Objective To observe the influence of exercise intensity on cardiorespiratory function in the elderly with coronary heart disease using simplified 24-action Taijiquan and jogging. Methods A total of 115 sedentary elderly patients with heart disease were randomly divided into a control group ( no exercise), a low-intensity exercise group, a medium-intensity exercise group (whose exercise was simplified 24-action Taijiquan at 40-60% of their individual maximum oxygen consumption (VO2max) for 90 to 200 minutes per week) and a high-intensity exercise group ( whose exercise was jogging on a treadmill at ＞ 70% of their maximum oxygen consumption for 200 minutes per week). The regime was maintained for 6 months. All patients accepted a treadmill exercise test before and after the 6 months of exercise to evaluate the changes in VO2max, maximum heart rate ( HRmax), VO2max/HRmax and exercise time (t). Results ( 1 ) After 6 months of exercise, VO2max, HRmax, VO2/HRmax and t had increased sisnificantly in all three exercise groups. Work capacity had increased 18.6% , 33% and 34.4% and HRmax had increased 9.3% , 13.8%, 19.1%. There was no difference between before and after in the control group. (2) Compared with the control group the average VO2max, HRmax and t of all three exercise groups had increased significantly. VO2 max was 9.4% , 26% and 23. 1% better; HRmax was 6.7% , 8.8% and 12% better; t was 3.5,4 and 4.9 minutes longer. (3) Compared with the low-intensity exercise group, VO2max, HRmax and t in the medium- and high-intensity groups increased significantly more. VO2max increased 16.6% and 13.7% more; HRmax increased 2.1% and 3.2% more and average t was 0.5 and 1.4 minutes longer. (4) There was no significant difference between the medium- and high-intensity exercise groups in terms of VO2max. (5) The incidence of self-reported adverse responses to exercise such as dizziness, chest stuffiness and fatigue in the high-intensity exercise group increased significantly compared with the other 3 groups. Conclusions Exercise can gradually improve cardiorespiratory function in the sedentary elderly with heart disease. The effects of medium-intensity exercise are similar to those of high-intensity exercise, but medium intensity is safer.

AIM:To explore the effect of homocysteine (Hcy)-mediated endoplasmic reticulum stress on lipid metabolism in hepatocytes.METHODS: HepG2 cells used in the study were treated with 5 mmol/L Hcy. The concentrations of Hcy, triglycerides (TGE) and cholesterol (CHO) in the cells were measured. In high methionine diet-induced hyperhomocysteinemia C57BL/6 mice, the concentrations of TGE and CHO in hepatocytes were analyzed. The mRNAs and proteins expressions of glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP-78) and sterol regulatory element binding protein (SREBP-1) were also assessed.RESULTS: The concentrations of Hcy and lipids (TGE, CHO) in HepG2 cells at different time point were elevated after treated with 5 mmol/L Hcy (P0.05,vs 0 week). The mRNAs and proteins expressions of GRP-78 and SREBP-1 in mice at different time point after high methionine diet were higher than that at 0 week (P

