Background Coronary slow flow(CSF)phenomenon is characterized by delayed opacification of coronary vessels in normal coronary angiogram.Although clinical and pathological features have been previously described,its pathogenesis remains unclear.Objective To explore the risk factors related to coronary slow flow.Methods Thirty three patients with documented coronary slow flow which were defined according to TIMI frame count method(TFC)and 33 patients with normal coronary flow were enrolled.Clinical data and biochemical parameters were determined.Results Baseline data analysis showed that CSF group had higher baseline level of platelets count [(149.2?41.5)?109 vs(128.1?38.7)?109,P=0.037] and serum uric acid [(328.1?85.2)vs(282.8?82.4)?mol/L,P=0.032],while other variables were similar between the two groups.After adjustment for BMI,total cholesterol,urea,logistic regression showed that blood platelets count(?2=8.350,?=0.026,P=0.004),2-hour postprandial blood glucose(?2=4.920,?=0.289,P=0.026)and serum uric acid level(?2=5.305,?=0.009,P=0.021)were independent predictors for CSF.Conclusion These data suggest that elevated blood platelets count,2-hour postprandial blood glucose and serum uric acid level may predisposed to coronary slow flow.

ObjectiveTo investigate the clinical significance and characteristics of recurrent laryngeal nerve lymph node metastasis of thoracic esophageal cancer.MethodsOne hundred and twenty-four patients who had undergone thoracic esophageal resection with recurrent laryngeal nerve lymph node dissection in our hospital from March 2007 to February 2010.All clinical data were retrospectively analysed.ResultsRecurrent laryngeal nerve lymph node metastasis was found in 34 of 124 cases,with the metastatic rate of 27.41% (34/124).The left recurrent laryngeal nerve lymph node metastasis was 16.13% and the right was 8.06% .The recurrent laryngeal nerve lymph node metastasis was found in 9 patients with the upper segment esophageal cancer,20 with middle third esophageal cancer and 5 with lower segment esophageal cancer,6 patients with T2 disease had recurrent laryngeal nerve lymph node metastasis,while 27 with,T3 disease.Also there were 4,13,17 cases with metastasis in well-differentiated,moderately differentiated,poorly differentiated respectively.Poorly differentiated esophageal carcinoma was more susceptible to recurrent laryngeal lymph node metastasis than well-differentiated and moderately differentiated esophageal carcinoma.Recurrent laryngeal nerve injury was found in 11 cases,7 cases of them recovered.ConclusionNearly 1/3 of patients with esophageal carcinoma have recurrent laryngeal nerve lymph node metastasis,especially for tumor located in the upper third esophagus,poor differentiation or deep invasion (T2 or more) of esophageal carcinoma were more susceptible to recurrent laryngeal nerve lymph node metastasis.

Objective To preliminarily screen the neoplastic stem cell (NSC) related surface markers combination and to under-stand the NSC distribution in hepatoblastoma(HB) .Methods The children cases of HB undergone the surgical therapy in the Jian-gxi Provincial Children′s Hospital were selected .The immunohistochemical method was adopted for observing the expression and distribution of NSC-related markers CD34 ,Thy-1 ,c-kit ,CD56 and stem cell factor(SCF) in the HB tissue and the normal hepatic tissue away from the edge of tumor tissue 3cm outside .Results Thy-1 and c-kit were sporadically distributed in the HB tissue and mainly focued on the portal area ,but did not exressed in the normal liver tissue ;the expression of CD34 and SCF in HB was signifi-cantly higher than that in the normal liver tissue(P<0 .05) ,in which CD34 was mainly distributed in the endothelial system and SCF was mainly expressed in the portal area ;CD56 was expressed in the tissue of the clustered nerve fibers ,the expression differ-ence between them had no statistical significance (P>0 .05) .Conclusion The different NSC related surface markers are distributed in the HB tissue and focus on the specific areas .The positive cells of Thy-1/c-kit expression may play a role in the HB occurrence .

