The effect of retinoic acid (RA) on renal interstitial fibrosis (RIF) is important. Notch signaling is known to play an important role in the pathological injury of RIF. This study summarized recent research progress of the effect of RA on RIF and Notch signaling. Interruption of Notch signaling by RA might be a potential anti-fibrotic strategy in RIF.

Autophagy is a vacuolar process of cytoplasmic degradation by lysosome which ubiquitously occurring in all eukaryotic cells. The researches of autophagy have made great progress with the development of the yeast model and genetic technology. This review will summarize the determination of autophagy, its relationship with apoptosis and its role in the tumor treatment in order to give a comprehensive understanding of the function of autophagy.

[Objective]To summarize the experiences of total hip replacement with cementless joint components in the treatment of osteoarthritis secondary to acetabular dysplasia in adults and to evaluate its early effect. [Method]From March 2000 to March 2007, thirty hips in 25 adult patients with osteoarthritis secondary to acetabular dysplasia undergoing total hip replacement with cementless joint components were included in this study. Of the patients, 5 were male and 20 were female.Their ages ranged from 35 to 55 years with an average age of 55 years. The patients mainly complained of pain and claudication. According to the Hartofilakidis classification , Semi-dislocation occurred in 21 hips and high-dislocation in 9 hips.Five patients underwent bilateral total hip replacements and twenty patients had unilateral total hip replacement.[Result]The duration of follow-up ranged from 8 months to 7 years ( average 3 years and 9 months ) . The average Harris score was increased from 36.09 to 88.21 points, They could take care of themselves and returned to their previous job. All the patients were pain-free and there was no sign of aseptic looseing or subsidence.[Conclusion]Total hip replacement with cementless joint components is an effective method for the treatment of osteoarthritis secondray to acetabular dysplasia in adults.The key point to the success for operation are appropriate cementless joint components, deepened medial wall of the acetabulum and improved the techniques of bone graft in the true acetabulum.

BACKGROUND:Burned rat serum has been reported as an inducer that can induce differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells into epidermal cells.
OBJECTIVE:To induce in vitro differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells into epidermal cells that were transplanted alone or combined with inducers for the repair of skin wound defect and epidermal reconstruction.
METHODS:Under aseptic environment, rat bone marrow was harvested to culture adherent cells using low-glucose Dulbecco’s modified Eagle’s medium. Culture cells at passage 4 were confirmed as mesenchymal stem cells by flow cytometry. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells were induced by Dulbecco’s modified Eagle’s medium/Ham’s nutrient mixture F-12 containing 20%burned rat serum to differentiate into epidermal cells that were identified by immunohistochemistry. Wistar rat models of ful-thickness skin wounds were prepared and divided into three groups. The 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine-labeled autologous bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells and induced bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells were coated singly onto a rat model of burn wounds, and rat models of burn wounds with no treatment served as controls. Wound contraction and regeneration of epidermal cells and skin appendages were observed.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:After isolation and culture of cells for 24 hours, a few of adherent cells grew as fibroblast-like cells with fusiform shape. At 16 days, cells completely covered the bottom of bottle, exhibiting a fish or reticular arrangement. After detection by flow cytometry, cells were cultured in Dulbecco’s modified Eagle’s medium/Ham’s nutrient mixture F-12 containing 20%burned rat serum, and fusiform-shaped cells gradual y became round or oval cells. Flow cytometry analysis and immunocytochemistry results showed that cells expressed keratin, which were confirmed as epidermal cells. The results show that both the bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells transplantation alone or with necessary inductor is better for skin repair than natural healing, exhibiting a faster regeneration of skin and skin appendages. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells are deduced preliminarily to be involved in epidermis and hair fol icle regeneration, thereby improving skin healing.

Objective To study the effects of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) transplantation on the ischemia-reperfusion injury of the intestine in rats.Methods BMSCs were isolated from femur of male Wistar rats and cultured,and the phenotypes of third generation cultured cells were identified.B16-F10-Luc-G5 cells were injected into the intestinal submucosa and traced by Luciferin.Intestinal ischemia-reperfusion injury models were established in male Wistar rats,which were divided into the experimental group (1 ml BMSCs suspension which contained 5 × 106 cells was injected into the intestinal submucosa) and the control group (1 ml normal saline was inject into the intestinal submucosa).Then,serum and intestinal tissue samples were collected at 0,2,6,24,72 and 120 h after operation.Diamine oxidase,D-lactate and TNF-α were tested by ELISA,intestinal tissue samples were observed under the Light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy,and tight junction protein-1 (ZO-1) was detected by using Western blotting and immunohistochemistry.Results BMSCs were isolated and cultured successfully and they colonized in the intestine.The pathological changes of the intestine in experimental group were milder than in control group. Intestinal mucosal barrier was more intact in experimental group than in control group.In the experimental group and control group,DAO was (11.36 ± 1.89) and (14.27 ± 2.09)IU/ml (P＜0.05) at 6th h after injection,and that was (5.04 ± 1.04) and (7.35 ± 1.46) IU/ml (P＜0.05) at 24h after injection,respectively.In the experimental group and control group,D-lactate was (1.57 ± 0.25) and ( 1.93 ± 0.19) mmol/L (P＜0.05) at 6th h after injection,and that was ( 1.09 ± 0.13) and ( 1.41 ± 0.07) mmol/L (P＜0.01 ) at 24th h after injection,respectively.In the experimental group and control group,TNF-α was (266.09 ± 8.84) and (286.81 ± 11.54) ng/L (P＜0.01 ) at 6th h after injection,and that was (190.39 ± 4.24) and (218.49 ± 15.51 )ng/L (P＜0.01 ) at 24th h after injection,respectively.The expression of ZO-1 protein was higher in experimental group than in control group. ConclusionInjection of BMSCs into could protect the intestine from ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats.

