Mitochondrial dysfunction plays an important role in the process of PD, DJ-1 participates in regulating the function of mitochondria,which has an effect on the protection of mitochon-dria. DJ-1 mutations can lead to the decrease of the activity of mitochondrial complex Ⅰ, the decrease of mitochondrial mem-brane potential and then mitochondrial fragmention and mitoph-agy, and then further damage neurons and trigger PD. This re-view presents the role of DJ-1 in regulating the function of the mitochondria in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease(PD).

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effectivenes of continous passive motion(CPM) on limb function in patients after total knee arthroplasty.MethodsThe Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, MEDLINE, EMBASE, PEDro, CNKI and VIP were retrieved from the date of establishment of the databases to July, 2010 to collect randomized controlled trials(RCTs). The quality of RCTs was critically appraised and data were extracted by 4 reviewers independently. Meta-analysis was conducted for the eligible RCTs.Results26 RCTs were included. The result of Meta-analysis showed that CPM improved the range of motion (ROM) in active knee flexion and passive knee flexion, eliminate swelling in short term(＜6 weeks) and alleviate pain in short and medium term (less than 6 months). CPM showed no significant difference in improving the ROM in active and passive knee extention and quadriceps strength, and shortening hospital stay.ConclusionThe patients carried out CPM training after total knee arthroplasty can effectively improve limb flexion function, eliminate joint swelling, and relieve pain in the short term. But more high-quality and large-scale RCTs are needed.

Objective To identify the candidate genes in the vicinity of a susceptibility locus (urinary albumin 1,UA-1) contributing to the development of albuminuria in type 2 diabetic KK/Ta mice. Methods Total RNA was extracted from the kidneys of KK/Ta (n=3) and BALB/c (n=2) mice at 20 weeks of age.The gene expression profile in kidney was investigated using the Affymetrix Murine Genome U74Av2 array.Competitive RT-PCR was used to confirm the differential expression of syndecan-4 which located in the vicinity of UA-1.Genome DNA was extracted from KK/Ta and BALB/c mice.DNA sequence analysis of the coding and promotor region of syndecan-4 gene was conducted. Results In the vicinity of the susceptibility locus (UA-1)contributing to the development of albuminuria in type 2 diabetic KK/Ta mice,10 candidate genes that showed differential expression were identified.Among them,the gene expression of syndecan-4in KK/Ta kidneys at 20 weeks of age was up-regulated by 26.1 times of age-matched BALB/c kidneys.Sequence analysis revealed two synonymous polymorphisms in the coding region (A93C and T216C) and three polymorphisms in the promoter region (-T263C,-T396C and -G669A) of the syndecan-4 gene.The TATA box was found at 321 bp upstream from the transcription start site,and the T263C polymorphism was located in the binding site of transcription factor Clox.Conclusions Syndecan-4 gene is mapped in the vicinity of the susceptibility locus contributing to the development of albuminuria in type 2 diabetes.The gene expression of syndecan-4 in KK/Ta kidneys is up-regulated than that in age-matched BALB/c kidneys at 20 weeks of age.Thus syndecan-4 may be one of the potential candidate genes responsible for diabetic nephropathy.Sequence differences in the promoter region influence the expression levels of syndecan-4 genes in KK/Ta kidneys.