To establish a method for the determination of cucurbitacin in plasma samples, in order to study the in vivo pharmacokinetic characteristics of cucurbitacin in rats. Rats were intravenously injected with cucurbitacin. With diphenhydramine as the internal standard (IS), the plasma concentrations of cucurbitacin in rat plasma at different time points were determined by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). With electrospray ionization source, the positive ion detection in the multiple reaction monitoring mode was conducted to determine the ion-pairs for target compound and IS were m/z 503.2/113.1 and m/z 256.0/167.2, respectively. Agilent ZOBAX SB-C18 column (2.1 mm x 50 mm, 1.8 microm) was adopted and eluted with methanol and 0.1% formic acid (55:45), and the flow rate was 0.2 mL x min(-1). DAS 2.0 software was applied to fit the blood concentration and calculate corresponding pharmacokinetic parameters. The rats were intravenously injected with cucurbitacin at the concentration of 3.0 mg x kg(-1). The target blood quality concentration show good linear relations within the range of 10.5-3 150 microg x L(-1) (R2 = 0.996), the lower limit of the standard curve was 10.5 microg x L(-1), and the signal to noise ratio S/N = 12. Intra- and inter-day precisions RSD was less than 6.9% and 14%, respectively; The accuracy RE ranged between 0.20% and 3.7%; The extraction recoveries ranged between 92.7% and 97.1%. Regarding the pharmacokinetic parameters of tail intravenous injection of cucurbitacin, AUC (0-t) was (811.615 +/- 111.578) microg x h x L(-1), (t1/2) was (1.285 +/- 1.390) h, CL was (3.627 +/- 0.487) L x h x kg(-1), and V(d) was (6.721 +/- 7.429) L x kg(-1). In this study, researchers established a simple, accurate, sensitive and highly specific method for determining the blood concentration of cucurbitacin, and reported the in vivo pharmacokinetic characteristics of cucurbitacin in rats for the first time.
Administration, Oral ; Animals ; Cucurbitaceae ; chemistry ; Cucurbitacins ; administration & dosage ; blood ; pharmacokinetics ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; pharmacokinetics ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar

OBJECTIVETo explore the analgesia of oxymatrine (OMT) affecting high voltage-dependent calcium channels (HVDCCs) and GABA release under neuropathic pain condition.

METHODSTotally 66 C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into the sham-operation group, the model group, and the OMT group, 22 in each group. Neuropathic pain models were established by partial sciatic nerve ligation (PSNL). Hind paw plantar mechanical response threshold (MWT) was measured by up-and-down method with Von-Frey filament. mRNA expression of HVDCCs in brains and spinal cords was detected with Real-time PCR and concentration of GABA was determined using ELISA kit.

RESULTSCompared with day 0, the left hind paw MWTwas decreased on day 7, 10, and 14 in the model group (P < 0.05). Compared with the sham-operation group, the left hind paw MWT was significantly reduced in the model group on day 7 (P < 0.05). The MWT of PSNL ipsilateral hind paw was decreased on day 7 before OMT administration, when compared with day 0 (P < 0.05), and increased after OMT administration (P < 0.05). Compared with the sham-operation group, mRNA levels of Cav1.2, Cav1.3, Cav2.1, and Cav2.3 in brain tissues were increased and those of Cav2.2 were decreased significantly in the model group (P < 0.05). In spinal cord tissues, mRNA levels of Cav1.2 and Cav1.3 were increased, but those of Cav2.1, Cav2.2, and Cav2. 3 were decreased significantly in the model group, when compared with those of the sham-operation group (P < 0.05). Compared with the model group, mRNA levels of Cavl.2, Cavl.3, Cav2.1, and Cav2. 3 in brain tissues were decreased, and those of Cav2.2 were increased significantly in the OMT group (P < 0.05). In spinal cord tissues of the OMT group, mRNA levels of Cav1.3 decreased and those of Cav2.1, Cav2.2, and Cav2.3 increased significantly with statistical difference, when compared with those of the model group (P < 0.05). Compared with the sham-operation group, GABA levels in brain tissues decreased in the model group (P < 0.05). Compared with the model group, GABA levels in brain tissues increased in the OMT group (P < 0.05). There was no statistical difference in GABA levels of spinal cord tissues among these groups (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSOMT had analgesic effect on neuropathic pain, which might be probably related to HVDDCs. Cav2.2 might directly affect GABA release.

