Objective To investigate the diagnostic significance of endoscopic findings in Henoch-Schonlein purpura(HSP),especially when abdominal pain preceded the cutaneous lesions.Methods The clinical data and gastroscopic findings in 37 cases of children with HSP were studied and analysed retrospectively in order to detect the pathological changes in the stomach and duodenum mucosa.The biopsy was taken in the pathological changeing place,and the relationship between clinical and endoscopic findings was analyzed.Results Detection rate of the pathological changes in the stomach and duodenum mucosa was 62.2%,31.3% of which experienced only cutaneous lesions,100% of which presented the acute abdominal pain.Three patients were not checked up the pathological changes.Of them,1 had arthritis,2 had Henoch-Schonlein nephritis.Characteristically endoscopic findings in the stomach and duodenum mucosa were found.The endoscopic findings included anabrosis,hyperemia,edema and hemorrhage.Conclusions Detection rate of the pathological changes in the stomach and duodenum mucosa is higher.Endoscopy is very helpful to the early diagnosis of HSP in children,especially abdominal pain presented firstly.

Introduction：Neonatal tetanus is a major cause of neonatal mortality in many developing countries and remains a major public health problem. This study aimed to determine risk factors associated with neonatal tetanus in Wenzhou, China.Methodology：Medical records of neonatal tetanus cases from 17 hospitals over a 13-year period (2000–2012) were reviewed for potential risk factors. Controls were selected from neonates with diseases other than tetanus who were admitted to the same facility during the same period. The potential risk factors of the neonatal tetanus group were compared with the control group using univariate analysis and an unconditional logistic regression model.Results：A total of 246 neonates with tetanus and 257 controls were included in this study. Univariate analysis showed that having untrained birth attendants, home delivery, an unsterile method of delivery and being a migrant to Wenzhou were significantly different between the two groups (P < 0.001). Logistic regression analysis revealed that the odds of having an untrained birth attendant, home delivery and an unsterile method of delivery were significantly higher in the tetanus group than the control group (odds ratio: 1371.0; 95% confidence interval: 206.0, 9123.5).Conclusion：This study identified that the main risks of neonatal tetanus in cases from Wenzhou were having an untrained birth attendant, home delivery and an unsterile method of delivery. Preventive measures directed to these risk factors may reduce the occurrence of neonatal tetanus in the studied area.

Objective To investigate the method and value of adjustable interatrial fistulization in the operation of congenital heart disease(CHD) accompany with severe pulmonary arterial hypertension(PH).Methods Twenty-seven patients(19 male,8 females) accompany with severe PH were entered the study,age ranged from 4 to 14 years old,weight from 13.7 to 42.0 kilogram.The enrolled diseases included 11 cases of atrial septal defect(ASD),10 cases of ventricular septal defect(VSD),4 cases of patent ductus arteriosus(PDA),and 2 cases of Ebstein syndrome accompany with severe tricuspid insufficiency.All patients were diagnosed as CHD accompany with severe PH(bidirectional shunt)which was the contraindications for routine operation before operation through chest X-ray,electrocardiography,ultrasonic cardiography,cardiac catheteri-zation and cardiac angiography.Results With adjustable interatrial fistulization and treatment to the abnormalities,14 fistulaes were closed immediately after operation,7 fistulaes were closed 2 days after operation,3 fistulaes were closed 3 days and 1 fistulae was closed 4 days after operation and accompanied with empyema discharged initiatively.One fistula was never closed,1 case died from low cardiac output symptom.The effective rate was 92.6%,closed to that of routine operations.Conclusion Adjustable interatrial fistulization is an easy procedure,and it can decrease the danger of PH post-operation effectively and provide operation opportunity for those patients with CHD approaching terminal stage.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the impact of the expression of S100P on the prognosis and tumor chemosensitivity in patients with resectable gastric cancer and its mechanisms.

