Objective To observe the difference in treament of thoracolumbar vertebral bodies fractures be- tween AF nail and Dick nail.Methods From March 1998 to March 2007,85 cases of thoracolumbar vertebral bod- ies fractures were followed up.20 cases were fixed with Dick nail,and 65 cases with AF nail.Results The mean,fol- low-up period was 12 months.By comparison of the operating rime,bleeding amount,the recovery rate of vertebral height,the reduction of Cobb angle and capacity of vertebral canal,AF nail was much better than Dick nail.But there was no marked difference in the recover of nerve function.Conclusion AF nail has more power to reduce vertebral height and is easier to set than Dick nail.It will be worthy of more and wider application in basic level hospitals.

OBJECTIVETo observe the inhibitory effect of Tongxinluo (TXL) on coronary vaso spasm in small swine in vivo, and to investigate its possible acting mechanism.

METHODSThe model of coronary atherosclerosis in 16 male small swines was established by left thoracotomy after anesthesia, isolated the sections of left anterio-descending branch and proximal end of rotator branch with similar outer diameter, and encapsulated them with paper-towel holding 2.5 microg interleukin-1beta. Two weeks later, the condition of coronary vasospasm induced by catheter intra-coronary injection of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT, 10 microg/kg) was observed through coronary artery contrast examination. The 12 swines with successfully formed coronary vaso spasm were randomly divided into 2 groups, the TXL group and the control group. They were fed with special diet, but TXL 1 g/(kg d) was administered additionally to the TXL group for 4 weeks. The observation on coronary vasospasm was repeated 1 week after discontinuation of TXL treatment, then the animals were sacrificed, their vascular sections enclosed with IL-1beta was taken to conduct the pathologic examination and to detect the expressions of Rho kinase mRNA and its substrate myosin- binding subunit phosphorylation (MBS-P) by RT-PCR and Western blot method.

RESULTSCoronary artery contrast showed that local coronary stenosis occurred in the 12 model swines to different extents (20% - 30%, and vascular spasm on them could be induced by 5-HT. At the time of repeating examination, 11 vascular sections in the control group still maintain their positive spasm reaction to 5-HT, but only 2 in the TXL group did so, the reaction turned to negative in 1 and 10 in the two groups respectively. Pathological examination showed that different degrees of macrophage aggregation could be found in both groups. The degree of lumen stricture and endometrial hyperplasia in the TXL group was obviously attenuated than those in the control group. The expressions of Rho kinase mRNA and MBS-P in the control group were up-regulated obviously. As compared with those in the control group, they were inhibited significantly in the TXL group, as (71.5 +/- 2.4) vs (98.2 +/- 7.7)% and 16,633 +/- 1,390 vs 25,818 +/- 4,745, respectively (all P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONTXL could obviously inhibit the coronary intimal hyperplasia mediated by IL-1beta and coronary vasospasm induced by 5-HT, one of its mechanisms is possibly the inhibition on the intracellular Rho kinase mRNA expression in the IL-1beta enclosed vascular section to decrease the level of MBS-P.

Animals ; Coronary Vasospasm ; chemically induced ; drug therapy ; genetics ; metabolism ; Disease Models, Animal ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Gene Expression ; drug effects ; Humans ; Interleukin-1beta ; genetics ; metabolism ; Male ; Random Allocation ; Serotonin ; adverse effects ; Swine ; rho-Associated Kinases ; genetics ; metabolism

