Animals ; Disease Models, Animal ; Hypoglycemia ; chemically induced ; metabolism ; Hypothalamus ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Insulin ; pharmacology ; Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins ; metabolism ; Male ; Neuropeptides ; metabolism ; Orexins ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

Objective To investigate the effect on incidence of ventilator associated pneumonia(VAP),the cost of hospitalization with closed endotracheal suctioning and vital sign as well in postoperative cardiac patients.Methods 304 postoperative cardiac patients supporting by ventilation were enrolled in this cohort study during January,2012-November,2013 in The Second affiliated Hospital& Yuying Children Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University.All the subjects were randomly divided into observational group and control group by coin side.Closed endotracheal suctioning system was applied in observation group and opened mode was applied in control group.Compare the vital sign(heart rate,blood pressure,saturation) at the moment of aspiration,suction time,incidence of VAP,duration of ventilation,mortality,the cost of suction,hospital stays and hospitalization expense.Results The baseline is no significant difference between two groups.The fluctuation of blood pressure and heart rate is lower in observational group at 30 second since completed the suction(P ＜0.05),but saturation is higher at 30 second and 60 second since completed the suction respectively(P ＜ 0.05).There is no significant difference of incidence of unexpected tube displacement and pneumothorax between two groups.Average time of each suction of experimental groups is shorter than Control groups[(156 ± 6) s vs (225 ± 8) s,t =-84.86,P ＜ 0.01].VAP incidence is lower in experimental group (12.0％ vs.18.6％,x2 =4.37,P ＜ 0.05).Duration of ventilation is lower in experimental group[(72 ± 33) h vs.(98 ± 38) h,t =-6.35,P ＜ 0.05].The cost of suction is higher in observational group [(346 ± 15) RMB vs.(178 ± 26) RMB,t =69.00,P ＜ 0.01],but the hospitalization expense is lower in experimental group [(32 011 ± 2 525) yuan vs.(35 264 ± 3 846)yuan,t =-8.72,P ＜ 0.05].There is no significant difference in mortality between two groups (x2 =0.08,P ＞ 0.05).Conclusion Application of closed endotracheal suction system can result in reduction vital sign fluctuation and incidence of cross infection and reducing the workload of nurses and decreasing the complication of suction,shorting the duration of ventilation and hospitalization and saving the expense of hospitalization in postoperative cardiac patients comparing with open mode.It is worthy to be populized in cardiac care unit.

OBJECTIVETo observe the therapeutic effects of beta-elemene combined DC/Dribble vaccine in treating mice with hepatic cancer, thus exploring their anti-tumor mechanisms.

METHODSDentritic cells were derived from Balb/c mice's spleen and their phenotypes were identified. Using hepatic cancer cell line BNL1MEA.7R.1 (abbreviated as BNL) originated from Balb/c mice as target cell, DC/Dribble vaccine was prepared via raising the antigen representing carrier autophagosomes (DRips in Blebs, DRibbles), which were rich in tumor antigen information. The mice previously immunized were divided into 4 groups, i.e., the control group, the beta-elemene group, the vaccine group, and the combined group. The PBS was subcutaneously and intraperitoneally injected to mice in the control group. The beta-elemene was intraperitoneally injected at the daily dose of 50 mg/kg to mice in the beta-elemene group and the combined group for 7 successive days. DC/Dribble vaccine was injected into the lymph node of mice in the vaccine group and the combined group on the 1st day, and DC/Dribble vaccine was subcutaneously injected on the 3rd day and the 5th day. All the mice were sacrificed on the 10th day. Their spleens were obtained sterilely, and the suspension was incubated with or without Dribble. The cells were inoculated for 72 h. The contents of IFN-gamma in the supernatant were measured by ELISA. In addition, the spleen cells obtained from the combined group were incubated with different stimulations for 72 h, which were then divided into the control group, the DRibble group, the DC group, and the DC/Dribble vaccine group. The supernatant of cultured cells were collected and the contents of IFN-gamma were measured by ELISA. The liver tumor-bearing mouse model was established, and then the BNL bearing mice were randomly divided into 4 groups, i.e., the control group, the beta-elemene group, the vaccine group, and the combined group. The treatment ways were the same as the immune ways. The tumor size and the survival period were observed in each group. On the 23rd day the mice were sacrificed. The tumor tissue was stripped and stained by HE staining. The pathomorphological manifestations of the tumor tissue were observed by light microscope.