METHODSThe expression of S100P was analyzed in 121 resected primary gastric cancer tissues by using tissue array of immunohistochemistry excised from January 2003 to December 2007. The patients received adjuvant chemotherapy with oxaliplatin. The pEGFP-S100P plasmid was constructed and was transfected into BGC823 cell line to establish gastric cancer cell line with over-expression of human S100P, BGC823-S100P. The expression level of S100P was determined by real-time PCR and Western blot assay. The chemosensitivity of BGC823-S100P cell line to oxaliplatin was detected by 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium (MTT) assay.

RESULTSThe S100P was positively expressed in 64 tumors (52.9%, 64/121). Although there was no significant relation between the expression of S100P and tumor T staging (P = 0.683), N staging (P = 0.472), M staging (P = 0.770) and differentiation (P = 0.553), Wilcoxon test showed that the 5-year cumulative survival rate of patients with positive S100P expression was significantly higher than that of patients with negative expression (20.3% vs. 3.5%, P = 0.034). Furthermore, overexpressed of S100P was found in the BGC823 cell line, BGC823-S100P. The mRNA and protein level of S100P in pEGFP transfected BGC823-S100P cell lines were significantly higher than those in control group (8.42 ± 1.38 vs. 0.83 ± 0.11 and 3.52 ± 0.48 vs. 0.97 ± 0.19, all P < 0.05). It indicated with MTT assay that the half-inhibitory concentration (IC(50)) to oxaliplatin decreased in BGC823-S100P cells, and was significantly lower than that in vector-only transfected cells [(142 ± 16) mg/L vs. (266 ± 11) mg/L, P = 0.032].

CONCLUSIONSS100P may also be a potentially novel independent prognostic factor in gastric cancer patients following curative resection. And it could improve the cumulative survival of the patients through enhancing the chemosensitivity of tumor cell line to oxaliplatin.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Calcium-Binding Proteins ; metabolism ; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Proteins ; metabolism ; Organoplatinum Compounds ; administration & dosage ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Stomach Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Treatment Outcome

This study investigated the effect of phloretin (Ph) on the proliferation, activation, and cell-cycle distribution of mouse T lymphocytes and NO production and phagocytosis of macrophages. Carboxyfluorescein diacetatesuccinimidyl ester (CFDA-SE) staining plus flow cytometry assay was employed to obtain the proliferation-related index (PI) of lymphocytes. The expression levels of CD69 and CD25 on T lymphocytes stimulated with Con A were evaluated with flow cytometry after staining with fluorescent monoclonal antibody. Cell-cycle distribution of T lymphocytes was analyzed by propidium iodide staining. Griess kit was used to evaluate the NO production and fluorescent microbeads were used to analyze the phagocytosis ability of macrophages. Our results showed that phloretin (40, 60, and 80 micromol x L(-7)) significantly inhibited the proliferation of T lymphocytes and the PI reduced from 1.41 +/- 0.13 to 1.34 +/- 0.16, 1.19 +/- 0.12 and 1.07 +/- 0.06, respectively. Phloretin significantly inhibited the expression of CD69 and CD25 (P < 0.01). The cell cycle distribution analysis showed that phloretin could induce a cell cycle arrest at G0/G1 phase. NO production of LPS +IFN-gamma group of macrophages was (26.72 +/- 3.57) micromol x L(-1), and was significantly reduced by phloretin (P < 0.01). And phagocytosis rate of macrophages was significantly reduced by phloretin (P < 0.01). The results demonstrate that phloretin might be developed into a new immuosuppressive drug.
Animals ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents ; pharmacology ; Antigens, CD ; metabolism ; Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte ; metabolism ; Cell Cycle ; drug effects ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Female ; Immunosuppressive Agents ; pharmacology ; Interleukin-2 Receptor alpha Subunit ; metabolism ; Lectins, C-Type ; metabolism ; Macrophages ; physiology ; secretion ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Nitric Oxide ; secretion ; Phagocytosis ; drug effects ; Phloretin ; pharmacology ; T-Lymphocytes ; cytology ; immunology

OBJECTIVETo explore effect of iron overload on the proliferation and apoptosis of mesenchymal stem cell(MSCs) and the possible mechanism.

