Animals ; Cardiac Electrophysiology ; Heart Atria ; innervation ; physiopathology ; Humans ; Vagus Nerve ; physiology

To evaluate the significance of plasma ACTH (pACTH), serum cortisol (SC) and urinary free cortisol UFC as well as low or high dose dexamethasone suppression test in Cushing syndrome, the levels of hormones were evaluated in 136 cases of Cushing syndrome. It was found that the levels of SC and UFC were elevated in almost all the 121 patients with Cushing syndrome. The mean levels of pACTH were higher in 86 patients with Cushing disease and lower in 36 cases with adrenocortical tumor or ACTH independent nodular adrenocortical hyperplasia (AINAH) than those in normal subjects. The ACTH levels might be in normal range in many patients with Cushing syndrome, but they were higher in patients with Cushing disease and lower in the patients with adrenocortical tumor or AINAH than those of the high limit at ACTH0am in normal subjects. It was a common feature that the diurnal rhythm of hormone secretion disappeared and the hormone levels were not suppressed by low dose dexamethasone suppression test in the patients with Cushing syndrome. In more than 90% of the patients with adrenocortical tumor or AINAH the levels of SC and UFC were not suppressed by high dose dexamethasone. In 12 of clinically cured patients with Cushing disease the levels of pACTH8am, SC8am and UFC were normal or even low. The pACTH levels were low in two patients with iatrogenic Cushing syndrome. The results suggested that examinations of SC, UFC and low dose dexamethasone suppression test were very important in the diagnosis of Cushing syndrome. The pACTH level was a key parameter to distinguish Cushing disease from adrenocortical tumor or AINAH.

? AlM: To examine choroidal thickness and its relationship with axial length and spherical equivalent by spectral domain optical coherence tomography ( SD -OCT ) in patients with myopic choroidal neovascularization ( mCNV) .
?METHODS: We prospectively recruited 30 cases of mCNV in Beijing Anzhen Hospital from October 2010 to December 2014. SD-OCT was used to measure choroidal thickness subfoveally and at 1. 5mm superiorly, inferiorly, nasally and temporally ( SFCT, SCT1. 5mm , lCT1. 5mm , NCT1. 5mm , TCT1. 5mm ) . Paired t- test was conducted to assess the difference of spherical equivalent, axial length and choroidal thickness between mCNV group and controls. Logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the correlation between spherical equivalent, axial length, choroidal thickness and mCNV.
?RESULTS: The difference of spherical equivalent and axial length between mCNV group and controls was not significant (P>0. 05). lnferior was decreased in mCNV group compared with controls (140. 85±33. 46μm vs 168. 95±45. 36μm). The difference was significant (P=0. 008). Logistic regression demonstrated that decreased choroidal thickness ( lCT1. 5mm ) at inferior location was associated with mCNV (OR=2. 12;95%CI 1. 35~3. 28;P=0. 02).
?CONCLUSlON: The decrease of lCT1. 5MM may be one of the risk factors of mCNV.

Our previous research indicated that the Streptomyces pactum Act12 (Act12) had a certain promotional effect on tanshinone accumulation and up-regulated the expression of genes 3-hydroxy-3-methyglutaryl-CoA reductase (HMGR) and 1-deoxy-d-xylulose-5-phosphate reductoisomerase (DXR) in Salvia miltiorrhiza hairy roots. This study focuses on the roles of reactive oxygen species in S. pactum Act12-induced tanshinone production in S. miltiorrhiza hairy roots. The 4% Act12, 4% Act12 + CAT and 4% Act12 + SOD were added to S. miltiorrhiza hairy root and subcultured for 21 days, the dry weight, contents of reactive oxygen species, contents of tanshinones and expression of HMGR and DXR were determined at different harvest-time. The generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in S. miltiorrhiza hairy roots was triggered by 4% Act12 treatment. The relative expressions of genes HMGR and DXR in 4% Act12 treatment were 32.4 and 4.8-fold higher than those in the control. And the total tanshinone in the hairy roots was 10.2 times higher than that of the control. The CAT and SOD could significantly inhibit the ROS accumulation and relative expressions of genes HMGR and DXR in 4% Act12 treatment, which induced the total tanshinone content was decreased by 74.6% comparing with the 4% Act12 treatment. ROS mediated Act12-induced tanshinone production. The Act12 may be via the ROS signal channel to activate the tanshinone biosynthesis pathways. Thereby the tanshinon content in hairy roots was increased.
Aldose-Ketose Isomerases ; genetics ; metabolism ; Diterpenes, Abietane ; biosynthesis ; Plant Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Plant Roots ; enzymology ; genetics ; metabolism ; microbiology ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; metabolism ; Salvia miltiorrhiza ; enzymology ; genetics ; metabolism ; microbiology ; Secondary Metabolism ; Streptomyces ; physiology

APOBEC3 is a class of cytidine deaminase, which is considered as a new member of the innate immune system, and APOBEC3G belongs to this family. The research about APOBEC3G is a new direction of innate immune defense mechanism against virus. APOBEC3G has the restrictive activity on many viral replications, which deaminates dC to dU in the viral genome and then induces extensive hypermutation. APOBEC3G can also interrupt viral replication at several phases such as reverse transcription, replication, nucleocapsid and so on by non-deamination mechanisms. However, virus can encode viral proteins to counteract the restriction activity of APOBEC3G. Elucidation of the antagonistic interaction between APOBEC3G and the virus will be contributed to development of new antiviral drugs in the future.
APOBEC-3G Deaminase ; Animals ; Cytidine Deaminase ; genetics ; metabolism ; DNA Replication ; Deamination ; HIV-1 ; physiology ; Hepacivirus ; genetics ; physiology ; Hepatitis B virus ; genetics ; physiology ; Humans ; Paramyxoviridae ; genetics ; physiology ; Retroviridae ; physiology ; Virus Replication ; vif Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus ; metabolism

