Objective To evaluate the effect of dexmedetomidine and small dose of ketamine on the expression of P2X4 receptor (P2X4 R) mRNA and P2X7 receptor (P2X7R) mRNA in the dorsal root ganglion of rats with neuropathic pain.Methods Ninety male Sprague-Dawley rats,aged 6-9 weeks,weighing 180-220 g,were randomly divided into 5 groups (n =18 each):sham group (group S),chronic constrictive injury group (group CCI),dexmedetomidine group (group D),ketamine group (group K) and dexmedetomidine + ketamine group (group DK).The animals were anesthetized with intraperitoneal 10％ chloral hydrate 400 mg/kg.Neuropathic pain was induced by CCI in CCI,D,K and DK groups.The sciatic nerve was exposed and 4 loose ligatures were placed on the sciatic nerve at 1mmintervals with 4-0 silk thread.In group S,the sciatic nerves were only exposed but not ligated.In D,K and DK groups,dexmedetomidine 50μg/kg,ketamine 10 mg/kg and dexmedetomidine 25μg/kg + ketamine 5 mg/kg were injected intraperitoneally,respectively,while the equal volume of normal saline was injected in S and CCI groups,once a day for 14 consecutive days after CCI.Mechanical paw withdrawal threshold (MWT) and thermal paw withdrawal latency (TWL) were measured at 1 day before CCI,and 3,7 and 14 days after CCI.Six animals were sacrificed after measurement of pain threshold at 3,7 and 14 days after CCI and the lumbar segments (L4-6) of the dorsal root ganglion were removed for determination of P2X4 R mRNA and P2X7 R mRNA expression by RT-PCR.Results Compared with group S,MWT and TWL were significantly decreased at 3,7 and 14 days after CCI in groups CCI,D,K and DK,the expression of P2X4R mRNA and P2X7R mRNA was up-regulated at 3,7 and 14 days after CCI in groups CCI,D and K,and the expression of P2X4 R mRNA and P2X7 R mRNA was up-regulated at 3 and 7 days after CCI in group DK (P ＜ 0.05).Compared with group CCI,TWL and MWT were significantly increased and the expression of P2X4 R mRNA and P2X7 R mRNA was down-regulated at 3,7 and 14 days after CCI in groups D,K and DK (P ＜ 0.05).Compared with D and K groups,TWL and MWT were significantly increased and the expression of P2X4 R mRNA and P2X7 R mRNA was down-regulated at 3,7 and 14 days after CCI in group DK (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion The mechanism by which the combination of dexmedetomidine and small dose of ketamine produces a synergistic antinociception in rats with neuropathic pain may be related to down-regulation of the expression of P2X4 R mRNA and P2X7 R mRNA.

Objective To evaluate the effects of dexmedetomidine on the activity of cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) and c-fos in the spinal dorsal horn in a rat model of neuropathic pain.Methods Fifty-four adult male Wistar rats,aged 6-8 weeks,weighing 180-220 g,were randomly divided into 3 groups (n =18 each):sham operation group (group S),chronic neuropathic pain group (group C) and dexmedetomidine group (group D).The animals were anesthetized with intraperitoneal 10％ chloral hydrate 350 mg/kg.The sciatic nerve was exposed and 4 ligatures were placed on the right sciatic nerve at 1 mm intervals with 4-0 silk thread in C and D groups.In group D,dexmedetomidine 50 μg/kg was injected intraperitoneally once a day starting from the end of operation until 1 day before the animals were sacrificed,while the equal volme of normal saline was injected instead of dexmedetomidine in S and C groups.Paw withdrawal threshold to mechanical stimulation with yon Frey filament (MWT) and paw withdrawal latency to thermal stimulation (TWL) were measured on 1 day before operation and 3,7 and 14 days after operation.The animals were sacrificed after measurement of MWT and TWL.Their lumbar segments (L4-6) of the spinal cord were removed for measurement of the expression of phosphorylated CREB (pCREB) and c-fos by immunohistochemistry.Results Compared with group S,MWT was significantly decreased,TWL was shortened,and the expression of pCREB and c-fos was up-regulated on 3,7 and 14 days after operation in C and D groups (P ＜ 0.05).Compared with group C,MWT was significantly increased,TWL was prolonged,and the expression of pCREB and c-fos was down-regulated on 3,7 and 14 days after operation in group D (P ＜ 0.05).MWT was significantly lower,and TWL was shorter on 3,7 and 14 days after operation than on 1 day before operation in C and D groups (P ＜ 0.05).MWT was significantly lower,TWL was shorter,and the expression of pCREB and c-fos was higher on 7 and 14 days after operation than on 3 days after operation in C and D groups (P ＜ 0.05).MWT was significantly higher,TWL was longer,and the expression of pCREB and c-fos was lower on 14 days after operation than on 7 days after operation in C and D groups (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion The mechanism by which dexmedetomidine reduces neuropathic pain is related to inhibition of the activity of CREB and c-fos in the spinal dorsal horn of rats.

