Objective To explore the effect of the simvastatin administration on the expression of connective tissue growth factor （CTGF） in fihrotic lungs of rats. Methods The cats were treated with single intratracheal instillation of bleomycin （BLM） or instillation of the same volume of normal saline （NS） as a control. The administration of simvastatin（20 mg/kg）began once a day immediately or 7 days later after intratracheal BLM instillation respectively with the same volume of NS was given as a vehicle control. The rats were killed on day 7,14 and 28 respectively. Pathological alteration of lung tissue was observed hy HE staining and Masson staining. Hydroxyproline（HYP）content in lung tissue was used to determine the severity of pulmonary fibrosis. The expression of CTGF in lung tissue was exanfined by immunohistochem- istry staining and photodeusitometry. Results Histopathological changes of pulmonary fibrosis emerged gradually after the instillation of BLM. The expression level of CTGF was increased in lungs of rats after intratracheal instillation of BLM, compared with the control. The administration of simvastatin immediately or 7 days after intratracheal instillation of BLM, attenuated the histopathological changes of bleomycin- induced puhnonary fibrosis and prevented the increased expression of CTGF in lung tissue on day 28. Conclusion The adntinistration of simvastatin, immediately or 7 days after intratracheal BLM instillation, prevented the up-regulation of CTGF in fibrotic lungs of rats, which ntight be one of the mechanisms of the anti-fihrosis of simvastatin in lungs.

Background Human limbal allograft transplantation or limbal autograft transplantation are the primary approaches to the severe corneal-blindness,but their application in clinic were limited because of the defects of donor material.With the development of tissue engineering technology,transplantation of in vitro cultured limbal epithelial stem cells is being an advanced management.Objective The aim of this work was to expand human limbal epithelial stem cells ex vivo under the guidance of confocal microscope and to lay the foundation for fabricating ex vivo cultured cell sheets.Methods Ten eyes of ten patients were examined with the Heidelberg Retina Tomography Ⅲ Rostock Cornea Module(HRT3-RCM)to elucidate the structure of the human corneoscleral limbus and to correlate limbal epithelial dimensions.According to the analysis of the images of limbal epithelia,the limbal tissues provided by Eye Bank of Henan Eye Institute were cut into suitable explants.Then,this study was conducted to expand limbal epithelial stem cells ex vivo on denuded amniotic membrane.The phenotypes of primary cultured cells were evaluated by morphology and immunofluorescent staining with antibodies for limbal epithelial stem cell markers (p63,cytokeratinl9)and differentiation markers(keratin 3,involucrin).This experimental procedure was approved by the Ethic Committee of Henan Provincial People's Hospital.The written informed consent was obtained from subjects before initiation of any examination.Results The palisade morphology of human limbus was imaged clearly on the laser scanning in vivo confocal microscopy and many hyperreflective cells were observed in palisade basal cells.The cell-island phenomenon was seen in the basement membrane under the laser scanning in vivo confocal microscopy.The oblique sections of limbus showed many papilla-like epithelial columns below the superficial limbal epithelia.Throughout the experiment duration,the epithelial cells grew well with the migration rates from limbal tissue (68.62± 16.94)％ and the migration time(5.83 ±2.04)days,which depended on the tissue freshness.Compared with the second and forth batch of tissue,the migration rates of the third and sixth batch of tissues were significantly higher(P＜0.05),and the migration time was evidently longer in the forth and sixth batch of tissue compared with the first,second,third and fifth batch(P＜0.05).The positively expressing rates in the cultured corneal stem cells were 4.05％ and 36.52％ for p63,26.07％ and 40.55％ for CK19,57.88％ and 40.81％ for K3,64.66％ and 59.19％ for involucrin.Conclusion Human limbal epithelial stem cells can be successfully and purposefully obtained from the limbal tissue based on the guidance confocal miscroscope.The cultured corneal stem cells can grow well on the denuded amniotic membrane

OBJECTIVETo analyze the causes of delayed union or nonunion of the ulna after intramedullary nailing in pediatric forearm fractures.

