Keratoconus is a progressive, non - inflammatory corneal thinning disorder that produces a unique spectrum of change in the surface curvature of the cornea. The suspected factors associated with the cause of keratoconus include genetic mechanisms, familial associations, allergy, atopy and so on, but environmental factors, such as abnormal rubbing, contact lens wearing and ultraviolet radiation may be easily ignored. Although it is commonly thought that keratoconus is a result of various pathological progress mediated by multiple factors, those chronic trauma could play important roles in the pathological progress. The classic definition of keratoconus is still referred as a non - inflammation disorder with malnutrition of keratectasia, more and more clinical evidences and experimental results that may refute this concept. It may be due to the long-term persistent chronic trauma resulted from eye rubbing, contact lens or ultraviolet radiation. Under this conditions, the increased release of inflammatory mediators and matrix metalloproteinases may accelerate keratocyte apoposis and enzyme metabolism disorders, with the result of matrix cell lost, tensile strength decreased and keratectasia. Here, for some papers known about the relationship between chronic cornea trauma and keratoconus were reviewed and discussed its possible causal relationship.

To investigate the prognostic effects of integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine therapy without antibiotics in treatment of patients with severe acute pancreatitis (SAP).

OBJECTIVETo study the distribution and antibiotic resistance of the isolated pathogens from children with infectious diarrhea in Guangzhou.

METHODSThe fecal samples of 2 409 children with infectious diarrhea between January 2006 and December 2007 were collected and cultured. Pathogenic bacterium were isolated and identified by biochemical and serological methods. The antibiotic susceptibilities were tested by the Kirby-Bauer method.

RESULTSA total of 448 isolates of pathogenic bacterium (18.6%) were obtained, including Shigella (n=159), enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (n=141), Salmonella (n=76), Vibrion (n=11), fungus (n=41), and C jejuni (n=20). All of isolates of the three major pathogenic bacterium, Shigella, enteropathogenic Escherichia coli and Salmonella, were susceptible to imipenem and less than 10% of the isolates were resistant to the third generation cephalosporins and beta-lactamase inhibitors. However, the isolates showed a high resistance to ampicillin and sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim (>75%).

CONCLUSIONSShigella, enteropathogenic Escherichia coli and Salmonella were major pathogenic bacterium of diarrhea in children from Guangzhou. The major isolates were susceptible to imipenem, the third generation cephalosporins and beta -lactamase inhibitors, but were resistant to ampicillin and sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim.

Adolescent ; Bacteria ; drug effects ; isolation & purification ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Diarrhea ; drug therapy ; microbiology ; Drug Resistance, Microbial ; Female ; Fungi ; drug effects ; isolation & purification ; Humans ; Infant ; Male

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the mechanism of Chaiqin Chengqi Decoction (CQCQD), a compound of traditional Chinese herbal medicine, acting on the pancreatic acinar cell calcium overload in rats with acute pancreatitis (AP). METHODS: A total of 30 SD rats were randomly divided into normal control group, untreated group and CQCQD group (n=10, respectively). AP was induced in rats by caerulein (5x50 mug/kg) intraperitoneal injection within 4 h. The pancreatic tissue SERCA1 and SERCA2 mRNA expressions were detected by fluorescent quantization polymerase chain reaction method; intracellular calcium fluorescence intensity (FI) of pancreatic acinar cells and the pancreatic pathological score were measured by laser scanning confocal microscopy and light microscopy respectively. RESULTS: There were no SERCA1 mRNA expressions in pancreatic acinar cells of rats in the normal control group and the untreated group. The expression of pancreatic SERCA2 mRNA in the untreated group was down-regulated compared with that in the normal control group (expression ratio=0.536; P=0.001); the expression of pancreatic SERCA2 mRNA in the CQCQD group was up-regulated compared with that in the untreated group (expression ratio=2.00; P=0.012). The pancreatic pathological score in the CQCQD group was lower than that in the untreated group and the FI of Ca(2+) was also lower. CONCLUSION: CQCQD can up-regulate the expression of pancreatic SERCA2 mRNA, release the calcium overload, and hence reduce the pathological changes in pancreatic tissue.

