastatin group as compared with that of conventional therapy group (n = 47), and it was decreased up to 15 days [mean fluorescence intensity (MFI): 21 (19, 28) vs. 27 (25, 33) at 10 days, Z = 2.198, P = 0.021; 16 (15, 21) vs. 26 (23, 34) at 15 days, Z = 4.611, P = 0.002]. In patients with severe sepsis, there was no significant difference in TLR4 level at different time points between simvastatin group and conventional treatment group (n = 38) [MFI: 55 (52, 63) vs. 56 (48, 65) at 1 day, Z = 0.313, P = 0.692; 47 (42, 56) vs. 49 (41, 58) at 5 days, Z = 0.827, P = 0.533; 40 (35, 42) vs. 42 (37, 45) at 10 days, Z = 1.012, P = 0.301; 33 (30, 38) vs. 38 (35, 41) at 15 days, Z = 0.539, P = 0.571]. No adverse reaction related with simvastatin was found during treatment in patients with sepsis or severe sepsis. Conclusions Statins could significantly down-regulate the TLR4 expression on peripheral blood monocytes in septic patients, while it showed no significant influence on TLR4 expression in patients with severe sepsis. A different effect of statins on TLR4 expression and the downstream inflammation process in sepsis and severe sepsis patients might partially explain the discrepancy in previous reports about the therapeutic effect of statins therapy in sepsis and severe sepsis patients.

Objective To explore the pathological changes by CT scan on localized thermochemotherapy dur- ing and after the operation of human gliomas.Methods Retrospective analysis was given to the CT scan of 37 pa- tients receiving thermochemotherapy during and after the operation,and the relation of the tumorous cells and mi- crovessels and CT density by EM were analyzed.Changes of tumorous cells and microvessels after localized ther- mochemotherapy on C_6 gliomas in rat were analyzed.Results When the tumor was low dense on CT pattern,less cellular number with increasing the amount of fluid between the cells was demonstrated pathologically.On EM,a lower cellular electron density was observed.The amount of fluid in cytoplasm was increased,the cytoplasm was porous,swelling denaturation was chiefly seen in organelle.If the tumor had mixed density on CT,cellular number was more,the amount of fluid was less.On EM,cellular electron density increased correspondingly,the fluid in cyto- plasm decreased,organdie was aggregated.After thermochemotherapy,the tumor reduced,liquefied,and vanished by CT scan.It could be observed that the tumorous cell become smaller,concentrated and cataclased,finally formed apoprotic bodies and separated from the cell in C_6 gliomas in EM.The tumorous vessels was less,smaller and thinker. Some vessels only could see the base membrane and no endothelioid cells.Conclusion The remaining tumors is van- ished by CT scan.The mechanisms of tumors disappearance proposes to explain that thermochemotherapy can dam- age C_6 glioma cells and microvessels,decrease microvessels density and induce tumor ceils apoptosis.That inhibits tu- morous angiogenesis and proliferation.

OBJECTIVETo study the value of iron metabolism indices, serum iron (SI), total iron blinding capacity (TIBC) and transferring (Tf), in thalassema.

METHODSThe serum samples from 9 children with silent alpha thalassema, 56 with standard alpha thalassema, 26 with HbH disease, 40 with beta+ thalassema, 56 with beta0 thalassema, 45 with iron deficiency anemia (IDA) and 70 healthy children were detected for SI, TIBC and Tf levels.

RESULTSThe SI level increased (p<0.01), while the TIBC level decreased significantly in the beta0 thalassema group compared with those in the other groups (p<0.05 or 0.01), but the Tf level was not different. The Tf level of both the silent alpha thalassema and the standard alpha thalassema groups was statistically lower than that of the healthy group (p<0.01), but the levels of SI and TIBC were similar to the healthy group. Though the SI level of the HbH disease group was similar to the healthy group, the TIBC and Tf levels were statistically lower (p<0.01).

CONCLUSIONSCompared with Tf, SI and TIBC are better indices for monitoring iron loading in children with thalassema. The increased SI level and decreased TIBC level are two indices for the diagnosis of beta(0) thalassema in children with cellule anaemia.

Adolescent ; Anemia, Iron-Deficiency ; metabolism ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Genotype ; Humans ; Infant ; Iron ; metabolism ; Male ; Thalassemia ; genetics ; metabolism ; Transferrin ; analysis