Objective To investigate the effects of Sulfotanshinone Sodium Injection (SSI) on neuropathic pain in rats.Methods One hundred and eight adult male Wistar rats,aged 6-8 weeks,weighing 180-220 g,were randomly divided into 3 groups (n =36 each):sham operation group (group S) ; chronic constrictive injury (CCI)group; group SSI.The animals were anesthetized with intraperitoneal 10% chloral hydrate 350 mg/kg.In groups CCI and SSI,4 ligatures were placed on the right sciatic nerve at 1 mm intervals with 4-0 silk thread according to the method described by Bennett et al.In group S,the right sciatic nerves were exposed,but not ligated.In group SSI,SSI 25 mg/kg was injected intraperitoneally once a day starting from the end of operation until one day before the animals were sacrificed,while the rats received the equal volume of normal saline (5 ml/kg) instead of SSI in groups S and CCI.Twelve animals in each group were chosen at 1 day before operation and 3,7 and 14 days after CCI (T1-4) to measure mechanical paw withdrawal threshold to yon Frey stimuli (MWT) and paw withdrawal latency to thermal nociceptive stimulus (TWL).Six rats in each group were sacrificed at T2-4 after measurement of pain threshold,and their lumbar segnents (L4-6) of the spinal cord were immediately removed for determination of Bcl2 and caspase-3 expression in spinal dorsal horn (by immune-histochemistry),and MDA content and SOD activity (by spectrophotometry) in spinal cord.Results Compared with group S,PWT was significantly decreased,PWL was shortened,the expression of Bcl-2 and caspase-3 was up-regulated,MDA content was increased and SOD activity was decreased at T2-4 in groups CCI and SSI (P ＜ 0.05).Compared with group CNP,PWT was significantly increased,PWL was prolonged,the expression of Bcl-2 was up-regulated,the expression of caspase-3 was downregulated,MDA content was decreased and SOD activity was increased at T2-4 in group SSI (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion SSI can mitigate neuropathic pain in rats and inhibition of oxidative stress in spinal cord tissues and reduction of apoptosis in spinal dorsal horn neurons are involved in the mechanism.

Objective To evaluate the effect of dexmedetornidine on the expression of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) in the spinal cord in rats with neuropathic pain (NP).Methods One hundred and eight male Wistar rats,aged 6-8 weeks,weighing 180-220 g,were randomly assigned into 3 groups (n =36 each):sham operation group (group S),NP group and dexmedetomidine group (group D).NP was induced by chronic constrictive injury in anesthetized rats.Sciatic nerve was exposed and 4 loose ligatures were placed on the sciatic nerve at 1 mm intervals with 4-0 silk thread.In group S,the right sciatic nerves were exposed,but not ligated.Dexmedetomidine 50 μg/kg was injected intraperitoneally once a day from the onset of operation to one day before the rats were sacrificed in group D,while the equal volume of normal saline was injected in groups S and NP.Mechanical withdrawal threshold (MWT) and thermal pain threshold (TPT) were measured on the day before operation (T0) and 3,7,and 14 days after operation (T1-3).After measurement of pain threshold at T1,T2 and T3 after operation,the L4-6 segments of the spinal cord were removed for determination of the expres-sion of TLR4 and NF-κB mRNA (by RT-PCR) and the expression of TLR4 and NF-κB in spinal dorsal horn (by immuno-histochemistry).Results Compared with group S,MWT and TPT were significantly decreased and the expression of TLR4,NF-κB and TLR4 and NF-κB mRNA was up-regulated after operation in groups NP and D (P ＜ 0.05).Compared with group NP,TPT and MWT were significantly increased and the expression of TLR4,NF-κB,TLR4 mRNA and NF-κB mRNA was significantly down-regulated after operation in group D (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion The mechanism by which dexmedetomidine attenuates NP in rats is related to inhibition of the expression of TLR4 and NF-κB in rat spinal cord.