RESULTSIn vitro detection of mice immunized previously by different ways showed that the secretion of IFN-gamma was significantly higher in the combined group than in the rest groups (P < 0.01). The secretion of IFN-gamma was significantly higher in the beta-elemene group and the vaccine group than in the control group (P < 0.01). The spleen cells could be stimulated to secrete a large amount of IFN-gamma in the vaccine group and the Dribble group (P < 0.01). When the beta-elemene was 10 microg/mL as the stimulating dose, the secretion of IFN-gamma obviously increased (P < 0.01). In vivo observation showed that the growth velocity of tumors in mice of the combined group was slowed down. There was statistical difference in the tumor area or the survival period of mice in the combined group, when compared with the other groups (P < 0.01). In HE staining, the surrounding connective tissues of the tumor were wrapped tightly and compactedly, with infiltration of a large amount of inflammatory cells.

CONCLUSIONSbeta-elemene combined DC/Dribble vaccine could induce specific immune cells to secrete secretory cells, thus exerting its anti-tumor effect. Its immunological effects might be associated with enhancing the DC antigen presenting function.

Animals ; Cancer Vaccines ; immunology ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Dendritic Cells ; drug effects ; immunology ; Female ; Liver Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; immunology ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Sesquiterpenes ; pharmacology

Objective:To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) pretreatment on adenine nucleotides in the myocardial tissues of the myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (MIRI) rats, and to explore the mechanism of EA pretreatment on myocardial prevention and protection in MIRI rats. Methods:Forty SPF male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into 5 groups: a blank group, a sham operation group, a model group, an EA at Neiguan (PC 6) group and an EA at Hegu (LI 4) group, with 8 rats in each group. Rats in the blank group only received binding to the rat plate, 30 min/time, once a day for 7 d; on the 7th day, rats in the sham operation group were subjected to threading for 40 min at the left anterior descending coronary artery without ligation, and then the rats were allowed to stand for 60 min before collection of the specimens; on the 7th day, rats in the model group were subjected to threading at the left anterior descending coronary artery with ligation, for 40 min before the blood flow was restored, and then the rats were allowed to stand for 60 min before collection of the specimens; on the 7th day of pretreatment with EA at Neiguan (PC 6) or Hegu (LI 4) for 30 min per day (once a day for 7 d), rats in the EA at Neiguan (PC 6) group and EA at Hegu (LI 4) group were subjected to modeling and sample collection same as in the model group. The left ventricular myocardium of the lower left anterior descending coronary artery was collected from rats in all 5 groups. Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining and transmission electron microscope (TEM) were used to observe the changes in myocardial pathological morphology. The change in the adenine nucleotide level of myocardial tissue was measured by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Results:The HE staining and ultrastructure showed that the myocardial injury was severer in the model group compared with the sham operation group. Compared with the model group, the myocardial injury in the EA at Neiguan (PC 6) and the EA at Hegu (LI 4) groups was mild or hardly any. The adenine nucleotide levels in the sham operation group and the model group were all decreased compared with the blank group (allP<0.05); compared with the sham operation group, the adenine nucleotide level of the model group was also decreased, but the difference was not statistically significant (P>0.05); compared with the model group, the adenine nucleotide level in the EA at Neiguan (PC 6) group was increased (P<0.05), and the adenine nucleotide level in the EA at Hegu (LI 4) group was significantly increased (P<0.01). The adenine nucleotide level in the EA at Hegu (LI 4) group was higher than that in the EA at Neiguan (PC 6) group, but the difference was not statistically significant (P>0.05). Compared with the EA at Neiguan (PC 6) group, the levels of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and adenosine monophosphate (AMP) in the EA at Hegu (LI 4) group were significantly increased (allP<0.01). Conclusion:Both EA at Neiguan (PC 6) and Hegu (LI 4) can alleviate the pathological damage to myocardium in MIRI rats, and increase the adenine nucleotide level in myocardial tissues, and thus protect MIRI rats. EA at Hegu (LI 4) has a better protective effect than Neiguan (PC 6).

