BACKGROUND: Changes of elastic fibers in middle cerebral artery(MCA)is close related withthe aged cerebrovascular disease.OBJECTIVE: To observe the changes of elastic fibers of MCA in different aging rats.DESIGN: A descriptive and controlled study based on experimental animals.SETTING: Department of anatomy and central laboratory in a university.MATERIALS: Totally 36 healthy Wistar rats with either gender, weighing 200 - 280 g, were selected from the Animal Institute of the third medical military university of Chongqing[certification SCXX (army) 2002-007].INTERVENTIONS: Changes of elastic fibers of MCA of different aging rats were observed with light microscope, transmission electron microscope and image analysis system. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: ①) Major outcome: changes of elastic lamella in MCA of different aging rats; ②) Secondary outcome: ultramicrostructural changes of internal lamella under the transmission electron microscope. RESULTS: With the increase of age, the folded extent and quantity of internal elastic lamella were decreased, and the content of elastic fibers were also decreased significantly( P ＜ 0.01 ). However, the ratio of collagen fibers to elastic fibers was increased significantly( P ＜ 0.01 ) . In the aging group above 24 months, the internal elastic lamina thinned, delaminated and disrupted, and the lipid deposited in it. Endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells passed through the internal elastic lamina. CONCLUSION: Changes of elastic fibers may be related with the increased susceptibility to the cerebrovascular disease in aged people.

Objective To establish a new processing method for gait data on Matlab to evaluate the hindlimbs behavior of non-human primates. Methods Gait analysis was tested on three rhesus monkeys 6 weeks after spinal cord injury, and kinematics data of hindlimbs were obtained using the VICON system. The raw data of kinematics were filtered and extracted, which were achieved through VICON 3D motion capture system with the Excel link combining Matlab with Microsoft Excel, and calculated in the Matlab environment. Results The kinematic parameters such as step length, step height, knee joint angle, and malleolus joint angle were gained by calculating. The mean values of step length (F=2.869, P=0.088) and step height (F=1.148, P=0.344) showed no significant difference at three speeds, which implied a higher repeatability of the data model. Angle-time curve reflected the joint function and movement. This system initially described the foot gait trajectory which could be used in gait repetitive analysis, and also generated the gait 2D/3D trajectories of hindlimbs. Conclusion The implement of these functions makes the post-processing of data more flexible and open whitout VICON system, and the calculated parameters and space tracing of gait trajectory basically meet the need of hindlimb behavior evaluation for nonhuman primate.

Objective To investigate the effect of single dose intraosseous injection of simvastatin on tumor vascular structure and function in murine breast cancer. Methods BALB/c mice and 4T1 murine breast cancer cells were used to establish a subcutaneous xenograft model. The mouse model of orthotopic breast cancer received intraosseous injection of a single dose of simvastatin (50 μg) or vehicle only. Frozen tumor tissue sections were prepared for co-immunostained with CD31 andα-SMA. Evans blue dye was injected into the tail vein to observe the vascular permeability. The expression level of HIF-1αwas detected by immunohistochemistry. Results Immunofluorescence dual staining showed that intraosseous injection of simvastatin increased the number of perivascular pericytes in the tumor vessel(P < 0. 05), Evans blue dye content showed that in vivo vessel permeability in the tumor tissue was significantly decreased(P < 0. 05), and the immunohistochemistry results showed that local hypoxic area was significantly improved. Conclusions Single dose intraosseous injection of simvastatin can promote the normalization of tumor vasculature by improving the coverage of pericytes.

Objective To observe the clinical efficacy and safety of recombinant human endostatin injection combined with cisplatin injection in the treatment of malignant pleural effusion.Methods Sixty patients with malignant pleural effusion were randomly divided into control and treatment group with 30 cases per group.Control group was given 60 mg per time,twice a week,thoracic perfusion.Treatment group was given recombinant human endostatin 45 mg per time,twice a week,thoracic perfusion,on the basis of control group.Two groups were treated for 3 months.The dose of cisplatin is not more than 120 mg per month,and the disappearance of hydrothorax is stopped.The clinical efficacy and adverse drug reactions were compared between two groups.Results After treatment,the disease control rates of treatment and control groups were 80.00％ (24 cases / 30 cases) and 60.00％ (18 cases / 30 cases) with significant difference (P ＜ 0.05).The adverse drug reactions in two groups were gastrointestinal reactions,fever,fatigue,leukopenia,thrombocytopenia,liver and kidney function damage,and their incidences of adverse drug reactions had no statistically significant difference (all P ＞0.05).Conclusion Recombinant human endostatin injection combined with cisplatin injection has a definitive clinical efficacy in the treatment of malignant pleural effusion,without increasing the incidence of adverse drug reactions.

