AIM: To demonstrate the protective effects of ST-1 against focal cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats.METHODS: The model of focal ischemia-reperfusion was induced by middle cerebral artery occlusion 2 h followed by reperfusion 22 h in rats.Neurological deficit scores were evaluated.Infarct size,malondialdehyde(MDA) content and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity were measured,pathological changes of neurons in hippocampal CA1 region were observed.RESULTS: Compared with vehicle group ST1 at dose of 10 and 20(mg?kg~(-1)) could reduce the infarct size,MDA content,enhance SOD activity and relieve neurons injury in hippocampal CA1 region in dose-dependent way;ST-1 at dose of 20(mg?kg~(-1)) could also improve neurological function.CONCLUSION: ST-1 can protect brain tissue from focal ischemia-reperfusion injury.

Objective To evaluate the curative effects of conversion from mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) to enteric-coated mycophenolate sodium (EC-MPS) on MMF-related chronic diarrhea in the renal transplant (RT) recipients of long-term stage following transplantation.Methods Twenty-six RT recipients with persistent and severe diarrhea,diagnosed as MMF-related diarrhea after a systemic examining procedure including macroscopic and microscopic examinations of the upper and lower gastrointestinal tracks,serology of the blood for CMV and culture of stool for the bacteria.In all the 26 recipients,the dosage of MMF was reduced to 250 mg,twice every day for 2 weeks.Those without significant improvement at the end of this period were shifted to EC-MPS at a dose of 180 mg,twice every day for 2 weeks.The EC-MPS dose was increased to 360 mg,twice every day if the symptoms were improved significantly at the third week after conversion,or EC-MPS was withdrawn if the diarrhea still existed.The dosage of EC-MPS would be reduced to 180 mg,twice every day if the diarrhea recurred in the next 3 months. The clinical symptoms,biological parameters and renal function were observed for 3 months after the conversion.Results ( 1 ) All the 26 recipients were switched to EC-MPS because of the persistent existence of diarrhea after reduction of MMF.After conversion,the diarrhea disappeared completely in 19 out of the 26 recipients in 2 weeks and 2 patients also showed significantly improvement of diarrhea with the total efficiency being 80.8％ (21/26).In the rest 5 cases,EC-MPS was withdrawn at the second week; (2) The disturbance of internal environment was improved significantly following the EC-MPS conversion.Serum potassium,sodium and TCO2 were elevated to normal level.The benefit was predominantly observed in the recipients with moderate to severe proteinuria.The 24-h urinary protein secretion was significantly reduced from 0.76±0.48 to 0.46±0.53 (g/24 h) (P＜0.05) at the third month.Conclusion In RT recipients with MMF-related chronic diarrhea after long-term stage following renal transplantation,switching MMF to EC-MPS can significantly alleviate the diarrhea and rectify the imbalance of internal environment of the recipients.

Aim To iuvestigate the effect and the mechanism of salmonmilt DNA (SMD) on age-related involutions in mouse thymus. MethodsFemale BALB/c of 10 months were divided randomly into three groupsaccording to their weights: high dosage group 333.33 mg/(kg @ d), lowdosage group 166. 67 mg/(kg @ d) and control group 0 mg/(kg @ d) .After five weeks, with Image-Pro Plus (version. 4.0) software, the thymusindexes and the thymoctytes in the thymus section were measured, as wellas the thymus cortex thickness. All the data were analyzed by SAS statisticsoftware. Mieroarray technique was applied to screen the gene fragments,which were differently expressed between the high dosage group and thecontrol group, together with RT-PCR to further confirm some of them.Results No significant differences of the variables including bodyweight, thymus weight and thymus indexes among the three groups werefound (F ＜ 3.0 and P ＞ 0.05, respectively). The thymocytes quanti-ties of thymus cortex and medulla in the high dosage group were significantlyhigher than those of the control group [cortex D(H, C) = 9.46, P ＜ 0.01;medulla t( H.C) = 2.53, P ＜ 0.05]. The thymus cortex thicknesses of bothSMD supplement groups were significantly higher than that of the control group[cortex D(L,C)=3.65, P＞ 0.05; medulla t(L, C)=0.8, P＞ 0.05] .112differently expressed gene fragments were isolated. Furthermore, we foundthe fragments with the logged number of U23789, X80232 and Aw209102were highly expressed in the high dosage group when RT-PCR techniquewas used. Conclusion SMD may reverse the age-related involutions inmouse thymus via up-regulation the expression of proliferation related genesand development and differentiation related genes simultaneously.

