AIM: To study the effect of ouabain at different concentrations on human vascular endothelial cells (HUVEC), and early endothelial responses to ouabain in physiological concentration by genomic-scale gene expression analysis. METHODS: The proliferation of HUVEC was determined by MTT method. The vitality of cells was determined by LDH, and PCNA was assessed by using immunohistochemistry. The response of endothelial cells to ouabain was explored with a complementary DNA microarray representing ~8 464 different human genes. RESULTS: Ouabain stimulated the proliferation of HUVEC at physiological concentration (0.3-0.9 nmol/L). Ouabain at pathological concentration (0.9-1.8 nmol/L) inhibited proliferation and induced cellular swelling and apoptosis. However, the effect of ouabain at the concentration of 10 nmol/L also stimulated proliferation. The results of mRNA profiles analysis indicated that 340 of genes were differentially expressed, among them 145 were upregulated and 6 were upregulated significantly. The upregulated genes were mainly related to cellular metabolism and gene transcription. CONCLUSIONS: Ouabain has important role in controlling the growth and metabolism of vascular endothelial cell and vascular remodeling in the pathogenesis of hypertension.

Objective To explore application of case management for hypertension in the elderly.Methods In total, 106 elderly patients with hypertension treated at outpatient and inpatient departments of the First Affiliated Hospital of Xian Jiaotong University were recruited during January to October 2007, and divided randomly into two groups, one with conventional management and the other with case management.Patients with conventional treatment accepted routine diagnostic and therapeutic procedures and were followed-up passively, and patients with case management accepted integrated therapy and active interview provided by a team with a cardiovascular specialist as core, were followed-up actively and their medical records were kept in files. Percentage of the patients with blood pressure lowered to meet criteria of effectiveness and their improvement in depression and anxiety status and quality of life were evaluated two years after management for the two groups. Results Percentage of patients with their blood pressure lowered to meet effective criteria increased significantly in both of the groups, from 32. 8% to 67.5% in patients with conventional management and from 33.7% to 83.4% in those with case management ( P = 0. 007 ),respectively. Scores of self-rating anxiety scale ( SAS) and self-rating depression scale (SDS) decreased in patients of the both groups, from 57 ± 10 and 56 ± 11 before management to 40 ±9 and 48 ± 10 after it,respectively in patients of conventional management ( P = 0. 032 ), and from 56 ± 10 and 57 ± 10 before management to 35 ±9 and 40 ± 9 after it ( P = 0. 008 ), respectively in those with case management; and scores of quality of life improved in patients of the two group, from 65 ± 13 before management to 85 ± 14 after it in those with conventional management, and from 64 ± 13 before management to 98 ± 14 after it in those with case management ( P = 0.017 ), respectively. Conclusions Case management is better for chronic diseases and recommended in management for the elderly with hypertension, which can improve their targets of blood pressure lowering, decrease their scores of SAS and SDS and improve their quality of life,with an integrated, in-depth, continuous management.

Objective To explore the association between air pollution and the pregnancy outcome in a severe air pollution city and to provide the evidence for health related policy-making.Methods The subject population included the newborns from 1997 to 2004 in Taiyuan and the data of air pollution in the same time were collected.Logistic regression was used to analyze OR in the case-control design.Results Statistically,the prevalence of premature birth,birth defects and the mortality of infants and fetuses were significantly associated with PM10 air pollution.For premature birth,odds ratios were ranged from 1.17 to 1.76,the highest OR,1.76(95%CI:1.64-1.90),was found during the first 3 months of pregnancy.For birth defects,odds ratios were from 1.37 to 1.67,the highest OR,1.67(95%CI:1.28-2.17),was found in the third month.Concerning mortality of infants and fetuses,it only showed a significant association in the third trimester and the OR was 1.66(95%CI:1.26-2.19).Regarding SO2 air pollution,it only showed the significant effect on premature birth during the first and second month,the odds ratios were 1.27(95%CI:1.21-1.34)and 1.07(95%CI:1.01-1.14)respectively.Conclusion Air pollution in the investigated city had an adverse effect on the pregnancy outcome and the stringent measures should be taken to abate the air pollution and to reduce the risk for reproductive health.

