OBJECTIVETo probe the changes of fast component of brainstem auditory evoked potentials (FC-BAEP), slow component of brainstem auditory evoked potentials (SC-BAEP) and the mitochondrial ultrastructures of the neurons in the brainstem in the rat pups with hyperbilirubinemia.

METHODS7 days old SD rat pups were randomly divided into control group (C, 17 rat pups) and two test groups (T1, 17 rat pups and T2, 17 rat pups). Bilirubin solutions (2 g/L) were injected into the abdominal cavity of the rat pups in the group T1 and T2 at the postnatal day 7 and 10. Six hours after the second injection, seven rat pups of each group were randomly selected to test serum bilirubin concentration via a micro-gauge. FC-BAEP and SC-BAEP were examined with an evoked potential recorder in the rest rat pups of each group at postnatal day 17 and 20. At the postnatal day 20, the endocardial perfusion was performed in these rat pups for the fixation of the brain, and then the brains were taken out. The cochlear nuclei were used for observation via electron microscope.

RESULTSSix hours after the injection of bilirubin solution at the postnatal day 10, the serum bilirubin concentrations of the rat pups in group T1 and T2 were increased significantly. Except for II-IV inter-peak latency(IPL), all the peak latency(PL) and IPL of FC-BAEP evoked via three sound stimulating rates (10/s, 40/s,80/s) at the postnatal day 17 prolonged significantly in the rat pups of group T1 and T2, and the PL in group T2 were much longer than that in group T1. Except for II-IV IPL of FC-BAEP evoked via sound stimulating rates of 10/s and 40/s, all the PL and IPL at the postnatal day 20 prolonged significantly in the rat pups of group T1 and T2. The PL of SC-BAEP evoked via sound stimulating rate of 10/s at the postnatal day 17 and 20 in the rat pups of group T1 and T2 prolonged significantly, and the PL at the postnatal day 17 in group T2 were much longer than that of group T1. The changes of mitochondria of the neurons in the cochlear nuclei at the postnatal day 20 in the rat pups of group T1 and T2 were characterized by swell, the slurred membranes, the broken crista and so on.

CONCLUSIONThere were the abnormal changes of FC-BAEP, SC-BAEP and the mitochondrial ultrastructures of the neurons in the brainstem in the rat pups with hyperbilirubinemia. The PL and IPL of FC-BAEP and SC-BAEP could be taken as the objective and sensitive indexes for early monitoring the bilirubin-induced hearing loss and brain injury.

Animals ; Animals, Newborn ; Brain Stem ; pathology ; Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem ; physiology ; Hearing Loss ; etiology ; physiopathology ; Hyperbilirubinemia ; complications ; physiopathology ; Male ; Mitochondria ; ultrastructure ; Neurons ; ultrastructure ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

The methods of 1H Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and mass spectroscopy were used in detecting the metabolites of brodimoprim (BDP) in rat plasma. The endogenic compounds in the plasma were removed with solid phase extraction (SPE) column firstly, then the mixture of metabolites was identified with 1H NMR and mass spectroscopy (MS). Two metabolites of BDP in the plasma at 20h were detected, they were demethyl-brodimorpim glucuronide and brodimoprim sulfurate. The study proved that the method of SPE coupled with NMR and MS can be applied to the analysis of metbolites in plasma quickly and conveniently.

The way of "extracting-salting-chromatography" was used to purify the phycoerythrin and phycocyanin from Porphyra yezoensis in process scale-up.First,by comprehensive comparison of efficiency,the Sephadex G-25 was selected from four resins (Sephadex G-25、G-100、S-300 and CL-6B) as the best choice used in crude extract desalting of phycobiliprotein.Then the preparation process of phycobiliprotein was scaled-up with raw material(Porphyra yezoensis) increased from 1g to 20g,and finally to 400g.The results indicated that the yields of purified phycoerythrin and phycocyanin (absorption spectra purity above 3.2) increased during according to process scale-up,with 0.323% phycoerythrin and 0.148% phycocyanin obtained from 400g frozen Porphyra yezoensis blades respectively.It is no doubt that the process involved in the experiment is a potential way for large scale preparation of phycobiliproteins of high purity.

OBJECTIVETo explore the clinical effects of total vertebral column resection combined with anterior mesh cage support in treating severe congenital kyphoscoliosis.

METHODSFrom April 2008 to April 2012,21 patients with severe congenital kyphoscoliosis were treated with total vertebral column resection and internal fixation through posterior approach combined with anterior mesh cage support. There were 8 males and 13 females with an average age of 19.4 years old (ranged from 10 to 35). And 6 cases were thoracic segments deformity,13 cases were thoracolumbar segments and 2 cases were lumbar segments, of them, 2 cases were accompanied with Chairs deformity, 6 cases with diastematomyelia, 4 cases with syringomyelia,and 1 case with neurofibromatosis. According to the Frankel grade system, 3 cases were grade C, 5 cases grade D and 13 cases grade E. Blood loss, operative time, and perioperative complications were recorded. Coronal and sagittal Cobb angle, apical vertebral offset distance, sagittal offset, the relative height of shoulders, razor back deformities were measured and analyzed before and after operation.

