Objective To evaluate the use of flexible cystoscope in the surgical management of complex renal calculi. Methods Flexible cystoscope and a set of stone baskets were used to help the surgical of complex renal calculi via the renal pelvis incision or the dilated ureter during operation.A pyelostomy with the use of a Foley's catheter was carried out if necessary and the residual stones could be removed via the pyelostomy tract later on. Results 31 cases of complex renal stones have been surgically treated.Flexible cystostomy was used intraoperatively in 11,postoperatively for the removal of residual stones in 16 and being used both intra and postoperatively in 4.A total of 106 stones have been removed.26 patients ( 83.9 %) have been free from any stone.2(6.4%) have undergone ESWL followed by flexible cystoscopy to remove the residual stones.3 patients (9.7%),however,still had residual stones in spite of the above procedure. Conclusions Flexible cystoscopy as an adjuvant procedure is an effective means in the surgical treatment of complex renal calculi especially for the removal of residual stones.The procedure is simple,safe and less expansive.

Objective To study the changes of field potentials (FPs) during development and after long-term potentiation (LTP) induction in rat visual cortical slices. Methods Field potentials recorded from layer Ⅱ/Ⅲ induced by layer Ⅳ in the rat visual cortical slices were examined. The developing changes of FPs from postnatal days 8-13,15-21 and 29-35 were observed. Amplitudes, peak latencies and slopes of FPs before and after LTP induction were compared. Results Field potentials changed with the development, and the stimulating threshold at p15-21 was lower than that of the other two groups. The increase of FP amplitude was positively correlated with increase of its slope. The shortening of FP latency was positively correlated with the difference between changes of slope and amplitude. Conclusion Developing changes of field potentials reflect the development of visual cortex. The changes of FP slope follow the changes of its amplitude and latency, and thereby the slope is a proper parameter used as an index to evaluate LTP in visual cortex.

Objective To study the effects of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) on the induction of long-term potentiation (LTP) in developing rat visual cortical slices. Methods Field potentials recorded from layer Ⅱ/Ⅲ induced by layer Ⅳ stimulation in rat visual cortical slices were examined. LTP was induced by tetanus in the slices on the postnatal 2, 3 and 5-week rats. The LTP incidences and the effects of GABA on them in different developmental stages were compared. Results LTP incidence at postnatal week 5 was significantly lower than that in other two groups. GABA A receptor antagonist picrotoxin could reverse this tendency, but had no effects on the LTP induction at the early postnatal age. Conclusion In visual cortex, GABA has inhibitory effects on the LTP induction only after the end of critical period and has no any facilitatory effects on the LTP induction before the developmental critical period.

3 month),fluid sign was observed in 2(3 vertebrae,3/26,11.5%). Conclusion Fluid sign is characteristic in acute,subacute and early chronic trauma vertebral compression fracture for bone marrow edema,while it is rare in metastatic tumor vertebral compression fracture.It may paly a role in the differentiation of benign and malignant vertebral compression fracture.

OBJECTIVEThis study compared the roughness of porcelain polished or glazed surfaces and the adhesion of oral streptococcus mutans to them in vitro.

METHODS30 porcelain samples were made. Porcelain samples in group A were polished with diamond paste. Porcelain samples were glazed in group B and were polished with Al2O3 (240#) bur in group C. Their roughness values were measured by profilometer. Standardized cell suspensions were incubated with test samples for one hour at 37 degrees C, then retained cells were counted by image analysis (percentage area of a microscopic field covered by cells).

RESULTSRoughness values of group A, B, C were respectively (0.1987 +/- 0.057) microm, (0.1990 +/- 0.091) microm, (0.4260 +/- 0.174) microm. There was no significantly difference between group A and group B. The roughness samples in group C were significantly rougher than that in the other groups. The amount of retained cells in group A, group B, group C was respectively (15.92 +/- 4.37)%, (16.39 +/- 6.31)% and (41.48 +/- 12.1)%. There was no significant difference between the cell adhesion on porcelain surface glazed and polished, but more bacteria adhered on the porcelain surface in group C.

CONCLUSIONSPorcelain surface polished treatment was clinically acceptable compared with its glazed. They all exhibited the least amount of bacteria adhesion. The more porcelain surface was rough, the more bacteria adhered on it.

Background TLR-4 is a natural immunity receptors in immunity,and it plays an important role in the repair of central nervous system damage.But its effect in glaucoma optic nerve injury is unclear.Objective This study was to investigate the expression of TLR-4 in retina with high intraocular pressure(IOP)in genetic and Drotein level and therefore explore the mechanism of TLR-4 on retinal ganglion cells(RGCs)injury. Methods Chronic ocular hypertension models were established in the right eyes of 150 clean purebred Sprague-Dawley rats by cauterizing the 3 sallow sclera veins.IOP was measured before and after 2 h,1 day,3,7,14,28,56 days after operation by PEN Ⅱ TONO-type pen tonometer.The expression of TLR-4 protein in rat retina was detected by immunohistochemistry and Western blot,and expression of TLR-4 mRNA was assayed by real time-PCR.This experimental procedure foliowed the Statement of Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology. Results The IOP was elevated in various time points after operation in experimental group,showing significant differences in comparison with control group(P<0.01).The immunohistochemistry revealed that the expression of TLR-4 protein in rat retina with chronic hypertension in 2 h,1 day,3,7,14,28,56 days after operation with the high A298 values in comparison with control eyes(P<0.05-0.01).Increased levels of TLR-4 mRNA in rat retinas were detected by RTPCR in high IOP eyes compared with control eyes in all time points after operation,presenting statistically significant differences between two groups(P<0.05-0.01).Western blot detection displayed the high expression of TLR-4 in retina in high IOP eyes early after operation with statistically significant results between model group and control group (P<0.05-0. 01). Conclusion TLR-4 is up-regulated in rat retina with chronic high IOP,suggesting that TLR-4 plays an immunoregulatory effect in glaucomatous eye.

