Communicable diseases are the major threats to the health and security of all the people living in Liberia, including UN peacekeepers from China. The most prevalent communicable diseases in Liberia include malaria, HIV/AIDS, acute respiratory infection, sexual transmitted disease, schistosomiasis, onchocerciasis, tuberculosis, cholera, pertussis, hepatitis, meningococcal disease, typhoid fever, Lassa fever and yellow fever. An insight into the profiles and epidemiology of the above epidemics in Liberia would greatly help peacekeepers with disease diagnosis and epidemic prevention. According to the profiles of epidemics in Liberia and the authors' experience in epidemic prevention in Liberia, the authors recommend that peacekeepers strengthen their epidemic prevention as follows. Firstly, a combined vector control strategy is suggested for the prevention and control of vector-borne diseases. Secondly, water safety should be highlighted by water disinfection and regular water quality testing. Thirdly, vaccines, diagnostic reagents and medications should be accordingly outfitted. Then, the awareness of epidemic prevention and individual hygiene should be improved by education and strict management. Finally, the daily life management for peacekeepers is also very important. The epidemic overviews and strategies for epidemic prevention described in this paper are also useful for all the other peacekeepers deployed in Africa.

OBJECTIVETo explore the effect of Bushen Gujin Recipe (BGR) on serum and synovial expression of interleukin-1 (IL-1) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) in knee osteoarthritis (KOA) model rabbits.

METHODSTotally 36 8-month-old healthy male New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into 4 groups, i.e., the normal control group, the model group, the Western medicine group (Meloxicam, at the daily dose of 6 mg/kg), and the TCM group (BGR, at the daily dose of 53 g/kg), 9 in each group. Modeling was performed in all rabbits except those in the normal control group by using Hulth A method. All medication was performed for 8 consecutive weeks. Contents of IL-1 and TNF-α were detected using ELISA from serum, partial synovial tissue of the front knee joint, cartilage and subchondral bone of the medial femoral condyle.

RESULTSThe joint space became narrowed in the Western medicine group, ranging between the model group and the TCM group. The articular surface was rough with obvious osteophytes. The joint space was slightly narrower in the TCM group; the articular surface was slightly rough with mild osteophytes. Compared with the normal control group, contents of IL-1 and TNF-α in serum and synovial increased in the model group (P < 0.01). Compared with the model group, contents of IL-1 and TNF-α in serum and the synovial fluid decreased in the two treatment groups (P < 0.01). There was no statistical difference in contents of IL-1 and TNF-α between the Western medicine group and the TCM group.

CONCLUSIONBGR promoted the synthesis of cartilage matrix and carti- lage repair through inhibiting the secretion of IL-1 and TNF-α, and prolonging cartilage degeneration.

Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Interleukin-1 ; metabolism ; Knee Joint ; Male ; Osteoarthritis, Knee ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Rabbits ; Synovial Fluid ; Synovial Membrane ; metabolism ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; metabolism

Thirty SHRs were obtained randomly to hypertension, model group, captopril group and Qingre jiangya capsule group. Ten Wistar rats were used as control group. The hippocampus tissue was removed to explore the damage of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and the protective effect of Qingre jiangya capsule after continuously administered for 14 days. And then the data were processed by principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). The research results revealed captopril group was significantly different from the other three groups. The classification of other three groups is also very clear after captopril group removed. This suggested that Qingre jiangya capsule could improve the overall metabolism compared with captopril. Four metabolites were identified: dimethylglycine, glycerophosphocholine, aldosterone and noradrenaline. Hypertension hippocampus damage may mainly be expressed in tyrosine metabolism, aldosterone-regulated sodium, vascular smooth muscle contraction reabsorption, and Qingre jiangya capsule could reverse the hippocampus tissue damage of SHR.
Animals ; Capsules ; pharmacology ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Hippocampus ; drug effects ; Hypertension ; drug therapy ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Inbred SHR ; Rats, Wistar

OBJECTIVETo investigate the sonographic and computed tomography (CT) features of hepatic angiomyolipoma (HAML).