Objective To evaluate preventive effect of polysaccharides from Lycium ruthenicum Murray against photodamage in HaCaT cells,and to explore its possible mechanism.Methods Ultrasoundassisted extraction was used to extract polysaccharides from Lycium ruthenicum Murray in Qaidam Basin.In vitro cultured HaCaT cells were randomly divided into 3 groups:control group receiving no treatment,ultraviolet B (UVB) group irradiated with 30 nJ/cm2 UVB alone for 1 hour,experimental group pretreated with 2 g/L Lyeium ruthenicum polysaccharide solution followed 6 hours later by 30 mJ/cm2 UVB radiation for 1 hour.At twelve hours after UVB radiation,an inverted microscope was used to observe cell morphology.Then,MTS assay was performed to estimate cell proliferation,flow cytometry to detect cell apoptosis,an enzyme-labeled antigen method to detect levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px),as well as to evaluate the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT),and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to measure levels of intedeukin-1 (IL-1) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) in HaCaT cells and their culture supernatant.Results Compared with the control group,the UVB group showed obscure cell morphology,cell death and floating phenomenon,while cells became swollen but renained morphologically distinct in the experimental group.MTS assay revealed that the cell proliferative activity significantly differed among the above 3 groups (F =48.88,P ＜ 0.01),and the cell proliferative activity was significantly lower in the UVB group (1.72 ± 0.12) than in the control group (2.34 ± 0.11,P ＜ 0.05) and experimental group (2.11 ± 0.10,P ＜ 0.05).Moreover,the apoptosis rate was significantly higher in the UVB group (82.41％ ± 2.49％) than in the control group (3.98％ ± 0.19％,P ＜ 0.05) and experimental group (22.79％ ± 0.97％,P ＜ 0.05),as well as higher in the experimental group than in the control group (P ＜ 0.05).Compared with the control group,the UVB group showed significantly higher levels of MDA,supernatant levels of IL-1 and TNF-α,and intracellular levels of TNF-α,but significantly lower GSH-Px levels and activity of SOl and CAT (all P ＜ 0.05).However,there was no signifi-cant difference in the intracellular level of TNF-α between the UVB group and control group (P ＞ 0.05).Conclusion Lycium ruthenicum polysaccharide has protective effects against photodamage in HaCaT cells,likely by reducing the synthesis and secretion of inflammatory substances as well as free radicals.

Liver transplantation is the only way to treat end-stage liver disease. In order to overcome the shortage of donor, marginal donors have been used widely, which bring about a series of problems. Machine perfusion can stimulate the circulation in vivo and is beneficial for the protection of liver. It could also improve the graft function and reduce postoperative complications, which makes it a hot spot in recent years. The aim of this study is to summarize the current status and prospects of application of machine perfusion on clinical liver transplantation.
Humans ; Liver ; Liver Transplantation ; Perfusion ; instrumentation ; methods ; Tissue Donors

A 57-year-old man was admitted to the hospital for a 7-year progressively spreading plaques involving the entire body surface, and multiple irregularly sized red nodules and infiltrated patches on the face, trunk and limbs. Histopathological examination showed pleomorphic tumor cells diffusely dis-persed throughout the dennis, giving an appearance of low proliferation. Some cells with cytoplasmic pro-cesses appeared multiangular in shape, lmmunohistochemically, tumor cells were negative for CDla or S-100, but positive for CD45, FXIIIa, CDl4, MHC- Ⅱ, CD68 and lysozyme with extracellular interstitial expression. Ultrastructurally, the cells exhibited cytoplasmic processes and irregularly sized nuclei; no Birbeck granules were observed. Vesicules of low electron-density were seen diffusely in cytoplasm and extracellular matrix. The case is herein diagnosed as cutaneous non-Langerhans cell histiocytosis, which presents with a chronically invasive clinical course. These cells may develop from immature dermal dendritic cells.

Objective To establish a specific fluorescence quantitative method for determining the mRNA expression of Toll-like receptor3(TLR3)in peripheral blood mononuclear cells(PBMCs).Methods Using the Beacon Designer 2.1 software,specific primers and Taqman-MGB probe were designed.The plasmid pMD18-T-TLR3 was constructed as calibrator and the amplified fragment was obtained by reverse- transcript-PCR(RT-PCR).RNA quantification based on cycle threshold values(Ct)was used to establish the standard curve.According to which,the TLR3 mRNA levels in 30 normal individuals,20 patients with primary biliary cirrhosis(PBC)and 20 ones with chronic liver cirrhosis induced by HBV were calculated automatically by software after the fluorescence of PCR product was detected continuously during amplification.Results The linear detection range of the assay for TLR3 gene and ?-actin was 10~2-10~8(r= -0.9974)and 10~3～10~8(r=-0.9984),respectively.The coefficient of variation of both intra-and inter- assay reproducibility for high concentration sample were 6.7% and 8.7%,respectively,and those for low concentration sample were 12.3% and 14.0%.The TLR3 mRNA expression level ranges from 3.46?10~2- 4.51?10~3 copies/?g RNA,4.92?10~2-1.42?10~4 copies/?g RNA and 2.58?10~2-7.17?10~3 copies/?g RNA for 30 healthy individuals,20 PBC patients and 20 ones with chronic liver cirrhosis induced by HBV, respectively.Conclusion We have successfully set up a FQ-RT-PCR method for detecting TLR3 mRNA, which may be used as an excellent tool for the clinic and basic study on the expression of TLR3 gene.

