Objective To assess the quantitative relationship between the distribution of Himalayan marmot and its ecological environment,the terrain,the temperature and the precipitation,using remote sensing and geographic information system in Qinghai province.Methods The distribution of Himalayan marmot was located by Google Earth and ArcGIS software and by using field survey data provided by Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.The corresponding ecological environment of marmot including terrain,temperature and precipitation were derived from the spatial information datasets.All results were processed according to the overlay and statistics analysis using ArcGIS software.Results Seventy-seven point twenty-seven percent(153/198) of Himalayan marmot were distributed in the area of elevation between 3000 and 4000 meters.The number of marmot reached the highest when the slope was between 0 and 17 degrees,and aspect range was between 91 and 270 degrees,180 degree was as south direction.During the period with the maximum temperature of the warmest month of 14.3-17.5 ℃,17.6-20.8 ℃ and 20.9-24.0 ℃,the distribution of marmot reached 95％(186/198) of the total area.Meanwhile,most of the marmot were presented in the area with average precipitation of 46-108 mm.Conclusions A quantitative analysis of appropriate ecological environment of Himalayan marmot in a large scope is carried uul successfully using remote sensing and geographic information system.The study indicates that spatial information technology has important applications in plague prevention and control.

Objective To study the relationship between environmental chemical elements,vires infection and dilated cardiomyopathy(DCM).Methods In 2008,233 patients with DCM(case group)and 150 patient with stable angina(control group)were chosen in Liaocheng People's Hospital and Yanggu People's Hospital,Shandong province.Population distribution and disease history were surveyed in the two groups.Human myocardial antibody IgG(AMA-IgG),Coxsackie B virus IgG(CBV-IgG),Adenofirus antibody IgG(ADV-IgG)were detected by ELISA in both the case group and the control group.Serum trace elements were detected in the two groups.The general chemical and toxicological indicators in drinking water of the high-and the low-incidence aireas of the disease were control group[60.00%(90/150),χ2=13.80,P<0.01)].Per capita annual income(Yuan,RMB)in the case group (3207.82±618.51)was lower than that of the control group[(5086.61±886.12),t=24.40,P<0.01].Personal alcohol consumption in the case group[(175.00±160.50)g/d]was higher than that of the control group[(110.22±100.03)g/d,t=4.40,P<0.01)].The rate of myocarditis in the case group[5.15%(12/233)]was higher than ADV-IgG in the cage group were 7.78%(7/90),6.67%(6/90)and 6.67%(6/90),respectively.Compared with those in the control group[3.33%(2/60),5.00%(3/60)and 5.00%(3/60),χ2=1.26,0.18,0.18,all P>0.05],no mg/L]in drinking water of the high-incidence areas were significantly higher than that of iron[(0.39±0.67)mg/L,t=2.11,P<0.05]and that of manganese[(0.15±0.14)mg/L,t=3.01,P<0.01]in the low-incidence arefas.The content of semm iron[(69.1±57.8)μmol/L]in the case group evidently exceeded the normal range(15.6-35.9 μmol/L)and obviously higher than that in the control group[(20.0±17.5)μmol/L,t=5.04,P<0.01].Conclusions Theso data do not support that DCM is related with persistent virus infection and autoimmunization.DCM is probably related with low incomes,high alcohol consumption,myocarditis,high iron and manganese contents in drinking water and high content of serum iron.

OBJECTIVETo study the protective effect of cold autologous blood cardioplegic solution on the heart of infants with cyanotic congenital heart disease (CCHD).

METHODSNinety-six infants with CCHD who underwent cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) were randomly and equally divided into three groups: histidine-tryptophan-ketoglutarate (HTK) solution, cold non-autologous blood cardioplegic solution, and cold autologous blood cardioplegic solution. The right auricular tissues were taken before aortic cross-clamping and at 30 minutes after aortic declamping, and ATP level and energy charge (EC) in the myocardium were measured. Venous blood was collected before and immediately after CPB, and the serum levels of creatine kinase (CK)-MB and cardiac troponin I (cTnI) were measured. The clinical parameters, such as the re-beat time and re-beat rate during CPB, cardiac index, dependence on positive inotropic agents, and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) at 2 hours after CPB, the incidence rate of arrhythmia within 24 hours after CPB, and postoperative complications and mortality, were recorded.

