italic>Cynanchum wallichii and Cynanchum otophyllum belong to the genus Cynanchum in the family Apocynaceae, and are important medicinal plants. In this study, we sequenced and assembled the chloroplast genomes of C. wallichii and C. otophyllum, and performed a phylogenetic analysis of the structural characteristics of their chloroplast genomes and their phylogenetic positions. The results showed that the chloroplast genomes of both C. wallichii and C. otophyllum had a typical tetrad structure, with 133 genes annotated, and the total GC contents of both were similar. Codon preference analysis showed that the relative synonymous codon usage in the chloroplast genomes of C. wallichii and C. otophyllum differed slightly, but the differences were not significant, and there was a strong A or U preference at the third codon position. In both chloroplast genomes, 91 and 103 simple sequence repeats were detected respectively, and the largest proportion of A/T type repeats. Nucleotide polymorphism analysis showed that the nucleotide diversity of the intergenic sequences in the chloroplast genome of genus Cynanchum were generally higher than those of the common gene sequences. A pair of primers was designed based on the high variation region of the chloroplast genome to identify C. wallichii and C. otophyllum. The phylogenetic analysis showed that the C. wallichii and Cynanchum thesioides were the closest relatives, while the C. otophyllum, Cynanchum bungei and Cynanchum wilfordii formed a stable monophyletic clade within the genus Cynanchum, and the three species were closely related. The comparative analysis of the chloroplast genomic characteristics and phylogeny of C. wallichii and C. otophyllum will provide a theoretical basis for the species identification of the two plants and for the study of genetic diversity and phylogeny of the genus Cynanchum.

OBJECTIVETo study the intervention of astragalus injection in the kidney injury of infants with congenital heart disease after cardiopulmonary bypass, thus providing a new method for protection of the kidney injury in them.

METHODSForty infants undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass were randomly assigned to the test group and the control group, twenty in each group. Astragalus Injection (at the dose of 2 mL/kg) was added in the perfusion fluid before giving to infants in the test group before bypass, while the normal saline of the same volume was added in the perfusion fluid before giving to infants in the control group (P < 0.01). The concentrations of serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF)-alpha, interleukin-6 (IL-6), cystatin C (CysC), and N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) were detected with ELISA at the following time points, i.e., before bypass (T1), by the end of the surgery (T2), 2 h after surgery (T3), 6 h after surgery (T4), and 24 h after surgery (T5).

RESULTSThe serum CysC concentrations were not significantly higher after CPB (P > 0.05). The urinary NAG level increased significantly in the control group after surgery (P < 0.05), but no obvious increase of the urinary NAG level was found in the test group after surgery (P > 0.05). It was obviously lower than that of the control group (P < 0.05). After CPB serum TNF-alpha and IL-6 levels increased significantly in the control group (P < 0.05), while they were lower in the test group than in the control group (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONSCPB may result in the renal tubular injury in infants with congenital heart disease. The application of Astragalus Injection before the CPB plays a role in protecting renal tubular functions.

Acetylglucosaminidase ; urine ; Astragalus Plant ; Cardiopulmonary Bypass ; adverse effects ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Heart Defects, Congenital ; blood ; drug therapy ; urine ; Humans ; Infant ; Interleukin-10 ; blood ; Kidney Function Tests ; Male ; Phytotherapy ; Postoperative Period ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; blood

To investigate the resources of medicinal plant, such as wild Apocynum, supervised classification based on Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and texture feature were used to monitor wild medicinal plants from image captured by ZY-3 and World-view-2 and compare which satellite Image are more appropriate to monitor the wild medicinal plants. The research results shows that: for more complex growth conditions wild medicinal plants Apocynum, high-resolution images Worldview-2 is more suitable for its remote identification, the low-resolution satellite ZY-3 can only recognizes the wild medicinal plants which distributed intensively. If the study target distribution is more intensive and larger scale, and cultivated type medicinal plants, the use of satellite ZY-3 in low resolution remote sensing data to identify the target can be a good choice, it is not necessary to buy high-resolution data, in order to avoid waste of expenditure, for the scattered distribution, the high-resolution satellite imagery data may be indispensable to identify targets.
Apocynum ; chemistry ; growth & development ; China ; Conservation of Natural Resources ; Geographic Information Systems ; Plant Dispersal ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; growth & development ; Remote Sensing Technology ; methods

