Objective To observe the outcome of patients with ocular cicatricial pemphigoid (OCP) after amniotic membrane grafting or penetrating keratoplasty.Design Retrospective,noncomparative case series.Participants 3 consecutive OCP patients (4 eyes),were included.Methods For 3 patients (4 eyes) in this study,preoperative visual acuity was from HM/5 cm to HM/10 cm.The symblepharon (gradeⅢ) of 2 patients (3 eyes) were detached and amniotic membrane was transplanted,and bandage contact lens were used till 2 months after operations.The other patient (1 eye) was undergone penetrating keratoplasty with glycerol-cryopreserved cornea because of corneal ulcer and perforation.Main Outcome Measures Visual acuity,recovering of conjunctiva and cornea.Results Am- niotic membrane dissolved about 1 month after operation in 2 patients (3 eyes).Symblepharon changed from gradeⅢto gradeⅡ,visual acuity increased to 0.04-0.05,central corneal epithelium was regenerated significantly,and a little new vessel appeared at corneal lim- bus in 2 patients (2 eyes).The graft deliquesced in the patient with penetrating keratoplasty at 20 days after operation and undergone penetrating keratoplasty again after 1 month.In this patient,the graft molten induced the ocular contents run-off and became eyeball at- rophy eventually.Conclusion Our small sample study shows that the symblepharon detachment and amniotic membrane transplantation is effective for improving visual acuity in OCP with ocular surface dysfunction.However,because of various factors,penetrating kerato- plasty is ineffective for OCP with perforating corneal ulcer.

[Objective] To compare the effects of Radix Astragali (RA) and triperygium glucosides (TG) on glomerular mesangial cells (GMC) proliferation and interleukin-6 (IL-6) secretion. [Methods] GMC were cultured with in-vitro cell culture technology. Serum containing RA and serum containing TG were prepared with serum pharmacological methods. GMC proliferation was detected by methylthiazolyltetrazolium (MTT) assay and IL-6 level by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to evaluate the effect of low-, moderate- and high-dosages of RA-containing serum and TG-containing serum under the condition of GMC over-proliferation. [ Results] Different dosages of RA-containing serum and TG-containing serum inhibited GMC proliferation and IL-6 secretion in a dose-effect manner, and the inhibitory effect of high- and moderate-dosage TG and high-dosage RA was stronger. [Conclusion] Under the condition of in-vitro GMC over-proliferation, RA has the similar inhibitory effects on GMC proliferation and IL-6 secretion with TG. The combined treatment of RA and TG can reduce the dose of TG and probably has an action in increasing effect and reducing toxicity.

How to identify active constituents of traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) and study their interactions are key problems in the development of TCMs. The inhibitory effect of six alkaloids from Rhizoma Coptidis (RC) on Shigella dysenteriae (S. dysenteria) growth had been investigated by microcalorimetry in this study. Main active constituents of RC were confirmed by comparing their contributions to the bacteriostatic effect, and the interactions among active constituents were further researched. According to the result, in 0.8 mg-mL-1 extract of RC, the contributions of six active alkaloids including berberine, coptisine, epiberberine, palmatine and the combination of jatrorrhizine and columbamine were 52.83%, 36.31%, 2.49%, 4.27% and 3.21%, respectively. Therefore, berberine and coptisine were the main active constituents of RC that inhibited the growth of S. dysenteria. The study of interactions among the six alkaloids indicated that, 1 there were some contstituents antagonizing the inhibitory effect of RC, 2 there was a synergy effect between berberine and coptisine, 3 there were additive effects between other four alkaloids and the main active constituents. These results may provide some useful references for the establishment of the quality standard for RC and the development of multi-component TCMs.
Alkaloids ; analysis ; pharmacology ; Berberine ; analogs & derivatives ; analysis ; pharmacology ; Berberine Alkaloids ; analysis ; pharmacology ; Coptis ; chemistry ; Drug Interactions ; Drug Synergism ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Quality Control ; Rhizome ; chemistry ; Shigella dysenteriae ; drug effects ; growth & development

