AIM: To study the effects of ethanol on physiological characteristics of atria in isolated guinea pig. METHODS: The effects of ethanol on contractility, spontaneous beat of right atrium, function refractory, post-rest potentiation and positive staircase phenomenon were observed in isolated guinea pig left and right atria. RESULTS: Ethanol (12.5, 25.0, 50.0, 100.0, 200.0 mmol · L-1) prominently inhibited the contractive force and decreased spontaneous beat of right atrium. Ethanol (12.5, 25.0, 50.0, 100.0, 200.0 mmol · L-1) inhibited the contractive force of left atrium, and markedly decreased the post-rest potentiation of myocardial contractility in left atrium. Ethanol of high concentration (100 200 mmol · L-1) prolonged the function refractory period and depressed the positive staircase phenomenon of isolated guinea pig left atrium. CONCLUSION: The ethanol induces inhibitory effects of the spontaneous beat, contractility, post-rest potentiation, positive staircase phenomenon and prolonged the function refractory period. The mechanism by which ethanol induces the negative chronotropic and inotropic effects may be related to decreasing the amount of calcium released from intracellular stores.

Objective To research and prepare the individualized knee in vitro guided plate by 3D printing technique and to investigate the feasibility of its application in 8-plate epiphysiodesis.Methods Twelve children patients with knee varus or valgum in our hospital from January 2014 and November 2016,7 boys and 5 girls,average age of 8.2 years old,were performed the lower extremity continuous spiral CT scanning in the knee straight position.The Dicom format stored CT data were imported into software Mimics 15.0 for reconstructing the knee joint 3D model.The knee joint data after reconstruction were guided into software Geomagic1 1.0 with the.stl format.According to the demand that screws without perforating epiphyseal and joint surface,paralle ling to the epiphyseal and locating in the anterior-posterior median line of epiphyseal,the 8-plate placing screw navigation template was designed and printed by using the 3D printing technique;the 8-plate plate and screw internal fixation was conducted by intraoperative template location.The placed screw position was evaluated by postoperative CT.Results The imaging identification showed that 8-plate epiphysiodesis by using 3D printing individualized in vitro guided plate had accurate screw placement.The cases were followed from 6 months to 2 years,the satisfactory orthopedic effect was obtained in all cases.Conclusion Preparing the individualized knee in vitro guided plate by applying 3D printing technique in assisted 8-plate epiphysiodesis for treating child knee varus or valgum has accurate screw position and satisfactory effect.

Objective To investigate the effect of ketamine on depression-like behaviors at different developmental stages of offspring rat exposed to prenatal restraint stress (PRS).MethodsPregnant SD rats were randomly divided into control group (n=6) and PRS group (n=8).The dams of PRS group received three times(45 minutes/time)restraint stress every day.The anxiety-like and depression-like behaviors of the offsprings of the two groups were tested in the stage of juvenile,adolescence and early adulthood.Then the antidepressant effect of ketamine on prenatal stress rats at different developmental stages was observed.ResultsIn the open-field test,the time in the central area of the offspring rats in PRS group at different developmental stages (juvenile(2.50±0.43)s,adolescence(9.17±1.05)s,early adulthood(8.33±0.92)s) were significantly lower than those of the control group((8.33±1.05)s,(19.17±1.06)s,(18.83±1.30)s,all P<0.05).In the forced swimming test,the immobility time in the offspring rats of PRS group at the different developmental stages (juvenile(192.50±10.82)s,adolescence(182.75±10.12)s,early adulthood(199.88±9.20) s)were significantly higher than those of control group((76.00±19.00)s,(96.30±12.91)s,(108.30±10.98)s,all P<0.05).Ketamine could quickly and strongly reduce the immobility time of the offsprings exposed to PRS in the stage of adolescence and early adulthood (P<0.01),but the effect was weaker in the juvenile offsprings (P<0.05).ConclusionPRS leads to persistent anxiety-like and depression-like behavior in offsprings and ketamine exerts a good antidepressant effect on the offspring rats in the stage of adolescence and early adulthood.

