OBJECTIVETo study effect of triptolide (TL) on neuronal apoptosis in cerebral tissue of rat after ischemia-reperfusion.

METHODTriptolide at dose 0.2 or 0.4 mg x kg(-1) was intraperitoneally injected once a day for 4 d. The focal cerebral ischemia-reperfusion model was established with thread embolism in middle artery before triptolide injection on the fourth day. Neurological deficit score of rats was evaluated; and immunohistochemical techniques were used to count positive cells of express of MPO and TUNEL in cerebraltissue.

RESULTCompared with the control group, the deficit of neural function was significantly improved, and the number of infiltrate of neutrophil and neuronal apoptosis in cerebral tissue was remarkably reduced in two TL-treated groups.

CONCLUSIONThe results suggested that TL can inhibit infiltration of neutrophil and decrease the degree of neuronal apoptosis in cerebral tissue.

Animals ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Brain Ischemia ; pathology ; Diterpenes ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Epoxy Compounds ; Female ; Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery ; pathology ; Male ; Neuroprotective Agents ; pharmacology ; Neutrophil Infiltration ; drug effects ; Phenanthrenes ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Reperfusion Injury ; pathology ; Tripterygium ; chemistry

OBJECTIVETo observe the expressions of human beta-defensin 1 and 2 (hBD-1 and hBD-2) in nasal mucosa before and after the endoscopic sinus surgery and investigate the effects of hBD-1 and hBD-2 on the healing process after the surgery.

METHODSThe patients undergoing endoscopic sinus surgery for chronic sinusitis were divided into 3 groups according to the response to the surgery, namely cured group, response group and non-response group. With those from healthy control subjects as the control, nasal mucosa samples were collected from the patients at 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month, 3 months and 6 months after the surgery for detection of hBD-1 and hBD-2 mRNA and protein expressions by RT-PCR and Western blotting.

RESULTShBD-1 and hBD-2 were expressed in both normal and chronic sinusitis mucosa, but the expression levels varied significantly between the individuals. The expression levels of hBD-2 was significantly correlated to the patients' response to the surgical treatment (P<0.05). hBD-1 showed slight differences between the individuals, but was not associated with the patients' prognosis.

CONCLUSIONThe expressions of hBD-2 mRNA and protein are significantly increased in patients with good response to endoscopic sinus surgery for chronic sinusitis, suggesting the value of hBD-2 as an indicator of the patients' prognosis.

Case-Control Studies ; Chronic Disease ; Endoscopy ; Humans ; Nasal Mucosa ; metabolism ; Postoperative Period ; Prognosis ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; Sinusitis ; metabolism ; surgery ; beta-Defensins ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo study the rehabilitation effects ergometry on COPD patients.

METHODSThirty COPD out-patients in our Hospital were randomly divided into 2 groups. Rehabilitation group, 15 patients, performed leg ergometry exercise of 80% peak Watt x 30min/d x 3d/w x 12w. Another 15 patients were control group without exercise. All patients received conventional therapy. Pulmonary function testing (PFT), cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET), arterial blood gas analysis (ABG), Borg and CAT sores were done at both baseline and 12 w.

RESULTSThere was no statistically difference in lung function testing, blood gas analysis and cardiopulmonary exercise test when pre- exercises between 2 sub-groups. The IC, peak VO2 and peak, W of rehabilitation group significantly increased (P < 0.05); and Borg and CAT.scores significantly decreased (P < 0.05) from baseline; and other PFT and ABG did not change (P > 0.05). While there was no difference in control group (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONLeg submaximal ergometry rehabilitation improves health condition and ameliorate dyspnea symptoms in COPD patients.

Blood Gas Analysis ; Dyspnea ; therapy ; Exercise Test ; Exercise Therapy ; Humans ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive ; therapy ; Respiratory Function Tests

OBJECTIVETo explore the methods of isolation, cultivation, purification, identification of the fetal mice testis Leydig cell and to observe its biological characteristics in vitro.