METHODSIron overload model of MSCs was established by adding ferric ammonium citrae (FAC) into the culture medium at different concentrations (100, 200, 400 &Mu;mol/L) and incubated for different lengths of time (12, 24, 48 h). The levels of labile iron pool (LIP) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) were measured to confirm oxidative stress state in the model. Changes in cell proliferation and apoptosis after iron overload were measured through population double time(DT)and annexin V-PI assay. Finally, the expressions of phosphorylated p38 mitogen activated protein kinase (P-p38MAPK), p38MAPK, protein kinase B (AKT), and p53 were determined through Western blot analysis to investigate which ROS-mediated signaling pathway was involved in this process.

RESULTSThe LIP level of MSCs was significantly increased by FAC treatment at 400 &Mu;mol/L (mean fluorescence intensity 482.49±20.96 vs. 303.88±23.37, P<0.05). The level of intracellular ROS was positively correlated with the concentration of FAC and reached a peak level when cultured with 400 &Mu;mol/L FAC (P<0.05).After treatment with 400 &Mu;mol/L FAC at different time points (12 h, 24 h, and 48 h), the DT of MSCs was (1.47± 0.11) d, (1.80±0.13) d, and (2.04±0.14) d, respectively, which was signifcantly longer than that of the control, which was(1.20±0.05)d (P<0.05).The apoptosis rate was also significantly higher in iron overload group[(3.51±1.17)% vs.(0.66±0.62)%, P<0.05]with consequent increase in the expressions of P-p38MAPK, p38MAPK, and p53 proteins in iron overload group, while no significant difference was found in the expression of AKT.

CONCLUSIONIron overload can inhibit the proliferation of MSCs and induce their apoptosis through the generation of ROS, which is probably due to the stimulation of p38MAPK- p53 signaling pathway.

Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Bone Marrow Cells ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Cells, Cultured ; Humans ; Iron ; pharmacology ; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Oxidative Stress ; drug effects ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt ; metabolism ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; metabolism ; Signal Transduction ; Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 ; metabolism ; p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo explore the effects of marrow mesenchymal stem cell (BMSC) transplantation on retinal cells apoptosis and changes to neurotrophin-3 (NT-3 and ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) in rats with retinopathy of prematurity (ROP).

METHODSSeven-day-old Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into normal control (CON), ROP, BMSC transplantation (BMSCs were transplanted 5 days after oxygen conditioning) and phosphate buffered saline (PBS) groups. The ROP model was prepared according to the classic hyperoxygen method. Seven days after transplantation, TUNEL/DAPI, NT-3/API and CNTF/DAPI double-labeled immunofluorescence were used to examine the effects of BMSC transplantation on both the apoptosis of retinal cells and the expression of NT-3 and CNTF protein in the retinal cells of the ROP rats.

RESULTSSeven days after BMSC transplantation, there were few TUNEL+ DAPI+ cells observed in the CON group. There were fewer TUNEL+DAPI+ cells observed in the BMSC group than in the ROP group (P<0.01), but there was no significant difference between the ROP and PBS groups (P>0.05). There were few NT-3+DAPI+ cells and CNTF+DAPI+ cells in the CON group. There were more NT-3+DAPI+ and CNTF+DAPI+ cells in the ROP group than in the CON group, but there was no significant difference between the ROP and CON groups (P>0.05). More NT-3+DAPI+ and CNTF+DAPI+ cells were observed in the BMSC group compared with the ROP group (P<0.01), and there was no significant difference in either NT-3+DAPI+ or CNTF+DAPI+ cells between the ROP and PBS groups (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONSBMSC transplantation therapy could alleviate the apoptosis of retinal cells in ROP rats, and its mechanisms might be associated with promoting the expression of NT-3 and CNTF protein in retinal cells.

