The viable but noncuturable (VBNC) state is a survival strategy when bacteria are exposed to en- vironment stress. The VBNC state is part of the life cycle of non-differentiating bacteria, and it has a far-reaching impact on traditional bacteriology. Cells in the VBNC state fail to grow on the routine bacterio- logical media, here its significance in human health and environment science are detailed. Cells entering the VBNC state exhibit dwarfing and a number of metabolic changes in respiration rates and macromolecular synthesis. This paper summarized the variations in DNA and protein comparing to the culturable cells. We also discussed the ability of cells to resuscitate from the VBNC state and return to an actively metabolizing and culturable form. Some new methods for monitoring the VBNC state were listed. Finally the future was suggested.

Objective To investigate the effects of total flavonoids of Herba Epimedii(HEF)on the metabolism of typeⅠcollagen and the expression of cathepsin K in the bone of ovariectomized(OVX)rats. Methods Fifty-four female SD rats were allocated into 6 groups;OVX group,sham operation group,OVX rats followed by three doses of HEF(40,80 and 160 mg?kg~(-1)?d~(-1))and nilestriol(0.1 mg?kg~(-1)?d~(-1))for 12 weeks respectively.Bone mineral density(BMD)of whole body was determined by dual-energy X-ray absoptiometry.The level of cross-linked N-telopeptide of typeⅠcollagen(NTx)in the urine were determined by ELISA.The amounts of typeⅠcollagen protein and cathepsin K protein in bone tissue were detected by immunohistochemical method and Western blotting.Results Compared with OVX group,the total BMD values in the HEF treated groups were increased(all P＜0.05),and the expression levels of typeⅠcollagen in three HEF treated groups rose significantly in a dose-dependent manner after 12 week,and simultaneously,both the expression of cathepsin K in bone and the level of NTx/Cr were reduced markedly(P＜0.05),being most significant(P＜0.01)in the group treated with the highest dose of HEF(160 mg?kg~(-1)?d~(-1)).Conclusion HEF seems to be able to elevate BMD and improve bone quality of rats via promoting synthesis and inhibiting proteolysis and absorption of typeⅠcollagen in the bone.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether the allergic factors impact the severity of chronic rhinosinusitis or not, further more, to explore the relationship between allergic rhinitis and chronic rhinosinusitis. METHOD: A retrospective review was done on 103 patients. All of these patients were under functional intranasal endoscopic sinus surgery after expectant treatment is ineffective. We devided the patients into different groups according to the result of skin prick and specific IgE and if there is difference in VAS score, Lund and Kennedy endoscopic score, Lund-Mackay CT score between the groups. We also analysed the symptoms in different chronic rhinosinusitis patients allerged to variant kinds of allergen. The SPSS 17.0 software was used to analyze the data. Statistical analysis was performed by t-test, rank order test or χ2 test. RESULT: The duration of the disease, VAS score of nasal blockage, score of Lund-Mackay CT and Lund and Kennedy endoscopic before the operation were in no statistical sense after when compared with the two groups of patients with chronic rhiriosinusitis who grouped according the result of skin prick and specific IgE. The VAS score of facial pressure and loss of smell was higher in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis which the skin prick and specific IgE were positive. The VAS score of nasal discharge was higher in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis who got negative skin prick and specific IgE result. The symptoms of chronic rhinosinusitis improved with operation no matter the group of skin prick and specific IgE positive or negative and VAS score of nasal blockage improved significantly in negative group. The symptoms of sneezing, rhinorrhoea and rhinocnesmus improved after operation among the chronic rhinosinusitis patients with skin prick and specific IgE. The number of cockroach allergy is larger among the patients with chronic rhinosinusitis without polyps than the one among the patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with polyps. CONCLUSION Allergic factor didn't impact much the severity of chronic rhinosinusitis patients who were failed in expectant treatment, besidesthe postoperative outcomes showed that only influence the severity of nasal discharge, facial pressure and loss of smell. Different kinds of allergen were found between the patients of chronic rhinosinusitis with or without polyps. No significantly functional endoscopic sinusitis sugrery outcome were related to the allergic factor. But the allergic factor may interfere the remission of nasal discharge after surgery.
Administration, Intranasal ; Allergens ; Chronic Disease ; Endoscopy ; Humans ; Nasal Obstruction ; Nasal Polyps ; surgery ; Polyps ; Postoperative Period ; Retrospective Studies ; Rhinitis ; immunology ; surgery ; Rhinitis, Allergic ; surgery ; Sinusitis

