Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety,particularly eye safety of hydroxychloro-quine(HCQ)treatment in primary Sj(o)gren's syndrome(pSS)patients.Methods Forty pSS patients were en-rolled and treated with HCQ 400 mg/day for 12 months.This is a prospective open-label study.Clinical mani-festations,clinical efficacy,biochemical and immunoserological parameters as well as ophthalmological exami-nations were investigated every three months to assess the safety and tolerability.Results There were signifi-cant decrease in the erythrocyte sedimentation rate(ESR),immunoglobulin G(IgG),immunoglobulin M (IgM)and rheumatoid factor(RF)level after 6 months treatment with HCQ(P＜0.01 or P＜0.05).No changewas detected in serum antinuclear antibody(ANA),anti-SSA/SSB antibodies after treated for 12 months.Somepatients had partial improvement in symptoms such as dry mouth,dry eyes and arthralgia.During the treat-ment,no significant effect on serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT),blood urea (BUN),serum creatinine (Cr),whole blood count(WBC)or hemoglobin(Hb)could be discovered.Central semus retinopathv(CSR)was found in one patient after 6 months treatment with HCQ.However,its association with HCQ could not be confirmed since it was not compatible with the usual HCQ retinopathy.Conclusion HCQ can improve svmp-toms of some pSS patients and can significantly decrease ESR,IgG,IgM and RF level.The safety profile of HCQ is generally good.However,ophthalmological examination before and after a 6-month interval may be necessary in long term HCQ treatment.

Animals ; Feeding Behavior ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Taste ; Viscera ; pathology

To detect the effect of PDZ1, domain of postsynaptic density 95 (PSD-95), on apoptosis of hippocampal neurons induced by oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD), Sprague-Dawley rat hippocampal neurons were infected with PDZ1-viruses after 21 days of plating. Twenty-four hours after infection, cells were treated with OGD for 1.5 h, then were incubated with DAPI and apoptosis-like cells were characterized, or were collected for co-immunoprecipitation and Western blot analyses. The results showed that: (1) PDZ1 overexpression was observed in hippocampal neurons; (2) Apoptosis induced by OGD was obviously decreased in neurons overexpressing PDZ1 (P<0.05); (3) Overexpression of PDZ1 prevented the binding of GluR6 to PSD-95; (4) Overexpression of PDZ1 inhibited MLK3 and JNK1/2 activation induced by OGD. These results indicate that overexpression of PDZ1 may prevent hippocampal neurons from apoptosis induced by OGD.
Animals ; Apoptosis ; Cells, Cultured ; Culture Media ; chemistry ; Disks Large Homolog 4 Protein ; Glucose ; chemistry ; Hippocampus ; cytology ; Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins ; metabolism ; Membrane Proteins ; metabolism ; Neurons ; cytology ; pathology ; Oxygen ; chemistry ; PDZ Domains ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

Objective To explore the dynamic changes of collagen type Ⅰand Ⅳ messenger ribonucleic acid(mRNA)expression in the lung tissue of neonatal rats after inhaling high concentration of oxygen and the role of collagen type Ⅰand Ⅳ mRNA in chronic lung disease(CLD)induced by hyperoxia.Methods Full-term newborn rats were grouped according to inhale the concentration of oxygen into hypero-xia group and air control group after birth within 12 hours.Lung histological section at day 1,3,7,14 and 21 in 2 groups were prepared for hematoxylin-eosin staining and the detection of mRNA level of collagen type Ⅰand Ⅳ by in situ hybridization.The results were analyzed with SPSS 11.0 software.Results Compared with air control group,inflammation response was seen in early stage,the arrest of lung development was evident after 7 d of oxygen exposure,at last interstitial fibrosis.It was shown that the positive expression of collagen typeⅠ was mainly in the alveolar epithelial cells and endothelial cells by in situ hybridization.The expression of collagen typeⅠ mRNA was weakened compared to air group on 7 d(P0.05).Conclusions Prolonged hyperoxia may cause the onset of arrested lung development and lung fibrosis,which are similar to the changes of chronic lung disease.The collagen type Ⅰand Ⅳ mRNA expressions are not parallel to their protein contents,suggesting the main modulation of these collagens may be not at transcriptional level.

Objective To investigate the characteristics of subcutaneous panniculitis-like T cell lymphoma ( SPTCL) in order to facilitate prompt identification and proper treatment of this rare and heterogeneous disease entity. Methods For 8 patients who had been misdiagnosed as rheumatic diseases but eventually confirmed as SPTCL though pathology and immunohistochemistry, a retrospective chart review was made with regard to their clinical symptoms, laboratory test results, pathological features, responses to therapy as well as outcomes. Results These 8 patients with a male to female ratio of 1: 1 were initially misdiagnosed as a variety of rheumatic diseases such as erythema nodosa, nodular panniculitis, systemic vasculitis,etc. The period from the onset of symptoms to the confirmation of diagnosis as SPTCL was 28. 6 months on average (range, 4-84 months). All the cases presented with multiple subcutaneous nodules, plaques or tumors which involved various anatomic sites including the head and neck, the trunk, and the extremities. Fever was the most frequently accompanying symptom (7/8) , followed by lymphadenopathy (4/8) , hepatomegaly (3/8), splenomegaly (3/8). Hemophagocytic phenomenon was seen in 3 cases.A total of 22 times of biopsy involving multiple anatomic sites were performed on these 8 cases with 2. 75 times on average (range, 1-5 times). All cases demonstrated a dense lymphoid infiltrate with significant cellular heteromorphism located in the subcutaneous tissue. CD_3 was positive in the majority of the cases.Immunostaining for γδTCR was positive in one case. The anti-rheumatic therapy including steroids and immunosuppressants administered before the identification of SPTCL attained minimal therapeutic effect. In contrast, 6 cases gained partial response after chemotherapy except that the other 2 cases died of fatal pulmonary infiltration and subsequent infection. Conclusions SPTCL is a rare and heterogeneous entity which is unseldomly misdiagnosed as rheumatic disease. The anti-rheumatic therapy including steroids and immunosuppressants can attain minimal therapeutic effect. Early identification by means of histology and immunohistochemistry as well as immunostaining for PCR is critical for proper treatment.

