Objective To study the ultrasonic features and outcomes of VACTERL association fetuses. Methods From Jan 2003 to Sep 2013 in Shenzhen Maternity&Child Healthcare Hospital there were 55 fetuses diagnosed as VACTERL association, the prenatal ultrasonographic characteristics and outcomes were summarized. Results Ultrasonography showed that the incidence of 6 VACTERL association anomalies were:vertebral defects were 45.5%(25/55), anal atresia were 30.9%(46/55), cardiac malformations were 81.8%(45/55), tracheoesophageal ifstula/esophageal atresia were 32.7%(18/55), renal anomalies were 60.0%(33/55) and limb anomalies were 83.6%(17/55). All the 55 fetuses had 3 or more VACTERL association malformations and the characteristic ultrasonic features were as follows:(1) There were 39 cases (70.9%, 39/55) co-occur with three VACTERL malformations, the more common malformations were limb anomalies (33/39), cardiac malformations (31/39) and renal anomalies (21/39). (2) There were 13 cases (23.6%, 13/55) co-occur with four VACTERL malformations, the more common malformations were cardiac malformations (11/13), limb anomalies(10/13), renal anomalies (9/13) and tracheoesophageal ifstula/esophageal (8/13). (3) There were 3 cases (5.5%, 3/55) co-occur with ifve VACTERL malformations, they were all with anal atresia, cardiac malformations, renal anomalies and limb anomalies (3/3), and two were co-occur with vertebral defects (2/3). (4) No fetus co-occur with six VACTERL malformations. There were 29 cases (52.7%, 29/55) co-occur with other malformations, of which 21 cases (38.2%, 21/55) with single umbilical artery. All the 55 cases underwent labor induction. The results of postmortem appearance of 55 cases and autopsies of 9 cases were all consistent with prenatal ultrasound scan. Conclusions Fetuses with VACTERL association had characteristic prenatal ultrasound imaging, multiple malformations can be found and limb anomalies, cardiac malformations and renal anomalies are more common. Scanning the fetal structures from higher incidence to lower incidence of VACTERL association can be helpful to improve the diagnostic coincidence rate of VACTERL association. Prenatal ultrasound diagnosis of VACTERL association can provide guidance for clinical obstetrical management.

As an important neurotransmitter, adenosine displays its functions by acting on the adenosine receptors. Recent studies have shown that the distribution, expression and balance among subtypes of adenosine receptors are closely related with cognitive activities, and changes of adenosine receptors play key roles in neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer's disease. It has been pointed out that prolonged activation of adenosine receptors by high level adenosine may lead to the disturbance of balance among adenosine receptor subtypes. This imbalance mainly performed as increased expression of A2a receptor and decreased expression of A1 receptor, and enhancement of the excitatory signals mediated by A2a receptor and weakened inhibitory signals mediated by A1 receptor. Changes of these two subtypes of adenosine receptors may lead to a lot of disorders of neurological activities which developed into dysfunction of cognition to the end. These findings imply that the potential of maintaining the balance among adenosine receptors on the treatment of AD would facilitate both the revealing of the mechanism and the cure of AD.
Adenosine ; physiology ; Alzheimer Disease ; physiopathology ; Humans ; Neurotransmitter Agents ; physiology ; Receptors, Purinergic P1 ; classification ; physiology

Clinical expansion of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) is hampered by the lack of knowledge regarding how to prevent MSC apoptosis and promote their proliferation in serum-free medium. Our in vitro studies demonstrated that human umbilical cord MSCs (HUCMSCs) underwent apoptosis in the serum-free medium. When HUCMSCs were co-cultured with retinal pigment epithelial cells (ARPE19), however, HUCMSCs exhibited normal growth and morphology in serum-free medium. Their colony formation was promoted by the conditioned medium (CM) of ARPE19 cells on Matrigel. Proteomics analysis showed that pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) was one of the most abundant extracellular proteins in the ARPE19 CM, whereas enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay confirmed that large amounts of PEDF was secreted from ARPE19 cells. Adding anti-PEDF-blocking antibodies to the co-culture of HUCMSCs with ARPE19 cells increased apoptosis of HUCMSCs. Conversely, treatment with PEDF significantly reduced apoptosis and increased proliferation of HUCMSCs in serum-free medium. PEDF was further demonstrated to exert this anti-apoptotic effect by inhibiting P53 expression to suppress caspase activation. In vivo studies demonstrated that co-injection of HUCMSCs with ARPE19 cells in immunocompromised NOD-SCID mice also increased survival and decreased apoptosis of HUCMSCs. PEDF also showed no negative effect on the mesoderm differentiation capability of HUCMSCs. In conclusion, this study is the first to demonstrate that PEDF promotes HUCMSC proliferation and protects them from apoptosis by reducing p53 expression in the serum-free medium. This study provides crucial information for clinical-scale expansion of HUCMSCs.