This study was aimed to investigate the protective effect of Liu Wei Dihuang (LWDH) against D-galactose (D-gal)-induced brain injury in rats and the existence of sex-dependent differences in LWDH protection. Sixty-four rats evenly composed of males and females were randomly assigned into 4 groups (n = 8): normal saline (NS) + NS (N + N), NS + LWDH (N + L), D-gal + NS (D + N) and D-gal + LWDH (D + L) groups. Rats in D + N and D + L groups received daily injection of D-gal (100 mg/kg, s.c.) for six weeks to establish the aging model, while rats in N + N and N + L groups were injected with the same volume of NS. From the third week, rats in N + L and D + L groups were orally administered with a decoction of LWDH for subsequent six weeks. Rats in N + N and D + N groups were orally administered just with the same volume of NS simultaneously. Morris water maze test was employed to evaluate the ability of learning and memory of the rats in all the groups. Acetylcholine (ACh) content, activities of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in visual cortex were assayed. Hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining were used to observe the morphologic injury in hippocampus and visual cortex, and immunohistochemistry was performed to evaluate ChAT and AChE expression levels in the visual cortex. The results showed that the rats in D + N groups exhibited a longer escape latency to platform, lower swimming speed, less percent of target quadrant search time and platform crossings, compared with N + N groups, suggesting the establishment of aging model, while LWDH improved these indexes in D-gal-treated rats. Compared with D + N groups, LWDH increased ACh content and ChAT activity, and decreased AChE activity in visual cortex. Remarkable loss of neurons was found in hippocampus and visual cortex of aging rats, and the injury was significantly attenuated by LWDH. Immunohistochemistry showed D-gal-induced decreases of ChAT and AChE expressions were restored by LWDH. Furthermore, under the neural protection of LWDH, the improvement on platform crossings in male aging rats was better than that in female ones, while in ChAT expression and neuron density in visual cortex, female aging rats obtained more amelioration. These results suggest LWDH can markedly reverse the D-gal-induced cognitive impairments and neuronal damage in both hippocampus and visual cortex, which are achieved at least partly through restoring cholinergic system in central nervous system. Moreover, there is some sex difference in protective effects of LWDH against D-gal-induced impairment.
Animals ; Brain ; metabolism ; pathology ; Cholinergic Fibers ; drug effects ; pathology ; Cognition Disorders ; prevention & control ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Female ; Galactose ; toxicity ; Hippocampus ; metabolism ; pathology ; Male ; Neurons ; pathology ; Neuroprotective Agents ; pharmacology ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Visual Cortex ; metabolism ; pathology

OBJECTIVETo observe the effects of rapamycin on the expressions of Rho-kinase and p27 mRNA during vascular intimal proliferation in a porcine model of coronary stenosis induced by interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta).

METHODSThe proximal segments of LAD and LCX were wrapped with cotton mesh that had absorbed sepharose bead solution with or without IL-1beta. Selective coronary angiography was performed two weeks later and the animals were killed for collecting the samples for histopathology and RT-PCR analyzing of Rho-kinase and p27 mRNA.

RESULTSThe expressions of Rho-kinase and p27 mRNA could be visualized in normal coronary wall. The expression of Rho-kinase mRNA was significantly enhanced and the expression of p27 mRNA was significantly decreased during the process of intimal proliferation induced by IL-1beta. Rapamycin significantly inhibited the intimal proliferation, reduced the infiltration of inflammatory cells, reduced the expression of Rho-kinase mRNA and increased the expression of p27 mRNA.

CONCLUSIONSThe expression of Rho-kinase mRNA is upregulated and p27 mRNA downregulated in coronary artery stenosis induced by IL-1beta and these effects could be abolished by cotreatment with rapamycin.

Animals ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Vessels ; drug effects ; metabolism ; pathology ; Disease Models, Animal ; Interleukin-1beta ; pharmacology ; Male ; RNA, Messenger ; metabolism ; Sirolimus ; pharmacology ; Swine ; Tunica Intima ; drug effects ; metabolism ; pathology ; rho-Associated Kinases ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo study the immunologic function of dendritic cells (DCs) cultured in two kinds of hepatoma cell line's supernatant and the enhancing effects of carboxymethylpachymaran (CMP) on DCs.

