Anthracosis ; diagnosis ; Diagnostic Errors ; Humans ; Lung Diseases ; diagnosis ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pulmonary Artery

Objective To investigate the effects of Pollen Typhae total flavone ( PTF) , an extract from Pollen Typhae which has the actions of activating blood and removing stasis, on inflammatory factors and insulin sensitivity in type 2 diabetic rats. Methods SD rats were used as the experimental animal. Type 2 diabetic rats induced by high fat diet plus low dose of streptozotocin were randomly divided into model group, PTF group (in the dosage of 200 mg·kg-1·d-1) , and rosiglitazone group (in the dosage of 4 mg·kg-1·d-1) . Additionally, normal control group was set up. After treatment for 4 weeks, plasma interleukin 6 ( IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor alpha ( TNF-α) levels were detected, the insulin tolerance test ( ITT) was performed, and the protein expression of suppressor of cytokine signaling-3 ( SOCS-3) in skeletal muscle was determined. Results After treatment for 4 weeks, the plasma levels of IL-6 and TNF-α, the homeostasis model of insulin resistance ( HOMA-IR) , and expression level of SOCS-3 in skeletal muscle in the model groups were significantly increased ( P﹤0.05) as compared with those in the normal control group, and insulin tolerance was also impaired in the model group ( P﹤0.05) . Compared with the model group, IL-6 level and HOMA-IR were markedly decreased in the PTF group ( P﹤0.05) , and the impaired insulin tolerance was obviously improved (P﹤0.05) . The level of SOCS-3 in the skeletal muscle of PTF group was also much lower than that of the model group and rosiglitazone group (P﹤0.05) . Conclusion PTF has effects on decreasing the levels of plasma IL-6 and SOCS-3 in the skeletal muscle and on improving insulin sensitivity in type 2 diabetic rats.

Child ; Child, Preschool ; Epilepsy, Generalized ; complications ; epidemiology ; genetics ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Pedigree ; Phenotype ; Seizures, Febrile ; complications ; epidemiology ; genetics

Objective To investigate the expressions of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and P63 protein in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and their relationship with TNM staging and lymph node metastasis of NSCLC. Methods Seventy-eight paraffin-embedded specimens of NSCLC from 1998-2005 were collected in this study. Inclusion criteria included no chemotherapy or radiotherapy before operation. Pathological diagnosis was made after operation: 43 squamous carcinoma and 35 adenocarcinoma, 45 with lymph node metastasis and 33 without, 13 in stage Ⅰ, 19 in stage Ⅱ, 28 in stage Ⅲ and 18 in stage Ⅳ. The expressions of EGFR, COX-2 and P63 were determined by immunohistochemical staining (S-P). Results The expression rates of EGFR, COX-2 and P63 were 65.4% (51/78), 61.5% (48/78) and 56.4% (44/78) respectively in 78 cases of NSCLC. Significant difference in the expressions of COX-2 and P63 was found between squamous carcinoma and adenocarcinoma (P0.05). The positive rate of EGFR and COX-2 protein expressions in NSCLC of stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ and NSCLC with lymph node metastasis was significantly higher than that in stage Ⅰ-Ⅱ and NSCLC without lymph node metastasis (P0.05). Conclusion Over-expressions of EGFR and COX-2 may play an important role in invasion and metastasis of NSCLC. COX-2 and P63 may be valuable markers in differentiating pulmonary squamous cell carcinoma from pulmonary adenocarcinoma.

OBJECTIVETo observe the clinical efficacy and safety of sildenafil in the treatment of high altitude heart disease associated with severe pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in children.

METHODSFifty children (aged 2 months to 2 years) with high altitude heart disease associated with severe PAH, who were continuously transferred to the Intensive Care Unit between January 2011 and October 2013, were randomly assigned to observation and control groups. The control group was given conventional treatment, while the observation group received oral sildenafil [1 mg/(kg . d)] three times daily for 7-10 days in addition to the conventional treatment. Before and after treatment, hemodynamics, blood gas, routine blood parameters, and blood biochemical parameters were recorded.

RESULTSAfter treatment, the observation group had a significantly higher decrease in mean pulmonary artery pressure and significantly higher increases in arterial partial pressure of oxygen, cardiac output, cardiac index, and oxygenation index compared with the control group (P<0.05). In the observation group, there were no significant changes in mean arterial pressure, routine blood parameters and blood biochemical parameters (P>0.05), and no obvious adverse reactions were found.

CONCLUSIONSFor children with high altitude heart disease associated with severe PAH, sildenafil can effectively reduce pulmonary artery pressure and improve cardiac function and does not cause adverse reactions. This therapy has good safety according to the preliminary evaluation.