Background mental imagery is a multi-componential process involving different mental operations. Objective The present study investigated the subsystems of visual mental imagery processing and their interactions. Methods: Four experimental tasks were done: (1) object, the ability to generate global mental images; (2) resolution, the ability to generate vivid,high-resolution mental images; (3) transformation,the ability to mentally rotate patterns in images, and (4) spatial imagery,spatial cognition. 91 university students (77 males, 14 females) participated in this study. Results: Object task was highly correlated with resolution task, and the same the tendency was found between transformation task and spatial task. Conclusion: The results indicate there are different subsystems of visual mental imagery and corresponding operative strategies, but with strong correlation among these processes and abilities.

To explore therapeutic effect of acupuncture combined electrical stimulation on aged patients with post‐stroke depression .Methods : A total of 78 patients with post‐stroke depression were randomly and equally divided into routine treatment group (received health education based on routine treatment ) and combined treatment group (received acupuncture combined low‐frequency electrical stimulation based on routine treatment group ).After four‐week treatment , score of Hamilton rating scale for depression (HAMD) and therapeutic effect were compared between two groups .Results : Compared with before treatment , there was significant reduction in HAMD score in two groups after treatment ;compared with routine treatment group after treatment , there was significant reduction in HAMD score [(19.72 ± 2. 04) scores vs.(14. 94 ± 1. 86) scores] in combined treatment group , P＝0. 001 all.To‐tal effective rate of combined treatment group was significantly higher than that of routine treatment group (87.18% vs.64.1%, P＝0.018).Conclusion : Acupuncture combined low‐frequency electrical stimulation possesses significant therapeutic effect on post‐stroke depression , which is worthy of clinical application .

OBJECTIVETo investigate the epidemiological features of the pathogens responsible for prostatitis in the Changshu area, and offer some evidence for the clinical treatment of prostatitis.

METHODSThis study included 2 306 cases of prostatitis that were all clinically confirmed and subjected to pathogenic examinations in 3 hospitals of Changshu area from 2008 to 2012. Neisseria gonorrhoeae, mycoplasma urealyticum and chlamydia trachomatis were detected by nucleic acid amplification ABI 7500, the bacterial data analyzed by VITEK-2 Compact, the drug-resistance to antibacterial agents determined using the WHONET 5.6 software, and the enumeration data processed by chi-square test and curvilinear regression analysis using SPSS 19.0.

RESULTSThe main pathogens responsible for prostatitis were found to be Staphylococcus haemolyticus (30%), Staphylococcus epidermidis (12%), Enterococcus faecalis (9%), Escherichia coli (6%), Staphylococcus warneri and Staphylococcus aureus (3%), Mycoplasma urealyticum (8%), chlamydia trachomatis (5%) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (6%). Statistically significant increases were observed in the detection rates of Escherichia coli (chi2 = 17.56, P<0.05), Mycoplasma urealyticum (chi2 = 8.73, P<0.05), Chlamydia trachomatis (chi2 = 8.73, P<0.05) and Enterococcus (chi2 = 8.22, P<0.05), but not in other pathogens. The resistance rates of Gram-positive bacteria to erythromycin and benzylpenicillin G were both above 45%, but with no significant difference between the two, those of Oxacillin (chi2 = 10.06, P<0.05) and Cefoxitin (chi2 = 9.89, P<0.05) were markedly increased, but those of quinolones, gentamycin and clindamycin remained low, except rifampicin (chi2 = 11.09, P<0.05). The resistance rates of Gram-negative bacteria to cefazolin and ampicillin were relatively high (mean 57.3%), and those to ceftriaxone (chi2 = 11.26, P<0.05) and trimethoprim sulfamethoxazole (chi2 =11.00, P< 0.05) significantly high; those to amikacin, cefepime, piperacillin/tazobactam and imipenem remained at low levels with no significant changes. However, the resistance rates of mycoplasma urealyticum to ciprofloxacin (chi2 = 11.18, P<0.05) and azithromycin (chi2 = 9.89, P<0.05) were remarkably increased.

CONCLUSIONGram-positive bacteria are the major pathogens responsible for prostatitis, but Escherichia coli, enterococcus and sexually transmitted disease pathogens are found to be involved in recent years. Quinolones and aminoglycosides are generally accepted as the main agents for the treatment of Gram-positive bacterial infection. However, rational medication for prostatitis should be based on the results of pathogen isolation and drug sensitivity tests in a specific area.

Anti-Bacterial Agents ; pharmacology ; Drug Resistance, Bacterial ; Gram-Negative Bacteria ; drug effects ; Gram-Positive Bacteria ; drug effects ; Humans ; Male ; Prostatitis ; epidemiology ; microbiology

OBJECTIVE: To establish an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) method for determination of Hg in biological samples. METHODS: The samples were digested with microwave digestion instrument. ICP-MS was applied to detect Hg in blood, urine and hair specimens by using 115In as an internal marker. The ability of gold to eliminate the memory effect of mercury was investigated with the gold amalgamate produced by gold and mercury. RESULTS: The limits of detection were in the 0.01 microg/L, and the accuracy of the method ranged from 97.0% to 107.1%. The concentration of gold was 10 microg/L and the memory effect of mercury was resolved. CONCLUSION The method is accurate, rapid, sensitive and suitable for the cases of mercury poisoning and the clinical diagnosis and monitoring for patients with mercury poisoning.
Forensic Toxicology ; Hair/chemistry* ; Humans ; Indicators and Reagents ; Mass Spectrometry/methods* ; Mercury/urine* ; Mercury Poisoning/diagnosis* ; Microwaves ; Reference Standards ; Reproducibility of Results ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Specimen Handling/methods*

This study is to assess the efficacy of BPCBG on the decorporation of uranium (VI) and protecting human renal proximal tubular epithelial cells (HK-2) against uranium-induced damage. BPCBG at different doses was injected intramuscularly to male SD rats immediately after a single intraperitoneal injection of UO2(CH3COO)2. Twenty-four hours later uranium contents in urine, kidneys and femurs were measured by ICP-MS. After HK-2 cells were exposed to UO2(CH3COO)2 immediately or for 24 h followed by BPCBG treatment at different doses for another 24 or 48 h, the uranium contents in HK-2 cells were measured by ICP-MS, the cell survival was assayed by cell counting kit-8 assay, formation of micronuclei was determined by the cytokinesis-block (CB) micronucleus assay and the production of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) was detected by 2',7'-dichlorofluorescin diacetate (DCFH-DA) oxidation. DTPA-CaNa3 was used as control. It was found that BPCBG at dosages of 60, 120, and 600 micromol kg(-1) resulted in 37%-61% increase in 24 h-urinary uranium excretion, and significantly decreased the amount of uranium retention in kidney and bone to 41%-31% and 86%-42% of uranium-treated group, respectively. After HK-2 cells that had been pre-treated with UO2(CH3COO)2 for 24 h were treated with the chelators for another 24 h, 55%-60% of the intracellular uranium was removed by 10-250 micromol L(-1) of BPCBG. Treatment of uranium-treated HK-2 cells with BPCBG significantly enhanced the cell survival, decreased the formation of micronuclei and inhibited the production of intracellular ROS. Although DTPA-CaNa3 markedly reduced the uranium retention in kidney of rats and HK-2 cells, its efficacy of uranium removal from body was significantly lower than that of BPCBG and it could not protect uranium-induced cell damage. It can be concluded that BPCBG effectively decorporated the uranium from UO2(CH3COO)2-treated rats and HK-2 cells, which was better than DTPA-CaNa3. It could also scavenge the uranium-induced intracellular ROS and protect against the uranium-induced cell damage. BPCBG is worth further investigation.
Animals ; Cell Line ; Cell Survival ; drug effects ; Chelating Agents ; administration & dosage ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Epithelial Cells ; cytology ; metabolism ; Humans ; Kidney ; metabolism ; Kidney Tubules, Proximal ; cytology ; Male ; Micronucleus Tests ; Molecular Structure ; Organometallic Compounds ; toxicity ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; metabolism ; Uranium ; metabolism ; urine

OBJECTIVETo study main risk factors that cause foodborne diseases in food catering business.

