Objective To investigate the effect of sevoflurane (Sero) preconditioning (Precon) on cardiomyocyte apoptosis following myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) in rats. Methods Sixty-four adult male SD rats weighing 270-350 g were randomly divided into 4 groups ( n = 16 each): group Ⅰ sham operation (group S); group Ⅱ myocardial I/R; group Ⅲ Sero and group Ⅳ Sevo-Precon + myocardial I/R. The animals were anesthetized with intraperitoneal pentobarbital 50 mg/kg, intubated and mechanically ventilated. PET CO2 was maintained at 35-45 mm Hg. Myocardial I/R was induced by 30 min occlusion of the left anterior descending branch of coronary artery followed by 2 h reperfusion in group Ⅱ and Ⅳ . In group Ⅲ the animals inhaled 2.5 % sevoflurane for 30 min while in group Ⅳ the animals inhaled 2.5% sevoflurane for 30 min at 15 min before myocardial I/R. Eight animals were killed at the end of 2 h reperfusion in each group. The hearts were removed for determination of myocardial infarct size (IS) as a percentage of area at risk (AAR) (IS/AAR) by triphenyl tetrazolium chloride staining. Myocardial apoptosis was detected using TUNEL and apoptosis index (AI) was calculated. Another 4 animals were killed before ischemia and at the end of 2 h reperfusion for determining the expression of Bcl-2 and caspase-3 protein in myocardium by Western blot. Results Sevoflurane preconditioning significantly decreased infarct size and AI in group Ⅳ as compared with group Ⅱ (group I/R). Bcl-2 protein expression was significantly decreased and caspase-3 protein expression was significantly increased after 2 h reperfusion as compared with the expression before ischemia in group I/R (group Ⅱ ). Sevoflurane preconditioning significantly reversed the I/R-induced changes in Bcl-2 and caspase-3 protein expression. Conclusion Sevoflurane preconditioning can attenuate myocardial I/R injury by decreasing myocardial apoptosis.

OBJECTIVETo explore the effect of Bushen Huoxue Compound (BHC) on lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) leakage, expressions of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and VEGF mRNA in retinal Muller cells under high glucose condition or advanced glycosylation end products (AGEs) condition by using serum pharmacological method.

METHODSThe retinal Müller cells of 5-7 days post-natal Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were cultured with modified enzyme-digestion method. Purified retinal Muller cells were cultured in normal conditions, high glucose condition (50 mmol/L) or AGEs (50 mg/L and 100 mg/L) conditions, and BHC-containing serum was added to culture medium. The LDH leakage and VEGF expressions were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In addition, the relative expression of VEGF mRNA was tested by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).

RESULTSCompared with the normal control group, expressions of VEGF and VEGF mRNA were significantly increased in the high glucose group, the low dose AGEs group and the high dose AGEs group (all P < 0.01). The LDH leakage was obviously increased in the high dose AGEs group, when compared with the normal control group and the high glucose group (P < 0.01). The LDH leakage, expressions of VEGF and VEGF mRNA were obviously decreased by BHC-containing serum both in high glucose and AGEs conditions (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). BHC-containing serum had no significant effect on the LDH leakage and expressions of VEGF and VEGF mRNA in normal conditions (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSAGEs intervention could obviously lower the stability of Müller cell membrane. Up-regulated expressions of VEGF and VEGF mRNA in cultured Müller cells could be induced by AGEs or high glucose. BHC-containing serum could stabilize the stability of Müller cell membrane, inhibit the transcription of VEGF mRNA and decrease the protein expression of VEGF, which might be one of important mechanisms for preventing and treating diabetic retinopathy.

Animals ; Cells, Cultured ; Diabetic Retinopathy ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Ependymoglial Cells ; Glucose ; L-Lactate Dehydrogenase ; RNA, Messenger ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A

BACKGROUND: MicroRNAs are small non-coding RNAs of approximately 22 nucleotides in length, and play important regulatory roles in normal heart development and the pathogenesis of heart diseases. Recently, a few prospective studies have implicated the diagnostic role of microRNAs in congenital heart defects (CHD). DATA RESOURCES: This review retrieved the research articles in PubMed focusing on the altered microRNAs in cardiac tissue or serum of patients with CHD versus healthy normal controls, as well as the studies exploring circulating microRNAs as potential biomarkers for (fetal) CHD. RESULTS: Most of the studies of interest were conducted in recent years, implicating that the topic in this review is a newly emerging field and is drawing much attention. Moreover, a number of differentially expressed microRNAs between CHD specimens and normal controls have been reported. CONCLUSION: Circulating microRNAs may serve as potential biomarkers for diagnosis of CHD in the future, with more efforts paving the road to the aim.