Objective To analyze hepatitis B virus(HBV) infection stage in single nucleic acid test(NAT)reactive blood donors.Methods Blood donor samples were screened routinely for HBV DNA by using transcription-mediated amplification(TMA) NAT and quantitative polymerase chain reaction(PCR).Then serum markers of HBV were also detected.The HBV infection stage was analyzed.Results Among the 225 single NAT reactive samples,78(34.67%) were identified to be reactive for HBV DNA by TMA NAT discrimination test and/or PCR test,of which 63(82.89%) were occult HBV infection(OBI),13(17.11%) were probably window period infection(pWP),and 2 cases could not be classified for infection stage.Among the OBI samples,49 samples(77.78%) were with HBV DNA concentration less than 20 IU/mL,whereas,there were only 4 samples(30.77%) in pWP samples.The 225 samples were classified into three groups according to the S/CO of NAT, including 1-<6 group,6-<10 group and 10-17 group, the confirmed HBV DNA positive rates of which were 13.11%,13.64% and 47.18%,and the positive rate of 10-17 group was higher than 1-<6 group and 6-<10 group(P<0.05).In all 63 OBI samples,there were 8(12.70%),3(4.76%) and 52(82.54%) samples were classified into S/CO 1-<6,6-<10 and 10-17,respectively.All of the 13 pWP samples were with NAT S/CO of 10-17.Conclusion Part of single NAT reactive blood donors could be with HBV infection,of which OBI might be popular than pWP, with very low concentration of HBV DNA.Deferral of single NAT reactive blood donors could reduce transfusion-transmitted HBV infection.

Objective To explore prognosis and remission-related factors in lupus nephritis (LN) patients.Methods Patients diagnosed as LN by renal biopsy in Tongji Hospital Affiliated to Tongji Medical College,Huazhong University of Science and Technology between Jan 1,2011 and July 31,2016 were enrolled.All related baseline clinical data was recorded and regular follow-up was performed.Kaplan-Meier curves was used to analyze partial remission and complete remission rates.Log-rank test was performed to compare remission rates of patients with nephrotic-range proteinuria (24-hour proteinuria≥3.5 g) and without nephrotic-range proteinuria (24-hour proteinuria＜3.5 g).Univariate and muhivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to evaluate the remission-related factors in different periods.Results A total of 115 patients,with 88.7％ female and (31.5±9.5)years mean age,were followed up for up to 5 years.During follow-up period 2 patients died and 1 dialyzed.The 6-,12-,24-and 36-and 48-month renal partial remission and complete remission rates were 33.3％,58.2％,71.5％,84.0％,89.6％,and 18.9％,40.5％,67.3％,79.4％,87.0％,respectively.Patients without nephrotic-range proteinuria had higher complete remission than patients with nephrotic -range proteinuria (HR=2.01,95％CI 1.15-3.34,P=0.014),but there was no difference in their partial remission (HR=1.33,95％ CI 0.74-2.43,P=0.341).Multivariate Cox regression model indicated that every 1 g/L increase in baseline level of serum albumin was associated with increased 8％ and 9％ risk,respectively,in partial remission (HR=1.08,95％CI 1.01-1.15,P=0.024) and complete remission (HR=1.09,95％CI 1.01-1.07,P=0.038).Conclusions Around half of LN patients reach remission during 1 year.Patients without nephrotic-range proteinuria have higher complete remission,and serum albumin is a remission-related factors.