METHODSLeydig cells were isolated by 0.03% collagenase (type I) from fetal mice testis and cultured in DMEM/F12 medium. The identity and purity of Leydig cell were assessed by 3beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase delta4-delta5 isomerase (3beta-HSD). Cell viability was measured by trypan blue. Testosterone level in the medium of cultured Leydig cells was measured in various culture phases and cell density by radioimmunoassay.

RESULTSThe purity of Leydig cell was (45.10 +/- 1.66)% before culture, and (81.17 +/- 2. 32)% 72 h after culture. The level of testosterone secreted by Leydig cells could be detected in the medium and its level was associated with the density and time of cultured Leydig cells. The secretion capacity of testosterone by single Leydig cell decreased gradually during the culturing period.

CONCLUSIONThe fetal Leydig cells isolated from fetal mice testis have high purity. It can be cultured and kept the secretion ability of testosterone for a few days in vitro. This system can provide a valuable model for further study on the cellular function of the Leydig cells of fetal mice.

Animals ; Cell Separation ; Cells, Cultured ; Leydig Cells ; cytology ; physiology ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred Strains ; Testis ; embryology ; Testosterone ; secretion

The surgical dexterous suturing and knotting movements are photographed with binocular stereo vision and the movements' locus is captured through identifying the RGB values in a series of key-frames. Then a normal movement path of knot-tying is obtained through curve-fitting and smoothing. And meanwhile, the workspace of knot-tying manipulation in microsurgeries is got. And thus, a good foundation is laid for the design of an automatic knotting mechanism and for the establishment of a virtual surgery training system.
Microsurgery ; methods ; Photography ; methods ; Suture Techniques ; Task Performance and Analysis ; Video Recording

Objective To study the effect of comprehensive prehospital management for patients with emergency trauma treatment. Methods Fifty emergency patients who were admitted to the emergency department were investigated respectively before and after the implementation of the comprehensive prehospital management of the people's hospital of Gaozhou City, with the service satisfaction questionnaire, the Anxiety Self-assessment Scale (SAS) and the Depression Self-rating Scale (SDS) . The time of admission, first aid time, emergency treatment effect, satisfaction and mental status change of the two groups were compared. Results There was no statistically significant difference in age, gender, cause of injury and distribution of injury in the two groups (P>0.05) . The admission time and first aid time of the patients in the observation group respectively were (15.6±4.2) and (33.5±8.4) minutes, which were shorter than the control group of (24.3±5.0) and (60.5±10.2) minutes (P<0.05) . The emergency effect and satisfaction of the observation group were superior to the control group (P<0.05) . The difference between SAS and SDS scores in the observation group was 21.3 ±3.4 and 20.4±3.1, both of them were higher than the control group (12.1±2.7 and 12.8±2.5) (P<0.05) . Conclusion The comprehensive pre-hospital management can shorten the time of admission and first aid, and effectively improve the clinical treatment effect and satisfaction of emergency trauma patients.

Male sterility affects human reproduction seriously. Modern medicine has not yet fully understood the reasons for abnormal sperm, so clinical treatment is mainly based on experience, but the effect is inaccurate. According to "kidney controls reproduction" and "chronic illness causes blood stasis" theory, Professor JIN Bao-fang treats abnormol speerm sterility by tonifying kidney and activating blood circulation to remove obstruction with modified Yangjing Decoction, which has achieved good efficacy.

Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; genetics ; Hepatitis B virus ; genetics ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo explore the mechanism of Shenqi compound recipe (SQCR) anti-earlier diabetic artherosclerosis in GK rats.

