Objective To summarize the clinical characteristics and causes of ischemic cerebrovascular disease(ICD)in children.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 53 cases with ICD from Feb.2002 to Jun.2008 at the department of neurology in Wuhan Children's Hospital.The self-designed questionnaire of children with ICD was used,whose items included patients' age,gender,personal history,clinical features,cerebrospinal fluid examination,neurological imaging,immunologic examination,metabolic examination,and so on.Results Of 53 children with ICD,30 cases(56.6%)were male,and 23 cases(43.4%)were female.Patients' age varied from 9 months to 12 years old,in which 45 cases(84.9%)were less than 6 years old.Patients from rural area(60.4%)were more than those from city(39.6%).Ratio of limb paralysis was 75.5%(40 cases)in first clinical symptomatology of children with ICD,including hemiplegia in 32 cases(60.4%),alternate hemiplegia in 5 cases(9.4%)and monoplegia in 3 cases(5.7%).Skull CT/MRI scan was performed to reveal 27 cases(50.9%)with basal ganglia region infarction and secondly 15 cases(28.3%)with multi-lobar infarction.Forty cases were found in abnormal cerebrovascular image by means of magnetic resonance angiography/digital subtraction angiography,in which middle cerebral artery and its branches were involved in 21 cases(52.5%).There were 41 cases(77.4%)of patients to be found with clear causes,of which 13 cases(24.5%)were of infections,8 cases(15.1%)of moyamoya disease,5 cases(9.4%)of cerebral vascular malformations,4 cases(7.5%)of head trauma.However,another 12 cases(22.6%)of patients had unknown etiology.Conclusions Children with ICD had characteristics themselves.The limb paralysis was mostly the first symptoms,and the middle cerebral artery and its branches lesions were the most common locations in children with ICD,and next the internal carotid artery involvement,anterior cerebral artery involvement,posterior cerebral artery involvement,cerebral vascular malformations,and so on.Their major cause was infection,followed by Moyamoya disease,cerebrovascular malformations and head trauma,and there were still some unknown causes.

Objective To explore the association between ankylosing spondylitis(AS)with the poly- morphism in -308 site of tumor necrosis factor(TNF)-?promoter region. Methods The literature about AS and polymorphism in -308 site of TNF-?promoter region were searched and the meta analysis as performed. Results Eight studies enrolled 987 AS patients and 922 controls in total. The analysis showed that the fre- quencies of alleles and the genotypes had no statistical difference between AS group and the control group [OR=0.86(0.53, 1.38), P=0.53; OR=0.90(0.52, 1.55), P=0.69]. But the frequencies of alleles of western origin had statistical difference between AS group and the control group [OR=0.75(0.59, 0.96), P=0.02]; The TNF-?gene promoter polymorphism may play a role in the severity of sacroiliitis[OR=0.37(0.15. 0.90), P=0.03]. Conclusion The meta-analysis reveales that the alleles of -308 site of TNF-?promoter region may be associated with AS in western ethnical group and play a role in the severity of saeroiliitis.

Objective To analyze the expressions of osteopontin (OPN)and chemokine (CXC-subfamily)receptor 4 (CXCR4)in different ovarian tissues,and to explore the role of OPN and CXCR4 in occurrence,development and metastasis of human ovarian cancer.Methods The expressions of OPN and CXCR4 in normal ovarian tissue (n=20),benign ovarian epithelial tumor (n=20)and epithelial ovarian cancers tissues (n=40)were detected by immunohistochemical SP method,and the expression rates of OPN and CXCR4 in epithelial ovarian cancer tissue with different clinical characteristics were analyzed.Results The positive expressions rate of OPN in epithelial ovarian cancer tissue was significantly higher than those in normal ovarian tissue and benign ovarian tumor tissue, and there were significant differences in the positive expression rates of OPN between different pathological stages (G1 ,G2 ,G3 )of epithelial ovarian cancer (P <0.05).Meanwhile,the positive expression rate of OPN in Ⅲ-Ⅳepithelial ovarian cancer tissue was significantly higher than that in Ⅰ-Ⅱ epithelial ovarian cancer tissue (P <0.05). However,there were no significant differences of the positive expression rates of OPN among different histological types of epithelial ovarian cancer tissue (P >0.05).There was no positive expression of CXCR4 protein in normal ovarian tissue and benign ovarian tumor tissues , but there was positive expression in epithelial ovarian cancer tissue.Besides,the expressions of CXCR4 protein were not significantly different among different pathological grades,different clinical stages and different histological types (P > 0.05).Conclusion The OPN and CXCR4 expression levels are correlated with the degrees of malignancy in epithelial ovarian tumor,therefore the CXCR4 and OPN expression pathways may be the new targets for ovarian cancer therapy.