RESULTSAt 30 minutes after aortic declamping, the three groups showed significantly decreased ATP and EC levels (P<0.05), and the cold autologous blood group had significantly higher ATP and EC levels than the other two groups (P<0.05). Immediately after CPB, the three groups showed significantly increased serum levels of CK-MB and cTnI (P<0.05), and the cold autologous blood group had significantly lower serum levels of CK-MB and cTnI than the other two groups (P<0.05). The cold autologous blood group had significantly better outcomes than the other two groups in terms of the re-beat time during CPB and the dependence on positive inotropic agents and LVEF at 2 hours after CPB (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONSCold autologous blood cardioplegic solution is superior to HTK and cold non-autologous blood cardioplegic solutions in preserving myocardial energy and reducing myocardial injury in infants with CCHD who undergo CPB, thus providing a better protective effect on the heart.

Cardioplegic Solutions ; pharmacology ; Cardiopulmonary Bypass ; Energy Metabolism ; Female ; Glucose ; pharmacology ; Heart Defects, Congenital ; metabolism ; surgery ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Mannitol ; pharmacology ; Myocardium ; metabolism ; Potassium Chloride ; pharmacology ; Procaine ; pharmacology ; Ventricular Function, Left

OBJECTIVETo sum up one-stage complete correction of infantile aortic coarctation (CoA) or interrupted aortic arch (IAA) associated with intracardiac anomalies through median sternotomy.

METHODSThe clinical data of 52 infants with CoA or IAA associated with intracardiac anomalies from May 2004 to March 2010 was analyzed. There were 32 male and 20 female, aged from 25 d to 7 months with a mean of (2.03 ± 0.15) months, weighted from 2.5 to 8.0 kg with a mean of (3.9 ± 0.5) kg. All of intracardiac defect were corrected by self-arcula cordisand. Forty cases with CoA were underwent by operative techniques, including resection with end to side anastomosis, extended end to side anastomosis (n = 34), and vertical incision and cross joint (n = 3). Three cases of pseudo-CoA were cut and ductus arteriosus or ligamentum arteriosus and dissected arch. Twelve cases of IAA were underwent by extended end to side anastomosis.

RESULTSThe time of cardiopulmonary bypass was (98 ± 41) min, and all patients hemorrhaged (78 ± 13) ml during operation. One case of IAA associated with double outlet right ventricle died after 43 d post-operation because of left bronchial stenosis. The other patients were in good condition. The rate of aneurysm formation was 11% in 1 to 6 years' follow-up.

CONCLUSIONSOne-stage complete correction of infantile CoA or IAA associated with intracardiac anomalies through median sternotomy yields excellent intermediate surgical results. This operative approach is beneficial, not only with shorten period of therapy and loss operative cost.

Aortic Coarctation ; surgery ; Cardiopulmonary Bypass ; Female ; Heart Defects, Congenital ; surgery ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Retrospective Studies ; Sternotomy ; methods

Comparative Genomic Hybridization ; methods ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Wolf-Hirschhorn Syndrome ; diagnosis

