A field trial was carried out to study the influence of different kinds of spring topdressing on growth, yield and quality of Ligusticum chuanxiong. The results showed that the spring topdressing had effects of improving root length, tiller numbers and plant height to some extent. At the same time the chlorophyll content and dry weight accumulation especially the dry weight of root increased significantly. It also showed that the yield increased and quality was improved significantly. The effect of different treatment with urea58.7 kg x hm(-2)(N 27 kg x hm(-2)) was the best and the treatment with N,P,K the second.
Alkaloids ; metabolism ; Coumaric Acids ; metabolism ; Fertilizers ; Ligusticum ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Seasons

AIMTo study the effects of hypoxic preconditioning on anoxic tolerance and Jun expression in cultured rat hippocampal neurons after anoxia/reoxygenation.

METHODS12 day cultured hippocampal neurons in control and hypoxic preconditioning group were exposed to anoxic environment (0.90L/L N2 + 0.10 L/L CO2) for 4 h, and then reoxygenated for either 24 h or 72 h. The neurons were immunocytochemically stained using the antiserum against Jun. The number of survival neurons and the percentage of Jun expressing neurons were investigated.

RESULTSThe percentage of Jun expressing neurons induced by anoxia in hypoxic-preconditioning group was significantly less than that in control group. The number of survival neurons was more in the hypoxic-preconditioning group than that in control group after anoxic reoxygenation.

CONCLUSIONHypoxic-preconditioning can induce the development of anoxic-tolerance in cultured hippocampal neurons. The decrease in Jun expressing neurons in hippocampus may be an adaptive reaction to acute anoxia.

Animals ; Animals, Newborn ; Cell Hypoxia ; Cells, Cultured ; Genes, jun ; Hippocampus ; metabolism ; Neurons ; metabolism ; Oxygen ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar

OBJECTIVETo compare the clinical outcome between the two different approaches of improved lateral incision and the traditional L-shaped extension incision to treat intra-articular calcaneal fractures.

METHODSFrom January 2005 to January 2008, 36 cases of intra-articular calcaneal fractures were treated by improved lateral incision or the traditional L-shaped extension incision. In improved lateral incision group, there were 19 cases including 12 males and 7 females with an average age of (38.1 +/- 9.1) years; According to Sanders classification: 8 cases were type II, 9 were type III, 2 were type IV; The time from injury to the operation was (10.5 +/- 1.7) days. In the traditional L-shaped extension incision group,there were 17 cases including 11 males and 6 females with an average age of (38.4 +/- 7.3) years; according to Sanders classification of fractures: 7 cases were type II, 9 were type III, 1 was type IV; The time from injury to the operation was (10.6 +/- 1.8) days. Observing and comparing some items of the two groups including (1) operation time, blood loss, incision length, number of graft cases, (2) VAS pain scores after the first day, (3) wound healing, (4) Maryland foot scoring, (5) postoperative imaging results were comparative analyzed.

RESULTSTwo groups of patients were followed up from 10 to 15 months with an average of 11 months. The operative time and number of graft cases were compared between two groups with no statistically significant differences. The blood loss were (94.0 +/- 9.5) ml in improved lateral incision group and (109.9 +/- 13.7) ml in L-shaped extension incision group, incision length were (6.8 +/- 1.1) cm in improved lateral incision group and (15.7 +/- 2.2) cm in L-shaped extension incision group with significant differences. Postoperative VAS pain score at the first day were (1.95 +/- 0.71) points in improved lateral incision group and (3.65 +/- 1.00) points in L-shaped incision group with significant difference. In improved lateral incision group there was 1 case of grade B wound healing, and in the traditional L-shaped extension incision group, there were 6 cases of grade B wound healing, these patients were healing by protensive time for change dress.

CONCLUSIONThese two incision of improved lateral incision and the traditional L-shaped extension incision for treating the intra-articular calcaneal fractures are therapeutic equivalence. However, improved lateral incision has advantage of small incision and operative wound, and fewer wound complications.

Adult ; Calcaneus ; injuries ; Female ; Fracture Fixation, Internal ; methods ; Humans ; Intra-Articular Fractures ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Postoperative Complications ; prevention & control ; Time Factors

OBJECTIVETo describe the distribution of cerebral vascular hemodynamic indexes (CVHI).