Objective - （ ）- （ ） To observe the effects of renin angiotensin Ang aldosterone system RAAS in workers exposed to Methods - - occupational noise. Forty five workers with suspected occupational noise induced deafness were selected as noise ， ， exposure group using convenient sampling method. According to their tinnitus symptom noise exposure intensity and work age - ， ， they were divided into no tinnitus and tinnitus subgroups <90 dB and ≥90 dB subgroups work years <10 years and ≥10 years subgroups. Another 45 workers with no occupational noise exposure history were selected as control group. The levels of plasma （ ）， ， ， renin activity PRA AngⅠ AngⅡ and aldosterone of the two groups were detected and the aldosterone to renin activity Results ratio was calculated. The diastolic blood pressure of the noise exposure group was higher than that of the control group ［（ ）vs（ ） ，P ］ ， 80±7 76±8 mmHg <0.05 . However there was no significant difference in systolic blood pressure between the two （P ） （ ： groups >0.05 . The level of plasma AngⅡ in the noise exposure group was higher than that in the control group median vs ，P ） （ P ） 100.98 65.43 μg/L <0.05 . There was no statistical significance in other indexes between the two groups all >0.05 . The （ ： plasma AngⅡ level in < 90 dB subgroup in the noise exposure group was higher than that of the control group median 123.16 vs ，P ） 65.43 μg/L <0.05 . There was no statistical significance in other indexes among the two subgroups of tinnitus symptom or （ P ） work age in the noise exposure group and the control group all >0.05 . There were no significant differences in the abnormal ， （ P ） rates of PRA AngⅡ and aldosterone in plasma between the noise exposure group and the control group all >0.05 . Conclusion Occupational noise exposure may affect RAAS and lead to increased plasma AngⅡ levels in the workers. - Tinnitus and work age may not affect RAAS in occupational noise exposure workers.

Objective - （ ）- （ ） To observe the effects of renin angiotensin Ang aldosterone system RAAS in workers exposed to Methods - - occupational noise. Forty five workers with suspected occupational noise induced deafness were selected as noise ， ， exposure group using convenient sampling method. According to their tinnitus symptom noise exposure intensity and work age - ， ， they were divided into no tinnitus and tinnitus subgroups <90 dB and ≥90 dB subgroups work years <10 years and ≥10 years subgroups. Another 45 workers with no occupational noise exposure history were selected as control group. The levels of plasma （ ）， ， ， renin activity PRA AngⅠ AngⅡ and aldosterone of the two groups were detected and the aldosterone to renin activity Results ratio was calculated. The diastolic blood pressure of the noise exposure group was higher than that of the control group ［（ ）vs（ ） ，P ］ ， 80±7 76±8 mmHg <0.05 . However there was no significant difference in systolic blood pressure between the two （P ） （ ： groups >0.05 . The level of plasma AngⅡ in the noise exposure group was higher than that in the control group median vs ，P ） （ P ） 100.98 65.43 μg/L <0.05 . There was no statistical significance in other indexes between the two groups all >0.05 . The （ ： plasma AngⅡ level in < 90 dB subgroup in the noise exposure group was higher than that of the control group median 123.16 vs ，P ） 65.43 μg/L <0.05 . There was no statistical significance in other indexes among the two subgroups of tinnitus symptom or （ P ） work age in the noise exposure group and the control group all >0.05 . There were no significant differences in the abnormal ， （ P ） rates of PRA AngⅡ and aldosterone in plasma between the noise exposure group and the control group all >0.05 . Conclusion Occupational noise exposure may affect RAAS and lead to increased plasma AngⅡ levels in the workers. - Tinnitus and work age may not affect RAAS in occupational noise exposure workers.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the antimicrobial resistance and penicillin resistance-associated genes (TEM and pbp2B) of Streptococcus pneumoniae (S. pneumoniae) isolated from sputum specimens of Guangzhou children with respiratory tract infection.

METHODSE-test and Kirby-Bauer methods were applied to detect the antibiotic susceptibility of 44 strains of S. pneumoniae. PCR was used to detect resistance genes pbp2B and TEM, followed by DNA sequence analysis of pbp2B gene. The sequence results were compared to those of penicillin-susceptible S. pneumoniae R6.

RESULTSOf the 44 isolates of S. pneumoniae, only 5 (11.4%) were susceptible to penicillin. All strains were resistant to erythromycin but susceptible to ofloxacin and vancomycin. The resistance rate of the isolates to clindamycin and trimoxazole was more than 90%. The S. pneumoniae isolates showed a high susceptibility to amoxicillin, imipenem and ceftriaxone, with a resistance rate of 0, 2.6% and 3.9%, respectively. The sequence analysis showed that more than 99% nucleotide sequence of pbp2B gene of five penicillin-susceptible isolates was the same as penicillin-susceptible S. pneumoniae R6, without any amino acid replacement. Site mutation was found in the remaining 39 penicillin-nonsusceptible isolates with a nucleotide mutation rate ranging from 13.2% to 23.1% and amino acid replacement rate from 6.5% to 10.9%. The 39 penicillin-nonsusceptible isolates were classified into 4 types according to the mutation site between Ser391 and Thr492 of pbp2B: type I (n=30), type II (n=7), type III (n=1) and type IV (n=1). No TEM gene was detected in all the 44 S. pneumoniae isolates.

