AIM: To compare the measurement of anterior chamber depth(ACD) inclusive of corneal thickness using intrao-cular lens(IOL) master and ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) and evaluate the repeatability of each method.METHODS: Two consecutive measurements of ACD were prospectively performed using IOL master and UBM in 60 eyes in 60 individuals. Mean values were compared using the paired t test. For each individual, ACD measure-ments was performed 5 times to estimate the repeatability of each method by a coefficient of variation(CV).RESULTS: The mean ACD was 2.95±0.25mm with the IOL master and 2.96±0.22mm with the UBM. This diffe-rence was not statistically significant (P=0.631).The coefficient of variation (CV) was 0.56%±0.26% and 0.65%± 0.36% in IOL master and UBM, respectively.CONCLUSION: The mean ACD of IOL master was the same as UBM. The repeatability of IOL master is better than UBM.

Objective To evaluate the effects of hydrogen-rich saline on Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88) pathway in rats with endotoxin-induced acute lung injury (ALI).Methods Forty pathogen-free male Sprague-Dawley rats,aged 3 months,weighing 250-300 g,were randomly divided into 4 groups (n =10 each) using a random number table:control group (group C);ALI group;hydrogen-rich saline group (group H);ALI + hydrogen-rich saline group (ALI + H group).ALI was induced by intratracheal instillation of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) 5 mg/kg.At 1 and 6 h after LPS instillation,0.6 mmol/L hydrogen-rich saline 10 ml/kg was injected intraperitoneally in H2 and ALI + H2 groups,while the equal volume of normal saline was given in the other two groups.At 12 h after LPS instillation,bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was collected for determination of the concentrations of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α),interleukin-1beta (IL-1β) and IL-6 by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.The animals were then sacrificed,and lungs were removed for examination of the pathological changes which were scored and for determination of wet to dry lung weight ratio (W/D ratio),and expression of TLR4,MyD88 and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) (by Western blot).Results Compared with group C,the concentrations of TNF-α,IL-1β and IL-6 in BALF,lung injury score and W/D ratio were significantly increased,and the expression of TLR4,MyD88 and NF-κB was up-regulated in ALI and ALl + Hgroups (P＜0.05).Compared with group ALI,the concentrations of TNF-α,IL-1β and IL-6 in BALF,lung injury score and W/D ratio were significantly decreased,and the expression of TLR4,MyD88 and NF-κB was down-regulated in ALI + H group (P＜0.05).Conclusion Hydrogen-rich saline can reduce endotoxin-induced ALI through inhibiting TLR4/MyD88 signaling pathway in the lung tissues of rats.

Objective To develop a network system for radiotherapy.Methods Delphi 6.0 lan- guage was used to program the system based on PACS through the model of client-server machine and local network.Data of different facilities were transferred among each other through Dicom 3.0 and Dicom RT pro- tocol.Results The main function of this system was a management software for radiotherapy,a PACS sys- tem,a TPS system and a therapeutic machine system.Conclusion The network system operates steadily with data safe and reliable,and is an important part of the information construction in the department of radio- therapy

