OBJECTIVETo explore the effects of chronic hypoxia on left and right ventricular function and the expression of cardiac transient receptor potential canonical (TRPC) channels in rats.

METHODSForty eight SD male rats were randomly divided into control group (CON) and chronic hypoxic pulmonary hypertension model group (CH) (n = 24). In CH group, rats were exposed in chronic hypoxia environment (10% +/- 0.2% O2) to induce myocardial hypertrophy. After 3 weeks, mean systemic arterial pressure (mSAP), right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP), left ventricular systolic pressure (LVSP), left or right ventricular pressure maximum rate of rise (LV/RV + dp/dt(max)), left or right ventricular pressure maximum rate of descent (LV/RV-dp/dt(max)), right ventricular hypertrophy index (RVMI) and left ventricular hypertrophy index (LVMI) were measured. Left and right ventricular myocardium tissue sections were stained by HE and observed under light microscope. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (real-time-PCR) and Western blot were performed to detect the expression of TRPC subfamily.

RESULTSRVSP, RVMI, RV + dp/dt(max) and RV-dp/dt(max) were markedly elevated in CH group (P < 0.01) in comparison to CON group. LVMI was markedly reduced in CH group in comparison to CON group (P < 0.01). LVSP, LV + dp/dt(max) and LV- dp/dt(max) had no significant changes in CH group in comparison to CON group. Right ventricular myocardial cells of CH group became thick, the nuclei stained deeply, the shape of nuclei became not regularity. Left ventricular myocardial fibers did not change significantly. There was significant difference in the levels of mRNA and protein of TRPC1 between CON and CH groups.

CONCLUSIONFor three weeks exposed to chronic hypoxia induced right ventricular hypertrophy specifically, raised the mRNA and protein expression of TRPC1 on right ventricular myocardial cells . TRPC1 might be involved in the development of cardiac hypertrophy.

Animals ; Disease Models, Animal ; Hypertension, Pulmonary ; metabolism ; physiopathology ; Hypoxia ; metabolism ; physiopathology ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Transient Receptor Potential Channels ; metabolism ; Ventricular Function, Left ; physiology ; Ventricular Function, Right ; physiology

Objective To observe the effect of ciclosporin(CsA) treatment on children with refractory nephrotic syndrome(NS).Met-hods Combination treatment of CsA[3-5 mg/(kg?d)] and prednisone were given 55 cases with refractory NS,in which including steroid-dependent NS(SDNS) 3 cases,steroid-resistant NS(SRNS) 22 cases,frequent-relapses NS(FRNS) 30 cases.Concentration of CsA was maintained 100-200 ng/L.Course of treatment was 10 months,the dose was tapered gradually in 4 months.Scr,BUN,Alb,ALT,Ccr,Chol,24 hours urine protein quantitation was measured before and after CsA treatment.Side effect of CsA was observed at the same time.SPSS 13.0 software was used to analyze the data.Results Forty-one cases(74.5%) were complete remission,6 cases(10.9%) were partial remission,total effective rate was 85.5%.Remission rate was 97.6% in simple type NS,50.0% in nephritis type NS,100% in SDNS and FRNS groups,63.6% in SRNS group.In group minimal change disease(MCD),the remission rate was 100.0%,while 60.0% in group mesangial prolife-rative glomerulonephritis(MsPGN),and 42.9% in group focal segmental glomerulosclerosis(FSGS).Fifteen cases(31.9%) relapsed when the dose of CsA was tapering.The adverse effects included hairiness(55 cases),gum hypertrophy(16 cases),hypertension(9 cases),gastroi-ntestinal tract reaction(8 cases),but no obvious nephric adverse effects were observed during the treatment process.Conclusion CsA is safe and effective on refractory NS children,especially to those with SDNS,FRNS and MCD.

