Diabetic foot infection may hamper wound healing and lead to non-traumatic amputation in diabetes patients and early diagnosis and proper treatment can improve prognosis.In this review,the progress in classification,influencing factors,diagnostic methods and local treatment of diabetic foot infection is introduced.

Objective Increasing evidence supports the involvement of autophagy in the etiopathology of autoimmune diseases.Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a potentially fatal autoimmune disease characterized by production of multiple autoantibodies through poorly understood mechanism.In order to explore the role of autophagy in the development of SLE,the expression of autophagy related gene microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 (MAPLC3) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) was measured in patients with SLE.Methods The mRNA levels of LC3 in PBMCs from 56 SLE patients and 45 healthy individuals were detected by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) technique.Autophagy in PBMCs was also determined by flow cytometry (FACs) in 20 SLE patients and 15 healthy controls.The correlation between LC3 mRNA expression and disease activity of SLE (SLEDAI) was then analyzed.Results The mRNA level of LC3 (RQ) in SLE patients was obviously downregulated compared with that in healthy population (1.30 ± 0.10 vs 1.35 ± 0.09; P =0.029),paralleled with the decreased autophagy rate detected by flow cytometry in PBMCs of SLE patients [(2.21 ± 1.07) ％ vs (9.91 ±4.01) ％ ;P =0.047].Moreover,LC3 mRNA expression level was negatively correlated with SLEDAI (r =-0.337,P =0.023).However,when the clinical features of 27 SLE patients with decreased LC3 mRNA expression (RQ ＜ 1.351) were compared with those of other 29 SLE patients with normal or high LC3 mRNA expression (RQ ＞ 1.351),increasing rates of arthritis,serositis,hematological abnormalities were noted in patients with decreased LC3 mRNA expression yet without statistically significance.However,there was a significant difference between two groups in the incidence of renal involvement (P =0.028).Conclusion The impaired autophagy due to dowrnregulated LC3 mRNA level in SLE patients indicates that autophagy plays a role in mediating the occurrence and development of SLE.

Objective To analyze current situation and problems of health manager training in the pilot training areas. Method With the recommendations of health administration deputies in the plot areas of Shanghai, Chongqing and Urumqi, 2 centers for community health services (CHSs) were selected in each area, 9 relative persons were interviewed, 3 focus group discussions (FGDs) involved 18 persons were held totally. The FGDs focused on such questions as“the general information of the training students”“the objectives and purposes of the training in each area”, and so on. Field investigation and qualitative analysis were used to investigate the status quo and main problems of the training of health manager in the pilot areas. Result The problems of the training of health manager existing in the pilot areas mainly are:part of teachers were not fully competent to the training of health manager, training of operant skill was insufficient, training course was not unified, the assessment mechanism was not perfect. Conclusion Optimizing the construction of teachers team, standardizing the training content, increasing the time of operating skills training, establishing a unified and standardized assessment mechanism are essential.

OBJECTIVEVascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays important roles in establishing collateral circulation of ischemic myocardium. This study aimed to investigate the effect of isoflurane on VEGF expression and the potential intracellular signal transduction pathway in cultured rat myocardial cells in order to further reveal the molecular mechanism of myocardial preservation of isoflurane.

METHODSPrimary myocardial cells of Sprague-Dawley rats were isolated and cultured. They were divided randomly into control group, isoflurane group, protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor group and PKC inhibitor+isoflurane group where cells were respectively incubated without any treatment, treated by 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) of isoflurane for 6 hours, by PKC inhibitor calphostin C at a final concentration of 50 nmol/L and by 50 nmol/L calphostin C+1.0 MAC isoflurane for 6 hours. VEGF expression was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and the expression levels of PKC isoforms were determined by Western immunoblotting method.

RESULTSIsoflurane increased the VEGF expression in myocardial cells in a dose-dependent way. VEGF levels were significantly higher in 1.0 and 1.5 MAC isoflurane groups than in the control group (both P < 0.01). The effect of isoflurane on upregulating VEGF expression was blocked by PKC inhibitor calphostin C (P < 0.01), but calphostin C did not alter VEGF expression (P > 0.05). Isoflurane induced the activation and translocation of PKCε. Immunoblotting analysis revealed that the immunoreactivity of PKC ε increased significantly in the membrane fractions and deceased significantly in the kytoplasm fractions for cells treated with 1.0 MAC isoflurane as compared with the untreated cells, but not of PKC-α, PKC-δ and PKC-ζ (P less than 0.01).