METHODSDCs were harvested after stimulation by granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and interleukin (IL)-4 from umbilical cord blood using density-gradient centrifugation method. Cultured supernatant of two hepatoma cell lines (HepG2 and HepG2.2.15) were collected for condition medium (CM) according to a volume ratio of supernatant to incomplete RPMI-1640 medium, which was 3:1. CMP was dissolved in incomplete RPMI-1640 medium. Experimental groups were divided according to the culture medium, either CM or with CMP in it. DCs subsets CD83, CD86, CD1a, and d-related human leukocyte antigens (HLA-DR) were analyzed by flow cytometry. The proliferation ability of allogeneic T cells in mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) stimulated by DCs was examined by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) analysis. IL-12p70, interferon-γ (IFN-γ), and nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay analysis.

RESULTSThe proliferation of lymphocytes and secreting level of IL-12 and expression of phenotype of DCs cultured in two kinds of CM were lower than those of normal group (P <0.01). Compared with the normal group, groups treated with CMP showed a higher expression level of DCs subsets, lymphocyte reproductive activity, as well as IL-12 and IFN-γ secretion levels. Groups treated with CMP also demonstrated higher levels of DCs phenotype expression and IL-12 and IFN-γ secretion in supernatant of MLR and higher lymphocyte reproductive activity compared with CM group (P <0.05). Compared with the normal group, the expression level of NF-κB in DCs nuclear was higher in CMP groups but lower in two CM groups (P <0.05). After CMP was added, the NF-κB expression levels of two CM groups were increased compared with levels before CMP was added (P <0.05). However, there was no significant difference between the two CM groups (P >0.05).

CONCLUSIONSTwo kinds of hepatoma cell line's supernatant can inhibit the immunologic function of DCs. This suppressive effect may be related to the inhibition of NF-κB/Rel pathway. CMP may up-regulate the DCs function by activating the NF-κB/Rel pathway.

Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; pathology ; ultrastructure ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Shape ; Dendritic Cells ; drug effects ; immunology ; Glucans ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Immunophenotyping ; Interferon-gamma ; metabolism ; Interleukin-12 ; metabolism ; Liver Neoplasms ; pathology ; ultrastructure ; Lymphocyte Culture Test, Mixed ; Signal Transduction ; drug effects ; Subcellular Fractions ; drug effects ; Transcription Factor RelA ; metabolism

OBJECTIVEPhosphorylation of myosin light chain (MLC) is one of the most important steps for vascular smooth muscle contraction and Rho-kinase is involved in this process. We investigated the role of Rho-kinase in a porcine coronary artery spasm model with interleukin-1beta.

METHODSSegments of left coronary artery adventitia were surrounded by normal saline (n = 8) or IL-1beta agarose microne (n = 8) for 2 weeks. Vasospastic responses to intracoronary serotonin or histamine then studied at the saline or IL-1beta-treated site. The Rho-kinase mRNA expression in the treated site was measured by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis (RT-PCR). The extent of phosphorylation of myosin-binding subunit of myosin phosphates (MBS, one of the major substrates of Rho-kinase) were quantified by Western blot analysis.

RESULTSIntracoronary serotonin or histamine repeatedly induced coronary artery spasm and coronary arterial stenosis was evidenced at IL-1beta-treated site. Expression of Rho-kinase mRNA in IL-1beta-treated site was significantly increased compared to saline treated site (98.20% +/- 7.66% vs. 63.70% +/- 4.26%, P < 0.05). Western blot analysis showed that during the serotonin-induced contractions the extent of phosphorylation of MBS was also significantly increased in the spastic site (25,485 +/- 4745 vs. 6510 +/- 779, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONRho-kinase upregulation at the spastic site and increased phosphorylation of myosin-binding subunit of myosin phosphates are key players in inducing vascular smooth muscle hypercontraction in this porcine model.

