ObjectiveTo investigate the current status of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in an enterprise in Xi′an, China, and to provide a scientific basis for further studies on NAFLD in Shanxi. MethodsA total of 415 employees who underwent health examination in The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi′an Medical University from June to July, 2014 were enrolled. All the patients underwent physical examination, abdominal ultrasound, and serological examination, and completed related questionnaires. The t-test was applied for comparison of continuous data, and the Pearson correlation analysis was applied for correlation analysis. ResultsOf all the 415 patients, 86 (20.7%) had NAFLD, consisting of 70 patients (16.9%) with mild NAFLD and 16 patients (3.8%) with moderate NAFLD. The population with an age of 50-58 years had the highest prevalence rate (30.8%, 16/52). Of all the 86 patients with NAFLD, 57 (66.3%) had obesity, and 76 (88.4%) had abdominal obesity. The employees with moderate NAFLD had a significantly higher alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level, a significantly higher aspartate aminotransferase (AST) level, a significantly larger abdominal circumference, and a significantly higher body mass index (BMI) than those with mild NAFLD (t=-4.140, -3.512, -4.405, and -5.051, respectively, all P＜0.05). In the employees with NAFLD, BMI and abdominal circumference were correlated with AST level (r=0.283 and 0.271, both P＜0.05) and ALT level (r=0.325 and 0.316, both P＜0.05). Most employees in this enterprise had a bad eating habit, a sedentary lifestyle, and a lack of physical exercise. ConclusionThis enterprise has a high prevalence rate of NAFLD. BMI and abdominal circumference of patients with NAFLD have certain clinical values in predicting the degree of fat deposition in the liver, and are correlated with AST and ALT levels.

Objective To evaluate the value of two-dimension and color Doppler flow imaging(CDFI) in diagnosis of deep venous thrombosis(DVT) for different segments of lower extremity compared with digital subtract angiography(DSA). Methods Fifty-eight patients suspected of DVT enrolled in the study. Every segment venous of affected extremities was observed by CDFI. All patients underwent DSA examination. CDFI findings were compared with the results of DSA. Statistical analysis was according to quadruple tabular form. The indexes include sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, false positive rate and so on. Every segment of lower extremity deep venous was evaluated and analysis. Results Total of 150 vessels of fifty-eight patients were detected with CDFI and DSA. Evaluation findings of statistical analysis with quadruple tabular form as follows= sensitivity of common lilac vein was 82.6%, specificity was 66.7%; sensitivity of external lilac vein was 83.3%, specificity was 80.0%; sensitivity of hypogastria vein was 80.0 %, specificity was 66.7%;sensitivity of popliteal vein was 92.6 %, specificity was 92.2 % ;sensitivity of femoral vein was 96.2%, specificity was 93.8% ; sensitivity of anterior tibial vein was 71.4%, specificity was 75.0%; sensitivity of posterior tibial veins was 72.7%, specificity was 75.0%. Conclusions As the first-choice examination for DVT, ultrasonography has different diagnostic value for different segment of venous. It is more sensitive and accurate for femoral, popliteal and external iliac veins thrombus, but less sensitive for anterior,posterior tibial veins and bypass circuit vessels.

"Tinglizi", the ripe seed of Descurainia sophia and Lepidium apetalum, is a member of Brassicaceae (Cruciferae). Traditionally, the former is called "Nantinglizi" (Descurainiae Semen) while the latter is called "Beitinglizi" (Lepidii Semen). In the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, it has the power to purge lung-fire, relieve dyspnea, promote diuresis and reduce edema, and it is mainly indicated in a case with phlegm-fluid accumulation, cough with excessive sputum, dyspnea with being unable to lie, and general swelling. In view of its wide-spread application in clinic, a comprehensive review of Lepidii Semen and Descurainiae Semen was conducted from the following aspects: herbalogical study, variety identification, historical evolution of processing, chemical constituents, pharmacological effects, quantitative determination and toxicity which could provide reference for further research and development of "Tinglizi".
Brassicaceae ; chemistry ; Diuresis ; drug effects ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; adverse effects ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Dyspnea ; drug therapy ; Edema ; drug therapy ; Humans ; Lepidium ; chemistry ; Lung ; drug effects ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Molecular Structure ; Plant Components, Aerial ; chemistry ; Plants, Medicinal ; Seeds ; chemistry

OBJECTIVETo discriminate Descurainiae Semen and Pantagirus Semen.

METHODA high-performance liquid chromatographic method was developed to establish the fingerprint of Descurainiae Semen, and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) were applied to study HPLC fingerprinting and chemical recognition.

RESULTThere exists large difference of chromatographic peaks and its relative peak area of HPLC fingerprints between Descurainiae Semen and Pantagirus Semen, and after conducting statistical analysis, the result demonstrated that all samples were classified into three categories: Descurainiae Semen, Pantagirus Semen and their mixtures.

