AIM:To elucidate the molecular mechanisms of lipoic acid (LA) on redox regulation and digestive function in intestine of C57BL/6 mice fed high fat diet (HFD).METHODS:C57BL/6 mice were randomly assigned to one of three groups (n=8). The control group consumed an ordinary diet. The other two experimental groups were fed with a high fat diet,high fat plus 0.1% LA. After 6 weeks,the activities of digestive enzymes were examined. In order to evaluate the antioxidant status of the mice,superoxide dismutase (SOD),malondialdehyde (MDA),total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in intestinal homogenate were measured. To investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of LA,the gene expression profiles in intestine were examined using the GeneChip microarray system.RESULTS:A depressed antioxidant defense system,accompanied by digestive and absorptive function impairment,was observed in HFD-fed mice. These changes were partially restored in the LA-treated group. DNA microarray analysis of intestine showed that LA ingestion up-regulated the expression of genes related to free-radical scavenger enzymes,digestive enzymes and transporters.CONCLUSION:Treatment with LA improves redox homeostasis and the function of intestine in mice fed HFD. The mechanism may involve preventing oxidative stress by scavenging ROS directly and increasing those of free-radical scavenger enzymes gene expression indirectly.

· AIM:To determine whether the multifocal visual evoked potential (mfVEP) can be used as a clinical method to assess the patients with optic nerve disease.· METHODS: Fifteen patients with optic nerve disease were examined in this study. All patients underwent visual acuity examination, slit-lamp inspection, ophthalmoscopy, Goldmann perimeter, fundus fiuorescein angiography, visual field and mfVEP. Although these patients with unilateral optic nerve damage,data from both eyes were included in the analysis.· RESULTS:In all patients the visual fields defect was demonstrated on the mfVEP and showed good correspondence in location of the scotoma. However, we also found some slight difference between visual field and mfVEP. In some locations, when the local visual fields were normal, mfVEP showed that its amplitude reduced. In reverse, when the local mfVEP seemed normal, visual field showed abnormity.· CONCLUSION:Multifocal visual evoked potential could be used as a clinical diagnosis option in patients with optic nerve disease. Local monocular damage to the optic nerve can be measured by an interocular comparison of the mfVEP.

Objective To explore the influence of high fat diet on the intestinal gene expression profile in C57BL/6 mice. Method C57BL/6 mice were randomly assigned to two groups (n=8). The control group consumed an ordinary diet. The experimental group was fed with a high fat diet. All mice were sacrificed at the end of 6 w and the intestinal gene expressions were detected by oligonucleotide microarray analysis with Affymetrix GeneChip Mouse U430A consisting of 13 097 genes. Results Among the 13 097 genes obtained from gene expression profile analysis, there were 88 and 179 genes up -and down-regulated respectively, in mice fed with high fat diet compared with the control. The differentially expressed genes were mainly related to free radical oxidative stress, DNA repair, induction of apoptosis, transport, signal transduction and inflammation immune response. Conclusion High fat diet may widely modulate the expression of many genes in the intestine in mice.

Objective To explore the possibility of basic fibroblast growth factor(bFGF)and epidermal growth factor(EGF)combined with striatal conditioned medium promoting the directional differentiation of rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells(BMMSCs)into dopaminergie neurons.Methods 1.Separation and culture of BMMSCs:BMMSCs were harvested from healthy adult Wistar rats for serial subcultivation.2.Preparation of Striatal conditioned medium:newborn Wistar rats within 24 hours were selected,and their brain tissues were removed to prepare striatal conditioned medium.3.Induced differentiation of BMMSCs:the 5th passage BMMSCs were collected and pre-induced in low glucose-Dulbecco's modified eagle medium(L-DMEM)containing bFGF and EGF.Twenty-four hours later,pre-induction liquor was replaced with striatal conditioned medium for further induced differentiation.4.Result assessment:the morphological changes of stem cells were observed under inverted phase microscope.The expression of neuron specific enolage(NSE)and tyrosine hydmxylage(TH)were identified by immunocytochemical technique.Results The cell body of rat BMMSCs contracted into round and spindle shape after induction by bFGF and EGF combined with striatal conditioned medium.Partial neuron-like cells with prominence could be found.Immunocytochemieal detection showed that the percentages of NSE and TH positive cells were(72.70±14.81)% and(34.50±15.93)%,respectively.Conclusion BMMSCs can be induced directionally into dopaminergiC neurons by bFGF and EGF combined with striatal conditioned medium in vitro.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the effect of elevated basal follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) on both the quantity and quality of oocytes and embryos and the clinical outcomes of pregnancy in women under 35 years of age.

