Objective To study of effects Medlar flavone on NO and NOS in H 2 O2 damaged vascular endothelial cells.Meth-ods Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells(HUVEC)have been set as research object.HUVEC cells was damaged by H 2 O2 in-duced oxidative stress.Experiments were divided into normal control group,H 2 O2 injury group,VitC control group,and low,medi-um,high flavonoids protective groups(100,200,400 mg/L).MTT method was used to observe cells activity.The effects Medlar fla-vone on MDA、TNOS、iNOS and NO in H 2 O2 damaged vascular endothelial cells was observed.Results (1)MTT result demonstra-ted the IR of HUVEC cells was 38.8% in H 2 O2 injury group.Which in low,medium,high flavonoids protective groups were 34.0%,30.7%,25.5%.All were lower than H 2 O2 injury group(P <0.01).(2)Compared with normal control group,NOS activity was decreased in H 2 O2 injury cell,while TNOS,iNOS,NO was more.Compared H 2 O2 group,the change of NO,TNOS,iNOS, MDA was opposite in flavone intervention group,and which were dose dependent (P <0.01 ).Conclusion Medlar flavone has a protective effect on H 2 O2 induced HUVEC cells injury,and there may be some kind of relevance between them.

Objective To investigate the effects of astragalus membranaceus and angelica sinensis on grafted cochlea stem cells apoptosis in hearing imparied rats.Methods The hearing impaired rats were divided into 3 groups:cochlea stem cells group(45 rats),astragalus membranaceus and angelica sinensis group(45 rats),and the control group(35 rats).Cochlea stem cells only were grafted into the first group cochlea regions,mixture of stem cells and astragalus membranaceus and angelica sinensis were grafted into that of the second group.Saline was grafted into that of control rats.Observed was apoptosis at 1 day,3 days,5 days,10 days,15 days after the transplantation by CASPASE-3 and Bcl-2 immunofluorescence.Results After transplantationn 1 day,3 days,5 days,10 days,and 15 days of five time,for the cochlea stem cell group,the rates of apoptotic cells were 27.84%,49.37%,44.78%,39.37%,and 34.82%,respectively.The rates of astragalus membranaceus and angelica sinensis group were 18.35%,26.92%,23.18%,21.38%,and 18.19%,respectively.The percent of grafted cochlea stem cells apoptosis in astragalus membranaceus and angelica sinensis group was much lower than that in cochlea stem cells group and control group.The majority of apoptotic cells occurred within three to five days after transplantation.Conclusion The majority of apoptotic cells occur within three to five days after transplantation in the hearing impaired rats.The astragalus membranaceus and angelica sinensis could reduce the apoptotic rates of transplanted stem cells.

Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of oral ginkgo biloba extract EGB761 in patients with mild cognitive impairment.Methods They searched PubMed,Embase,the Cochrane Library ,CNKI,Wanfang and VIP databases for randomly controlled trials of oral ginkgo biloba extract for mild cognitive impairment.After assessed the quality of studies included,RevMan5.2 software was used to analyze data.Results Seven studies which including 815 patients were involved by our inclusion criteria.The results of meta-analysis showed,compared with the control group,ginkgo biloba was superior in improving mild cognitive impairment patients' MMSE level[MD=1.81,95%CI(0.02,3.60),P=0.05;MD=1.96,95%CI(1.48,2.43),P<0.000 01;MD=1.79,95%CI(0.99,2.58),P<0.000 1] after treated three months、six months and twelve months.Ginkgo biloba was also superior in improving mild cognitive impaimant patients.CDT level[MD=0.43,95%CI(0.30,0.57),P<0.000 01;MD=0.57,95%CI(0.39,0.75),P<0.000 01] after treated six months and twelve months.The effect of preventing MCI patients into dementia was better than that of the control group[RR=0.27,95%CI(0.06,1.27),P=0.10;RR=0.32,95%CI(0.16,0.63),P=0.001]after treated six months and twelve months.Conclusion Oral preparation of ginkgo biloba extract in the treatment of MCI clinical efficacy and prevention of dementia occurrence rate was better than that of blank control group.