Two male patients aged 33 and 38 years with mitochondrial encephalopathy with lactic acidosis and stroke-like episodes (MELAS)admitted in our hospital in 2016 and 2017 were reported.The main symptoms included abdominal pain and distension,numbness and weakness of the limbs.MRI showed mild ventriculomegaly with deepened sulcus and widened cerebral fissure,deepened bilateral cerebellar sulcus and the widened cleavage,atrophy of cerebellum and brainstem,and manifestations of acute cerebral infarction.Gene analysis showed mutation of mitochondrial DNA(mtDNA) A3243G.After definite diagnosis was made,patients reveived coenzyme Q10,ATP and vitamin supplements for improving circulation,and neurotrophic drugs for symptomatic treatment.The symptoms were slightly improved after treatment and two cases were followed-up as outpatients.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the prevalence of obesity and distribution of body mass index (BMI) in school children of four ethnic groups in Urumqi, Xinjiang, China.

METHODSA total of 55508 school children of Han, Hui, Uygur and Kazak nationalities aged 8-18 years were selected by a cluster sampling from a districts of Urumqi City for anthropometric measurement and demographic survey. Prevalence of obesity and overweight and distribution of body mass index (BMI) by gender, age, and nationality were analyzed and compared. Cutoff points of BMI for defining obesity and overweight were based on the proposal set by the Working Group on Obesity in China (WGOC) to assess age-, gender- and nationality-specific prevalence of obesity and overweight.

RESULTSPrevalence of obesity was 5.34%, 6.78%, 3.39 %, and 1.22% for boys and 2.61%, 1.83%, 1.78%, and 1.40% for girls of Han, Hui, Uygur and Kazak nationalities, respectively. Prevalence of obesity tended to decrease with age overall, whereas that of overweight increased with age in Han children.

CONCLUSIONSPrevalence of obesity in school children in Urumqi varies with their nationalities and is lower than that of an average national level and a level of western countries. Obesity is more prevalent in boys than in girls of Urmuqi overall, which is just the opposite in Kazak children. Han boys and Hui girls have the highest prevalence of obesity and Kazak boys and girls have the lowest ones. Prevalence of obesity decreases with age, but that of overweight shows a different trend.

Adolescent ; Body Mass Index ; Child ; China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Obesity ; ethnology ; Prevalence ; Sex Factors

In formalin pain model, the effect of propofol on Fos expression in the spinal cord was examined by means of c -fos oncogene immunohistochemistry and NADPH-d histochemistry. Fos-like immunoreactive (FLI) neurons were mainly found in the ipsilateral dorsal horn after injection of formalin, some of which were FLI/NOS double-labeled neurons. Most of the FLI or FLI/NOS double-labeled neurons were observed in the medial part of lamina and the outer lamina . Before or after injection of formain, i.p. injection of propofol significantly decreased the number of FLI and FLI/NOS double-labeled neurons in all laminae (P<0.05 or P<0.01). By single i.p. injection of propofol or normal saline, few FLI neurons were found in the spinal cord. The results suggest that the antinociceptive function of propofol is possibly involved in the depression of the NOS neurons in the spinal cord.
Animals ; Female ; Formaldehyde ; Male ; Neurons ; metabolism ; Nitric Oxide Synthase ; metabolism ; Pain ; chemically induced ; metabolism ; Propofol ; pharmacology ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos ; biosynthesis ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Spinal Cord ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo compare the properties of water-absorption, water-locking, and air permeability among several foam dressings, and to provide references for clinician in choosing dressings for different types of wounds.

