Adult ; Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic ; pathology ; Female ; Heart Ventricles ; pathology ; Humans

Carotid Body Tumor ; complications ; Female ; Glomus Jugulare Tumor ; complications ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Paraganglioma ; complications

Adult ; Embolism, Amniotic Fluid ; etiology ; therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Pregnancy

BACKGROUNDMany cytokines have been found to increase the insulin resistance during pregnancy complicated by glucose metabolism disorder. This study aimed to investigate which comes first, the changes of some cytokines or the abnormal glucose metabolism.

METHODSThis nested case-control study was undertaken from January 2004 to March 2005. Twenty-two women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), 10 with gestational impaired glucose tolerance (GIGT), and 20 healthy pregnant women were chosen from the women who had visited the antenatal clinics and had blood samples prospectively taken and kept during their visit. The levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), leptin and adiponectin were determined. One-way ANOVA analysis and bivariate correlation analysis were used to assess the laboratory results and their relationship with body mass index (BMI).

RESULTSWomen with GDM have the highest values of TNF-alpha and leptin and the lowest value of adiponectin compared with those with GIGT and the healthy controls (P < 0.01) at 14-20 weeks of gestation. This was also found when these women progressed to 24-32 weeks. The significantly increased levels of TNF-alpha and leptin and the decreased level of adiponectin were found at the different periods of gestation within the same group. Positive correlation was shown between the levels of TNF-alpha and leptin at the two periods of gestation with the BMI at 14-20 weeks, while adiponectin was negatively correlated (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSThe concentrations of TNF-alpha, leptin and adiponectin may change before the appearance of the abnormal glucose level during pregnancy. Further studies are required to verify the mechanism of this alteration and whether the three cytokines can be predictors for GDM at an early stage of pregnancy.

Adiponectin ; blood ; Case-Control Studies ; Diabetes, Gestational ; blood ; Female ; Glucose Intolerance ; Humans ; Leptin ; blood ; Pregnancy ; Prospective Studies ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; blood

Melittin exhibits high antibacterial potency against drug-resistant bacteria. However, the clinical utility of melittin is limited by its serious hemolytic activity. Thus, the need for developing novel melittin analogues with high antimicrobial activity and low hemolytic activity has grown. We designed, synthesized, and evaluated 20 novel melittin analogues with varying hydrophobic, polar or positively charged amino acids. The results showed that 8 compounds had antimicrobial activity (MIC: 1-4 μg·mL^-1) against gram-positive pathogens equal to or better than that of melittin, and 16 compounds had low hemolytic activity (HC₅₀ ≥ 11.9 μg·mL^-1). Compounds 13 (MIC: 2-4 μg·mL^-1) and 15 (MIC: 1-2 μg·mL^-1) showed equal or better antimicrobial activity against both susceptible and resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecium compared to melittin (MIC: 4 μg·mL^-1). Compound 13 (HC₅₀: 24.0 ± 4.3 μg·mL^-1) displayed noticeably decreased hemolytic activity compared to melittin (HC₅₀: 5.3 ± 0.4 μg·mL^-1). This work established a base for further study on the structure-activity relationships and structure-toxicity relationships of melittin.

OBJECTIVETo compare the prognostic value of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and GRACE score in patients with acute coronary syndrome.

METHODSA total of 246 patients with chest pain to hospital time < 24 hours were followed up to 30 days. Admission plasma B-type natriuretic peptide was measured by point-of-care. Endpoints included death, reinfarction, recurrent ischemia and new onset of congestive heart failure. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate prognostic value of BNP and GRACE score. The logistic regression models were used to assess the prognostic contribution of BNP level and GRACE score.

