Objective To investigate the impact of adding folic acid,vitamin B12 and probucol to standard antihypertensive medication on plasma homocysteine (Hcy) and asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA),serum NO and eNOS of essential hypertensive patients.Method A total of 120 patients with hypertension were randomly divided to three groups (n =40 each):group 1 (standard medication),group 2 (adding folic acid 5 mg/day and vitamin B12 500 μg twice daily) and group 3 (adding folic acid 5 mg/day and vitamin B12 500 μg twice daily and probucol 500 mg twice daily).Plasma Hcy and ADMA,serum NO and eNOS levels were observed at baseline,2 and 12 weeks after various therapy.Results In group 1,concentrations of plasma Hcy [(23.06 ± 14.15) μmol/L,(23.67 ± 12.31) μmol/L,(23.25 ± 11.64)μmol/L],ADMA[(0.21 ± 0.12) μmol/L,(0.23 ± 0.13) μmol/L,(0.21 ± 0.09) μmol/L] and serum NO [(64.14 ± 15.07) μmol/L,(65.29 ± 15.04) μmol/L,(65.32 ± 13.58) μmol/L],eNOS[(20.02 ±4.50) μg/L,(20.79 ± 4.03) μg/L,(19.82 ± 5.70) μg/L] remained unchanged during the 12 weeks therapy (all P ＞0.05).In group 2,concentrations of plasma Hcy [(12.54 ±6.49) μmol/L] and ADMA [(0.18 ± 0.07)μmol/L] were significantly decresed after the treatment of 12 weeks than the treatment baseline value [(21.51 ± 7.82) μmol/L,(0.20 ± 0.12) μmol/L] and 2 weeks value[(19.38 ± 8.14)μmol/L,(0.21 ± 0.12) μmol/L],however the concentrations of serum NO and eNOS showed contrary results of the Hcy and ADMA's.(all P ＜0.05).In group 3,similar changes occurred at 2 weeks after therapy (P ＜0.05 2 weeks vs.baseline and 12 weeks vs.2 weeks).Plasma ADMA level was positively correlated with Hcy at baseline (r =0.546,P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions Supplementation of folic acid,VitB12 and/or probucol helps to improve endothelial function and reduce plasma Hcy and ADMA levels in patients with hypertension.

OBJECTIVETo explore the influence of bone marrow (BM) mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) on macrophage activation after lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation.

METHODSMouse BM MSCs were isolated and purified by adherence screening, and mouse peritoneal macrophages (MPM) were collected by sodium thioglycollate peritoneal injection, and the co-culture system was established by planting macrophages on the MSCs monolayer. The grouping of experiments: group A: MPM; group B: MPM + LPS; group C: MPM + LPS + MSC; group D: MPM + LPS + MSC supernatant. Cell culture supernatants were collected to detect the changes of TNF-alpha/TGF-beta and nitrogen monoxide (NO) after stimulating macrophages with LPS for 18 hours. At the same time Escherichia coli standard strain (ATCC25922) was added into the culture system and incubated for another 24 hours, macrophages were stained and phagocytosis were examined.

RESULTSThe concentrations of TNF-alpha and NO in culture supernatants were increased significantly to (147.4 +/- 37.1) pg/ml and (59.9 +/- 8.7) micromol/L respectively after macrophage activation, however, at the present of MSC, the concentration of TNF-alpha was dramatically decreased [(97.6 +/- 30.3) pg/ml, P = 0.032], and the concentration of NO was decreased to (50.9 +/- 29.5) micromol/L (P > 0.05). The concentrations of TNF-alpha and NO were further decreased after addition of MSC supernatants [(58.3 +/- 31.5) pg/ml and (-3.4 +/- 2.3) micromol/L respectively, P < 0.01]. There was no change in the phagocytic rate and phagoindex of macrophages after activation.

CONCLUSIONSMSCs can inhibit the activation of mouse peritoneal macrophages after stimulating with LPS but has no influence on the phagocytosis.

Animals ; Bone Marrow Cells ; cytology ; Cells, Cultured ; Coculture Techniques ; Lipopolysaccharides ; pharmacology ; Macrophage Activation ; drug effects ; Macrophages, Peritoneal ; immunology ; metabolism ; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells ; cytology ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Transforming Growth Factor beta ; metabolism ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; metabolism

The specificity of the antigens and length of preservation time of erythrocytes are the interfering factors in blood group serological tests. In order to clarify the influence of preservation time of erythrocytes on the blood matching test, the titers of anti-D antibody were detected with papain method, BioVue cross matching card and DianaGel cross matching card in 7 series of panel red blood cells preserved for various length of time (0 to 9 months). The results showed that the titer of micro-column gel test (DianaGel card) was one tube higher than that of column agglutinating test (BioVue card). The titer of erythrocytes preserved for 9 months was as high as 256 tested by DianaGel card, but it was only 2 by papain method in the same anti-serum. It is suggested that there was no obvious difference between the results of micro-column gel test and column agglutinating test, and titer of papain method was the lowest.
Blood Grouping and Crossmatching ; Blood Preservation ; Erythrocytes ; immunology ; Humans ; Isoantibodies ; blood ; Rho(D) Immune Globulin ; Time Factors