AIM: To study the causes of pyogenic granuloma after hydroxyapatite(HA) orbital implants.METHODS: HA orbital implants (250 cases) in our hospital (68 pegged implants) were reviewed.All patients were followed up from 18 months to 10 years. Implants were removed after medical therapy which was proved to be ineffective.RESULTS: Ten of 250 cases of HA orbital implants developed pyogenic granuloma. Pyogenic granuloma occurred in 1 unpegged implants patient and 9 patients after pegging and drilling of HA implantation over 4～7 years. The pyogenic granulomas were not controlled by medical therapy effectively. Implants were removed in 9 cases except 1 case denied removing and continued medical therapy.CONCLUSION: Pyogenic granuloma was serious complication that occurred after HA orbital implants. Partial vascularization, implant exposure, xenogenic sclera implant, pegging and drilling of HA implantation are risk factors that affect the development of pyogenic granuloma.Pyogenic granuloma hasn't relation with implanted peg material. Pyogenic granuloma denotes the potential implant infection, and all implants should be removed finally.

Objective:The recombinant human retinal pigment epithelium-derived factor(PEDF)protein to be obtained and the angiogenesis of the rPEDF to be identified.Methods: PEDF gene gene was amplified by PCR and cloned into pET32a,rPEDF protein was expressed in E.coli BL21 and confirmed by SDS-PAGE and Western blot.The rPEDF was purified by Ni-NTA on denature condition.The concentration of the rPEDF was determined by Bradford method.The angiogenesis of the rPEDF was determined by chick chorioallantoic membrane(CAM) method.Results: The expression plasmid pET32a-PEDF was constructed successfully.The rPEDF was expressed with stable efficiency in E.coli BL21.The results of the CAM experiment showed that the rPEDF had notable angiogenesis effect in the concentration 0.4、0.04 ng/ml,but had no effect in 4 ng/ml.Conclusion:The PEDF gene was cloned and expressed efficiently,the angiogenesis of the rPEDF to be identified and the activity was worked in certain range.The results can facilitate studying its function and spreading its application.

Animals ; Animals, Newborn ; Brain ; blood supply ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Female ; Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain ; physiopathology ; Immunohistochemistry ; Lipopolysaccharides ; toxicity ; Male ; Models, Animal ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; analysis

Background Inherited retinal degeneration,one of the major causes of blindness worldwide,comprises a large number of disorders characterized by a slow and progressive retinal degeneration.Interleukin-1 (IL-1)was recognized to be involved in inherited retinal degeneration.Whether IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) can arrest retinal degeneration is worthy of investigation.Objective This study was to investigate the effects of IL-1ra on photoreceptor apoptosis in Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) rats.Methods The use of the animals complied with the Regulations for the Administration of Affairs Concerning Experimental Animals by State Science and Technology Commission.The SPF RCS rats aged 9,15,16,25,30,35,40,50 and 60 postnatal days were collected,with 9 rats for each age group.Retinal sections were used for the TdT-mediated biotin-dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) cell apoptosis assay.1 μl of IL-1ra (1.8 g/L) was intravitreally injected in the right eyes of 9 RCS rats aged 15 postnatal days and PBS was used in the same way in the fellow eyes.The injection procedure was repeated on the 20 th and 25 th day,respectively.The rats were sacrificed on the 30 th day and retinal sections were prepared for the TUNEL assay.The differences in the percentage of the positive cellular nuclei area among different ages of rats were compared by one-way ANOVA,and the differences in retinal layer thickness between IL-1ra injection group and PBS injection group were assessed by paired t test.Results Photoreceptor apoptosis appeared in 20-day-old RCS rats and progressed and peaked in 30 and 35-day-old rats and then reduced,showing a significant difference among rat of various age groups (F=28.020,P＜0.01).Images from TUNEL assay showed a weaker and less TUNEL staining in the IL-1ra injected eyes than the PBS injected eyes in 30-day-old rats.The total area and relative area of TUNEL positive nuclei were (223.052±153.092) μm2 and (2.206±1.531) ％ in the IL-1ra injected group,and those in PBS injected group were (1235.050±359.767) μm2 and (7.269± 1.624) ％,with a significant difference between them (t =4.370,t=3.250,P＜0.01).The cone and rod thickness was (15.324±9.035) μm in the IL-1ra injected group and (49.566±4.605)μm in the PBS injected group,showing a significant difference (t =22.674,P＜0.01).However,no significant difference was seen in the outer nuclear layer thickness between the two groups (t =0.268,P＞0.05).Conclusions IL-1 participates in the pathogenesis and development of inherited retinal degeneration of RCS rats.The use of IL-1ra might be a potential approach in the treatment of inherited retinal degeneration.

