In this study, daphnetin and its major metabolites in the intestinal wall of rats were identified by liquid chromatography and quatrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry. Perfusion fluid of duodenum, jejunum, ileum and colon were collected separately for 2 hours from the rat intestine following perfusion with daphnetin. The metabolites of daphnetin in the perfusion fluid of different intestine segments were analyzed by the liquid chromatography and quatrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry. It is shown that the parent drug daphnetin and four metabolites were found in the perfusion fluid of duodenum, jejunum and ileum. However, no metabolites were found in the colon. Among the four metabolites, two daphnetin sulfates (m/z 257) were first discovered as the phase II metabolites of daphnetin in rats, which revealed a new way of daphnetin metabolism in rats.

OBJECTIVETo establish a convenient, objective and applicable method to assess gingival biotype using periodontal probing.

METHODSA total of 66 maxillary anterior teeth from 14 volunteers (6 males, 8 females) with healthy gingiva, aged from 20 to 30 years, were recruited in this study. The gingival biotypes were evaluated by whether or not the outline of the periodontal probe was clear inside the gingiva. Gingival thickness of the cemento-enamel junction (CEJ) in upper anterior teeth was measured by cone-beam CT (CBCT).

RESULTSThe method of periodontal probing-assessed gingival biotype had good consistency and repeatability. The result of probing-assessed gingival biotype was consistent with that obtained by CBCT. The mean thickness of gingiva in thin, compromised and thick gingival biotype was (1.02 ± 0.20), (1.28 ± 0.25) and (1.46 ± 0.25) mm. These differences were significant for all three comparisons (P = 0.001, respectively).

CONCLUSIONSPeriodontal probing-assessed gingival biotype is a simple, relatively objective and suitable method for clinical examination.

Adult ; Cone-Beam Computed Tomography ; Female ; Gingiva ; anatomy & histology ; diagnostic imaging ; Humans ; Male ; Periodontal Index ; Periodontics ; instrumentation ; Tooth Cervix ; diagnostic imaging ; Young Adult

Objective To investigate the features of the fill of interdental spaces by gingival papillae and the associated factors.Methods Fifteen volunteers with healthy gingiva were involved in this study.The height and thickness on the alveolar crest level of 62 maxillary anterior papilla were measured radiographically with cone-beam computed tomography(CBCT) scans.A standardized periodontal probe with Williams markings was used for measurements of the papilla width on the alveolar crest level.Results When the papilla was complete fill interdentally,the mean height of papillary tissue on the alveolar crest level (equal to contact point-bone crest) was (3.67 ± 0.51) mm.The mean thickness of papilla on the alveolar crest level was (8.38 ± 0.75) mm.The papilla height had a positive correlation with papilla thickness (r =0.433,P ＜ 0.001).Conclusions The cone-beam computed tomography can be used for clear visualization of the papilla profile and the measurements of papilla height and thickness.Thicker and wider tissue was associated with an increased likelihood of having a complete papilla fill.

In this study, daphnetin and its major metabolites in the intestinal wall of rats were identified by liquid chromatography and quatrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry. Perfusion fluid of duodenum, jejunum, ileum and colon were collected separately for 2 hours from the rat intestine following perfusion with daphnetin. The metabolites of daphnetin in the perfusion fluid of different intestine segments were analyzed by the liquid chromatography and quatrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry. It is shown that the parent drug daphnetin and four metabolites were found in the perfusion fluid of duodenum, jejunum and ileum. However, no metabolites were found in the colon. Among the four metabolites, two daphnetin sulfates (m/z 257) were first discovered as the phase II metabolites of daphnetin in rats, which revealed a new way of daphnetin metabolism in rats.
Animals ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Colon ; metabolism ; Duodenum ; metabolism ; Ileum ; metabolism ; Intestines ; metabolism ; Jejunum ; metabolism ; Male ; Perfusion ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization ; Umbelliferones ; metabolism ; pharmacokinetics

