Objective To discuss the role of leukocyte activation and inflammatory processes in the disease of chronic venous insufficiency(CVI).Methods The relevant literatures about the role of leukocyte activation and in- flammatory reaction in CVI were reviewed.Results The role of inflammatory reaction in occurrence and develop- ment of venous diseases has been studied a lot in recent years.It was found that the leukocyte activation and inflam- matory reaction are involved in the structural remodeling of venous valves and walls,leading to valvular incompe- tence and formation of varicose veins.Conclusion Leukocyte activation and inflammatory processes take important roles in the occurrence and progression of CVI.

OBJECTIVETo explore the intervention of baicalin on signal transduction and activating transcription factor expression of ulcerative colitis (UC) patients.

METHODSRecruited were UC patients at Outpatient Department of Digestive Disease, Inpatient Department of Digestive Disease, Center for Digestive Endoscopy of College City Branch, Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Southern Hospital affiliated to Southern Medical University from June 2010 to January 2011. They were assigned to the UC group (33 cases) and the diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D) group (30 cases). Another 30 healthy subjects were recruited as a healthy control group. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in vitro intervened by different concentrations baicalin were taken from UC patients. IL23R gene expressions in vitro intervened by different concentrations baicalin were detected using Q-PCR. Expressions of signal transducer and activator of transcription 4 (STAT4) , STAT6, phosphorylated-STAT4 (p-STAT4), and p-STAT6 were detected using Western blot. Serum levels of IFN-γ, IL-4, IL-6, and IL-10 were measured by ELISA. Effects of different concentrations baicalin on expressions of PBMCs, and levels of IFN-γ, IL-4, IL-10 of UC patients were also detected.

RESULTSCompared with the negative control group, 40 µmol baicalin obviously decreased IL23R gene expression of UC patients (P <0. 01). Compared with the healthy control group and the IBS-D group, p-STAT4/STAT4 ratios increased, p-STAT6/STAT6 ratios decreased, levels of IFN-γ, IL-4, IL-10 all increased in the US group (all P <0. 05). Compared with the negative control, 5 and 10 µmol baicalin groups, 20 and 40 moL baicalin obviously decreased p-STAT4/STAT4 ratios (all P <0. 05); 20 and 40 µmoL baicalin obviously increased p-STAT6/STAT6 ratios (all P <0. 05); 20 and 40 µmoL baicalin obviously lowered levels of IFN-γ and IL-4, and elevated IL-10 levels (all P <0. 05).

CONCLUSION40 µmoL baicalin could in vitro inhibit p-STAT4/STAT4 ratios, adjust p-STAT6/STAT6 ratios and related cytokines, thereby balancing the immunity and relieving inflammatory reactions of UC.

Activating Transcription Factors ; metabolism ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal ; therapeutic use ; Blotting, Western ; Colitis, Ulcerative ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Cytokines ; metabolism ; Flavonoids ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Interleukin-10 ; metabolism ; Interleukin-4 ; metabolism ; Interleukin-6 ; metabolism ; Irritable Bowel Syndrome ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Leukocytes, Mononuclear ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Phosphorylation ; STAT6 Transcription Factor ; metabolism ; Signal Transduction

OBJECTIVEIn the recent twenty years, the diaphragmatic contraction, relaxation functions and electric activity have been explored through electromyography (EMG) and transdiaphragmatic pressure (Pdi) determination. But these techniques required some complex and expensive instruments, so the diagnosis and treatment of children's diaphragmatic fatigue have not been well evaluated. The present study explored the diagnosis of children's diaphragmatic fatigue through measuring ribcage-abdomen motion and analyzed its asynchrony.

