Objective To study the conventional MRI and dittusion weighted imaging(DWI) features of Japanese encephalitis(JE)in children.Methods Sixteen patients with JE were included. Conventional MRI and DWI sequences were performed in all patients.Seven patients received MRI within 10 days of onset and 9 after 10 days.The appearances on DWI and T_2 WI were recorded.The ADC values of lesions were calculated,and then were correlated with the corresponding time interval between onset of neurological symptoms and MRI scanning.Results The lesions of JE mainly showed long T_1 and long T_2 signal intensity on MRI.The thalami were the most frequently involved areas,and 15 out of 16 showed thalamic involvement and 6 patients only showed thalamic abnormalities without other lesions.Seven patients within 10 days of onset showed lesions with high signal intensity on both DWI and T_2WI,but whole or partial lesions showed clearer on DWI than on T_2WI,and 2 patients showed extra lesions that were invisible on T_2WI.As for the other 9 patients after 10 days of onset,the lesions showed clearer on T_2WI than on DWI. There was a direct correlations between thalamic ADC values and the disease duration (r=0.84,P

OBJECTIVETo compare the changes of digestive and absorptive functions in three different models of Pi-deficiency syndrome (PDS).

METHODSExperimental mice were divided into four groups, the control group(CG), the rhubarb group (RG), the exhaustion group (EG) and the over-exertion group(OG). Criteria including general physical signs, D-xylose excretion rate, serum amylase activity, velocity of stomach emptying and enterokinesia, serum gastrin content and indexes of organs were determined before and after treatment.

RESULTSDecrease of D-xylose excretion rate and increase of stomach emptying and enterokinesia velocity appeared in all the three PDS models. As compared with CG, changes of all indices in OG were significant, while the decreasing of spleen index and serum amylase activity in EG, and the changes of serum gastrin content and thymus index in RG were insignificantly different.

CONCLUSIONAll the changes in various criteria showed that PDS mice model established by over-exertion was superior to that established by frequently used methods as purging with rhubarb and exhausting by swimming.

Animals ; Digestion ; physiology ; Disease Models, Animal ; Intestinal Absorption ; physiology ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred ICR ; Splenic Diseases ; Syndrome ; Xylose ; urine ; Yang Deficiency

To study the preventive effect of Grifola frondosa on nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). The rat model of NASH was established by feeding high-fat diets for 12 weeks and intervened with 0.5 g · kg(-1) · d(-1) and 1.0 g · kg(-1) · d(-1) of C. frondosa powder suspensions. The degrees of hepatocyte fatty degeneration and inflammation were observed under the optical microscope with routine HE staining. The NAFLD activity scores (NAS) were calculated. Serum ALT, AST and hepatic TG and CHOL were tested by the biochemical method. The hepatic MDA was examined by thiobarbituric acid method. The hepatic SOD was tested by the xanthine oxidase test. The hepatic GSH-PX activity was determined by the dithio-nitrobenzoic acid method. Hepatic TNF-α and IL-6 were detected by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The NASH model group induced by high-fat diets showed higher hepatic NAS, ser- um ALT, AST, CHOL and hepatic TG, CHOL, MDA, TNF-α, IL-6 (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05) and lower serum TG and hepatic SOD, GSH-PX (P < 0.01, P < 0.05) than the normal control group. After being intervened with different doses of G. frondosa, the NASH group revealed significantly lower hepatic NAS, serum ALT and hepatic TG, CHOL, MDA, TNF-α and IL-6 (P < 0.05) and higher hepatic SOD, GSH-PX (P < 0.05) than the model group. G. frondosa may prevent the further development of NASH by improving the disorder of lipid metabolism in rats with NASH induced by high-fat diets, relieving the level of oxidative stress and reducing the generation of inflammatory cytokines.
Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; Grifola ; chemistry ; Humans ; Interleukin-6 ; metabolism ; Liver ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Male ; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Oxidative Stress ; drug effects ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; metabolism

AIMTo study the effect of radix-astragali compound(RC) on muscle atrophy in tail-suspended rats. Muscle weight, fiber type distribution, cross-sectional area (CSA), and activity of myosin adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) in rat soleus muscle were investigated.

METHODSThe tail-suspended rats were subjected to a 14 days simulated weightlessness, during which period, RC or saltwater was given via intragastric instillation during tail suspension. The changes of soleus muscle weight were scaled by muscle-to-body weight ratio. The activities of myosin ATPase of muscle fibers were detected by method of Ca(2+) -ATPase.