METHODSA retrospective analysis was conducted for inspecting 294 in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET) cycles in women under 35 years of age. According to the basal FSH levels, the women were divided into groups A, B, and C with basal FSH of 10-14.99, 15-19.99 and ≥20 IU/L, respectively, to compare the average number of oocytes retrieved, morphologies of the oocytes and embryos, and clinical outcomes of pregnancy.

RESULTSGroup A showed greater average numbers of oocytes collected, total embryos and good-quality embryos with a lower gonadotrophin dose required to achieve follicular maturity than groups B and C. The 3 groups showed no significant differences in the percentage of metaphase II oocytes, optimal embryos-blastomere number, normal fertilization rate, cleavage rate, good-quality embryo rate, implantation rate, pregnancy rates, live birth rate or miscarriage rate, but the pregnancy rates and live birth rate tended to decrease in women with basal FSH ≥15 U/L.

CONCLUSIONIn women below 35 years of age, an elevated serum FSH (especially one ≥15 U/L) indicates diminished ovarian reserve and reduced numbers of oocyte and embryo but not poor oocyte or embryos quality, and good clinical pregnancy rate can still be expected.

Adult ; Embryo Transfer ; Female ; Fertilization in Vitro ; Follicle Stimulating Hormone ; blood ; Humans ; Infertility, Female ; blood ; therapy ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Outcome ; Pregnancy Rate ; Retrospective Studies ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo study the value of basal antral follicle count (AFC) and age in predicting ovarian response and clinical outcome of in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET).

METHODSA total of 1319 oocyte retrieval cycles in women with an AFC&le;10 and complete IVF/ICSI cycles were analyzed retrospectively. According to the AFC, the patients were divided into groups A, B, and C with AFC&le;4, of 5-7, and of 8-10, respectively, and each was further divided into <38 years old group and ≥38 years old group. The oocytes retrieved, ovarian response, implantation rate, cancellations, pregnancy, pregnancy loss, and live births were evaluated.

RESULTSAs the AFC increased, the total gonadotrophin (Gn) dose increased and the follicles aspirated and oocytes retrieved decreased significantly (P<0.001). Patients below 38 years of age had a lower total Gn dose and more follicles aspirated and oocytes retrieved than older patients. An AFC>7 and age≥38 years was associated with significantly lower total Gn dose, greater number of follicles aspirated and oocytes retrieved, and lower pregnancy rate than an AFC&le;7 and age<38 years (P<0.05). Bivariate correlation and linear regression analysis identified AFC as the best single predictor of ovarian response in IVF. The pregnancy rate differed significantly between the 3 groups, and older patients (≥38 years) had higher early miscarriage rate.

CONCLUSIONAntral follicle count&le;7 or age≥38 years old with AFC&le;10 is the suitable threshold of diminished ovarian reserve in controlled ovarian stimulation for infertile women. Combination of AFC and age is the best predictor of ovarian response in IVF. Age has a better predictive value of pregnancy rate than AFC. AFC influences mainly the oocytes quantity, while age also affects oocyte quality.

