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

Graphene is a kind of atomic crystal with two-dimensional polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons planes, which is of great concern in various fields. This paper reviews the latest development of graphene-based materials in biomedical research fields in the recent years, including in vitro and in vivo toxicity, drug loading, targeting controlled release, as well as photodynamic therapy. These researches validate that the graphene-based materials indicate promising prospects in the application to biomedicine.
Animals ; Biocompatible Materials ; Drug Carriers ; Graphite ; chemistry ; therapeutic use ; toxicity ; Humans ; Nanoparticles ; Neoplasms ; therapy ; Oxides ; chemistry ; therapeutic use ; toxicity ; Photochemical Processes ; Phototherapy ; methods

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVEAs chemotherapy is generally used in the clinical treatment of cancer, the problem of multidrug resistance (MDR) of tumors against the chemotherapeutic agents becomes more and more serious. It has been the major cause for the failure of the chemotherapy. We detected the expressions of beta-catenin and tumor drug resistance related proteins, MRP2, P-gp, and Bcl-2, in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) to explore their function and correlation in the occurrence and development of MDR in ESCC.

METHODSWe used the tissue microarray technique, immunohistochemistry, and image analysis methods to detect the expressions of MRP2, P-gp, beta-catenin, and Bcl-2 proteins and analyze their relationships with clinical data in a ESCC tissue microarray consisting of 582 specimens of ESCC, 294 specimens of normal mucosa, 92 specimens of basal cell hyperplasia, and 87 specimens of dysplasia adjacent to cancer tissue.

RESULTSThe integral optical density (IOD) of MRP2 and Bcl-2, which was 195.7 +/- 175.9 x 10(3)) and 90.5 +/- 112.5 x 10(3)), respectively, was significantly higher in ESCC than in normal mucosa, which was 104.8 +/- 86.1 x103) and 25.2 +/- 46.6 x 10(3)), respectively (P < 0.01). The IOD of P-gp and beta-catenin, which was 57.7 +/- 75.5 x 10(3)) and 32.0 +/- 47.0 x 10(3)) respectively, was significantly lower in ESCC than in normal mucosa, which was 114.8 +/- 106.6 x 10(3)) and 46.1 +/- 35.7 x 10(3)), respectively (P < 0.01). According to the following order, well differentiated moderately differentiated poorly differentiated, the IOD of MRP2 increased in ESCC (P < 0.01). The IOD of beta-catenin was higher in poorly differentiated ESCC than in well or moderately differentiated ESCC (P < 0.01). The IOD of Bcl-2 was lower in well differentiated ESCC than in poorly and moderately differentiated ESCC (P < 0.01). The IOD of beta-catenin and Bcl-2 was higher in the ESCC of specimens with infiltration depths that were in membrane mucosa than those in the muscular layer or serous coat (P < 0.01). The IOD of Bcl-2 was significantly higher in cases with lymph node metastasis than in cases without (P < 0.01). Positive correlations which were respectively between the expressions of P-gp and MRP2, the expressions of P-gp and Bcl-2 were found (r = 0.288 and r = 0.253, respectively, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONSMRP2, P-gp, and Bcl-2 may be taken as prognostic factors for MDR of ESCC. beta-catenin may play an important role in carcinogenesis and progression of ESCC.

ATP-Binding Cassette, Sub-Family B, Member 1 ; metabolism ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; metabolism ; pathology ; Cell Differentiation ; Esophageal Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multidrug Resistance-Associated Proteins ; metabolism ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 ; metabolism ; Young Adult ; beta Catenin ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo study the birth rate, mortality, complications, related factors of preterm infants at Beijing Haidian Maternity and Children's Hospital in 2007, so as to establish the foundations for a more systematic and effective program for clinical treatments.

METHODSData of all the neonates born at Beijing Haidian Maternity and Children's Hospital during the period from January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2007 were recorded for statistical analysis. All near-term infants of 35 - 37 weeks of gestational age were taken into observation group. Within 24 hours after birth, blood routine examination, urine and stool routine examination, blood gas analysis and electrolytes, blood glucose monitoring (at 1st, 3rd, 6th, 12th, and 24th hours), chest radiography examination, skull and heart color Doppler ultrasonographic examination were conducted. Full-term infants who were born on the first day of every month were randomly selected as a comparison group (totally 350 cases) for statistical analysis. Complications of the two groups were recorded in detail. Factors such as the ages of parturients, maternal infections, pregnancy-induced hypertension, diabetes, anaemia, premature rupture of membranes, abnormal aminotic fluid, abnormal umbilical cord, abnormal placenta, and twin were analyzed and compared.

RESULTSOf the 12,286 infants born during the study period, 333 were late-preterm infants; the birth rate of late-preterm infants was 2.71%. Among the complications in late-preterm infants, the hyperbilirubinemia topped at 33.6%, followed by respiratory distress (16.8%), hypoglycemia (9.0%), intracranial hemorrhage (8.1%), anemia or erythrocytosis (5.7%), and digestive system disease (5.4%). Late-preterm infants have higher rate of the hyperbilirubinemia, respiratory distress, hypoglycemia, anemia or erythrocytosis and digestive system disease (P < 0.05). The length of hospital stay of late-preterm infants, which is 5.1 d +/- 3.90 d, was significantly longer than those of full-term infants which was 3.2 d +/- 1.61 d (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe proportion of late-preterm infants was 2.71% of all live born infants at Beijing Haidian Maternity and Children's Hospital from January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2007. The occurrence rate of complications and mortality rate were higher than those of full-term infants. Late-preterm infants also have longer hospital stay. Hyperbilirubinemia is a common complication for late-preterm infants. Pregnancy-induced hypertension, anemia, premature rupture of membranes and twins are the major causes of higher morbidity and mortality of late-preterm infants. Pediatricians should pay much more attention to late-preterm infants, and should accept them for further observation and treatments.

Birth Rate ; China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Health Status ; Humans ; Infant Mortality ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Infant, Premature, Diseases ; epidemiology ; Male ; Prospective Studies

Tilianin was separated and authenticated from the seeds of Dracocephalum moldavia, a Uygur medicine, by chromatographic technique and spectroscopic method. The purity of tilianin is more than 98% determined by HPLC area normalization method. Thin layer chromatography (TLC) method was used to separate tilianin from D. moldavia by mixture of chloroform-methanol (5: 1) as a developing solvent on high performance silicagel precoated plate (SGF254) and using aluminium trichloride as a chromogenic agent for qualitative identification of D. moldavia. To establish a HPLC method for quantitative analysis of D. moldavia, tilianin was used as a Quantitative marker and separated on a C18 (4.6 mm x 250 mm, 5 μm) column with acetonitrile-01% formic acid (25: 75) as the mobile phase and detected at 330 nm. The calibration curve of tilianin displayed ideal linearity over the range of 0.617 2-123.44 μg x mL(-1) with a regression equation of Y = 33.773X - 0.824 8 (r = 1). The average recovery of tilianin was 101.0% with RSD of 3.7%. The RSD values of intra-day and inter-day precision were less than 2%. The content of tilianin in 4 batches of the authenticated semen of D. Moldavia was between 0.016 and 0.187 mg x g(-1). The qualitative and quantitative method established is suitable for the quality evaluation and assessment of semen of D. Moldavia.
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Chromatography, Thin Layer ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; standards ; Flavonoids ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; standards ; Glycosides ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; standards ; Lamiaceae ; chemistry ; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ; Quality Control