Animals ; Coronary Vasospasm ; metabolism ; pathology ; Disease Models, Animal ; Interleukin-1beta ; adverse effects ; metabolism ; Male ; Myosin Light Chains ; metabolism ; Phosphorylation ; RNA, Messenger ; metabolism ; Swine ; rho-Associated Kinases ; metabolism

Objective To compare the effects of transumbilical single-incision appendectomy and laparoscopic appendectomy in the treatment of acute appendicitis in pediatric patients.Methods The clinical data of 162 pediatric patients under 14 years old with acute appendicitis admitted to our department were retrospectively analyzed,and the pediatric patients were divided into the transumbilical single-incision surgery group(n=59)and the laparoscopic group(n=103)according to their surgeries.The completion of the operation was recorded,and the operation time,intraoperative blood loss,gastrointestinal function recovery time,hospitalization cost,hospital stay and complications were compared between the two groups.The postoperative wound healing was observed.The wound infection,abdominal pain,abdominal distension,vomiting and abnormal stool were observed during the 6-month follow-up after operation.Results The operations of pediatric patients in the laparoscopic group were successfully completed without conversion to open surgery.The appendixes of 2 cases in the transumbilical single-incision surgery group were found by transumbilical laparoscopy during the operation due to the difficulty in finding the appendixes.The operation time and hospital stay in the transumbilical single-incision surgery group were shorter than those in the laparoscopic group(P<0.05).There was no significant difference in the hospitalization cost,intraoperative blood loss,gastrointestinal function recovery time,or incidence of complications between the two groups(P>0.05).The incision healing in the transumbilical single-incision surgery group was more beautiful.During the follow-up period,the incision of the pediatric patients in the two groups healed well,and there was no abdominal pain,abdominal distension,vomiting or abnormal stool.Conclusion Compared with the traditional laparoscopic appendectomy,transumbilical single-incision appendectomy has the advantages of simple operation,short operation time and hospital stay,and more beautiful incision healing.

BACKGROUNDCoronary artery in-stent restenosis (ISR) and late stent thrombosis remain as important complications of stenting. The inflammation reactions to sirolimus and paclitaxel-eluting stents were investigated in a swine stenosis model induced by interleukin (IL)-1β.

METHODSMini pigs (n = 12; 2-3 months old and weighing 25-30 kg) were subjected to thoracotomy. Segments (10 mm) of the mid left anterior descending coronary artery and left circumflex coronary artery were exposed and aseptically wrapped with a cotton mesh soaked with IL-1β (5 µg). After 2 weeks, the animals were anesthetized and quantitative coronary arteriography (QCA) was performed. The stenosis sites were randomized into three groups for stent insertion: a sirolimus-eluting stent (SES) group (Firebird(TM), n = 7), a paclitaxel-eluting stent (PES) group (TAXUS(TM), n = 9), and a bare-metal stent (BMS) group (YINYITM, Dalian Yinyi Biomaterials Development Co., Ltd, China, n = 8). The three different stents were randomly implanted into stenosis segments. Expression of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), P-selectin and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) was determined by reverse transcription-coupled polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).

RESULTSQCA showed severe stenosis in IL-1β treated segments. The SES and PES groups showed lower 1-month angiographic late lumen loss (LLL) within the stent and the lesion compared with BMS (P < 0.05) by follow-up QCA. The SES showed lower LLL than that of PES in reducing 1-month inflammation lesions in pigs by follow-up QCA ((0.15 ± 0.06) mm vs. (0.33 ± 0.01) mm, P < 0.0001). The neointimal hyperplasia areas in SES and PES showed lower than those of BMS (SES (11.6 ± 1.7) mm(2), PES (27.2 ± 1.6) mm(2) vs. BMS (76.2 ± 1.3) mm(2), P < 0.0001). The mRNA expression of MCP-1 by RT-PCR in SES and PES showed lower than that of BMS at 30 days after stenting (SES 0.20 ± 0.03, PES 0.48 ± 0.49 vs. BMS 0.58 ± 0.07, P < 0.05). Levels of VCAM-1 in SES were significantly lower than those of PES and BMS (SES 0.35 ± 0.08 vs. PES 0.65 ± 0.13, BMS 0.70 ± 0.06, P < 0.05). Histochemical immunostaining of vessel walls showed lower inflammatory chemokine MCP-1 expression in the SES and PES groups compared with BMS.