METHODSFrom February 2005 to February 2010,5 patients with forearm fractures who were treated with titanium elastic nailing (TEN) were identified to fulfill the criteria of having developed a delayed union or nonunion of the ulna. The causes of delayed union or nonunion were investigated according to mechanism of injury, fracture location, treatments methods and postoperative management. All patients were male and the age was 3 to 14 years old with an average of 9.4 years. All fractures were located on the mid-third part of forearm. Two cases had a re-fracture. Among them, 3 cases caused by high-energy injury and 2 cases by falling down. Open reduction were performed in 4 cases while the other one was treated with closed reduction. Four patients were immobilized in an above-elbow cast, postoperatively.

RESULTSAll patients were followed up from 7 to 19 months with an average of 11.4 months. There were 4 delayed union and 1 nonunion. Three patients healed after the removal of the nail and avoidance of weight-bearing. Two patients healed by replacing another fixation. No patients had soft-tissue irritation or nail-entry-site infections.. The clinical effect was evaluated according to Daruwalla and Price scores with 3 excellent and 2 good of the results.

CONCLUSIONSUsing titanium elastic nailing for the treatment of pediatric both-bone forearm fractures is a good method. However,strict indication selection should be followed to avoid delayed union or nonunion.

Adolescent ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Fracture Fixation, Intramedullary ; methods ; Fracture Healing ; Humans ; Male ; Radius Fractures ; physiopathology ; surgery ; Retrospective Studies ; Ulna Fractures ; physiopathology ; surgery

Objective To evaluate the clinical results of self-designed double-pivot extracorporeal reduction device in internal fixation with percutaneous pedicle screws for thoracolumbar fractures.Methods From January 2014 to May 2015,a total of 41 patients with thoracolumbar fracture without neurological symptoms underwent minimally invasive fixation with percutaneous pedicle screws.Of them,22 were treated with our self-designed double-pivot extracorporeal reduction device and the other 20 with common single-pivot extracorporeal reduction device.The 2 groups were compared in terms of pre-and postoperative kyphotic angles,correction rates and anterior,middle and posterior heights of injured vertebrae to evaluate the therapeutic effects of the self-designed double-pivot extracorporeal reduction device.Results The patients were followed up for 6 to 18 months (average,12.3 months).No iatrogenic impairment of nerve root,postoperative infection,or implant failure happened.Compared with preoperation,significant improvements were observed in all the patients regarding cobb's angle,anterior,middle and posterior heights of the fractured vertebral body (P ＜ 0.05).Compared with the single-pivot group,the double-pivot group were significantly superior in the kyphotic angle,correction rate,and anterior and middle heights of the injured vertebrae(P ＜ 0.05),but there was no significant difference between the 2 groups in the recovery of posterior height of the fractured vertebral body (P ＞ 0.05).Conclusion Compared with the single-pivot reduction device,the self-designed double-pivot reduction device may be preferable in percutaneous pedicle screw fixation for thoracolumbar fractures.

Objective To observe the effects of Dengzhanhua Capsule on kidney tissue inflammatory cytokines in chronic renal failure rats;To explore its possible mechanism for the efficacy in chronic renal failure. Methods Sixty SD rats were randomly divided into normal control group, model group, benazepril group and Dengzhanhua group, 15 rats in each group. Chronic renal failure rat model was established by Platt 5/6 nephrectomized. Benazepril (0.29 mg/100 g) was given to rats in the benazepril group by gastrogavage. Dengzhanhua Capsule (0.3 g/100 g) was given to rats in the Dengzhanhua group by gastrogavage. Normal saline was given to rats in the normal group and the model group by gastrogavage. The whole treatment period was twelve weeks. Expressions of TGF-β1 and PAI-1 were determined by semi-quantitative RT-PCR after treatment. Concentrations of kidney tissue inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and TNF-α were determined by ELISA. Results Expressions of TGF-β, PAI-1 and IL-6, TNF-αin benazepril group and Dengzhanhua group were significantly lower than those in model group (P<0.05). Compared with benazepril group, it was significantly lower in Dengzhanhua group (P<0.05). Conclusion Dengzhanhua Capsule can reduce kidney tissue inflammatory in chronic renal failure rats, and inhibit renal fibrosis.