This study was designed to investigate the impact of ultra-filtration extract mixture from Astragals mongholicus (UEMAM) o radiosensitivity of H22 ascitic tumor in mice to 12C6+ ions radiation. The H22 ascitic tumor model was established in mice by intraperitoneal injection of 0.2 mL H22 ascitic cells. The animals were subsequently divided into 4 groups randomly, treated with normal saline, UEMAM, heavy ion beam radiotherapy and UEMAM plus heavy ion beam radiotherapy, respectively. The body weights, abdomen circumference of the mice were measured and the mouse behavior was monitored every day; survival time was recorded to evaluate life extension effect; flow cytometry technique was used to detect H22 cell apoptosis and cell cycle; protein levels of p53, Bax, Bcl-2 and cleaved Caspase-3 were analyzed by Western blot; the single cell gel electrophoresis was used to detect the level of deoxyribonucleic acid damage (DNA damage). The results suggest that UEMAM significantly increased survival time, and decreased body weights and abdomen circumference over the saline control group. The treatment increased cell apoptosis, cycle arrest and DNA damage compared to the saline control group. UEMAM significantly enhanced the therapeutic effect of heavy ion beam radiation in survival time, and decreased body weights and abdomen circumference in the tumor-baring mice. The combination increased cell apoptosis, cycle arrest and DNA damage compared to the radiotherapy group. The results of Western blot suggest that the treatment significantly enhanced p53-induced apoptotic signals. The experiment discovered that UEMAM could improve radiosensitivity of H22 ascitic tumor through activation of p53-mediated apoptotic signal pathway.
Animals ; Apoptosis ; Astragalus Plant ; chemistry ; Cell Cycle ; Cell Line, Tumor ; DNA Damage ; Ions ; Mice ; Neoplasms, Experimental ; drug therapy ; radiotherapy ; Plant Extracts ; pharmacology ; Radiation Tolerance ; Signal Transduction

Objective To systematically evaluate the association between protein C and Legg -Calve -Perthes disease.Methods A literature research was performed through PubMed,Embase,Cochrane library,Web of Science,Chinese Biomedical Literature Database(CBM),China National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI)and Wan-fang Database from inception to February 201 6 on the association between protein C and Legg -Calve -Perthes disease.According to the Newcastle -Ottawa Scale(NOS)criteria,the quality of studies was evaluated and data were extracted.Meta -analysis was performed with Stata 1 1 .0 software.Results A total of 1 4 articles were included.Twelve articles on protein C and Legg -Calve -Perthes disease in the study group and the control group were compared.The results of Meta -analysis showed that there was no significant difference in protein C levels between the study group and the control group[odds radio(OR)=1 .41 ,95% confidence interval(CI)(0.87,2.28),P =0.1 47];five articles on protein C and the white race of Legg -Calve -Perthes disease between the study group and the control group were com-pared,The results of Meta -analysis showed that there was no significant difference in protein C levels between the whiteskin patients′group and the control group[OR =0.61 2,95%CI(1 .83,7.29),P =0.61 2];three articles on pro-tein C and the yellow race of Legg -Calve -Perthes disease between the study group and the control group were com-pared,and the results of Meta -analysis showed that there was no significant difference in protein C levels between the yellow skin patients group and the control group[OR =0.59,95%CI(0.05,6.72),P =0.080].Conclusion There is no significant correlation between protein C and Legg -Calve -Perthes disease.

Objective To construct a technical platform for scarless gene modification of Yersinia pestis and to study the functions of its specific genes.Methods The resistance fragment, including upstream and downstream homologous arms of targeted regions, was reamplified by asymmetric PCR.The amplicons were introduced into Y.pestis harboring plasmid pKD46.With the induction of L-arabinose,the recombinant related enzymes: Exo, Beta and Gam, were expressed to guide the homologous recombination.A donor plasmid, pKSI-1, which carried the desired modification fragment flanking by I-SceⅠ recognition sites, was introduced into Y.pestis as the second step of λ-Red recombination with the help of pREDTKI.Results and Conclusion Two mutant strains:△waaA and waaA(△9nt), were successfully constructed for Y.pestis strain 201.Scarless modification introduces no extra modification to the genome, and it is ideal for comprehensive functional genomic studies.