METHODSThe comparison was made among Allevyn foam dressing, Mepilex foam dressing, and Biatain foam dressing that were commonly used in clinic. NaCl and CaCl2·H2O respectively in the weight of 8.3 g and 0.367 g were diluted with distilled water to the volume of 1 L to simulate wound exudation. The simulated wound exudation was used to test the water-absorbing rate of dressings at post immersion hour (PIH) 24, water-absorbing speed of dressings at post immersion minute (PIM) 1, 5, 10, and 20, the diffusion diameter of exudation dripped on the surface of dressings for 5 min to reflect the water-locking capacity of dressings, and the water evaporation capacity of exudation after being sealed up by dressings for 24 h to reflect the air permeability of dressings. Five samples of each dressing were used for each index. Data were processed with one-way analysis of variance and analysis of variance of repeated measurement, and LSD method was applied in paired comparison.

RESULTS(1) The water-absorbing rate at PIH 24 of Allevyn foam dressing, Mepilex foam dressing, and Biatain foam dressing were respectively (646 ± 18)%, (616 ± 19)%, and (499 ± 11)% (F = 423.854, P < 0.01). The differences between each two dressings in water-absorbing rate were statistically significant (with P values all below 0.01). (2) The water-absorbing speed of Allevyn foam dressing at PIM 1, 5, 10, and 20 were (35.20 ± 2.31), (12.48 ± 0.37), (6.63 ± 0.23), and (3.39 ± 0.08) g×s(-1)×m(-2), which were obviously lower than those of Mepilex foam dressing [(119.68 ± 2.59), (24.39 ± 0.62), (12.33 ± 0.29), and (6.18 ± 0.13) g×s(-1)×m(-2)] and Biatain foam dressing [(121.09 ± 3.41), (24.73 ± 0.52), (12.37 ± 0.25), (6.18 ± 0.13) g×s(-1)×m(-2)], with P values all below 0.01. The water-absorbing speed of each dressing showed the trend of declination among three dressings with prolongation of time. The differences between two adjacent time points within each dressing in water-absorbing speed were statistically significant (with P values below 0.01). (3) Diffusion diameters of exudation dripped on the surface of Allevyn foam dressing, Mepilex foam dressing, and Biatain foam dressing were respectively (5.66 ± 0.15), (4.84 ± 0.15), (3.94 ± 0.21) cm (F = 124.742, P < 0.01). The differences between each two of the three dressings in diffusion diameter were statistically significant (with P values all below 0.01). (4) The water evaporation capacity of exudation after being sealed up by each dressing for 24 h decreased in succession for Allevyn foam dressing, Mepilex foam dressing, and Biatain foam dressing, which were respectively (31.2 ± 3.1), (29.7 ± 8.7), (5.6 ± 2.8) g×h(-1)×m(-2) (F = 24.324, P < 0.01). The water evaporation capacity of exudation sealed with Biatain foam dressing was significantly lower than that of exudation sealed with Allevyn foam dressing and Mepilex foam dressing (with P values below 0.01).

CONCLUSIONSAmong the three kinds of foam dressings, Allevyn performs best in water-absorbing rate, water-locking capacity, and air permeability, while Mepilex and Biatain perform best in water-absorbing speed. For selecting foam dressing in clinic, the properties of foam dressings and wound characteristics should be considered at the same time.

Absorption ; Materials Testing ; Occlusive Dressings ; Permeability ; Water

OBJECTIVESTo explore intervention with electromagnetic noise for co-suppression effect on gap-junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) induced or strengthened by low intensity magnetic field with carcinogen 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA).

METHODSFibroblast cells from NIH 3T3 mice were exposed to extremely low intensity magnetic field (MF) 0.2 mT, 0.2 mT + TPA or/and electromagnetic noise with the same intensity of MF for 24 h, and GJIC was determined using fluorescence recovery analysis after photobleaching (FRAP) with a laser-scanning confocal microscope (Leica, Germany).

RESULTSGJIC function could be co-suppressed by MF of 0.2 mT with TPA, with fluorescence recovery of (23 +/- 11)%, lower than that in the control group [(46 +/- 19)%] and in the group with TPA only [(34 +/- 17) %] (P < 0.01), indicating 0.2 mT MF plus TPA could co-inhibit GJIC (P < 0.01). Superposition of 0.2 mT noise MF could get a fluorescence recovery of (35 +/- 19)% and significantly antagonize its co-suppression by TPA.

CONCLUSIONElectromagnetic noise of 0.2 mT could block the intensifying effect of power frequency magnetic field on TPA-induced GJIC inhibition.

