BACKGROUND: Previous studies have found that continuous loading pressure can induce intervertebral disc degeneration by reducing the number of nucleus pulposus cells and reducing the expression of extracellular matrix in the nucleus pulposus. However, its mechanism of action is unclear. OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of continuous loading pressure on apoptosis and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in nucleus pulposus cells. METHODS: The in vitro models of rabbit spinal motion segment under loading pressure were established and divided into control group (no treatment), pressure group (3 kg continuous loading pressure) and observation group (3 kg continuous loading pressure + 20 μmol/L SB216763). After 3 days of intervention, the pathological changes of nucleus pulposus cells were detected by hematoxylin-eosin staining, and the expression of caspase-3 and GSK-3β protein in nucleus pulposus tissue was detected by western blot assay.

OBJECTIVETo summarize the clinical and radiographic characteristics of heroin spongiform leukoencephalopathy (HSLE).

METHODSA clinical analysis of 42 cases of HSLE was conducted.

RESULTSClinically, the patients with HSLE all had a positive history of inhalation of heated heroin vapor with acute or subacute onset in most cases, presenting initially cerebellar signs. Pyramidal tract lesion was frequently involved, but the sensory system usually remained normal. The consciousness disturbances may occur in the serious cases. Brain CT and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed extensive symmetric white matter lesions in the cerebrum and cerebellum, and in serious cases, the midbrain and pons could be damaged. Spongiform vacuoles degeneration of white matter characterized the predominant pathological changes.

CONCLUSIONSpongiform leukoencephalopathy should be considered in a patient who shows acute cerebellar signs and reports a history of inhaling heated heroin vapor, and a definite diagnosis of HSLE can be made in such a case upon the identification of typical CT or MRI findings.

Adult ; Brain ; pathology ; Female ; Heroin Dependence ; complications ; Humans ; Leukoencephalopathies ; chemically induced ; diagnosis ; pathology ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo elucidate the relation between cytochrome P4502D6 (CYP2D6) gene polymorphism and the susceptibility of heroin spongiform leucoencephalopathy (HSLE).

METHODSWith polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism technique, the cytochrome P4502D6 gene polymorphisms were analyzed in HSLE cases and control subjects.

RESULTSThe frequencies of CYP2D6 (CYP2D6/C188, CYP2D6/L2938, CYP2D6/G4268) gene mutations were higher in HSLE patients than in the controls.

CONCLUSIONThe CYP2D6 gene mutation is associated with a high risk of HSLE.

Adult ; Canavan Disease ; chemically induced ; genetics ; Cytochrome P-450 CYP2D6 ; genetics ; Female ; Heroin ; adverse effects ; Heroin Dependence ; complications ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mutation ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length ; Young Adult

Objective To evaluate effectiveness of prevention and treatment for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) for one year at community health-care service (CHS)centers. Methods A quasi-experiment design was used to evaluate effectiveness of community management for patients with COPD who visited and registered at Xiaokunshan and Xinbang CHS centers in Songjiang district of Shanghai in 2008, with COPD patients from Xiaokunshan community CHS center as management group and those from Xinbang as control. Measures for community management included training for local general practitioners in essential knowledge of COPD prevention and treatment, allocation of necessary drugs for COPD treatment, and health education for COPD patients and their family members. No special measures were taken for control group except routine treatment. Results A total of 132 patients were diagnosed as COPD according to their pulmonary function on 2008, 61 at Xiaokunshan and 71 at Xinbang CHS canters.One hundred and two patients, 47 at Xiaokunshan and 55 at Xinbang, finished one-year follow-up. Five patients from Xiaokunshan who were smokers at their first visits and three of them quitted smoking after oneyear management. Meanwhile, none of nine smoked patients from Xinbang quitted smoking in the same period. There was no statistically significant difference in symptom scores, pulmonary function, and forced expiratory volume at the first second (FEV1) between patients in the two groups during one-year follow-up.Average score of quality of life in patients at Xiaokunshan dropped to 39. 12 after one-year management from 46. 96 at their first visits, and that in patients at Xinbang increased to 62. 11 from 56. 55 (P＜0.01).Average six-minute walking distance (6-MWD) in patients at Xiaokunshan reduced to 354. 26 meters after one-year management from 361.66 meters at their first visits, meanwhile that in patients at Xinbang reduced to 351.18 meters from 398.07 meters (P =0. 008). Scores of functional dyspnea in patients at Xiaokunshan fell to 0.34 from 0.40 at their first visit, meanwhile that in patients at Xinbang increased to 1.00 from 0.95(P =0.038). During the one-year follow-up, 13 patients at Xiaokunshan and 53 at Xinbang visited emergency departments for treatment, and four at Xiaokunshan were hospitalized and none died, and five at Xinbang were hospitalized due to acute exacerbation of COPD and four of them died. Conclusions The study suggests that strengthening prevention and treatment for COPD patients at community level by general practitioners, patients themselves and their family members can improve their quality of life, reduce emergency visits and hospitalization, alleviate dyspnea symptoms and delay the decline of 6MWD.