Objective To study the effects of chronic ouabain treatment on Na+-K+-ATPase activity and the expression of dopamine D1 receptor in rat kidney cortex. Methods A total of 28 male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into ouabain group and control group,which were treated with ouabain or saline for 5 weeks; rat tail systolic blood pressure (SBP) was recorded weekly. Rats were sacrificed after 3 and 5 weeks,respectively. Then Na+-K+-ATPase activity and the expression of dopamine D1 receptor in rat kidney cortex were measured by colorimetric assay and real-time PCR,respectively. Results After 3 weeks of ouabain treatment,the mean SBP did not change significantly,but the Na+-K+-ATPase activity increased (P

Objective To detect the antiplatelet function of clopidogel by Thrombelastography (TEG)and light transmmi-tance aggregometry (LTA)and analyze efficiency of two methods.Methods ①Venous blood samples were taken from 48 outparients and inpatient with acute corotary syndrome (ACS)in PLA General Hospital,including unstable anqina,ST seg-ment elevation myocardial infarction and non ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (32 males,16 females)by random number table from March to July 2011,whose average age was 73 (62~90).②All of them were served 160 mg aspirin and 300 mg clopidogrel after they were in hospital at first time,and then served with 75 mg/d clopidogrel for 9 months.After that,venous blood samples were drew from them who were served clopidogrel 2 hours later.③Platelet aggregation function was assayed with LTA and TEG.All volunteers were signed informed consent and the experiment was approved by the hos-pital ethics committee.Results The platelet aggregation rate detected with LTA induced by adenosine diphosphate (ADPL-TA-INDU)was 40~80% in 41 individuals (85.4%),>80% in 7 individuals (14.6%),coefficient of variation (CV)was 0.19.The inhibition ration of platelet function (INHI)detected with TEG (ADPTEG-INHI)was 10~60% in 40 individu-als (83.3%),<10% in 2 individuals (4.2%),>60 in 6 individuals (12.5%),CV was 0.54.The sum of ADPLTA-INDU and ADPTEG-INHI (ADPLTA-INDU+ADPTEG-INHI)tended to a constant (Mean=98%,SD=12.1).There was no significant indifference between every (ADPLTA-INDU+ADPTEG-INHI)and their Mean (98%)by paired t-test.The ADPLTA-INDU was negative correlated with ADPTEG-INHI (r=-0.75,P<0.01).Conclusion The effect of clopidogrel was mild and the efficiency of TEG and LTA was similar in detecting the antiplatelet function of clopidogrel,but the preci-sion of TEG was lower than LTA.

Objective To evaluate the antidepressant efficacy and adverse reactions of 3 different stimulus dosage of modified electroconvulsive therapy ( MECT) in patients with depressive episode. Methods 120 patients with depressive episode were randomized into low dosage group ( n=40) ,medium dosage group ( n=40) and high dosage group ( n=40) . Low dosage were 50%× age,medium dosage was 70%×age,high dosage was 80%×age . All patients received 6 treatments. Hamilton depression scale?17(HAMD?17) was used to evaluate the clinical symptoms at baseline,3 and 6 treatments. Effects and adverse reactions were compared among three groups.Results Compared with baseline the HAMD?17 scores of the 3 groups were significantly improved after 6 treatments( t=24.026, P=0.000;t=26.541, P=0.000;t=25.904, P=0.000) , but there were no statistically significant differences among the three dosage groups(F=0.409, P=0.665). Compared with low dosage group((27.2±5.4)%),the HAMD?17 scores reductive ratio of medium dosage group((34.3±6.8)%) and high dosage group((33.9±6.9)%)) were significantly improved after 3 treat?ments ( t=-5.513, P=0.000;t=-4.785, P=0.000). Compared with the low dosage group,the incidence rate of headache,nausea and vomiting,delirium were significantly higher in high dosage groups( headache:χ2=14.532, P=0.000;nausea and vomiting:χ2=13.333, P=0.000;delirium:χ2=14.907, P=0.000) . The re?covery time was significantly longer in medium dosage group ( ( 10. 5 ± 1. 6 ) min ) and high dosage group ((11.2±1.8)min) than that in low dosage group((8.8±1.2)min)( t=-5.144,=0.000;t=-6.889, P=0.000).Conclusion Different stimulus dosage of MECT for depressive episode has equivalent curative effect after 6 treatment . Medium dosage and high dosage treatments appear to have an early onset of efficacy,but may also be associated with more adverse reactions.