OBJECTIVETo identify the differential expressions of serum cytokines between prostate cancer (PCa) and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), and provide proteomic evidence for the early diagnosis of PCa.

METHODSWe used human cytokine array to determine the profiles of the serum cytokines obtained from 6 PCa and 6 BPH patients with the PSA level within the grey scale of 4 - 10 ng/ml.

RESULTSWe identified 19 differentially expressed cytokines in the PCa patients, 16 obviously up-regulated, including IL-3, IL-6 and IL-16, and 3 markedly down-regulated, which were Fas/TNFRSF6, TRALR-3 and IGFBP-6. Most of them were involved in such cellular bioprocesses as transcription, proliferation, signal transduction, and apoptosis.

CONCLUSIONThe cytokine antibody assay permits simultaneous measurement of multiple markers in a small volume of serum, and can identify a panel of key cytokines related to the malignant biological behavior of cancer cells. And it helps to find the biomarkers for the early diagnosis, efficacy assessment and prognosis of prostate cancer.

Aged ; Humans ; Interleukin-16 ; blood ; Interleukin-3 ; blood ; Interleukin-6 ; blood ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prostatic Hyperplasia ; blood ; genetics ; metabolism ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; blood ; genetics ; metabolism ; Proteomics

Osteonecrosis of the femoral head is frequently observed in patients treated with excessive corticosteroids. However, the pathogenesis of corticosteroid-induced osteonecrosis remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) signaling pathway in steroid-induced femoral head osteonecrosis in rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were injected intramuscularly with 20 mg/kg methylprednisolone (MP) for 8 weeks, twice per week. The animals were sacrificed at 2, 4 and 8 weeks after the last MP injection, respectively, and then allocated to the 2-, 4- and 8-week model groups (n=24 each). Rats in the control group (n=12) were not given any treatment. Histopathological analysis was performed and the concentration of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) in plasma was determined. The activation of osteoclasts in the femoral head was assessed by TRAP staining. The expression of TLR4, MyD88, TRAF6 and NF-κB p65 that are involved in TLR4 signaling, and MCP-1 production were detected by using real-time PCR (RT-PCR) and Western blotting. The results showed that the osteonecrosis in the femoral head was clearly observed and the concentration of TRAP in the plasma was increased in the model rats. The femoral head tissues in MP-treated rats were positive for TRAP and the intensity of TRAP staining was greater in MP-treated rats than in control rats. As compared with the control group, the mRNA expression of TLR4 signaling-related factors was enhanced significantly at 4 and 8 weeks, and the protein levels of these factors increased significantly with time. It was concluded that MP could induce the femoral head osteonecrosis in rats, which was associated with osteoclast activation via the TLR4 signaling pathway. These findings suggest that TLR4 signaling pathway plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of steroid-induced osteonecrosis.

Objective To explore the mechanism of deep brain stimulation(DBS)therapy to Parkinson's disease(PD).Methods We produced hemi-parkinsonian rat model with stereotaxically injecting 6-OHDA to right medial forebrain bundle(MFB)and stimulated ipsilateral subthalamu nucleus (STN)with platinum electrodes chronically to investigate the influence of DBS to the expression of Calbindin-28,synaptophysin and tyrosine dioxydase(TH)in Striatum by Western blot.In addition,slices of bilateral PD rats after DBS were stained to observe the expression of Calbindin-28 and synaptophysin in substantia nigra by Immunohistochemistry.Results High frequency stimulation impaired the rotational frequency 31% of unilateral PD rats triggered by apomophine;Long-term DBS increased the expression of TH in innocent striatum of unilateral PD rats 78.6%?9.5%,since the ipsilateral striatum(lesion side) was TH depleted by 6-OHDA insults;Calbindin-28 expression in ipsilateral striatum of hemi-PD rats raised up 75.4%?15.0% and long-term DBS reduced the effect by 43.0%?7.1%,meanwhile Calbindin-28 positive neurons in substantia nigra compacta in sham,PD and DBS rats were 74.5?10.2,75.7?15.6, 33.1?7.8.However,Synaptophysin expression in substantia nigra and striatum kept stable even after long- term DBS.Conclusions Consistent to the treatment to PD patients,DBS to STN alleviated the motor disorder of PD rats,the treatment might be based on regulating the expression of Calbindin-28 and TH.

OBJECTIVESTo examine the activities of transcription factors (TFs) in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell lines with different metastatic potentials, so as to identify the TFs associated with HCC metastasis.

