Objective To study the influence of mesenchymal stem cells(MSCs) implantation on ventricular remodeling and heart function after myocardial infarcion. Methods Bone marrow was aspirated from Gui-zhou Xiang swines.After being isolated,cultured and co-cultured with 5-azacytidine,either autologous MSCs(experiment group) or a comparable volume of physiologic saline(control group) were injected into the infarcted myocardium.Three and six weeks later,echocardiographic measurement was performed to assess the myocardial structure and heart function,and single photon emission computed tomography(SPECT) was employed for myocardial imaging.Implanted stem cells were detected by the anti-Brdv antibody DAB with HE staining. Results Left ventricular ejection fraction(EF),fractional shortening and wall thickening were higher in experiment group than control group.The thickness of the ventricular wall and septum was found increased while the left ventricular chamber size was smaller in experiment group.It was indicated by SPECT that three and six weeks after implantation,there was obvious image defect in control group while in experiment group there were some imaging areas in the infarcted area.Brdv-labelled cells were observed in the central part of and around the infarcted area.Conclusion Implantation of MSCs into the infarcted myocardium is believed to attenuate the remodeling process,inhibit the extent of wall thinning and dilatation of the ventricular chamber.MSCs implantation may also improve the contractile ability of the myocardium and heart function.

OBJECTIVETo explore the prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and its risk factors in rural area in the southern part of Hubei province and to provide evidence for prevention and treatment.

METHODSUsing uniform scheme, procedures and questionnaire, a multistage survey for 1883 people in rural area in southern part of Hubei province was performed, and physical examinations and lung function tests were conducted for every participant.

RESULTSIn this survey, 186 COPD cases were identified with a overall prevalence of 9.88%. The prevalence for male was 13.68% while in female it was 6.46%. The prevalence was higher in males than in females (chi2 = 27.48, P< 0.001) and higher with the increase of age (chi2 = 79.22, P<0.001). Factors associated with COPD were identified in one-way variance model as follows: sex, age, smoking, time for cooking, using biomass fuels for in-door cooking, family history, frequent cough before age 14, low body index and having house remodelling in the last five years. Results from multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that sex (OR= 1.3010), age (OR = 1.8506), smoking (OR= 3.0118), cooking time (OR= 1.7651), family history (OR = 1.5278), frequent cough before age 14 (OR = 2.8965) were risk factors.

CONCLUSIONThe prevalence of COPD in the southern part of Hubei province was high, suggesting that comprehensive intervention measures should be taken.

Adult ; Age Factors ; Aged ; China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multivariate Analysis ; Population Surveillance ; Prevalence ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive ; epidemiology ; Risk Factors ; Rural Health ; statistics & numerical data ; Rural Population ; Surveys and Questionnaires

OBJECTIVETo study the effects of Jianpi Qingre Huayu Recipe in curing gastric ulcer and to preliminarily probe into its pathogenic mechanism.

METHODSFifty patients with gastric ulcer of Pi -insufficiency and stasis-heat syndrome type were assigned to the treated group (30 patients) and the control group (20 patients). They were treated respectively with JQH and Ranitidine. At the same time, another group consisting of 20 healthy persons was set up for normal control. The clinical effect on gastroscopic figure and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome were observed. Changes of T-cell subsets and interleukin-8 (IL-8) in serum as well as IL-8 in mucosa around the gastric ulcer were determined before and after treatment by flow cytometry and ELISA.

RESULTSComparison of the total effective rate on gastroscopic figure in the treated group and the control group (86.7% vs 80.0%) showed insignificant difference, but the cure rate and markedly effective rate in the former (50.0% and 20.0%) was higher than that in the latter (40.0% and 15.0%) respectively. Comparison of the total effective rate on TCM syndrome in the treated group and in the control group (96.7% vs 70.0%) showed insignificant difference, but the cure rate and markedly effective rate in the former (63.3% and 23.3%) was higher than that in the latter (50.0% and 20.0%) respectively. Serum levels of CD3+, CD4+, CD8+ got restored to normal range in the treated group after treatment but it was not so in the control group. IL-8 level in gastric mucosa was improved in both groups but the improvement in the treated group was better.

CONCLUSIONJQH could effectively treat gastric ulcer and partly reduce its recurrence through improving patients' immune function.

Adult ; Anti-Ulcer Agents ; therapeutic use ; Blood Cells ; pathology ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Female ; Flow Cytometry ; Gastric Mucosa ; metabolism ; Gastroscopy ; Humans ; Immune System ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Interleukin-8 ; blood ; metabolism ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Ranitidine ; therapeutic use ; Stomach Ulcer ; diagnosis ; immunology ; metabolism ; therapy ; T-Lymphocyte Subsets ; pathology

BACKGROUNDThere are no reports on exnografting cultured human fetal neocortical cells in this infracted cavities of adult rat brains. This study was undertaken to observe whether cultured human cortical neurons and astrocytes can survive and grow in the infarcted cavities of adult rat brains and whether they interconnect with host brains.

METHODSThe right middle cerebral artery was ligated distal to the striatal branches in 16 adult stroke-prone renovascular hypertensive rats. One week later, cultured cells from human embryonic cerebral cortexes were stereotaxically transferred to the infarcted cavity of 11 rats. The other 5 rats receiving sham transplants served as controls. For immunosuppression, all transplanted rats received intraperitoneal injection of cyclosporine A daily starting on the day of grafting. Immunohistochemistry for glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), synaptophysin, neurofilament, and microtubule associated protein-2 (MAP-2) was performed on brain sections perfused in situ 8 weeks after transplantation.