RESULTSThe mean age was (67.6 +/- 12.0) years (61.8% males) and ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) was diagnosed in 135 patients (54.9%). During the follow up, 34 endpoints (13.8%) were recorded including 9 deaths (3.7%). The systolic blood pressure [(121 +/- 29) mm Hg vs. (130 +/- 23) mm Hg, P = 0.034; 1 mm Hg = 0.133 kPa] was significantly lower while the heart rate and plasma creatinine were significantly higher in the endpoints group than in non-endpoints group. TNI and CRP levels were similar between the two groups. The BNP level at admission (median 883.5 ng/L vs. 216.5 ng/L) and GRACE score (median 164.5 vs. 142.0) were significantly higher in the endpoints group than in non-endpoints group (all P < 0.05). The prognostic criteria for BNP level (area under cure, 0.704) was 194.5 ng/L determined by ROC (P = 0.043). For GRACE score, the predictive value for endpoints was 0.742 (P = 0.003) and the cut-off point was 158. In the logistic regression model, BNP concentration (> 194.5 ng/L, OR = 3.174) and GRACE score (> 158, OR = 4.031) were independent predictors of endpoints in patients with ACS.

CONCLUSIONBoth BNP level at admission and GRACE score were independent predictors for endpoints at 30 days in patients with ACS.

Acute Coronary Syndrome ; diagnosis ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Female ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Natriuretic Peptide, Brain ; analysis ; Prognosis ; ROC Curve ; Risk Assessment

Objective To investigate the occurrence and reporting of sharp injuries among health care workers (HCWs)at all levels of hospitals in Xuzhou City,provide evidences for formulating protective measures against sharp injuries and improving the reporting system.Methods From July to August 2016,13 hospitals in Xuzhou City were randomly selected by multi-stage stratified random sampling method,the general information,occurrence of sharp injuries,and reporting situation was performed questionnaire survey.Results A total of 2 694 valid question-naires were collected,incidence,case incidence,and reporting rate of sharp injuries were 10.32%,12.84%,and 30.64% respectively.Case incidence of sharp injuries among HCWs in primary,secondary,and tertiary hospitals were 44.83%,11.53%,and 12.52% respectively,case incidences of sharp injuries in different levels of hospitals were significantly different (χ2＝55.148,P＜0.001).The main opportunity for sharp injuries was when HCWs re-turned needle cap (79 cases,22.83%),the main device involving sharp injuries was hollow-bore needle (297 cases, 85.84%).Incidences of sharp injuries among HCWs receiving different training were significantly different (χ2＝66.760,P＜0.001).Conclusion Current situation of sharp injuries among HCWs in this region is not optimistic, there are some problems such as poor training efficacy,low reporting rate and low use rate of safety devices,effec-tive measures should be taken to establish an effective monitoring and tracking system for sharp injuries,so as to re-duce the occurrence of sharp injuries.

AIM To establish an HPLC method for the content determination of six constituents in Shiyifang Vinum (Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma,Dipsaci Radix,Carthami Flos,etc.).METHODS The content determination of notoginsenoside R1,ginsenoside Rg1,ginsenoside Rb1 and asperosaponin Ⅵ was performed on a 30℃ thermostatic Inertsil(R) ODS-3 C18column (4.6 mm ×250 mm,5 μm),with the mobile phase comprising of acetonitrile-0.1％ phosphoric acid flowing at 1.0 mL/min in a gradient manner,and the detection wavelength was set at 203 nm.The content determination of brucine and strychnine was conducted on a 30 ℃ thermostatic Geminni(R) C18 110(A) column (4.6 mm × 250 mm,5 μm),with the mobile phase comprising of acetonitrile-mixed solution of 0.01 mol/L sodium heptanesulfonate and 0.02 mol/L potassium dihydrogen phosphate flowing at 1.0 mL/min in an isocratic elution manner,and the detection wavelength was set at 260 nm.RESULTS Six constituents showed good linear relationships within their own ranges (r ＞ 0.999 0),whose average recoveries were 98.52％-99.96％ with the RSDs of 2.0％-2.3％.CONCLUSION This simple,accurate and reproducible method can be used for the quality control of Shiyifang Vinum.

BACKGROUNDAllergic asthma is associated with airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness caused by dysregulated production of cytokines secreted by allergen-specific helper T-type 2 (Th2) cells. The linker for activation of T cells (LAT) is a membrane-associated adaptor protein, which has been shown to take part in regulating T cell receptor (TCR) signaling and T cell homeostasis. In this study, we established an asthmatic mouse model to examine the changes in LAT levels during allergic airway disease and the effects of LAT transgenic expression on airway inflammation.