Orjective:To obtain recombinant CHO-K1 with expressing sPDGFR? and to identify the biological activities of sPDGFR? secreted in non-serum medium.Methods:Recombinant human sPDGFR? expression vector pIRES-Neo3-sPDGFR?-Fc was constructed and then transfected into CHO-K1 cells by using LipofectamineTM 2000.After screened with G418 in 8 weeks,some monoclone cells were selected randomly to amplify in 96-well-plate to 24-well-plates,and then to identify positive cell clones by RT-PCR.Furthermore,the candidate cell clones were test by Real-Time PCR and Western blot assays.Finally,anti-proliferation activities of the expressed sPDGFR? were analyzed by MTT.Results:sPDGFR?-Fc was cloned into pIRES-Neo3 correctly.The sPDGFR?-Fc expression level in recombinant CHO-K1 cell clones were concordant in between Realtime PCR and Western blot assay.sPDGFR?-Fc obtained from cultured non-serum medium of positive CHO-K1 could significantly inhibit proliferation of vascular endothelial cell.Conclusion:Successed to select recombinant CHO-K1 cell lines with high expressed sPDGFR?-Fc.The sPDGFR?-Fc can inhibit the cell proliferation significantly and it means sPDGFR?-Fc might be a new anti-cancer drug in the future.

OBJECTIVETo study the potential risk factors for severe acute respiratory syndromes (SARS)-related deaths in Beijing.

METHODSEpidemiological data were collected among the confirmed SARS patients officially reported by Beijing Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (BCDC), and information was also supplemented by a follow-up case survey. Chi-square test and multivariate stepwise logistic regression analysis were performed.

RESULTSOld age (over 60 years) was found to be significantly associated with SARS-related deaths in the univariate analysis. Also, history of contacting SARS patients within 2 weeks prior to the onset of illness, health occupation, and inferior hospital ranking as well as longer interval of clinic consulting (longer than 1 day) were the risk factors for SARS-related deaths. Multivariate stepwise logistic regression analysis found four risk factors for SARS-related deaths.

CONCLUSIONOld age (over 60 years) is the major risk factor for SARS-related deaths. Moreover, hospital health workers, the designated hospitals for SARS clinical services and the interval of consulting doctors (less than 1 day) are protective factors for surviving from SARS.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Age Factors ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; epidemiology ; Humans ; Infant ; Middle Aged ; Multivariate Analysis ; Risk Factors ; Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ; epidemiology ; mortality

Objectives To explore the characteristics of status and different populations of prehospital death associated with acute coronary events among young adults in Beijing.Methods Data of acute coronary events of hospitalization or death were obtained from the Hospital Discharge Information System from Beijing Public Health Information Center and Death Register System from Beijing Center for Disease Control in Beijing.The total case fatality rate of acute coronary events and proportion of prehospital coronary heart disease (CHD) death were compared upon gender,area,occupation and marital status among people aged between 25-45 years old.Results A total of 3489 cases were identified during 2007 to 2009 with acute coronary events ( male:3183,female:306),with a mean age of (40.5 ± 4.3 ) years old.The 3-years' overall mortality was 26.0％,with female's higher than male's (51.0％ vs 23.6 ％,P ＜ 0.05 ) ; and it was higher in rural area than in urban areas (28.9％ vs 22.9％,P ＜0.05).Ninety-five percent of death due to acute coronary events occurred prehospital,with the proportion of 95.2％ in male and 94.2％ in female. Among the people with different occupations, self-employed people had the highest rate of prehospital death.Majority of prehospital deaths (64.8％ ) occurred at home.Conclusion More than 90％ of deaths caused by acute coronary events among young adults aged between 25-45 years old occurred before been admitted into hospital,and the site of prehospital deaths was mainly at home.

OBJECTIVETo describe the specific features of the contact history of probable cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in Beijing.

METHODSData of SARS cases notified from the Beijing Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention (BCDC) and supplemented by other channels were collected. All the data were analyzed by descriptive epidemiology.