Objective:To observe the effects of acupuncture and moxibustion at Feishu(BL13)on inflammatory responses and intestinal short-chain fatty acids(SCFAs)in rats with asthma. Methods:Fifty-six Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into a normal group(16 rats)and a modeling group(40 rats).Rats in the modeling group were subjected to establishing asthma models using ovalbumin(OVA).Model evaluation was conducted using 4 rats from each group.The remaining rats that successfully developed asthma were then randomly divided into a model group,an acupuncture group,and a moxibustion group,with 12 rats in each group.Rats in the acupuncture group received acupuncture treatments,and those in the moxibustion group received moxibustion treatments,both at Feishu(BL13)for 30 min.Following the treatments,the rats were exposed to atomization excitation with a 1%OVA solution for 20 min daily for 14 consecutive days.At the end of the experiment,inflammatory markers in the rats'peripheral blood were analyzed using a biochemical method.In addition,inflammatory cells in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid(BALF)were counted using Wright-Giemsa staining.The lung tissue of rats was examined under a light microscope after staining with hematoxylin-eosin to observe morphological or pathological changes.Furthermore,real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction was utilized to measure the mRNA expression of inflammatory factors in the lung tissue.Lastly,the concentration of SCFAs in the rat's feces was determined using gas chromatography-hydrogen flame ionization. Results:The levels of eosinophils(Eos),neutrophils(Neu),and lymphocytes(Lym)in the peripheral blood,as well as Eos and Neu in the BALF,and the expression of interleukin(IL)-4,IL-5,IL-13,IL-33,and thymic stromal lymphopoietin(TSLP)mRNAs in the lung tissue were all found to be significantly increased(P<0.05 or P<0.01);the lung tissue structure displayed severe injuries;the levels of acetic acid,propionic acid,isobutyric acid,butyric acid,and valeric acid in the feces decreased significantly in the model group(P<0.05 or P<0.01).Compared with the model group,the peripheral blood levels of Eos,Neu,and Lym,as well as Eos in the BALF,and the mRNA expression levels of IL-4 and IL-5 in the lung tissue decreased significantly in both the acupuncture group and the moxibustion group(P<0.05 or P<0.01).This reduction was accompanied by alleviated pathological damage in the lung tissue.Additionally,there were significant increases in the levels of acetic acid,propionic acid,isobutyric acid,and butyric acid in the feces in both the acupuncture group and the moxibustion group(P<0.05 or P<0.01).In the acupuncture group,the expression levels of Lym in the BALF and IL-13 mRNA in the lung tissue decreased significantly(P<0.05 or P<0.01).In the moxibustion group,the mRNA expression levels of IL-33 and TSLP in the lung tissue also reduced significantly(P<0.05 or P<0.01).Furthermore,the level of valeric acid in the feces increased notably in the moxibustion group(P<0.01).Compared with the acupuncture group,it was found that the mRNA levels of IL-5 and IL-13 in the lung tissue,as well as the acetic acid level in the feces,were significantly higher in the moxibustion group(P<0.05 or P<0.01). Conclusion:Both acupuncture and moxibustion were effective in reducing abnormal inflammation and regulating intestinal SCFAs in asthma model rats.Acupuncture demonstrated superiority in inhibiting pro-inflammatory factors,particularly IL-5 and IL-13,while moxibustion exhibited better regulation on intestinal metabolites SCFAs,especially acetic acid.