AIM: To investigate the influence of bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) on the anoxia cardiomyocyte apoptosis. METHODS: Using the anaerobic culture apparatus, the apoptosis of the cardiomyocytes, the BMSCs alone and co-cultured with each other were detected by morphological observation, PI staining flowcytometry, electrophoretic gel mobility analysis of DNA fragmentation. Western blotting was used to detect Bax and Bcl-2 protein expression. RESULTS: Compared with control, the BMSCs were unsensitive to anoxic cultured while the anoxic cardiomyocytes were prone to apoptosis. Apoptosis of cardiomyocytes was increased significantly, detected by PI staining and agarose gel elestrophoresis showed “DNA ladder”. However, when anoxia cardiomyocytes co-cultured with BMSCs, apoptosis cells were decreased, “DNA ladder” disappeared and the expression of protein Bax was also decreased. CONCLUSION: Bone marrow stromal cells prevent the anoxia cardiomyocytes from apoptosis, probably by suppressing the expression of Bax protein.

Weightlessness environment can lead to the muscle atrophy and body fluid distribution upward,which can cause the bone calcium metabolism disorder and always accompanied by the loss of bone microstructure and increased rate of bone fracture. Under microgravity,the astronauts are much easier to decrease the Ca2+ ion in bone, which can cause serious osteoporosis. However the bone lost is not equilibrium, it is especially serious in the mechanism loading bone and the recovery process is more difficult. These are very different from the osteoporosis in older people and postmenopausal osteoporosis. It is necessary to find an optimal method to due with it. In traditional Chinese medicine theory,the kidney stores "Jing" and dominates the bone, thus a lot of bone related diseases can be treated through the kidney. A lot of clinical practices have also proved that the Chinese herbs used under the guidance of basic Chinese medicine theory are always good at the treatment of common osteoporosis. In simulated weightlessness experiment, people found that the kidney nourishment drugs do can prevent the decrease of BMD. So in this article we want to review the causes of weightlessness and the potentials applications of tradition Chinese medicine in the treatment of weightlessness osteoporosis.
Humans ; Mechanical Phenomena ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; methods ; Osteoporosis ; etiology ; prevention & control ; therapy ; Weightlessness ; adverse effects

BACKGROUNDPrevious studies have shown that the functional brain activity in the resting state is impaired in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. However, most studies focused on the relationship between different brain areas, rather than the amplitude or strength of the regional brain activity. The purpose of this study was to explore the functional brain changes in AD patients by measuring the amplitude of the blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) functional MRI (fMRI) signals.

METHODSTwenty mild AD patients and twenty healthy elderly subjects participated in the fMRI scan. The amplitude of low frequency fluctuation (ALFF) was calculated using REST software.

RESULTSCompared with the healthy elderly subjects, the mild AD patients showed decreased ALFF in the right posterior cingulate cortex, right ventral medial prefrontal cortex, and in the bilateral dorsal medial prefrontal cortex. No brain region with increased ALFF was found in the AD group compared with the control group.

CONCLUSIONSThe reduced activity in the posterior cingulate cortex and medial prefrontal cortex observed in the present study suggest that the functional abnormalities of those areas are at an early stage of AD. The ALFF analysis may provide a useful tool in fMRI study of AD.

Aged ; Alzheimer Disease ; diagnosis ; physiopathology ; Case-Control Studies ; Female ; Gyrus Cinguli ; physiopathology ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; methods ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prefrontal Cortex ; physiopathology

OBJECTIVETo investigate the relationship between the drug resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) isolated from burn patients wounds and its mobile genetic elements, including plasmid, transposon, and integron.

METHODSThirty-two strains of PA were isolated from wounds exudate of hospitalized burn patients in Ningbo No. 2 Hospital. PA drug sensitivity was determined using GNS-448 drug sensitivity card and K-B tests. The genetic markers of plasmid, transposon and integron including traA, traF, tnpA, tnpU, merA, int I 1 were amplified by PCR and verified by gene sequencing.

RESULTSDrug resistant rate of 32 PA strains to gentamicin, amikacin, cefoperazone/sulbactam, ciprofloxacin was 43.7%, 32.0%, 46.8%, 49.9%, respectively. PA drug resistant rates to piperacillin, cefotaxime, ceftazidime, cefepime, aztreonam, piperacillin/tazobactam, levofloxacin, imipenem and meropenem were all above 56.0%. Seventeen out of 32 PA strains were found to carry transposon and (or) integron genetic markers. One strain was positive for both tnpA and merA, 8 strains were positive for both merA and int I 1, 1 strain was only positive for tnpA, 2 strains were only positive for merA, and 5 strains were positive for int I 1 only.

CONCLUSIONSPA isolated from burn wounds of hospitalized patients in Ningbo No. 2 Hospital is seriously drug resistant, which may relate with its high positive rate of mobile genetic elements of transposon and (or) integron.