BACKGROUND: On the basis of traditional herb wuling san, tianqi and danshen are added to make a preparation, jianshen lishui I , for treating blood stasis and edema; shichangpu and xiakucao are added to make a preparation, xingnao xiaozhong capsule, for treating fire, sputum and qiaobi in cerebral edema.OBJECTIVE: To observe the differences between jianshen lishui Ⅰ and xingano xiaozhong capsule on treating vascular-derived cerebral edema.DESIGN: Randomized grouping design and blank controlled study.SETTING: Laboratory of Neurology, Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi College of Traditional Chinese Medicine.MATERIALS: The experiment was completed in the Lab.oratory of Neurology, Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi College of Traditional Chinese Medicine from March to April 2001. Totally 32 male rabbits with 7 months old were selected in the study.METHODS: ① Animal models with cerebral edema were established with self-fresh blood injection method. According to grouping method, animals were divided randomly into 4 groups: blank control group (without intervention); model group (without intervention after modeling); jianshen lishuiⅠ group (11.5 mL/kgjianshen lishui Ⅰ was perfused after modeling; jian-shen lishui Ⅰ consisted of 15 g sanqi, 15 g danshen, 10 gfuling, 10 gzhuling, 10 g zexie, 10 g baizhu and 10 g gu~hi, and provided by Dispensary of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 200 mL/bag) and xingnao xiaozhong capsule group [after modeling, 11.5 mL/kg xingnao xiaozhong suspension was made by 380 mg/kg boiled distilled water; certification: southern medicine (96) 05079; consisting of 15g xiakucao, 15 g shichangpu, 10 gfuling, 10 g zhuling, 10 g zexie, 10 g baizhu and 10 g guizhi, 13.33 g raw materials per capsule; provided by Agent Department of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi College of Traditional Chinese Medicine] with 8 in each group. Animals in each group were divided into 12 and 24 hours subgroups with 4 in each time points. ② Animals were killed 12 and 24 hours after intervention with air embolism to calculate cerebral coefficient (total brain mass/body mass × 100%), cerebral water content [(wet weight - dry weight)/wet weight × 100%], Evens blue content in brain tissue [absorbency (A value) × microgram in standard liquid/an A value × (25 mL/wet weight)]. ③Positivity was tested with square method; differences among groups were compared with F test; differences between groups were compared with q test; time points were tested with t test; and irregular variance was checked with rank sum test.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Comparisons of cerebral coefficient,water content and content of Evans blue in 12 and 24-hour experiment group.RESULTS: Totally 32 rabbits entered the final analysis. ① 12-hour experiment: Water content and Evans blue content in jianshen lishui Ⅰgroup and xingnao xiaozhong capsule group were obviously lower than those in model group (P ＜ 0.01); cerebral coefficient in jianshen lishui I group was lower than that in xingnao xiaozhong capsule group, but the difference was not significant (P ＞ 0.05); water content and Evans blue content in jianshen lishui Ⅰ group were lower than those in xingnao xiaozhong capsule group (P ＜ 0.05). ② 24-hour experiment: Water content and Evans blue content in jianshen lishui Ⅰ group and xingnao xiaozhong capsule group were obviously lower than those in model group (P ＜ 0.01);cerebral coefficient in jianshen lishui Ⅰ group was lower than that in model group (P ＜ 0.01); cerebral coefficient, water content and Evans blue content in jianshen lishui Ⅰ group were respectively lower than those in xingnao xiaozhong capsule group (P ＜ 0.05).CONCLUSION: Vascular-derived edema has found 12 hours after modeling and cerebral edema deteriorates with time passing. In addition, effect of jianshen lishui Ⅰ on blood brain barrier is superior to that of xingnao xiaozhong capsule.

To study the related substances in nicergoline, electrospray positive ionization high resolution TOF/MS was used for the determination of the accurate mass and elemental composition of the related substances. Triple quadrupoles tandem MS/MS was employed for the determination of the fragmentations of the parent ions. 16 related substances were detected and identified to be eight synthetic by-products and eight degradation products, by using impurity references matching, product mass spectra fragmentations elucidation, and verified further according to synthetic processes and stress testing results. The results obtained are valuable for nicergoline manufacturing process control and quality assurance.
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Nicergoline ; chemical synthesis ; chemistry ; Quality Control ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the effect of the platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) on the phenotypic transformation of corpus cavernosum smooth muscle cells (CCSMC) in SD rats.

METHODSCCSMCs were primarily cultured in the modified tissue sticking medium and subjected to immunofluorescence assay. The cells were divided into a blank control and four PDGF-BB groups, the latter exposed to 5, 10, 20, and 40 ng/ml of PDGF-BB, respectively, for 24 hours, and the cells in the 20 ng/ml PDGF-BB group treated for 24, 48, and 72 hours. The the relative expressions of α-SMA, SMMHC, calponin, and OPN mRNA were determined by real-time fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR).

RESULTSThe α-SMA positive rate of the CCSMCs was over 95%. Compared with the blank control group, the expression levels of α-SMA, SMMHC, and calponin mRNA were significantly decreased (P < 0.05) while that of OPN mRNA remarkably increased (P < 0.05) in the PDGF-BB groups. The 20 ng/ml PDGF-BB group also showed significantly downregulated expressions of α-SMA, SMMHC, and calponin mRNA (P < 0.05) and upregulated expression of OPN mRNA (P < 0.05) at 24, 48, and 72 hours.

CONCLUSIONPDGF-BB can induce the transformation of the phenotype of CCSMCs in SD rats from the contractile to the synthetic type.