To propose the new concept of multidimensional omics, and define that the multidimensional omics is a proper method for studying the material base and mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) compounds. Zhuanggu Zhitong capsule was taken for example to study its effect against experimental postmenopausal osteoporosis. From the perspective of chemi-omics, genomics and proteomics of TCM, it systematically interpreted the efficacious materials and mechanisms of Zhuanggu Zhitong capsule in preventing and treating experimental postmenopausal osteoporosis, while taking the lead in designing a three dimensional form to intuitively exhibit the results of the multidimensional omics study. This study provides a new idea and solution for studies on the efficacious materials and mechanisms of TCM compounds.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Gene Expression ; drug effects ; Genomics ; Humans ; Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal ; drug therapy ; genetics ; metabolism ; Proteomics

AIM:To compare the clinical effect of 23G and 25G+ vitrectomy for treatment of proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR).METHODS: A total of 128 PDR patients (195 eyes) requiring vitrectomy in our hospital from November 2013 to May 2016 were randomly divided into 25G+ group and 23G group, 64 cases (97 eyes) in 25G+ group and 64 cases (98 eyes) in 23G group.In 25G+ group, patients were treated by 25G+ vitrectomy.In 23G group, patients were treated by 23G vitrectomy.The visual acuity, as well as intraocular pressure (IOP), iatrogenic injury and complications in two groups were recorded before and 1d, 1wk, 1mo after treatment.The operation time was compared between two groups.RESULTS: The operation time in 25G+ group was lower than that in 23G group (P<0.05).The postoperative visual acuity at 1mo of two groups were improved compared with before surgery (P<0.01).However, visual acuity between two groups in the same period had no significant difference (P>0.05).IOP in 25G+ group before surgery had no significant difference compared with those after surgery at 1d,1wk, and 1mo(P>0.05), which it was the same in 23G group.IOP of two groups in the same period had no significant difference (P>0.05).The incidence rate of iatrogenic injury in 25G+ group was 4.1%, which was significant lower than that of 23G group (13.3%) (P<0.05).The incidence rate of complication in 25G+ group was 3.1%, which was significant lower than that of 23G group (11.2%) (P<0.05).CONCLUSION: Both 23G and 25G+ vitrectomy are safe and effective treatment for PDR.However, 25G+ vitrectomy is the better choice for PDR for the shorter operation time, lower incidence rate of iatrogenic injury and fewer surgical complications.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the efficacy of abdominal acupuncture for adhesion-stage shoulder periarthritis.

METHODSOne hundred and fifty-seven cases of shoulder periarthritis were randomly divided into an abdominal acupuncture group (79 cases) and a body acupuncture group (78 cases). The abdominal acupuncture was applied at Zhongwan (CV 12), Shangqu (KI 17) and Huaroumen (ST 24) in the abdominal acupuncture group while conventional acupuncture was applied at Jianyu (LI 15), Jianliao (TE 14) and Jianzhen (SI 9) in the body acupuncture group. The treatment was given three times a week for both groups and ten times made an observation course. Before and after treatment, visual analogue scale (VAS) was adopted for pain assessment and functional activity score (Mallet score) was used for shoulder joint function assessment for all the patients. Also the efficacy of both groups was compared.

RESULTSThe total effective rate in the abdominal acupuncture group was 92.4% (73/79), which was superior to 71.8% (56/78) in the body acupuncture group. The score of VAS after the treatment was 2.58 +/- 1.64 in the abdominal acupuncture group while 3.12 +/- 1.93 in the body acupuncture group, which had no statistical significance between each other (P > 0.05). The functional activity score after the treatment was 8.34 +/- 3.02 in the abdominal acupuncture group while 7.49 +/- 3.36 in the body acupuncture group, which had no statistical significance between each other (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe abdominal acupuncture is an ideal treatment for adhesion-stage shoulder periarthritis, which has better total efficacy than conventional acupuncture. It achieves the same effect in relieving pain and improving functional activity as conventional acupuncture, but also has an advantage at fast selection of acupoint and less discomfort of needling sensation.

Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Periarthritis ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Shoulder ; physiopathology

OBJECTIVEThe pathologic slides and clinical data of 119 patients with mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) of salivary glands were reviewed. All patients underwent surgical therapy in Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, College of Stomatology, Fourth Military Medical University. The postoperative overall observed survival rates and specific survival rates were statistically caculated, and the correlative clinicopathologic factors influencing the prognosis were evaluated.