Altitude ; Familial Primary Pulmonary Hypertension ; Female ; Heart Diseases ; drug therapy ; Humans ; Hypertension, Pulmonary ; complications ; physiopathology ; Infant ; Male ; Piperazines ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Purines ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Sildenafil Citrate ; Sulfones ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Vasodilator Agents ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use

Hepatectomy ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; surgery ; Preoperative Care ; Safety

Transforming growth factor-β is an important cytokine with various bioactivities, including embryonic development, wound healing, chemotaxis and cell cycle regulation. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is the main pathway of tumor cell to obtain the ability of invasion and metastasis. The TGF-β is the key factor known to induce EMT in cancer cells and plays an important role in the process. In recent years, some progress has been obtained. Some TGF-β inhibitors have approved in the market or in clinical trials. TGF-β inhibitors can play an important role on the treatment of tumors, glaucoma, liver and kidney fibrosis disease and scar repair. Novel TGF-β inhibitors reported in recent years were reviewed in this article.
Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition ; Humans ; Neoplasms ; Transforming Growth Factor beta ; antagonists & inhibitors ; Wound Healing

Objective To analyze the risk factors of hypoxemia after coronary artery bypasses grafting (CABG) along with cardiopulmonary bypasses and to understand the regular pattern and characteristics of hypoxemia after CABG. Methods The risk factors of hypoxemia were studied by one way analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis in 86 patients with hypoxemia after CABG along with cardiopulmonary bypass. Results One way analysis indicated that hypoxemia after CABG along with cardiopulmonary bypass was related to senility ( ≥ 65 years ), smoking history, diabetes mellitus, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ( COPD), left ventricular ejection fraction ( LVEF ＜ 45 % ), obesity before operation, transfusion ( ≥ 1000 ml );multivariate analysis indicated that pulmonary dysfunction before operation, longer extracorporeal circulation time ( ≥2 h), hypoalbuminemia and pulmonary infection were independent risk factors of hypoxemia after CABG along with cardiopulmonary bypass. Conclusion Multiple risk factors contributed to hypoxemia after CABG along with cardiopulmonary bypass. Increase the awareness of risk factors of perioperative hypoxemia may guide the prevention and treatment, even alleviate or avoid the hypoxemia postoperatively.

At present, the research regarding repair of spinal cord mainly focuses on tissue engineering. Neural tissue engineering materials provide three-dimensional template for tissue regeneration and also environment for synthesis of extracellular matrix. This paper summarizes the types of nerve transplant materials and the research progress in application for treatment of spinal cord injury, so as to provide theoretical evidence for repair of spinal cord injury. But some problems exist in application of nerve cell scaffold materials for repair of spinal cord injury: poor mechanical properties lead to slow degradation speed, causing difficulties in tissue reconstruction with respect to velocity and in subsequent reconstruction of porous three-dimensional scaffold. In recent years, novel biomaterials with specific repair function have been made by the engineering method through combining the biological molecule with specific signal identification function and available materials, which is an advanced projeot in the current field of biomaterials.

Objective To study the inhibitory effect of panax notoginseng saponins (PNS) on 3-nitrotyrosine (3-NT) formation in brain induced by heme/NO2 -/H2O2 or ONOO - pathways in vitro. Methods According to the two major pathways of 3-NT formation in vivo, the models of protein nitration induced by heme/NaNO2/H2O2 or ONOO-system were established, respectively, in vitro. Bovine serum albumin (BSA)/rat plasma protein or rat brain homogenate protein were utilized as reactive substrates in both systems. Samples were divided into blank-control group, 3-NT group and PNS group (including low-, medium-and high-concentration subgroups). In 3-NT group, samples were exposed to heme/NaNO2/H2O2 or ONOO-system, respectively, at 37℃for 30 min, whereas in PNS group, samples were pre-incubated with PNS (at final concentrations of 50 mg/L, 100 mg/L, and 200 mg/L) at 37℃for 5 min before the nitrating system exposure. The 3-NT level in each group was detected by Western blot assy. Results Compared with the blank-control group, both heme/NaNO2/H2O2 and ONOO-system can induce significant 3-NT generation in BSA/rat plasma protein or rat brain homogenate protein (P<0.05). Compared with model group, PNS pre-treatment markedly inhibited 3-NT expression in BSA/rat plasma protein in a dose-dependent manner (P<0.05), the inhibitory effect of low intervention on the level of 3-NT in rat brain homogenate protein was not significant (P>0.05). Medium- and high-concentrations of PNS pre-treatment markedly inhibited 3-NT accumulation, with maximum effect at the concentration of 200 mg/L (P<0.05). Conclusion Medium- and high-concentrations of PNS can inhibit 3-NT formation in brain tissue mediated by either heme/NO2-/H2O2 or ONOO-pathways, implying that potential neuroprotective action against 3-NT involves pathological conditions, like trauma, stroke, and neurodegenerative diseases.