Objective To introduce the experience of Australia National Liver Transplant Unit (ANLTU) about adult orthotopic liver transplantation with arterial conduit usage for hepatic artery revascularization. Methods The 31 cases of adult orthotopic liver transplantation with arterial conduit usage for hepatic artery revascularization from 1986 to 2003 in the ANLTU were identified from records. The indication of arterial conduit use was as following: small caliber of hepatic artery (HA), HAT, hepatic hila adhesion, dissection of HA, mycotic aneurysm-ligated and ligated HA for haemobilia of the first graft. Eighteen of 31 cases were primary transplant and the others were retransplant. Results Fifteen patients ( 48.4 %) were alive at the time of data analysis. The mean survival time for the survivors was 4.1 years compared to a mean survival time of 34.56 days for 16 patients ( 51.6 %) who deceased. The mortality was 76.9 % in retransplant cases versus 33.3 % in primary transplant (P

Objective To study the relationship between insulin resistance and carotid atherosclerosis in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes.Methods A total of 63 elderly patients with type 2 diabetes were divided into 2 groups:group A (HbA1c≤7％,n=30),group B (HbA1c＞7％,n=33); and 30 healthy people were as controls.Fasting blood sugar(FBS),fasting insulin (FINS),glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) were measured,atherosclerotic plaques were counted,and insulin resistance was calculated by homeostatic model assessment (HOMA-IR).Results The IMT,number of atherosclerotic plaques and incidence of carotid atherosclerosis were all higher in the two diabetic groups than in controls (P＜0.05).The levels of FINS,HbA1c and HOMA-IR were all higher in group A and group B than in controls (P＜0.05 and P＜0.01),which had a significant difference between group A and group B [(9.7± 2.1)mU/L vs.(13.6±2.0) mU/L; (6.5±0.4)％ vs.(8.2±0.6)％; (3.5±0.4) vs.(6.1±0.5); all P＜0.05].Pearson correlation analysis showed that IMT was positively correlated with FBS and HOMA-IR in group A and group B (r=0.62 and r=0.46,respectively,P＜0.05).Conclusions There is a positive correlation between insulin resistance and carotid atherosclerosis in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes.

OBJECTIVE:To investigate the influence of cephalosporins antibiotics on cost and length of hospital stay in pa-tients underwent gallbladder calculus resection,and to provide reference for drug use in clinic. METHODS:A total of 1866 patients underwent gallbladder calculus resection were collected from 9 third grade class A hospitals in Guangxi during 2013-2014. SPSS 22.0 software was adopted to analyze cost and length of hospital stay in patients underwent gallbladder calculus resection. RESULTS:Multi-factor analysis showed that the factors which significantly affected the cost and length of hospital stay were antibiotics,hospi-tals,age,surgery types and disease species (all P<0.01). The antibiotics were divided into the subset 1-4 according to the cost of hospital stay:the subset 1 only contained cefuroxime(9454 yuan);the subset 2 contained noncephalosporins(16199 yuan)and ce-fazolin pentahydrate(17241 yuan);the subset 3 contained ceftazidime(20716 yuan),other cephalosporins(21046 yuan)and cefo-taxime sulbactam(22724 yuan);subset 4 contained cefotaxime sulbactam(22724 yuan),cefoperazone sulbactam(23688 yuan), cefoxitin(24685 yuan)and cefodizime(24698 yuan). The antibiotics were also divided into the subset 1-4 according to the length of hospital stay:the subset 1 only contained noncephalosporins (7.61 d);the subset 2 contained cefuroxime (8.94 d) and cefazolin pentahydrate(9.78 d);the subset 3 contained cefoxitin(13.39 d),cefodizime(13.44 d),other cephalosporins(14.32 d)and ceftazi-dime(14.60 d);the subset 4 included cefoperazone sulbactam(16.03 d)and cefotaxime sulbactam(16.91 d). The higher the subset numbers,the higher the cost of hospital stay or the longer the length of hospital stay;there were statistical differences among differ-ent subsets (P<0.05),while there was no statistical difference among the same subsets (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS:Cephalospo-rins antibiotics can significantly influence the cost and length of hospital stay in patients underwent gallbladder calculus resec-tion. Antibiotics selection canbe considered comprehensively ac-cording to local medical resources and the patients'demands.