CONCLUSIONIsoflurane induces myocardial cells to release VEGF through activating PKC-epsilon from the endochylema to the cytomembrane, suggesting a possible novel mechanism of isoflurane protecting myocardial cells.

Anesthetics, Inhalation ; pharmacology ; Animals ; Cells, Cultured ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Female ; Isoflurane ; pharmacology ; Male ; Myocardial Reperfusion Injury ; prevention & control ; Myocytes, Cardiac ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Protein Kinase C ; antagonists & inhibitors ; physiology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; genetics

Objective To study the risk factors of hyperthyroid heart diseases(HHD) by analyzing clinical features of patients in order to provide a scientific basis for prevention and treatment of HHD. Methods Nine hundred and eighty two cases were selected as objective from in-patient data of Thyroid Disease Treatment Centre of Shandong Province. The cases were divided into hyperthyroidism group and HHD group. The variables of etiology,sex, age, duration of disease, TSH, FT3, FT4 and TRAb were analyzed by comparative analysis. The risk factors were analyzed by logistic regression. Results The prevalence of hyperthyroidism complicated hyperthyroid heart disease was 7.7%(76/982), age, duration of diseases, FT3, TRAb in the HHD group were [(51.4 ± 11.5), (6.3 ±2.1) years, 21.6 pmol/L, 71.6 U/L], in hyperthyroidism group were [(37.9 ± 9.8), (2.6 ± 1.3) years, 14.9pmol/L, 49.6 U/L]. The differences were statistically significant(u = 9.93,15.23, T = 44954,48792.5, P ＜ 0.05)between the two groups. The factors of the older, higher FT3 and TRAb, longer duration, Graves disease (OR =1.751,1.470,1.483,1.445,1.234) increased the risk of HHD. Conclusions Graves disease, longer duration, old age, higher FT3 and TRAb are the risk factors of HHD. Timely prevention and control of risk factors is necessary to reduce the incidence of HHD.

Firstly discovered in 1980s,human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) continues to affect more and more people.However,there is no effective drug available for the therapy of HIV infection.Betulinic acid existing in various medicinal herbs and fruits exhibits multiple biological effects,especially its outstanding anti-HIV activity,which has drawn the attentions of many pharmacists.Among the derivatives of betulinic acid,some compounds exhibited inhibitory activities at the nanomolar concentration,and have entered phase Ⅱ clinical trials.This paper summarizes the current investigations on the anti-HIV activity of betulinic acid analogues,and provides valuable data for subsequent researches.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the mutation characteristics of spastin gene in Chinese patients with hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP) and thus provide a basis for the gene diagnosis of HSP.

METHODSMutation of spastin gene was screened by polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) combined with DNA direct sequencing in 31 unrelated affected HSP individuals in China, of whom 22 were from autosomal dominant families and 9 were sporadic HSP patients. Co-segregation analysis was carried out after the finding of abnormal SSCP bands.

RESULTSSix cases were found to have abnormal SCP bands, and among them, two missense mutations (T1258A, A1293G in exon 8) and one deletion mutation (1667delACT or 1668delCTA or 1669delTAC in exon 14) were found and all of them were not reported previously. They were all co-segregated with the disease and were localized within the functional domain of spastin gene. Besides, T1258A was seen in two unrelated families.

CONCLUSIONThe mutation rate (18.2%) in autosomal dominant HSP in Chinese patients is comparatively low. Point mutation is the major mutation type and exon 8 may be the mutation hot spot.

Adenosine Triphosphatases ; genetics ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; genetics ; China ; Exons ; Female ; Humans ; Introns ; Male ; Mutation ; Mutation, Missense ; Pedigree ; Spastic Paraplegia, Hereditary ; genetics ; Spastin

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVEAndrogen receptor (AR) is involved in the pathogenesis of breast cancer, but its role is not clearly defined. This study was to explore the expression of AR and its relationship with clinicopathologic parameters in triple negative breast cancer (negative estrogen receptor, negative progesterone receptor, and negative Her-2).

METHODSImmunohistochemical assays were performed to determine the expression of AR in 137 cases of triple negative breast cancer and 132 cases of non-triple negative breast cancer. The relationships between AR expression and clinicopathologic data and prognosis were analyzed.