Objective To determine the changes of cerebrospinal fluid(CSF) ?-endorphin(?-EP) and C-reactive protein(CRP) in children with central nervous system(CNS) infection.Methods Sixty-five children suffered from CNS infection were determined the plasma and CSF ?-EP and CRP concentration during the acute and recovering stage with radioimmunoassay, which included 48 viral encephalitis, 12 purulent meningitis and 5 tuberculou meningitis,and 24 non-CNS disease children were as control group.Results The concentrations of plasma and CSF ?-EP of every experimental group were obviously higher than those of control group during the early stage of CNS infection and these were obviously lower during the recovering stage. The serum concentration of CRP during acute stage was significantly higher than that during recovering stage. No change of serum and CSF CRP concentration was determined during either the acute or recovering stage in the other two experimental groups.Conclusions Determining the plasma and CSF ?-EP is mea-(ningful) in early diagnosis of CNS infection,and determining the serum CRP at the same time may be helpful in differentiating septic and inseptic infection.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of mechanical vibration on the morphology of the acellular scaffold for the spinal cord and establish a procedure to construct an acellular rat spinal cord allograft retaining intact matrix fibers for repairing spinal cord injuries.

METHODSFifteen segments of rat spinal cord were divided randomly into 3 groups and subjected to mechanical vibration at the frequency 80 r/min (group A, n=5), 120 r/min (group B, n=5), and 160 r/min (group C, n=5) respectively. The spinal cord was treated with Triton X-100 and sodium deoxycholate at room temperature and washed with distilled water. The specimens were observed microscopically with HE staining, and the ultrastructure was observed using scanning electron microscope.

RESULTSIn group A, the spinal cord specimens contained numerous cells and neural sheaths. Vibration at 120 and 160 r/min (in groups B and C) resulted in depletion of all the cells, axons and neural sheaths from the spinal cord after treatment with Triton X-100 and sodium deoxycholate. The acellular spinal cord consisted of a meshwork of the matrix fibers in longitudinal arrangement. In group C, however, obvious disruption of both the spinal dura mater and the matrix fiber occurred in the acellular spinal cord.

CONCLUSIONAll the cells, axons and neural sheaths in the spinal cord can be removed by chemical extraction with Triton X-100 and sodium deoxycholate. Mechanical vibration at suitable frequency may cell preserve the 3-dimensional structure of the matrix fibers. The acellular spinal cord scaffold may serve as an ideal material for constructing tissue-engineered spinal cord.

Animals ; Cell Separation ; methods ; Female ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Spinal Cord ; anatomy & histology ; cytology ; Spinal Cord Injuries ; therapy ; Tissue Engineering ; methods ; Vibration

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the effect of Xuezhikang Capsule on the serum levels of inflammatory factors such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and hyperlipidemia, and to explore whether it has anti-inflammatory effect.

METHODSA total of 84 patients were randomly assigned to two groups with stratified block randomization, the treatment group (42 cases) and the control group (42 cases). They were treated with Xuezhikang Capsule and polyene phosphatidylcholine capsule for twenty-four weeks, respectively. The changes in serum TNF-alpha and IL-6 were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay before treatment and at the 12th and 24th week.

RESULTSCompared with those before treatment, the serum levels of TNF-alpha and IL-6 significantly decreased in both groups after treatment (P<0.01). There was no significant change between the two groups for the treatments at different time points (P>0.05) and between the two groups for treatments at the same time points (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONXuezhikang Capsule can inhibit the serum inflammatory factor in patients with NAFLD and hyperlipidemia.

Administration, Oral ; Adult ; Aged ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; Capsules ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; Fatty Liver ; blood ; complications ; drug therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperlipidemias ; blood ; complications ; drug therapy ; Hypolipidemic Agents ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; Interleukin-6 ; blood ; Lipids ; blood ; Liver ; drug effects ; physiopathology ; Liver Function Tests ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Treatment Outcome ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; blood

BACKGROUNDRathke's cleft cyst (RCC) is one of the most common incidentally discovered sellar lesions, while symptomatic cases are relatively rare. Surgical treatment is recommended for symptomatic patients to drain the cyst content and to remove the capsule safely. The aim of this study was to clarify the clinical features, surgery considerations and therapy outcomes of symptomatic RCCs.

METHODSTotally 42 patients (19 males and 23 females) were retrospectively reviewed with the diagnosis of RCCs under surgery resection at the Affiliated Hospital of Medical College, Qingdao University between January 2005 and December 2010.