Aged, 80 and over ; Atrial Fibrillation ; complications ; Embolism ; complications ; Female ; Heart Atria ; pathology ; Heart Diseases ; complications ; Humans ; Myocardial Infarction ; etiology ; Thrombosis ; complications

Objective To investigate the significance of immunostainning for Ber EP4and EMA in the diagnosis of basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma of the skin.Methods Immunohisto-chemical stainning for Ber EP4and EMA was performed on115cases of basal cell carcinoma,squamous cell carcinoma,Bowen' s disease,actinic keratosis,basosquamous cell carcinoma,seborrheic keratosis,and verruca vulgaris.Specimens were taken from neoplastic tissues as well as the surrounding skin and ap-pendages.Results Ber EP4was positively stained in all cases of basal cell carcinoma and basosquamous cell carcinoma,but negatively stained in squamous cell carcinoma,Bowen's disease,actinic keratosis,sebor-rheic keratosis and verruca vulgaris.Expression of EMA was found in most cases of squamous cell carcinoma and Bowen' s disease,and a few cases of actinic keratosis,and in none of basal cell carcinoma,basosqua-mous cell carcinoma,seborrheic keratosis and verruca vulgaris.Conclusions Routine immunohistochemical staining with both Ber EP4and EMA is helpful for distinction of skin basal cell carcinoma,squamous cell carcinoma,precancerosis and benign hyperplastic dermatoses.

Objective To investigate the relationship between CD3+T, CD4+T, CD8+T cells, Th1/Th2 cytokines IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, sIL-2R and the pathogenesis as well as disease activity in patients with cutaneous nodular vasculitis (NV). Methods Cytokines IL-2, IL-6, sIL-2R and cell surface markers CD3+, CD4+ and CD8+ were detected by flow cytometry and ELISA with peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients and controls. Expressions of IL-2, IL-4 and CD3+, CD4+, CD8+ were determined by immunohistochemistry in patients′ lesions in situ. Results Serum levels of IL-2, IL-6 and sIL-2R were significantly increased in patients with active NV compared with those in inactive stage(P

Discharge planning is the basis of continuous medical service. It could shorten the length of hospital stay, improve bed occu-pancy, reduce readmission rate, save medical costs, and improve the quality of life. It's considered to be important and supplemented by rele-vant policies and regulations to promote development in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and other developed countries. In China, even though Hong Kong and Taiwan have issued discharge planning policies, the mainland is still at the stage of explora-tion. Discharge planning in Chinese mainland has problems like restricted objectives, imperfect content, un-optimized process, unestablished professionals and organizations and so on. Standardized discharge planning guide still needs further research. As the health service system including hospitals, public health institutions and primary health institutions coverd urban and rural gradually, and the new pattern of grad-ing diagnosis and treatment established, it's necessary to analyze the necessity, importance, obstacles and measures of discharge planning in China.

With the social development and the transformation of medical model, providing patients with continuous services and seam-less transfer between different medical institutions, namely continuity care, is inevitable. Discharge planning take patients as the center and patient's needs as the guidance. Patients and their families should actively take part in the plan. Through multi-disciplinary and multi-institu-tional cooperation, patients can continue to enjoy health services after discharge. Discharge planning is the basis of continuous medical ser-vice. This article summrized the background and situation of discharge planning in the United States, Canada, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, Japan, India, South Africa, and Hong Kong, Taiwan and mainland in China. When heavy medical burden, aging, im-balence between supply and demand occurred, discharge planning could be helpful to make rational use of medical resources, save medical costs, guarantee the quality of medical service continuity, avoid the occurrence of adverse events after discharge and improve the patients' function and quality of life. This article reviewed group members, time, institutions and process of discharge planning in order to provide ev-idence-based basis for the development of discharge planning in China.