OBJECTIVETo observe the regulatory effect of Bushen Jianpi Recipe (BSJPR) on cellular immunity the of primary liver cancer patients of Gan-Shen yin-deficiency and Pi qi-deficiency syndrome type after intervention therapy.

METHODSAccording to the multi-center randomized controlled principle, 117 patients after transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) were assigned to two groups, 60 in the treated group and 57 in the control group, who were treated respectively with BSJPR and liver protecting remedy (silymarin and vitamin c) for 12 weeks. Changes in TCM syndrome, quality of life (QOL), immediate effect on tumor size and survival time were observed. Meantime, the cellular immune function was also observed, including the T lymphocyte response determined by 3H-TdR, expression of MHC class I/II and B7 molecule detected by FACS, and interleukin 10 and 12 (IL-10, IL-12), interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) tested by ELISA.

RESULTSIn the treated group after treatment, the efficacy for improving TCM syndrome reached 73.33% (44/60 cases), their half-year survival rate being 83.33% (50/60 cases); while those in the control group were 52.63% (30/57 cases) and 70.18% (40/57 cases) respectively, significant difference was shown between the two groups (P <0.05). The patients' QOL was improved in the treated group after treatment, with no obvious adverse reaction. However, the clinical benefit rate in the control group (92.7%, 51/55 cases) was higher than that in the treated group (78.0%, 46/59 cases, P =0. 035). Laboratory examination showed increases of MHC class II (CD14+/HLA-DR) expression on monocyte surface as well as IFN-gamma and IL-12 production in the treated group.

CONCLUSIONUsing BSJPR together with TACE could enhance patients' cellular immune function to elevate the clinical curative effect on primary liver cancer.

Adult ; Aged ; Ascorbic Acid ; therapeutic use ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; immunology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Silymarin ; therapeutic use ; T-Lymphocytes ; drug effects ; immunology ; Treatment Outcome

Objective: To evaluate the clinical efficacy of sinew-regulating bone-setting manipulations plus exercise therapy in treating chronic non-specific low back pain (CNLBP). Methods: A total of 65 CNLBP patients were divided into two groups by the random number table method. Thirty-three cases in the treatment group were intervened by sinew-regulating bone-setting manipulations plus exercise therapy; 32 cases in the control group were intervened by medium-frequency electrotherapy plus exercise therapy. Before and after treatment, visual analog scale (VAS), dynamic and static muscle endurance of low back, median frequency (MF) of surface electromyography (sEMG) and Oswestry disability index (ODI) were used to evaluate the low back function. The therapeutic efficacy was estimated after treatment. Results: The two groups each had 2 dropouts during the study. The total effective rate was 90.3％ in the treatment group versus 66.7％ in the control group, and the between-group difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). After treatment, the VAS score, dynamic and static muscle endurance of low back, MF of sEMG and ODI score all changed significantly in both groups (all P<0.05); all the items in the treatment group were significantly different from those in the control group (all P<0.05). Conclusion: Sinew-regulating bone-setting manipulations plus exercise therapy can effectively release pain in CNLBP patients, increase muscle endurance of the low back and improve the quality of life, and its therapeutic efficacy is more significant than that of medium-frequency electrotherapy plus exercise therapy.

Objective To explore the growth and developmental parameters and behavioral characteristics of rhesus monkeys during the first year of birth and to establish the background data.Methods A total of 18 (♂=11,♀=7 ) infant rhesus monkeys born from individually caged mothers and with known genetic background and postnatal days were monitored monthly for body weight, body height, head circumference, chest circumference, forelimb length, hind limb length, crown-rump length, tail length and anal-genital distance from postnatal day ( PND) 1 to 360, while hematology, blood chemistry and lymphocyte subsets were examined on PND 28, 175 and 360, and finger maze test was carried out on PND 208.Results The body weight showed linear growth with no significant difference between genders (P>0.05). Except for the anal-genital distance of male infants was significantly greater than that of female infants ( P<0.01 ) , no significant differences were observed between sexes in other morphological parameters.No significant differences of hematology were seen between genders (P >0.05).Compared with that at PND28, TP and BUN were significantly increased (P<0.01) while ALP decreased with no significant difference (P>0.05) at PND 175 and 360.Compared with that at PND28, CD4 +and CD4 +/CD8 +were significantly decreased ( P<0.01) while CD8+significantly increased ( P<0.01) at PND175 and 360.The number of sessions to solve task 2 in learning test was significantly greater than other tasks with females significantly less than males ( P<0.05) .The females had higher correct rate than males in the 2-day random memory test (P<0.05).Conclusions Body weight and morphological parameters show a linear growth.The PND.The RBC, HGB, LYMPH, TP, BUN, ALP, CD4 +, CD8 +and CD4 +/CD8+in hematology, blood chemistry and lymphocyte subsets show relevant changes to the growth and development of organs and systems in infants, which should be highly concerned in drug evaluation.The finger maze test indicates that female infants have better reversal learning and long-term memory than male infants.Background data and behavioral characteristics of infant rhesus monkeys during the first 12 months of birth are established in this study, which provide useful reference and support the evaluation of developmental and reproductive toxicity of drugs in rhesus monkeys.

