Objective:The recombinant human retinal pigment epithelium-derived factor(PEDF)protein to be obtained and the angiogenesis of the rPEDF to be identified.Methods: PEDF gene gene was amplified by PCR and cloned into pET32a,rPEDF protein was expressed in E.coli BL21 and confirmed by SDS-PAGE and Western blot.The rPEDF was purified by Ni-NTA on denature condition.The concentration of the rPEDF was determined by Bradford method.The angiogenesis of the rPEDF was determined by chick chorioallantoic membrane(CAM) method.Results: The expression plasmid pET32a-PEDF was constructed successfully.The rPEDF was expressed with stable efficiency in E.coli BL21.The results of the CAM experiment showed that the rPEDF had notable angiogenesis effect in the concentration 0.4、0.04 ng/ml,but had no effect in 4 ng/ml.Conclusion:The PEDF gene was cloned and expressed efficiently,the angiogenesis of the rPEDF to be identified and the activity was worked in certain range.The results can facilitate studying its function and spreading its application.

With the widespread clinical application of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, it has become an essential part of combination therapy for patients with breast cancer. However, a rapid, accurate, and effective approach for assessing the therapeutic efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy is unavailable. Routine physical examinations cannot provide effective clinical evaluation. Although imaging techniques play an important role in evaluating the therapeutic effect of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, this is limited because it only detects morphologic changes. Blood oxygen detection for breast diseases is an emerging diagnostic technique that has distinctive merit in assessing the efficacy of chemotherapy. Biologic markers are becoming more important in assessing the effect of neoadjuvant chemotherapy for patients with breast cancer. This review summarizes the principles and the current applied practice of these approaches to evaluate the effect of neoadjuvant chemotherapy for patients with breast cancer.

Objective To evaluate the pattern of energy metabolism and nutrients intake in patients with chronic viral hepatitis and posthepatitic cirrhosis to effectively direct their nutrition therapy.Methods Resting energy expenditure (REE) was measured with open-circuit indirect Jorimetry in 60 patients with chronic viral hepatitis and 60 patients with posthepatitic cirrhosis.Their normal basal energy expenditure (BEE) was predicted by Harris-Benedict equation and energy intake (EI) was determined by diet recall. Correlation between REE and indicators for nutrition assessment was analyzed.Results REE was (77? 21) kJ?kg~(-1)?d~(-1) in 60 patients with pusthepatitic cirrhosis,significantly lower than BEE[(95?16) kJ? kg~(-1)?d~(-1)(P0.05,and their EI was (127?34) kJ?kg~(-1)?d~(-1),1.41?0.43 times as REE,in which PROI was (1.02?0.29) g?kg~(-1)?d~(-1),1.31?0.61 times as PROE (0.87?0.34) g?kg~(-1)?d~(-1),also indicating a negative nitrogen balance (-2.02?4.07).REE,EI and intake of three nutrients,serum level of albumin and prealbumin (PA) and body weight significantly decreased in patients with posthepatitic cirrhosis,as compared to those in patients with chronic viral hepatitis (P

OBJECTIVETo purify caffeic acid tetramer (CAT) with macroporous resin on the basis of its fundamental physicochemical stability research.

METHODThe changes of CAT content were compared by HPLC method before and after the purification process, or while other conditions were altered.

RESULTLK001 was the best one among 7 kinds of macroporous resin in regard of purifying ability. The optimum absorbing technology was the solution concentration at 10 g x L(-1), pH at 4.5, and the flow rate at 3 BV x h(-1). The best eluting technology was 45% ethanol as eluting agent, pH at 5.0, eluting volume at 50 mL after applying super-purified water and 20% ethanol. The yield of product was 3. 6 percent, and the active compound CAT was 58 percent in the product.

CONCLUSIONMacroporous resin LK001 is effective in enriching CAT from the crude extracts, thus this method of purification is advisable.