This study is to report the study of protective effects of myricitrin against oxidative stress-induced apoptosis of vascular endothelial cells and the investigation of the possible mechanisms of action of myricitrin. The model of H2O2-induced apoptosis of vascular endothelial cells was used to determine the protective effects of myricitrin. The levels of LDH, MDA and the activities of SOD, NO were measured using the respective kits. The H2O2-induced apoptosis of vascular endothelial cells was detected using MTT reduction, TUNEL assay, JC-1 and ROS staining. The activation of Caspase-3 was also measured by fluorometry. The expression of apoptosis-related proteins was determined with Western blotting assay. Myricitrin had significant protective effects against H2O2-induced apoptosis of vascular endothelial cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner. The results show that myricitrin could attenuate H2O2-induced decrease in the activities of SOD (P < 0.01). Myricitrin could decrease the levels of LDH, MDA and increase cell viability and the mitochondrial membrane potential (P < 0.01). Myricitrin had protective effects in a dose-dependent manner between 32 micromol x L(-1) to 64 micromol x L(-1). Myricitrin pretreatment could attenuate H2O2-induced increase of p-ERK. Moreover, myricitrin pretreatment could up-regulate the expression of the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2, down-regulate the expression of the pro-apoptotic protein Bax, and decrease the expression of Caspase-3, 9. In conclusion, myricitrin had significant protective effects against H2O2-induced apoptosis of vascular endothelial cells. Myricitrin can enhance the activities of anti-oxidative enzymes and decrease the production of free radicals. The possible mechanisms of action of myricitrin are due to myricitrin-mediated inhibition of phosphorylation of the apoptosis signaling pathways-related kinase ERK, up-regulation of the expression of the anti-apoptotic protein, and down-regulation of the expression of the pro-apoptotic protein.
Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Caspase 3 ; metabolism ; Caspase 9 ; metabolism ; Cell Survival ; drug effects ; Cells, Cultured ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Endothelial Cells ; cytology ; Flavonoids ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Hydrogen Peroxide ; toxicity ; L-Lactate Dehydrogenase ; metabolism ; Malondialdehyde ; metabolism ; Membrane Potential, Mitochondrial ; drug effects ; Nitric Oxide ; metabolism ; Oxidative Stress ; drug effects ; Protective Agents ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 ; metabolism ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; metabolism ; Superoxide Dismutase ; metabolism ; bcl-2-Associated X Protein ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo preliminarily investigate the relationship between serum apelin level and pulmonary artery pressure in children with congenital heart disease.

METHODSOne hundred and twenty-six children with congenital heart disease undergoing surgical treatment were enrolled as subjects. The serum level of apelin was determined before surgery and at 7 days after surgery. The ratio of pulmonary artery systolic pressure to aortic systolic pressure (Pp/Ps) was calculated before extracorporeal circulation. According to the Pp/Ps value, patients were classified into non-pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) group, mild PAH group, moderate PAH group, and severe PAH group. Pulmonary artery mean pressure was estimated by echocardiography at 7 days after surgery.

RESULTSThe non-PAH group had the highest serum level of apelin before and after surgery, followed by the mild PAH group, moderate PAH group, and severe PAH group (P<0.05). All groups had significantly increased serum levels of apelin at 7 days after surgery (P<0.05). The serum level of apelin was negatively correlated with pulmonary artery pressure before surgery (r=-0.51, P<0.05) and at 7 days after surgery (r=-0.54, P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONSThe decrease in serum apelin level is associated with the development of pulmonary hypertension in children with congenital heart disease. The significance of serum apelin in predicting the development and degree of pulmonary hypertension in children with congenital heart disease deserves further studies.

Apelin ; Blood Pressure ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Heart Defects, Congenital ; blood ; physiopathology ; Humans ; Hypertension, Pulmonary ; blood ; Infant ; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins ; blood ; Male ; Pulmonary Artery ; physiopathology

Objective To examine the impact of pregnancy termination before 28 weeks of gestation on the overall prevalence of neural tube defects (NTDs).Methods Data collected during the period of 2004 and 2010 from a birth defects surveillance system in Pingding county and Talgu county of Shanxi province were used.Number of births ≥28 weeks of gestation and number of cases with major birth defects among the births were collected.Terminations of pregnancies before 28 weeks of gestation due to prenatal diagnosis were also collected.The total prevalence of neural tube defects,prevalence before 28 weeks of gestation,and prevalenee of ≥28 weeks gestation were calculated using the total number of pregnancies of ≥28 weeks of gestation as denominator.The prevalence data were compared to examine the impact of pregnancy termination on the total prevalence.The proportions of pregnancy terminations before 28 weeks of gestation due to prenatal diagnosis of an NTD against the total number of NTD cases were also calculated.Results During 2004-2010,52 366 births were recorded,and 485 NTD cases were ascertained.The overall prevalence of NTDs was 92.6 per 10 000 births,with prevalence of ＜28 weeks gestation due to pregnancy terminations as 60.9 per 10 000 births,while the prevalence of ≥28 weeks of gestation was 31.7 per 10 000 births.NTD prevalence of ≥28 weeks gestation was 66.0％ lower than the total NTD prevalence.In the last two years,the proportion of NTDs ascertained ≥28 weeks gestation accounted for about 40.0％ of the total NTD cases.Conclusion A birth-defect-surveillance program that covered only tregnancies ≥28 weeks of gestation resulted in a severe underestimation of the total birth prevalence of NTDs,especially for anencephaly.We would recommend that the current national birth defects surveillance system should include pregnancy terminations before 28 weeks of gestation and the calculation of total NTD prevalence should also include these cases into the numerator,so as to better estimate true population NTD prevalence,upon which the related public health policy is based.

