The differentiation of neural stem cells/neural precursors (NSCs/NPs) is a hot spot in neurobiological research. It used to identify their differentiation degree only by morphologic appearances. The functional characteristics, such as electrical properties of cellular membrane and ion channel activities, are drawing more and more attention with the development of patch clamp technique. It was summarized the recent progress in the study of NSCs/NPs functional differentiation using patch clamp, some existing problems and research perspectives were suggested.

Objective To evaluate the clinical outcomes of emergency intracoronary stenting for senile patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Methods Eighty-four senile patients with AMI underwent emergency intracoronary stenting were compared with eighty-eight non-senile patients with AMI. Results Eighty-six stents were implanted in eighty-four infarction related arteries (IRA), two patients died during hospitalization,the procedural success rate was 97.6% in senile group. Eighty-eight stents were implanted in eighty-eight IRA, one patient died during hospitalization, the success rate was 98.9% in non-senile group. There was no significant difference in characteristic of stents, bleeding complication and LVEF between the senile group and the non-senile group.Conclusion Emergercy intracoronary stenting was an effective and safe therapeutic maneuver for the senile patients with AMI.

BACKGROUND:Presently used pulmonary vein antrum location methods mainly performed by three-dimensional electroanatomy combined with X-ray image or CT image fusion.These methods conducted vein antrum location and ablation by anatomy instructions.It is still poorly understood whether the ablation hit the key part of atrial fibrillation.OBJECTIVE:To explore the feasibility of catheter ablation guided by three-dimensional electroanatomic mapping system in conjunct with pulmonary vein antrum potential in patients with atrial fibrillation.DESIGN,TIME AND SETTING:The verification clinical study was performed at the Department of Cardiology of Jinan Fourth People's Hospital and Hebei People's Hospital from March 2007 to June 2009.PARTICIPANTS:Fifty-one patients with drugs refractory,paroxysmal atrial fibrillation were included.METHODS:All patients underwent circumferential pulmonary vein antrum ablation guided by three-dimensional electroanatomic mapping system (CARTO) in conjunct with pulmonary vein antrum potential with the endpoint of electrical isolation.Relevant parameters and ablation success rate were observed.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:Procedure-related parameters,such as procedure duration,fluoroscopy duration,cumulative success rate and complication were observed.RESULTS:Pulmonary veins were isolated in all 51 patients.The mean procedure duration,fluoroscopy time and radiofrequency ablation duration are respectively (207±36.7) minutes,(38.2±14.3) minutes,(56.4±15.7) minutes.After (17.5±3.8)-months follow-up,forty (78.4%) patients did not have recurrence of atrial fibrillation,atrial flutter or atrial tachycardia.No severe procedure-related complication had happened.CONCLUSION:Pulmonary vein antrum potential can be used as a landmark to define pulmonary vein antrum,that combined with CARTO system to guide pulmonary vein antrum ablation is effective,safety and feasible for catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation.

Information department in hospitals shoulders the tasks of construction,operation,maintenance and super-vision of hospital information system ( HIS) . The work load increases with the update of HIS. The key issues con-cerned by the chief of HIS include the over planning of resources,optimizing the allocation of techniques,enforcing the means of management, improving the level of service and the efficiency of support. The principles for the design of performance appraisal program and the specific appraisal indicators in Information Department of Chinese PLA Second Artillery Forces were thus described in this paper in an attempt to provide reference for the information management in other hospitals.

Objective To establish a cell line with overexpression of rat serotonin1A receptor (5-HT1AR).Methods Human neuroblastoma cells-SH-SY5Y were donated by cancer institute attached to the 4 th Affiliated Hospital, Hebei Medical University. Total RNA was extracted from brain tissues of male SD rats and rat 5-HT1A R was obtained by RT-PCR. Plasmid pc-DNA3. 1/hisC containing the rat 5-HT1AR (pc-DNA3.1/hisC-Rat-5-HT1AR)was constructed and transfected into SH-SY5Y cells. The transfected cells were isolated by G418 selection and SH-SY5Y-Rat-5-HT1A R cells were obtained. Expression of 5-HT1A R was detected by Western blot analysis. Cell viability was evaluated by MTT assay. SH-SY5Y-Rat-5-HT1AR cells were further observed for 5-HT1AR by immuno-fluorescence staining. Results Plasmid pc-DNA3. 1/hisC-Rat-5-HT1AR was successfully constructed by linking Rat-5-HT1A R with pc-DNA3.1/hisC and transfected into SH-SY5Y. The SH-SY5Y-Rat-5-HT1A R cells were more slender than SH-SY5Y cells with less and longer processes. MTT showed that the viability of SH-SY5Y-Rat-5-HT1A R cells was much lower than SH-SY5Y. Rat 5-HT1A R was expressed efficiently on the membrane of SH-SY5Y-Rat-5-HT1A R cells. Conclusion A cell line with overexpress of rat 5-HT1A R is successfully established.

Objective To investigate the influence of Qiliqiangxin capsule on the exercise tolerance in patients with chronic heart failure. Methods 86 patients with chronic heart failure were selected and recruited into a control group and an observation group randomly. The patients in the control group were given angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, diuretic,carvedilol or metoprolol and dixina. The patients in the observation group were given Qiliqiangxin capsule on the basis of the control group. The change of exercise tolerance and left ventricular ejection fraction in all patients were detected after 4 weeks.Results The distance of walking in 6 minutes increased for all patients after 4 weeks' treatment(P＜0.05), while the observation group increased more significantly than the control group(P＜0.05). The left ventricular ejection fraction increased for all patients after therapy 4 weeks (P＜0.05), while the observation group increased more obviously than the control group (P＜0.05). The total excellent rate and effective rate in the observation group were both higher than the control group (P＜0.05). Conclusion Qiliqiangxin capsule can increase the clinic curative effect by increasing the exercise tolerance and improving the heart function of patients with chronic heart failure.