Alkaloids ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Analgesia ; methods ; Animals ; Calcium ; Calcium Channels ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Disease Models, Animal ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Neuralgia ; drug therapy ; Pain Management ; Quinolizines ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Spinal Cord ; metabolism ; gamma-Aminobutyric Acid

To compare the pharmacokinetics of syringin, eleutheroside E and isofraxidin after intravenous administration of each monomer and Ciwujia injection. Twenty-four Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups and intravenously administrated with syringin, eleutheroside E, isofraxidin, and Ciwujia injection, respectively. The concentrations of the three components in rat plasma were determined by LC-MS/MS. DAS 2.0 software was applied to calculate the pharmacokinetic parameters while the SPSS 17.0 software was used for statistical analysis. Significant difference (P < 0.05) was found between each monomer and the injection on the main pharmacokinetic parameters such as AUC, CL and t1,/2. Compared with the injection, the group treated with the syringin has obvious decrease in AUC, and increase in CL while the group treated with eleutheroside E has obvious increase in AUC, and decrease in CL The t1/2 of isofraxidin was prolonged in Ciwujia injection. Pharmacokinetic characters of the ingredients in the injection varied greatly from the monomer. Other constituents in the injection may have an impact on the pharmacokinetic profiles of these three components.
Administration, Intravenous ; Animals ; Coumarins ; administration & dosage ; blood ; pharmacokinetics ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; pharmacokinetics ; Glucosides ; administration & dosage ; blood ; pharmacokinetics ; Lignans ; administration & dosage ; blood ; pharmacokinetics ; Male ; Phenylpropionates ; administration & dosage ; blood ; pharmacokinetics ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

Two endophytic-bacteria isolates of G18 and F19 were isolated from the stem of Taxus chinensis. The G18 and F19 were respectively classified into Psudomonas sp. and Stenotrophomonas sp. based on biological characteristics and 16S rDNA sequence analysis. The bioactivity analysis showed that the fermented broths of the G18 and F19 exhibited antagonistic activities against three pathogenic bacteria, and had good antagonistic effectiveness to Verticillium dahliae and Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, respectively. The G18 can degrade salicylic acid, and the F19 can do dichlorvos.

Aim To observe the effect of pyrimidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC) on the variance of disc morphology and the expressions of TNF-α, MMP-9 in the cervical disc in cervical dynamic equilibrium rat models, and to investigate the roles of PDTC in the process of intervertebral disc degeneration and the mechanism involved.Methods Fifty-four SD rats were divided into three groups randomly, then the dynamic equilibrium rat model was established by cutting the nuchal superficial and deep muscle of the rats.The dynamic equilibrium rats with PDTC solution intraperitoneal injection after operations were defined as PDTC group (group A), the models with saline intraperitoneal injection after operations as saline group (group B), the rats of fake operation with saline intraperitoneal injection as blank group (group C), and the animals were sacrificed in batches 10 weeks, 12 weeks, 16 weeks respectively after operation.The C5, C6 vertebrae and C5/6 discs were harvested, and the disc morphology was observed.TNF-α, MMP-9 mRNA expressions were detected by q-PCR and protein expression was observed by Western blot.Results Compared with the saline group, the morphology of disc in PDTC group was destructed slightly and fiber ring arranged orderly.TNF-α, MMP-9 gene and protein expressions had no obvious changes (P>0.05) in blank group (group C) at each time point.The expressions of IL-6, MMP-9 mRNA increased with time in group B, but the amount increased fast firstly, and slow lately, reaching peak in 12 weeks.The expression of TNF-α, MMP-9 protein became steady in group B from 10 weeks compared with other time points(P>0.05).TNF-α, MMP-9 genes and proteins expression decreased obviously in PDTC group (group A) compared with saline group (group B) (P<0.01) at each time point, but higher than blank group C(P<0.01) at each time point.Conclusions TNF-α and MMP-9 are important inflammatory factors involved in rat cervical disc degeneration, PDTC relieves the degeneration of rat cervical disc by reducing the expression of TNF-α and MMP-9 via disturbing the NF-κB signal pathway probably, and PDTC may become potential medicine for disc degeneration.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the situation of antibiotic resistance of Streptococcus pneumoniae (Sp) and Hemophilus influenzae (Hi) clinical isolates from children in Guangzhou area.

METHODSThe authors cultured, isolated and identified the Sp and Hi strains from nasopharyngeal secretion of patients who visited Guangzhou Children's Hospital for upper respiratory tract infection between 2003 and 2004. K-B disc diffusion and E-test for antibiotic susceptibility were performed for these clinical isolates.