To characterize the genomic sequence and arrangement of WU polyomavirus (WU virus) identified in clinical specimens collected from children with acute respiratory infections in Beijing, China, the sequences of capsid proteins VP1, VP2, and the large tumor antigen (LTAg), as well as the 5'-terminal sequence of WU virus, were amplified from the clinical specimen with ID number of BJF5276 which was determined as WU virus positive by PCR amplification. The PCR amplicons were sequenced, and genomic sequence analysis was performed by using the software DNAStar. In addition, VP2 coding-region sequences were amplified from other 21 clinical specimens identified as WU virus positive to investigate the gene diversity of WU virus. The genomic sequence of WU virus BJF5276 with accession number of HQ218321 in GenBank was 5,229 base pairs in length with 3 major coding domain sequences (CDS) sited on one strand coding for capsid proteins VP2, VP3 and VP1, and two CDS sited on the complementary strand coding for small tumor antigen (STAg) and LTAg; These 22 VP2 CDS sequences including 5 sequences submitted to GenBank were compared with 64 corresponding sequences downloaded from GenBank by MegAlign of DNAStar software, indicated that these sequences coming from children in Beijing shared high homology (over 98.8%) with those from GenBank. Phylogenetic analysis of these VP2 CDS by using Neighbor-joining (NJ) analyses with 2,000 bootstraps (Mega 4.0) showed that 20 sequences out of 22 belonged to clade Ia, and other 2 of them belonged to clade III, including 1 clustered in IIIa and 1 in a novel cluster proposed as IIIc. In conclusion, the genomic sequence of WU polyomavirus detected from clinical specimens from children in Beijing is closely related to other WU polyomaviruses in the feature of genomic coding region arrangement. Overall variation of VP2 CDS was very low, and there were different clades circulating in Beijing with a dominant clade Ia, which is different from dominated Ib circulating in other parts of the world reported previously, and a novel clade IIIc was proposed.
Acute Disease ; Child, Preschool ; China ; Female ; Genome, Viral ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Phylogeny ; Polyomavirus ; classification ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Respiratory Tract Infections ; virology ; Viral Proteins ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo study whether N, N'-di-(m-methylphenyi)-3,6-dimethyl-1,4-dihydro-1,2,4,5-tetrazine-1,4-dicarboamide (ZGDHu-1) inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis in human lung carcinoma cell line EBC-1 cells and its molecular mechanism.

METHODSDifferent concentrations of ZGDHu-1 and different times of culture were used to treat EBC-1 cells in vitro. The inhibition of proliferation was measured by BrdU-ELISA. Cell apoptosis was detected by Annexin V/PI staining and cellular DNA fragmentation ELISA. Phosphorylated p38MAPK and STAT3 were examined by flow cytometry. The protein expressions of bcl-2, bax, p53, Fas, and caspase-3 were detected by Western blot analysis.

RESULTSZGDHu-1 inhibited EBC-1 cell proliferation within a certain range of treating times and does, with a 24 h IC(50) of (295 ± 25) ng/ml, 48 h of (112 ± 8) ng/ml and 72 h of (23 ± 2) ng/ml. The EBC-1 cell apoptosis was confirmed by Annexin V/PI labeling and cellular DNA fragmentation ELISA in a dose-related manner. When EBC-1 cells were treated with 50, 200, and 500 ng/ml ZGDHu-1 for 48 h, the expression rates of phosphor-p38MAPK protein were 67.4%, 88.2%, 91.1%, respectively, and that of the control was 10.6%. That of STAT3 protein were 56.5%, 43.6% and 34.6%, respectively, and that of the control was 89.1%. The expression of bax, p53 and Fas protein was significantly increased, that of bcl-2 was not changed, and that of caspase-3 was significantly decreased by the ZGDHu-1 treatment.

CONCLUSIONZGDHu-1 can inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis in EBC-1 cells. The mitochondrial pathway mediated by Fas may be one of its mechanisms. The apoptosis of EBC-1 cells may associate with up-regulation of phosphor-p38MAPK and down-regulation of phosphor-STAT3 in the cells.

Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; metabolism ; pathology ; Caspase 3 ; metabolism ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; DNA Fragmentation ; Heterocyclic Compounds, 1-Ring ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 ; metabolism ; STAT3 Transcription Factor ; metabolism ; Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 ; metabolism ; bcl-2-Associated X Protein ; metabolism ; fas Receptor ; metabolism ; p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo investigate the expressions of myogenic markers MyoD, myogenin,and desmin in skeletal muscle differentiation of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBM-MSCs).

METHODSMyogenic markers MyoD, myogenin,and desmin of hBM-MSCs cultured in vitro were detected by immunofluorescence and RT-PCR. A total of 21 8-to-10 week-old immunosuppressed mdx mice were transplanted with 1x107 passage 5 of hBM-MSCs. The mice were euthanized 2-24 weeks after transplantation,and gastrocnemius muscle were analyzed for human MyoD, myogenin,desmin,and dystrophin (Dys) expressions by immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR.

RESULTSThe numbers of MyoD-,myogenin-,and desmin-positive cells per 100 hBM-MSCs were 23.5∓5.3, 30.7∓6.2, and 28.4∓5.7, respectively. MyoD, myogenin, and desmin mRNA was observed in passage 5 of hBM-MSCs. After two weeks of hBM-MSCs transplantation,a small number of MyoD-and myogenin-positive cells were observed in skeletal muscle of mdx mice,and desmin-positive cells were observed 4 weeks after transplantation. Expressions of MyoD and myogenin were detected in the muscle of mdx mice 2-4 weeks after hBM-MSCs transplantation, which reached a peak 12-16 weeks later. Desmin was expressed in the muscle of mdx mice 4-8 weeks after transplantation,with much more expression after 16 weeks of transplantation. A small number of Dys-positive cell and Dys mRNA expression were presented in the muscle of mdx mice 4 and 8 weeks after hBM-MSCs transplantation,respectively. The expression of Dys in the muscle of mdx mice increased gradually after transplantation.

CONCLUSIONhBM-MSCs have the potential of myogenic differentiation in vitro and contribute to myogenic conversion in xenogeneic animal,during which the up-regulation of MyoD and myogenin expressions may play an important role.

Animals ; Biomarkers ; Bone Marrow Cells ; cytology ; metabolism ; Cell Differentiation ; Cells, Cultured ; Desmin ; metabolism ; Humans ; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells ; cytology ; metabolism ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred mdx ; Muscle, Skeletal ; cytology ; metabolism ; MyoD Protein ; metabolism ; Myogenin ; metabolism ; Up-Regulation

Background Keratoconus is a bilateral,noninflammatory,gradually progressive corneal disorder characterized by progressive thinning and steepening of the central cornea.It is significant to investigate keratoconusrelated pathogenic gene for elaborating the pathogenesis and establishing early diagnosis standard and taking clinical measurement.Objective The aim of the study was to explore the relationship of visual system homeobox gene (VSX1) polymorphism and the risk of sporadic keratoconus.Methods This study was approved by Ethic Commission of First Hospital of Xi' an.Written informed consent was obtained from each subject prior to enrollment.A case-controlled study was conducted.One hundred and one Han nationality patients with sporadic keratoconus were included in this study.These keratoconus patients were clinically diagnosed by slit lamp examination and corneal tomography.Single nucleolide polymorphism (SNP) of VSX1 gene was assayed and classified using the MassARRAY SNP technique.Demography and relevant risk factors were collected from each subject by questionnaire.Eighty healthy volunteers served as controls.Chi-square test and Binary logistic regression were used to evaluate the difference in the distribution of allele frequency and genotype frequency and to analyze the association with keratoconus risks.Results SNP of two genes was found in the Chinese Han population (rs743018 (c.843+140 C＞T) and rs6138482(R217H C＞T)).There were no significant differences in the genotype frequency and allele frequency of the SNP of two genes in the keratoconus group in comparison with the normal control group (P＞0.05).After adjustment by age and sex,SNP of two genes was not significantly associated with the risk of keratoconus (regression model:rs743018 (C＞T) adjusted:P=0.35,OR=0.72,95％ CI:0.37-1.43 ;rs6138482 (C＞T) adjusted:P =0.48,OR=0.76,95％ CI:0.35-1.64).Conclusions Gene polymorphisms of rs743018(c.843+140 C＞T) and rs6138482(R217H C＞T) in the Chinese Han population is not associated with the risk of keratoconus.Due to the racial difference in genotype and allele frequency,the role of the VSX1 gene in the pathogenesis of keratoconus still remains controversial,and further study needs to be developed.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of smoking on sperm apoptosis and semen quality of healthy adult males in the main urban area of Chongqing.