Objective:To investigate the effect of recombinant Elafin on A549 apoptosis induced by paraquat and the underlying mechanism.Methods:pEGFP-C1-Elafin was transformed into A549 competent cells by electroporation.Transformed A549 was cultured for additional 24 h before Elafin mRNA was detected by RT-PCR and cocultured with or without various concentration of paraquat( PQ ) for different duration.A549 apoptosis percentage and reactive oxygen species ( ROS ) content were tested by flow cytometry .Nuclear factor erythroid like-2(Nrf2) heme oxygenase-1(HO-1) were examed by Western blot .Results:Elafin expressed successfully in A549 after transformation.PQ caused A549 apoptosis in a concentration dependent manner and leaded to ROS content increasing and Nrf2 and HO-1 decreasing.However,elafin could inhibit ROS production and A549 apoptosis,upregulate Nrf2 and HO-1.Conclusion:Elafin could restrict A549 apoptosis to some extent and the possible mechanism lied in its ability to upregulate Nrf2 ex-pression.

Objective To increase the quality of blood transfusion medical record and strengthen the management of clinical blood transfusion by establishing a management system for clinical blood transfusion.Methods The management system of clinical blood transfusion was developed by using Sybase PowerBuilder 10.5 program and Oracle 8/8i database,through the function module's development of blood application and evaluation by using C/S structure.Results The management system of clinical blood transfusion realized the exchange of the internal data information with the blood information management system and LIS database,and implemented online audit of transfusion application and evaluation,which improved the work efficiency and reduced the human error.Conclusion The management system of clinical blood transfusion can improve the quality of blood transfusion medical record and realize real-time regulation of clinical blood transfusion to ensure the safety of transfusion.

The endoscopic findings of 884 cases of colonic polyps with different pathological types were retrospectively analyzed.Among all cases,there were 418 cases of tubular adenoma (47.3％ ),92 cases of fluff tubular adenoma ( 10.4％ ),334 cases of inflammatory polyps ( 37.8％ ) and 40 cases of hyperplastic polyps (4.5％ ).There were significant differences in age,location,polyp surface morphology and Yamada grouping among colonic polyps with different pathological types (P ＜0.05).The average age of fluff tubular adenoma group [ (64 ± 12)y] was the highest among all patients; and the average diameter of polyps was the largest [ ( 1.38 ± 1.09 ) cm ],lobulated and mulbenry,polyps were the most common forms; and the majority of fluff tubular adenoma was Yamada type Ⅲ or Ⅳ.The results indicate that fluff tubular adenoma was associated with higher age,larger polyp size,surface morphology and Yamada grouping (P ＜0.05).

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of volume embolization ratio(VER) in evaluating the embolization efficacy of aneurysms.MethodsFifty-three patients who received intracranial aneurysm embolization surgery were all treated with detachable coils endovascular embolization,While fifty-seven intracranial aneurysms were treated.The VER was calculated and the relationships between the VER values and the size,the neck,embolization degree of intracranial aneurysm were analyzed.ResultsThe VER of small,medium,large,and giant aneurysms were (40.8 ± 26.5 )％,( 18.6 ± 16.1 )％,(2.3 ± 2.1 )％,(0.4 ±0.1 )％,respectively,which had statistical significance (F =7.091,P ＜ 0.01 ).The VER of wide-necked and narrow-necked aneurysms were (27.5 ± 23.1 )％,(29.4 ± 26.6)％,which had no statistical significance(P ＞0.05 ).The VER of complete embolization,neck residual and partial embolization were (41.8 ± 29.3 )％,(31.4 ± 21.2)％,( 12.3 ± 15.1 )％,respectively,which had statistical differences (F =7.970,P ＜ 0.01 ).ConclusionsThe VER is an objective index to evaluate the embolization degree of aneurysms.It has certain prediction significance for the efficacy judgement of embolization of aneurysms.

Objective Clinical strains of Shigella dysenteriae isolated from eastern parts of India in 1988, 1995 and 2002 were examined for the presence of class 1, 2 and 3 integrons which closely related with drug resistance and the distribution of resistance gene cassette in order to clarify the influence of integron system on drug resistance of Shigella dysenteriae. Methods Susceptibility to antimicrobial agents was tested by the disk agar diffusion method. Class 1, 2 and 3 integron genes (intI) were screened by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in 16 clinical strains with drug resistance.The variable regions of gene cassette of positive strains were sequenced. Results All 16 isolates were resistant to at least 4 agents including β-lactams, aminoglycosides, tetracyclines, sulfonamides,chloramphenicols and quinolones. Class 1 integron gene was detected in 13 strains and all isolates carried class 2 integron which indicated that strains with two integron structures were detected simultaneously and class 3 integron was not detected. Class 1 integron inserted gene cassette was mainly blaara30 -aadA 1 family, conferring resistance to β-lactamase, spectinomycin and streptomycins isolates carried class 2 integron were mainly dfrAl-satl genes cassettes conferring resistance to methoxybenzyl aminopyrimidine and streptothricin, while dfrA\-sat\-aadA\ genes were present only in 4 isolates. Conclusions These data indicate that class 2 integrons are widespread in Shigella dysenteriae strains, and closely associated with multidrug resistance of Shigella.