OBJECTIVETo set up a technique of single lymphocytes 3-plex nested PCR for dystrophin and SRY gene, and to evaluate the possibility of using this technique for preimplantation genetic diagnosis(PGD) of deleted Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) with family history.

METHODSFifty single lymphocytes of a normal male and fifty of a normal female were obtained for detecting dystrophin gene(exon 51, exon 19, exon 48) and SRY gene by 3-plex nested PCR.

RESULTSIn the group of exon 51/exon 19/SRY, the amplification rates of exon 51, exon 19 and SRY in male were 96%, 94% and 94%; the amplification rates of exon 51 and exon19 in female were 94% and 94%, respectively. In the exon 48/exon 19/SRY group, the amplification rates of exon 48, exon 19 and SRY in male were 92%, 90% and 94%, the amplification rates of exon 48, exon 19 in female were 94% and 92%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONThe technique of single lymphocytes 3-plex nested PCR for dystrophin and SRY gene established in this study is highly sensitive, specific and reliable, and is suitable for PGD of deleted DMD with family history.

Dystrophin ; genetics ; Exons ; genetics ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; methods ; Preimplantation Diagnosis ; methods ; Reproducibility of Results ; Sequence Deletion ; Sex Determination Processes

Objective To explore the effect of single local intraosseous injection of small dose simvastatin on the angiogenesis and cardiac function in rats after myocardial infarction. Methods Adult male Wistar rats were divided into sham operation group, myocardial infarction model group and intraosseous injection of simvastatin 0. 5 mg group ( all n=12 per group) . The left anterior descending branch of coronary artery was ligated to establish a rat model of myocardial infarc-tion. The left ventricular function was evaluated by small animal echocardiography at 4 weeks postoperatively. The rest of the rats were sacrificed, the myocardial infarct size was evaluated by TTC staining, and the myocardial neovascularization was detected by immunofluorescence staining. Results We successfully established the rat model of myocardial infarction. The echocardiography showed that the left ventricular systolic function was decreased significantly at 4 weeks after myocardi-al infarction. Intraosseous injection of simvastatin (0. 5 mg) did not improve the left ventricular function after myocardial infarction in the rats. TTC staining showed that intraosseous injection of simvastatin did not reduce myocardial infarct size. Immunofluorescence staining showed that the myocardial capillary density of simvastatin group was slightly higher than that of myocardial infarction model group, but showing no significant difference between them. Conclusions Intraosseous in-jection of simvastatin 0. 5 mg 24 hours after myocardial infarction cannot significantly promote myocardial angiogenesis, which is believed to be beneficial to the revascularization after ischemia, and thus failed to improve the cardiac function.

【Objective】 To investigate the oxidative stress status in follicular fluid and granulosa cells obtained during oocyte retrieval cycles among women of different ages and to explore the relationship between the oxidative stress and the embryo quality. 【Methods】 From September 8, 2018 to January 18, 2019 in our reproductive center, 70 follicular fluid samples on the day of oocyte retrieval were collected from infertile women undergoing in vitro fertilization(IVF) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection(ICSI). We divided the samples into those at or above(aged group, n = 34) and below the age of 35(young group, n = 36) and compared seven oxidative stress markers in follicular fluid and gene expression of antioxidant enzymes in granulosa cells, and then analyzed their differences between groups and their relationship with embryo development parameters. 【Results】 We observed significantly higher concentration of hydrogen peroxide(H2O2) [155.84(137.11~199.30) vs. 66.94(51.05~95.42) μmol/L, P = 0.001] , significantly lower total superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity [0.69(0.55~0.85) vs. 0.83(0.76~0.94) U, P = 0.005] , decreased catalase(CAT) and glutathione reductase(GSR) expression(P<0.05) in women with advanced materal age. Total SOD activity in follicular fluid was statistically higher both in patients with normal fertilization rate(≥60%) and with blastocyst formation rate(≥ 60%) [0.82 (0.71~0.91) vs. 0.67(0.55~0.80) U, P = 0.007, 0.83(0.78~0.90) vs. 0.73(0.60~0.89) U, P = 0.049] . Multivariate logistic analysis revealed that higher total SOD activity correlated with normal fertilization rate(≥ 60%) and blastocyst formation rate(≥60%), with 5.478 and 3.383 for odds ratio(OR) values, 1.721~17.433 and 1.111~10.299 for 95% CI, 0.004 and 0.032 for P values, respectively. 【Conclusions】 The oxidative stress in follicular environment among women with advanced materal age is mainly characterized by increased level of reactive oxygen species(ROS), decreased SOD activity in follicular fluid and reduced expression of CAT and GSR in granulosa cells. Moreover, total SOD activity in follicular fluid was positively related to normal fertilization rate and blastocyst rate, which suggests that it may have a certain effect on the quality of oocytes.

