Objective To investigate the expression of Rac 1 in the guinea pig cochlea of gentamicin-induced ototoxic damage and prevention with antioxidant sodium salicylate , and to explore the roles of Rac 1 in the ototoxic mechanism of aminoglycoside antibi-otics.Methods Thirty healthy male guinea pigs were involved in this study .All the guinea pigs were randomly divided into 3 groups and received intraperitoneal injections according to their arranged group .Group I (control) was treated with normal saline for 7 days. Group II [Gentamicin (GM)] was treated with gentamicin alone for 7 days.Group III [GM+sodium salicylate(SA)] was treated with gentamicin in combination with sodium salicylate for 7 days.Paraffin-embedded cochlear section with immunohistochemical stai-ning was used for evaluation of Rac 1 expression in the cochlea .The protein was extracted from the cochlea tissues , and Rac1 protein levels in the cochlea were detected by Western blot assay .Results Immunohistochemistry showed a slightly positive reaction for Rac 1 staining found in the cochlea of the control group was mainly shown in the cytoplasm and cytomembrane of ganglion and organ of Corti ;a highly positive expression was shown in GM group;and the extent of Rac 1 expression of GM+SA group was between the control and GM groups.Image analysis showed that the differences in Rac1 expression between each two groups were statistically significant ( P <0.05).Western blot assay showed that expression of Rac 1 protein was highest in GM group and decreased in GM +SA group, while the intensity of Rac1 protein expression in GM +SA group was between the control and GM group .Statistics analysis showed that the expression between each two groups had significant difference ( P <0.05 ) .Conclusions A slightly positive reaction for Rac 1 stai-ning was found in the cochlea of guinea pigs , and mainly observed in the cytoplasm and cytomembrane of spiral ganglion and organ of Corti.With the administration of gentamicin , Rac1 protein expression was upregulated in the cochlea .Simultaneous administration of antioxidant sodium salicylate could significantly decrease the expression of Rac 1 protein.These results indicated that Rac1 might play an important role in the processes of gentamicin-induced oxidative damage of cochlea .

AIM: To evaluate the relationships between maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein (MSAFP) levels and middle cerebral artery peak systolic velocity (MCA-PSV) in pregnancies with fetal anaemia and to compare the sensitivities of MSAFP and MCA-PSV for the predicting the risk of fetal anaemia. METHODS: Fifty-five measurements of MSAFP and MCA-PSV were carried out in 32 women at risk of fetal anaemia (4 cases of alloimmunisation, 11 cases of thalassemia, 10 cases of parvovirus infection and 7 cases of placental chorioangioma). The relationship between MSAFP and MCA-PSV was studied, and 19 fetal blood samples, in which MCA-PSV measurements were abnormal, were taken and the fetal heamoglobin were tested in order to evaluate the correlation of MSAFP and MCA-PSV. RESULTS: A correlation between MSAFP and MCA-PSV (n=55, r=0.57, P<0.01) was observed, in which 15 cases of fetal anaemia and 4 cases false positive (non-anaemia) were detected among the 19 fetal blood samples. The MSAFP levels of 4 false-positive cases were normal. The MSAFP levels in 15 fetal anaemia cases were higher than those in non-anaemia. The elevation of MSAFP level was 15-20 d earlier than that of MCA-PSV in the cases of alloimmunisation and thalassemia, and it was 10-12 d later in the cases of parvovirus infection and placental chorioangioma significantly (P<0.05). Both MSAFP (r=-0.87) and MCA-PSV (r=-0.67) were significantly correlated with fetal heamoglobin level. CONCLUSION: The MSAFP level is significantly correlated with both MCA-PSV measurements and fetal haemoglobin. The time and process of the elevations of MSAFP indicate that MSAFP is more sensitive than MCA-PSV to predict and monitor the pregnancies at the risk of fetal anaemia.

Objective To optimize the extracting conditions of polysaccharide from Imperata Cylindrica and establish a suitable method for its content determination. Methods Based on the qualitative yield of polysaccharide extraction, a orthogonal test was employed to evaluate the effect of four factors including extracting temperature, extracting time, the extraction times and the ratio of material to liquid. The phenol-dense sulphuric acid method was applied for the content determination of polysaccharide. Results The times of extraction and the extracting temperature influenced the content of polysaccharides mostly, while the duration of extraction and the amount of water showed little influence. Conclusions The optimum extraction condition was refluxing and extracting for 3 times at 85 ℃ for 3 hours, and with 15 folds of water for every time. The contents of polysaccharide in Imperata Cylindrica collected from two different places were above 0.15%.