Objective To investigate clinical manifestation of unspecified functional bowel disorder (UFBD), the features of coexistence with functional gastrointestinal disorder (FGID) and its relationship with psychological factors and sleep disturbance in the Chinese Army servicemen.Methodsc FGIDs were diagnosed based on the RomeⅢ Modular Questionnaire. The subjects were 189 servicemen with UFBD (UFBD group) and 372 without FGID (control group). All subjects completed symptom checklist 90 (SCL-90) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) questionnaire.Results'Have to rush to the toilet when having a desire to defecate' was the most frequent symptom of UFBD (93.7%). More than one half of UFBD patients had the symptom 'a feeling of incomplete emptying as bowel movements' or 'straining during bowel movements'. Twenty-eight percent of UFBD subjects had combined FGID (namely cFGID). Among them, the most frequent was proctalgia fugax (7.9%), followed by cyclic vomiting syndrome (6.3%), functional fecal incontinence (6.3%), functional dyspepsia (4.8%) and belching (4.8%). The UFBD group scored significantly higher than the control group in the global severity index (GSI) and in all SCL-90 subscales (P<0.05). The scores of the four domains (sleep quality, sleep latency , sleep disturbance and daytime function disorder), total PSQI score and proportion of poor sleeping quality were significantly higher in the UFBD group than in the control group (P<0.05). The subjects scored significantly higher in combined FGID group than in UFBD group in GSI and in all of SCL-90 subscales, except for phobic anxiety subscales (P<0.05). However, there was no significant difference in each domain, total PSQI and proportion of poor sleeping quality between the cFGID group and UFBD group (P>0.05).ConclusionPathogenesis of UFBD may be closely correlated with psychiatric and psychological factors and sleep disturbance. cFGID are associated with an increased severity of psychopathological features.

Background Macular hole retinal detachment(MHRD) causes severe decrease of vision.Pars plana vitrectomy has been applied for MHRD.Silicone oil and C3F8 have been used as intraocular tamponade materials,while there are still controversity on their efficacy.Objective This trial was to evaluate the efficacy of vitreous surgery combined with silicone oil or C3F8 tamponade for patients with MHRD in highly myopic eyes.Methods A retrospective case-controlled study was designed.Fifty-one patients who underwent vitrectomy with intraocular tamponade were retrospectively analyzed.The best corrected visual acuity(BCVA) before and after surgery were examined and campared between two groups.The rate of recurrent RD and macular hole closed were analyzed.Results There was no significant difference in BCVA between silicone oil group and C3F8 tamponade group before and after surgery(U=266.000,P =0.286 ; U =205.000,P =0.029).The BCVA after surgery was elevated in both groups (Z=-2.729,P =0.006 ; Z =-3.273,P =0.001).The rates of recurrent RD and macular hole closed were no difference between two groups(P=0.894,1.000).There were no other complications but cataract.Conclusions C3F8 tamponade of MHRD in high myopic eyes show the same efficacy as silicone oil tamponade.

Adult ; Biomarkers ; blood ; Chorioamnionitis ; diagnosis ; etiology ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Female ; Fetal Membranes, Premature Rupture ; blood ; Humans ; Interleukin-6 ; blood ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 ; blood ; Pregnancy

Saliva and blood were collected from two patients who had not received post exposure prophylaxis in the cities of Wenzhou and Xinning respectively. Both patients were confirmed as positive for rabies by detection of rabies virus specific nucleoprotein antibodies in the sera by Western Blot. However, rabies virus specific RNA was only identified in the saliva collected from the patient in Wenzhou. Furthermore, the isolate Zhejiang Wz0 (H) was obtained by inoculating one-day-old suckling mice. Both nucleoprotein (N) and glycoprotein (G) genes from the isolate were amplified by RT-PCR and sequenced. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the isolate belonged to classic rabies virus, and shared a higher homology with the street viruses from dogs in the main endemic areas in China and the street virus from dogs in Indonesia than with other known strains. Further comparison of the deduced amino acid sequences between the isolate and the vaccine strains used in China showed that the virus had a higher level of homology with the vaccine strain CTN than with the other vaccine strains (3aG, PV, PM and ERA). In particular, amino acid residues substitutions located in antigenic site Ⅲ in the G protein, which could react with the neutralizing antibodies, were observed. These results suggested that the virus belonged to the classic rabies virus, and both N and G genes diverged from the current vaccine strains used in China at either the nucleotide or the amino acid level.