Absorption ; Boraginaceae ; chemistry ; Caffeic Acids ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Light ; Oxygen ; chemistry ; Porosity ; Resins, Plant ; chemistry ; Temperature ; Water ; chemistry

With the widespread clinical application of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, it has become an essential part of combination therapy for patients with breast cancer. However, a rapid, accurate, and effective approach for assessing the therapeutic efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy is unavailable. Routine physical examinations cannot provide effective clinical evaluation. Although imaging techniques play an important role in evaluating the therapeutic effect of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, this is limited because it only detects morphologic changes. Blood oxygen detection for breast diseases is an emerging diagnostic technique that has distinctive merit in assessing the efficacy of chemotherapy. Biologic markers are becoming more important in assessing the effect of neoadjuvant chemotherapy for patients with breast cancer. This review summarizes the principles and the current applied practice of these approaches to evaluate the effect of neoadjuvant chemotherapy for patients with breast cancer.
Biomarkers, Tumor ; metabolism ; Breast Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant ; Evaluation Studies as Topic ; Female ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Mammography ; instrumentation ; Molybdenum ; Neoadjuvant Therapy ; Oxyhemoglobins ; metabolism ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; Ultrasonography, Mammary

AIMTo investigate the effects of blockers of the three kinds of potassium channels: voltage-dependent K+ channel(KV), calcium-activated K+ channel(KCa) and ATP-sensitive K+ channel(KATP), on the proliferation of rat bronchial smooth muscle cells (BSMCs).

METHODSThe effects of three kinds of potassium channel blockers on the proliferation of BSMCs were detected by MTT method, immunocytochemistry staining and flow-cytometry. Their effects on the dynamic changes of Ca2+ concentration in BSMCs were investigated by the fluorophotometry of Fura-2/AM.

RESULTSThe KV blocker 4-aminopyridine (4-AP) was shown to significantly increase the expression of proliferating cell nucleus antigen in cultured rat BSMCs (P < 0.01), but the KCa blocker tetraethylammonium (TEA) and KATP blocker glibenclamide(Glib) did not show such effect (P > 0.05). 4-AP was found to significantly increase the optical density value of the cultured BSMCs (P < 0.01) by MTT method and the numbers of S + G2M BSMCs(P < 0.05) by flow-cytometry. TEA and Glib did not show such effects. 4-AP significantly increased the Ca2+ concentration in cultured BSMCs(P < 0.01). TEA and Glib did not show such effects.

CONCLUSIONThis result suggests that inhibition of KV activity can increase intracellular Ca2+ and proliferation of rat BSMCs, but inhibition of KCa and KATP showed no effect.

4-Aminopyridine ; pharmacology ; Animals ; Bronchi ; cytology ; Calcium ; metabolism ; Cell Division ; drug effects ; Cells, Cultured ; Glyburide ; pharmacology ; Muscle, Smooth ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Potassium Channel Blockers ; pharmacology ; Potassium Channels, Calcium-Activated ; antagonists & inhibitors ; Potassium Channels, Voltage-Gated ; antagonists & inhibitors ; Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Tetraethylammonium ; pharmacology

Virtual surgery provides important assistance in preoperative planning of brain surgeries. A virtual surgery system essentially consists of visualization and modeling of the medical data and deformation simulation of human organs (mainly soft tissues). We used the hybrid level set theory, threshold segmentation, and morphological methods to segment the human head MRI volumetric data into five parts, namely the outline of the head, gray matter, white matter, cerebrospinal fluid and ventricles. The iso2mesh toolkit based on Delaunay algorithm was then employed to generate the tetrahedral mesh and mark the five parts. We further studied the soft tissue deformation, and established a mechanic model based on Tensor-Mass system to simulate the point-touch and ball-touch models for soft tissue deformation. This approach can help to improve the positioning accuracy of a virtual brain surgery and represent the process of brain tissue deformation.
Algorithms ; Brain ; surgery ; Computer Simulation ; Humans ; Imaging, Three-Dimensional ; methods ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Models, Biological ; Phantoms, Imaging ; Surgery, Computer-Assisted ; methods ; User-Computer Interface

BACKGROUNDTo find the pathogenic agents of aseptic meningitis prevalent in Xuzhou of Jiangsu province in 2001.