Actins ; metabolism ; Animals ; Calcium-Binding Proteins ; metabolism ; Cell Culture Techniques ; Cells, Cultured ; Male ; Microfilament Proteins ; metabolism ; Muscle Contraction ; Myocytes, Smooth Muscle ; cytology ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Myosin Heavy Chains ; metabolism ; Penis ; cytology ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Phenotype ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-sis ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; RNA, Messenger ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Time Factors

INTRODUCTIONThis retrospective study aims to assess the epidemiology of road traffic accident (RTA) fatalities in Singapore, other causes of death besides trauma in a RTA, and identify the groups at risk.

MATERIALS AND METHODSData of 1038 RTA fatalities were reported between 2000 and 2004. Analyses using the Fisher's exact test for discrete variables and multivariate Cox regression analysis were performed to identify groups at risk. The risk of fatality was measured using the prevalence rate ratio (PRR).

RESULTSThe median age of victims in the sample was 36 years (interquartile range 24 to 55). Eight hundred and thirty six cases (78%) were in the economically productive age range of 15 to 65 years. Over the 5-year period, there was a preponderance of males. Majority of fatalities involved multiple injuries. There were also 64 (6.2%) and 25 (2.4%) cases of RTA fatalities from infective and cardiovascular (CVS) causes, respectively. Multivariate analyses showed that those > or = 60 years were 4 (95% CI of PRR, 3.04 to 5.43) times as likely to be pedestrian fatalities. Conversely, the risk of fatalities involving pedestrians and cyclists was reduced for males (PRR = 0.58; 95% CI, 0.46 to 0.73). However, males were at increased risk of fatalities involving motorcyclists, scooter and pillion riders (PRR = 1.96; 95% CI, 1.43 to 2.70), whereas such risk was reduced for those aged 30 to 59 (PRR = 0.70; 95% CI, 0.58 to 0.85) or > or = 60 years (PRR = 0.30; 95% CI, 0.21 to 0.42), respectively.

CONCLUSIONAs such, it appears that the groups at-risk had varying demographic characteristics. Public education could be modified to target these different groups to reduce the number of fatalities.

Accidents, Traffic ; mortality ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Age Distribution ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Cause of Death ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Motorcycles ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors ; Sex Distribution ; Singapore ; epidemiology ; Walking ; Young Adult

Objective To establish and evaluate criteria applied to review of complete blood counts (CBC)and differential results from automated hematology analyzers.Methods Temporary criteria were established by using alarm system of XE-2100 automated hematology analyzer and by consulting the 41 suggested rides of international consensus group.2 795 out-and in-patient samples were run as clinical samples.Stained blood films were prepared and manual differential with smear review were performed on all samples.Statistical analysis was done for each temporary rule and instrument flag which indicated abnormal cell quantity and morphology.Results Of all rules,instrument flags of ‘Immature Gran/Left Shift?’, ‘ Atypical Lympho?’and‘NRBC(nucleated red blood cell)?’showed most frequent false positive and false negative instrument flag.Evaluation on rnles about cell quantity change showed false positive and false negative rates were both low.Results of morphology evaluation showed that true positive rate was 17.44%, false positive rate was 15.82%,true negative rate was 63.49%,false negative rate was 3.25%.‘ Atypical Lymphocyte?’,‘Immature Gran?’and‘blast?’were the most frequent false positive flags.According to those results and clinicians opinions,our hematology review criteria for action following automated CBC and leukocytes differential was established.Conclusions The hematology review criteria have high true positive rate and low false negative rate.To clinical hematology laboratory using automated hematology analyzer,new criteria can reduce work load,bring lower false negative rate and higher work efficiency.

BACKGROUNDHemodynamic evaluation is crucial for the management of patients with pulmonary hypertention. Clinicians often prefer a rapid and non-invasive method. This study aimed to examine the feasibility of transthoracic echocardiography for the measurements of hemodynamic parameters in patients with pulmonary hypertension.

METHODSA prospective single-center study was conducted among 42 patients with pulmonary hypertension caused by different diseases. Transthoracic echocardiography and right-heart catheterization were performed within 24 hours. Pulmonary artery systolic, diastolic and mean pressure (PASP, PADP and PAMP), cardiac output (CO), and pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) were measured by both methods. A linear correlation and a Bland-Altman analysis were performed to compare the two groups of hemodynamic parameters.

RESULTSA good correlation was found between invasive and non-invasive measurements for PASP (r = 0.96), PADP (r = 0.85), PAMP (r = 0.88), CO (r = 0.82), and PCWP (r = 0.81). Further agreement analysis done by the Bland-Altman method showed that bias and a 95% confidence interval for PASP, PADP, and CO were clinically acceptable while great discrepancies existed for PAMP and PCWP.

CONCLUSIONSThe non-invasive measurements by PASP, PADP, and CO in patients with pulmonary hypertension correlate well with the invasive determinations. Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) was inappropriate for estimating PCWP and PAMP.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Cardiac Catheterization ; Cardiac Output ; Echocardiography ; Female ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Hypertension, Pulmonary ; physiopathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Pulmonary Wedge Pressure

Animals ; Animals, Domestic ; China ; Disease Transmission, Infectious ; prevention & control ; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; Humans ; Public Health ; education