METHODSStatistical analysis was performed using the SPSS 10.0 software. The survival rates were obtained by the Kaplan-Meier method. The clinicopathologic parameters were evaluated using log rank test (univariate analysis) and Cox proportional hazards regression model (multivariate analysis).

RESULTSThe overall observed survival rates of this group were 92.53%, 87.52% and 85.39% at 5, 10 and 15 years respectively after surgical therapy. Univariate analysis demonstrated that the factors correlated with lower in survival rates were patient's age (> or = 40 years), advanced clinical stage (TNM III, IV stage) and the poorly differentiated tumors (P < 0.05). The survival rates of male patients with MEC in the major salivary glands were significantly lower than those of female patients (P = 0.008). The degree of differentiation, TNM stage and preoperative symptoms were three important prognostic factors that were selected into the Cox proportional hazards regression model.

CONCLUSIONSMost patients with highly differentiated MEC in salivary glands had a favorable outcome after receiving adequate surgical treatment. The degree of differentiation and the TNM stage of MEC in the salivary glands are two useful factors to evaluate the prognosis of these neoplasms.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Carcinoma, Mucoepidermoid ; mortality ; pathology ; surgery ; Child ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prognosis ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Salivary Gland Neoplasms ; mortality ; pathology ; surgery ; Survival Rate ; Young Adult

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of Tanshinone IIa on IL-1beta, IL-6 and TNF-alpha cytokines in immune vasculitis and platelets, as well as their relationship. The model of immune vasculitis of rabbits were established by intravenous injection of bovine serum albumin twice. Experiment was divided into 4 groups: control group, model group, tanshinone IIa-treated group and aspirin-treated group. The platelet count, platelet aggregation of peripheral blood were determined. The levels of serum IL-1beta, IL-6, TNF-alpha were detected by ELISA. The pathological changes of immune vasculitis were analyzed by hematoxylin & eosin staining, elastic fibers staining and electron microscopy. The results showed that the levels of IL-1beta and TNF-alpha in model group were significantly higher than those in normal group (p < 0.05), while the level of IL-6 was not significantly different between various groups. The serum level of IL-1beta was correlated with platelet number, while serum levels IL-1beta and TNF-alpha were both correlated with the platelet aggregation. The treatment with tanshinone IIa could significantly decrease the serum levels of IL-1beta, TNF-alpha and platelet number, and the efficacy of tanshinone IIa was same as aspirin. The tanshinone IIa and aspirin both could alleviate the vessels damage in patients with immune vasculitis. It is concluded that the tanshinone IIa may diminish the inflammation damage of vessels in patients with immune vasculitis through the inhibition of cytokines and platelets.
Animals ; Blood Platelets ; drug effects ; Diterpenes, Abietane ; pharmacology ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Interleukin-1beta ; blood ; Interleukin-6 ; blood ; Platelet Count ; Rabbits ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; blood ; Vasculitis ; blood ; pathology

BACKGROUNDPolypharmacy and potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) are prominent prescribing issues in elderly patients. This study was to investigate the different prevalence of PIM use in elderly inpatients between 65-79 years of age and 80 years or older, who were discharged from Geriatric Department in West China Hospital.

METHODSA large-scale cohort of 1796 inpatients aged 65 years or over was recruited. Respectively, 618 patients were 65-79 years and 1178 patients were 80 years or older. Updated 2012 Beers Criteria by the American Geriatric Society was applied to assess the use of PIM among the investigated samples.

RESULTSA review of the prescribed medications identified 686 patients aged 80 years or older consumed at least one PIM giving a rate of 58.2%. Conversely, 268 (43.4%) patients aged 65-79 years consumed at least one PIM (χ2 = 40.18, P < 0.001). Patients aged 80 years or older had higher hospitalization expenses, length of stay, co-morbidities, medical prescription, and mortality than patients aged 65-79 years (all with P < 0.001). Patients aged 80 years or older were prescribed with more benzodiazepines, drugs with strong anticholinergic properties, megestrol, antipsychotics, theophylline, and aspirin. In multiple regression analysis, PIM use was significantly associated with female gender, age, number of diagnostic disease, and number of prescribed medication.