RESULTSThe positive rate of AR was significantly lower in triple negative breast cancer than in non-triple negative breast (27.7% vs. 83.3%, Chi2=83.963, P<0.001). AR expression was correlated with menorrheal status (Chi2=6.803, P=0.009), tumor grade (Chi2=5.173, P=0.023), node status (Chi2=7.787, P=0.005), 5-year disease-free survival (Chi2=5.012, P=0.025) and 5-year overall survival (Chi2=5.552, P=0.018) in triple negative breast cancer, but was not correlated with clinicopathologic parameters and survival in non-triple negative breast cancer. The 5-year overall survival rate was 78.8% in triple negative breast cancer and 83.3% in non-triple negative breast cancer.

CONCLUSIONSThe expression of AR is related to biological behaviors of triple negative breast cancer, and plays a role in endocrinotherapy and prognostic prediction.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Breast Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Disease-Free Survival ; Female ; Humans ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Menopause ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Receptor, ErbB-2 ; metabolism ; Receptors, Androgen ; metabolism ; Receptors, Estrogen ; metabolism ; Receptors, Progesterone ; metabolism ; Survival Rate

OBJECTIVETo study the effects of Fe, Zn, B and Mn fertilizer with different ratio on the yield and quality of Aconitum carmichaeli.

METHODField experiment with the uniform design was applied, the yield and the contents of the total alkaloids and diester-alkaloids were measured.

RESULTFe, Zn, B and Mn fertilizer of appropriate ratio could promote the growth of vegetative organs, increase the biomass, the content of alkaloids and the yield of Aconite significantly. Fe, Zn fertilizer of highly concentrated ratio increased the proportion of first sub-roots, but inhibited the growth of other vegetative organs, the number of roots was less than that with other treatments, so it was not conducive to the formation of production. High concentration of Mn was not conducive to the growth of underground of Aconite, its number of sub-roots was fewer, but the number of third sub-roots was more than that with other treatments, the yield was low. The yield treated with low concentration of B was 10% higher than that with high concentration, and the high concentration of B was not conducive to increase the content of the alkaloids. Among these treatments, The fourth treatment was the optimal combination, of which the volume of sub-roots was the largest and the most homogeneous, the growth of the vegetative organs was better and the accumulation of dry matters was more, the yield of this treatment was 10,754.7 kg x hm(-2), which was increased by 14.9%, and the content of alkaloid was increased by 13.9%.

CONCLUSIONThe ratio of 4 is the best treatment for high yield and quality cultivation of Aconite.

Aconitum ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Alkaloids ; metabolism ; Biomass ; Fertilizers ; analysis ; Micronutrients ; metabolism ; Plant Roots ; growth & development

OBJECTIVETo investigate the distribution and the antibiotic susceptibility of pathogenic bacteria in children from Guiyang with lower respiratory infection (LRI).

METHODSThe nasopharyngeal aspirate samples were obtained from 893 hospitalized children with LRI between August 2006 and June 2008. An antibiotic susceptibility test was performed using the VITEK system and the Kirby-Bauer diffuse method after bacteria were identified.

RESULTSFive hundred and forty-three patients (60.8%) were bacteria-positive. A total of 598 strains (30 kinds of bacteria) were obtained from the sputum samples. Of them, 533 strains (89.1%) were gram-negative and 57 were gram-positive (9.8%). Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Kleb-siella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae) were common in gram-negative strains. They were susceptive to piperacillin/tazobactam, amikacin, ciprofloxacin, and levofloxacin, especially to imipenem. Streptococcus pneumoniae (S. pneumoniae) and Stapthylococcus aureus (S. aureus) were common in gram-positive strains. S. pneumoniae was susceptive to penicillin and cefazolin sodium, but S. aureus was resistant. Both were high susceptive to vancomycin, and resistant to roxithromycin.

CONCLUSIONSGram-negative bacteria are the main pathogens in children from Guiyang with LRI, and E. coli and K. pneumoniae are common. The antibiotic susceptibility of pathogenic bacteria varies with different strains of bacteria. A reasonable selection of antibiotics should be based on the antibiotic susceptibility test.

Adolescent ; Bacteria ; drug effects ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Drug Resistance, Bacterial ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Nasopharynx ; microbiology ; Respiratory Tract Infections ; microbiology