RESULTSAfter a 14 days tail suspension it was found: in rats treated with RC, soleus muscle-to-body weight ratio rose by 33.33% (P < 0.01), both CSA of type I and II fiber drastically enhanced by(143.03%, P < 0.01; 83.25%, P < 0.01), the percentage of type I fiber significantly declined compared to the untreated rats.

CONCLUSIONRC is able to effectively prevent muscle atrophy caused by tail suspension and restrain the increase in the myosin ATPase activities caused by simulated weightlessness.

Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Hindlimb Suspension ; Male ; Muscle Fibers, Skeletal ; enzymology ; Muscle, Skeletal ; drug effects ; enzymology ; Muscular Atrophy ; prevention & control ; Myosins ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Weightlessness Simulation ; methods

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of FAK on biological characteristics of tongue squamous cell carcinoma cell Tca8113.

METHODSLipofect was used to transfect FAK into Tca8113 cell lines. The difference in expression of FAK between the transfected and non-transfected cell lines was detected by immunofluorescence assay. Then by use of transwell room and wash way, the difference in invasion and adhesion ability between the transfected and non-transfected cell lines was tested. MTT method was adopted in finding the change of proliferation.

RESULTSRT-PCR analysis showed that the FAK gene was downregulated by Tca8113 cells. FAK expression was significantly down regulated by the transfection of FAK ASODN (P<0.05). Antisense FAK ODN significantly inhibited proliferation, adhesion and the invasion of Tca8113 cells.

CONCLUSIONFAK plays an important role on biological characteristics of tongue squamous cell carcinoma cell Tca8113.

Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Down-Regulation ; Focal Adhesion Protein-Tyrosine Kinases ; Humans ; Tongue Neoplasms ; Transfection

The aim of this study was to investigate the roles of chemokine CCL20 in development of CD4(+)CD25(+) thymocytes by means of fetal thymus organ culture. Fetal mouse thymus lobes were removed at the fetus age of 14.5 days and cultured in complete RPMI 1640 with 20% FBS in vitro. Phenotypes of the thymocytes were analyzed by FACS and the number of cells per lobe was counted. The results revealed that from day 14.5 to day 19, the absolute and relative numbers of the CD4(+)CD25(+) thymocytes varied similarly as their development as in vitro culture at 6 days. Data showed that during the 6 days in vitro culture the CD4(+)CD25(+) cell percentage out of CD4(+) cells was 58.29%, 12.14%, 6.08%, 17.78%, 9.06%, 4.04% and the CD4(+)CD25(+) cell percentage out of CD25(+) cells was 3.75%, 10.81%, 17.20%, 51.93%, 61.64%, 80.06%. All these data indicated similar characters to their development in vivo. Moreover, at interference with CCL20, the percentage of CD4(+)CD25(+) T cells in thymocytes significantly decreased at the 3 and 6 days from 3.24+/-0.18 and 3.96+/-0.24 to 1.27+/-0.11 (p<0.001) and 1.76+/-0.22 (p<0.001) respectively. It is concluded that the development of CD4(+)CD25(+) thymocytes is similar both in vitro and in vivo, interfering with CCL20 significantly downregulate the expression of CD4(+)CD25(+) T cells. The above data may help to understand the development of naturally arising CD4(+)CD25(+) regulatory T cells.
Animals ; Chemokine CCL20 ; pharmacology ; Embryo, Mammalian ; Embryonic Development ; Female ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Organ Culture Techniques ; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory ; cytology ; drug effects ; Thymus Gland ; cytology ; embryology

OBJECTIVETo study the effect of natural killer (NK)-cell on reconstitution of hematopoiesis and immunity in mouse allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (allo-BMT).

METHODSLethally irradiated BALB/c (H-2(d)) mice were transplanted with C57BL/6 (H-2(b)) bone marrow plus peripheral T cells and/or NK cells. Recipients CD34(+) cells and H-2K(b+), CD3(+) and CD19(+) cells were detected by flow cytometry, peripheral white blood cell (WBC) by auto-cytometry, and the survival rates, engraftment, hematopoietic and immune recovery were observed.

RESULTSIn the transplantation with NK cell infusion group, the survival rates, the WBC and CD34(+) cell counts, and the H-2(b+) and CD19(+) cells were significantly higher than that in without NK cell infusion group (P < 0.01). Twenty-eight days after transplantation, the CD3(+) cells in the NK cell infusion group [(33.69 +/- 3.36)%] were lower than that in without [(50.4 +/- 5.06)%] (P < 0.01), and there was no longer difference between these groups 60 days after transplantation (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONIn mouse allo-BMT, alloreactive NK cell enhances engraftment, promotes reconstitution of hematopoiesis and immunity and increases survival rates.