METHODSSonographic and CT findings were analyzed in 12 patients (9 females and 3 males) with pathologically proved HAML. The size, margin, location, gray scale, and color Doppler flow imaging characteristics were observed.

RESULTSHAML was located correctly with ultrasound in all patients. The sonographic features of 12 HAML included regular shape, clear margin, and three type of echoes including homogeneous hyperechoes (n=5), heterogeneous internal echoes (n=5), or homogeneous hypoechoes (n=2). The arterial flow signal was detected in two HAML. The CT findings included adipose density (n=3), soft tissue density (n=3), and mixed density (n=6). The sonographic and CT findings were correlated with the composition and distribution of fat, vessels, and smooth muscle tissue.

CONCLUSIONSFatty tissues within HAML shows typical imaging findings. The ultrasonographic and CT have their own advantages in detecting the fatty tissue inside HAML, and therefore a combination of these two techniques may increase the diagnostic accuracy of HAML.

Adult ; Aged ; Angiomyolipoma ; diagnostic imaging ; Female ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; diagnostic imaging ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Ultrasonography

This article studies the thermostability and the crystal structure of a new anticancer drug dasatinib. The thermostability of dasatinib was analyzed using the differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and thermo gravimetric analyzer (TGA), and the structural characteristics of polymorphism and crystalline transformation was determined using the X-ray powder diffractometry (XRD) with in-situ high temperature accessories. The results showed that dasatinib has at least two different crystal forms. The form-I has one crystalline water and form-II one and half, and in a heating-up processing both of them would change their crystal structures. After losing their crystalline water, both would change into the same crystalline form with no crystalline water. Their melting points were almost the same: form-I was 285.68 degrees C and form-II was 285.50 degrees C. The results of the study method would provide a comprehensive reference for the quality evaluation of dasatinib.
Antineoplastic Agents ; chemistry ; Calorimetry, Differential Scanning ; Crystallization ; Dasatinib ; Molecular Structure ; Protein Kinase Inhibitors ; chemistry ; Pyrimidines ; chemistry ; Temperature ; Thermogravimetry ; Thiazoles ; chemistry ; X-Ray Diffraction

Animals ; Conditioning, Classical ; Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory ; Fear ; psychology ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Stress, Psychological

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of nitric oxide (NO) in the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) on the central integration of the cardiac sympathetic afferent reflex (CSAR) in normal rats and in rats with coronary ligation-induced chronic heart failure (CHF). Under alpha-chloralose and urethane anesthesia, mean arterial pressure, heart rate and renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) were recorded at baseline and during elicitation of the CSAR evoked by electrical stimulation of the cardiac afferent sympathetic nerves in sino-aortic denervated and cervical vagotomized rats. A cannula was inserted into the left RVLM for microinjection of NO synthase inhibitor, S-methyl-L-thiocitruline (MeTC) or NO donor, S-nitroso-N-acetyl-penicillamine (SNAP). The CSAR was tested by electrical stimulation (5, 10, 20 and 30 Hz at 10 V for 1 ms) of the afferent cardiac sympathetic nerves. It was observed that (1) the responses of RSNA to stimulation were enhanced in rats with CHF; (2) MeTC (80 nmol) potentiated the responses of RSNA to stimulation in sham rats but not in rats with CHF; (3) SNAP (50 nmol) depressed the enhanced RSNA response to stimulation in CHF rats but had no effect in sham rats; and (4) MeTC increased the baseline RSNA and MAP only in sham rats, but SNAP inhibited the baseline RSNA and MAP in both sham and CHF rats. These results indicate that reductance of NO in the RVLM is involved in the augmentation of CSAR in CHF rats.
Afferent Pathways ; physiopathology ; Animals ; Heart Failure ; physiopathology ; Male ; Medulla Oblongata ; physiopathology ; Nitric Oxide ; metabolism ; physiology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Reflex ; physiology ; Sympathetic Nervous System ; drug effects ; physiopathology