The eight heavy metals and two essential constitutes of safflowers planted in linzhi which lies in Southern Tibet were analyzed by ICP-MS and by HPLC respectively. Heavy metals of safflower in the region were at the lower level and the essential constitutes were at the higher level. The better quality of safflower here was assisted by the excellent climate in tibet.
Carthamus tinctorius ; chemistry ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Drug Contamination ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; analysis ; Flowers ; chemistry ; Metals, Heavy ; analysis ; Tibet

Aim To investigate the effect of sphingo-sine kinase 1 (SphK1 )on unilateral ureteral obstruc-tion(UUO)-induced tubulointerstitial fibrosis and ex-plore the possible mechanism.Methods The CD-1 mice were randomly divided into four groups:sham-op-eration group(Sham),PF-543 treatment control group (Sham +PF-543),model group(UUO)and PF-543 treatment group(UUO +PF-543).On 1 ,3,7 and 1 4 d after operation,eight mice were selected randomly from each group and sacrificed.The protein expressions of SphK1 ,mature TGF-β1 ,FN,ColⅠ,LC3,Beclin1 ,Atg5 and Atg1 2 were observed by Western blot.The histo-logical changes were examined by Masson′s trichrome stain.Immunhistochemistry was performed to measure the levels of expression of SphK1 ,FN and Col Ⅰ. Transmission electron microscope was used to observe the autophagic body.Results SphK1 expression and autophagy were both upregulated in a mouse model of kidney fibrosis induced by UUO. Meanwhile, in-creased mature TGF-β1 and deposition of extracellular matrix(ECM)were observed in tubulointerstitial areas compared with sham-operated mice.After intraperito-neal injection with the SphK1 specific inhibitor PF-543 in UUO mice,enhanced expression of SphK1 and acti-vated autophagy were significantly abrogated.Howev-er,aggravation of renal fibrosis was detected when SphK1 inhibitor PF-543 was applied to suppress SphK1 expression in UUO mice.Conclusion SphK1 activa-tion is renoprotective through the induction of autoph-agy in the pathogenesis of kidney fibrosis.

Objective To study the changes and significance of CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells and C-reactive protein(CRP) in patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD). Methods Flow cytometry was used to detect the frequency of CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells in peripheral blood from 36 patients with acute exacerbation of COPD( COPD group) and 36 patients with clinical stability of COPD(control group one)and 36 normal individuals(control group two). The level of CRP was detected routinely. Results The ratio of CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells number in peripheral blood of COPD group to the total number of CD4+T cell was (2.56±1.83 )%, and it was significantly decreased compared to the other two groups (P all<0.01 ). The level of CRP in COPD group was markedly higher than that in the other two groups (P all<0.01 ). The level of CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells in patients with acute exacerbation of COPD had negative relation with CRP. Conclusions CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells participate in inflammatory response. The proportion of CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells decreases in patients with acute exacerbation of COPD, and it may result in maladjustment of cytoimmunity.