METHODSA number of 25,355 age 35 and over were selected in the Northeast China by cluster sampling. CVHI were checked during baseline survey and were followed to see the occurrence of stroke. Distribution of CVHI among non-stroke population, individuals prior to the onset of stroke and patients with stroke were described.

RESULTSThe CVHI accumulative score, V(mean), V(max) and V(min) were dramatically decreasing, but RV, Zcv, WV and DR were significantly increasing as age increased. V(max), RV and CP were significantly higher in males but WV was lower than that of females. The CVHI accumulative score, V(min) and RV were 95.0, 10.23 and 75.8 in non-stroke population, 51.25, 6.71 and 122.72 pre stroke group, and 55.0, 6.78 and 115.89 in patients with stroke respectively. There were significant differences among three groups after controlling of age and sex (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONVariance of CVHI was closely related to age, and there appeared a significant abnormal of CVHI before and after stroke.

Age Factors ; Aged ; Cluster Analysis ; Female ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Risk Factors ; Sex Factors ; Stroke ; physiopathology

The purpose of this study was to investigate the vasorelaxing effect of vasonatrin peptide (VNP) on human intramammary artery (HIMA).The vasorelaxing effect of VNP on HIMA was measured by means of perfusion in vitro. The effects of HS-142-1, TEA, 8-Br-cGMP and methylene blue (MB) were also observed. It was found that VNP caused a concentration-dependent relaxation in HIMA which was independent of the endothelium. 8-Br-cGMP (0.1-1000 micromol/L) also caused a concentration-dependent relaxation in HIMA. The vasorelaxing effect of VNP disappeared in the presence of HS-142-1 (20 micromol/L), an antagonist of the natriuretic peptide guanylate cyclase (GC) receptor. MB (10 micromol/L), an inhibitor of GC, not only blocked completely the relaxation of HIMA, but also enhanced the vascular contraction induced by norepinephrine. TEA (1 mmol/L), an antagonist of calcium activated potassium channels (K(Ca)), reduced but not completely blocked the vasorelaxing effect of VNP. These findings suggest that VNP can relax HIMA, which is independent of the endothelium. This effect is possibly achieved by the binding of VNP with the natriuretic peptide GC receptors in the smooth muscle cells (SMCs), leading to an increase in intracellular cGMP level. Moreover, the vasorelaxing effect of VNP is associated with K(Ca).
Aged ; Atrial Natriuretic Factor ; pharmacology ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Humans ; In Vitro Techniques ; Mammary Arteries ; drug effects ; physiology ; Middle Aged ; Potassium Channels, Calcium-Activated ; metabolism ; Receptors, Guanylate Cyclase-Coupled ; metabolism ; Vasodilation ; drug effects ; physiology

OBJECTIVETo investigate the clinical phenotypes and hereditary patterns of the generalized epilepsy with febrile seizures plus (GEFS+).

METHODSDetailed family trees were constructed by inquire and physical examinations for the probands of the 15 pedigrees of GEFS+. Some patients received electroencephalography, cranial CT or MRI examination. The seizures and epilepsy syndromes were classified according to the 2001 Seizure International Classification. The clinical data of GEFS+ were reviewed.

RESULTSThe 15 families consisted of 196 individuals. Seventy-five individuals were confirmed with epilepsy. The phenotypes of 64 out of the 75 patients with epilepsy conformed to GEFS+. The 64 patients included 38 males and 26 females (1 deceased) and there was no gender difference in the morbility of GEFS+. The age at onset was all in childhood. GEFS+ had a diversity of phenotypes. Febrile seizures (FS) were confirmed in 44 patients, FS and myoclonic seizure in 1, febrile seizures plus (FS+) in 13, FS+ and absence seizure in 2, FS+ and myoclonic seizure in 1, and FS+ and focal seizure in 3.