CONCLUSIONThe developed HPLC fingerprint combined with chemometrics can be utilized to discriminate between Descurainiae Semen and Pantagirus Semen, which was quick, simple, accurate and reliable an can provide the basis for the characterization and quality assess of Descurainiae Semen and Pantagirus Semen.

Brassicaceae ; chemistry ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; methods ; Cluster Analysis ; Least-Squares Analysis ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry

Objective To study the relationship between Couagen Ⅰ,MMP-2,TIMP-2 gene expression and atrial fibrosis during heart failure(HF)in dog.Methods Fourteen dogs were used and randomized into HF induced by ventricular tachypacing and control group.Burst atrial pacing was used to induce atrial fibrillation(AF).And the mRNA and protein level of collagen Ⅰ,MMP-2 and TIMP-2 were detected by RT-PCR and immunohistochemical technique.Tissue samples were stained with Mallory trichrome.Results Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) decreased from (67.4? 6.0)% to (29.2?7.8)%,the inducible rate of AF(7/7 vs 2/7) and sustained AF(5/7 vs 0/7) increased and duration of AF stabeatrial fibrillation(SAF) [(462.12?181.43)s vs(0.57?0.57) s] prolonged significantly in HF group.Atrial fibrous tissue content and atrial size of HF group were significantly greater than the controls dogs(268.8% in lefe atria and 190.3% in right atria).The mRNA and protein level of collagen Ⅰ(56.2% and 132.2% in lefe atria,37.4% and 78.0% in right atria)and MMP-2 (100.0% and 115.7% in lefe atria,65.7% and 96.8% in right atria) increased evidently in both lefe atria and right atria,TIMP-2 mRNA decreased 46.3% in lefe atria and had no change in right atria and that its protein had no change in both atrium,whereas the ratio of MMP-2/ TIMP-2 of mRNA and protein increased markedly in both lefe atria (285.3% and 148.8%)and right atria (106.1% and 134.7%)of HF group.SAF had a positive correlation with fibrosis and the gene level of collagen Ⅰ in lefe atria,the ratio of MMP-2/TIMP-2 had a positive correlation with fibrosis and collagen Ⅰ gene level in lefe atria during HF.Conclusions The changes of collagen Ⅰ,MMP-2 and TIMP-2 gene expression appear to be a molecular mechanism of AF, and the molecular remodeling of collagen Ⅰ induced by regulation unbalance of MMP-2/TIMP-2 appears to be an important mechanism of atrial fibrosis during HF.

Objective: This study analyzes the development of school doctor personnel since the implementation of the national "School Health Work Regulations", from the salary of school doctors, followed by the management system of school doctors in primary and middle schools. Methods: Representative provinces in the eastern, central and western regions of China were selected and surveyed through quantitative and qualitative method. Results: The proportion of school doctors with medical background accounted for 33.64%, 31.6% school doctors had t o be established. A huge gap between income, bonus distribution and appraisal exsited between school doctors and school teachers. Wages of school doctors was much lower than that of education and social health sectors. The salary level showed regional imbalance, relatively higher in the eastern region and lower in the in the central and western regions with few exceptions. There were significant differences between medical background school doctors and non medical background school doctors in the highest educational background, income level, job nature, job placement, career development opportunity, income satisfaction, welfare and training satisfaction( χ 2=10.73,26.64,313.44,14.13,29.14,13.22,12.97,19.44, P < 0.05 ). Conclusion Government needs to pay attention to the school doctors in primary and secondary schools, integreate school health into public health management system. Relevant policies regarding school doctor management authority, school clinic and health center guideline, salary standards, as well as professional career development, are expected.

OBJECTIVETo investigate telomerase activity in rabbit bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) during their committed differentiation in vitro along neural pathway and the effect of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) on the expression of telomerase.

METHODSBMSCs were acquired from rabbit marrow and divided into control group, GDNF (10 ng/ml) group. Cytokine.NSCs medium (prepared by our lab, Patent No. ZL02134314. 4) supplemented with 10 percent fetal bovine serum (FBS) was used to induce BMSCs differentiation along neural pathway. Fluorescent immunocytochemistry was employed to identify the expressions of Nestin, neuron-specific endase (NSE), and gial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). The growth curves of the cells and the status of cell cycles were analyzed, respectively. During the differentiation, telomerase activities were detected using the telomeric repeat amplification protocol-enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (TRAP-ELISA).

RESULTSBMSCs were successfully induced to differentiate along neural pathway and expressed specific markers of fetal neural epithelium, mature neuron and glial cells. Telomerase activities were undetectable in BMSCs during differentiation along neural pathway. Similar changes of cell growth curves, cell cycle status and telomerase expression were observed in the two groups.

