Objective:To study the influence of morphine on the expression of nestin in the ependymal epithelia,central gray and hippocampal formations in mice.Methods:Twenty health mice were evenly randomized into control group and experiment group.Mice in the control group were injected with normal saline(0.1 ml daily)and those in the experimental group were injected with morphine (0.1 ml,1 mg daily).Thirty days later,the mice brain samples were harvested and made into paraffin sections.Immumohistochemical ABC technique was used to observe the expression of nestin under light microscope.The images were analyzed with the image analytical system.Results:In the control group,the ependymal epithelia,the central gray,the periventricular gray substances and the hippocampal formations had weak expression of the nestin,with a mean gray scale of 150.98?13.31;there were 5 kinds of nestin-positive cells:(1) the basal cells of ependymal epithelium,(2)cells distributed in the periventricular gray substance and the deep lamella of central gray, (3)cells distributed in the superficial lamella of central gray,the subiculum,the parahippocampal gyrus and the cortex inⅡ,Ⅲlayers of the entorhinal area,(4)cells frequently seen in the rectum of midbrain and the subiculum,and(5)cells distributed in the tectum of midhrain,the hippocampus,gyrus dentatus,parahippocampal gyrus and the cortex in V layer of the entorhinal area;the density of nestin in the subiculum and entorhinal area was(7.20?1.23)mm~2.In the experiment group,the ependymal epithelia,the central gray,the periventricular gray substances and the hippocampal formations had positive expression of the nestin,with the mean gray scale being 133.03?22.28;the density of the above-mentioned 5 kinds of cells increased;the density of nestin in the subiculum and entorhinal area was(10.50?1.43)mm~2.The mean value of gray scale and nestin-positive neurons were significantly different between the 2 groups (P

Paeoniflorin is the main active ingredient of Chinese herbaceous peony. This study is to investigate the protective effect of paeoniflorin (Pae) on acute brain damage induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in mice. The mice were randomly assigned to the normal control, model control (LPS), as well as groups of paeoniflorin and lipopolysaccharide (Pae + LPS). Then the mice were administered intraperitioneally with normal saline or Pae (10, 30 mg · kg(-1)) once daily for 6 d. One hour after intrapertioneally treatment on the seventh day, each group were injected LPS (5 mg · kg(-1)) to establish the endotoxin lipopolysaccharide inflammation model except the normal group. The mice were sacrificed after 6 h and the brain homogenates were prepared and measured. The malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), succinatedehydrogenase (SDH), Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase and Ca(2+)-Mg(2+)-ATPase were dectected by the colorimetric method. The levels of HO-1 and Nrf2 protein in subcellular fractions of brain tissue were detected by Western blot. The results demonstrated that the administration with paeoniflorin reduced the levels of the MDA production; significantly increase the activities of antioxidant enzyme (SOD and GSH-PX). In addition, paeoniflorin could enhance the total antioxidant capacity, decrease the level of H2O2, and increase the activities of SDH, Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase and Ca(2+)-Mg(2+)-ATPase. Furthermore, paeoniflorin can increase the expression of HO-1 and activate the nuclear transfer of Nrf2. Taking together, these findings suggest that paeoniflorin alleviate the acute inflammation in mice brain damage induced by LPS, which is related with its antioxidant effect and improvement of energy metabolism.
Animals ; Energy Metabolism ; drug effects ; Glucosides ; pharmacology ; Heme Oxygenase-1 ; genetics ; Lipopolysaccharides ; pharmacology ; Male ; Membrane Proteins ; genetics ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Monoterpenes ; pharmacology ; Oxidative Stress ; drug effects ; Sodium-Potassium-Exchanging ATPase ; metabolism

AlM: To investigate the clinical efficacy of treatment of dacryocystitis combined with canalicular obstruction by endonasal endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy with canalicular intubation.
METHODS: A total of 27 cases of dacryocystitis combined with canalicular obstruction were treated by endonasal endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy with canalicular intubation. Canalicular obstruction was treated by laser under dacryoendoscopy and antegrade intubation.
RESULTS: For 27 cases, operations were successful, with no complications. All patients were followed up for 6mo, 25 were cured, 2 were effective with no failed. The cure rate was 93%.
CONCLUSlON:Treatment of dacryocystitis combined with canalicular obstruction by endonasal endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy with canalicular intubation has clear field, minimal invasion, quick recovery, exact effect and less recurrence, so it is worthy of promotion.