Objective To investigate the blood fatty levels in different genotypes of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) and the carotid atherosclerosis (CAS) in patients with essential hypertension (EH).Methods Four hundred and eighty-eight cases of Han and Uygur in patients with EH were selected,and MMP-2-735 C/T and MMP-3-1171 5A/6A polymorphism was measured by polymerase chain reactionrestriction fragment length polymorphism.They were divided into two groups:EH with CAS group (CAS group,293 cases,Han 171 cases,Uygur 122 cases) and EH without CAS group (NS group,195 cases,Han 105 cases,Uygur 90 cases).Blood fatty factors were analyzed according to the different MMP genotypes.Results According to MMP-2 genotypes,in Hart CAS group,the low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels in MMP-2 CT+TT genotypes were significantly higher than those in CC genotype(P ＜ 0.05),and high density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were significantly lower than those in CC genotype(P ＜ 0.05); In Uygur CAS group,the triglyceride levels in MMP-2 CT+TT genotypes were significantly higher than those in CC genotype(P ＜ 0.05).According to MMP-3 genotypes in Han NS group,the total cholesterol and LDL-C levels in 6A/6A genotype were significantly higher than those in 5A/5A+5A/6A genotypes (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion The blood fatty levels are different in patients with different MMP genotypes,which may probably influence the CAS.

Objective Using yeast two-hybrid system to screen the proteins which can interact with the human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) UL128 which have two difference transcription structure from human fetus brain cDNA library, and compare the difference with structure and function of interacting proteins. Methods Two fragments of UL128 were amplified by 3'RACE and 5'RACE technology, the length are 519 bp and 642 bp, respectively. The "bait plasmid" (named as pGBKT7-UL128-519 bp and pGBKT7-UL128-642 bp) was constructed successfully. Using pGBKT7-UL128-519 bp and pGBKT7-UL128-642 bp as a bait, a human fetus brain cDNA was screened and the proteins interacting with UL128-519 bp and UL128-642 bp encoded protein were searched, and the positive clones were sequenced and analyzed by bioinformatic methods. Results EFEMP2 interacting with HCMV UL128-519 bp were identified, THY-1 interacting with HCMV UL128-642 bp were identified. Conclusion EFEMP2 and THY-1 proteins interacting with HCMV UL128-519 bp and UL128-642 bp in human fetus brain cDNA library were successfully screened, but same proteins weren't found from the proteins interacting with UL128-519 bp and UL128-642 bp protein, UL128-519 bp and UL128-642 bp protein may be play an different effect in the process of infect by HCMV.

Objective The clinical,laboratory,and neuroradiologic features of mitochondrial encephalomyopathy with lactic acidosis and stroke-like episodes (MELAS) were analyzed and early clinical diagnosis was proposed.Method The various presentations of 34 MELAS patients were summarized to identify the specific symptoms and signs.The appropriate interpretation of the ancillary examinations,including lactic acid levels of blood and cerebral spinal fluid,neuroradiology,muscle biopsy and genetic test,was emphasized.the diagnostic significance and limitations of clinical,laboratory and neuroradiologic features were pointed out.Result The most common clinical presentations were listed in order of frequency:seizures,headache,mental decline,stroke-like episode,development abnormality,muscle weakness,fatigue,and ophthalmoplegia.Raised fasting or post-exercise blood lactic acid levels were found in 23 patients (67.6%).The most common lesions were located in the occipital lobe,parietal lobe,temporal lobe,basal ganglion,frontal lobe,cerebellum and deep white matter of 32 patients.Ragged red fibers were found in 24 patients (75%),and 8 other patients had negative muscle biopsy.Fourteen patients underwent genetic test,of which 9 patients had point mutation at 3243.Conclusion It is feasible to have early recognition of the various presentations of MELAS and make an early diagnosis even before the stroke like episodes.