Animals ; Cell Communication ; drug effects ; physiology ; radiation effects ; Cell Line ; Electromagnetic Fields ; adverse effects ; Fluorescence Recovery After Photobleaching ; Gap Junctions ; drug effects ; physiology ; radiation effects ; Mice ; NIH 3T3 Cells ; Noise ; adverse effects ; Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate ; pharmacology

Objective To investigate the characteristics about the prevalence of thyroid nodules detected on color Doppler uhrasonography(US) in people residing in Dalian City who undergo regular physical examinations, as well as its relative factors. Methods All thyroid sonographic and questionair procedures were performed in the 6020 people above 18-year-old living in the four districts of Dalian City for at least 5 years, who were examined at the department of health medical center of Dalian Municipal Central Hospital from May 2006 to March 2007. Urinary iodine concentration was measured in 2039 healthy adults selected by age layers in our study population. Moreover, urinary iodine concentrations were determined in 220 children aged 8-10 years old who were randomly chosen from four communities (55 children per elementary school from each community). The analysis of logistic regression was conducted for the risk factors linked to thyroid nodules. Results The prevalence of thyroid nodules in the 6020 adults was 38.5%(2319/6020), in which nodules sized between 0.3 and up to 0.5 cm were found in 17.1% (1030/6020), and those above 0.5 cm in 21.4% (1289/6020). Ultrsonography revealed solitary nodules in 17.2% (1036/6020), multinodular goiter in 21.3% (1283/6020). Fifty-four point nine percent (1272/2319) thyroid nodules showed solid internal echographic structures, 30.2%(701/2319) mixed and 14.9%(346/2319). The thyroid nodule detected rate in female individuals was 46.1% (1102/2393), among whom multinodular goiter [59.1% (651/1102)] was more than solitary nodules[40.9(451/1102)] in female; while only 33.6%(1217/3627) of male were detected to have thyroid nodule, there was a difference between the genders (χ2=95,079,P<0.01). The mediam urinary iodine concentration(MUI) was 184.32 μg/L in children and 216.75 μg/L in the health adults, moreover, it was 216.55 μg/L and 217.00 μg/L in the people with thyroid nodules and those without nodules without a significant difference (P>0.05). The rate of thyroid nodules gradually increased with age(χ2=344.998, P<0.01). The occurance of thyroid nodules was significant associated with gender and age(P<0.01). Conclusions The nutritional iodine intake in the four communities of Dalian City are adequate. The prevalence of thyroid incidentalomas is relatively high in this group of people receiving medical examination.

OBJECTIVETo study kidney injury in infants with congenital heart disease (CHD) who underwent cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB).

METHODSForty CHD infants undergoing cardiac surgery with CPB from October 2009 to July 2010 were enrolled. The concentrations of serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), cystatin C (CysC) and urinary N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) were detected using ELISA before bypass, at the end of surgery, and 2 hrs, 6 hrs and 24 hrs after surgery. Serum concentrations of creatinine (Cr) and urea nitrogen (BUN) were measured with conventional biochemistry technique before and after surgery.

RESULTSThe concentrations of serum Cr and BUN were normal before and after surgery. After CPB, the concentrations of serum TNF-α and IL-6 and urinary NAG increased significantly (P<0.05). Serum TNF-α was positively correlated with urinary NAG and serum CysC (r=0.195, 0.190, respectively; both P<0.05). Serum IL-6 was positively correlated with urinary NAG (r=0.278, P<0.01). The positive rate in kidney injury was detected by serum CysC and urinary NAG were significantly higher than by serum Cr or BUN (both P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONSCPB can cause acute kidney injury in infants, which may be correlated with the increase in the concentrations of serum TNF-α and IL-6. Serum CysC and urinary NAG may be used as sensitive markers for reflecting the changes of renal function.

Acetylglucosaminidase ; urine ; Acute Kidney Injury ; etiology ; Cardiopulmonary Bypass ; adverse effects ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Cystatin C ; blood ; Female ; Heart Defects, Congenital ; surgery ; Humans ; Interleukin-6 ; blood ; Male ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; blood