METHODSTranscription factor activity profile of Hep3B, MHCC97L and MHCC97H, three HCC cell lines with different metastatic potentials, were examined using protein/DNA array. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSA) and Western blot were used to confirm the results obtained by protein/DNA array.

RESULTSFrom a total of 345 screened TFs, 7 activity differential TFs were found, of which 5 showed increased activity, including p53, hypoxia inducible factor-1 alpha (HIF-1alpha), signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (Stat3) and Sp1, and 2 showed decreased activity including Rb and Smad3.

CONCLUSIONThe abnormal functioning of transcription factors is closely associated with HCC metastasis. Our present findings could be of help in expanding our understanding of the mechanism of HCC metastasis and identify new predictive biomarkers and therapeutic targets.

Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; metabolism ; pathology ; Cell Line, Tumor ; DNA Fingerprinting ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Protein Array Analysis ; Transcription Factors ; classification ; genetics ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo investigate the association of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of 1772 (C-->T) and 1790 (G-->A) in exon 12 of hypoxia-inducible factor 1, alpha subunit gene (HIF1A) with hypoxia adaptation in high altitude in Sherpas.

METHODSThe blood samples were chosen from 148 Sherpas in Tibet high altitude and 90 Han nationality healthy people in Guangdong province, and from which genomic DNA was extracted. The single nucleotide polymorphisms of 1772(C-->T) and 1790(G-->A) in exon 12 of HIF1A gene were examined by restriction fragment length polymorphism-polymerase chain reaction (RFLP-PCR).

RESULTSThe genotype frequency of HIF1A gene 1790 (G-->A) in Sherpas and Han nationality was 57.43% versus 75.56% in GG genotype, 37.84% versus 21.11% in GA genotype and 4.73% versus 3.33% in AA genotype. GG genotype frequency in Sherpas was lower than that in Han nationality (P<0.01), while GA genotype frequency in Sherpas was higher than that in Han nationality (P<0.01). No significant difference in CC, CT and TT genotype frequency of 1772(C-->T) was shown between two groups respectively. The total frequency of CC + GA, CT + AA, TT + GA and TT + AA in Sherpas was higher than that in Han nationality.

CONCLUSIONPolymorphisms of HIF1A gene 1790 (G-->A) are associated with hypoxia adaptation in high altitude in Sherpas. GA and AA genotype may be benefit to hypoxia adaptation, and it is worthy of deep-going investigation.

Adaptation, Physiological ; genetics ; physiology ; Altitude ; Gene Frequency ; Genotype ; Humans ; Hypoxia ; physiopathology ; Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1 ; genetics ; Linkage Disequilibrium ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; genetics ; Tibet

OBJECTIVETo examine the effect of childhood abuses on adolescents' psychology and behaviors related to harmful dietary pattern.

METHODSAnonymous questionnaire study on childhood abuses, adolescents' psychology and behaviors regarding their dietary patterns was conducted among 5141 students in 9 middle schools in 2 areas of Anhui province.

RESULTSAmong 5141 students, 29.9% reported having severe childhood physical abuse, 64.8% having intermediate childhood physical abuse, 51.4% having mental abuse, 5.3% having physical contact sexual abuse and 24.5% having non-physical contact sexual abuse. In junior, senior middle schools and vocational schools, the incidence rate of severe childhood physical abuse, physical contact sexual abuse and non-physical contact sexual abuse among male students was higher than that among female students. In total, the incidence rate of childhood mental abuse among female students (53.1%) was higher than that among male students (49.8%) and with significant difference (chi2 = 5.484, P < 0.05). The incidence rate of 5 kinds of childhood abuses among junior middle school students was relatively low, and the incidence rate of intermediate childhood physical abuse and mental abuse was higher among senior middle school students. The incidence rate of 9 among the 11 kinds of psychology and behaviors related to harmful dietary pattern among female students in the middle schools and vocational schools was higher than that among male students. By unconditional multivariate logistic regression model, results showed that the childhood abuses was among the 11 kinds of psychological and behavioral risk factors related to harmful dietary pattern.

CONCLUSIONChildhood abuses had negative effects on dietary behaviors in adolescents.

Adolescent ; Adolescent Behavior ; Child ; Child Abuse ; psychology ; China ; epidemiology ; Feeding Behavior ; Feeding and Eating Disorders ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Mental Disorders ; epidemiology ; Risk Factors

Adolescent ; Adult ; External Fixators ; Female ; Fracture Fixation, Internal ; methods ; Fractures, Comminuted ; surgery ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Tibial Fractures ; surgery