OBJECTIVETo study the effect of ethane dimethane sulfonate (EDS) injection on the volumes of different histological structures in the seminal vesicles of adult rats.

METHODSTwenty-seven male SD rats aged approximately 90 days were randomly divided into a control group (n = 14) and an EDS group (n = 13) to receive one intraperitoneal injection of normal saline and EDS (75 mg/kg bodyweight), respectively. At 7 and 12 days after treatment, the unilateral seminal vesicles were removed, methacrylate resin-embedded sections prepared and the total volumes of various structures in the seminal vesicles estimated using stereological methods.

RESULTSEDS treatment almost completely destroyed the Leydig cells in the testis, resulting in a drastic testosterone deficiency. The volume of the seminal vesicle (including the coagulating gland attached to the vesicle) was decreased by 53% in the 7 d EDS group (n = 6) in comparison with the 7 d control group (n = 7) ([138.2 +/- 12.9] vs [64.9 +/- 3.6] mm3, P < 0.01), but showed no significant difference between the 7 d and the 12 d EDS (n = 7) groups ([64.9 +/- 3.6] vs [55.4 +/- 7.7] mm3, P > 0.05). The total volumes of the glandular lumen, glandular epithelium, smooth muscular layer and adventitia were decreased by 96.7, 80.3, 57.6 and 67.0%, respectively, in the 12 d EDS group as compared with the 12 d control group (n = 7).

CONCLUSIONEDS induces drastic testosterone deficiency in adult rats, and significantly reduces the total volumes of the seminal vesicle lumen, glandular epithelium, smooth muscular layer and adventitia.

Animals ; Leydig Cells ; drug effects ; Male ; Mesylates ; pharmacology ; Organ Size ; drug effects ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Seminal Vesicles ; drug effects ; pathology ; Testis ; cytology ; drug effects ; pathology

BACKGROUND: The formation of bacterial biofilm on the material surface is the core problem of catheter-related urinary tract infection. Many researches have focused on the mechanism and prevention of such category of infection under static or simple hydrodynamic stimulation. The construction of dynamic model of bacterial biofilm of bladder urine flow close to real human diseases is the key to study the pathological mechanism and develop new technology of anti-biofilm infection. OBJECTIVE: To put forward the concept of turbulent flow shear stress of human bladder urine flow, construct this turbulent shear stress system based on the bacterial biofilm reactor of in vitro bionic human bladder, and explore the formation of E. coli biofilm stimulated by different stresses. METHODS: An in vitro dynamic bionic bladder urine flow model was designed. E. coli standard strain ATCC25922 was used as research object, and the medical silica gel was used as bacterial biofilm forming carrier. Four artificial urine flow stresses were simulated: hydrostatic pressure, constant turbulent flow shear stress, physiological turbulent flow shear stress and pathological turbulent flow shear stress (simulated urine retention environment). A bacterial biofilm reactor loaded with turbulent flow shear stress was established. Optical density value, colony count, and biofilm surface area of bacterial biofilm suspension were detected 24, 72, 120, and 168 hours. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) Optical density value of bacterial membrane suspension: there was significant difference between different urinary stress groups and different test time points (F=110.84, 187.96, all P < 0.000 1), and there was interaction effect between time and stress (F=50.05, P < 0.000 1). From hydrostatic pressure, constant turbulent flow shear stress, physiological turbulent flow shear stress, to pathological turbulent flow shear stress, the number of biofilm bacterial colonies increased. (2) Colony count of biofilm bacterial suspension smear: there was significant difference between different time (F=6.30, P=0.002 9); no difference was found between different urinary stress groups (F=1.11, P=0.400 1); and there was no interaction effect between time and stress (F=0.85, P=0.581 4). However, with the time extension of stress action, the colony count of complex stress group showed an increasing tendency, especially in the pathological turbulent shear stress. (3) Scanning electron microscopic characterization of biofilm bacteria: qualitative comparison between each group and different time points showed that the formation of bacterial biofilm was different from sparse fragments, lumps to large lumps. There were significant differences in the bacterial biofilm surface area between different urinary stress groups and at different times (F=505.72, 1 201.84, all P < 0.000 1), and there was interaction effect between time and stress (F=78.14, P < 0.000 1). From hydrostatic pressure, constant turbulent flow shear stress, physiological turbulent flow shear stress, to pathological turbulent flow shear stress, the biofilm formation increased significantly. (4) The results showed that this turbulent flow shear stress of human bladder urine flow can obviously stimulate E. coli biofilm formation in vitro. Its functional changes and pathogenic mechanism need to be further explored.