Blood transfusion leads to leucocyte-mediated adverse reactions related to the transfusion of leucocytes in allogeneic blood and blood products. The leucocytes are also capable of transmitting virus infection. Leucocyte depletion of homologous blood products can effectively reduce the immunosuppressive effect as well as minimize the likelihood of transmitting virus. Blood component transfusion is generally "buffy-coat-poor", which removes about two thirds of the leucocytes present in whole blood. Using special filters, blood component can be filtrated 99.9% of the leucocytes. Leucocyte-depletion using filter should significantly lessen the leucocyte-mediated transfusion adverse reactions, such as febrile non-hemolytic transfusion reactions and graft versus host disease. At the same time, leucocyte filtration can decrease the risk of transmitting virus. Otherwise, leucocyte-depletion plays very important role in the treatment of cardiac surgical patients to attenuate leukocyte-mediated inflammation and organ reperfusion injury, the treatment of ulcerative colitis, and the treatment intractable diseases such as autoimmune and neurologic diseases.
Blood Component Removal ; Blood Transfusion ; Cardiopulmonary Bypass ; Filtration ; Graft vs Host Disease ; prevention & control ; HLA Antigens ; immunology ; Humans ; Leukocytes

OBJECTIVETo investigate the safety and efficiency of the disposable circumcision suture device (DCSD) in the surgical treatment of phimosis and redundant prepuce.

METHODSWe randomly assigned 249 outpatients with phimosis or redundant prepuce to be treated with DCSD (n = 129) and by conventional circumcision (CC, n = 120), respectively. Then we compared the safety and efficiency of the two strategies.

RESULTSComparisons between DCSD and CC showed that the operation time was (4.02 +/- 0.69) vs (30.8 +/- 4.05) min, blood loss was (1.07 +/- 1.29) vs (8.72 +/- 2.15) ml, intraoperative pain score was 0.81 +/- 0.81 vs 2.42 +/- 1.15, 24-hour postoperative pain score was 1.84 +/- 1.02 vs 4.99 +/- 1.36, postoperative complication rate was 13. 95% (18/129) vs 9.17% (11/120), wound healing time was (13.99 +/- 9.06) vs (17.48 +/- 3.49) d, satisfaction with the penile appearance was 98.4% (127/129) vs 95% (109/120), and treatment cost was (2215.62 +/- 17.67) vs (576.47 + 15.58) Y RMB. DCSD exhibited obvious superiority over CC for shorter operation time, less blood loss, milder intraoperative pain, sooner wound healing, and better penile appearance, but it also had a higher rate of postoperative complications (P > 0.05) and involved more treatment cost than the latter (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe disposable circumcision suture device affords ideal clinical effects and therefore deserves clinical popularization.

Circumcision, Male ; instrumentation ; Disposable Equipment ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Phimosis ; surgery ; Surgical Staplers ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVETo observe the efficacy and the adverse effects of erlotinib in the treatment for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in Chinese patients.

METHODSFrom November 2005 to March 2009, a total of 519 patients with unresectable, local advanced, relapsed or metastatic NSCLC were enrolled in the trial. All the patients were treated with erlotinib 150 mg/day until disease progression or intolerable toxicity or for other reasons. The response rate, time to disease progression, overall survival and toxicity were analyzed.

RESULTSOf these 519 patients, 1 case had complete response, 127 cases had partial response and 263 cases had stable disease, resulting in an overall response rate (CR + PR) of 26.7%, disease stable rate of 54.9% and disease control rate (CR + PR + SD) of 81.6%. The median time to progression was 6.44 months and median overall survival was 15.37 months. The major erlotinib treatment-related adverse events (AE) were mild (CTC AE 1/2), only 3 cases had severe adverse effect, 1 case had interstitial lung disease and died of respiratory failure.

CONCLUSIONThe study presents excellent response rates, time to progression and overall survival of erlotinib treatment for advanced NSCLC in Chinese patients, and its adverse events are tolerable.

Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Diarrhea ; chemically induced ; Disease Progression ; Erlotinib Hydrochloride ; Exanthema ; chemically induced ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Lung Diseases, Interstitial ; chemically induced ; Lung Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Protein Kinase Inhibitors ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Quinazolines ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor ; adverse effects ; antagonists & inhibitors ; therapeutic use ; Remission Induction ; Survival Rate

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the effects of antiarrhythmic peptide (AAP10) on ventricular arrhythmias in rabbits with healed myocardial infarction (OMI).

METHODSThirty rabbits were randomly divided into three groups (n = 10 each): Sham group, left thoracotomy was performed without coronary ligation; OMI group and OMI + AAP10 group, the circumflex coronaries were ligated. Three months post operation, the electrophysiological and antiarrhythmic effects of AAP10 were assessed in the arterially perfused rabbit left ventricular wedge preparation. Sham and OMI group were perfused with Tyrode's solution and OMI + AAP10 group was perfused with Tyrode's solution + AAP10 (80 nmol/L). Transmembrane action potentials were recorded simultaneously from endocardium and epicardium together with a transmural ECG by use of 2 separate intracellular floating microelectrodes. The stimulus-response-interval (SRI) of the epicardium and the incidence of ventricular tachycardia (VT) were observed. Whole heart and left ventricular weights, the left ventricular thickness at infarct border zone were measured.