Objective:To prepare Dermatophagoides farinae (Der f) crude protein to establish BALB/c bronchial asthma model , and to observe the morphology and degranulation of mast cells and detect related cytokines .Methods: Dermatophagoides farinae ( Der f) crude protein were prepared by trituration .30 BALB/c mice were randomly divided into 3 groups:PBS control group (A), asthma model group (B) and Der f crude protein treatment group (C).Group A were treated with PBS(100 μl) all the time, group B and group C were treated with 50 μg Der f crude protein mixed with 50μl alum adjuvant on day 0,day 7 and day 14.On day 28 group A and B were subcutaneous injected with PBS (100 μl) and group C were subcutaneous injected with Der f crude protein (350μg) in PBS(100 μl) at 1-day intervals.One week after the last treatment ,group A,B and C were intranasally challenged with 50 μg Der f crude protein daily for seven days .Twenty-four hours after the last challenge , airway hyper-responsiveness ( AHR) was assessed by using whole-body plethysmography .Two days post challenged , mice were sacrificed and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid ( BALF) was collected.Number of the total cells and eosinophil was determined .Level of IL-4,IL-10 and IFN-γcytokines in the BALF and the su-pernatant of splenocyte culture was assayed by ELISA .Level of Der f specific IgE and histamine in the sera was determined by ELISA . Airway inflammation was analyzed by HE staining .Observation of the morphology and degranulation of mast cells was analyzed by tolui -dine blue staining.Results:Compared with group B,AHR and the lung inflammation in group C were greatly reduced (P<0.01). Numbers of total cells and eosinophils in BALF of group C were significantly lower than that of group B ( P<0.01 ) .Compared with group B, the observation of degranulation of mast cells was insignificant in group C .Compared with group B(IgE:1.905), the level of specific IgE was significantly lower in groups C (IgE:1.278)(P<0.01).The level of IL-4 in BALF of group C was significantly lower than that of group B(P<0.01).Compared with group A and B, the level of IL-10 in BALF was significantly higher in group C (P<0.01) and the level of IFN-γin BALF of group C was significantly higher than that of group A and B (P<0.01).Compared with group B, the level of IL-4 in cultured splenocytes was significantly lower in group C (P<0.01), and the level of IL-10 and IFN-γin cultured splenocytes of group C was significantly higher than that of group B (P<0.01).Compared with group B, the level of histamine in BALF was slightly lower in groups C (P<0.05), and the level of histamine in sera was significantly lower in groups C (P<0.05). Conclusion:The degranulation of mast cells of murine bronchial asthma model was suppressed after the desensitization therapy .