Acinetobacter Infections ; etiology ; Acinetobacter baumannii ; drug effects ; isolation & purification ; Child, Preschool ; Drug Resistance, Bacterial ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Intensive Care Units, Pediatric ; Male ; Risk Factors

Objective To investigate the therapeutic effect of acupuncture and moxibustion on allergic rhinitis and its influence on the patients' quality of life. Method Seventy-two patients with allergic rhinitis were allocated, according to different protocols, to control and observation groups, 36 cases each. The control group received conventional Western drug treatment and the observation group, acupuncture and moxibustion. Both groups were treated for three consecutive months. The effects were evaluated after the completion of treatment. VCAM-1, interleukin-4 (IL-4), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) levels were measured using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. The quality of life was assessed using the WHOQOL-BREF. The clinical therapeutic effects and the influences on the patients' quality of life were compared between the two groups. Result The total efficacy rate was 97.2％ in the observation group, which was higher than 86.1％ in the control group (P<0.05). There were no statistically significant pre-treatment differences in VCAM-1, IL-4, IL-6 and IL-10 levels between the two groups (P>0.05). After treatment, VCAM-1, IL-4, IL-6 and IL-10 levels decreased in both observation and control groups compared with before (P<0.05) and were lower in the observation group than in the control group (P<0.05). After treatment, the physical health, psychological health, social relationships, environment and independent ability scores increased in both observation and control groups compared with before (P<0.05) and were higher in the observation group than in the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion Acupuncture and moxibustion has a definite therapeutic effect on allergic rhinitis. It can reduce the levels of inflammatory factors and improve the patients' quality of life.

To access the role of the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) in the gustatory activity in the pontine parabrachial nucleus (PBN), the responses to four prototypical taste stimuli (NaCl, HCl, QH2SO4 and sucrose) in the PBN were observed before and after bilateral electrolytic lesion of the CeA in the urethane-anesthetized rat. Of 29 neurons, 14 were classified as NaCl-best, 9 as HCl-best, 3 as QH2SO4-best and 3 sucrose-best. After CeA lesions, the response rates to HCl and QH2SO4 were statistically higher across all PBN neurons (P<0.01). According to the best-stimulus category, the effects on the responses to HCl and QH2SO4 were similarly subjected to these modulations in NaCl-best, HCl-best and QH2SO4-best neurons. Correlation analysis indicated that the CeA lesion depressed the effect on the chemical selection between NaCl and QH2SO4. These findings suggest that the CeA plays an important role in the taste coding at the pontine level and it may be involved in mediating the feeding behavior via modulating the gustatory responses.
Amygdala ; injuries ; physiology ; Animals ; Electric Stimulation ; methods ; Female ; Male ; Pons ; cytology ; physiology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Taste ; physiology

BACKGROUNDSilicon gel is unfavourable for cell attachment and growth. This study was to study if pretreating the surface of silicon gel with chemical agents affects the proliferation of epithelial cells.

METHODSSilicon gel was made and treated with either mixed acid solution (containing 232 g/dm(3) of H(2)SO(4) and 8 g/dm(3) of K(2)Cr(2)O(7)) or 300 cm(3)/dm(3) peroxide for 5, 10, and 15 minutes or 10, 15, and 20 minutes, respectively. The cultured corneal epithelial cells were seeded onto those silicon gels and kept for 13 days. Immunohistochemical investigations were then carried out for integrin (alpha 6 or beta 4) and actin.

RESULTSGrowth of the epithelial cells in silicon gels treated with mixed acid solution for 10 minutes and 15 minutes was much significant than that in the untreated gels. After a 12-hour culture, a small number of corneal epithelial cells were proliferated on the surface of the silicon gels that had been treated with peroxide for 15 minutes. After a 3-day culture, those cells were further proliferated and fused together. The corneal epithelial cells did not grow well in the silicon gels treated with peroxide for 10 or 20 minutes. Immunostaining revealed the expression of actin and integrin alpha 6 or beta 4 on the silicon gels that were treated with mixed acid solution for 10 minutes or peroxide for 15 minutes.

CONCLUSIONSilicon gels treated either with mixed acid solution for 10 or 15 minutes or with peroxide for 15 minutes improves cell proliferation.

Animals ; Cell Adhesion ; drug effects ; Cell Division ; drug effects ; Epithelium, Corneal ; drug effects ; Gels ; Histocompatibility ; drug effects ; Hydrogen Peroxide ; pharmacology ; Rabbits ; Silicon ; pharmacology

Objective To investigate the incidence of lower urinary tract symptoms(LUTS) and bladder function in the community-dwelling elderly females. Methods The questionnaires were administered,including complaints of LUTS,International Prostate Symptoms Score(IPSS) and quality of life assessment.Meanwhile,uroflowmetry was performed and volume of residual urine was measured. Results The total number of women surveyed was 359.According to IPSS,the prevalence of moderate to severe LUTS(IPSS≥8) was 39.0%.The prevalence in those with age of 50-59,60-69 and ≥70 years were 35.1%,46.2% and 54.8%,respectively(P=0.034).Of all the women surveyed,73.8% had predominantly irritative symptoms.The maximum flow rates(Qmax)were(24.5?11.5) mL/s,(22.7?11.0) mL/s and(14.5?8.2) mL/s,respectively for these age groups(P