Objective To explore the effects of cyclosporin A (CsA) and tacrolimus (Tac) on biological behaviors of lung cancer A549 cells in nude mice.Methods Thirty-six models of transplanted tumor in Balb/c mice were established by using lung cancer A549 cells and divided into three groups:control group,without given any immunosuppressant; CsA group,intraperitoneally given CsA; Tac group,intraperitoneally given Tac.The transplanted tumor growth curve was drawn according to the transplanted tumor volume,and the influencing ratio was calculated according to the final tumor weight.The changes in cell migration ability were observed by using Transwell system.Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase mediated UTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay was used to examine the apoptosis index of the transplanted tumor.Quantitative RT-PCR was used to detect the expression levels of Bcl-2 mRNA and Bax mRNA.Results The growth of transplanted tumor in CsA and Tac groups was faster than in control group.Final tumor volume and final tumor weight in CsA and Tac groups were greater than those in control group.The influencing ratio in CsA and Tac groups was 19％ (P＜0.05) and 25％ (P＜0.05),respectively.The migration ability was greater in CsA and Tac groups than in control group (P＜0.01).The apoptosis index of the transplanted tumor in CsA and Tac groups was lower than in control group (P＜0.05).The expression level of Bcl-2 mRNA was higher in CsA and Tac groups than in control group (P＜0.05),and that of Bax mRNA was lower in CsA and Tac groups than in control group (P＜0.05).Conclusion Both CsA and Tac can promote the growth of transplanted tumor in nuce mice bearing 549 cells and enhance the invasion forces,which is probably related with the apoptosis induction of tumor cells.

Objective To assess the change of the CD4~+ CD25~+ Treg after the transplant nephrectomy in recipients suffering from chronic allograft nephropathy (CAN) with normal PRA level.Methods Thirty recipients suffering from CAN,aged 20-55 years old,with norlTlal PRA level,were divided into two groups:removal group (n=17) and preserving group(n=13).CD4~+ CD25~(high)/CD4~+,CTLA-4 and Foxp3 in peripheral blood were tested at two time ends:O month and 2 months after the transplant nephrectomy operation.Results (1) Ratio of CD4~+ CD25~(high)/CD4~+ at the Oth and 2nd month in the removal group was(1.47±0.19)%,(1.08±0.16)%,and that was(1.44±0.25)% and (1.77±0.24)%,at the same time in the preserving group (P<0.01).(2) The expression of CTLA-4 at the Oth and 2nd month in the removal group was (76.82±5.31)% and (72.56±4.99)%,and that was (76.20±4.22)% and (75.24±4.26)% in the preserving group (P>0.05).(3)The expression of Foxp3 was (79.77±1.59)% and (69.07±4.37)% in the removal group,and that was (79.56±1.75)% and (79.09±2.05)% in the preserving group.The expression rate of Foxp3 at the 2nd month in the removal group was significantly lower than in the preserving group (P<0.01).Conclusion Remoral of the graft can reduce the ratio of CD4~+ CD25~(high)/CD4~+ and the expression of Foxp3,suggesting that the removal of the renal graft may inhibit the activity of CD4~+ CD25~+ Treg.

Objective To investigate the relationship between plasma homocysteine (Hey) level and ankylosing spondylitis (AS).To analyze the association between the NS,N10 methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTFHR) gene polymorphism and AS.Methods One hundred patients with AS and 60 healthy controls were included in the study.The plasma Hey level was examined by enzyme-linked immunoadsorbent assay and MTHFR gene polymorphism was analyzed by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP).Results Compared with heahhy controls,the plasma Hey level in AS patients was significantly higher than that of the controls (P＜0.01).There was no significant difference in the frequen-cies of MTHFR genotype and alleles between AS and the controls (P＞0.05),But the ratio of T/T genotype mutation was different between AS and the controls (P＜0.05).The plasma Hey level of T/T genotype was significantly higher than that of C/T or C/C genotype in AS and the controls (P＜0.01).Logisticalregression analysis indicated that Hey was an independent risk factor for AS (P＜0.01,0R=4.582,95%CI=1.984～10.585).Conclusion The plasma homocysteine level is significantly increased in AS patients.Hyperhomo-cysteinemia is an independent risk factor for AS.MTHFR T/T genotype mutation is an important mechanism of hyperhomocysteinemia and may be related with AS.

Objective To summarize the clinical experience of combined liver and kidney transplantation (CLKT). Methods CLKT was performed on 22 patients. The orthotopic liver transplantation (LT) was preceded with the classic fashion in 10 patients and piggyback fashion in 12 patients. The renal allograft was implanted to the iliac fossa routinely. After operation, the patients received an induction therapy with anti-CD25 monoclonal antibody or antithymocyte globulin ( ATG) and a maintenance therapy with tacrolimus (Tac), mycophenolate mofetil and prednisone. Results The CLKT was successfully performed on all 22 patients, and the graft function was restored well postoperation. During the perioperative period, an acute rejection episode of liver occurred in one patient and acute renal allograft rejection episode in 2 patients. The Tac toxicity occurred in one patient. The hemorrhage of digestive tract occurred in one recipient and the hemorrhage of peritoneal cavity in one patient. The pleural effusion occurred in 6 recipients. The pneumonia occurred in 2 cases and the peritoneal infection in one patient During a follow-up period of 6 months to 7 years 11 months, three patients died because of cytomegalovirus pneumonia in 2 patients and acute myocardial infarction in, one patient, The 1-, 3-, 5-year survival rate of recipients was 86,4 %, 81.3 %, 72.7 % respectively. Conclusion The CLKT is an effective method for treatment of patients with end-stage liver djsease and chronic renal failure.