METHODSFifty-three children (male 37, female 16, and age rage from 1 months to 9 years) with respiratory rate > 30 breaths/min, heart rate > 110 beats/min, and respiratory dysfunction had asynchronized ribcage-abdomen motion showed by impedance respirograph (IRG). The authors observed whether ribcage-abdomen motion was synchronic and calculated M levels (staggered peak time/total duration of the breathing cycle). The ribcage and abdomen outputs were displayed on vertical (for rib cage) and horizontal (for abdomen) axes of X-Y instrument. In addition, the change of respiratory frequency and heart rate was observed and arterial blood-gas analysis was also performed.

RESULTS(1) M levels in one-dimensional IRG were positively correlated with alpha angle in two-dimensional IRG (r = 0.956, P < 0.001). Asynchronized respiratory motions could be divided into three types. type I showed completely contra-directional movements of respiration, M levels for (48.1 +/- 4.4)%, an irregularly clockwise loop in the two dimensional IRG, and alpha angle for (138.3 +/- 15.0) degrees. In type II, one dimensional IRG showed displaced peak of the chest and abdomen motion curves, M levels were (16.5 +/- 4.7)%, two dimensional IRG was displaced in a counterclockwise direction, and alpha angle was (55.3 +/- 10.8) degrees. In type III, abdominal motion curve of one dimensional IRG had double peaks, M levels were 0, two dimensional IRG was presented as 8-shaped double circles, alpha angle was (41.3 +/- 3.8) degrees; (2) pH levels in the patients with type I and type II diaphragmatic fatigue were significantly lower, and PCO(2) levels were significantly higher than those with type III or in the normal subjects (P < 0.001 for all), but there was no statistically significant difference between type III and the normal subjects (P > 0.05); (3) Both of respiratory rate and heart rate in type I, type II and type III were higher than those in the normal subjects (all P < 0.001), and the differences among the three types were significant (P < 0.001 for all); (4) Both M levels and alpha angle were negatively correlated with pH levels (r = -0.514, P < 0.001 and r = -0.497, P < 0.001), while positively correlated with PCO(2) levels (r = 0.672, P < 0.001 and r = 0.625, P = 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS(1) IRG can be reliably used to diagnose children's diaphragmatic fatigue. This technique is simple and easy to perform and non-invasive. It is therefore worthy of recommending for further clinical investigations. (2) According to the characteristics of IRG, diaphragmatic fatigue can be divided into three types. (3) The development of children's diaphragmatic fatigue has a series of characteristic changes. (4) To avoid the patients suffering from respiratory failure, it is the key time to adopt the policies of prevention and treatment when IRG shows signs of type III diaphragmatic fatigue.

Child ; Child, Preschool ; Diaphragm ; physiopathology ; Fatigue ; classification ; diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Respiration ; Respiratory Function Tests ; methods

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of acute normovolemic hemodilution (ANH) on the apoptosis in hippocampal cells induced by global cerebral ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) in rats.Methods Thirty-six healthy 50-60 day old male SD rats weighing 280-320 g were randomly divided into 3 groups ( n =12 each):group sham operation (group S); group global cerebral I/R (group I/R) and group ANH.Global cerebral I/R was produced by 4-vessel technique described by Pulsinelli et al.in groups I/R and ANH.ANH was carried out at 24 h after cauterization of bilateral vertebral arteries,before occlusion of bilateral carotid arteries.Blood was withdrawn from femoral artery until Hct was reduced to 30％ and equal volume of hydroxyethyl starch 130/0.4 sodium chloride was infused into femoral vein simultaneously.Bilateral carotid arteries were blocked for 5 min at 10 min after ANH.The rats were sacrificed at 24 h of reperfusion and their hippocampi were isolated.Apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry.The expression of Apaf-1 mRNA and caspase-3 mRNA was determined by RT-PCR.Results Global cerebral I/R significantly increased apoptosis index and up-regulated Apaf-1 mRNA and caspase-3 mRNA expression in group I/R as compared with group S.ANH significantly attenuated apoptosis and down-regulated Apaf-1 mRNA and caspase-3 mRNA expression in group ANH compared with group I/R.ConclusionANH can reduce hippocampal cell apoptosis induced by cerebral I/R through down-regulation of Apaf-1 and caspase-3 expression in hippocampus.