Objective To investigate the effects of Physiotherapy in the prevention of lower extremitydeep venous thrombosis in patients with colorectal tumors after operation. Methods About 55 cases of inpatients admitted to the hospital from November 2014 to November 2015 were selected as the control group, and they were given routine nursing before and after operation. Another 55 cases of inpatients admitted to the hospital from November 2015 to November 2016 were selected as the observation group. On the basis of the control group, the observation group were treated with Physiotherapy in 24h after operation, 30min for once, twice/d, lasting for 7 days. The coagulation function , lower extremity deep venous flow velocity and the incidence of deep venous thrombosis in two groups were compared before operation and 7 days after operation. Result About 7 days after operation, levels of fibrinogen and D-dimer in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (P<0.01), the lower extremity deep venous blood flow velocity was higher than that in the control group (P<0.01), and the incidence of lower limb deep venous thrombosis was lower than that in the control group (all P<0.05). Conclusion Physiotherapy can improve the coagulation function in patients undergoing colorectal operation, improve the lower extremity deep venous flow velocity and reduce the incidence of lower extremity deep venous thrombosis.

To study the enrichment regulation of anammox bacteria during the whole start-up process of anammox reaction, two reactors with addition of carries of Spherical Plastic (SP) and Bamboo Charcoal (BC) and one without carrier (CK) were used to start anammox reaction. Then FISH and q-PCR analyses for the growth of all anammox bacteria were conducted during the operational process. The results indicate that the number of anammox bacteria in all reactors increased with time during the whole start-up process, which was consistent with the removal rate of ammonium and nitrite. On day 123 of stable phase, the percent of anammox cells in the sludge of CK, SP and BC accounted for 23.3%, 32.6% and 43.7%, respectively. The number of anammox bacteria 16S rRNA gene copies was (25.64 +/- 2.76) x 10(7), (47.12 +/- 2.76) x 10(7) and (577.99 +/- 27.25) x 10(7) copies g(-1) VSS in the sludge of CK, SP and BC, respectively. Carrier addition could dramatically increase enrichment of anammox bacteria. BC addition significantly increased the anammox bacteria number in the UASB reactor which resulted in the acceleration of the anammox start-up process. In addition, the max specific growth rate and the minimum doubling time were 0.064 d(-1) and 10.8 d in BC reactor. The max specific growth rate of anammox bacteria in BC reactor was 1.78 times and 1.88 times greater than that in CK and SP reactor, respectively. Therefore, the FISH and q-PCR analyses were suitable for determining the enrichment regulation of anammox bacteria during the start-up time, while a bit of differences in results existed between the two analytical methods due to the difference in analysis targets.
Ammonia ; metabolism ; Bacteria ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Bioreactors ; Industrial Microbiology ; Nitrites ; metabolism ; Oxidation-Reduction ; Sewage ; microbiology

In order to simultaneously remove carbon and nitrogen from organic-rich wastewater, we used an up-flow anaerobic sludge bed/blanket (UASB) reactor that was started up with anammox with high concentration of carbon and nitrogen by gradually raising the organic loading of influent. We optimized the removal of nitrogen and carbon when the chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentration varied from 172 to 620 mg/L. During the entire experiment, the ammonium and total nitrogen removal efficiency was higher than 85%, while the average COD removal efficiency was 56.6%. The high concentration of organic matter did not restrain the activity of anammox bacteria. Based on polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) and tapping sequencing analyses, the Planctomycete, Proteobacteria, Chloroflexi, Chlorobi bacteria are detected in the UASB reactor, which indicated complex removal pathway of carbon and nitrogen coexisted in the reactor. However, a part of Planctomycete which referred to anammox bacteria could tolerate a high content of organic carbon, and it provided help for high performance of nitrogen removal in UASB reactor.
Ammonia ; chemistry ; Biological Oxygen Demand Analysis ; Bioreactors ; Carbon ; chemistry ; Nitrogen ; chemistry ; Sewage ; Waste Disposal, Fluid ; methods ; Waste Water ; chemistry

BACKGROUND: Advanced oxidation protein products (AOPPs) are a crucial pathogenic link to such long-term uremic complications in hemodialysis patients as immune system dysregulation, accelerated atherosclerosis, dialysis-related amyloldosis and so on. However, basic studies on AOPPs are relatively few, and one of the main reasons is the fact that it is difficult to obtain AOPPs with high pudty and biological activity.OBJECTIVE: To prepare, pudfy and indentify AOPPs, with the hope of searching for a method of preparing AOPPs with high purity and biological activity.DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING: A single sample observation was completed in the Clinical Biochemistry Section of Ecsomatics Department, Third Military Medical University of Chinese PLA from September to November in 2008. MATERIALS: Human serum albumin (HSA) was provided by Chengdu Rongsheng Company Ltd. Hitrap 26/60 sephacryl S-300 was purchased from GE Healthcare.METHODS: Hypochloric acid was used in the oxidation of purified HSA to prepare in vitro the AOPPs-modified HSA (AOPPs-HSA), which was then isolated by Hitrap 26/60 sephacryl S-300. Relative molecular mass was determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electropheresis (SDS-PAGE), native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) and molecular weight standards. Structural features and biological activities were identified in the experiment of tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) release from monocytes.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: ①The purification and gel electrophoresis results of HSA. ②The purification and gel electrophoresis results of AOPPs. ③The dose-effect relationship between AOPPs-HSA and TNF-α release from monocytes. RESULTS: The relative molecular mass of AOPPs-HSA was 670 000 according to SDS-PAGE, native PAGE and molecular weight standards. Moreover, AOPPs-HSA could encourage the release of TNF-α from monocytes. The time effects showed that TNF-α release volume significantly increased after 6 hours of stimulation by AOPPs-HSA (1 g/L) and reached a peak at hour 12. CONCLUSION: Highly purified and bioactive AOPPs can be successfully prepared by the above-mentioned method, which builds a basis for further study on AOPPs.