Objective To explore the feasibility of evaluating cardiac structure, coronary artery,pulmonary artery and cardiac function in one single scan by 320-row CT ECG-gated double phase cardiac function scan mode. MethodsForty patients underwent the 320-detector row CT double phase cardiovascular angiography. The pulmonary phase and aortic phase were reconstructed in order to evaluate the pulmonary and coronary artery. MPR reconstructions of both pulmonary and aortic phase were used to analyze the function of the two ventricles. And the results of the cardiac function were compared with those of transthoracic echocardiography. Thirty-five cases could be analyzed and diagnosed, while the other 5 cases had to be given up because of the poor imaging quality. The mean heart rate was (71.2 ± 11.2) beat per min (bpm). No arrhythmia case included. Results ( 1 ) Pulmonary embolism were diagnosed in 11 cases,coronary artery disease (CAD) were found in 5 cases, while post-stent implantation were observed in 7 cases. Six cases of congenital heart disease were diagnosed with 3 ASD and 3 primary pulmonary hypertension. Another one was diagnosed with left atrial myxoma, and 5 cases were pulmonary embolism associated with CAD. All of above cases were verified by final clinical diagnosis. (2) The heart function parameters including LVEDd , RVEDd, LVESd, RVESd and LVEF were (36.7 ±3.3), (43.3 ± 3.4) mm,(31.6±5.1), (41.3 ±5.1) mm and (47.1 ±15.1) for CT, while those were (40.3 ±3.1), (47.3 ±4.2) mm,(37.3 ±5.6), (45.3 ±3.3) mm,and (46.0 ± 14.8) for ultrasound, respectively. The CT results were correlated with the ultrasound ( n = 35, r = 0.886-0.988, P ＜ 0.01 ). (3) The average radiation exposure was ( 5.4 ± 0.5 ) mSv. Conclusions 320-row CT ECG-gated double phase cardiac function scan mode is feasible for the "one-stop-shop" examination of the cardiovascular disease. This noninvasive method is recommended for the diagnosis, differential diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of cardiovascular disease.

OBJECTIVETo observe effect of prescriptions replenishing vital essence, tonifying Qi and activating blood on expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-IP (IL-1beta) in serum and submaxillary gland of non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice with Sjogren's syndrome.

METHODThirty-two NOD mice were divided into four groups at random: the model group, the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) group, the hydroxychloroquine group, the TCM and western medicine (WM) group, with 8 mice in each group. Eight Balb/C mice were taken as the normal normal control group. The TCM group was orally administered with 0.4 mL decoction replenishing vital essence, tonifying Qi and activating blood (100 g x kg(-1)) everyday; the hydroxychloroquine group were given 0.4 mL hydroxychloroquine (60 mg x kg(-1)) everyday; the TCM WM group were given 0.4 mL decoction, replenishing vital essence tonifying Qi and activating blood (50 g x kg(-1)) and hydroxychloroquine (60 mg x kg(-1)) everyday. Mice were sacrificed after eight weeks, and their arterial blood and tissues of submaxillary gland were collected. The levels of TNF-alpha, IL-1beta in serum were detected by ELISA. Expressions of TNF-alpha, IL-1beta protein in submaxillary gland were detected by immunohisto-chemistry.

RESULTCompared with other groups, TNF-alpha, IL-1beta in serum and submaxillary gland in the model group were higher (P < 0.05). The normal group showed lower serum TNF-alpha level than other groups (P < 0.05), but without statistical significance compared with the TCM group. IL-1beta in serum in the TCM group and the TCM WM group were lower than that of the hydroxychloroquine group (P < 0.05), but without statistical significance compared with the normal group. TNF-alpha protein expression in the TCM group and the TCM WM group showed no significant difference compared with the normal group, whereas the TCM WM group were notably lower than that of the hydroxychloroquine group (P < 0.05). IL-1beta expression in the TCM WM group showed no significant difference compared with the normal group.

CONCLUSIONThe decoction replenishing vital essence, tonifying Qi and activating blood can decrease the levels of TNF-alpha, IL-1beta in serum and submaxillary gland of NOD mice with Sjogren's syndrome. It may improve pathological damage of submaxillary gland by regulating Th1/Th2 cell factors, in order to achieve the therapeutic effect on SS.

Animals ; Antirheumatic Agents ; pharmacology ; Drug Administration Schedule ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Hydroxychloroquine ; pharmacology ; Immunohistochemistry ; Interleukin-1beta ; analysis ; blood ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; methods ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Mice, Inbred NOD ; Random Allocation ; Sjogren's Syndrome ; blood ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Submandibular Gland ; metabolism ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; analysis ; blood

BACKGROUNDTo evaluate the safety of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) with epididymal or testicular sperm, this study compared children born after ICSI treatment with epididymal or testicular sperm with children conceived after ICSI with ejaculated sperm.