Animals ; Antigens, CD19 ; analysis ; Antigens, CD34 ; analysis ; Bone Marrow Transplantation ; immunology ; methods ; Cells, Cultured ; Female ; Flow Cytometry ; Graft Survival ; immunology ; Hematopoiesis ; immunology ; Killer Cells, Natural ; cytology ; immunology ; transplantation ; Lymphocyte Transfusion ; methods ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Transplantation, Homologous

OBJECTIVETo observe the effect of the inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) gene on androgen-independent prostate cancer DU145 cells in vitro.

METHODSThe iNOS gene was transfected into androgen-independent prostate cancer DU145 cells. The positive cells were selected as the transfected group for amplification, and an empty vector (EV) group and a control group were also set. The mRNA transcription of iNOS was analyzed by RT-PCR. The morphological changes of the cells were observed, the effect of iNOS transfection on the cell growth determined using the MTB method, and the apoptosis of DU145 cells detected by flow cytometry, followed by analysis of the effect of NOS inhibitors on the transfected cells.

RESULTSDU145 cells transfected with iNOS secreted significantly more nitric oxide ([272.50 +/- 15.82] micromol/L) than those of the EV and control groups ([122.00 +/- 18.93] micromol/L and [121.00 +/- 6.98] micromol/L) (P < 0.05). The rate of cell apoptosis was markedly enhanced in the transfected group as compared with the EV and control groups ([42.78 +/- 2.01]% vs [30.65 +/- 1.46]% and [28.96 +/- 1.50]%, P < 0.05). MTP test indicated a slower growth of the DU145 cells in the former than in the latter two (P < 0.05). NOS inhibitors enhanced their growth, but with no significance (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONDU145 cells transfected with iNOS could secrete high-concentration nitric oxide, induce cell apoptosis, and suppress cell proliferation, which may provide a potentially effective gene therapy for advanced androgen-independent prostate cancer.

Androgens ; pharmacology ; Apoptosis ; genetics ; Cell Cycle ; genetics ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; Genetic Vectors ; Humans ; Male ; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II ; genetics ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; genetics ; pathology ; Transfection

OBJECTIVETo explore the efficacy of urethral dilatation with the renal sheath dilator under the ureteroscope in the treatment of male patients with urethrostenosis.

METHODSEighteen male patients with urethrostenosis underwent urethral dilatation with the renal sheath dilator. Under the ureteroscope, a zebra-guide wire was inserted through the stenosed urethra into the bladder and the stenosis was gradually dilated with the renal sheath dilator, followed by placing a Foley catheter of proper size for 1-4 weeks. For children, the renal sheath dilator was selected according to their age, while for adults, metal dilators (> or = F20) were used following dilatation with the F18 renal sheath dilator. All the patients were followed up for 6-24 months.

RESULTSThe operation was successfully performed in all the 18 cases, with no urethral false passage, urethral perforation or urethra tearing. Sixteen of the patients were cured, and the other 2 received urethroplasty for stenosis recurrence. The maximum flow rate was increased to 13.6-30.2 (18.1 +/- 3.5) mL/s after the operation.

CONCLUSIONUrethral dilatation with the renal sheath dilator under the ureteroscope is a simple, safe and effective method for the treatment of urethrostenosis.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Dilatation ; methods ; Fasciotomy ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Urethral Stricture ; surgery ; Young Adult

In this study, it is to compare the effectiveness of prevention against and treatment of doxorubicin (DOX) induced cardiotoxicity by dexrazoxane and schisandrin B (Sch B) in rats. Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into the following 6 groups: normal saline group, DOX group, DOX+DEX group, DOX+Sch B (80 mg x kg(-1)) group, DOX+Sch B (40 mg x kg(-1)) group and DOX+Sch B (20 mg x kg(-1)) group. The results showed that Sch B could combat the increase of myocardial enzymes in peripheral blood, decrease of the enzyme activity of myocardial tissue antioxidant enzymes and disorders of systolic and diastolic function of heart in rats intravenously injected with doxorubicin (15 mg x kg(-1)). Sch B was better than DEX in protecting rat against DOX-induced the symptoms. Sch B could protect rat against DOX-induced acute cardiomyopathy and has clinical potential applications.
Animals ; Antibiotics, Antineoplastic ; adverse effects ; Antioxidants ; metabolism ; Cardiomyopathies ; chemically induced ; drug therapy ; Cardiotoxicity ; drug therapy ; Cyclooctanes ; therapeutic use ; Dexrazoxane ; therapeutic use ; Doxorubicin ; adverse effects ; Heart ; physiopathology ; Lignans ; therapeutic use ; Myocardium ; enzymology ; Polycyclic Compounds ; therapeutic use ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley