BACKGROUND: Prognosis is determined by degrees of outside force and time of spinal cord compression after spinal cord injury. The former factor cannot be changed, but the latter one can be changed through relieving spinal cord compression as early as possible to promote nervous function recovery.OBJECTIVE: To compare the effect of surgical intervention time on nervous function recovery within 72 hours and 10 to 14 days after cervical spinal cord injury.DESIGN: Randomized controlled and before-after controlled study.SETTING: Department of Spine Surgery of the Second Hospital affiliated to Harbin Medical University.PARTICIPANTS: A total of 32 patients with cervical spinal cord injury were selected from the Department of Spine Surgery of the Second Hospital affiliated to Harbin Medical University from April 1998 to August 2001.All patients were divided into two groups according to randomly alternative criteria. There were 16 cases including 10 males and 6 females in early surgical group (within 72 hours) and there were also 16 cases including 12males and 4 females in delayed surgical group (within 10-14 days).METHODS: Patients in early surgical group were undertaken operation at 72 hours after hospitalization, and patients in delayed surgical group were at 10-14 days after hospitalization. Frankel grade, sensory and motor scores were recorded according to criteria set by American Spinal Injury Association before operation and within 24 months after operation.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: ① Sensory and motor scores before and after operation; ② Frankel grade before and after operation.RESULTS: ① Improved level of sensory score (difference before and after operation) was higher in early surgical group than that in delayed surgical group (42.6±20.2, 19.2±19.1, P ＜ 0.01). ② Improved level of motor score (difference before and after operation) was higher in early surgical group than that in delayed surgical group (39.7±17.8, 17.3±18.6, P ＜ 0.01). ③Improved level of Frankel grade in early surgical group was superior to that in delayed surgical group (P ＜ 0.01).CONCLUSION: Nervous function recovery of patients with acute cervical spinal cord injury who were suffered from operation within 72 hours is superior to that of those within 10 to 14 days. Therefore, surgical intervention should be undertaken as early as possible in order to promote nervous function recovery after cervical spinal cord injury.

Objective To explore the long term mutagenic and carcinogenic effects of endemic arsenism Methods The micronuclei and chromosomal aberration in peripheral blood lymphocytes were detected by conventional micro whole blood culture method among 112 subjects with endemic arsenism and 88 healthy residents as controls Results Significantly higher frequencies of chromosomal aberrations(1 0770‰?0 1953%) and micronuclei(0 8547‰?0 0567‰) of peripheral blood lymphocytes were observed in arsenic poisoned group compared with those(0 4286‰?0 1241%,0 3928‰?0 0368‰) of controls respectively ( P

Objective Analyze the amino acids and acylcarnitines in the blood of patients first diagnosed with uremia using tandem mass spectrometry in order to provide a basis for clinical diagnosis and treatment. Methods 30 patients with uremia were selected as the research objects,while 15 cases of healthy person were served as the control. The values of 11 kinds of amino acids and 2 kinds of acylcarnitines in the two groups were detected using tandem mass spectrometry,and the data were analyzed and compared. Results The levels of alanine(Ala)and tyrosine(Tyr)in uremia group were significantly lower than those in control group(P < 0.05),while the levels of citrulline(Cit),glycine(Gly)and proline(Pro)were significantly higher in uremia group than in control group (P < 0.05). The differences were mainly in non-essential amino acids between the two groups. The levels of free carnitines and total carnitines in uremia group were significantly higher than those in normal group(P < 0.05). Conclusion For the patients first diagnosed with uremia(not treated with replacement therapy),the disturbance of amino acid metabolism mainly in non-essential amino acids were found in their blood,and the carnitine levels were higher than normal levels. The results could provide the basis for clinical nutrition therapy for patients with uremia.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the value of serum procalcitonin(PCT) levels for differentiating Gram-positive and-negative bacteria infected critically ill patients in intensive care unit(ICU). METHODS Serum PCT levels were measured in 80 patients with sepsis and severe sepsis in ICU.Of the 80 patients,40 were infected with Gram-positive bacteria and 40 were infected with Gram-negative bacteria.Another 40 patients with fungi or viruses infection or non-infection from ICU were measured in parallel as control. RESULTS Serum levels of PCT in patients with Gram-negative bacteria were significantly higher than in those with Gram-positive bacteria and control ones(18.5?5.8ng/ml vs 3.9?2.1ng/ml and 0.3?0.2 ng/ml,respectively,P

AIM: To evaluate the effects of total flavonoid of chrysanthemum on the expressions of Fas and FasL in male rabbits with dry eye, and to investigate the therapeutic effects of the total flavonoid of chrysanthemum on dry eye.
METHODS: Totally 150 male Japanses white rabbits were divided into blank group ( group A ) , sham -operated group ( group B ) , model group ( group C ) , androgen control treatment group (group D), and total flavonoid of chrysanthemum treatment group ( group E ) . The dry eye model was established with orchiectomy on group C, D and E. Rabbits in group E were treated with total flavonoid of chrysanthemum. Rabbits in group D were treated with androgen intramuscular injection. Rabbits in the group A, group B, group C was treated with normal saline. All rabbits were detected with Schirmer's Ⅰ test and tear break-up time (BUT). Fas, FasL were checked on immunohistochemistry.
RESULTS:The Schirmer's I test values of group E was significantly higher than that of group C ( P<0. 01 ) and the BUT value of group E was significantly longer than that of group C ( P<0. 01 ). The quantity of positive expression of Fas in glandular tube cell and acinar epithelial celland apoptosis cells of group E after treatment at 1, 3, 5mo were significantly lower than that of group C, cell population of the positive expression of FasL was obviously higher than that of group C (P<0. 01).
CONCLUSION:The main component of chrysanthemum is flavonoid, which could significantly inhibit happening of dry eye in rabbit after androgen level lowered and lacrimal gland apoptosis and keep basic tears secretory volume and tear film stability.

Objective To analyze the electrocardiography(ECG)data of pressure overload-induced cardiac hy pertrophy rats.Methods Pressure overload cardiac hypertrophy was induced by abdominal aorta constriction. Echocardiogram and heart weight measurement demonstrated the occurrence of cardiac hypertrophy.Standardized ECG parameters of limb and chest were measured and statistically analyzed.Results Two weeks after hypertrophy models were established,echocardiogram showed greater LVPWTd,IVSTd,LVDd.ECG showed that left axis deviation and higher R waves in V_A,V_B,V_C(P

Objective To evaluate the potential relationship between isoforms of BRCA1 associated RING domain 1 ( BARD1 ) and the pathophysiologic markers of sporadic breast carcinoma of female Han ethnic group. Methods The expression of BARD1 isoforms in 39 breast carcinomatous tissue, 12paracancerous-normal breast tissue and 7 controlled normal breast tissue was detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and then cloned and sequenced.The difference of isoforms expression and their clinical significance were analyzed. Results There were four transcriptive products of BARD1 found in all these candidates,named full lenth,isoform γ,isoform δ and isoform e.The positive rate of isoform γ and δ was higher in carcinomatous tissues than in paracancerous-normal tissues and normal breast tissue in healthy women ( P ＜ 0.05 ). Carcinomatous tissue expressed more kinds of isoforms.There was significant difference between carcinomatous tissue and paranormal/nomal tissue ( P =0.0075 ).There was significant correlation between isoform ε positive and poor prognosis factors such as poorly differentiation,HER2 positive,poor pathologic type and larger breast cancer lumps(P ＜ 0.05 ). Conclusions There are significant differences in the expression of BARD1 isoforms among different kinds breast tissues in the female Han ethnic group.Positive isoform ε may predict poor prognosis of breast carcinoma in the female Han ethnic group.

Objective To explore the effect of upgrade of dialysate quality on the microinflammation in maintenance haemodialysis (MHD) patients. Methods Fifty-three MHD patients in Kidney Center of the First Affiliated Hospital,Medical College,Zhejiang University in January 2003 were enrolled in the prospectively study.The main end-points were survival at 8 years or weaning from haemodialysis during 8-year period including death, receiving renal transplantation or transferring to peritoneal dialysis.The endotoxin level of dialysate and patients' serum levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6),tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α),C reaction protein (CRP),and albumin were recorded during the observation period. Results After the upgrade of water management system,endotoxin level of dialysate obviously decreased [(0.046±0.012) EU/ml vs (0.454±0.002) EU/ml,P＜0.01],and serum IL-6 [(3.947±3.624) ng/L vs (13.779±7.106) ng/L,P=0.036],TNF-α [(7.935±3.864) ng/L vs (12.804±8.017) ng/L,P=0.012] as well as CRP [(0.194±0.149) mg/L vs (0.561 ±0.309) mg/L,P＜0.01] decreased significantly,while serum albumin increased [(41.900±6.803) g/L vs (38.140±7.083) g/L,P=0.042].Hemoglobin level did not change significantly after the system upgrade,however,the dose of erythropoietin decreased [(93.0±12.7) U·kg-1·week-1 vs (131.0±10.1) U·kg-1·week-1,P=0.015]. Conclusions The upgrade of central dialysis fluid delivery and water management system by application of double reverse osmosis,high frequency heat disinfection and endotoxin filter can improve the quality of dialysate.Improvement of dialysate quality can ameliorate the microinflammation state of MHD patients.

Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays a critical role in cancer metastasis,and is relevant to the inflammatory microenvironment.Lipopolysaccharide (LPS),a cell wall constituent of gram-negative bacteria,has been reported to induce EMT of cancer cells through TLR4 signal.We previously reported that LPS promoted metastasis of mesenchymallike breast cancer cells with high expression of cyclin D 1 b.However,the role of cyclin D1b in LPS-induced EMT has not been fully elucidated.In the present study,we described that cyclin D1b augmented EMT induced by LPS in MCF-7 breast cancer cells.Cyclin D1b markedly amplified integrin αvβ3 expression,which was further up-regulated under LPS stimulation.Our results showed ectopic expression of cyclin D1b promoted invasiveness of epithelial-like MCF-7 cells under LPS stimulation.Additionally,LPS-induced metastasis and EMT in MCF-7-D1b cells might depend on αvβ3 expression.Further exploration indicated that cyclin D1b cooperated with HoxD3,a transcription factor promoting αvβ3 expression,to promote LPS-induced EMT.Knockout of HoxD3 repressed LPS-induced EMT and αvβ3 over-expression in MCF-7 cells with high expression of cyclin D1b.Specifically,all these effects were in a cyclin D1a independent manner.Taken all together,LPS up-regulated integrin αvβ3 expression in MCF-7 cells with high expression of cyclin D 1b and induced EMT in breast cancer cells,which highlights that cyclin D1b may act as an endogenous pathway participating in exogenous signal inducing EMT in breast cancer cells.

Objective To observe serum and callus leptin expression in rats model with fracture and traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). Methods 72 male SD rats were randomized equally into 4 groups: control, SCI group, fracture group, and fracture/SCI group. Rats were sacrificed at 7, 14, 21 and 28 days after fracture/SCI. Serum leptin was detected by radioimmunoassayat 1, 7, 14, 21 and 28 days, and callus formation was measured radiologically at 14, 21 and 28 days. Callus leptin was analyzed with immunohistochemistry. Results Serum leptin in the fracture group, SCI group and combined fracture/SCI group were all higher than in control group at the 1, 7, 14 and 21 day time-point (P < 0.05). Serum leptin in the combined fracture/SCI group was significantly higher than the fracture group at 7, 14 and 21 days (P < 0.05), and higher than SCI groups at 14 and 21 days after operation (P < 0.05). The percentage of leptin-positive cells in the fracture/SCI callus, and callus volume was significantly higher than the fracture-only group (P < 0.001). Conclusions Leptin expression increases in the recovery process after SCI, and the recovery of fracture becomes sooner.