OBJECTIVE: To study the effects of degree of quaternization(DQ) and mucus on cellular uptake and transport of trimethyl chitosan (TMC) nanoparticles.

The thyroid is closely related to neurological diseases. Abnormal thyroid function may cause a series of metabolic-related central nervous system symptoms. Hyperthyroidism encephalopathy and hypothyroidism encephalopathy associated with thyroid dysfunction are rare in adults. Clinicians pay less attention to hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism encephalopathy, which mainly present as mental and cognitive disorders, epileptic seizures, motor disorders and other nervous system symptoms as the first manifestation. These diseases are easily to be misdiagnosed. Hashimoto encephalopathy (HE) is a kind thyroid antibody-elevated and hormone-sensitive encephalopathy, has various clinical manifestations without specific auxiliary examination, and diagnosis can only be made by excluding other diseases. Whether "HE" is an independent disease remains controversial, as it is not clear whether thyroid auto-antibodies are specific to "HE" or the pathogenesis. Therefore, the present paper mainly focuses on the adult encephalopathy associated with abnormal thyroid function and thyroid antibody-associated encephalopathy.

Traditional moxibustion treatment mainly relies on doctors using specific techniques to stimulate the patient's acupoints with ignited moxa sticks. In view of the poor reproducibility, and different methods of different doctors, difficult to carry out quantitative and qualitative research work in clinical research, a moxibustion mechanical arm was designed. The hardware modules of the mechanical arm are composed of power, micro controller STM32, position servos, moxibustion strip thruster, human-computer interaction panel and sensors; the software parts are composed of main control program and interrupt service program. The use of this moxibustion mechanical arm will enhance the system's multi-task adaptability and could perform a variety of moxibustion methods including circling moxibustion and sparrow-pecking moxibustion. The data collected in real time will be transmitted to PC through bluetooth, displayed on OLED, and the system operation modes could be switched by button. Clinical trials showed that moxibustion mechanical arm had the same treatment effects with traditional moxibustion. Meanwhile, its convenience of ope-ration, repeatability of treatment, doctors and patients's treatment experience are all better than those of traditional moxibustion.

Objective To explore the role of the abnormal expression of miRNAs in the development process of non-small cell lung cancer and the feasibility of ultrasound microbubble-mediated gene therapy after transfecting antisense miRNA-224 and miRNA-122a plasmids into non-small cell lung cancer A549 cells. Methods Antisense miRNA-224 and miRNA-122a plasmids were transfected into non-small cell lung cancer A549 cells on the optimal ultrasound microbubble-mediated condition. We set up a control group. The cell proliferation activity, apoptosis, invasion ability were detected by MTT assay, Annexin V-PE, Transwell invasion experiment and colony formation assay, respectively. Results The expression of miRNA-224 decreased and the expression of miRNA-122a rose after the plasmids of target genes were transfected into non-small cell lung cancer A549 cells, and there were significant differences when compared with those of the control group (P < 0.05). After the plasmids of target genes were transfected into A549 cells, the growth of antisense miRNA-224 and miRNA-122a were inhibited, and the differences were significant as compared with the control group (P < 0.05). Besides, the inhibition of miRNA-122a group was the most significant and there was statistically significant difference as compared with miRNA-224 group (t = −4.694, P = 0.009). After the plasmids of target genes were transfected into A549 cells, the proportion of apoptotic cells increased, the invasive cells were decreased and the clone ability reduced, and also there was a significant difference as compared with those of the control group (P < 0.05). What's more, the apoptotic peak appeared in miRNA-122a group. Its invasion ability decreased most obviously (40.25 ± 3.97/visual field), the number of clone ability was 104.93 ± 4.87 and the inhibitory effect was the most obviously. There was statistically significant difference as compared with other groups (P < 0.05). Conclusions A549 cells transfected by ultrasound microbubble-mediated antisense miRNA-224 and miRNA-122a plasmids possessed good transfection efficiency. The cell growth, invasion and colony-forming abilities of transfected A549 cells were suppressed, which laid a solid foundation for the gene therapy of non-small cell lung cancer.