RESULTSTotally 172 and 484 strains of Sp and Hi were respectively isolated from nasopharyngeal secretions in the hospital. For Sp strains, the rates of resistance to penicillin, amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, ceftriaxone, cefuroxime, cefaclor, erythromycin, tetracycline, chloramphenicol, sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim (SMZ/TMP), clindamycin and ofloxacin were 32.0%, 11.1%, 32.6%, 18.1%, 39.5%, 82.6%, 78.5%, 24.4%, 87.2%, 69.2% and 3.1%, respectively. The penicillin non-susceptible Sp (PNSSP) isolates showed higher rates of resistance to other antimicrobial agents such as other beta-lactam antimicrobial agents, erythromycin, and SMZ/TMP than those of penicillin susceptible Sp (PSSP) isolates. More than 90% of PNSSP were multidrug resistant strains. The average rate of beta-lactamase production among 484 strains of Hi was 29.5% (143/484). For Hi isolates, the rates of resistance to ampicillin, amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, ceftriaxone, cefuroxime, cefaclor, SMZ/TMP, tetracycline, chloramphenicol, azithromycin, and ofloxacin were 40.1%, 3.4%, 4.1%, 1.9%, 5.6%, 56.2%, 52.1%, 17.4%, 2.1%, and 0.6%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONThe antimicrobials resistant Sp and Hi isolated from children with respiratory tract infection in the area have become a severe problem. The rate of resistance to penicillin of Sp had been decreased compared with the last three years, but the rate of resistance to ceftriaxone of Sp increased, and the multidrug resistance rates of PNSSP was rather high. PNSSP was characterized by a multidrug-resistance to erythromycin, tetracycline and SMZ/TMP. beta-lactamase production and ampicillin resistance among the Hi isolates from children in the area had increased generally during the period 2003 - 2004. The Hi isolates were more susceptible to the second and the third generation cephalosporins, amoxicillin/clavulanic acid and azithromycin.

Anti-Bacterial Agents ; pharmacology ; Child, Preschool ; China ; Drug Resistance, Bacterial ; Female ; Haemophilus Infections ; drug therapy ; microbiology ; Haemophilus influenzae ; drug effects ; isolation & purification ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Nasopharynx ; microbiology ; Pneumonia, Pneumococcal ; drug therapy ; microbiology ; Respiratory Tract Infections ; drug therapy ; microbiology ; Streptococcus pneumoniae ; drug effects ; isolation & purification

Objective To analyze the clinical data and TUBB4A mutation of hypomyelination with atrophy of the basal ganglia and cerebellum (HABC)in a family,thus to provide accurate genetic counseling and prenatal diagno-sis for this family with HABC,and also to provide clinical experience for the diagnosis of HABC in China.Methods The clinical data of the proband and her family members were collected at the Department of Pediatrics,Peking Univer-sity First Hospital,December 201 4,including medical history,physical signs,and brain MRI,biochemical tests and metabolic disease screening.The associated gene of hereditary leukoencephalopathy was screened for the proband and her family members were screened by targeting -high -throughput sequencing technology,and then the genetic varia-tions were verified by Sanger sequencing.With those detection methods,the gene mutation was confirmed,and then ge-netic features were analyzed.Results Clinical features were as follows:nystagmus as the first symptom,and motor and mental retardation,dystonia and ataxia followed.Brain MRI indicated hypomyelination of white matter and atrophy of the basal ganglia and cerebellum.The clinical diagnosis of HABC was established based on the clinical features and brain MRI features above.Genetics features showed that one novel TUBB4A c.974G >T heterozygous missense muta-tion was found from the proband,which caused an amino acid change from the Trp into Leu (p.Trp325Leu).Both of her parents with normal phenotype were of wild -type in this site.Conclusions The proband from this family was diagnosed clinically based on her clinical data.One novel TUBB4Ac.974G > T (p.Trp325Leu)was founded in this study.Therefore,the spectrum of TUBB4A mutation will be expanded.In addition,this study elucidated clinical and genetic characteristics in this family with HABC,which may lay a solid foundation for the accurate genetic counseling and prenatal diagnosis.This study reported the first case of HABC caused by TUBB4A mutation in China.