Objective To investigate the clinical effects of mucosolvan on the respiratory tract in elderly patients with long-time tracheal intubation for upper abdominal operation.Methods A total of 88 elderly patients to receive upper abdominal surgery were randomly divided into 2 groups:the treatment group (n=41,treated with antibiotics and mucosolvan 90 mg,iv,bid,for 7 consecutive days) and the control group (n=39,with the same antibiotics but without mucosolvan).Patients indwelling endotracheal tube≤3 hours were excluded.Lung function [forced vital capacity (FVC),forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1),FEV1/FVC ratios (FEV1％)],blood gas analysis (pH,PaCO2,PaO2) and lung condition changes were compared between the two groups before and after surgery.Results There was a significant difference in blood gas analysis between the two groups 3 days after surgery (P＜0.05).There were differences in FEV1 and FEV1％ between the two groups 5 days after surgery (P＜0.05),but no differences were found in FVC in the two groups before versus after surgery.There were significant differences in the incidences of pulmonary infection and atelectasis between the treatment group and the control group [4.9 ％ vs.23.1％ (2 cases vs.9 cases),0％ vs.10.3％ (0 cases vs.4 cases),respectively,both P＜0.05].Conclusions Mucosolvan has a better protective effect on the respiratory tract in elderly patients undergoing upper abdominal surgery and the synergies can be achieved in combination with antibiotics.

PurposeThe restriction of strain ratio (SR) in the diagnosis of thyroid malignant tumor are caused mainly because of disadvantages including low sensitivity, in this research the authors used different calculation methods of strain ratio based on the size of tumors, to explore the clinical application value of them on the differentiation of benign and malignant thyroid nodules.Materials and Methods Data of 336 patients with thyroid nodule (340 nodules) who underwent elasticity imaging and ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration were retrospective analyzed, with the pathology combined follow up acted as golden standards, fixed surface area assay and true surface area assay of strain ratio were compared on the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant thyroid nodules with various size.Results Among 340 thyroid nodules, there were 91 small nodules and 249 big nodules. Pathological results showed that 36 of 91 small nodules and 104 of 249 big nodules were malignant, while the others were benign. The true surface area assay was significantly better for the diagnosis of smaller thyroid nodules with longitudinal diameter and transverse diameter<8 mm with higher consistency with pathology (χ2=20.89,P<0.01), and fixed surface area assay is more suitable of thyroid nodules with longitudinal diameter and transverse diameter>8mm (χ2=57.08,P<0.01). The sensitivity, specificity and consistency for the diagnosis of malignant nodules of true surface area assay were 57.10%, 83.00% and 72.30% (Kappa=0.413), which were 73.60%, 85.00% and 72.30% (Kappa=0.590) in the fixed surface area assay, and 85.00%, 85.50% and 85.30% (Kappa=0.699) in the selective usage of two methods according to the tumor size, respectively.Conclusion The sensitivity is highest when using the two methods selectively according to the nodule size, with a better consistence rate with pathological results as well.

AIM:To investigate the effect of NF-κB binding element deletion on transcriptional regulation of (NOX1).METHODS:pGL3-Basic vector inserted with the NOX1 proximal promoter, and the same vector inserted with the NOX1 proximal promoter in the absence of the positive NF-κB binding element, were constructed.After cloning, diges-tion and purification, NOX1 proximal promoter (≈1 415 bp) was inserted into the multicloning site of the pGL3-Basic vec-tor and then sequenced ( pGL3-NOX1-1415) .NF-κB binding elements in the NOX1 promoters were predicted by Alibaba 2.1 software.The positive element was deleted by overlapping PCR.The deletion mutant was inserted into the pGL3 vector in the same way (pGL3-NOX1-1327).The plasmids were transfected into A549 cells, and then the cells were stimulated with TNF-α.The luciferase activity was monitored on MD SpectraMax M5 enzyme-labeled instrument.RESULTS:The se-quences of pGL3-NOX1-1415 and pGL3-NOX1-1327 were identified to be correct.Compared with control group, the lucif-erase activity was significantly higher in the cells transfected with pGL3-NOX1-1327 (P<0.05), but it was significantly lower than that in the cells transfected with pGL3-NOX1-1415 (P<0.05).CONCLUSION: NF-κB plays an essential role in the transcriptional regulation of NOX1 in TNF-α-induced A549 cells.Activated NF-κB binds to specific elements in NOX1 promoter regions to control the transcription.