The primary infection of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) may results in hemophagocytic syndrome, known as EBV-associated hemophagocytic syndrome (EBV-AHS), but the clinical risk factors complicating this fatal disease in children with infectious mononucleosis (IM) are unknown. The aim of this study was to identify clinical features of EBV-AHS and to evaluate the curative effect of HLH-2004 protocol. The clinical and laboratory data of 644 IM children including 27 children developed into EBV-AHS and 43 HPS children associated with other diseases were retrospectively analyzed and logistic regression was used to identify the clinical risk factors complicating EBV-AHS. The results showed as follows: (1) the prevalence of EBV-AHS in IM children was 4.2% (27/644), and the prevalence in group aged younger than 3 years was higher than in other age groups. The incidence age of EBV-AHS was significantly younger than that of other HPS patients; (2) Liver function damage of group aged older than 7 years was much more severe in HPS patients. (3) Compared with other HPS patients, male patients were more common and liver function damage was severe in EBV-AHS patients, especially in the patients aged at 2 years or younger. (4) The fatality rate in the EBV-AHS patients was 37.0% (10/27). (5)After treatment with HLH-2004 protocol, the fatality rate in patients with EBV-AHS decreased from 50.0% to 18.2%, the overall survival (OS) of 3 years significantly increased (P = 0.032). It is concluded that IM is a benign self-limited disease, of which only about 4.2% patients will develop into EBV-AHS. Clinical risk factors identified in this study may be helpful for early diagnosis of IM children with complicated EBV-ASH, the HLH-2004 protocol can obviously improve prognosis of EBV-HPS.
Adolescent ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Epstein-Barr Virus Infections ; diagnosis ; Female ; Herpesvirus 4, Human ; Humans ; Infant ; Infectious Mononucleosis ; diagnosis ; virology ; Lymphohistiocytosis, Hemophagocytic ; diagnosis ; virology ; Male ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors

This paper reviews the latest development of RNA interference(RNAi). RNA interference is the process of sequence-specific degradation of homologous mRNA triggered by double-stranded RNA. As a technically simple and an effective genetic tool which can exert effect on the expression of gene and substitute for gene knock-out technique in some degree, RNAi phenomena have been broadly validated in diverse model organisms such as Caenorhabditis elegans, Drosophila melanogaster, Arabidopsis thaliana and Neurospora crassa. Simultaneously, study on molecular mechanism of RNAi, which might be involved in the level of post-transcription, translation, genome methylation or conduction of silencing signals, is now making unceasing progress. Clear elucidation of the molecular mechanism could provide important theoretical references and powerful tools for the practical application in this field where RNAi may be put into the use of systematic gene screening, the discovery of new genes and the gene therapy for human tumor or other refractory human diseases.
Animals ; DNA Methylation ; Humans ; MicroRNAs ; metabolism ; RNA Interference

BACKGROUNDTo introduce the experience of anaesthesia management of lobectomy combined with resection and reconstruction of superior vena cava (SVC) with graft in the treatment of lung cancer patients with superior vena cava syndrome.

METHODSUnder intubation and general anaesthesia, lobectomy combined with resection and reconstruction of superior vena cava with graft was carried out in 18 lung cancer patients with superior vena cava syndrom.

RESULTSThe anaesthesia was very stable and operation was smooth in all patients. All of the patients safely returned to intensive care unit. No symptom and sign of nervous system damage was found after anaesthesia consciousness in all patients.

CONCLUSIONSThe key of anaesthesia management is to maintain a stable hemodynamics and to decrease the pressure of superior vena cava, which is the key point of brain protection.