RESULTS(1) The number of probable cases with contact history was significantly higher than the excluded cases. (2) The proportion of probable cases with contact history descended with epidemic development, but this situation did not occur in health care workers (HCWs). (3) The fatality rate of probable cases with contact history was significantly higher than the cases without contact history (OR = 1.489). (4) The proportion of probable cases with contact history was 85.86% among health care workers, which was significantly higher than that of non-health care workers (85.86% v.s. 56.44%, OR=4.69).

CONCLUSIONS(1) The susceptible persons with contact history may not get infected, and the contact history is just a sufficient condition of infecting SARS; (2) There are 3 conceivable reasons for the descending trend of the proportion in probable cases with contact history; (3) The contact history is one of the risk factors of the death of SARS cases; (4) The risk of contacting with SARS among health care workers is approximately 5 times higher than that of non-HCWs.

China ; Contact Tracing ; Data Interpretation, Statistical ; Disease Outbreaks ; Health Personnel ; Humans ; Medical History Taking ; Occupational Exposure ; Risk Factors ; Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ; epidemiology ; prevention & control ; transmission

Objective To analyze the spatial epidemiological characteristics of measles in Taizhou from 2009 to 2017, so as to provide theoretical basis for measles prevention and control. Methods The spatial autocorrelation analysis and trend surface analysis of measles epidemics data from 2009 to 2017 in Taizhou were performed using ArcGIS 10.0 software. The dynamic characteristics of measles epidemics in Taizhou were analyzed. Results Among 2009-2017 years, the incidences of measles in Taizhou ranged from 0.83/1 million to 65.43/1 million. The results of global autocorrelation analysis showed that there were spatial correlations of the incidence of measles among 2012, 2013, 2015, and 2016 in Taizhou with a high-value clustering distribution. Local autocorrelation analysis indicated that the hot spots of measles incidence in Taizhou from 2009 to 2017 were mainly concentrated in the central towns of Taizhou. Trend surface analysis suggested that the measles incidence in the south towns of Taizhou was higher than that in the north in 2010, and the incidence in the central region was higher than those in other regions in 2013 and 2015. Conclusions According to the spatial analysis, autocorrelation was observed for the spatial distribution of measles incidence in Taizhou from 2009 to 2017, and there are hot spots in the central township. Targeted preventive measures should be taken based on these characteristics.

OBJECTIVETo analyse related risk factors of classic Kaposi' s sarcoma in Xinjiang.

METHODSA 1:4 case-control study was used and the conditional logistic regression model was performed in this study. Cases were followed up in Xinjiang while controls were selected by the same sex, nation and age within 5 years with cases.

RESULTSInterleukin-6,vascular endothelial growth factor, beta-MG, neopterin, human herpevirus 8, were found to be associated with Kaposi's sarcoma risk in one-way variance model while beta2 -MG and human herpevirus 8 entered the multiple conditional logistic regression model, and their ORs were 1.002(95%CI: 1.000-1.003), 81.041 (95%CI: 1.790-3669.620).

CONCLUSIONThere was a correlate relationship between beta2 -MG and classic Kaposi's sarcoma being found that human herpevirus 8 exposure related factors seemed to have played important roles on classic Kaposi's sarcoma in Xinjiang.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Case-Control Studies ; China ; Female ; Herpesviridae Infections ; complications ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multivariate Analysis ; Risk Factors ; Sarcoma, Kaposi ; complications ; epidemiology ; metabolism

Objective To investigate the common opportunistic infections and the characteristics of peripheral lymphocyte subsets in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Methods From December 2013 to December 2016, peripheral lymphocyte subsets were consecutively detected by flow cytometry in treated SLE patients with or without opportunistic infections(OIs).The lymphocyte subsets in healthy donors were used as normal control group. Results A total of 145 treated SLE patients were enrolled including 108 with OIs and 37 without OIs.The common OIs were cytomegalovirus(CMV)diseases (66/108), Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP, 16/108), other fungal infections (16/108), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV, 15/108) and tuberculosis (14/108). Compared with treated SLE without OIs, total lymphocyte, CD4+T,and CD8+T lymphocyte counts were significantly reduced in SLE with OIs[1 260(780,1 810)cells/μl vs. 565(399,1 043)cells/μl,P<0.001; 485(280,811)cells/μl vs. 173(95,327)cells/μl,P<0.001; 464 (339,764)cells/μl vs.265(158,424)cells/μl,P=0.003,respectively].Conclusions The common OIs in treated SLE patients were CMV diseases,PJP,other fungi,EBV and tuberculosis.OIs are prone to develop in SLE patients with severe lymphocytopenia,especially CD4+T cell depletion.