Adolescent ; Biopsy ; Female ; Hepatocytes ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; Humans ; Jaundice, Chronic Idiopathic ; pathology ; Sibling Relations ; Ultrasonography

Asthma ; prevention & control ; therapy ; Child ; Disease Management ; Family ; Humans

Objective To investigate changes of brainstem auditory evoked potential (BAEP)and somatosensory evoked potential (SEP) in patients with acute cerebral infarction,and discuss their relation with prognosis of the patients.Methods The study involved 60 patients with acute cerebral infarction.Changes of BAEP and SEP in each patient were detected and recorded continuously.Prognosis evaluation was performed by using GCS.Another 60 age-matched and gender-matched healthy human beings were enrolled as controls.Results Incubation period of BAEP wave Ⅰ had no significant difference between the cerebral infarction and control groups (P ＞ 0.05).However,interspike intervals of other BAEP waves in cerebral infarction group were different from those in control group (P ＜ 0.05).A series of waves of SEP (P14-N60) were all significantly prolonged in cerebral infarction group (P ＜0.05).Conclusion BAEP and SEP can effectively reflect function of brain stem in patients with acute cerebral infarction and have some values in determining their prognosis.

Objective To test the hypothesis of autophagy that silencing PHD2 gene could increase hypoxia inducible factor (HIF)-1α levels in the renal medulla and attenuate hypoxia injury in cultured human renal proximal tubular epithelial cell (HK-2) under cobalt dichloride (CoCl2) exposure.Methods HK-2 cells were harvested at hour 0,6,12,24,36 and 48 after exposure to CoC12 (200 μmol/L).The role of HIF/PHD pathway in CoCl2-induced cell apoptosis/autophagy was studied by employing small-interfering RNA (siRNA).Dynamic profiles of apoptosis markers (Bax,Bcl-xl) and autophagy marker (LC3) of HK-2 cells within 48 h after exposing to CoCl2 were recorded.Alamar Blue assay was used for quantitative analysis of cellular growth and viability.Electron microscopy analysis was employed to evaluate the changes in autophagic structures.Results The protein expressions of PHD2 were gradually increased after exposing to CoCl2 (200 μmol/L),with statistics significance at 24 h and reached the peak at 48 h (both P ＜ 0.01).PHD2 siRNA reduced PHD2 levels by ＞ 60％ and significantly increased HIF-1α protein levels (P ＜ 0.01),but had little effect on HIF-2α.The protein expression of Bcl-xl was significantly up-regulated,while the level of Bax and LC3-Ⅱ/LC3-Ⅰ were down-regulated in PHD2 siRNA group (all P ＜ 0.01),compared with the negative control group.Meanwhile,either 3-Methyladenine (an autophagy inhibitor) treatment or PHD2 knockdown rescued cell death and increased cell viability through autophagy inactivation.The ratio of LC3-Ⅱ/LC3-Ⅰ and the quantity of autophagosomes were decreased,and the cell ultrastructure was also relatively intacter than the negative control group.Of interest,co-administration of HIF-1α siRNA with PHD2 siRNA abrogated renoprotective effect conveyed by PHD2 siRNA alone,suggesting that activation of endogenous HIF-1α-dependent pathways mediated the autophagy inactivation effects of PHD2 silencing.Conclusions Direct inhibition of PHD2 promotes renal epithelia cell survival against CoCl2-induced cell apoptosis/autophagy.Activation of the HIF-1α signaling pathway is required to reduce apoptosis and autophagy via up-regulating the expression of Bcl-xl protein.

Objective To observe the behavior changes and synaptic reconstruction of brain and the impact of gastrodin in rats with epilepysy induced by pentylenetetrazole.Methods Fifty Wistar rats in growth(50-70 g) were randomly divided into 5 groups:control group,Pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) group,gastrodin high dose group,gastrodin low dose group and sodium valproate group,each group had 10 rats.According to Racine classification,the behavior changes of rats and the frequency were recorded.Conventional method was adopt to perfuse cordis, fix and extract the brain,and the immunohistochemistry was used to detect synaptophysin(P38) expression in the temporal lobe and hippocampus of the brain after 4 weeks.Results 1.Four weeks after pentylenetetrazole ignited the growth period rats,the attack-level of each experimental group through comparison with each other,there was statistically significant difference(?2=35.83 P0.05).Conclusions There are mossy fiber sprouting and the formation of synaptic reconstruction in temporal lobe and hippocampus of the growth period rats repea-tedly ignited by pentylenetetrazole.Gastrodin may play a role in the formation of antiepileptic obviously,and through decreasing the expression of P38,which can inhibit the formation of synaptic reconstruction,as control seizures indirectly.

AIMTo report the experience with single stage dorsal inlay buccal mucosal grafts using the Snodgrass technique for complex redo cases.

METHODSFrom May 2004 to December 2005, a total of 53 patients aged from 3 to 34 years old (average 11.62 +/- 7.18 years) with failed previous hypospadias surgery were included in the present study. Indications included urethral strictures and repair breakdown. The unhealthy urethra was unroofed from the meatus in the ventral midline, a buccal mucosal graft was inlayed between the incised urethral plate and fixed to the corpora cavernosa. The neourethra was tubularized, and covered with subcutaneous (dartos) tissue and penile skin. Glanuloplasty was also performed in all cases. Outcome analysis included clinical follow-up, and endoscopy in 2 selected cases.