Adult ; Age Factors ; Embryo Transfer ; Female ; Fertilization in Vitro ; Humans ; Ovarian Follicle ; anatomy & histology ; cytology ; physiology ; Ovulation Induction ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Outcome ; Retrospective Studies

Scrubbing of NO(x) from the gas phase with Fe(II)EDTA has been shown to be highly effective. A new biological method can be used to convert NO to N(2) and regenerate the chelating agent Fe(II)EDTA for continuous NO absorption. The core of this biological regeneration is how to effectively simultaneous reduce Fe(III)EDTA and Fe(II)EDTA-NO, two mainly products in the ferrous chelate absorption solution. The biological reduction rate of Fe(III)EDTA plays a main role for the NO(x) removal efficiency. In this paper, a bacterial strain identified as Klebsiella Trevisan sp. was used to demonstrate an inhibition of Fe(III)EDTA reduction in the presence of Fe(II)EDTA-NO. The competitive inhibition experiments indicted that Fe(II)EDTA-NO inhibited not only the growth rate of the iron-reduction bacterial strain but also the Fe(III)EDTA reduction rate. Cell growth rate and Fe(III)EDTA reduction rate decreased with increasing Fe(II)EDTA-NO concentration in the solution.
Adsorption ; Chelating Agents ; metabolism ; Edetic Acid ; antagonists & inhibitors ; metabolism ; Ferric Compounds ; antagonists & inhibitors ; metabolism ; Iron ; metabolism ; Klebsiella ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Nitrogen Oxides ; metabolism ; Oxidation-Reduction

Objective　To evaluate the therapeutic effect of rapid angulation rotation traction for lumbar intervertebral disc protrusion. Methods　A total of 88 patients (66 male and 22 female;age: 18-65), with a history of 2 days to 10 years were analyzed. Among them 20 cases were central protrusion 68 cases were lateral protrusion. Traction range: 60-65 mm, angle: 20°-25°, rotation degree: 20°-25°, traction time: 3 s-1 min. The process of treatment was computer designed. The traction was then 1 to 3 times, with a interval of 4-7 days between two treatments. Results　The effective rate was 96% for the case with history <1 month 96% and 85% for cases with history >1 month (P<0.01). The effective rate was 62% for central protrusion, and 87% for lateral protrusion respectively. χ2 test showed the difference was not significant. Conclusion　The rapid angulation rotation is an effective treatment for lumbar inter-vertebral disc protrusion and this non operative method should be used as early as possible.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the possible role of inflammation factors in the pathogenesis of impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) with concurrent obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) in pregnant women.

METHODSTwenty-five pregnant women with IGT and concurrent OSAHS and 35 pregnant women with IGT but not OSAHS were monitored for all night polysomnography (PSG), and the apnea hypopnea index (AHI) and the lowest pulse oxygen saturation (LSpO2) were recorded. The body mass index, glycated serum protein (GSP), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were measured in these women.

RESULTSIL-6 and TNF-α levels increased significantly in women with IGT and OSAHS as compared with those in women without OSAHS. AHI showed significant positive correlations to GSP, IL-6 and TNF-α, whereas LSpO2 was inversely correlated to GSP, IL-6 and TNF-α. IL-6 and TNF-α were significantly correlated to GSP, with correlation coefficients of 0.510 and 0.476, respectively.

CONCLUSIONThe inflammatory factors may play important roles in IGT complicated by OSAHS in pregnant women, and as a potential risk factor, OSAHS may contribute to the occurrence of progression of IGT.

Adult ; Blood Glucose ; metabolism ; Female ; Glucose Tolerance Test ; Humans ; Interleukin-6 ; blood ; Oximetry ; Oxygen ; blood ; Oxygen Consumption ; physiology ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Complications ; blood ; Sleep Apnea Syndromes ; blood ; physiopathology ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; blood

Study on NO(2) absorption aimed at seeking a better NO(2) absorption chemical at pH 4.5 approximately 7.0 for application to existing wet flue gas desulfurization (FGD). The results from the double-stirred reactor indicated that ascorbic acid has very high absorption rate at this pH range. The rate constant of ascorbic acid reaction with NO(2) (0 approximately 1,000 x 10(-6) mol/mol) is about 3.54 x 10(6) mol/(Ls) at pH 5.4 approximately 6.5 at 55 degrees C.
Absorption ; Air Pollutants ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Ascorbic Acid ; chemistry ; Nitric Oxide ; chemistry ; isolation & purification