uate and should be standardized.

OBJECTIVETo establish a rat model of focal lymphatic encephalopathy by partial ligation of the cerebral superficial artery for observation of the changes of Virchow-Robin spaces (VRS).

METHODSThirty male SD rats were randomized into 3 groups (n=10), including two model groups and a sham-operated group. The rats in the model groups were subjected to partial ligation of the cerebral superficial arteries under EEG monitoring to induce focal lymphatic encephalopathy, and those in the sham-operated group underwent only dissociation of the cerebral superficial artery without ligation. The rats in the two model groups were executed at 24 and 48 h, and those in the sham-operated group at 48 h following the operation, respectively. Frozen sections of the brain tissues were prepared for microscopic morphological observation and quantitative analysis of the VRS using HE staining and an image analysis system, respectively.

RESULTSEEG remained normal during the operations suggesting intact brain function. Partial ligation of the cerebral superficial arteries resulted in obvious dilation of the VRS in the cerebral cortex and subcortical medulla, and the tissues around the dilated VRSs appeared pale and structurally loosened. The two model groups showed significantly enlarged VRS areas as compared to the sham-operated group (P<0.01), but no significant differences were found in the mean VRS areas between the two model groups.

CONCLUSIONPartial dilation of the cerebral superficial artery is effective and convenient to induce focal lymphatic encephalopathy in rats, and this model can be ideal for studying focal cerebral lymph circulation.

Animals ; Brain Edema ; etiology ; Cerebral Arteries ; surgery ; Disease Models, Animal ; Ligation ; Lymphatic System ; physiopathology ; Male ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

OBJECTIVETo study the relationship between polymorphisms of interleukin 10 (IL10QX) promoter and serum levels of lipoprotein in the healthy Chinese Han population.

METHODSPCR restriction fragment length polymorphism assay was used to detect the distribution of genotypes of IL10 -592,-819,-1082 in 200 healthy Chinese Han subjects. Serum levels of total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) and very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) in all subjects were measured to analyze the relationship with the polymorphisms of IL10 promoter.

RESULTSComparing with AA genotype, the group with GA genotype at IL10 promoter -1082 position had a significant elevation of serum HDL-C level [(1.514+/-0.501) mmol/L vs. (1.261+/-0.346) mmol/L, t=-2.225, P=0.028] and a lower serum TG level[(1.701+/-1.836) mmol/L vs. (0.981+/-0.314) mmol/L,Z=-2.096,P=0.036]. The TG, TC, HDL-C, LDL-C and VLDL levels did not show any statistically significant differences among different genotypes (CC, AA, CA) of the IL10 -592, as well as the genotypes (TT, TA, AA) ofIL10 -819 (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe results suggest that in the Chinese Han population, the polymorphism at position -1082 in the promoter region of IL10 gene may be associated with the serum HDL-C level and TG level.