Objectives To study the level and development of serum specific antibody against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus(SARS-CoV)of different populations in SARS pestilence district after SARS outbreak in a general hospital.Discuss SARS sub-clinical infection and protective action of the IgG antibody.Methods Seroepidemiology method,enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)and indirect immunfluorescence assay(IFA)were employed to investigate the changing level of serum antibody to SARS-associated coronavirus in non-SARS population in SARS pestilence district during and after SARS outbreak.The development of IgM and IgG antibody in patients with SARS in 6 weeks after the onset of SARS was studied qualitatively.The level changing of IgG antibody in con- valescent patients with SARS in 82 weeks after the onset was observed dynamically.Results The ELISA test outcome of IgG antibody was negative in 200 non-SARS people who were random samples of normal mass in SARS pestilence district and common community.The positive rate was 0.41% in 487 SARS high risk population tested by ELISA,but showed negative when retested by IFA.The A value level of IgG antibody existed significant difference in non SARS mass during and after SARS outbreak and the later's was higher them the former's(P

The effects of adrenomedullin (ADM) on intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)) were investigated in cultured hippocampal neurons. Changes in [Ca(2+)](i) were detected by laser scanning confocal microscopy using Fluo 3-AM as the calcium fluorescent probe. [Ca(2+)](i) was represented by relative fluorescent intensity. The results showed that: (1) ADM (0.01-1.0 micromol/L) decreased the resting [Ca(2+)](i) in a concentration-dependent manner. (2) Calcitonin gene-related peptide receptor antagonist CGRP(8-37) significantly inhibited the effects of ADM. (3) ADM significantly reduced the increase in [Ca(2+)](i) induced by high K(+). (4) ADM markedly inhibited the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP(3))-induced increase in [Ca(2+)](i), while did not influence ryanodine-evoked increase in [Ca(2+)](i). These results suggest that ADM reduces [Ca(2+)](i) in cultured hippocampal neurons through suppressing Ca(2+) release from IP(3)-sensitive stores. Although ADM does not alter resting Ca(2+) influx, it significantly suppresses Ca(2+) influx activated by high K(+). These effects may be partly mediated by CGRP receptors. ADM in the CNS may act as a cytoprotective factor in ischemic/hypoxic conditions.
Adrenomedullin ; Animals ; Animals, Newborn ; Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide ; metabolism ; Calcium ; metabolism ; Cells, Cultured ; Embryo, Mammalian ; Hippocampus ; cytology ; metabolism ; Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate ; antagonists & inhibitors ; Neurons ; cytology ; metabolism ; Peptides ; pharmacology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Receptors, Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide ; antagonists & inhibitors ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo describe the experience of the China CDC in rebuilding reporting capacity and response to the Sichuan earthquake through use of mobile phones.

METHODSSoftware engineering and business modeling are used to design and develop a cell phone-based reporting system. The PDA-based system used by the Field Adapted Survey Toolkit (FAST) was deployed

RESULTSApproximately one week after deployment of the mobile phone-based reporting system, the cumulative reporting rate reached the same level (81%) as the same period in 2007. In the Sichuan provincial pilot investigation for infectious disease, 1339 records were collected using PDAs developed and deployed by FAST.

CONCLUSIONThe mobile-based system is recognized as a quick and effective response solution to this public health challenge. Our experience suggests that mobile-based data collection tools provide faster, cleaner, standardized, and shareable data for critical decision making. This system could be adapted as complementary to national infectious disease reporting systems after natural disaster occurrences.

Cell Phone ; China ; Communicable Diseases ; epidemiology ; Disease Notification ; methods ; Earthquakes ; Emergencies ; Humans ; Population Surveillance ; methods

OBJECTIVETo find out how GATA-1 and GATA-2 behave in the bone marrow of patients with Monge's disease.

METHODSThe levels of mRNA in mononuclear cells (MNC) and proteins of GATA-1 and GATA-2 in the bone marrow of patients with Monge's disease and controls were determined by RT-PCR and immune cytolysis chemical method.

RESULTS(1) All patients and controls expressed GATA-1 mRNA (Monge's disease 1.033 +/- 0.146, Control 0.458 +/- 0.076) and GATA-2 mRNA (Monge's disease 0.451 +/- 0.073, Control 0.185 +/- 0.074). All patients expressed both GATA-1 (positive cell counts 77.3 +/- 33.3, positive score 135.4 +/- 75.4) and GATA-2 ( positive cell counts 29.4 +/- 11.4, positive score 48.4 +/- 19.7). All the controls expressed GATA-1 (positive cell counts 18.1 +/- 11.3, positive score 24.2 +/- 13.4) while 12 of 20 controls expressed GATA-2 ( positive cell counts 5.4 +/- 3.0, positive score 7.3 +/- 4.2). The expression of mRNA and proteins of GATA-1 and GATA-2 in Monge's disease were higher than in controls (P < 0.01). (2) There was a positive correlation between GATA-1 and Hb (P < 0.01), as did between mRNA and proteins of GATA-1 and GATA-2. (3) Both the proteins of GATA-1 and GATA-2 located only in the cytoplasm but not the nucleus.

CONCLUSIONSTwo of inherent genes, GATA-1 and GATA-2 which were expressed at higher levels in patients with Monge's disease than in controls might play significant roles in the pathogenesis of Monge's disease.