CONCLUSIONSThe S.pneumoniae isolates from Guangzhou children with respiratory tract infection are resistant to penicillin and erythromycin. Amoxicillin and the third generation cephalosporin may be recommended for treating S. pneumoniae infection. The mutation of pbp2B gene plays an important role in the development of S. pneumoniae resistance to penicillin.

Aminoacyltransferases ; genetics ; Child, Preschool ; Drug Resistance, Bacterial ; genetics ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Penicillin Resistance ; genetics ; Penicillin-Binding Proteins ; genetics ; Respiratory Tract Infections ; microbiology ; Streptococcus pneumoniae ; drug effects ; genetics ; beta-Lactamases ; genetics

BACKGROUNDEarly intensive insulin therapies in newly diagnosed type 2 diabetic patients may improve beta-cell function and yield prolonged glycemic remissions. This study was performed to evaluate the relationship between the glycemic remission and beta-cell function and assess the variables predictive of long-term near-normoglycemic remission.

METHODSEighty-four newly diagnosed type 2 diabetic patients were treated with 2-week continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) and followed up longitudinally. Intravenous glucose tolerance tests (IVGTTs) were performed, and blood glucose, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and insulin were measured at baseline, after CSII and at 2-year visit. The patients who maintained glycemic control for two years were defined as the remission group and those who relapsed before the 2-year visit were the non-remission group.

RESULTSThe duration to be diagnosed of the patients (from the time that patients began to have diabetic symptoms until diagnosis) in the remission group was shorter than that in the non-remission group (1.00 month vs 4.38 months, P = 0.040). The increase of the acute insulin response (AIR) was maintained after 2 years in the remission group compared with AIR measured immediately after intervention (413.05 pmol*L(-1)*min(-1) vs 408.99 pmol*L(-1)*min(-1), P = 0.820). While AIR in the non-remission group significantly declined (74.71 pmol*L(-1)*min(-1) vs 335.64 pmol*L(-1)*min(-1), P = 0.030). Cox model showed that a shorter duration to be diagnosed positively affected the duration of near-nomoglycemic remission with an odds ratio (OR) 1.019, P = 0.038, while fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and post-breakfast plasma glucose (PPG) after CSII were the risk factors (OR 1.397, P = 0.024 and OR 1.187, P = 0.035, respectively).

CONCLUSIONThe near-normoglycemic remission is closely associated with long-term maintenance of beta-cell function and occurs more commonly in patients with shorter duration to be diagnosed and better glycemic control during CSII.

Adult ; Aged ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; blood ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hyperglycemia ; pathology ; Hypoglycemic Agents ; therapeutic use ; Insulin ; therapeutic use ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Young Adult

Objective To explore the application value of multi-slice spiral computed tomography (MSCT) in traffic accidents through observing and analyzing the injury features of the accidents. Methods Two fatal cases caused by traffic accidents were fully examined using MSCT, 3D imaging reconstruction and angiography through cardiac puncture. The features of traffic injury mechanism were analyzed through combination of MSCT and postmortem external examination. Results In case 1, right cardiac rupture was found by MSCT and angiography through cardiac puncture. The cause of death was cardiac tam-ponade and right ventricular rupture due to the crush injury of chest in the traffic accident. In case 2, splenic rupture and intra-abdominal hemorrhage was found and caused by injury of left trunk by MSCT. The cause of death was hemorrhage and traumatic shock. Conclusion MSCT could observe skeletal in-jury, soft tissue injury, and hematologic disorder well. The combination use of MSCT and angiography through cardiac puncture provided assistance to the diagnosis of cardiovascular system injury.

AIM To prepare the soluble microneedles of Aconitum brachypodum Diels alkaloids.METHODS Centrifugal molding method was adopted in the preparation of soluble microneedles.With chondroitin sulfate consumption,PVP K120 consumption and 40%ethanol consumption as influencing factors,piercing rate as an evaluation index,the formulation was optimized by Box-Behnken response surface method,after which the morphology,piercing performance,drug content and in vitro transdermal performance were investigated.RESULTS The optimal formulation was determined to be 123 mg for chondroitin sulfate consumption,298 mg for PVP K120 consumption,and 2.4 mL for 40%ethanol consumption,the piercing rate was 98.3%.The soluble microneedles were yellow and square patch with conoid needle,which could pierce aluminum foil and rat skin,along with the drug content of(0.94±0.025)mg.The soluble microneedle group demonstrated the accumulative permeability rate of 91.4%within 24 h,which was higher than that in the gel ointment group,and the permeability accorded with Higuchi equation.CONCLUSION The soluble microneedles of A.brachypodum alkaloids exhibit good mechanical strength,which can achieve effective transdermal delivery of drugs.