Adult ; Aged ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; genetics ; China ; Cholesterol ; blood ; Cholesterol, HDL ; blood ; Cholesterol, LDL ; blood ; Genotype ; Humans ; Interleukin-10 ; genetics ; Lipoproteins ; blood ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; genetics ; Promoter Regions, Genetic ; genetics ; Triglycerides ; blood ; Young Adult

Purpose: Polyacrylamide hydrogel (PAHG), which had been used widely for breast augmentation, has been banned for more than 15 years. Patients who had been injected PAHG for breast augmentation need evacuation surgery to remove as much as possible. To provide a series of diagnosis and treatment process MRI and intraoperative color Doppler ultrasound are combined for maximal removal of PAHG. Methods: The patients who received evacuation surgery in Peking University Third Hospital from 2010 to 2022 after PAHG injection for breast augmentation were included in this research. MR scanning was performed preoperatively and postoperatively in some of these patients and color Doppler ultrasound was applied to help evacuate PAHG intraoperatively. The mean clearance rate of PAHG was calculated according to the MRI outcomes. Results: Two hundred and 4 patients had received evacuation surgery after PAHG injection for breast augmentation with an average age of 42.8 years and an average body mass index of 21.2 kg/m 2 . The average PAHG retention time was 13.5 years. Among them, 52 patients underwent pre- and postoperative MRI scanning. The mean three-dimensional (3D) volume of PAHG was 684.8 mL (range, 350.0–1,123.9 mL), and the average residual 3D volume of PAHG was 53.7 mL (range, 12.4–98.3 mL). The mean clearance rate was 92.1%. Conclusion MRI and intraoperative color Doppler ultrasound can provide effective and precise location information of PAHG for evacuation surgery, which is a reliable method to ensure the maximal removal of PAHG.

BACKGROUND: As a reliable biomechanical model, human fresh isolated cervical specimens provide the basis for studying the pathogenesis of cervical vertigo from the perspective of blood flow of vertebral artery.There is a lack of an in vitro cervical model that can simulate the physiological state of the cervical vertebrae and achieve complex posture, as well as can measure the blood flow of vertebral artery. OBJECTIVE:To study the influence of variant position of human fresh isolated cervical vertebrae on the blood flow of vertebral artery in vitro through constructing the fresh specimen of cervical vertebral artery determination model. METHODS: Six human fresh isolated cervical specimens were selected for constructing the vertebral artery determination model. The pressure of human vertebra artery was simulated by pressure pump. The change of normal saline height was measured by digital motion capture system dynamically under different positions. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) Eight vertebral arteries in the six models were in good condition. (2) The vertebral artery flow under neutral position was significantly richer than that under contralateral rotation-anteflexion and ipsilateral/contralateral rotation-postexion (P <0.05). (3) The vertebral artery flow under contralateral rotation-anteflexion and rotation-postexion was significantly poorer than that under natural position, ipsilateral rotation and ipsilateral rotation-anteflexion (P < 0.05). (4) In summary, the cervical vertebral artery determination model is constructed successfully that can simulate the influence of the position on vertebral artery flow. Additionally, different positions of rotation make a different effect on vertebral artery flow.

OBJECTIVETo investigate nestin activation in rat brain subjected to ischemia-reperfusion injury and its changes in response to Tongxinluo treatment.

METHODSCerebral ischemia was induced by temporary middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) in rats. At 3, 7, 14 and 21 days after MCAO, nestin expression in the ependyma, subventricular zone (SVZ), hippocampal subdentate gyrus zone (HDG) of the rats treated with Tongxinluo were guantified by immunohistochemistry.

RESULTSCompared with the sham operation group, nestin was significantly increased 7, 14 and 21 days after MCAO (P<0.05), and immunofluorescence of BrdU+nestin-positive neurons significantly increased in the SVZ. After treatment with Tongxinluo, the number of BrdU-positive neurons and BrdU+nestin-positive neurons significantly increased as compared with MCAO group (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONFocal cerebral ischemia in the rat results in rapid response and proliferation of neural stem cells in the SVZ and HDG in the ischemic hemisphere, and Tongxinluo may enhance the differentiation and proliferation capacity of the neural stem cells after MCAO.

Animals ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Immunohistochemistry ; Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Intermediate Filament Proteins ; metabolism ; Male ; Nerve Tissue Proteins ; metabolism ; Nestin ; Neurons ; cytology ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Phytotherapy ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Reperfusion Injury ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Stem Cells ; cytology ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Time Factors