Adult ; Altitude Sickness ; metabolism ; GATA1 Transcription Factor ; metabolism ; GATA2 Transcription Factor ; metabolism ; Humans ; Male ; Polycythemia ; metabolism ; RNA, Messenger ; metabolism

Objective:To investigate the expression and clinical significance of plasma microRNA-21 (miRNA-21) and microRNA-200b (miRNA-200b) in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC).Methods:The levels of plasma miRNA-200b,miRNA-21 and CA125 were detected by RT-PCR in 162 patients with EOC,120 patients with benign epithelial ovarian tumors(benign group) and 108 healthy women(control group),analyze the relation between miRNA-200b and miRNA-21 expression and clinicopathological features of EOC.The sensitivity and specificity of miRNA-200b,miRNA-21 and CA125 to EOC diagnosis were evaluated by ROC curve,and the re-lationship between three indexes and EOC was analyzed by multivariate Logistic regression model.Correlation analysis of plasma miRNA-200b and miRNA-21,CA125 in patients with EOC by Pearson correlation.Results:The levels of plasma miRNA-200b,miRNA-21 and CA125 in EOC group were significantly higher than those in benign group and control group[miRNA-200b(2-ΔΔCt):3.52±1.03 vs 1.26±0.37 and 1.15±0.34;miRNA-21(2-ΔΔCt):2.32±0.45 vs 1.18±0.32 and 1.04±0.28;CA125(U/ml):78.64±30.57 vs 26.27±11.36 and 21.53±9.45,all P<0.01].Plasma miRNA-200b,miRNA-21,CA125 and three combined diagnosis EOC of AUC (95% CI) were 0.896(0.834-0.958),0.792(0.731-0.847),0.908(0.841-0.973),0.947(0.883-0.995),the optimal cut-off values were 2.08,1.46,52.84 U/ml.Logistic regression analysis showed that elevated plasma levels of miRNA-200b,miRNA-21 and CA125 were independent risk factors for EOC[OR(95% CI)= 2.518(1.563-3.547),OR(95% CI)= 1.724(1.103-2.528),OR (95% CI)=2.316(1.347-3.419)].The correlation between plasma miRNA-200b and CA125 in patients with EOC was the best(r=0.702,P<0.01).Conclusion:Plasma miRNA-200b and miRNA-21 can be used as molecular markers for the early diagnosis of EOC, and their diagnostic efficacy is comparable to that of CA125.The combined use of the three methods is expected to improve the accuracy of early diagnosis of EOC.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of nano-hydroxyapatite(nano-HAP)on the proliferation and activity of rat dental papilla cells(RDPCs)in vitro, and to evaluate the feasibility of using nano-hydroxyapatite(nano-HAP)as dental papilla cell scaffold in dental tissue engineering. METHODS: RDPCs cultured with the porous nano-HAP in vitro served as the experimental group, and the routine culture of RDPCs in flasks served as the control. Scanning electronic microscope was used to observe the growth and adherence of the RDPCs to nano-HAP. Cell proliferation, cellular protein content, and alkaline phosphatase(ALP) were detected to assess the cellular activities. RESULTS: RDPCs proliferated well, and adhered to the outer and inner surface of the nano-HAP scaffold. Compared with the control group, cells in the experimental group presented higher proliferation on 6 d and 8 d and higher cellular protein content on 6 d and 9 d. No significant difference was detected in the ALP activity in the 2 groups. CONCLUSION RDPCs seeded into nano-HAP grow better and have more vigorous cellular activity, suggesting that nano-HAP has excellent biocompatibility with dental papilla cells, and it can serve as a promising scaffold for dental tissue engineering.
Animals ; Animals, Newborn ; Biocompatible Materials ; pharmacology ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Cells, Cultured ; Dental Papilla ; cytology ; ultrastructure ; Durapatite ; pharmacology ; Microscopy, Electron ; Nanoparticles ; Nanotechnology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Tissue Engineering ; methods ; Tissue Scaffolds

In order to investigate the sleep quality and influencing factors in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD),201 PD patients were enrolled and underwent extensive clinical evaluations.Subjective sleep evaluation was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI),and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS).It was found that poor sleep quality (77.11％) and excessive daytime sleepiness (32.34％) were commonly seen in PD patients and positively correlated with disease severity.Then 70 out of the 201 PD patients and 70 age-and sex-matched controls underwent a polysomnographic recording.The parameters were compared between PD group and control group and the influencing factors of sleep in PD patients were analyzed.The results showed that sleep efficiency (SE) was significantly decreased (P＜0.01),and sleep latency (SL) and the arousal index (AI) were increased (P＜0.05) in the PD group as compared with those in the control group.SE and total sleep time (TST) were positively correlated with the Hoehn and Yahr (H&Y) stage.There was significant difference in the extent of hypopnea and hypoxemia between the PD group and the control group (P＜0.05).Our results indicate that PD patients have an overall poor sleep quality and a high prevalence of sleep disorder,which may be correlated with the disease severity.Respiratory function and oxygen supply are also affected to a certain degree in PD patients.