METHODSAccording to the smoking habit, we divided 235 healthy adult males into a non-smoking group (n = 89) and a smoking group (n = 146). Then we detected the routine semen parameters by the computer-assisted semen analysis system and obtained the parameters of sperm apoptosis (the ratios of AN-/PI-, AN+/PI-, AN+/PI+ and AN-/PI+ sperm) by flow cytometry combined with Annexin V-FITC/PI fluorescence staining.

RESULTSThe rate of early apoptotic sperm (AN+/PI-) was higher in the smoking than in the non-smoking group ([8.1 +/- 5.1]% vs [6.8 +/- 3.8]%; P = 0.039), but there were no significant differences between the two groups in the rate of late apoptotic sperm (AN+/PI+) ([5.6 +/- 5.2]% vs [5.5 +/- 5.1]%; P = 0.87), as well as in such routine semen indexes as semen volume, sperm density, sperm motility, sperm vitality and normal sperm morphology (P = 0.30, 0.82, 0.37, 0.81 and 0.84, respectively).

CONCLUSIONThe rate of early apoptotic sperm is higher in smokers than in non-smokers, suggesting that smoking may induce early damage to sperm cells. Compared with routine semen parameters, sperm apoptosis is a more sensitive biomarker to reflect smoking-induced damage to sperm.

Apoptosis ; China ; Humans ; Male ; Semen ; Semen Analysis ; Smoking ; Sperm Count ; Sperm Motility ; Spermatozoa ; cytology

Objective To study the effects of the serum Nesfatin-1 level change by type 2 diabetes in patients with Non-alcoholic fatty liver,and provides a reliable basis for its prysiological effects.Methods Selected 300 cases with type 2 diabetes mellitus in deoartment of endocrinology from January 2014 to January 2016 in Affiliated Hospital of Yan'an University as the object of this study.According to whether the patients were combined with non-alcoholic fatty liver,the patients were divided into T2DM with NAFLD group (150 cases) and T2DM without NAFLD group (150 cases).In addition,150 volunteers for healthy check-up in the hospital were selected as control group.Compared the serum Nesfatin-1 levels of three group patients,and monitored the insulin resistance index of two groups patients with type 2 diabetes.Results BMI,TG,ALT and INS of NGT(23.1±1.9,1.7±0.5,26.9±12.7 and 9.7±2.4,respectively) group and T2DM (22.1±2.5,2.0± 0.9,22.1 ± 10.5 and 11.2± 4.5,respectively) group were significantly lower than those of T2DM-NAFLD group (26.5 ± 3.8,3.0± 2.5,31.9 ± 11.5 and 14.2 ± 6.5;all P value were 0.00).FBG,HbAlc,LDL-C,HOMA-IR and Nesfatin-1 of T2DM group (8.4±3.1,8.8±2.7,3.4±1.0,4.5±2.9 and 6.9±3.0) and T2DM-NAFLD group (8.2±2.7,8.5± 1.9,3.7 ± 2.1,5.2 ± 2.7 and 5.2 ± 2.7) were significantly higher than those in serum NGT group (5.1 ± 0.5,5.4 ± 0.4,2.7 ±0.8,2.7±0.8 and 2.3± 0.7,all P value were 0.00).The serum Nesfatin-1 levels of T2DM patients and patients with T2DM-NAFLD had moderate correlation (r=-0.421,P＜0.05) by Pearson correlation analysis.BMI,TG and serum Nesfatin-1 levels were closely associated with the occurrence of fatty liver (r=-0.402 ～ 0.273;P=0.00 ～ 0.01).Conclusion Nesfatin-1 may be involved in type 2 diabetes mellitus and the occurrence of non-alcoholic fatty liver.