BACKGROUND: Cardiac fibrosis, which results from the loss of balance between synthesis and degradation of cardiac matrix component, is the structural foundation of the stiffness of damaged myocardial tissues. Astragalus membranaceus, a traditional Chinese herb, has multiple functions such as exerting a tonic effect on the heart to induce diuresis. However,the effect of astragaloside Ⅳ on cardiac collagen is poorly known in practice.OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of astragaloside Ⅳ on myocardial collagen and cardiac function in ischemic rats and to investigate the dosage and time effects of astragaloside Ⅳ.DESIGN: A completely randomized grouping design and randomized controlled trial.SETTING: Department of Pediatrics, the Affiliated Hospital of Medical College of Qingdao University.MATERIALS: The study was conducted in the Encephalopathy Research Institute, Medical College of Qingdao University, from July 2003 to February 2004. Totally 132 Wistar rats of cleaning grade were randomized into three groups: control group (n=11), ischemic group (n=10) and astragaloside Ⅳ group (n=121).METHODS: Rats in control group had thoracotomy, but did not have their left anterior descending coronary artery ligated; rats in ischemic group had thoracotomy and had their left anterior descending coronary artery ligated to establish acute myocardial infarction model; rats in astragaloside Ⅳ group were given astragaloside Ⅳ after surgical ligature of left anterior descending coronary artery. The changes in hemodynamic parameters, cardiac function and myocardial collagen were determined. The dosage and time effects of astragaloside Ⅳ on myocardial collagen and cardiac function were observed.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: ① The dosage and time effect of astragaloside Ⅳ on the content of myocardial collagen in the left ventricle of rats with myocardial infarction; ② The dosage and time effects of astragaloside Ⅳ on hemodynamics and cardiac function of rats with myocardial infarction.RESULTS: One hundred rats entered the results analysis. There were 10 in control group and ischemic group, respectively, and 80 in astragaloside Ⅳ group. The five dosage groups of astragaloside Ⅳ [2.5, 5.0, 10.0, 15.0 and 20.0 mg/(kg·d)] and the five postoperative time points (3, 7, 14, 21 and 28 days) had eight rats for each. Astragaloside Ⅳ at a dose of 15.0 mg/kg per day was found to have the most marked effect on ischemic myocardium, so this dose was chosen for observing time effect. ① After administration of astragaloside Ⅳ, the content of collagen in myocardial tissues of the infarcted area of left ventricle, the serum concentration of carboxyterminal procollagen type Ⅰ propeptide and aminoterminal procollagen type Ⅲ propeptide decreased gradually with the increased dose of astragaloside Ⅳ and with the prolonged action time of astragaloside Ⅳ [15 mg/(kg·d)] (P ＜ 0.05-0.01). The serum concentration of carboxyterminal procollagen type 1 propeptide and aminoterminal procollagen type Ⅲ propeptide returned to the level of control at a dose of 10 mg·kg-1per day and at 21 days after astragaloside Ⅳ administration, respectively. The content of collagen in myocardial tissues of the infarcted area of left ventricle was higher than that of non-infarcted area (P＜ 0.01); there were no significant changes in the content of cardiac collagen of right ventricle and non-infarcted area of left ventricle before and after astragaloside Ⅳ administration. ② The cardiac function of ischemic rats significantly improved after astragaloside Ⅳ administration (P ＜ 0.05-0.01); cardiac output, heart rate, stroke volume,mean aortic pressure, systolic aortic pressure, and the stroke work of left ventricle gradually returned to the level of control with the increased dose of astragaloside Ⅳ and with the prolonged action time of astragaloside Ⅳ.CONCLUSION: Astragaloside Ⅳ can inhibit the proliferation of cardiac collagen and improve cardiac function in rats with myocardial infarction.The content of myocardial collagen gradually decreases and cardiac function gradually improves with the increased dose of astragaloside Ⅳ and the prolonged action time of astragaloside Ⅳ.