BACKGROUND: Core muscle functional strength training (CMFST) has been reported to reduce injuries to the lower extremity. However, no study has confirmed whether CMFST can reduce the risk of low back pain (LBP). OBJECTIVE: This study identified the effects of CMFST on the incidence of LBP in military recruits. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS AND INTERVENTION: We performed a prospective, open-label, randomized, controlled study in a population of young healthy male naval recruits from a Chinese basic combat training program. Participants were randomly assigned to either the core group or the control group. In additional to normal basic combat training, recruits in the core group underwent a CMFST program for 12 weeks, while recruits in the control group received no extra training. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: At the beginning of the study and at the 12th week, the number of participants with LBP was counted, and lumbar muscle endurance was measured. In addition, when participants complained of LBP, they were assessed using the visual analog scale (VAS) and Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ). RESULTS: A total of 588 participants were included in the final analysis (295 in the core group and 293 in the control group). The incidence of LBP in the control group was about twice that of the core group over the 12-week study (20.8% vs 10.8%, odds ratio: 2.161-2.159, P < 0.001). The core group had better lumbar muscle endurance at 12 weeks than the control group ([200.80 ± 92.98] s vs [147.00 ± 84.51] s, P < 0.01). There was no significant difference in VAS score between groups, but the core group had a significantly lower RMDQ score at week 12 than the control group (3.33 ± 0.58 vs 5.47 ± 4.41, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION This study demonstrated that the CMFST effectively reduced the incidence of LBP, improved lumbar muscle endurance, and relieved the dysfunction of LBP during basic military training.
Humans ; Low Back Pain/prevention & control* ; Male ; Military Personnel ; Muscles ; Prospective Studies ; Resistance Training ; Treatment Outcome

"Active health" has been emphasized in "Healthy China 2030" in dealing with the challenges of population aging, so the anti-aging strategies are requires to be more precise and effective at both individual and population levels. Aging is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. In the recent 20 years, the research of genetics of human ageing has been greatly facilitated owning to the development of high-throughput sequencing techniques, statistical methodology for multi-omics data, as well as the growing qualified evidence of large-scale population-based genomic research. This paper provides a review of genome-wide association research of aging.
Aging/genetics* ; Genome-Wide Association Study/methods* ; Genomics/methods* ; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing ; Humans ; Phenotype

Objective: To investigate the association between the urinary arsenic level and serum total testosterone in Chinese men aged 18 to 79 years. Methods: A total of 5 048 male participants aged 18 to 79 years were recruited from the China National Human Biomonitoring (CNHBM) from 2017 to 2018. Questionnaires and physical examinations were used to collect information on demographic characteristics, lifestyle, food intake frequency and health status. Venous blood and urine samples were collected to detect the level of serum total testosterone, urinary arsenic and urinary creatinine. Participants were divided into three groups (low, middle, and high) based on the tertiles of creatinine-adjusted urinary arsenic concentration. Weighted multiple linear regression was fitted to analyze the association of urinary arsenic with serum total testosterone. Results: The weighted average age of 5 048 Chinese men was (46.72±0.40) years. Geometric mean concentration (95%CI) of urinary arsenic, creatinine-adjusted urinary arsenic and serum testosterone was 22.46 (20.08, 25.12) μg/L, 19.36 (16.92, 22.15) μg/g·Cr and 18.13 (17.42, 18.85) nmol/L, respectively. After controlling for covariates, compared with the low-level urinary arsenic group, the testosterone level of the participants in the middle-level group and the high-level group decreased gradually. The percentile ratio (95%CI) was -5.17% (-13.14%, 3.54%) and -10.33% (-15.68%, -4.63). The subgroup analysis showed that the association between the urinary arsenic level and testosterone level was more obvious in the group with BMI<24 kg/m² group (P_interaction=0.023). Conclusion: There is a negative association between the urinary arsenic level and serum total testosterone in Chinese men aged 18 to 79 years.
Humans ; Male ; Arsenic/urine* ; Creatinine ; East Asian People ; Testosterone/blood* ; Urinalysis ; Adolescent ; Young Adult ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Aged