RESULTSThe buccal mucosal graft was 3.0-7.5 cm in length and 0.7-2.0 cm in width. All patients required glanuloplasty, with buccal mucosal grafts extended to the tip of the glans. After a follow-up of 14-30 months (mean 22.6 months), the total complication rate was 15.1%, with five cases of fistula and three cases of stricture.

CONCLUSIONInlaying dorsal buccal mucosal grafts applying the Snodgrass technique is a reliable method for creating a substitute urethral plate for tubularization. The recurrent rate of urethral stricture and fistula is at an acceptable level for redo cases. This approach represents an effective, simple and safe option for reoperations.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Humans ; Hypospadias ; surgery ; Male ; Mouth Mucosa ; transplantation ; Secondary Prevention ; Transplants ; Treatment Outcome ; Urethra ; surgery ; Urethral Stricture ; prevention & control ; Urinary Fistula ; prevention & control ; Urologic Surgical Procedures, Male ; adverse effects ; methods

Tumor thermal-treatment instrument is a newly developed medical instrument using HIFU technology. On the basis of a brief introduction of the system structure, this paper emphasizes the computer aided-therapy system applying a lot of computer technologies such as digital signal processing, digital signal communication computer aided design, artificial intelligence and database management system. Finally a concise therapy process using computer aided-therapy system is also introduced.
Artificial Intelligence ; Computer Systems ; Equipment Design ; Humans ; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted ; instrumentation ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Therapy, Computer-Assisted ; instrumentation ; Ultrasonic Therapy ; instrumentation

Adult ; Fatty Liver ; diagnosis ; diagnostic imaging ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Complications ; diagnosis ; diagnostic imaging ; Ultrasonography ; Young Adult

BACKGROUNDAllergic asthma is associated with airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness caused by dysregulated production of cytokines secreted by allergen-specific helper T-type 2 (Th2) cells. The linker for activation of T cells (LAT) is a membrane-associated adaptor protein, which has been shown to take part in regulating T cell receptor (TCR) signaling and T cell homeostasis. In this study, we established an asthmatic mouse model to examine the changes in LAT levels during allergic airway disease and the effects of LAT transgenic expression on airway inflammation.

METHODST cells from mouse lung tissues were isolated from allergen challenged (ovalbumin (OVA)) and control mice, and the purity of these isolated T cells was examined by fluorescence-activated cell sorter (FACS). Semi-quantitative RT-PCR and Western blotting were used to detect the expression of the LAT gene and LAT protein, respectively. After an intranasally administered mixture of pCMV-HA-LAT plasmid and Lipofectamine 2000, 24 hours before and 72 hours after allergen challenge, the BALF cell count and the differential cytologies were studied. In addition, IL-4 and IFN-γ levels in the BALF were determined by ELISA, and pathological changes in lung tissues were observed.

RESULTSLAT protein and mRNA expression were decreased in lung T cells in a mouse model of allergen-induced airway disease. After intranasal administration of pCMV-HA-LAT, histopathological examination of the lungs showed that intervention with LAT overexpression prevented mice from developing airway inflammation, and the number of total cells, eosinophils, neutrophils, and lymphocytes in the BALF was reduced significantly compared with the OVA sensitized and challenged group. In addition, the Th2 cytokine IL-4 decreased, while the Th1 cytokine IFN-γ increased compared to the OVA sensitized and challenged group or the OVA sensitized group plus pCMV-HA treatment.

CONCLUSIONThis study demonstrates that LAT might effectively diminish Th2 cytokine responses, lung histopathological changes and lung inflammation to allergen challenge in a model of experimentally induced asthma.

Animals ; Asthma ; immunology ; metabolism ; Blotting, Western ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid ; immunology ; Cells, Cultured ; Cytokines ; metabolism ; Female ; Inflammation ; immunology ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; T-Lymphocytes ; immunology ; metabolism

Objective To evaluate the effect of an integrated control strategy and to quantify the spatial-temporal variation of infected snails in the bottomland areas after the strategy was implemented.Methods Based on the geographic database of infected snail distribution at the village level during 2004-2010 in Anxiang county,Hunan province,spatial autocorrelation analysis and spatial scan statistics were applied to analyze the spatial-temporal characteristics on the distribution of infected snails.Results The number of embankments with infected snails in Anxiang county decreased from 23 in 2004 to 10 in 2010,while the rate of frame with infected snail in embankments decreased from 4.32‰ in 2004 to 0.12‰ in 2010.The spatial distribution of infected snails was nonrandom,only in 2004 and 2005 with Moran's I=0.21 (P＜0.10) and Moran's I=0.13 (P＜0.10) respectively.Data from the local spatial auto-correlation analysis showed that the number of villages with H-H types of auto-correlation model had been gradually decreasing.The results of SaTScan statistics appeared the same as from the local spatial auto-correlation analysis,showing that the number of areas with increased risk was decreasing.Conclusion The comprehensive measures with emphasis on infectious source control seemed effective for schistosomiasis control program.The current distribution characteristics provided us with evidence that the resource assignment could be more reasonably implemented so as to control schistosomiasis in a more effective way.