AAIM:To investigate the effect of atorvastatin ( ATO) on electrical remodeling, atrial ion channel protein expression and cardiac function in atrial tachypacing rabbits, and to explore the potential electrical mechanism of ATO in the prevention of atrial fibrillation.METHODS:The rabbits were subjected to atrial tachypacing at 600 min-1 in the absence or presence of treatment with atorvastatin (ATP and ATO groups) for 48 h, and the other 10 as sham group without pacing ( NP group) .The tachypacing model was performed by attaching pacing and testing electrodes to left atrial and connecting with custom animal cardiac pacemaker in the open-chest situation.The animals in ATO group were pretrea-ted with ATO for 7 d and continued during tachypacing.Serial atrial effective refractory period ( AERP) was measured in each rabbit at baseline, 8 h, 16 h, 24 h, 32 h, 40 h and 48 h with different cycle lengths.The changes of cardiac func-tions and cardiac structure were observed by cardiac ultrasonic cardiogram before and after atrial tachypacing.The expres-sion of atrial ion channel proteins CaLα1 and Kv4.3 was detected by Western blotting.RESULTS:Compared with NP group, AERP at cycle lengths of 150 and 200 ms, the adaption of AERP, and the levels of CaLα1 and Kv4.3 expression were all decreased in ATP and ATO group, especially in ATP group.Left atrial dimension ( LAD) was increased in pacing groups as compared with NP group (P<0.05) after pacing delivery for 48 h, while no difference between the formers was observed.No significant change of the left ventricular dimension ( LVD) and ejection fraction ( LVEF) among groups be-fore and after pacing was found.CONCLUSION:Atrial tachypacing significantly shorten AERP, resulting in poor adap-tion of AERP, while ATO pretreatment significantly attenuates the atrial electrical remodeling in rabbits, but had no effect on cardiac structure.ATO suppresses the down-regulation of atrial ion channel proteins CaLα1 and Kv4.3 expression after 48 h, which may be the potential ionic mechanism of atrial electrical remodeling for ATO.

BACKGROUND: Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) can grow in host myocardium, differentiate under myocardial condition, improve cardiac function. However, biological characteristics of BMSC differentiation are still unclear presently.OBJECTIVE: To study the expression and electrophysiological characteristics of BMSC/n vitro connexin-43 following 5-azacitidine (5-aza) treatment.DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING: The cytological in vitro controlled study was perormed at the Heart Center, Hebei Provincial People's Hospital from July 2007 to February 2009.MATERIALS: A total of 24 male pigs aged 2 months were purchased from Exparimental Animal Center, Hebei Medical University.METHODS: Bilateral femoral bone marrow was obtained from pigs under sterile condition. BMSCs were harvested by Percoll density gradient in vitro. At passage 2, BMSCs were treated with 10 μmol/L 5-aza, and incubated in DMeM without inductor 24 hours later. Indices were measured I, 2, 3 weeks following induction. A control group was set up, which was not treated with 5-azacitidine. Following bone marrow extraction, experimental pigs were anesthetized to obtain ventricular muscle. Normal ventricular muscle cells were isolated and cultured by tissue block enzyme digestion method.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Expression of connexin-43 was measured by immunohistochemical staining (ABC method). Ito current density and action potential were determined by patch clamp technique.RESULTS: At 1 and 2 weeks following 5-aza induction, some BMSCs were positive for connexin-43, with the presence of brown particles surrounding nuclei. At 3 weeks, positive rate of connexin-43 was 95%. The area with large cell density was presented with similar structure to normal myocardium. At +80 mV, compared with normal myocardial cells, Ito current density was significantly reduced in BMSCs following 1 and 2 weeks and in the control group (P < 0.05). Ito current density was significantly increased to a normal levels in BMSCs 3 weeks following induction (P > 0.05). No action potential was detected in BMSCs following 1 and 2 weeks of 5-aza, and action potential could be determined 3 weeks following induction, which was identical to normal myocardial cells.CONCLUSION: Through induced by 5-aza for three weeks, BMSCs have the similar expression of connexin-43 and electrophysiological characteristics as normal myocardium.

Objective To investigate the effect of atorvastatin on expression of ABCA1(mRNA,protein) and LXR? mRNA in THP-1 macrophages induced by PMA.Methods Cultured THP-1 cells were induced to differentiate into macrophages by PMA for 48 hours.The macrophages were incubated with atorvastatin in different concentions for 24 or 48 hours.We determined the changes of ABCA1 mRNA,protein and LXR? mRNA by reverse trancriptase polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR) and immuno-histochemistry.Results The expression level of ABCA1 mRNA(ratio of relative expression 1.21 vs 1.48) and protein as well as LXR? mRNA(0.87 vs1.12) were decreased in THP-1macrophages when cultured with atorvastatin(10 ?mol/L) for 24 h.Conclusion Atorvastatin inhibits the expression of ABCA1 mRNA and protein as well as LXR? mRNA of THP-1macrophages in vitro.