METHODSData from references and investigations conducted in food catering units were used to establish models which based on @Risk 4.5 with Monte Carlo method referring to food handling practice model (FHPM) to make risk assessment on factors of food contamination in food catering units. The Beta-Poisson models on dose-response relationship to Salmonella (developed by WHO/FAO and United States Department of Agriculture) and Vibrio parahaemolyticus (developed by US FDA) were used in this article to analyze the dose-response relationship of pathogens.

RESULTSThe average probability of food poisoning by consuming Salmonella contaminated cooked meat under refrigeration was 1.96 × 10(-4) which was 1/2800 of the food under non-refrigeration (the average probability of food poisoning was 0.35 at room temperature 25°C). The average probability by consuming 6 hours stored meat under room temperature was 0.11 which was 16 times of 2 hours storage (6.79 × 10(-3)). The average probability by consuming contaminated meat without fully cooking was 1.71 × 10(-4) which was 100 times of consuming fully cooked meat (1.88 × 10(-6)). The probability growth of food poisoning by consuming Vibrio parahaemolyticus contaminated fresh seafood was proportional with contamination level and prevalence.

CONCLUSIONThe primary contamination level, storage temperature and time, cooking process and cross contamination are important factors of catering food safety.

Disease Outbreaks ; prevention & control ; Food Handling ; methods ; Food Microbiology ; Food Services ; organization & administration ; Foodborne Diseases ; epidemiology ; prevention & control ; Models, Theoretical ; Risk Assessment ; Risk Factors ; Software

Objective To evaluate the clinical effect of femtosecond laser assisted cataract surgery with Toric IOL implantation on correcting astigmatism and IOL rotating stability.Methods A prospective,nonrandomized,controlled study was conducted in 68 patients (82 eyes) diagnosed as age-related cataract with more than 1.0 diopter (D) regular astigmatism,including 41 eyes undergoing Toric IOL implantation with femtosecond laser assisted cataract surgery,and the other eyes receiving Toric IOL with phacoemulsification.And observation was performed for the uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) before operation and 6 months after operation,preoperative corneal astigmatism,anticipated and postoperative residual astigmatism 6 months after operation.Then,comparison was performed for the degree of Toric lens axis rotation,as well as the horizontal and vertical movement of the IOL and the degree of vertical deflection in the capsule at 1,3,and 6 months after operation.Results In the observation group,preoperative UCVA (logMAR),preoperative corneal astigmatism,postoperative BCVA and the residual astigmatism at 6 months after operation was 1.03 ± 0.32,(2.09 ± 0.73) D,0.13 ± 0.11 and (0.33 ± 0.27) D,respectively,while the corresponding data in the control group was 0.92 ± 0.40,(1.69 ± 0.64) D,0.13 ± 0.09,(0.26 ± 0.22) D;the postoperative visual acuity in both groups was significantly improved,and residual astigmatism was significantly decreased at 6 months after operation (all P ＜ 0.001).There was no significant difference in Toric lens axis after femtosecond laser assisted surgery and phacoemulsification at 1 month,3 months,6 months after operation (all P ＞ 0.05),but the differences in the IOL movement in horizontal and vertical direction were statistically significant at the different time-points (all P ＜ 0.05),and there was significant differences in the degree of vertical deflection (all P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion Both femtosecond laser assisted cataract surgery and phacoemulsification combined with Toric IOL can achieve a better stability and predictability.