Objective To investigate the mutations ACTN4 and SYNPO genes promoter in sporadic primary focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) and to analyze the role of mutations in FSGS. Methods The study consisted of 82 Chinese primary FSGS, including 39 females and 43 males, ranged from 12 to 76 years old. Seventy volunteers were selected as healthy control group. Genomie DNA was extracted from peripheral blood cells of FSGS patients and hair of patients' parents by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and direct sequencing to analyze ACTN4 and SYNPO gene promoter mutations. Mutations were matched with GenBank and TRANSFAC software database (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov; www.genometix.de; www.gene-regulation, corn). Dual luciferase assay system was used to analyze the promoter region mutations, based on PGL3-Basie vector, pRL-SV40 and PCI2 cell line. Hair DNA of novel mutation patients' parents was sequenced. Expression of alpha-actinin-4 and synaptopodin in patients' kidney tissue was examined by immunofluorescence. Results Three patients with 1-34C>T, 1-590delA and (1-1044delT)+ (I-797T >C) +(1-769A >G) heterozygous mutations were found in ACTN4 gene promoter respectively, and two patients with 1-24G>A and 1-851C>T heterozygous mutations in SYNPO gene promoter respectively. The same mutations were not found in the control group of 70 healthy people. Except one patient accepting her parents' 1-1044delT and 1-797T>C mutated chromosome respectively, no same mutations were found in patients' parents. Protein expression of alpha-actinin-4 and synaptopodin was reduced in mutated patients' kidneys. Except 1-1044delT group, luciferase activity in mutated groups decreased. (1-1044delT)+(1-797T>C)+(1-769A>G) mutation was associated with poor outcome and patient with these mutations progressed to end-stage renal failure. Conclusion Mutations of ACTN4 and SYNPO gene promoters affect gene transcription and protein translation, which may contribute to the onset of sporadic primary FSGS.

Recent years found a series of severe incidents of injuring or killing medical workers in several places in China,deteriorating patient-physician relations,and disturbing medical orders.Beijing Administration of Hospitals,since its founding,has attached great importance to the management of medical disputes,as evidenced in the full-process management covering pre-during-post disputes.The administration guided the hospitals in their dispute resolution,and included resolution rate of disputes as an index of municipal hospital performance evaluation.By means of the guidance of such evaluation, medical disputes and major medical accidents have been resolved satisfactorily,and fine management of service quality of such hospitals in terms of medical service,pharmacy,nursing and medical technology has been intensified all the time.

Objective To investigate the mutations of pedocyte molecules in patients with late onset familial focal segmental glomerular sclerosis (FSGS). Methods Thirty-one pedigrees of late onset familial FSGS in Department of Nephrology, Shanghai Ruijin Hospital from Sep 1997 to Oct 2007 were enrolled in this study. The diagnosis standard of familial FSGS was as follows:(1) the age of presentation was more than 12 years old. (2) in one pedigree, two or more individuals were proven as FSGS by renal biopsy, or at least one was proven to be FSGS by renal biopsy, the others presented renal insufficiency or pmteinuria without precise causes. One hundred unrelated healthy people were screened as control group. Genomic DNA extracted from peripheral blood cells were amplified by PCR and then sequenced for mutations of NPHS2, ACTN4 and TRPC6. Results A novel missense heterozygotic mutation L316P of ACTN4 was identified inone pedigree. The mean onset age of the affected members of this pedigree was (38.7±7.4) years old and their kidney injury progress was slow. Proteinuria of the proband's brother was not improved by immunosuppressor. All 3 affected members of this family had such heterozygotic mutation. A novel missense heterozygotic mutation Q889K of TRPC6 was found in another pedigree. The mean onset age of the affected members in this pedigree was (38.0±4.2) years old. Three members presenting renal disease in this family all had such heterozygotic mutation but with different clinical manifestations. A quiescent mutation G467G of TRPC6 was also identified. Above variants were not found in healthy controls. No NPHS2 mutation was found to cause familial FSGS in these pedigrees. Conclusions A novel mutation L316P of ACTN4 and a new mutation Q889K of TRPC6 are identified in Chinese patients of late onset familial FSGS. No NPHS2 mutation is found to induce FSGS in these pedigrees.

The high price of the reference substances is an obstacle for the HPLC analysis of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos. To solve this problem, a new method based on the standard reference extract (SRE) was proposed. In this study, the extract of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos was calibrated, and the long-term stability was investigated. Different concentration solutions of SRE were prepared for establishment of the calibration profiles, and 6 organic acids were determined. T-test was used for the comparison of the determination results via reference substances and SRE, and the results demonstrated that there is no significant difference between the two methods. The presented method can be used for the quality control of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos, and will also offer reference to resolve similar problems.
Flowers ; chemistry ; Lonicera ; chemistry ; Plant Extracts ; standards ; Quality Control ; Reference Standards