Objective To analyze the characteristics of preoperative CTO lesions by coronary CT angiography (CCTA) and to compare the lesion characteristics and clinical data of patients with subsequent vs failed PCI.Methods A total of 113 patients were randomly selected and 116 vessels were analyzed by CCTA before PCI.The patients were further investigated as PCI success group vs PCI failure group according to their PCI result.Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine the factors that affected the success of CTO intervention.The ROC curve was used to determine and evaluate the CT-CTO score and J-CTO score for diagnostic efficacy.Results The success rate of PCI was 55.2％.64 lesions were successfully opened,with the success rate of 72.4％.The prevalence of smoking in patients in the PCI failure group was significantly higher than that in PCI success group (65.4％ vs.42.2％,P ＜ 0.05).There were no significant differences between the two groups in age,gender,history of hypertension,diabetes mellitus,and myocardial infarction(P ＞ 0.05).Statistical differences were observed between the PCI success group and the PCI failure group in the presence of occlusion segment head-end bifurcation,occlusion severe incision,severe calcification (calcification ≥ 180°),occlusion segment length ≥ 20 mm,occlusion of calcification lesions,occlusion segment distal shape of the unambiguous of fiber cap shape of the distal occlusion segment under CCTA(P ＜ 0.05).In the PCI failure group,approximately 17.3％ of the patients had previous attempt to open the CTO lesions,which were higher than the PCI success group (9.4％).However,The difference was not statistically significant (P ＞ 0.05).Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the unambiguous distal fibrous cap of the occlusion segment and the occlusion of the proximal branch and the occlusion length ≥20 mm were the main factors affecting the failure of CTO intervention.In terms of prediction,the predictive value 30 CT-CTO score yielded a higher area under the ROC curve than that of the J-CTO score (0.8776 vs 0.7387,P ≤ 0.05).Conclusion CT angiography can predict the success rate of intervention for CTO lesions.Compared with J-CTO score,CT-CTO score has a higher predictive value.Unambiguous fiber cap shape,occlusion segment head end bifurcation,occlusion segment length ≥20 mm were the independent risk factors that affecting the success of CTO operation.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of soft occlusal splint in the treatment of condylar fracture in children and adolescents.

METHODSTwenty-three children with condylar fracture aged from 3 to 16 were included in this study. Impressions of both jaws were taken and stone working models poured. After occlusion was recovered by mounting on a bionic articulator, a soft occlusal splint was fabricated. The occlusal splint was worn for 1 to 3 months accompanied with functional exercise. Follow-up was carried out by clinical observation and panoramic image.

RESULTSClinical satisfactory results were obtained in all the patients with good occlusion, unimpaired function and normal growth and development of the mandibles. Panoramic image showed reconstruction of the fractured condyles, which were flattened and short.

CONCLUSIONSSoft occlusal splint is a promising approach for treating condylar fracture in children.

Adolescent ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Dental Impression Technique ; Dental Occlusion ; Humans ; Mandible ; growth & development ; Mandibular Condyle ; injuries ; Mandibular Fractures ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Occlusal Splints

Objective To establish a magnetic nanoparticles separation-based quantitative real-time PCR(RT-PCR)assay for fast and accurate detection of Plasmodium falciparum and providing a technical support for improving the control and preven-tion of imported malaria. Methods According to the conserved sequences of the P. falciparum genome 18SrRNA,the species-specific primers and probe were designed and synthetized. The RT-PCR was established by constructing the plasmid standard , fitting the standard curve and using magnetic nanoparticles separation. The sensitivity and specificity of the assay were evaluat-ed. Results The relationship between the threshold cycle(Ct)and logarithm of initial templates copies was linear over a range of 2.5×101 to 2.5×108 copies/μl(R2=0.999). Among 13 subjects of entry frontier,a P. falciparum carrier with low load was de-tected by using the assay and none was detected with the conventional examinations(microscopic examinations and rapid tests). Conclusion This assay shows a high sensitivity in detection of P. falciparum,with rapid and accurate characteristics,and is especially useful in diagnosis of P. falciparum infectors with low parasitaemia at entry-exit frontier ports.

Objective To investigate the status of genotype of the KPC(Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase)-encoding genes in Pan-resistant K. Pneumoniae, isolated from the 98th Hospital of People' s Liberation Army, Huzhou district, Zhejiang province, China. Methods 19 strains of Pan-resistant K. Pneumoniae were isolated from the inpatients between November, 2008 and July,2009. Phenotypic confirmatory test for suspected carbapenemases production were carried out by Modified Hodge test. Carbapenemase gene of blaKPC was analyzed by PCR and verified by DNA sequencing. Results In 19 strains of K. Pneumoniae, the positive rates of Modified Hodge test and gene of blaKPC were both 100.0%. These genes all belonged to blaKPC-2 subtype confirmed by nucleotide sequence analysis. Among them, the blaKPC-2 gene sequence of the HZ001 strain (its original serial number was HZ9871 ) had been registered in GenBank (GenBank Accession Number: GU086225).Conclusion All of the Pan-resistant K. Pneumoniae isolated from the inpatients harbored blaKPC-2 type carbapenemases gene and causing an outbreak in a hospital. Carbapenemases that producing type KPC-2 might be the major reason which causing the resistance to Carbapenems antibiotics.