BACKGROUND: Cardiospecific proteins of the troponin-tropomyosin complex in the contractile system of the cardiomyocytes have challenged creatine kinase isoenzyme MB (CK-MB) as the "gold standard" for the early biochemical detection of acute myocardial injury.OBJECTIVE: To investigate cardiac troponin Ⅰ messager RNA (cTnI-mRNA) in peripheral blood and its clinical values in diagnosis of patients with myocardial injury.DESIGN: A basic and observational study for set up a method to analyze cTnI-mRNA.SETTING: Department of Cardiology, Affiliated Hospital, Nantong University.MATERIALS: The project was accomplished from May 2003 to May 2005 in Research Center of Clinical Molecular Biology, and Department of Pathology, Affiliated Hospital, Nantong University. The cTnI-mRNA was detected from blood by a nested PCR assay, and its clinical values as a sensitive myocardial diagnostic marker were confirmed in patients with myocardial injury.METHODS: Pathologic features and microstructure of cardiac myocytes were examined by H&E staining or electron microscopy. The cTnI-mRNA was extracted from blood and synthesized to cDNA through random primers and reverse transcriptase, and amplified by a nested PCR assay, and its clinical values as a myocardial diagnostic marker were investigated in patients with myocardial injury.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Microstructure of cardiomyocytes, sensitivity of analysis method and diagnostic values.RESULTS: Microstructure of cardiomyocytes with mitochondria swell,rupture, vacancy-like denaturation, nucleus abnormality, and chromatin condensed were observed by electron microscopy. The cTnI-mRNA fragments from heart and blood were successfully amplified and the sensitivity was 2 pg/μL. The product sequences from tissues or blood were confirmed by sequencing. The cTnI-mRNA from cardiac myocytes was found that it present in blood plasma and not in circulating nucleus cell. The incidence of blood cTnI-mRNA of chronic cardiomyopathy was significantly higher (P ＜ 0.05) than that of serum enzymatic patterns or cTnI quality,respectively.CONCLUSION: The analysis of blood cTnI-mRNA is a sensitive marker for diagnosis and monitoring of myocardial injury.

Cardiac toxicity is found in frequently used chemotherapeutic agents.There are many factors related to the cardiac toxicity caused by chemotherapeutic agents.The common cardiovascular complications include heart failure,ischemia,hypertension,hypotension,edema,QT prolongation,pleural effusion,pericardial effusion,bradyarrhythmia and thromboembolism.It is necessary to monitor the left ventricular function before and after chemotherapy and take effective measures to protect myocardium.

Objective: Fungal keratitis is one of the most common diseases leading to blindness.It has a high incidence in China,and its early diagnosis and treatment are of vital importance.We aimed to investigate the value of laser confocal corneal microscopy in the clinical diagnosis of fungal keratitis.Methods: We conducted laser confocal corneal microscopy on 37 patients suspected of fungal keratitis,and compared the results with those obtained from the corneal tissue smears and fungal cultivation.Results: The fungus-infected corneas histologically exhibited defected epithelial cells,damaged subepithelial nerves and disordered stroma with reduced transparence.The hyphae showed bright,disordered,interlaced thread-or short rod-like structures.The positive rates of smear examination,fungus cultivation and laser confocal corneal microscopy were 48.65,62.16 and 78.39% for the 37 eyes,75.00,87.50 and100% for the 16 untreated eyes,and 28.57,42.85 and 61.90% for the other 21 pretreated eyes.Conclusion: Confocal laser corneal microscopy,rapid,effective and noninvasive,can be used as an important new alternative in the diagnosis of fungal keratitis

Objective:Acute retinal necrosis syndrome(ARNS) is a rare disease with high blinding rate.The surgery of vitrectomy,endolaser photocoagulation and silicone oil injection is considered an effective treatment of ARNS.The study investigated the effect of vitrectomy,endolaser photocoagulation and silicone oil injection treating ARNS.Methods:A consecutive 16 eyes of 16 patients with ARNS were treated with vitrectomy,endolaser photocoagulation and silicone oil injection.The 5 eyes without retinal detachment were photocoagulated from the posterior border of necrosis to the ora serrata.The 11 eyes with retinal detachment were treated with subtotal retinal photocoagulation,air/fluid exchange and silicone oil injection.The follow-up time were 6 months at least,16 months in average.Results:The final best-correcting visual acuity was counting fingers in 3 eyes(18.8%),0.02-0.3 in 7 eyes(43.8%),0.4-0.6 in 5 eyes(31.3%),0.7 in 1 eye(6.3%).The silicone oil was uneventfully removed in 14 patients(87.5%) from 3 to 12 months.No one had a recurrent retinal detachment.Conclusion:There is a favorable effect in ARNS with the treatment of vitrectomy,endolaser photocoagulation and silicone oil injection.