RESULTSGrafts in the infarcted cavities of 6 of 10 surviving rats consisted of bands of neurons with an immature appearance, bundles of fibers, and GFAP-immunopositive astrocytes, which were unevenly distributed. The grafts were rich in synaptophysin, neurofilament, and MAP2-positive neurons with long processes. The graft/host border was diffuse with dendrites apparently bridging over to the host brain, into which neurofilament immunopositive fibers protruded.

CONCLUSIONCultured human fetal brain cells can survive and grow in the infarcted cavities of immunodepressed rats and integrate with the host brain.

Animals ; Astrocytes ; transplantation ; Brain ; pathology ; Cell Proliferation ; Cell Survival ; Cells, Cultured ; Cerebral Infarction ; metabolism ; pathology ; therapy ; Fetal Tissue Transplantation ; Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein ; analysis ; Humans ; Microtubule-Associated Proteins ; analysis ; Neocortex ; cytology ; Neurons ; transplantation ; Rats ; Synaptophysin ; analysis

OBJECTIVE: Decreased cardiac vagal control (CVC) has been proposed in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but the results are mixed. Analyses with larger sample sizes and better methodology are needed. METHODS: Thirty-two drug-naive survivors with current PTSD, 32 survivors without PTSD and 192 matched controls were recruited for a case-control analysis. We used the PTSD checklist-civilian version (PCL-C) to assess posttraumatic symptoms severity. Cardiac autonomic function was evaluated by measuring heart rate variability (HRV) parameters. Frequency-domain indices of HRV were obtained. The obtained results were evaluated in association with personality traits assessed by the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire (TPQ). RESULTS: PTSD patients exhibited decreased LF-HRV and HF-HRV as compared to survivors without PTSD and to matched controls. The PTSD symptoms severity was associated with reduced mean RR intervals, Var-HRV, LF-HRV and HF-HRV. The harm avoidance score (which has been suggested to be associated with serotonergic activity) was negatively correlated with Var-HRV, LF-HRV and HF-HRV. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that PTSD is accompanied by decreased CVC, highlighting the importance of assessing HRV in PTSD patients. In view of the increased risk for cardiovascular diseases in these vulnerable individuals, one might consider the treatment to restore their autonomic function while reducing PTSD symptoms.
Cardiovascular Diseases ; Case-Control Studies ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Sample Size ; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic ; Survivors

OBJECTIVE: Decreased heart rate variability (HRV) has been reported in generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), but the results are mixed. Little is known about the impact of comorbid major depression (MD) on HRV in GAD patients. Both issues necessitate further investigation. METHODS: Twenty unmedicated, physically healthy GAD patients, 20 GAD patients with a secondary diagnosis of MD, 40 MD patients and 60 matched controls were recruited. We used the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale to assess anxiety and depression severity, respectively. Cardiac autonomic function was evaluated by measuring HRV parameters. Frequency-domain indices of HRV were obtained. RESULTS: Three patient groups had more anxiety and depression symptoms than control subjects, but heart rates (HRs) were significantly elevated only in GAD patients with comorbid depression. Relative to controls, GAD patients had reduced HRV while GAD patients with comorbid depression displayed the greatest reductions in HRV among three patients groups. Correlation analyses revealed anxiety/depression severity significantly associated with HRs, variance, LF-HRV and HF-HRV. However, separately analyzing among individual groups and adjusting for HRV-associated covariables rendered the correlations non-significant. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that reduction in HRV is a psychophysiological marker of GAD and individuals with comorbid GAD and MD may be distinguished based on psychophysiological correlates (for example, HF-HRV) from non-comorbid GAD patients. Taken into account that comorbid depression may confer increased risks for cardiovascular events in GAD patients, this subgroup of GAD patients may benefit better from cardiovascular risk reduction strategies.
Anxiety Disorders* ; Anxiety* ; Case-Control Studies* ; Depression* ; Diagnosis ; Heart Rate* ; Heart* ; Humans ; Risk Reduction Behavior ; Taiwan*

China ; epidemiology ; Dysentery, Bacillary ; epidemiology ; microbiology ; Humans ; Shiga Toxin ; Shigella ; classification

OBJECTIVEA mouse model of orthotopic bladder cancer simulating its human counterpart is of great importance in preclinical evaluation of new treatment modalities such as immunotxin therapy. The aim of the present study is to establish a novel nude mouse model with xenografted human bladder cancer.

METHODSSingle cell suspension of an established human bladder transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) cell line BIU-87 was instilled into nude mouse bladders which were pretreated with mild acid washing. The tumor growth in mouse bladder was assessed weekly by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). At intervals following implantation and MRI tumor detection, the animals were sacrificed for necropsy, histological examination and immunocytochemical studies.

RESULTSThe overall tumor establishment was 92.9% (52/56 mice) at 7 - 36 days, while in the subgroup of animals sacrificed at 12 - 13 days, 40 out of 42 animals (95.2%) developed TCC, the majority of which was superficial. The tumor stages were assessed by gross and histopathology. Histological examination confirmed the presence of grade II - III TCC. Immunocytochemistry confirmed that the tumor model maintained the biological and immunological features of BIU-87 cells. The changes seen on MRI images well correlated with the extent of tumor invasion identified by histology. Carcinoma in situ could be detected histologically at 7 - 9 days post-inoculation and progressed into papillary or invasive tumors thereafter.

CONCLUSIONThe orthotopic BIU-87 TCC model in nude mice is highly reproducible and is ideal for preclinical studies on experimental intravesical therapies.

Animals ; Antibodies, Monoclonal ; analysis ; Carcinoma, Transitional Cell ; immunology ; pathology ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Female ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Mice ; Mice, Nude ; Neoplasm Staging ; Neoplasm Transplantation ; Neoplasms, Experimental ; pathology ; Transplantation, Heterologous ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms ; immunology ; pathology