Objective To discuss the clinical application value of ultrasound contrast on evaluating fallopian tube patency.Methods Ultrasound contrast examination was conducted on 84 patients suffering from infertility and the flowing status of contrast agent in the uterine cavity and the fallopian tube and the distribution condition in the pelvic cavity were observed under the real -time ultrasound to judge the patency condition of the fallopian tube.Results After 84 patients receiving ultrasound contrast,38 cases'bilateral fallopian tubes were unobstructed,26 cases'lateral fallopian tube were unobstructed and 20 cases'bilateral fallopian were obstructed.Comparing the result of ultrasound contrast with laparoscopy,the diagnosis accuracy was 89.5%,the specificity 86% and the sensitivity 94%.Conclusion Fallopian tube ultrasound contrast technique can make an accurate and objective evaluation on the fallopian tube patency,it is an effective method to check fallopian tube patency and it is of high clinical application value.

Bacterial N-Acyl-L-homoserine lactones (AHLs)-mediated quorum sensing is involved in the regulation of diverse biological functions. As the bacterial pathogen population density increases, AHLs concentration secreted by pathogen reaches a threshold and then interacts with their intercellular receptor and triggers expression of virulence genes. It is a promising approach to biologically control bacterial disease in plants and animals by manipulating bacterial AHL-quorum sensing with AHLs-degrading enzyme and AHL analogue.

Ralstonia metallidurans CH34 was isolated from the deposit of a znic factory .The degradation of phenol by R .metallidurans CH34 was investigated. The results showed that R . metallidurans CH34 possesses high ability to degrade phenol with the biodegradation rate constant of 0.33 . The optimal pH , temperature and volume of medium for phenol degradation are pH 7.0 , 30℃ , and 20%(v/v), respectively . In addition , this strain retains its ability to degrade phenol in the presence of high concentration of heavy metal ion .The sodium citrate , sodium succinate can enhance the degradation of phenol.

Airway remodeling is an important pathological feature of asthma and the basis of severe asthma. Proliferation of airway smooth muscle cells (ASMCs) is a major contributor to airway remodeling. As an important Ca(2+) channel, transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) plays the key role in the cell pathological and physiological processes. This study investigated the expression and activity of TRPV1 channel, and further clarified the effect of TRPV1 channel on the ASMCs proliferation and apoptosis in order to provide the scientific basis to treat asthmatic airway remodeling in clinical practice. Immunofluorescence staining and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were used to detect the expression of TRPV1 in rat ASMCs. Intracellular Ca(2+) was detected using the single cell confocal fluorescence microscopy measurement loaded with Fluo-4/AM. The cell cycles were observed by flow cytometry. MTT assay and Hoechst 33258 staining were used to detect the proliferation and apoptosis of ASMCs in rats respectively. The data showed that: (1) TRPV1 channel was present in rat ASMCs. (2) TRPV1 channel agonist, capsaicin, increased the Ca(2+) influx in a concentration-dependent manner (EC50=284.3±58 nmol/L). TRPV1 channel antagonist, capsazepine, inhibited Ca(2+) influx in rat ASMCs. (3) Capsaicin significantly increased the percentage of S+G2M ASMCs and the absorbance of MTT assay. Capsazepine had the opposite effect. (4) Capsaicin significantly inhibited the apoptosis, whereas capsazepine had the opposite effect. These results suggest that TRPV1 is present and mediates Ca(2+) influx in rat ASMCs. TRPV1 activity stimulates proliferation of ASMCs in rats.

Background Our previous study demonstrated that curcumin can induce the apoptosis of retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells and herein inhibit the proliferation of RPE cells,and it is proved that the intravitreous injection of 0.1mg curcumin has less adverse effect to ocular tissue, inferring a good applicative prospect in clinic. Objective The goal of this experiment was to evaluate the effectiveness of curcumin on the prevention and treatment of experimental proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR). Methods PVR models were induced by injection of 0.1ml RPE cells (containing 2×106 cells) into vitreous cavity in 40 eyes of 20 healthy and mature New Zealand albino rabbits.0. 1ml curcumin(0. 1 mg) was then injected into lateral eye of each model rabbit immediately following the injection of RPE cells,and the equal volume of normal saline solution containing 0. 5‰ DMSO was injected into the fellow eye of each model rabbit as controls. On 1,3,7,14,21 and 28 days after injection, the changes of cornea, aqueous humor, lens, vitreous and fundus were examined and recorded by slit lamp biomicroscope, indirect ophthalmoscope,fundus color camera and B-type ultrasonograph to evaluate the inflammatory response. The incidence rate of retinal detachment was calculated and compared between curcumin group and control group. Results The inflammatory reaction in anterior chamber and misty opacity in vitreous were found from 1 day through 3 days after injection, but no obvious proliferative strap and retinal detachment in all of the experimental eyes. On the 7th day after injection, inflammatory reaction was extinct in the anterior chamber of rabbit eyes, and proliferative strap occurred in 14 eyes(75% ) in the control group but only 2 eyes (10% ) in curcumin group,showing significant difference between these two groups (P<0. 01). No retinal detachment was seen in both the two groups. On 14,21 and 28 days after injection, the incidence rate of retinal detachment was 55% ,80% ,95% respectively in control group and that of curcumin group was 10% ,15% ,15% respectively,presenting considerably differences between two groups (P<0. 01, P<0. 01 ,P<0. 01 ). Conclusion Injection of curcumin into vitreous cavity can effectively inhibit the occurrence and development of PVR in rabbit.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the time trends of cancer mortality among residents in Kaifeng county, Henan province.