CONCLUSIONSThe heterogeneity of phenotypes and genetics may be the hallmarks of GEFS+. FS and FS+ are common phenotypes while FS+ and absence seizure, FS+ and myoclonic seizure, and FS+ and focal seizure are rare. If one of the parents is affected in a GEFS+ family, the susceptibility of their children to GEFS+ is the same no matter what gender of their children is. It is speculated that the hereditary pattern of GEFS+ conforms to autosomal dominant inheritance.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Epilepsy, Generalized ; genetics ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Seizures, Febrile ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo estimate relative risk (RR) of cerebral vascular hemodynamics indexes (CVHI) accumulative score as well as some other risk factors of stroke.

METHODSA cohort study was carried out in 25 355 participants aged 35 and over in Northeast of China from 1994 to 2001. In the baseline survey, exposure rates of hypertension, diabetes, family history of stroke and hypertension, etc. were collected and CVHI was examined. CVHI accumulative score was synthesized according to contribution of single index. During the 7-year following up, 228 stroke cases were identified and stroke coming on was defined as the endpoint of observation. Uni-variable and multiple variables analysis were carried out for estimating RR of CVHI and other risk factors of stroke.

RESULTSUni-variables analysis indicated that RR (95% confidence interval, CI) of Hypertension, heart diseases, diabetes, family history of hypertension and stroke, overweight or obesity, alcohol intake, cigarette smoking and CVHI < 75 scores were 3.23 (2.48 - 4.20), 2.53 (1.92 - 3.33), 2.38 (1.55 - 3.64), 1.32 (1.02 - 1.72), 1.82 (1.37 - 2.41), 1.62 (1.25 - 2.11), 1.48 (1.07 - 2.04), 1.76 (1.34 - 2.31) and 7.30 (5.43 - 9.80) respectively. Cox regression analysis showed that CVHI below 75 points, family history of stroke, cigarette smoking, heart disease, hypertension, age and sex were the factors being selected in equation. There was a significant dosage response between the decrease of CVHI score and the increase of stroke risk. RR of stroke reached 12.55 when CVHI below 75 points and history of hypertension appeared in the same individuals.

CONCLUSIONAbnormality of CVHI score seemed to be the most important and independent factor among stroke risk factors. Decrease of CVHI score might serve as a marker of high risk and play important role in stroke, especially coexistence with hypertension.

Adult ; Aged ; Brain ; blood supply ; Cohort Studies ; Female ; Hemodynamics ; physiology ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Regression Analysis ; Risk Factors ; Stroke ; etiology ; physiopathology

Objective To investigate the therapeutic effect of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation(taVNS)on overweight/obesity patients,and to explore its central mechanism.Methods Twenty-six overweight/obesity patients were randomly divided into two groups,12 cases in the taVNS test group(shortened as the taVNS group)and 14 cases in the lifestyle intervention control group(shortened as the control group).The patients in the control group were treated with online lifestyle intervention of calorie-restricted diet(CRD),and the patients in the taVNS group were treated with taVNS on the basis of the intervention for the control group.The taVNS was performed on unilateral acupoints of spleen and endocrine,twice(in the morning and at evening)per day,for five days a week.The treatment for the two groups covered four weeks.The obesity indicators such as body weight,body mass index(BMI)and waist circumference of the patients in the two groups were observed before and after treatment.Moreover,the resting-state cerebral functional magnetic resonance imaging(fMRI)data of the patients were collected after treatment,and then the regulatory effect of taVNS on the regional homogeneity(ReHo)of local cerebral area of the patients was observed.Results(1)During the trial,one case in each group dropped off,and a total of 24 patients(including 13 cases in the control group and 11 cases in the taVNS group)were finally included in the statistical analysis of the observation indicators.(2)After treatment,the body weight,BMI and waist circumference of patients in the taVNS group were decreased compared with those before treatment(P＜0.05),while the obesity indicators in the control group only showed a downward trend compared with those before treatment,the differences being not statistically significant(P＞0.05).The improvement of the obesity indicators of body weight,BMI,and waist circumference in the taVNS group was significantly superior to that in the control group,and there were statistically significant differences in the post-treatment indicators and in the pre-and post-treatment difference values of the indicators between the two groups(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).(3)After treatment,the taVNS group had greater ReHo values in the left prefrontal lobe and medial frontal gyrus than the control group,and the control group had greater ReHo value in the right parietal lobe than the taVNS group,which indicated that compared with the control group,the ReHo of the left prefrontal lobe and medial frontal gyrus in the taVNS group was increased and the ReHo of the right parietal lobe was decreased(Pvoxel＜0.001,Pcluster＜0.05,corrected by FWE level).Conclusion As a non-invasive treatment method,taVNS exerts certain efficacy for the treatment of overweight/obesity patients.The central response mechanism for treatment of obesity is probably related with the modulation of taVNS on the functional areas of left prefrontal lobe,medial frontal gyrus,and right parietal lobe of the patients.