RESULTSWhole heart and left ventricular weights as well as the left ventricular thickness at the infarct border zone significantly increased post infarction. VT was induced in 8 out of 10 rabbits in OMI group and in 2 out of 10 rabbits in OMI + AAP10 group (P < 0.05). SRI was also significantly shortened in OMI + AAP10 group compared to OMI group [SRI-1: (20.59 +/- 0.79) ms vs. (28.71 +/- 0.55) ms; SRI-2: (30.42 +/- 0.74) ms vs. (38.67 +/- 0.49) ms, all P < 0.01]. However, the action potential morphology and duration were similar between OMI and OMI + AAP10 groups.

CONCLUSIONThe antiarrhythmic peptide (AAP10) can increase gap junctional intercellular conductance without affecting the action potential morphology and duration and decrease the incidence of inducible ventricular tachycardia.

Animals ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; etiology ; prevention & control ; Male ; Myocardial Infarction ; complications ; physiopathology ; Oligopeptides ; pharmacology ; Rabbits ; Random Allocation

The study was to investigate the hemorheologyic changes of group A blood recipient transfused with large amounts of group O whole blood, by erythrocyte count, sympexis index, erythrocyte deformation index, erythrocyte rigid index and whole blood reduced viscosity, 60 ml of group A whole blood were added with 9, 12, 15 and 18 ml of group O whole blood (which corresponds to the 4 000 ml whole blood added with 600, 800, 1 000 and 1 200 ml whole blood). The mixed blood was incubated at 37 degrees C with mixing at 80 times per minute. Samples were taken from the mixed blood at 30 minutes, 2, 4, 8, 12 and 24 hours after culture, and the hemorheology of the mixed whole blood was determined by FASCO-series type 3020B automatic rheograph apparatus. The results showed that there were no differences of erythrocyte count, sympexis index, erythrocyte deformation index, erythrocyte rigid index and whole blood reduced viscosity among all different kinds of mixed whole blood, and there was no difference of sympexis index at different times, but there were obvious differences of erythrocyte count, erythrocyte deformation index, erythrocyte rigid index and whole blood reduced viscosity. It is concluded that blood transfusion of 1,200 ml group O whole blood to a recipient with 50 kg of body weight but with different blood type in emergent situation may exert no harm to the erythrocytes of recipient in a short term.
ABO Blood-Group System ; Blood Group Incompatibility ; blood ; prevention & control ; Blood Transfusion ; Erythrocyte Count ; Erythrocytes ; cytology ; Flow Cytometry ; instrumentation ; methods ; Hemodynamics ; Hemorheology ; Humans

OBJECTIVETo study the role of programmed cell death 5 (PDCD5) protein in the oncogenesis and development of renal clear cell carcinoma and its association with the prognosis of the malignancy.

METHODSPDCD5 expression was assayed immunohistochemically in 46 cases of human renal clear cell carcinoma, and the patients' survival was followed up.

RESULTSPDCD5 staining in the adjacent normal tissue of the tumor was significantly stronger than that in the tumor tissue, and PDCD5 expression was significantly correlated with the tumor grade, stage and prognosis. The tumors of high grade with strong invasive ability had much less PDCD5 expression and lighter staining. The three- or five-year survival rates of patients positive for PDCD5 expression was much higher than that of patients negative for PDCD5 expression.

CONCLUSIONPDCD5 is a potent inhibitor of malignant transformation of renal clear cell carcinoma and may serve as a major predictor for evaluating the malignant potential and prognosis of the tumor.

Adult ; Aged ; Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins ; biosynthesis ; Carcinoma, Renal Cell ; metabolism ; pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Kidney Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Proteins ; biosynthesis ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Analysis

In order to learn about the genetic characteristic of human enterovirus type71 (HEV71) isolated from cases of Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD) in Yunnan Province from 2009 to 2010. 50 isolates form HFMD cases were performed entire VP1 coding region amplification by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and sequencing the nucleotide sequences; then the phylogenetic tree was constructed. The complete nucleotide sequences of region VP1 of the 50 strains were all 891nt length coding 297 amino acids. The result of molecular identification of the 50 strains is HEV71. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that 48 EV71 isolates belonged to subgenotype C4a and 2 EV71 isolates belonged to genotype A. From 2009 to 2010, the pathogen of HFMD cases were EV71 strains in Yunnan province, which were co-evolved with isolates from other provinces in mainland of China. There was no significant difference found in the whole sequence of VP1 gene of the strains isolated from different regions or under different diseases occurred, but the spread of genetype A appared in Yunnan Province in 2009.
Capsid Proteins ; genetics ; Child, Preschool ; China ; Enterovirus A, Human ; classification ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; pathogenicity ; Female ; Genotyping Techniques ; Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease ; virology ; Humans ; Male ; Phylogeny ; Sequence Analysis, DNA