To explore the antibacterial activity and mechanism of total alkaloids and berberine from Coptidis Rhizoma on Aeromonas hydrophila, and determine the effect of total alkaloids and berberine from Coptidis Rhizoma on minimum inhibitory concentrations, permeability and fluidity of cell membrane, conformation of membrane proteins and virulence factors of A. hydrophila. The results showed that both total alkaloids and berberine from Coptidis Rhizoma had antibacterial activities on A. hydrophila, with minimum inhibitory concentrations of 62.5 and 125 mg · L(-1), respectively. Total alkaloids and berberine from Coptidis Rhizoma could increase the fluidity of membrane, change the conformation of membrane porteins and increase the permeability of bacteria membrane by 24.52% and 19.66%, respectively. Besides, total alkaloids and berberine from Coptidis Rhizoma significantly decreased the hemolysis of exotoxin and the mRNA expressions of aerA and hlyA (P < 0.05, P < 0.01), the secretion of endotoxin and the mRNA expression of LpxC (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). The results suggested that the antibacterial activity of total alkaloids and berberine from Coptidis Rhizoma on A. hydrophila may be related to the bacteria membrane injury. They inhibited the bacterial growth by increasing membrane lipid fluidity and changing conformation of membrane proteins, and reduced the secretion of virulence factors of A. hydrophila to weaken the pathogenicity.
Aeromonas hydrophila ; drug effects ; genetics ; metabolism ; Alkaloids ; pharmacology ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; pharmacology ; Bacterial Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Bacterial Toxins ; biosynthesis ; Berberine ; pharmacology ; Cell Membrane ; drug effects ; genetics ; metabolism ; Coptis ; chemistry ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Membrane Fluidity ; drug effects ; Rhizome ; chemistry

Child ; Cystic Fibrosis ; diagnosis ; diagnostic imaging ; genetics ; Female ; Genetic Testing ; Humans ; Radiography ; Sweating

OBJECTIVETo compare the clinical effects between hip anterior S-P approach combined with iliac bone flap transplantation with deep circumflex iliac artery and posterior K-L approach combined with quadratus femoris bone flap transplantation for the treatment of femoral neck fracture of Garden III-IV in young and middle-aged patients.

METHODSFrom January 2004 to January 2011,46 patients with femoral neck fractures were treated by two kinds of operation. Among them, 20 cases were treated with anterior S-P approach combined with iliac bone flap transplantation with deep circumflex iliac artery, included 12 males and 8 females with an average age of (32.1 ± 7.3) years old, involved 12 cases of Garden III and 8 cases of Garden IV. The other 26 cases were treated with posterior K-L approach combined with quadratus femoris bone flap transplantation, included 20 males and 6 females with an average age of (37.8 ± 6.9) years old, involved 16 cases of Garden III and 10 cases of Garden IV. The index of hospitalization (hospitalization time, total cost, operative time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative complications), the quality index of operation (fracture reduction, position of internal fixation, fracture healing time, nonunion and femoral head necrosis) of two groups were observed and compared. Hip joint function were evaluated by Harris score.

RESULTSAll patients were followed up from 28 to 41 months with an average of 36 months. The intraoperative blood loss of group S-P (92.3 ± 10.4) ml was less than that of group K-L (132.4 ± 11.2) ml, there was significant difference between two groups (P < 0.05). The operation time of group S-P (81.4 ± 9.2) min was more than that of group K-L (67.1 ± 4.5) min, the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). One case in group S-P and 9 cases in group K-L appeared postoperative complications, there was significant difference between two groups (P < 0.05). The fracture healing time of S-P group (83.5 ± 7.3) d was shorter than that of group K-L (103.2 ± 12.6) d, there was significant difference between two groups (P < 0.05). At 30 months after operation, there were significant difference in Harris scoring between two groups (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONAnterior S-P approach combined with iliac bone flap transplantation with deep circumflex iliac artery for treatment of femoral neck fracture of Garden III-IV of young and middle-aged patients, it has characteristics in clear anatomic and easy to operate. As compared with K-L approach, S-P approach can better reserve residual blood supply of femoral neck. While combining with the iliac bone flap transplantation with deep circumflex iliac artery, it could better reconstruct the blood supply of femoral neck to promote fracture healing.

