Objective To determine the level of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and to assess its relationship with disease activity and organ damage. Methods The plasma levels of MCP-I were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 95 patients with SLE and 21 healthy controls. Disease activity in SLE patients was assessed using the SLE Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI). Results Plasma level of MCP-1 was significantly elevated in SLE patients than in healthy controls [(849±289) pg/ml vs (426±266) pg/ml, P<0.01]. Moreover, level of MCP-1 was significantly higher in SLE patients with lupus nephritis (LN) than in patients without LN (P<0.01), andin SLE patients with neuropsychiatric symptoms than in patients without neuropsychiatric involvement (P< 0.01). In addition, significant correlation between plasma MCP-I levels and the SLEDAI was observed (r= 0.3699, P<0.01), and this relationship was not influenced by the treatment with glucocorticoid and cyclophosphamide. Conclusion MCP-I may play an important role in the pathogenesis of SLE, including renal and neuropsychiatric involvement. MCP-I is also a serologic marker of disease activity in patients with SLE, and its measurement in SLE patients may be useful for the evaluation of disease activity.

Objective To explore the qualification and consuming of iodized salt at wholesale and household levels after Salt Iodization.Methods Iodized salt surveillance at wholesale and household levels every year by detecting iodine content.Direct titration method(GB/T 13025.7-1999)was used for salt iodjne detecting and arbitration method was used for Sichuan salt and special salt.Results Five thousand six hundred and seventy five samples of 227 batches from 3 wholesale industries were detected during 1996-2000,batch qualification rate was 60.79%(138/227)and iodized salt qualification rate was 61.83%(3509/5675).During 2001-2007,2556 samples of 252 batches from wholesale levels were detected.The batch qualification rate and iodized salt qualification rate were 1 00%(252/252)and 99.88%(2553/2556),respectively.At household level.1583 samples from 236 villages were detected during 1996-2000.Iodized salt qualification rate was 74.24%(1 170/1576)and consuming rate of qualified iodized salt was 73.91%(1 170/1583)and iodine median was 45.14 mg/kg.During 2001-2007,13 140 samples from 1656 villages were detected.Iodized salt qualification rate,consuming rate 0f qualified iodized salt and iodine median were 98.03%(12 830/13 088),97.64%(12 830/13 140)and 30.13 mg/kg,respectively. The most difference of iodine content was 3.46 mg/kg in 3 wholesale industries.At household level there was a 4.95%reduction in comparison with at wholesale level.Conclusions Salt iodization level and edible iodine salt reach the national requirements of iodine deficiency control from the starting stage.The quality 0f iodized saIt at household level related to the exclusive wholesale industry and loss phenomenon maybe existed when salt was sold from wholesale industries to residents.

Objective To evaluate the clinical and histological outcomes in a cohort of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients who had histologically confirmed severe liver fibrosis and received lamivudine (LAM) therapy for up to 10 years. Methods Thirty-nine CHB patients with severe liver fibrosis (Ishak fibrosis score≥4) were treated with LAM for up to 10 years. Disease progression liver histological improvement, virological and biochemical responses were evaluated during follow-up. Data were analyzed using paired t test, Fisher exact test and Willcoxon test. Results Twenty-eight patients completed the 10-year follow-up. There were 5 (17.9% ) patients with disease progression.At the end of follow up, 16 patients received a second liver biopsy, which showed significant improvement of histological activity index (1.1 ± 1.4 vs 7. 1 ± 3.2, t =- 0.82, P＜0.01 ) and Ishak fibrosis score (3.6±2.2 vs 5.3±0.7, t= -2.89, P＜0.05) compared to baseline. There were 3 cases with Ishak fibrosis score improved from F5 to F0. Among 27 patients, 3(11% ) cases achieved hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) loss and 2 (7 % ) achieved HBsAg seroconversion. At the end of follow-up, 19 out of 23 (83% ) hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) positive patients obtained HBeAg loss and 9 (39 % ) obtained HBeAg seroconversion. During LAM treatment, 11 patients experienced virological breakthrough or detected documented LAM-related resistance mutation. The viral loads of all patients were below 1 ×103 copy/mL at the end of follow-up after rescued by add-on or switch to another nucleotide analog.Conclusions Long-term LAM therapy can delay the disease progression in CHB patients with severe liver fibrosis, increase HBsAg and HBeAg loss rates, sustain suppression of HBV replication at a low level and even totally reverse the liver fibrosis in some patients. The effect of LAM resistance mutation on disease outcomes would be reduced by rescue therapy.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Endoscopy ; Epistaxis ; pathology ; therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Light Coagulation ; Male ; Microwaves ; therapeutic use ; Middle Aged ; Young Adult

Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Cell Division ; drug effects ; Esophageal Neoplasms ; pathology ; Humans ; Selenomethionine ; pharmacology ; Tumor Cells, Cultured

Objective To evaluate the clinical value of echocardiography in the diagnosis of aorticoleft ventricular tunnel.Methods The echocardiographic and clinical characteristics were retrospectively analyzed in 6 patients with aortico-left ventricular tunnel we reported and 147 cases that documents reported.Results Six patients were confirmed by operation.The main echocardiographic characteristics of aortico-left ventricular tunnel were as follows:An abnormal communication began in the ascending aorta above the level of the coronary arteries,bypassed the aortic valve,and terminated in the left ventricle.The color Doppler flow imaging demonstrated to-and-fro flow,with or without aortic valve involvement.According Hovaguimian and his colleagues,2 cases were type Ⅰ,2 cases were type Ⅲ,1 case was type Ⅳ,1 case was type Ⅱ (showed as recanalization).Base on all of the 153 patients that we and documents reported,the accuracy rate of ultrasound diagnosis was 79.6％,the misdiagnosis rate was 17.1％,and missed diagnosis rate was 3.3 ％.Conclusions Echocardiography is the non-invasive and sensitive tool in the diagnosis of the type of aortico-left ventricular tunnel and structure of cardiac involvement,and is the preferred method for preoperative.

Objective To compare the skills level before and after pediatric advanced life support course and analyze the effect of the training. Methods The pediatric advanced life support was used as the textbook. The skills were got through attending theory classes, watching demonstrations and taking part in the simulator training. The questionnaires were filled strictly and the data was analysed. Results The test scores were increased after the training (P＜0. 01). There were only 8.7% of the trainees had used the rescue equipments and 61.3% had never seen the rescue equipments before training. More than 80% of the trainees were satisfied with the training about the utility and novelty. Conclusion pediatric advanced life support course can successfully deliver a large number of healthcare providers with international unique pediatric emergency treatment skills ,and raise the participants abilities of rescuing critical children.

Curriculum study is a major phase for medical postgraduate education,however,the patterns of the curriculum system are not uniform among domestic medical colleges,not to mention the uniformed patterns for scientific degree and professional degree.Hence,our school has reformed the curriculum system to set up different curriculum systems for both scientific degree and professional degree according to their different educational goals in an aim to improve the quality of education.

Objective To investigate the effect of heme oxygenase-1 ( HO-1 ) on the acute radiation-induced skin injury by gene transfer.Methods Thirty-three male SD rats were randomly divided into three groups as PBS-injected group,Ad-EGFP-injeeted group and Ad-HO-1-injected group ( n =11 ).In each group,three rats were used for determining the expression of target gene and the other rats were irradiated on the buttock skin with 40 Gy electron beam generated by a linear accelerator.Immediately after irradiation,rats were administered with a subcutaneous injection of PBS,Ad-EGFP or Ad-HO-1,respectively.Subsequently,the skin reactions were measured twice a week using the semi-quantitative skin injury scale.Results The strong positive expression of HO-1 was observed in subcutaneous dermal tissue after injection of Ad-HO-1.Compared to the PBS-injected group or the Ad-EGFP-injected group,a significant mitigation of skin injury was observed in Ad-HO-1-injected mice 14 d after irradiation (q =0.000-0.030,P ＜ 0.05 ).Conclusions HO-1 could significantly mitigate radiation-induced acute skin injury and Ad-HO-1 could be used to treat radiation-induced skin injury.

To observe the protective effects of drug-contained serum of Lingqi Huangban Granule (LQHBG), a compound traditional Chinese herbal medicine, on oxidative stress-induced injury in rabbit retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells in vitro.