OBJECTIVETo investigate whether the genetic polymorphism, upstream variable number of tandem repeats (uVNTR), in the monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) gene, is associated with major depressive disorder (MDD) in adolescents and to test whether there is gene-environment interaction between MAOA-uVNTR polymorphism and stressful life events (SLEs).

METHODSA total of 394 Chinese Han subjects, including 187 adolescent patients with MDD and 207 normal students as a control group, were included in the study. Genotyping was performed by SNaP-shot assay. SLEs in the previous 12 months were evaluated. The groups were compared in terms of the frequency distributions of MAOA-uVNTR genotypes and alleles using statistical software. The binary logistic regression model of gene-environment interaction was established to analyze the association of the gene-environment interaction between MAOA-u VNTR genotypes and SLEs with adolescent MDD.

RESULTSThe distribution profiles of MAOA-u VNTR genotypes and alleles were not related to the onset of MDD, severity of depression, comorbid anxiety and suicidal ideation/behavior/attempt in adolescents. The gene-environment interaction between MAOA-u VNTR genotypes and SLEs was not associated with MDD in male or female adolescents.

CONCLUSIONSIt is not proven that MAOA-u VNTR polymorphism is associated with adolescent MDD. There is also no gene-environment interaction between MAOA-u VNTR polymorphism and SLEs that is associated with adolescent MDD.

Adolescent ; Depressive Disorder, Major ; genetics ; Female ; Gene-Environment Interaction ; Genotype ; Humans ; Life Change Events ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Minisatellite Repeats ; Monoamine Oxidase ; genetics ; Polymorphism, Genetic

BACKGROUNDAdenoid hypertrophy (AH) is associated with pediatric chronic rhinosinusitis (pCRS), but its role in the inflammatory process of pCRS is unclear. It is thought that innate immunity gene expression is disrupted in the epithelium of patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), including antimicrobial peptides and pattern recognition receptors (PRRs). The aim of this preliminary study was to detect the expression of innate immunity genes in epithelial cells of hypertrophic adenoids with and without pCRS to better understand their role in pCRS.

METHODSNine pCRS patients and nine simple AH patients undergoing adenoidectomy were recruited for the study. Adenoidal epithelium was isolated, and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was employed to measure relative expression levels of the following messenger RNAs in hypertrophic adenoid epithelial cells of pediatric patients with and without CRS: Human β-defensin (HBD) 2 and 3, surfactant protein (SP)-A and D, toll-like receptors 1-10, nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain (NOD)-like receptors NOD 1, NOD 2, and NACHT, LRR and PYD domains-containing protein 3, retinoic acid-induced gene 1, melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5, and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB). RT-qPCR data from two groups were analyzed by independent sample t-tests and Mann-Whitney U-tests.

RESULTSThe relative expression of SP-D in adenoidal epithelium of pCRS group was significantly lower than that in AH group (pCRS 0.73 ± 0.10 vs. AH 1.21 ± 0.15; P = 0.0173, t = 2.654). The relative expression levels of all tested PRRs and NF-κB, as well as HBD-2, HBD-3, and SP-A, showed no statistically significant differences in isolated adenoidal epithelium between pCRS group and AH group.

CONCLUSIONSDown-regulated SP-D levels in adenoidal epithelium may contribute to the development of pCRS. PRRs, however, are unlikely to play a significant role in the inflammatory process of pCRS.

Adenoids ; cytology ; Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides ; metabolism ; Child ; Epithelial Cells ; metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Immunity, Innate ; genetics ; physiology ; Male ; Receptors, Pattern Recognition ; metabolism ; Sinusitis ; metabolism ; Toll-Like Receptors ; metabolism