AIM:To study the effect of Panax quinquefolium saponin (PQS) on cardiomyocyte apoptosis in-duced by thapsigargin ( TG) .METHODS:Primary cultured cardiomyocytes from neonatal SD rats were divided into con-trol group, TG group, PQS (40 mg/L, 80 mg/L and 160 mg/L) +TG group, si-PERK+TG group, and mock+TG group.The cells were treated with 1 μmol/L TG for 24 h to induce apoptosis.The PERK gene in the cardiomyocytes was knocked down by RNAi.The cell viability was detected by CCK-8 assay.Apoptosis was analyzed by flow cytometry.Wes-tern blotting was used to determine the expression of ERS molecules GRP78, CRT, ATF4 and CHOP, anti-apoptosis pro-tein Bcl-2 and pro-apoptosis protein Bax.RESULTS: Compared with control group, TG significantly and the apoptosis, reduced the cell viability (P<0.05), increased the phosphorylation of PERK and eIF2α, increased the expression of GRP78, CRT, ATF4, CHOP and pro-apoptosis protein Bax, and decreased the expression of anti-apoptosis protein Bcl-2 (P<0.05).Compared with TG group, PQS treatment (160 mg/L) significantly reduced the apoptosis and increased the cell viability (P<0.05).All the 3 different concentrations of PQS significantly increased the expression of anti-apoptosis protein Bcl-2 and reduced the expression of pro-apoptosis protein Bax (P<0.05) in a dose-dependent manner.PQS pre-treatment and knockdown of PERK both reduced the protein levels of GRP78, CRT, PERK, p-PERK, eIF2α, p-eIF2α, ATF4, CHOP and pro-apoptosis protein Bax, and increased the expression of anti-apoptosis protein Bcl-2 (P<0.05). CONCLUSION:PQS at concentration of 160 mg/L attenuated cardiomyocyte apoptosis induced by TG.PQS had the simi-lar effect as PERK knockdown on cardiomyocyte apoptosis.The mechanism may be associated with inhibiting PERK-eIF2α-ATF4-CHOP pathway of ERS-related apoptosis.

AIM:To investigate whether mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm ) and the mitochondrial ap-optotic pathway are involved in the protective mechanism of Panax quinquefolium saponin ( PQS) against cardiomyocyte ap-optosis after ischemia/reperfusion ( I/R) injury in rat myocardium .METHODS: Ninety healthy male SD rats were ran-domly divided into sham group , I/R group, PQS (200 mg· kg -1 · d-1 ) +I/R group, cyclosporine A ( CsA) group, CsA (10 mg· kg-1 ) +I/R group and PQS +CsA +I/R group.The model of myocardial I/R injury in vivo was established by ligating the left anterior descending artery ( LAD) for 30 min followed by 120 min of reperfusion in the rats .The serum ac-tivity of lactate dehydrogenase ( LDH ) was measured by automatic chemistry analyzer .The myocardial infarct size was measured by Evans blue and 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining.Cardiomyocyte apoptosis was detected by in situ TDT-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL).The protein levels of Bcl-2, Bax, cleaved caspase-3 and cytosol-ic cytochrome C were determined by Western blotting .ΔΨm was measured by laser scanning confocal microscopy and fluo-rescence microplate reader .RESULTS:Compared with I/R group, the serum content of LDH ,the infarction size in PQS+I/R group, CsA+I/R group and PQS +CsA+I/R group and the myocardial apoptotic index were decreased .Compared with I/R group, the fluorescence intensity of mitochondria after JC-1 staining was enhanced in PQS +I/R group, CsA+I/R group and PQS+CsA+I/R group, and the relative fluorescence units (RFU) ofΔΨm were improved in those 3 groups. In PQS+I/R group, CsA+I/R group and PQS+CsA+I/R group, the protein expression of Bcl-2 was increased, and that of Bax was decreased compared with I/R group.Moreover, in those 3 groups, the protein levels of cleaved-caspase-3 and cytosolic cytochrome C were decreased compared to I /R group, respectively.CONCLUSION:PQS attenuates myocardial injury and cardiomyocyte apoptosis during I /R, and the protective mechanisms of PQS were associated with the modulation ofΔΨm and the inhibition of mitochondrial apoptosis pathway .