OBJECTIVE: To validate the value of dual energy CT (DECT) in the differentiation of mediastinal metastatic lymph nodes from non-metastatic lymph nodes in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS: In the study, 57 surgically confirmed NSCLC patients who underwent enhanced DECT scan within 2 weeks before operation were enrolled. Two radiologists analyzed the CT images before operation. All mediastinal lymph nodes with short diameter≥5 mm on axial images were included in this study. The morphological parameters [long-axis diameter (L), short-axis diameter (S) and S/L of lymph nodes] and the DECT parameters [iodine concentration (IC), normalized iodine concentration (NIC), slope of spectral hounsfield unit curve (λHU) and effective atomic number (Zeff) in arterial and venous phase] were measured. The differences of morphological parameters and DECT parameters between metastatic and non-metastatic lymph nodes were compared. The parameters with significant difference were analyzed by the Logistic regression model, then a new predictive variable was established. Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) analyses were performed for S, NIC in venous phase and the new predictive variable. RESULTS: In 57 patients, 49 metastatic lymph nodes and 938 non-metastatic lymph nodes were confirmed by surgical pathology. A total of 163 mediastinal lymph nodes (49 metastatic, 114 non-metastatic) with S≥5 mm were detected on axial CT images. The S, L and S/L of metastatic lymph nodes were significantly higher than those of non-metastatic lymph nodes (P < 0.05). The DECT parameters of metastatic lymph nodes were significantly lower than those of non-metastatic lymph nodes (P < 0.05). The best single morphological parameter for differentiation between metastatic and nonmetastatic lymph nodes was S (AUC, 0.752; threshold, 8.5 mm; sensitivity, 67.4%; specificity, 73.7%; accuracy, 71.8%). The best single DECT parameter for differentiation between metastatic and nonmetastatic lymph nodes was NIC in venous phase (AUC, 0.861; threshold, 0.53; sensitivity, 95.9%; specificity, 70.2%; accuracy, 77.9%). Multivariate analysis showed that S and NIC were independent predictors of lymph node metastasis. The AUC of combined S and NIC in the venous phase was 0.895(sensitivity, 79.6%; specificity, 87.7%; accuracy, 85.3%), which were significantly higher than that of S (P < 0.001) and NIC (P=0.037). CONCLUSIONS The ability of quantitative DECT parameters to distinguish mediastinal lymph node metastasis in NSCLC patients is better than that of morphological parameters. Combined S and NIC in venous phase can be used to improve preoperative diagnostic accuracy of metastatic lymph nodes.
Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/diagnostic imaging* ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms/diagnostic imaging* ; Lymph Nodes ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Mediastinum ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of Liuwei Dihuang Pills (LWDHP) on expressions of apoptosis-related genes bcl-2 and Bax in pancreas of OLETF rats. METHODS: Forty male OLETF rats were randomly divided into LWDHP-treated group and untreated group. Another ten male LETO rats were included in normal control group. OLETF rats in the LWDHP-treated group were given LWDHP (2.4 g.kg(-1).d(-1)) orally since the age of 8 weeks and the rats in the other two groups were given distilled water orally. Body weights of rats were recorded weekly and blood glucose concentration was determined by oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Pancreas weights were recorded after rats were killed and the expression levels of bcl-2 mRNA and Bax mRNA were detected by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). RESULTS: In the LWDHP-treated group, the expression of bcl-2 mRNA in the pancreas of rats at the age of 40 weeks (1.25+/-0.07) was much higher than that in the untreated group (1.01+/-0.16), P<0.01. Bax mRNA level in the LWDHP-treated group (0.57+/-0.11) was obviously lower than that in the untreated group (1.18+/-0.28), P<0.01. There was no significant difference of pancreas-to-body weight ratios between the LWDHP-treated group and the untreated group. The ability of glucose tolerance was improved in the LWDHP-treated group. CONCLUSION: LWDHP can up-regulate the expression of bcl-2 and down-regulate the expression of Bax at transcription level, which maybe contribute to the anti-apoptosis effects of LWDHP.