Objective To explore the relationships between the sleep/wake-up patterns and temperament in preterm infants.Methods The developmental characteristics of sleep/wake-up patterns and temperament in preterm infants aged 4 months at corrected gestational age in their own home environments were described.The 23 relatively low-risk preterm infants were enrolled in this study.The sleep/wake-up data was collected with actigraphy.The temperament was assessed by Chinese Infant Temperament Questionnaire.Results Among the 23 infants,there were 13 coordinated difficult(D) type and 10 coordinated easy(E) type.The number of night wake-up in the coordinated D-type preterm infants[(2.78 ±0.01) times] were significantly more than that of coordinated E-type ones[(2.60 ± 0.03) times] (t =3.285,P =0.001).The longest continuous sleep time of coordinated D-type preterm infants [(4.20 ± 1.21) h] was significantly less than that of coordinated E-type ones[(4.41 ± 1.14) h] (t =3.374,P =0.001).There were no significant differences in daytime sleep duration,the number of naps,bedtime,sleep latency,nighttime sleep duration,the 24 hour sleep duration and morning awaking time between the two groups (all P ＞ 0.05).After the sex factor was controlled,there was a positive correlation between emotional nature and sleep latency at night (r =0.599,P =0.032).There was also positive correlation between persistence and the number of naps in daytime (r =0.439,P =0.035).Conclusions Preterm infants with different temperament types have different number of night wake-ups and the longest continuous sleep time.The emotional nature and persistence are associated with sleep latency at night and number of naps in daytime respectively.The parents of preterm infants should change their child rearing behaviors to improve sleep quality of the preterm infants.

Objective To further recognize the coronary artery three vessel disease by studying the abnormal change of the electrocardiogram(ECG)and echocardiography of ischemic heart disease patients and unstable angina pectoris patients,and to analyze the results of coronary angiography.Methods Coronary arteriography for 2 654 patients diagnosed as ischemic heart disease,unstable angina pectoris,were conducted and the result of coronary arteriography were compared with the ECG and echocardiography.Results There were certain statistically significant correlation among the ECG,echocardiography abnormal change and three vessel coronary artery disease(ECG:χ2 =9.02,P <0.01;echocardiography:χ2 =14.36,P <0.01).The sensitivity,specificity,false positive rate,and false negative rate of ECG were 71.46%,27.47%,62.26% and 28.50% respectively.The sensitivity,specificity,false positive rate, and false negative rate of echocardiography were 61.27%,27.08%,72.91% and 38.72% respectively.ECG′s change of patients appear in 8 or more leads when angina pectoris attacks exist,the incidence of chest lead terminal positive T wave were higher than 90.00%.Ⅲ lead fQRS wave group or low voltage changeed and AVR lead ST seg-ment elevation were accounting for 82.61% and 56.52% respectively.Conclusion There are certain correlation and predictive value among the ECG,echocardiography and three vessel coronary artery disease.There are characteristic waveform change of ECG when angina pectoris attacks exist.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the down-regulation effect of antisense oligonucleotides (AS ODNs) targeting X-chromosome-linked inhibitors of apoptosis (XIAP) on hep-2 cells apoptosis and radiotherapy sensitivity in vitro. METHOD: G4 AS ODN was transfected into cultured hep-2 cells which received radiation 6 hours later. Twenty-four hours after radiation, cells were observed under inverted phase contrast microscope and fluorescence microscope. Apoptosis rate, cell viability, expression of XIAP mRNA and protein were tested. RESULT: In cultured hep-2 cells, G4 AS ODN down-regulated XIAP mRNA expression. Furthermore, the protein expression of XIAP and the cell viability decreased too. In contrast to that, the scrambled control ODN caused minor XIAP loss and less cell inhibition. In addition, G4 AS ODNs activated Hep-2 cells after the radiation of 4 Gy Co60 ray. CONCLUSION XIAP is a viable target for cancer therapy in human laryngeal neoplasms. In cultured Hep-2 cells, AS ODN targeting XIAP can down-regulate protein expression of XIAP, induce cell apoptosis and enhance the radiotherapy sensitivity.
Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Humans ; Oligonucleotides, Antisense ; pharmacology ; X-Linked Inhibitor of Apoptosis Protein ; genetics ; pharmacology

Objective To observe the expression change of melanoma-associated antigen(MAGE)-A9 in colorectal cancer (CRC)tissue and to explore its significance.Methods The samples in 23 cases of initially diagnosed CRC in the Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University from January 2006 to December 2008 were collected.The quantitative real-time(qRT)-PCR was adopted to detect MAGE-A9 mRNA expression in cancer tissue and corresponding paracancerous tissue.Its correlation with the clinicopatho-logical features and prognosis was analyzed.Results The positive rate of MAGE-A9 in CRC tissue was significantly higher than that in paracancerous normal tissue(P<0.05).MAGE-A9 protein expression in CRC was related to the clinicopathological features such as tumor differentiation degree(P=0.011),TNM stage(P=0.003),tumor infiltration depth(P=0.001)and lymph node me-tastasis(P=0.003).The survival analysis showed that the expression of MAGE-A9 was closely related to the prognosis of CRC pa-tients.Conclusion MAGE-A9 expression is increased in CRC tissue,suggesting the poor prognosis.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression of X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP) and the apoptosis rate in cultured Hep-2 cells, and discuss their relationship. METHOD: Cultured Hep-2 cells were irradiated with 2, 4, 8 Gy gamma ray. Living inhibitor rate detected with MTT, apoptosis rate and fluorescence index number of XIAP in mRNA level by RT-PCR and in protein level by flow cytometry (FCM) were measured at 12th, 24th, 48th hours after radiation respectively. RESULT: After irradiation, the volume of adherent cells increased and the number of suspended cells increased accordingly. 48 hours after irradiation with 2, 4, 8 Gy, the living inhibitor rate of Hep2 cells were 3.24%, 8.29%, 13.53%, and apoptosis rate was 3.27%, 5.33%, 8.22%. The fluorescence index number of XIAP protein measured by FCM was 1.23, 1.46, 1.58 respectively. With the dosage of 4 Gy, at the 12th, 24th, 48th hours of irradiation, the apoptosis rate was 3.19%, 3.22%, 5.31%. The living inhibitor rate was direct correlation with apoptosis rate in radiated Hep-2 cells. The expression of XIAP increased quickly at the 24th hours after radiation but the apoptosis rate did not increased in the course. XIAP was no more increase at the 48th hours, while the apoptosis rate was significantly higher. Which indicated that Them two were negative correlation. CONCLUSION gamma-ray can inhibit the growth of Hep-2 cells. The irradiation dosage was direct correlation with living inhibitor rate. Apoptosis is the main death method of Hep-2 cells after irradiation. The over expression of XIAP maybe one reason which caused the delayed apoptosis after radiation.
Apoptosis ; radiation effects ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; metabolism ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; Gamma Rays ; Humans ; Laryngeal Neoplasms ; metabolism ; X-Linked Inhibitor of Apoptosis Protein ; metabolism

Objective:To explore the application of multi-modal digital massive open online courses (MOOCs) mode in the standardized residency training of obstetrics and gynecology.Methods:A total of 40 residents who entered the training program of obstetrics and gynecology from September 2018 to February 2020 were selected as the control group, and 40 residents from March 2020 to August 2020 were selected as the study group. The control group adopted the traditional teaching method, and the study group adopted the multi-modal digital MOOCs teaching method. The scores of theoretical examination and skill operation examination after the standardized training, clinical ability examination before and after the standardized training and teaching satisfaction were compared between the two groups. SPSS 22.0 was performed for t test and chi-square test. Results:After the standardized training, the scores of theoretical knowledge [(88.53±6.04) vs. (79.67±5.52)] and skill operation [(85.52±6.33) vs. (71.15±7.86)] in the study group were significantly higher than those in the control group ( P < 0.05). After the standardized training, the scores of all kinds of clinical ability of the two groups were higher than before ( P < 0.05), and the scores of all items in study group were higher ( P < 0.05). The satisfaction of all aspects of teaching in the study group was higher than that in the control group ( P < 0.05). Conclusion:The application of multi-modal digital MOOCs teaching mode in the standardized residency training of obstetrics and gynecology can strengthen the learning and mastering of theoretical knowledge, operational skills and the cultivation of clinical ability, and significantly improve the quality of teaching with high teaching satisfaction.

Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of rapid hepatitis B vaccination with different vaccine dosages and types in adults.Methods Adults who were aged ≥20 years,negative in the detections of 5 HBV serum markers or only anti-HBc positive were selected from Chaoyang district of Beijing.They were divided into 4 community-based specific groups and given three doses of 10 μ g HepB-SCY vaccine,20 μ g HepB-SCY vaccine,20 μ g HepB-CHO vaccine and 10 μ g HepB-HPY vaccine respectively at month 0,1,and 2.Their blood samples were collected within 1-2 months after completing the three dose vaccination to test anti-HBs level by using chemiluminesent microparticle immunoassay.A face to face questionnaire survey was conducted,and x2 test,Mantel-Haensel x2 test,Kruskal-Wallis rank test and multiple logistic regression analysis were performed.Results A total of 1 772 participants completed vaccination and observation.Their average age was 48.5 years,and 62.75％ of them were females.The anti-HBs positive rates in the groups of 10 μg HepB-SCY,20 μg HepB-SCY,20 μg HepB-CHO and 10 μg HepB-HPY vaccines were 79.49％,84.34％,82.50％ and 74.15％,respectively (P=0.005),and the geometric mean titers (GMT) were 39.53 mIU/ml,62.37 mIU/ml,48.18 mIU/ml and 33.64 mIU/ml respectively (P=0.025).The overall anti-HBs positive rate and GMT were 79.01％ and 41.18 mIU/ml.The anti-HBs GMT of 4 groups declined with age.The differences in anti-HBs GMT among 4 groups minimized with age.The result of logistic modeling indicated that vaccine type and dosage,age and smoking were associated with anti-HBs statistically after controlling the variables of "only anti-HBc positive or not" and "history of hepatitis B vaccination".Conclusion Hepatitis B vaccination at dosage of 20 tg based on 0-1-2 month rapid schedule could achieved anti-HBs positive rates ＞80％ in middle aged and old people,which can be used as supplement of 0-1-6 month routine schedule.

Objective:To investigate the effect of total alkaloid of harmaline (TAH) on inducing cellular autophagy and degradating of neurotoxic proteins Tau and α-synuclein (α-Syn).Methods:(1) The in vitro cultured PC12 cells were divided into blank control group, and 1, 2.5, 5, 10, 20 and 50 μg/mL TAH groups, respectively; and they were treated with 0, 1, 2.5, 5, 10, 20 and 50 μg/mL TAH for 24 h; cell morphology and number were observed, and cell survival rate was determined by MTT assay. (2) PC12 cells were divided into blank control group, rapamycin group, and 1, 2.5, 5, 10 and 20 μg/mL TAH groups; these cells were treated with same amount of solvent, 50 nmol/L autophagy activator rapamycin, and 1, 2.5, 5, 10 and 20 μg/mL TAH for 4 h, respectively, and the number of autophagosomes was detected by immunofluorescent staining. (3) PC12 cells were divided into blank control group, rapamycin group, and 10 μg/mL TAH group; these cells were treated with same amount of solvent, 50 nmol/L rapamycin, and 10 μg/mL TAH for 4 h; the protein expression levels of p62 and microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 II (LC3-II) was detected by Western blotting. (4) PC12 cells were divided into blank control group, chloroquine group, TAH group, and TAH+chloroquine group; these PC12 cells were treated with 50 nmol/L autophagy inhibitor chloroquine, 10 μg/mL TAH, and 10 μg/mL TAH+50 nmol/L chloroquine for 4 h, respectively; the LC3-II protein expression was detected by Western blotting. (5) PC12 cells were divided into TAH group and blank control group; 10 μg/mL TAH and same amount of solvent were given to each group for 4 h, and then, the phosphorylated mammalian target of rapamycin (p-mTOR) and phosphorylated 70-KD ribosomal protein S6 kinase (p-P70S6K) protein expression levels were detected by Western blotting. (6) Tet on HEK293 cells with Tau-green fluorescent protein (GFP) overexpression were divided into blank control group, TAH group, doxycycline group, doxycycline+TAH group, doxycycline+TAH+3-MA group, and doxycycline+TAH+chloroquine group. Cells in the later 4 groups were treated with 200 ng/mL Tet system inducer doxycycline for 24 h; cells in the blank control group were treated with same amount of solvent, those in the TAH group were treated with 10 μg/mL TAH, and cells in the latter 3 groups were treated with 10 μg/mL TAH, 10 μg/mL TAH+5 mmol/L 3-MA, and 10 μg/mL TAH+50 nmol/L