METHODSThis retrospective study included 317 children born after ICSI with percutaneous epididymal sperm aspiration (PESA), 103 children born after ICSI with testicular sperm aspiration (TESA), and a control group of 1008 children born after ICSI with ejaculated sperm. All of the patients received their assisted reproductive treatment in the Reproductive Medicine Center of the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2004 to December 2011. Data, such as the rate of stillbirths, perinatal mortality, gestational age, birth weight, and the rate of congenital malformations of the three groups, were compared.

RESULTSPESA and TESA children were not different from ICSI children in the rate of stillbirths, perinatal mortality, infant mortality rate, gestational age, the rate of prematurity, and the rate of malformations (P > 0.05). A slight increase in birth defects was reported in the TESA group compared with those in the control group, but there was no significant difference between the groups (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONICSI with epididymal or testicular sperm does not lead to more stillbirths or congenital malformations compared with ICSI using ejaculated sperm.

Adult ; Congenital Abnormalities ; epidemiology ; Epididymis ; Female ; Fetal Death ; epidemiology ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Pregnancy ; Retrospective Studies ; Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic

OBJECTIVETo study the effect of Xianlong granules (XLG) on immunological function in the rat of adjuvant arthritis (AA).

METHODRats were randomly divided into normal group, AA model group, prednisone group and low, middle and high dose XLG groups, 10 rats in each group. All rats were treated by intragastric administration from the 18 days after arthritis was induced by the complete Freud's adjuvant and the effect of XLG on toes swelling was observed. On the 30th days after modeling, proliferation of the splenic and thymic lymphocytes, and IgG secreted by splenocytes were detected respectively by MTT assay and ELISA.

RESULTCompared with the model group, both the high and middle dose XLG groups had significant therapeutic effects on toes dwelling in the rat of AA (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01); The low, middle and high dose XLG groups strengthened the PHAM-inhibited proliferation of splenic lymphocytes (P < 0.05), and inhibited the PHAM-augmented proliferation of thymic lymphocytes (P < 0.05); XLG did not significantly effect on IgG level secreted by splenocytes in rats of AA.

CONCLUSIONXLG can cure toes swelling in rats of AA, which is related with regulation of the abnormal immunlological function.

Animals ; Arthritis, Experimental ; immunology ; pathology ; prevention & control ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Colubridae ; Drug Combinations ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Edema ; immunology ; pathology ; prevention & control ; Female ; Immunoglobulin G ; metabolism ; Lymphocytes ; drug effects ; pathology ; secretion ; Male ; Materia Medica ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Spleen ; pathology ; secretion ; Thymus Gland ; pathology ; Toes ; pathology

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects and clinical pregnancy outcomes of intracytoplasmic sperm insemination (ICSI) with microamount frozen-thawed sperm obtained by percutaneous epididymal sperm aspiration (PESA) or testicular sperm aspiration (TESA) in azoospermia patients.

METHODSWe divided 365 azoospermia patients treated by ICSI into an experimental group (n = 123) and a control group (n = 242) , the former with microamount frozen-thawed sperm, and the latter fresh sperm obtained by PESA or TESA. The rates of fertilization, good embryos, clinical pregnancy, miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy and multiple pregnancy were analyzed and compared between the two groups.

RESULTSWith PESA, the experimental group showed no statistically significant differences from the control group in the rates of fertilization (75.67% vs 76.49%), good embryos (64.96% vs 66.09%), clinical pregnancy (55.21% vs 57.22%), clinical miscarriage (13.21% vs 12.61%), ectopic pregnancy (3. 77% vs 5.41%) and multiple pregnancy (37.74% vs 37.84%) (P > 0.05); nor with TESA (74.41% vs 76.43%, 64.63% vs 66.35%, 46.81% vs 53.39%, 18.18% vs 14.55%, 4.55% vs 1.82%, 37.74% vs 37.84%, P > 0.05). The revival rate of the frozen-thawed sperm from PESA was 70.07%, not significantly different from that of TESA (62.67%) (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONICSI with frozen-thawed micro-amount sperm obtained by PESA or TESA is a safe, economic and effective method for the treatment of azoospermia. The techniques for reviving frozen sperm from PESA or TESA remain to be optimized, and whether these techniques may result in long-term genetic risks in the offspring deserves further investigation.