RESULTSPatients' age ranged from 6 to 67 years (mean of 41.6 years). The duration of symptoms ranged from 4 days to 10 years. Headache (69%), visual impairment (36%), and pituitary dysfunction (10%) were the most common presenting symptoms. The maximum diameter of cysts ranged from 6.0 to 46.7 mm (mean of 20.07 mm). Of the 42 patients, 36 underwent endonasal transsphenoidal approach and the others underwent transcranial approach. Thirty patients had a subtotal resection and decompression, while 12 patients had a total cyst resection. Cysts of 28 patients were lined by simple cubical or columnar epithelium, and cysts of 34 patients were filled by amorphous colloid material, that was the characteristic of RCCs. The majority of patients presented with a simple headache, and 93% of this group experienced a complete improvement after surgery. Twelve of 15 patients (80%) with preoperative visual deficits experienced an improvement in their vision after surgery. All of those patients with pituitary dysfunction experienced an improved endocrine status. The endocrinological complication usually was diabetes insipidus, and postoperative transient diabetes insipidus occurred in 13 (31%) patients without any permanent diabetes insipidus. The overall recurrence rate was 7% at a mean follow-up of 22 months (range 12 - 60 months).

CONCLUSIONSSurgical treatment is to drain the contents of the cyst and to remove the capsule as much as possible under the precondition that does not increase the complications. Biopsy and decompression procedures are recommended for most cases.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Central Nervous System Cysts ; diagnosis ; pathology ; surgery ; Child ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo study the relationship between simian acquired immunodeficiency syndromn (SAIDS) and autoimmunity in simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)-infected monkeys.

METHODSIndirect immunofluorescence assays were performed to detect plasma or serum autoantibodies in SIV-infected monkeys. The heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney, and lymph node of BALB/c mice, a strain of endothelial cell ECV304, and granulocytes were used as target antigens. These results were compared with HE stained slides of SIV-infected monkeys.

RESULTSThe levels of various autoantibodies, including anti-lymphocyte autoantibodies, anti-endothelial cell autoantibodies, and anti-granulocyte antibodies, increased after SIV infection in monkeys. Moreover, pathological examinations showed injuries in the lymphoid tissue and vascular pathological changes in cerebral cortex, submucosa of gastrointestinal tract, interstitial capillaries of myocardium, nephron of the kidney, and sinusoid cell of liver.

CONCLUSIONThe increased autoantibodies and the pathological changes of tissues and organs confirm the existence of autoimmunity in SIV-infected monkeys.

Animals ; Autoantibodies ; blood ; Autoimmunity ; Endothelial Cells ; immunology ; Granulocytes ; immunology ; Lymphocytes ; immunology ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Simian Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome ; immunology ; pathology ; Simian Immunodeficiency Virus

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of Vaspin on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in mice and explore the possible mechanism.

METHODSForty male C57B/L6 mice were randomized equally into control group, LPS group, Vaspin group and wortmannin group with corresponding treatments. The pathological changes of the lung tissues were evaluated by HE staining, and the severity of pulmonary edema was measured according to the wet/dry ratio (W/D) of the lung tissue. The lung permeability was evaluated by detecting total protein concentrations in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) using bicinchoninic acid (BCA) assay. Myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity in the lung tissue was detected using a MPO assay kit, and the levels of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in the lungs were measured using ELISA. Immunohistochemical staining was performed to detect the expression of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) and Western blotting was used to detect the protein expressions of cleaved caspase-3 and p-Akt in the lung tissues.

RESULTSCompared with the control group, the mice in LPS group displayed typical ARDS pathological changes in the lungs with significantly increased W/D, total protein concentrations in BALF, lung MPO activity, levels of IL-1β and TNF-α, and pulmonary expressions of VCAM-1 and cleaved caspase-3 (P<0.05) but decreased expression of p-Akt (P<0.05). These changes induced by LPS were significantly alleviated by the administration of Vaspin (P<0.05). The protective effects of Vaspin against ARDS were obviously attenuated by the PI3K inhibitor wortmannin (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONVaspin protects against LPS-induced ARDS in mice possibly by inhibiting inflammation and protecting vascular endothelium through upregulation of the PI3K/Akt signal pathway.