METHODSData on cancer mortality from the vital registration system in Kaifeng county from 1988 to 2005 was analyzed. A total of 9543 death records (5974 males and 3567 females) due to malignant tumors were studied. A two-year-period age-specified standardized mortality rates were directly adjusted by the world standard population, and the annual percentage change (APC) of mortality were estimated by a linear logarithm regression.

RESULTSThe crude cancer death rate for male was 95.09/100,000 and its age-standardized death rate was 117.41/100,000. While, the crude cancer death rate for female was 59.13/100,000 and the age-standardized death rate was 57.15/100,000. There was a significant growth tread for lung cancer (APC: 6.54%), liver cancer (5.07%) in males and breast cancer (7.04%) in females in the groups aged over 18. On the contrary, the decreasing treads for esophageal cancer in both of sexes (-7.09%, -13.53%) were also observed in this study. Meanwhile, there was no other significant changes in the trend, either in the tumor sites or mortality, was observed.

CONCLUSIONIn the past two decades, there has been a significant increasing trend for cancer mortality in Kaifeng county, of Henan Province. Hence, it is necessary to enhance epidemiological survey to identify risk factors at the earlier stages.

China ; epidemiology ; Death Certificates ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Mortality ; trends ; Neoplasms ; mortality ; Rural Population

This study is to evaluate the therapeutic effect of fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) on NAFLD in MSG-IR mice and to provide mechanism insights into its therapeutic effect. The MSG-IR mice with insulin resistance were treated with high dose (0.1 micromol.kg-1d-1) and low dose (0.025 micromol.kg-1d-1) of FGF21 once a day for 5 weeks. Body weight was measured weekly. At the end of the experiment, serum lipids, insulin and aminotransferases were measured. Hepatic steatosis was observed. The expression of key genes regulating energy metabolism were detected by real-time PCR. The results showed that after 5 weeks treatment, both doses of FGF21 reduced body weight (P<0.01), corrected dyslipidemia (P<0.01), reversed steatosis and restored the liver morphology in the MSG model mice and significantly ameliorated insulin resistance. Additionally, real-time PCR showed that FGF21 significantly reduced transcription levels of fat synthetic genes, decreased fat synthesis and promoted lipolysis and energy metabolism by up-regulating key genes of lipolysis, thereby liver fat accumulation was reduced and liver function was restored to normal levels. In conclusion, FGF21 significantly reduces body weight of the MSG-IR mice, ameliorates insulin resistance, reverses hepatic steatosis. These findings provide a theoretical support for clinical application of FGF21 as a novel therapeutics for treatment of NAFLD.
Animals ; Body Weight ; drug effects ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Dyslipidemias ; metabolism ; Energy Metabolism ; drug effects ; Fatty Liver ; chemically induced ; complications ; Female ; Fibroblast Growth Factors ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Insulin Resistance ; Lipolysis ; drug effects ; Liver ; metabolism ; pathology ; Male ; Mice ; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease ; drug therapy ; Sodium Glutamate

OBJECTIVETo investigate the relationship between the proliferation of sensitized human airway smooth muscle cells (HASMCs) and the expression of extracellular signal regulated kinase (ERK) and the effect of Shenmai Injection (SMI) on HASMCs.

METHODSThe HASMCs cultured in vitro were divided into three groups: (1) control group; (2) sensitized group: containing 10% asthmatic serum; (3) SMI group: further divided into three different concentration subgroups interferred with 10 microL/mL, 50 microL/mL, and 100 microL/mL SMI, respectively. The proliferation of HASMCs was detected using MTT method, the expression of proliferating cell nucleus antigen (PCNA) in HASMCs was detected using immunocytochemical staining, and the expression of phosphoration-ERK1/2 (p-ERK1/2) protein was detected using Western-blot.