RESULTSThe average operative time was 5.2 h (3.5 to 6.5 h) and blood loss was 2,500 ml (1,400 to 4,900 ml). The 2nd day after operation, apical vertebral offset distance, sagittal offset, the relative height of shoulders, razor back deformities had obviously improved than preoperative (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in above items between postoperative on the 2nd day and final follow-up (P > 0.05). The corrective rate of kyphosis and scoliosis were (60.97 +/- 6.30)% and (62.24 +/- 5.82)%, respectively. On the first day after surgery,2 cases of Frankel grade E aggravated to grade D, and obtained recovery at 2 week after conservative treatment. And 1 case palinesthesia later,grade D aggravated to grade C and obtained recovery after revision surgery in time. One case complicated with permanent blindness of left eye, 1 case occurred injury of pleura and 2 cases had cerebrospinal fluid leak during operation. All patients were followed up from 9 to 31 months with an av- erage of 18.6 months. At final follow-up,all patients obtained bone union, Frankel grade D in 4 cases and grade E in 17 cases, no correction loss and internal fixation loosening was found.

CONCLUSIONTotal vertebral column resection combined with anterior mesh cage support can effectively correct kyphosis and scoliosis in severe congenital kyphoscoliosis and can avoid injury of spine cord by spinal crispation, but intraoperative position and neurologic complications should still be considered.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Child ; Female ; Humans ; Kyphosis ; complications ; congenital ; diagnostic imaging ; surgery ; Male ; Retrospective Studies ; Scoliosis ; complications ; congenital ; diagnostic imaging ; surgery ; Spine ; surgery ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Young Adult

Aneuploidy ; Humans ; In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence ; methods ; Male ; Spermatozoa ; ultrastructure

OBJECTIVETo assess the effect of A-V, V-V delay optimization on cardiac function and clinical improvement in patients with refractory heart failure underwent cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT).

METHODThirty-two patients with chronic heart failure received CRT and cardiac function was measured at 7 days, 3 months and 6 months post CRT before and after A-V and V-V delay optimizations.

RESULTSA-V delay optimization was initiated in 28, 10 and 6 cases at 7th day, 3rd month and 6th month after CRT. V-V delay optimization was performed in 29, 6 and 5 cases at 7th day, 3rd month and 6th month after CRT. Ts-SD, LVEF, VTI and E/Em were significantly improved after CRT compared to pre-CRT (P < 0.01, P < 0.05, P < 0.05, P < 0.05; respectively). Compared to pre-optimization, the indexes of ventricular synchronization were significantly improved (P < 0.05) while indexes of cardiac function remained unchanged post optimization at 7th day after CRT. The indexes of ventricular synchronization post optimization were similar at 7th, 3rd and 6th months after CRT (P > 0.05). LVEF and diastolic filling time were significantly increased after 6 months CRT post A-V, V-V delay optimization (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONA-V, V-V delay optimization at 7th day after CRT can significantly improve ventricular synchronization and is associated with further improved cardiac function 6 months after CRT.

Aged ; Cardiac Pacing, Artificial ; methods ; Chronic Disease ; Echocardiography, Doppler, Pulsed ; Female ; Heart Failure ; diagnostic imaging ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged

AIMTo study the effects of hyperthermia on brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEP) and middle latency response (MLR) in rats.

METHODSBAEP and MLR were recorded at the skull surface of rats. The body temperature of anesthetized rats increased gradually with a physical method and was detected by a digital thermometer inserted into the rectum. The peak latency (PL), interpeak latency (IPL), wave amplitude and the critical body temperature at which BAEP and MLR completely lost had been observed.

RESULTSAll PL and I - II, I - III and I -IV IPL of BAEP shortened more and more as the body temperature increased step by step from 37 degrees C to 41.5 degrees C. But all PL and I - II and I -IV IPL did not shortened further and prolonged a little contrary as the body temperature at 42 degrees C and over 42 degrees C. All PL and P1-P3 and P2-P3 IPL of MLR also shortened as the body temperature increased from 37 degrees C to 43 degrees C. The wave amplitudes of BAEP and MLR decreased as the body temperature increased, especially as the body temperature over 42 degrees C. BAEP and MLR lost completely and synchronously at the body temperature (43.1 +/- 0.5) degrees C, which was not reversed as the body temperature returning to normal by cooling.

CONCLUSIONThere were obvious effects of hyperthermia on both BAEP and MLR in rats, and irreversible impairments appeared at a critical body temperature.