Adult ; Case-Control Studies ; Female ; Femoral Neck Fractures ; physiopathology ; surgery ; Fracture Healing ; Humans ; Iliac Artery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Surgical Flaps ; transplantation

Objective To analyze the influence of ionizing radiation on the lymphocytes and its regulatory T cells in mice.Methods Mice were administered with whole body irradiation of γ-rays at different doses,and lymphocytes were separated from thymus and spleen,then the number of total cells were counted and the percentages of CD4 + T and CD4 + FOXP3 + CD25 + Treg lymphocytes were analyzed by using FACS.Results The lymphocyte numbers in thymus and spleen decreased in dosedependent manner and reached to the minimum at 4 d after irradiation (F =118.08,144.01,P ＜ 0.05).Exposure to higher dose(more than 1 Gy) decreased Treg number time-dependently in thymus,however increased it in spleen.On the contrary,exposure to lower dose (less than 0.75 Gy) increased Treg number in thymus.Besides,the percentage of Treg cells increased dose-dependently(in thymus,F =5.16,89.44,3.01,P ＜ 0.05 ; in spleen,F =52.02,32.13,27.45,P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions The radiation responses of lymphocytes and their Treg subpopulation vary with the different doses.Treg cells are resistant to high dose irradiation,however,their differentiation could be induced by low dose irradiation.In addition,the different time-dependent responses of lymphocytes and their subpopulation to ionizing radiation indicate the difference of lymphocyte maturation,differentiation and emigration.

In order to establish the optimum condition for purifica tion of the nucleoprotein(NP) of rabies virus by immunoaffinity chromatography, the efficient and non-denaturative eluents(Mg-el) was obtained by using ELISA elution model; furthermore, it didn't damage the activity of NP. Two kind of NPs , expressed by recombinant vaccinia virus (rVac-N) and recombinant baculovirus (BRN), were purified by a Sepharose CL 4B column and a 2C12- Sepharose 4B colum n. By Western-blot and SDS-PAGE, high purity and good antigenical intact NPs w ere identified. The purified ribonucleoprotein (RNP) of rabies virus 5aG strain was also obtained. After immunized with NP and RNP, mice developed a strong anti -nucleoprotein response and were protected against a lethal challenge of rabies virus CVS strain. There were not difference been observed among the mice immuni zed with different purified protein. These data indicate that the NPs are antige nical and immunogenical comparable to the authentic rabies RNP and therefore pre sent a potential source of an effective ,safe and economical subunit vaccine.

OBJECTIVETo search for a simple and effective surgical approach to the management of moderate to severe pediatric concealed penis in children.

METHODSWe used Devine's technique via incision between the penis and scrotum in the treatment of 68 cases of moderate to severe pediatric concealed penis. The patients were aged 3 -13 (mean 6.5) years, 30 with moderate and 38 with severe pediatric concealed penis.

RESULTSThis strategy achieved good near- and long-term effects and satisfactory appearance of the penis, which was similar to that of circumcision. At 3 months after surgery, the penile length was 3 - 5.2 cm, averaging (2.35 +/- 0.35) cm.

CONCLUSIONDevine's technique via incision between the penis and scrotum is a simple and effective surgical option for moderate to severe pediatric concealed penis in children.

Adolescent ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Humans ; Male ; Penis ; abnormalities ; surgery ; Scrotum ; surgery ; Urologic Surgical Procedures, Male ; methods