Obiective: To observe the changes in corneal tissue after seawater soaking following explosive injury in rabbits and the effects of seawater soaking on the healing of cornea after explosive injury. Methods:Make 20 similar explosive injury models of rabbit's eyeball using 10 adult grey rabbits. For each rabbit, the right eye was in experiment and the left one was for comparison. After the injury, the experimental eyes were soaked in seawater for 30 minutes and the comparable eyes were soaked in 0.9% sodium chloride injection for the same time. All eyes were underwent slit lamp examinations, fluorescein dyeing, and ultrasonic cornea thickness metering on the corneas before the injury and 1,2,3,4,5,7,9,10,15 and 20 days after the injury respectively. At the same time, 2 rabbits were killed and the eyes were examined pathologically. The cornea thickness numbers were compared using self- comparison t test and grouping t test. Results: After seawater soaking following explosive injury, slit lamp microscope examination found that the corneas were edema and turbidity, the experimental eyes were stricter than the control eyes. The corneas of the experimental eye were vascularized 10 days after the injury. Fluorescein dyeing showed that more apparent pigmentations were found on the experimental eyes than that on the control ones.Comparative examination under the optical microscope showed that the corneal tissues of the experiment eyes changed distinctly, their inflammations were patency and healing was delayed and the vascularization degree became high after the injury. Cornea thickness of the experimental eyes became apparently thicker than that of the control eyes. The difference was statistically significant. Conclusion:Scars and vascularization of various degrees will appear in corneal stroma after the explosive injuries. Seawater soaking will have bad effects on the healing of the cornea injured in explosions.

Aged ; Breast Neoplasms ; pathology ; surgery ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Mastectomy ; methods ; Metaplasia ; pathology ; Papilloma, Intraductal ; pathology ; surgery ; Sebaceous Glands ; pathology

From an ethanol extract of Euphorbia micractina roots, seven steroids fifteen aromatic derivatives were isolated by a combination of various chromatographic techniques, including column chromatography over macroporous resin, silica gel, and Sephadex LH-20 and reversed-phase HPLC. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic data analysis as stigamast-5-ene-3beta, 7alpha-diol(1), stigamast-5-ene-3beta,7beta-diol(2), stigmast-5-en-3beta-ol-7-one(3), stigmast-4-en-6beta-ol-3-one(4), stigmast-1, 4-dien-3-one(5), stigmast-3,6-dione(6), beta-sitosterol(7), scopoletin(8), aesculetin(9), 6-hydroxy-5,7-dimethoxycoumarin(10), quercetin(11), 3,3', 4'-tri-O-methylellagic acid(12), p-hydroxyphenylethyl anisate(13), m-hydroxyphenylethyl alcohol(14), (E)-cinnamic acid(15), (E)-ferulic acid(16), 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid(17), vanillic acid(18), p-hydroxybenzoic acid(19), ethyl 3,4-dihydroxybenzoate (20), ethyl gallate(21), and methyl gallate(22). These compounds were obtained from this plant for the first time.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; Euphorbia ; chemistry ; Molecular Structure ; Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization ; Steroids ; chemistry

The systematic position of Fritillaria hupehensis has been in dispute. Phylogentic analyses were conducted on sequences of ITS, rpl16, matK sequences for species of F. hupehensis and allies. Lilium davidii was designed as outgroup. The analyses were performed using MP and ML methods. Conclusions could be achieved as follow. The topologies of MP and ML are consistent. The samples of F. hepehensis from different places form a supported clade with a strong bootstrap. And then form a strongly supported clade with F. anhuiensis, F. monantha. The results suggests that although F. hupehensis has a closet relation with the two ones, it exists some difference.
DNA, Plant ; chemistry ; genetics ; DNA, Ribosomal Spacer ; genetics ; Endoribonucleases ; genetics ; Fritillaria ; classification ; genetics ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Nucleotidyltransferases ; genetics ; Phylogeny ; Plant Leaves ; genetics ; Ribosomal Proteins ; genetics ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Species Specificity

Air ; analysis ; Hydrogen Peroxide ; analysis ; Spectrophotometry ; methods ; Workplace

Objective: To examine expression patterns of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and its activated form, phosphorylated FAK (pFAK),in human osteosarcoma and to investigate the correlation of FAK expression with clinicopathological parameters and prognosis. Functional consequence of manipulating FAK protein levels was also investigated in human osteosarcoma cell lines. Methods: Immunohistochemical staining was used to detect FAK and pFAK levels in pathologically archived materials from 113 patients with primary osteosarcoma. Kaplan-Meier survival and Cox regression analyses were used to evaluate prognoses. The role of FAK in cytological behavior of MG63 and 143B human osteosarcoma cell lines was studied via the FAK protein knockdown with siRNA. Cell proliferation, migration, invasiveness, and apoptosis were assessed using cell counting kit-8, Transwell, and Annexin V/PI staining methods. Results: Both FAK and pFAK were overexpressed in osteosarcoma patients. Tumor cells exhibited cytoplasmicity and occasional membranous immunoreactivity for FAK. A total of 42 cases (37.17%) mainly showed expressed pFAK in cytoplasm of osteosarcoma cells. No overexpression staining of anti-FAK and anti-pFAK antibodies was observed in normal cancellous bone tissues or negative controls. Significant differences were observed in overall survival between FAK-/pFAK- and FAK+/pFAK- groups (P=0.016), FAK+/pFAK- and FAK+/pFAK+ groups (P=0.012), and FAK-/pFAK- and FAK+/pFAK+ groups (P<0.001). All groups showed similar metastasis-free survival. Cox proportional hazard analysis showed that FAK expression profile is an independent indicator of both overall andmetastasis-free survival. siRNA-based knockdown of FAK significantly reducedmigration and invasion of MG63 and 143B cells and affected proliferation and apoptosis in osteosarcoma cells. Conclusion: Osteosarcoma malignancies in vitro and in vivo were correlated with overexpression and phosphorylation of FAK. These findings suggest that FAK plays an important biological role in osteosarcoma carcinogenesis. This study provides a better understanding of diagnostic and prognostic relevance of FAK overexpression and phosphorylation in osteosarcoma patients. Therefore, FAK and pFAK can be used as independent predictors of overall and metastasis-free survival in osteosarcoma patients.