CONCLUSIONSESs were superior in reducing 1-month angiographic LLL in inflammation lesions in pigs, strongly suggesting that SESs can suppress inflammatory reactions in ISR at multiple points.

Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary ; adverse effects ; Animals ; Coronary Restenosis ; prevention & control ; Drug-Eluting Stents ; adverse effects ; Inflammation ; prevention & control ; Interleukin-1beta ; pharmacology ; Male ; Paclitaxel ; administration & dosage ; Sirolimus ; administration & dosage ; Swine

AIM To investigate the effects of Moluodan Dami Pills on chronic atrophic gastritis(CAG)rats and their mechanism.METHODS The rat models were randomly divided into the model group,the low-dose group and high-dose Moluodan Dami Pills groups(2.43 g/kg and 4.86 g/kg),and vitamin A group(0.32 g/kg),following the 16 weeks successful induction of CAG by five-factor modeling method,in contrast to another 10 normal rats of the control group.After 8 weeks corresponding administration,the rats of each group had their general physiological status and pH value of gastric juice assessed;their pathological changes of gastric mucosa observed by naked eyes combined with HE staining;their changes of gastrin-secreting cells(G cells)and somatostatin-secreting cells(D cells)in gastric mucosa observed by immunohistochemistry;and their serum levels of pepsinogen Ⅰ/pepsinogen Ⅱ(PG Ⅰ/PG Ⅱ)ratio,TNF-α and IL-6 detected by ELISA.RESULTS Compared with the model group,the groups intervened with Moluodan Damei Pills and vitamin A displayed lower pH values of gastric juice(P＜0.05),improved pathological changes of gastric mucosa,increased G and D cells counts(P＜0.05,P＜0.01),increased ratio of serum PGⅠ/PGⅡ,and decreased levels of IL-6 and TNF-α(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).CONCLUSION Moluodan Dami Pills can effectively improve the symptoms of CAG rats through its influence on the number and secretion abilityof G and D cells,the levels of serum PG Ⅰ/PG Ⅱ ratio and inflammatory factors.

OBJECTIVES: To study the clinical features of children with febrile seizures after Omicron variant infection. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data of children with febrile seizures after Omicron variant infection who were admitted to the Department of Neurology, Children's Hospital Affiliated to the Capital Institute of Pediatrics, from December 1 to 31, 2022 (during the epidemic of Omicron variant; Omicron group), and the children with febrile seizures (without Omicron variant infection) who were admitted from December 1 to 31, in 2021 were included as the non-Omicron group. Clinical features were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: There were 381 children in the Omicron group (250 boys and 131 girls), with a mean age of (3.2±2.4) years. There were 112 children in the non-Omicron group (72 boys and 40 girls), with a mean age of (3.5±1.8) years. The number of children in the Omicron group was 3.4 times that in the non-Omicron group. The proportion of children in two age groups, aged 1 to <2 years and 6-10.83 years, in the Omicron group was higher than that in the non-Omicron group, while the proportion of children in two age groups, aged 4 to <5 years and 5 to <6 years, was lower in the Omicron group than that in the non-Omicron group (P<0.05).The Omicron group had a significantly higher proportion of children with cluster seizures and status convulsion than the non-Omicron group (P<0.05). Among the children with recurrence of febrile seizures, the proportion of children aged 6-10.83 years in the Omicron group was higher than that in the non-Omicron group, while the proportion of children aged 3 years, 4 years, and 5 years in the Omicron group was lower than that in the non-Omicron group (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Children with febrile seizures after Omicron variant infection tend to have a wider age range, with an increase in the proportion of children with cluster seizures and status convulsion during the course of fever.
Male ; Female ; Humans ; Child ; Infant ; Child, Preschool ; Seizures, Febrile/etiology* ; Retrospective Studies ; Seizures ; Fever ; Epidemics ; Epilepsy, Generalized