METHODFour-month specefic pathogen free (SPF) GK rats were divided randomly according to blood glucose level into four groups: model group (5 mL x kg(-1) x d(-1) sterile water), ramipril group (positive control, 1 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1)), SQCR low dosage (0.72 g x kg(-1) x d(-1)) and SQCR high dosage group (2.88 g x kg(-1) x d(-1)) and Wistar rats as normal control group(5 mL x kg(-1) x d(-1) sterile water). GK rats took high-fat diet freely and meanwile were injected N-omega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-N-AME) intra-peritoneally with the dose of 10 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1) in order to induce earlier diabetic artherosclerosis, while normal control group took regular diet and were injected normal saline intra-peritoneally. In the experiment periods, each group was administrated correspondent substance respectively for 32 d. At the end, sampling blood by abdominal aorta and picking aorta on ice. Determined monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) concentration by ELISA, messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) expression of MCP-1 and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) in aorta by reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR).

RESULTConcentrations of MCP-1 in serum in SQCR low and high dosage groups and the mRNA expression of MCP-1 in SQCR high dosage group were all decreased significantly compared with model group (P < 0.05). The mRNA expression of PPARgamma in SQCR low and high dosage groups all increased compared with model group (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONInhibiting the mRNA and protein expression of MCP-1 and upregulating the mRNA expression of PPARgamma in aorta might be contribute to SQCR anti-earlier diabetic artherosclerosis in GK rats partly.

Animals ; Aorta ; metabolism ; Astragalus membranaceus ; chemistry ; Atherosclerosis ; etiology ; metabolism ; Chemokine CCL2 ; biosynthesis ; blood ; genetics ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; complications ; metabolism ; Drug Combinations ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Male ; PPAR gamma ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Panax ; chemistry ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; RNA, Messenger ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar

OBJECTIVETo study the regulatory effect of Bushenfang on the serum testosterone (T) level of naturally aging rats and its mechanism, in order to provide a theoretical and experimental basis for the clinical treatment of late onset hypogonadism (LOH) in males.

METHODSThirty-two 18-month-old male SD rats were randomly divided into four groups of equal number, naturally aging model and low-, medium- and high-dose Bushenfang groups, and another eight 4-month-old rats were taken as normal controls. The rats of the aging model and normal control groups were treated with normal saline, while those of the low-, medium- and high-dose Bushenfang groups received intragastrically Bushenfang at 3.25, 7.50 and 15.00 g/kg, respectively, all for 3 weeks. Then the rats were sacrificed, the histomorphologic changes of the testis observed by HE staining, the serum T level measured by radioimmunoassay, and the expressions of the StAR protein, P450scc and 3beta-HSD I determined by RT-PCR.

RESULTSThe number of Leydig cells was obviously increased after Bushenfang treatment. The levels of serum T were significantly higher in the low-, medium- and high-dose Bushenfang groups ([6.74 +/- 1.56] nmol/L, [8.50 +/- 1.99] nmol/L and [12.41 +/- 2.91] nmol/L) than in the model group ([3.48 +/- 0.75] nmol/L) (P < 0.05). The three Bushenfang groups also showed a remarkable elevation in the mRNA expressions of StAR (0.74 +/- 0.29, 0.83 +/- 0.32 and 1.35 +/- 0.50), P450scc (0.72 +/- 0.36, 1.023 +/- 0.30 and 1.41 +/- 0.37) and 3beta-HSD I (0.58 +/- 0.14, 0.72 +/- 0.07 and 0.85 +/- 0.18), as compared with the models (StAR: 0.44 +/- 0.09; P450scc: 0.33 +/- 0.05; 3beta-HSD I: 0.34 +/- 0.02), with significant differences in the StAR expression between the high-dose Bushenfang and the model groups, as well as in P450scc and 3beta-HSD I expressions between the medium- and high-dose Bushenfang and the model groups (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONBushenfang could improve the pathological status of testicular injury and increase the expression of testosterone synthetase, which might be the mechanism behind its regulatory effect on the serum T level of aging rats.

Aging ; drug effects ; Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Hypogonadism ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Testis ; drug effects ; Testosterone ; metabolism