AIM: To better reveal the changing process of macula area after photodynamic therapy (PDT), the changes of tomographic imaging on macular fovea optical coherence tomography ( OCT ) scan at different follow- up time points after treating age-related macular degeneration ( AMD) by PDT were investigated.
METHODS: This cohort study included 30 eyes of 26 patients diagnosed as AMD. The dosage of verteporfin was calculated according to manufacturer's instruction. All participants got FFA, ICG, OCT scan and best corrected visual acuity before and followed up for 2wk, 1, 2, 3mo after PDT. The standard five lines combined with 6 lines OCT scan covered key parts of lesion and the scan locations before and after were kept the same. The bilaminar foveal thickness (BFT), outer high reflectivity band thickness ( OHRBT ) , and the total area of intraretinal fluid ( IRF ) and subretinal fluid ( SRF ) were measured at different time points. The relationship between the changes and follow up time was analyzed. Statistical analysis of the data was performed using SPSS for windows version 13. 0.
RESULTS: There months after treatment, an improvement of 2 lines or better on the Snellen chart was achieved on 22 eyes, visual acuity of 3 eyes without significant change, 3 eyes got decreased, 2 cases lost follow up. The average macular thickness of improved 22 eyes before treatment was 722. 5±55. 6μm, 2wk after treatment, 708. 3±45. 3μm, 1mo, 584. 4±49. 3μm, 2mo, 430. 7±50. 2μm and 180. 6 ±36. 3μm at 3mo. The OHRBT before and after treatment respectively were 302. 3 ±50-2μm, 277. 5±42. 3μm, 202. 7±40. 1μm, 180. 6±35. 7μm, 100. 8±22. 9μm. The total area of both IRF and SRF was estimated as 0. 34±0. 12mm2 , 0. 25±0. 07mm2 , 0. 10±0-05mm2 , 0. 08±0. 04mm2 , 0. 05±0. 01mm2 .
CONCLUSION:SRF and retinal edema of patients with AMD were absorbed 1mo after PDT, and the BFT, OHRBT were significantly tend to be thin.

AIM:To compare the refractive errors measured by the VISX WaveScan, OPD - Scan Ⅲ and the subjective refraction.
METHODS: Seventy - six patients ( 152 eyes ) were recruited from January 2013 to December 2013. All patients were measured with subjective refraction by the phoropter (NIDEK, RT-5100), objective refraction by the WaveScan ( AMO Company, USA) , OPD-ScanⅢ ( Nidek Technologies, Japan). The sphere, cylinder, axis of the three methods were compared and analyzed.
RESULTS: The sphere measured by WaveScan was lower than that by subjective refraction, the difference was 0. 13±0. 30D (t=3. 753, P<0. 001). For cylinder, the difference was 0. 13±0. 43D (t=3. 664, P<0. 001). There was no significance for sphere, cylinder, and spherical equivalent between OPD - Scan Ⅲ and subjective refraction (P>0. 05). The value of the difference between WaveScan and subjective refraction was 5. 87o±6. 19o for the axis and the difference between OPD-Scan Ⅲ and subjective refraction was 3. 82o±3. 95o. There was statistic significance (t=2. 817, P=0. 006).
CONCLUSION: For sphere and cylinder, WaveScan generated some deviation relative to subjective refraction. The Nidek OPD-ScanⅢ gives more accurate measures of objective refraction when compared with subjective refraction.

Objective To explore the clinical manifestations of ultrasonography(US),99mTc-methoxyisobutylisonitrile(99mTc-MIBI),and 131I whole body scan(131I-WBS)of patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma(DTC)and cervical lymph node metastasis.Methods A total of 117 cases received examinations of US and 99mTc-MIBI before uses of 131I and received 131I-WBS after 6 d of 131I treatment.Combined with serum thyroglobulin(Tg),131I-SPECT/CT,lymph node biopsy and clinical follow-up of patients,cervical lymph node metastases were identified.Results In 117 patients,the sensitivity of US,99mTc-MIBI and 131I-WBS were 76.5%,67.1% and 83.5%(P