METHODST cells from mouse lung tissues were isolated from allergen challenged (ovalbumin (OVA)) and control mice, and the purity of these isolated T cells was examined by fluorescence-activated cell sorter (FACS). Semi-quantitative RT-PCR and Western blotting were used to detect the expression of the LAT gene and LAT protein, respectively. After an intranasally administered mixture of pCMV-HA-LAT plasmid and Lipofectamine 2000, 24 hours before and 72 hours after allergen challenge, the BALF cell count and the differential cytologies were studied. In addition, IL-4 and IFN-γ levels in the BALF were determined by ELISA, and pathological changes in lung tissues were observed.

RESULTSLAT protein and mRNA expression were decreased in lung T cells in a mouse model of allergen-induced airway disease. After intranasal administration of pCMV-HA-LAT, histopathological examination of the lungs showed that intervention with LAT overexpression prevented mice from developing airway inflammation, and the number of total cells, eosinophils, neutrophils, and lymphocytes in the BALF was reduced significantly compared with the OVA sensitized and challenged group. In addition, the Th2 cytokine IL-4 decreased, while the Th1 cytokine IFN-γ increased compared to the OVA sensitized and challenged group or the OVA sensitized group plus pCMV-HA treatment.

CONCLUSIONThis study demonstrates that LAT might effectively diminish Th2 cytokine responses, lung histopathological changes and lung inflammation to allergen challenge in a model of experimentally induced asthma.

Animals ; Asthma ; immunology ; metabolism ; Blotting, Western ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid ; immunology ; Cells, Cultured ; Cytokines ; metabolism ; Female ; Inflammation ; immunology ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; T-Lymphocytes ; immunology ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo investigate the changes in hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and cystathionine gamma-lyase (CSE) in rats with severe burn, and to analyze the effects on important organs.

METHODSOne hundred and four healthy male SD rats were divided into normal control group (NC, n = 8), burn group (B, n = 48), and H2S intervention group (HI, n = 48) according to the random number table. SD rats in HI group were intraperitoneally injected with NaHS (56 micromol/kg) once a day for 5 days. Then rats in HI and B groups were subjected to 30% TBSA full-thickness burn. Blood sample as well as heart, liver, lung, kidney, and stomach tissue samples were harvested from rats in B group at post burn hour (PBH) 2, 6, 12, 24, 48, and 96 respectively for determination of serum content of H2S and CSE activity. Serum content of alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), MB isoenzyme of creatine kinase (CK-MB), urea nitrogen (BUN), and creatinine (Cr) in HI and B groups were examined at each time point. Samples were harvested from above organs in each group for histomorphological observation. Above-mentioned indexes were also determined in NC group as control. Data were processed with SNK- q test, t test, correlation analysis (between serum content of H2S and CSE activities, biochemical indexes).

RESULTSSerum content of H2S and CSE activities of above organs (except for lung tissue at PBH 48, 96) in B group within PBH 96 were lower than those in NC group, reaching minimum values at PBH 6 or 12. Compared with those in NC group, serum contents of all biochemical indexes in B group were obviously increased within PBH 48, in which serum contents of BUN [(32.5 +/- 9.8) mmol/L] and Cr [(65 +/- 9) micromol/L] reached peak at PBH 6, and serum contents of ALT [(423 +/- 59) U/L], AST [(993 +/- 60) U/L], and CK-MB [(49 261 +/- 6637) U/L] peaked at PBH 12. Serum contents of all biochemical indexes in HI group at each time point were significantly decreased as compared with those in B group, but the same change tendencies were showed in both groups. Histomorphological observation showed that all the organs were severely injured in B group at PBH 24, whereas those in HI group were markedly ameliorated. Serum content of H2S in B group was respectively correlated with CSE activities of all organs (with r value from 0.639 to 0.894, P values all below 0.005) and serum contents of biochemical indexes (with r value from 0.301 to 0.585, P values all below 0.001).

CONCLUSIONSH2S/CSE system may take part in pathophysiological process in rats with severe burn. Exogenous H2S replacement therapy can protect important organs of rats with severe burn.

Animals ; Burns ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Cystathionine gamma-Lyase ; pharmacokinetics ; pharmacology ; Hydrogen Sulfide ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Kidney ; pathology ; Liver ; pathology ; Lung ; pathology ; Male ; Myocardium ; pathology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Stomach ; pathology