OBJECTIVESix1 and Six4 are expressed in several tumors, and associated with tumor progress and poor prognosis. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of Six1 and Six4 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), and to evaluate their correlation with the clinicopathological factors and prognosis.

METHODSTissue microarray technology and immunohistochemical method (EnVision) were used to detect the expression of Six1 and Six4 in the tumor tissues and corresponding adjacent normal epithelium of esophagus from 292 ESCC patients.

RESULTSAmong the 292 ESCC patients, the positive rates of Six1 and Six4 protein expression in tumor tissues were 72.9% (213/292) and 56.2% (164/292), respectively, significantly higher than the expression rate of 33.2% (97/292) and 32.5% (95/292) in adjacent normal epithelium of esophagus (P < 0.05). Chi square test showed that the expression of Six1 protein was related to tumor size, depth of tumor invasion and patient survival status; higher Six4 protein expression level was related to poor differentiation and increased depth of invasion. Single factor Log-rank analysis revealed that gender, TNM stage, Six1 protein expression level were related to the overall survival of ESCC patients (P < 0.05), while the five-year survival rate was significantly higher in the Six1-negative group than the Six1-positive group [51.9% (41/79) vs. 43.7% (93/213)]. Multi-factor Cox proportional risk model analysis showed that TNM stage and positive expression of Six1 were independent prognostic factors for ESCC patients (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSSix1 and Six4 are highly expressed in ESCC. Their expression levels are closely related to the progress and prognosis of ESCC. Over-expression of Six1 is related to poor prognosis in ESCC patients. Thus, Six1 could be used as an important prognostic indicator for ESCC patients.

Adult ; Aged ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Esophageal Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Homeodomain Proteins ; metabolism ; Humans ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; Neoplasm Staging ; Prognosis ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Risk Factors ; Survival Rate ; Trans-Activators ; metabolism ; Tumor Burden

The purpose of this study is trying to analysis the homology between four lentogenic Class I genotype 3 Newcastle disease virus isolates from different hosts with NDV strain NDV 08-004, which was the first obtained complete genome sequence virus of class I genotype 3. The full-length genome of NDV isolates, JS/3/09/Ch, ZJ/3/10/Ch, AH/2/10/Du and JS/9/08/Go,were determined by RT-PCR and then an alyzed. All the genomes are 15 198 nucleotides (nt) in length. Compared with the full genome sequences of Class II NDV stains (genotype IV-IX),four isolates has a 6-nt deletion in the non-coding region of nuclear phosphoprotein gene between nucleotides 1 640-1 641 and 12-nt insertion in the coding region of phospho protein gene between nucleotides 2 381-2 382. All the isolates have the motifs 112EQ/RQE/GRL117 at the cleavage site of the fusion protein, which is typical of lenogenic NDV strains, and it is in agreement with the result of pathogenic tests. The full-length genome of 4 genotype 3 NDV isolates shared 93% nucleotide identity with NDV08-004. The results of alignment of 6 viral genes showed that NP gene shared the highest identity (98.3%-96.4%) and P gene shared the lowest identity (96.1%-91.9%). The results show the following two points. First, it is concluded that the isolates from different hosts share the same genotype has the insignificant divergence in the genetic information. Second, it is proposed that the mutation rates of NP/F/L genes are lower than P/M/HN genes.
Animals ; Genome, Viral ; genetics ; Genomics ; Genotype ; Host Specificity ; genetics ; Newcastle disease virus ; classification ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Phylogeny