chloroquine, respectively, for 24 h; the changes of green fluorescence intensity of these cells were observed under laser confocal microscope. The Tau-GFP and LC3-II protein expression levels were detected by Western blotting. (7) HEK293 cells with stable α-Syn expression were divided into blank control group, chloroquine group, TAH group and TAH+chloroquine group; these cells were treated with same amount of solvent, 50 nmol/L chloroquine, 10 μg/mL TAH and 10 μg/mL TAH+50 nmol/L chloroquine for 24 h, respectively; the α-Syn and LC3-II protein expression levels were detected by Western blotting. Results:(1) As compared with that in the blank control group, the cell survival rate in 20 and 50 μg/mL TAH groups was significantly lower, and that in the 50 μg/mL TAH group was statistically lower than that in 20 μg/mL TAH group ( P<0.05). (2) As compared with that in the blank control group, the number of autophagosomes in rapamycin group, and 10 and 20 μg/mL TAH groups was significantly increased, and that in 10 μg/mL TAH group was statistically higher than that in 20 μg/mL TAH group ( P<0.05); 10 μg/mL TAH group was selected for subsequent experiments. (3) As compared with the blank control group, the rapamycin group and TAH group had significantly decreased P62 protein expression and significantly increased LC3-II protein expression ( P<0.05). (4) As compared with that in the blank control group, the LC3-II protein expression in the chloroquine group, TAH group and TAH+chloroquine group was significantly increased, and LC3-II protein expression in TAH+chloroquine group was statistically higher than that in chloroquine group ( P<0.05). (5) The p-mTOR and p-p70S6K expression levels in the TAH group were significantly decreased as compared with those in the blank control group ( P<0.05). (6) The Tau-GFP protein expression in doxycycline group was significantly increased as compared with that in the blank control group ( P<0.05); that in doxycycline+TAH group was significantly decreased as compared with that in the doxycycline group ( P<0.05); that in the doxycycline+TAH+3-MA group and doxycycline+TAH+chloroquine group was statistically increased as compared with that in doxycycline+TAH group ( P<0.05). The LC3-II protein expression in the TAH group was significantly increased as compared with that in the control group, that in the doxycycline+TAH group was significantly increased as compared with that in the doxycycline group, that in the doxycycline+TAH+3-MA group was significantly decreased as compared with that in the doxycycline+TAH group, and that in doxycycline+TAH+ chloroquine group was significantly increased as compared with that in the doxycycline+TAH group ( P<0.05). Conclusion:TAH may activate autophagy by inhibiting the mTOR/p70S6K signaling pathway, which in turn promotes the degradation of neurotoxic proteins Tau and α-Syn.

Objective To explore the nutritional efficacy of compound protein powder formulations from different sources. Methods Three groups of compound protein powder formulations were obtained through scientific blending using soy protein, whey protein and yeast protein as raw materials. The effects of the compound protein powders on nitrogen metabolism, serum biochemical indicators, and pathological changes of liver tissue and epididymal fat in rats were evaluated. Results Compared with the control (casein), the net protein utilization, biological evaluation, and protein efficacy ratio of the compound protein powders in rats were significantly improved, and the changes in these indicators in the formula with the highest whey protein content were most significant among all three formulas. The compound protein powders effectively increased the levels of albumin and globulin, while decreased the content of total cholesterol, indicating beneficial effects on improving immunity and controlling lipid metabolism, with the formula group 2 being the most effective among all three groups. The pathological examination showed that the three groups of protein powder did not have adverse effects on liver tissue and epididymal fat. Conclusion The present study demonstrates that the compound protein powder formulation has nutritional value, which suggests a potential of the application of the compound protein powder formulation in the elderly, and people with special nutritional needs, such as sports people.