Animals ; Body Temperature ; Brain Stem ; physiology ; Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem ; physiology ; Fever ; physiopathology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Reaction Time ; physiology

With improved overall survival of cervical cancer patients, the importance of the quality of life (QOL) is increasingly recognized. This study was conducted to compare the QOL of women with different stage cervical cancer before and after treatment to facilitate improved cervical cancer prevention and treatment. We used the generic Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 (MOS SF-36) to collect QOL information. Based on SF-36, we interviewed cervical cancer patients at West China Second Affiliated Hospital and Sichuan Cancer Hospital between May 2010 and January 2011. A total of 92 patients with precancerous lesions, 93 with early cancer, and 35 with advanced cancer responded to our survey. Average physical component summary (PCS) scores were significantly different between the three groups at every time point (P < 0.05). Average mental component summary (MCS) scores were significantly different between the three groups after treatment (P < 0.05). Average PCS and MCS scores increased gradually from the pretreatment to posttreatment period for patients with precancerous lesions. However, they reached the lowest at 1 month after treatment for patients with early and advanced cancers and rebounded between 1 and 6 months after treatment. Our results indicate that patients with precancerous lesions and early cervical cancer show better overall QOL than do those with advanced cervical cancer. Additionally, patients with early cancer recover more quickly than do those with advanced cancer in terms of both physical and mental functions. Thus, early detection and treatment initiatives may improve the QOL for patients with precancerous lesions and cervical cancer.
Adult ; Aged ; Carcinoma in Situ ; pathology ; therapy ; Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia ; pathology ; therapy ; Chemoradiotherapy ; China ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hysterectomy ; methods ; Lymph Node Excision ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Precancerous Conditions ; pathology ; therapy ; Quality of Life ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms ; pathology ; therapy ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVE Tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) is the only approved pharmaco-logical therapy for acute brain ischaemia;however,a major limitation of tPA is the haemorrhagic trans-formation that follows tPA treatment. Here, we determined whether nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), a key intermediate of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide biosynthesis, affects tPA-induced haemorrhagic transformation. METHODS Middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) was achieved in CD1 mice by introducing a filament to the left MCA for 5 h.When the filament was removed for reperfusion, tPA was infused via the tail vein.A single dose of NMN was injected i.p.(300 mg·kg-1).Mice were killed at 24 h post ischaemia, and their brains were evaluated for brain infarction, oedema, haemoglobin content, apoptosis, neuroinflammation, blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability, the expression of tight junction proteins(TJPs)and the activity/expression of MMPs. RESULTS In the mice infused with tPA at 5 h post ischaemia, there were significant increases in mortality, brain infarction, brain oedema, brain haemoglobin level, neural apoptosis, Iba-1 staining (microglia activation) and myeloperoxidase staining (neutrophil infiltration). All these tPA-induced alterations were significantly prevented by NMN administration. Mechanistically, the delayed tPA treatment increased BBB permeability by down-regulating TJPs, including claudin-1, occludin and zonula occludens-1,and enhancing the activities and protein expression of MMP9 and MMP2. Similarly, NMN administration partly blocked these tPA-induced molecular changes. CONCLUSION Our results demonstrate that NMN ameliorates tPA-induced haemorrhagic transformation in brain ischaemia by maintaining the integrity of the BBB.

It has been shown that cell volume regulation mechanisms play important roles in various cell functions. We demonstrated previously that volume-activated chloride channels were involved in cell volume regulation. The present study aimed to clarify the roles of various types of potassium channels in regulatory volume decrease (RVD) induced by hypotonic challenges in human nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells (CNE-2Z cells). The whole-cell patch clamp technique was used to record hypotonic challenge-induced potassium currents. During current recordings, cells were held at 0 mV and stepped to +/-46 and +/-92 mV, repeatedly. The cell volume was computed from cell diameters. The changes of cell volume were monitored and analyzed by the time-lapse imaging technique. The results showed that the exposure to 160 mOsm/L hypotonic solution caused the cells to swell by (144.5+/-4.2)%, activated a potassium current (59.2 pA/pF+/-13.3 pA/pF at 92 mV), and induced RVD. Cell volume was recovered from hypotonic challenge-induced swelling by (48.9+/-4.6)% after 20 min. The potassium current (at 92 mV) and RVD were inhibited by the calcium-dependent potassium channel blocker, clotrimazole (100 mumol/L), by (98.5+/-2.8)% and (89.3+/-4.9)%, respectively. Depletion of extracellular calcium prevented the activation of the hypotonic challenge-induced potassium current and inhibited the process of RVD. The voltage-gated potassium channel blocker, 4-AP (5 mmol/L), partially inhibited the hypotonic challenge-activated potassium currents by (66.6+/-5.3)% (at 92 mV). These results suggest that the Ca(2+)-dependent potassium channel is the main component of volume-activated potassium channels and plays an important role in volume regulation of CNE-2Z cells. The voltage-gated potassium channels may also contribute in part to the formation of the volume-activated potassium current.
Carcinoma ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Size ; Clotrimazole ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Hypotonic Solutions ; pharmacology ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms ; pathology ; Patch-Clamp Techniques ; Potassium Channel Blockers ; pharmacology ; Potassium Channels, Calcium-Activated ; metabolism