Introduction：Neonatal tetanus is a major cause of neonatal mortality in many developing countries and remains a major public health problem. This study aimed to determine risk factors associated with neonatal tetanus in Wenzhou, China.Methodology：Medical records of neonatal tetanus cases from 17 hospitals over a 13-year period (2000–2012) were reviewed for potential risk factors. Controls were selected from neonates with diseases other than tetanus who were admitted to the same facility during the same period. The potential risk factors of the neonatal tetanus group were compared with the control group using univariate analysis and an unconditional logistic regression model.Results：A total of 246 neonates with tetanus and 257 controls were included in this study. Univariate analysis showed that having untrained birth attendants, home delivery, an unsterile method of delivery and being a migrant to Wenzhou were significantly different between the two groups (P < 0.001). Logistic regression analysis revealed that the odds of having an untrained birth attendant, home delivery and an unsterile method of delivery were significantly higher in the tetanus group than the control group (odds ratio: 1371.0; 95% confidence interval: 206.0, 9123.5).Conclusion：This study identified that the main risks of neonatal tetanus in cases from Wenzhou were having an untrained birth attendant, home delivery and an unsterile method of delivery. Preventive measures directed to these risk factors may reduce the occurrence of neonatal tetanus in the studied area.

Animals ; Chlorine Compounds ; toxicity ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Female ; Lung ; drug effects ; metabolism ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1 ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; biosynthesis ; genetics

To separate and identify chemical signals which induce Thesium chinense haustorium formation, the components of T. chinense roots secretion collected with XAD-4 resin were detected by GC-MS. The effect of DMBQ as exogenous signals to induce haustorium formation in T. chinense was studied. Fifty-three compounds of 9 types had been detected, including hydrocarbons, esters, organic acids, ketones, alcohols, nitrogen containing compounds, phenolic acids, aldehyde and quinine. It is worth noting that the 2, 5-di-tert-butyl-1,4-benzoquinone has the core structure of 1,4-benzoquinone, which may play an important role in the parasitic relationship of Prunella vulgaris and T. chinense: DMBQ worked effectively on inducing haustoria, but induction effects vary widely in different concentrations. DMBQ with the concentration of 1 μmol x L(-1) showed the best effect of the inducing ability with a ratio of 110.52 when treated to induce haustoria.
Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry ; Host-Parasite Interactions ; Magnoliopsida ; chemistry ; physiology ; Plant Roots ; chemistry ; physiology ; Prunella ; chemistry ; physiology

OBJECTIVE Bergapten (BG), is a furanocoumarin derived from herbal and citrus extracts can act as antioxidant and selective anticancer agents.The current study aimed to investigate whether bergapten would attenuate immunosenescence and to exploreits immunomodulatory effects on immune responses in D-galactose-induced aging BALB/c mice.METHODS Firstly,mice were given D-galactose(180 mg·kg-1)subcutaneous injections for 30 d.To evaluate the establishment of the aging-related effect in mice, serum samples of BALB/c mice were collected from tail vein. Aging BALB/c mice were freely divided into three groups: negative control group received 1% Tween 80 solution only, named D-gal group. Positive groups were received BG administration at the dose of 20 and 100 mg·kg-1, named D-gal+BG(20)group and D-gal+BG(100)group,respectively.Effects of bergapten on T lympho-cyte proliferation and flow cytometry were assessed by using the splenic cell suspension. Enzyme linked immunospot kits were used to quantitatively determine interferon-γ(IFN-γ)and interleukin-4(IL-4) levels of the isolated serum. Immunophenotype was determined by using mixture of antibodies includ-ing anti-CD3,anti-CD4,and anti-CD8.RESULTS Bergapten(20 mg·kg-1)therapy can modulate immu-nity against viral epidemics and attenuate aging-induced immune deficiency(P<0.01),which was correlat-ed with the decline in the activation of the Th and Tc responses in D-galactose induced aging BALB/c mice.According to the in vivo results,bergapten exposure up-regulated the secretion of IFN-γ and IL-4 in T-helper 1(Th1)and T helper 2(Th2)cells(P<0.05,P<0.01).Additionally,BG(20 mg·kg-1)restored antigen-specific CD4+and CD8+T cells in aging models (P<0.05, P<0.01), which may help to curing chronic infections. CONCLUSION The beneficial effect of bergapten in D-galactose induced aging BALB/c mice may be due to the Th and Tc responses activation.