Animals ; Apoptosis ; Bone Marrow Cells ; physiology ; Cell Proliferation ; Ciliary Neurotrophic Factor ; analysis ; Female ; Humans ; In Situ Nick-End Labeling ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation ; Neurotrophin 3 ; analysis ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Retina ; pathology ; Retinopathy of Prematurity ; metabolism ; therapy

BACKGROUNDAntimicrobial peptides, including cathelicidin LL-37, human beta defensin (HBD)-2, and HBD-3, are important elements of the innate immune response and involved in modulation of the adaptive immunity, and they also play an important role in cutaneous defense against Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

METHODSThe fresh skin tissues and paraffin-embedded biopsy samples from three cutaneous tuberculosis, two tuberculids, and ten healthy individuals were collected. The expressions of LL-37, HBD-2, and HBD-3 mRNA in the lesions of three cutaneous tuberculosis and two tuberculids were detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction; the protein expressions were detected by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting methods.

RESULTSThe expressions of LL-37 mRNA and protein in the lesions of cutaneous tuberculosis and tuberculids were similar to that of normal skin. The expression of HBD-2 mRNA had an increasing trend in the lesions of cutaneous tuberculosis and tuberculids compared with that of normal skin; however, the expression of HBD-2 protein in the lesions of cutaneous tuberculosis had a decreasing trend compared with that of normal skin, and the expression of HBD-2 protein in the lesions of tuberculids was similar to that of normal skin. The expressions of HBD-3 mRNA and protein in lesions of cutaneous tuberculosis and tuberculids were similar to that of normal skin.

CONCLUSIONSOur study indicated that the expression of HBD-2 and HBD-3 mRNA and protein in lesions of cutaneous tuberculosis may be not consistent with that of tuberculids. However, an inherent limitation of the present study was that the sample size was small, and the roles and regulation mechanisms of LL-37, HBD-2, and HBD-3 in cutaneous tuberculosis and tuberculids need to be further investigated.

Adult ; Aged ; Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides ; genetics ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; RNA, Messenger ; analysis ; Tuberculosis, Cutaneous ; metabolism ; beta-Defensins ; genetics

DNA barcoding method was conducted for the authentication of pollen materials due to difficulty of discriminating pollen materials bearing morphological similarity. In this study, a specific focus was to identify cattail pollen (Puhuang) and pine pollen (Songhuafen) samples from their adulterants which are frequently mixed-together. Regions of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS2) from 60 samples were sequenced, and new primers for cattail pollen were designed according to the sequence information. The results from the NJ trees showed that the species of pine pollen, Puhuang and their adulterants can be classified as obvious monophyly. Therefore, we propose to adapt DNA barcoding methodology to accurately distinguish cattail pollen, pine pollen and their adulterant materials. It is a great help for drug regulatory agency to supervise the quality of medicinal materials.
China ; DNA Barcoding, Taxonomic ; methods ; DNA, Plant ; genetics ; DNA, Ribosomal Spacer ; genetics ; Drug Contamination ; prevention & control ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; classification ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Phylogeny ; Pinus ; classification ; genetics ; Pollen ; classification ; genetics ; Quality Control ; Typhaceae ; classification ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo study the role of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) in the development of glomerulosclerosis by experimental alteration of fibronectin (FN) and Type IV collagen (Col IV) expression in cultured rat mesangial cells (MsC).

METHODSCTGF expression vector was transfected into MsC by Lipofectimine method. Protein and mRNA expression levels of CTGF, FN and Col IV were studied by Western blot and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) respectively.

RESULTSTwo of MsC clones (MCT-1 and MCT-2) with CTGF overexpression were successfully established and found to have significant increases of FN and Col IV at both protein and mRNA levels. Compared with the controls, the expression of FN protein and mRNA in the two clones were 3.2 times (P < 0.05) and 2.9 times (P < 0.05) higher respectively. The expression of Col IV protein and mRNA was 3.8 times (P < 0.01) and 2.4 times (P < 0.01) higher respectively.

CONCLUSIONCTGF up-regulates FN and Col IV expression in MsC and may play an important role in the development of glomerulosclerosis.

Animals ; Blotting, Western ; Cells, Cultured ; Collagen Type IV ; genetics ; metabolism ; Connective Tissue Growth Factor ; genetics ; metabolism ; Fibronectins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Genetic Vectors ; genetics ; Mesangial Cells ; cytology ; metabolism ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; metabolism ; Rats ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Transfection