CONCLUSIONSThe finding from this study revealed that inpatients aged 80 years or older encountered more PIM use than those aged 65-79 years. Anticholinergic properties, megestrol, antipsychotics, theophylline, and aspirin are medications that often prescribed to inpatients aged 80 years or older. Doctors should carefully choose drugs for the elderly, especially the elderly aged 80 years or older.

Age Distribution ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; China ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Potentially Inappropriate Medication List ; statistics & numerical data

Objective Using gradient-echo sampling of spin-echo (GESSE) sequence to study the change of oxygen extraction fraction (OEF) in patients with unilateral cerebral vessel stenosis and the relationship between OEF and cerebral blood flow (CBF). Methods Eight normal volunteers and 16 patients with unilateral cerebral vessel stenosis were enrolled in this study. Written informed consents were obtained from all subjects. Routine MRI, GESSE and arterial spin labeling (ASL) sequences were performed for all patients. Raw data from GESSE and VE-ASL sequences were transferred to PC to conduct postprocessing. To obtain quantitative OEF and CBF of the brain parenchyma, 6 ROIs were placed respectively in the anterior, middle and posterior part of both hemispheres. The relative CBF (rCBF) was defined as the ratio of CBF of ischemic hemisphere to that of contralateral hemisphere. T test was used for statistics. Results The mean value and normal range of OEF in the volunteers were 0. 318 ± 0. 023 and 0. 272-0. 364, respectively. In the 16 patients with unilateral cerebral vessel stenosis, 8 patients had ROIs with greater OEF in unilateral hemisphere than those in contralateral hemisphere. These cases presented multiple intracranial main arterial stenoses in digital subtraction angiography (DSA) or MR angiography (MRA) examination. The other 8 patients had normal OEF in all ROIs. And they only had single arterial stenosis in DSA or MRA. Set rCBF = 0. 50 as a dividing point, the mean OEF value was 0. 397 ±0. 010 in the patients with rCBF ＜ 0. 50. In the patients with rCBF ≥ 0. 5, the mean OEF value was 0. 325 ±0. 028. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant (t = - 8. 840, P = 0. 000).Conclusion Patients with chronic cerebral ischemia may present with various hemodynamic impairment.The more CBF decreases, the more OEF increases. Those with increased OEF tended to have more than one lesion in the major intracranial arteries.

To investigate the urination-reducing effect and mechanism of Zhuangyao Jianshen Wan (ZYJCW). In this study, SI rats were subcutaneously injected with 150 mg · kg(-1) dose of D-galactose to prepare the sub-acute aging model and randomly divided into the model group, the Suoquan Wan group (1.17 g · kg(-1) · d(-1)), and ZYJCW high, medium and low dose groups (2.39, 1.20, 0.60 g · kg(-1) · d(-1)) , with normal rats in the blank group. They were continuously administered with drugs for eight weeks. The metabolic cage method was adopted to measure the 24 h urine volume and 5 h water load urine volume in rats. The automatic biochemistry analyzer was adopted to detect urine concentrations of Na+, Cl-, K+. The ELISA method was used to determine serum aldosterone (ALD) and antidiuretic hormone (ADH). The changes in P2X1 and P2X3 mRNA expressions in bladder tissues of rats were detected by RT-PCR. According to the results, both ZYJCW high and medium dose groups showed significant down-regulations in 24 h urine volume and 5 h water load urine volume in (P <0.05, P <0.01), declines in Na+ and Cl- concentrations in urine (P <0.01), notable rises in plasma ALD and ADH contents (P <0.05, P <0.01) and remarkable down-regulations in the P2X1 and P2X3 mRNA expressions in bladder tissues (P <0.01). The ZYJCW low dose group revealed obvious reductions in Na+ and Cl- concentrations in urine (P <0.01). The results indicated that ZYJCW may show the urination-reducing effect by down-regulating the P2X1 and P2X3 mRNA expressions in bladder tissues of rats with diuresis caused by kidney deficiency.
Aging ; physiology ; Animals ; Diuresis ; drug effects ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Female ; Gene Expression Regulation ; Kidney Diseases ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; RNA, Messenger ; analysis ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Receptors, Purinergic P2X1 ; genetics ; Receptors, Purinergic P2X3 ; genetics ; Urinary Bladder ; metabolism