RESULTSAfter passive sensitization,: the optical density value (A A(490) value) of HASMCs was significantly increased from 0.366+/-0.086 to 0.839+/- 0.168 (P<0.05). In addition, the expression of PCNA was significantly increased from 28.7%+/-5.9% in the control group to 69.8%+/-7.5% in the sensitized group (P<0.05). At the same time, the expression of p-ERK1/2 in passively sensitized HASMCs was significantly increased compared with the control group (all P<0.05). After application of 10 microL/mL, 50 microL/mL, and 100 microL/mL SMI to the cultured media of passively sensitized group, the A(570) value was significantly decreased from 0.839+/-0.168 to 0.612+/-0.100, 0.412+/-0.092, and 0.339+/-0.077, respectively (P<0.05). Moreover, the expression of PCNA was significantly decreased from 69.8%+/-7.5% to 57.8%+/-6.2%, 40.7%+/-5.4%, and 26.1%+/-5.2%, respectively. At the same time, the expression of p-ERK1/2 in each SMI group was significantly decreased compared with the sensitized group (all P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONERK signal transduction pathway may be involved in the airway remodeling in asthma. The expression of ERK can be inhibited by SMI in a dose-dependent manner, thus preventing the proliferation of HASMCs.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Asthma ; enzymology ; pathology ; Blotting, Western ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Drug Combinations ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases ; antagonists & inhibitors ; metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Injections ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Myocytes, Smooth Muscle ; drug effects ; enzymology ; pathology ; Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen ; metabolism ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo establish the quality standard of yinhuang langxiao granule.

METHODThe Panax notoginseng, Arnebia euchromq, Cornus officinalis, Lonicera japonica, Artemisiae annua were identified by TLC. The content of chrysophanol in granule was determined by HPLC.

RESULTSpots of samples on TLC can be well separated and the method had good specificity. The average recovery of chrysophanol was 98.7% and RSD was 0.67%.

CONCLUSIONAn accurate, simple and effective quality-controlling method has been developed, which can be used for quality control for yinhuang langxiao granule.

Anthraquinones ; analysis ; Artemisia ; chemistry ; Boraginaceae ; chemistry ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Chromatography, Thin Layer ; Cornus ; chemistry ; Drug Combinations ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Lonicera ; chemistry ; Panax ; chemistry ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Quality Control ; Rheum ; chemistry

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the clinical value of magnetic resonance (MR) diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) for diagnosing radiation-induced liver injury (RILI) and detecting changes in hepatic pathology at different post-irradiation times.

METHODSMale New Zealand white rabbits received no irradiation (C0, control group; n = 10) or irradiation of 50 Gy/10F once every other day by virtual three dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT) for one day (C1; n = 10), three days (C2; n = 10), two weeks (C3; n = 10), one month (C4; n = 10) or two months (C5; n = 10). One member of all groups were sacrificed for DWI examination and pathologic study on post-irradiation day 1, day 3, week 2, month 1 and month 2. The apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values were measured using a range of b values (50, 300, 600, 800 and 1000 s/mm2).

RESULTSHematoxylin-eosin (H-E) staining showed that livers of rabbits in the C3, C4 and C5 groups had the characteristic features of veno-occlusive disease. DWI examination showed that the irradiated livers of rabbits in C2, C3, C4 and C5 groups had significantly lower ADC values than the livers of the non-irradiated rabbits at b values of 300, 600, 800 and 1000 s/mm2 (P less than 0.05). When the b value was 600 s/mm2, the best negative correlation between ADC values and pathological stage was seen for the irradiated livers (Spearman's rank, r = -0.459, P less than 0.01). The threshold ADC value to distinguish the normal group (C0) from an irradiated group (more than or equal toC1) was 1.955 * 10-3 mm2/s at 600 s/mm2 b value. When the b value was 1000 s/mm2, the threshold ADC value to predict an irradiated group with normal H-E staining (C1) from an irradiated group with abnormal H-E staining (more than or equal toC2) was 1.5250 * 10-3 mm2/s; the ADC threshold value was 1.5150 * 10-3 mm2/s to predict groups C0-2 and groups C3-5.

CONCLUSIONDWI has high sensitivity for detecting RILI at three days after irradiation with proper b values. Use of the ADC value is feasible for estimating the evolutionary process of pathological features of RILI damage. DWI may represent an important clinical tool for detection of early pathological changes in RILI.