BACKGROUND:Monoaxial pedicle screws are not conducive to the instal ation during percutaneous pedicle screw technique, but it has better mechanical conductivity and stability than polyaxial pedicle screws. How to select and use these two kinds of screws in the clinic to exert their advantages and to further elevate efficacy has become a subject worthy of reflection. OBJECTIVE:To compare the clinical efficacy of percutaneous pedicle screw placement for thoracolumbar fracture using monoaxial and polyaxial pedicle screws at different placement selections. METHODS:A total of 46 cases of thoracolumbar fracture without neurological symptoms underwent minimal y invasive percutaneous pedicle screw fixation. 25 patients (monoaxial screw group) were treated with monoaxial pedicle screws and the other 21 ones (polyaxial screw group) with polyaxial pedicle screws. Kyphotic angle, correction rate, correction loss rate and height of injury vertebrae were compared before and after fixation in both groups. The therapeutic effects of monoaxial and polyaxial percutaneous pedicle screw fixation in the treatment of thoracolumbar fractures were evaluated. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1) Fixation time, blood loss, complication and hospital stay were not significantly different in both groups (P>0.05). (2) Kyphotic angle and height of the fractured vertebra body were significantly different between the two groups (P<0.05). (3) The restoration of anterior height of injured vertebrae, kyphotic angle and correction rate were better in the monoaxial screw group than in the polyaxial screw group after treatment (P<0.05). The correction loss rate was significantly better in the monoaxial screw group than in the polyaxial screw group during last fol ow-up (P<0.05). However, there was no significant difference in the posterior height of injured vertebraeafter fixation (P>0.05). (4) These findings indicate that compared with the polyaxial percutaneous pedicle screw fixation, the monoaxial pedicle screw may be preferable in percutaneous pedicle screw fixation for thoracolumbar fractures, has more satisfactory fracture distraction reduction, and has less postoperative correction loss rate.

Background The pathogenesiof age-related maculadegeneration (AMD) iassociated with the senility of human retinal pigmenepithelium (RPE) cells.Seeking drug to arresRPE cell senility iof significance fothe prevention and treatmenof AMD.Research showed thathe lycium barbarum polysaccharide (LBP) can delay senility,buitinfluence on RPE cell aging iunclear.Objective Thistudy wato discusthe protective effecand mechanism of LBP on RPE cell aging.MethodPorcine retinal neural epithelial layewaisolated,and photoreceptooutesegmen(POS) waextracted by density gradiencentrifugation and marked by FITC.The POwathen co-cultured with RPE cellin the medium containing 0.01,0.10 and 1.00 g/L LBP fo24 hours.The areof fluorescence,representing the amounof POphagocytosed by RPE cells,wameasured undethe fluorescenmicroscope to evaluate the influence of LBP on the phagocytifunction of RPE cells.The POS-induced RPE lipofuscin-uptake cell model waestablished by co-culturing human RPE cellwith porcine POfo3 weeks.The RPE-POco-culture cell model waincubated in medium containing 0.01,0.10 o1.00 g/L LBP,and the autofluorescence caused by lipofuscin up-taken into RPE cellwadetected with flow cytometry.cell counting kiwaused to assescell proliferation and viability (value) 24,48 and 72 hourafteculturing.ResultPorcine POpresented athin rodundethe lighmicroscope and appeared abilayedisc-like structureundethe transmission electron microscope,and itFITC-labeled yellow-green autofluorescence waobserved undethe fluorescenmicroscope.No POwaup-taken into the RPE cellin the normal control group,buthe areof POphagocytosed by RPE cellwagradually enlarged with increasing doseof LBP,showing significandifference among the group(F =21.425,P =0.006).Compared with the POcontrol group,the phagocytosed areincreased avariouconcentrationof LBP+POgroup(P＜0.01).Flow cytometry showed thathe autofluorescence value in the POcontrol group wamore highethan thaof the normal control group.Athe LBP dose increased,the autofluorescence value in the RPE celldeclined gradually and iwaneathe normal value in the 1.00 g/L LBP+ POgroup.The rate of proliferation of the lipofuscin RPE cellvaried with the increase of doseof LBP with the maximal value in the normal RPE group and minimal value in the lipofuscin RPE group,and the rate of proliferation of the lipofuscin RPE cellascended with increasing doseof LBP until neathe normal value in the 1.00 g/L LBP + lipofuscin RPE cellgroup (P＞0.05).ConclusionLBP enhance the anti-aging effecof human RPE cellby strengthening the phagocytiability to POand the ability to remove lipofuscin and by heightening the proliferation of human RPE cells.