Objective To analyze the clinical features,diagnosis and treatment of 2 pedigrees (5 patients) with familial hemangioblastoma. Methods The detailed clinical and imaging data of 2 pedigrees (5 patients) with familial hemangioblastoma,admitted to our hospital from September 2005 to May 2010, were retrospectively analyzed; their diagnosis and treatment were concluded. Results Among the 3 patients of the first pedigree,2 patients displayed cystic and solid tumor and 1 cystic tumor under cranial MRI; both 2 patients of the second pedigree displayed cystic solids.All the 5 patients had mutations and could be diagnosed as having yon Hippel-Lindau (VHL).No patients were combined with other parts of the lesion; after microscopic total/sub-total resection, no patients existed postoperative occurrence and no patient died. Conclusion MRI is the most important detective method in the diagnosis of patients with familiar hemangioblastomas; microsurgery is still the most important therapy method to familiar hemangioblastomas.

To explore effect of autoantibody on identification of ABO and RhD blood group, the blood samples of 38 patients with autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) were identified by routine typing and typing after chloroquine elution test as well as PCR. The results showed that out of 38 patients with AIHA, 11 cases (31.6%) of ABO blood group were difficulty typed, indirect antiglobulin test were positive, and contradiction between cells typing and sera typing were observed. 1 case of RhD(-) was mistyped as RhD(+) and anti-D was found in its serum. The blood group of these cases were typed correctly by chloroquine elution test. It is concluded that blood group identification of patients with AIHA can be interfered by autoantibody, and the correct typing for blood group of these patients may be determined by using combination of several methods to ensure safe transfusion.
ABO Blood-Group System ; genetics ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Anemia, Hemolytic, Autoimmune ; blood ; Blood Grouping and Crossmatching ; Female ; Genotype ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Rh-Hr Blood-Group System

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the diagnostic values of four risk of malignancy indices (RMI) for malignant adnexal masses.

METHODSThe data of 223 women with adnexal masses admitted to the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of Peking Union Medical College Hospital for surgical exploration between June 2008 and December 2008 were retrospectively analyzed. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of RMI1, RMI2, RMI3, and RMI4 in the diagnosis of malignant adnexal masses were calculated.

RESULTSWhen the cutoff levels of RMI1, RMI2, RMI3 were set at 200 and RMI4 at 450, the sensitivities for diagnosing malignant adnexal masses ranged 59.0%-67.2%, the specificities ranged 94.4%-96.9 %, the positive predictive values ranged 82.0%-87.8%, and the negative predictive values ranged 90.9%-92.6%. The Youdens indexes (YI) of RMI1, RMI2, RMI3, and RMI4 were 0.559,0.606,0.576, and 0.559, respectively. RMI2 was significantly different from RMI1 (P=0.000), RMI3 (P=0.008), and RMI4 (P=0.000) in terms of diagnostic efficiency. RMI1, RMI2, RMI3, and RMI4 at a cutoff level of 75.688.679.1, 177.2 respectively, according to ROC curves, yielded sensitivities of 77.8%-82.5%, specificities of 84.6%-90.1%, positive predictive values of 69.0%-75.4%, and negative predictive values of 90.9%-92.6%; the relevant YI of RMI1, RMI2, RMI3, and RMI4 were 0.635, 0.665, 0.651 and 0.705, respectively. Under this cutoff level, the difference between RMI1, RMI2, RMI3, and RMI4 in diagnosing malignancy had no statistic significant. The primary histological types arising false negative were early stage epithelial ovarian cancer and non-epithelial ovarian cancer. The primary histological types arising false positive were endometriosis masses and degenerative sex cord-stromal tumor.

CONCLUSIONSRMIs are useful indices for the differentiation between benign and malignant pelvic diseases. Meanwhile, their cutoff levels for Chinese populations need further study.

Adnexal Diseases ; diagnosis ; diagnostic imaging ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; CA-125 Antigen ; blood ; Female ; Humans ; Menopause ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Assessment ; methods ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Ultrasonography ; Young Adult