Anti-Bacterial Agents ; pharmacology ; Burns ; microbiology ; DNA Transposable Elements ; Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial ; genetics ; Humans ; Integrons ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Plasmids ; Pseudomonas aeruginosa ; drug effects ; genetics ; isolation & purification

BACKGROUNDPrevious studies have shown that brain functional activity in the resting state is impaired in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. However, alterations in intrinsic brain activity patterns in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) patients are poorly understood. This study aimed to explore the differences in regional intrinsic activities throughout the whole brain between aMCI patients and controls.

METHODSIn the present study, resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was performed on 18 amnestic MCI (aMCI) patients, 18 mild AD patients and 20 healthy elderly subjects. And amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) method was used.

RESULTSCompared with healthy elderly subjects, aMCI patients showed decreased ALFF in the right hippocampus and parahippocampal cortex, left lateral temporal cortex, and right ventral medial prefrontal cortex (vMPFC) and increased ALFF in the left temporal-parietal junction (TPJ) and inferior parietal lobule (IPL). Mild AD patients showed decreased ALFF in the left TPJ, posterior IPL (pIPL), and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex compared with aMCI patients. Mild AD patients also had decreased ALFF in the right posterior cingulate cortex, right vMPFC and bilateral dorsal MPFC (dMPFC) compared with healthy elderly subjects.

CONCLUSIONSDecreased intrinsic activities in brain regions closely related to episodic memory were found in aMCI and AD patients. Increased TPJ and IPL activity may indicate compensatory mechanisms for loss of memory function in aMCI patients. These findings suggest that the fMRI based on ALFF analysis may provide a useful tool in the study of aMCI patients.

Aged ; Alzheimer Disease ; physiopathology ; Amnesia ; physiopathology ; Brain ; physiopathology ; Cognitive Dysfunction ; physiopathology ; Female ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male

Sternotomy is a routine surgical pathway for heart, lung, and mediastinal surgery. Poststernotomy dehiscence is a common complication of sternotomy, in which infection after poststernotomy dehiscence is one of the most serious postoperative complications in cardiothoracic surgery. Previously, conventional dressing, negative pressure wound therapy, and skin stretching device were used in the treatment of poststernotomy dehiscence, but the outcome of each single method was poor, which caused great pain and burden to the patients and their families. In recent years, tissue flap containing rich blood supply has drawn a lot of attention because of its good wound cover, stable thoracic reconstruction, low infection recurrence rate, and less postoperative complication. In this paper, we reviewed the epidemiological characteristics of poststernotomy dehiscence, and summarized the various classifications for poststernotomy dehiscence and the therapeutic effects of different tissue flap repair. We hope that this review would provide a basis for further construction of the treatment system for poststernotomy dehiscence and the formation of a treatment guideline.

Objective To understand the pathogen spectrum and epidemiological characteristics of diarrhea cases in Shanghai from August 2013 to July 2014.Methods The survey was conducted in 23 hospitals at different levels randomly selected in Shanghai,the diarrhea cases seeking medical care in these hospitals were sampled,and stool samples were collected from them for pathogen isolation.Results Among 3 467 stool samples detected,1 561 were positive for at least 1 pathogen (45.02％).A total of 6 kinds of bacteria and 5 kinds of viruses were detected.The positive rate for bacterium was 13.46％,mainly Vibrio parahaemolyticus (172 cases) and Salmonella (143 cases).The positive rate for virus was 27.75％,mainly Norovirus (471 cases) and Rotavirus (312 cases).The positive rates peaked obviously in summer and during autumn-winter.The positive rate of virus was higher than that of bacterium during autumn-winter,and the positive rate of bacterium was higher than that of virus in summer,the differences were statistically significant (P＜0.05).Stratified analysis showed the constituent ratio of virus positive samples during November-February was highest among all age groups,however,the difference was not statistically significant (P＞0.05).The constituent ratio of bacterium positive samples during June-September was highest in all age groups,the difference was statistically significant (P＜0.05).The proportion of the cases with fever in bacterium positive group (19.06％) was higher than those in virus positive group (10.91％),the difference had statistically significance (P＜0.05).Conclusion The pathogen spectrum of diarrhea was relatively wide in Shanghai and the seasonality of the incidence was obvious.Specific etiological surveillance and control strategies should be strengthened among risk groups in different seasons.