Adult ; Azoospermia ; therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Oligospermia ; therapy ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Rate ; Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic ; methods ; Sperm Retrieval

Aged ; Aortic Valve ; pathology ; surgery ; Endocarditis ; complications ; surgery ; Endocarditis, Bacterial ; complications ; surgery ; Female ; Glomerulonephritis ; etiology ; Humans

OBJECTIVETo investigate the influence of escharectomy at different time-points after burn injury on the lymphocyte apoptosis and the antigen presentation function of monocytes in peripheral blood of scalded rats.

METHODSOne hundred and thirty-six Wistar rats were randomly divided into normal control ( C,n = 8 ), scald ( S, n = 64,without treatment after scald) , A ( n = 40, with escharectomy at 36 post-burn hour( PSH) ) , B ( n = 24, with escharectomy at 72 PSH ) groups. The rats in A , B, S groups were inflicted with 30% TBSA full-thickness scald. The rats in S group were sacrificed on 6,12,24,72,120,168,216, 288 PSH, while those in A and B groups were sacrificed at 72 -288 PSH, 168 -288PSH, respectively. The rats in C group were also sacrificed as control. The apoptotic rate of peripheral lymphocytes, the positive expression rate of MHC- II in mononuclear cells, the changes in concentration of IL-4 and gamma-IFN were determined in each group. The correlation of above indices were also analyzed.

RESULTS(1) The apoptotic rate of peripheral lymphocyte in S group were increased dramatically at 6PSH, peaking at 24 PSH( 18. 19+/-1.42% ) , then decreasing gradually, reaching the lowest level at 72 PSH(8. 25+/-0.56% ) , then it increased gradually again, approaching almost the peak value at 288 PSH( 17.81 +/- 1.99% ). The values were all obviously higher than those in C group( P <0.05). The apoptotic rates of peripheral lymphocyte in A and B groups were evidently lower than that in S group ( P <0. 01). (2) The positive expression rate of MHC-II in monocyte was decreased sharply at 6 PSH, and it was 20% lower than that in C group (37. 2 +/- 2. 4% ) at 24 PSH. It then increased gradually, but it was significantly lower than that in A, B groups at 288 PSH (18. 8 +/-2. 8, P <0.01). (3) The plasma level of y-IFN in S group increased gradually from 6 PSH on, peaking at 24 PSH(440. 8 +/-25. 1 )ng/L,then decreasing gradually , and it reached the lowest level at 288 PSH (51.3 +/-37.0) ng/L. The IL-4 level in S group was increased gradually ,peaking at 288 PSH (78. 1+/-2. 8) ng/L. (4) There was negative correlation between the expression rate of MHC- II in S group and IL-4/gamma-IFN ratio in escharectomy groups during 72 - 288 PSH ( r = - 0. 96, P < 0. 05).

CONCLUSIONEacharectomy after scald can inhibit peripheral lymphocyte apoptosis, slow down the insertional tendency of IL-4/gamma-IFN , and ameliorate the antigen presentation function of monocytes. Moreover, escharectomy during shock stage can markedly promote the immune function of monocytes.

Animals ; Antigen Presentation ; Apoptosis ; Burns ; immunology ; pathology ; surgery ; Genes, MHC Class II ; Interferon-gamma ; blood ; Interleukin-4 ; blood ; Lymphocytes ; cytology ; immunology ; Male ; Monocytes ; immunology ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Shock, Traumatic ; immunology ; pathology