BACKGROUND:Studies have shown that the application of electrical stimulation of peripheral nerve fibers can recover partial muscle functions due to the loss of central nervous control.
OBJECTIVE:To verify the feasibility of selective nerve excitatory effectively used the symmetric biphasic pulses under the bipolar electrodes stimulation of 1 mm.
METHODS:Eight adult Wistar rats were selected to expose the sciatic nerves after anesthesia and then the electrodes were placed on the sciatic nerves careful y to establish the model of selective nerve stimulation. Experimental electrode was homemade Cuff bipolar electrode, and the electrode stimulators were Grass S88
stimulator and AWG2005 arbitrary waveform signal generator. The two-way dual-electrode stimulation was used. The distance between two electrodes was 1 mm, and the stimulation waveform was symmetric biphasic pulse
with the width of 0.2 ms. The output pulse amplitude, pulse width and delay could be adjusted. The stimulation
intensity was adjusted, and the law of nerve excitability was detected under two-way dual-electrode stimulation, in order to achieve selective nerve excitability, and the feasibility of two-way dual-electrode stimulation to achieve
selective nerve excitatory was verified with“col ision”method.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The change of nerve action potential was amplified by P511 amplifier and then linked into oscil oscope for displaying, and dual-electrode stimulation waveform was the symmetric biphasic pulse with the width of 0.2 ms. With the increasing of stimulus amplitude, we achieved the selective nerve excitatory. The results indicate the selective nerve excitatory can be achieved with the closed (1 mm) dual-electrode symmetric pulse, and the feasibility and effectiveness of this method can be verified with“col ision”principle.

Objective To compare the effects of isoflurane or sevoflurane in combination with remifentanil anesthesia on blood amyloid beta protein (Aβ) in the elderly patients undergoing abdominal surgery.Methods Two hundred patients of both sexes,aged 65-75 yr,weighing 51-76 kg,of ASA physical status Ⅰ or Ⅱ,scheduled for elective abdominal surgery under general anesthesia,were randomly divided into 2 groups (n =100 each) using a random number table:isoflurane combined with remifentanil anesthesia group (IR group) and sevoflurane combined with remifentanil anesthesia group (SR group).Fifty healthy elderly subjects served as control group (group C).After anesthesia was induced with iv penehyclidine,sufentanil,propofol and vecuronium,the patients were endotracheally intubated and mechanically ventilated.In group IR,anesthesia was maintained with inhalation of isoflurane (end-tidal concentration 1.68 ％,in IR group) or sevoflurane (end-tidal concentration 1.71％,in SR group),and target-controlled infusion of remifentanil (target plasma concentration 2-6 ng/ml).At l day before surgery and 3 days after surgery,the patients' cognitive function was assessed using Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE),the development of postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) was recorded,and blood samples were taken for determination of serum Aβ40 and Aβ42 concentrations.Results The incidence of POCD was 5％ (in C group),56％ (in IR group) or 22％ (in SR group),and there was no significant difference among the three groups.There were no significant differences in the serum Aβ42 and Aβ40 concentrations after surgery among the three groups.Conclusion The mechanism by which sevoflurane or isoflurane in combination with remifentanil anesthesia results in POCD is not related to the levels of blood Aβ40 or Aβ42 in the elderly patients undergoing abdominal surgery.