METHODSThe enterovirus (EV) was cultured from CSF of the patients and identified with anti-serum by neutralization test. Neutralization titer of antibody in paired sera from meningitis children was determined. EV RNA was detected by RT-PCR.

RESULTSFour strains of Coxsackievirus B5, 2 strains of Coxsackievirus B3 and 1 strain of Echovirus 7 were isolated from 22 CSF specimens. The isolation rate of virus was 31.8% (7/22), 21 CSF were tested by RT-PCR, the positive rate of EV RNA was 52.4% (11/21); 57.9% (11/19) of patients paired-sera had over 4 folds antibody rise or became seroconverted.

CONCLUSIONEnterovirus was the pathogenic agent of aseptic meningitis prevalent in Xuzhou of Jiangsu province, the main serotype of the virus was Coxsackievirus B5.

Antibodies, Viral ; immunology ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; epidemiology ; Coxsackievirus Infections ; cerebrospinal fluid ; epidemiology ; virology ; Echovirus Infections ; cerebrospinal fluid ; epidemiology ; virology ; Enterovirus ; genetics ; immunology ; isolation & purification ; Humans ; Infant ; Meningitis, Aseptic ; cerebrospinal fluid ; epidemiology ; virology ; Microscopy, Electron ; Neutralization Tests ; Prevalence ; RNA, Viral ; genetics ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Virion ; isolation & purification ; ultrastructure

Objective To study the relationship between the cost and value of nursing services and its effects on the nursing science development. Methods According to Chinese administrative regions, 7 cities were randomly selected to descriptively analysis for the price of nursing services and compared in the cost recovery rate for some items. Results The price of nursing services was not fully reasonable. Moreover, the cost recovery rate was generally low and price fixing lacks of accounting basis. Conclusions It is important to enhance the awareness of the economic value of nursing services and build a scientific accounting system of nursing cost in order to promote the sustainable development of nursing science.

OBJECTIVEThe purpose of the study was to determine the prevalence of frontal recess cells in Chinese patients who did not have frontal sinus disease related symptoms.

METHODSForty-nine Chinese patients without frontal sinus disease symptoms were undergone spiral computed tomography (CT). Then multiplanar reconstruction images were evaluated using a standard triplanar reconstruction protocol on a computer workstation.

RESULTSThe prevalence of agge rnasi cell was 94% (92/98). Sixty-four uncinate processes (65%, 64/98) had one superior attachment for each uncinate process, the other thirty-four uncinate processes (35%, 34/98) had two superior attachments for each uncinate process. The uncinate process' single superior attachment into the surrounding structures was identified to have the following distribution: 53% (52/98) to the lamina papyracea, 9% (9/98) to the middle turbinate, 3% (3/98) to the skull base. Most of the uncinate process' two superior attachments were either into the lamina papyracea and the skull base (24%, 23/98) or into the lamina papyracea and the middle turbinate (10%, 10/98). Only one uncinate process (1%) superiorly attached to the skull base and the middle turbinate. The prevalence of recessus terminalis was 87% (85/98). Of all the frontal cells identified in 32 sides (33%) of frontal recesses, the prevalence of type I, type II, type II and type IV cells were 23% (23 sides), 2% (2 sides), 7% (7 sides) and 0% (0 side) respectively. Supra bullar cell, frontal bullar cell and interfrontal septal cell were identified in 30 sides (31%), 7 sides (7%) and 7 patients (14%) respectively.

CONCLUSIONSThe result characterized normal frontal recess pneumatization in Chinese. That, together with the variations of the uncinate process' superior attachment emphasized the roles of agger nasi cell and the uncinate process in endoscopic frontal sinus surgery.

Adult ; Anatomy, Regional ; Female ; Frontal Sinus ; diagnostic imaging ; Humans ; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Tomography, Spiral Computed ; Young Adult