Objective To compare and analyze the clinical application of lumbar plexus combined with sciatic nerve block and spinal anesthesia for elderly patients with knee joint surgery.Methods A total of 77 elderly patients with ASAⅠ ~Ⅲ undergoing single knee re-placement surgery were randomly divided into combined group which recieved lumbar plexus combined with sciatic nerve block and spinal an-esthesia group.The baseline values,blood pressure and heart rate at multiple time points,the block area and duration,the volume of intraoper-ative fluid,and other indexes of adverse reaction were observed.Results The MAP,SBP and DBP in the spinal anesthesia group after the op-eration have changed significantly at the time of T1,T2 and T3.The operating of anesthesia in the combined group was shorter than that of spi-nal anesthesia group.The rate of adverse reactions in combined group was significantly lower than that inspinal anesthesia group.Conclusion The spinal anesthesia can be satisfied for operation requirements,but it will cause the unstable circulation and varied adverse reactions.Lum-bar plexus combined with sciatic nerve block is safe and effective with less adverse reactions,less disturbance of hemodynamics,which is much better for the old or the patients with coagulation abnormalities combined heart and lung disease.

Objective:To explore the correlations of TNF-α-238 site gene polymorphism and the onset of Ankylosing Spondylitis(AS)in Hunan Han population.Methods:100 AS samples (including serum and whole blood) were collected from the Department of Immunology and Rheumatology of the Second Xiangya hospital from May 2008 to Jan 2009 and 90 samples of normal people were collected as control group.We detected the TNF-α-238 gene polymorphism of these subjects by using PCR-RFLP technique.The TNF-α level in the serum samples were measured by ELISA and HLA-B27 antigen was detected by flow cytometry (FCM).Then all of the data was analyzed by SPSS13.0 software.Results:There were 95 cases with the TNF-α-238 G/G genotype in 100 AS patients,5 cases with the G/A genotype.While in the control group,TNF-α-238 G/G genotype and G/A genotype were 88 cases and 2 cases respectively.There was no TNF-α-238 A/A genotype in both groups.The allele frequencies of G in AS group was higher than in the control group(98.9% vs.97.5%),while the allele frequencies of A in AS group was lower than in the control group(1.1% vs.2.5%).However,there were no significant difference both A allele frequencies and G allele frequencies (P＞0.05).In addition,the average TNF-α level in AS group was higher than in the control group significantly (10.16±1.19 pg/ml vs.5.64±1.18 pg/ml).And the average TNF-α level in AS patients with the genotype of G/A was higher than that of with the G/G genotype (13.49±1.27 pg/ml vs.9.44±1.29 pg/ml).There was a very large difference of the positive ratio of HLA-B27 between two groups (χ~2=114.975,P=0.000).After gene analysis of HLA-B27and TNF-α-238,the odds ratio(OR)was higher in both G/G genotype and HLA-B27 positive than HLA-B27 lonely.Conclusion:There is probably no relationship between the gene polymorphism of TNF-α-238 site and the onset of AS but the G/G genotype of TNF-α-238 may increase the sicken risk of AS in Hunan population.

Objective To analyze the clinical characteristics of suspected acute aortic dissection with ST-segment elevation detected by inferior leads in order to avoid the misdiagnosis of acute aortic dissection facilitating an appropriate treatment strategy carried out in time.Methods A total of 14 patients with suspected acute aortic dissection with ST-segment elevation detected by inferior leads were enrolled.Their clinical presentation,ECG features,imaging findings,laboratory testing,coronary angiography results, treatment and outcome were retrospectively analyzed.Results Clinical characteristics of suspected acute aortic dissection with ST-segment elevation detected by inferior leads suggested that hypertension as a single risk factor accounted for 79%.The patients with normal blood pressure or high blood pressure in emergency visits accounted for 86%.The amplitude of ST elevation in lead Ⅲ was greater than that in lead Ⅱ,and lead Ⅲ accompanied with ST elevation in lead V1 or V4R accounted for 86%.Significantly elevated D-dimer >2 000 ng/mL was found in those patients.Coronary angiography showed that the opening of coronary artery not seen,normal coronary arteries or a simple right coronary artery proximal lesion.Transesophageal echocardiography and computed tomography angiography were used to identify the diagnosis with 100%accuracy.The mortality rate of this group was 50%.Conclusions Patients with acute aortic dissection evidenced by ST-segment elevation detected by inferior leads are in critical setting of high mortality. Emergency surgical treatment can significantly improve the survival rate of patients.