CONCLUSIONSRabbit BMSCs do not display telomerase activity during differentiation along neural pathway. GDNF shows little impact on proliferation and telomerase activity of BMSCs.

Animals ; Bone Marrow Cells ; enzymology ; Cell Differentiation ; Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor ; Immunohistochemistry ; Rabbits ; Stromal Cells ; enzymology ; Telomerase ; metabolism

The aim of this study was to explore the potential relationship between the enhancement of instant hemostatic function in vivo of cryopreserved platelets and its procoagulative related molecule activities. The ability of platelet binding factor V density of GPIb-IX-V (CD42a) at platelet member surface were detected by flow cytometry, the clotting time induced by activated platelets were evaluated by coagulometer and platelet count, MPV and PDW were measured by hemocytometer before and after fresh platelets were cryopreserved. The results showed that the clotting time induced by activated cryopreserved platelets decreased by 43.9%, even quicker than that induced by fresh platelets; the fluorescence intensity of cryopreserved platelet binding factor V increased by 117%, more than that of fresh platelets binding factor V; the GPIb-IX-V (CD42a) density at cryopreserved platelet membrane surface increased by 32%, higher than that at fresh platelet surface. It is concluded that the enhancement of instant hemostatic function in vivo of cryopreserved platelet may be related to higher expression of procoagulative molecules or to their enhanced activity and rapid hemostatic effect.
Blood Coagulation ; physiology ; Blood Coagulation Factors ; metabolism ; Blood Platelets ; physiology ; Blood Preservation ; Cryopreservation ; methods ; Humans ; Platelet Glycoprotein GPIb-IX Complex ; analysis

OBJECTIVETo investigate the change in telomere length and TERC and TERT mutations in peripheral blood leukocytes of children with chronic aplastic anemia (CAA).

METHODSSixty-nine children with CAA were divided into untreated group (n=24) who did not receive immunosuppressive therapy (IST), response group (n=36) who showed response to IST, and non-response group (n=9) who showed no response to IST; another 35 healthy children matched for age and sex were selected as the control group. The telomere-to-single copy gene (T/S) ratio in peripheral blood leukocytes was measured by real-time PCR in all groups. PCR was performed to detect TERC and TERT mutations in all children with CAA.

RESULTSThe untreated and non-response groups had significantly lower T/S ratios than the control and response groups (P<0.01), whereas there was no significant difference in T/S ratio between the response and control groups (P>0.05). TERC and TERT mutations were not found in all children with CAA.

CONCLUSIONSThe change in telomere length in children with CAA may be related to the development and progression of disease. Telomere length measurement may be used as a prognostic indicator in children with CAA.

Adolescent ; Anemia, Aplastic ; drug therapy ; genetics ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Chronic Disease ; Humans ; Immunosuppressive Agents ; therapeutic use ; Infant ; Leukocytes ; metabolism ; Male ; Mutation ; Telomerase ; genetics ; Telomere

Honokiol (HNK) is a small organic molecule purified from magnolia species and has demonstrated anticancer activities in a variety of cancer cell lines; however, its effect on oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cells is unknown. We investigated the antitumor activities of HNK on OSCC cells in vitro for the first time. The inhibitory effects of HNK on the growth and proliferation of OSCC cells were demonstrated via in vitro 3-(4,5-dimethyl thiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and propidium iodide (PI) assays, and the apoptotic cells were investigated by the observation of morphological changes and detection of DNA fragmentation via PI, TdT-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling (TUNEL), and DNA ladder assays, as well as flow cytometry assay. The results showed that HNK inhibited the growth and proliferation of OSCC cells in vitro in a time and dose-dependent manner. The inhibitory effect was associated with the cell apoptosis induced by HNK, evidenced by the morphological features of apoptotic cells, TUNEL-positive cells and a degradation of chromosomal DNA into small internucleosomal fragments. The study also demonstrated here that the inhibition or apoptosis mediated by 15 microg x mL(-1) or 20 microg x mL(-1) of HNK were more stronger compared with those of 20 microg x mL(-1) 5-fluorouracil (5-Fu, the control) applied to OSCC cells, when the ratio of OSCC cell numbers were measured between the treatment of different concentrations of HNK to the 5-Fu treatment for 48 h. HNK is a promising compound that can be potentially used as a novel treatment agent for human OSCC.
Antineoplastic Agents ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Apoptosis ; Biphenyl Compounds ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; drug therapy ; Cell Line, Tumor ; drug effects ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Cell Survival ; drug effects ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Flow Cytometry ; Fluorouracil ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; In Situ Nick-End Labeling ; Lignans ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Magnolia ; Mouth Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; Phytotherapy ; Plant Extracts ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use