ObjectiveTo evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of low-dosage methyltestosterone or andriol in men with senile osteoporosis. MethodsA total of 134 male patients with senile osteoporosis and the decreased serum level of free testosterone were divided into three groups. 45 patients were treated with low-dosage methyhestosterone(100 mg, once a day, sublingual) and 46 patients were treated with low-dosage andriol (40 mg, once a day, orally), while 43 patients were treated with placebo. The duration of treatment in each group was 1 year. The bone density, blood and urine biochemical indexes related to bone metaholites,the quality of life indexes, ultrasonography for prostate,serum prostate specific antigen,blood routine, urine routine, hepatic and renal function were detected before and after the treatment. ResultsBoth low-dosage methyltestosterone and low-dosage andriol could prevent the decrease of bone mineral density and improve patients' general health, role-emotional function and vitality (all P＜0.05). The difference values of femoral neck bone mineral density before and after treatment with low-dosage andriol and low-dosage methyltestosterone were (0.14+0.18)g/cm2 and (0.12±0.09)g/cm2 , respectively(P＜0.05). Low-dosage andriol hadstronger effects in increasing the level of estradiol (32.5±14.2 )ng/L than low-dosage methyltestosterone(19.3±9.2)ng/L(P＜0.05) and showed more notable effects in improving the physical functioning and role-physical function than low-dosage methyhestosterone. The use of the two androgenic hormones at low dosage showed safety. ConclusionsBoth low-dosage methyltestosterone and low-dosage andriol can be used to treat senile osteoporosis in men and to improve life quality. Both of them are effective and safe therapeutic choices.

At present, zebrafish has played an increasingly important role in models for human development and diseases and several areas of life sciences.As a newly laboratory animal resource, standardization research has become the technical bottleneck to be solved and an inevitable trend.In this review, we summarized the research history and character-istics of zebrafish and the status of quality standardization.We also discussed the main problem facing by the standardiza-tion research of zebrafish as a newly laboratory animal.We hope that the data can provide useful reference for the develop-ment of zebrafish quality standardization research.

OBJECTIVEThis aimed to investigate the effect of specific sequence oligodeoxynucleotide MT01 on the biological properties of osteoblasts invaded by Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis ) by evaluating proliferation, cell cycle, and apoptosis.

METHODSMG63 osteoblasts were recovered and incubated with MT01, CpG ODN, metronidazole (MNZ), and gentamicin (GEN) for 3 h. P. gingivalis (the multiplicity of infection was 100:1) was added subsequently and cocultured for another 24 and 48 h. Cells with PBS comprised the blank group, whereas cells with P. gingivalis comprised the negative controls. Six experimental groups were established: PBS group, P. gingivalis group, MT01+P. gingivalis group, CpG ODN+ P. gingivalis group, MNZ+P. gingivalis group, and GEN+P. gingivalis group. The proliferative ability was measured by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium assay, and the percentages of apoptosis and cell cycle were examined by flow cytometry.

RESULTSCompared with the blank group, proliferation increased significantly in the MT01+P. gingivalis group (P < 0.05). The ratio of cells was lower at the G₁ phase and higher at the S phase in the MT01+P. gingivalis group compared with the results in the P. gingivalis group (P < 0.05). Early cell apoptosis in the MT01+P. gingivalis group was significantly lower than that in the P. gingivalis group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONMT01 can promote the proliferation, reduce the ratio of the G₁phase, increase the ratio of the S phase, and inhibit the early apoptosis of osteoblasts invaded by P. gingivalis.

Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Cell Cycle ; drug effects ; Cell Division ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Flow Cytometry ; Gentamicins ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Metronidazole ; pharmacology ; Oligodeoxyribonucleotides ; pharmacology ; Osteoblasts ; cytology ; drug effects ; Porphyromonas gingivalis ; pathogenicity

Objective To establish a gata4 gene knockout zebrafish model of congenital heart disease, and construct transcription activator-like effector nuclease ( TALEN) vectors targeting gata4 gene.Method We construct TALEN vectors targeting zabrafish gata4 gene using unit assembly method and the in vitro-transcribed TALEN mRNAs were microinjected into one-cell stage zebrafish embryos.The efficiency of TALEN was identified by injected embryos, and mutations of zebrafish were screened and confirmed the different types through PCR and enzyme digestion.Results We successfully constructed correct targeting vectors by enzyme digestion and sequencing, and the gene knockout efficiency was 35.18%.We screened the mutant zebrafish and confirmed different types of gata4 gene mutations.Conclusions A gata4 knockout zebrafish model is successfully established, it can provide a good animal model for further research of congenital heart diseases.