Objective To preliminary investigate fetal left heart function of fetuses in α-thalassemia using spatio-temporal image correlation (STIC).Methods 95 volumes from fetal hearts in singleton pregnancies at 20-28 weeks of gestation were collected.STIC datasets were frozen in end-systole and enddiastole.Ventricular volumes were measured using VOCAL,Inversion and SonoAVC.The stroke volume was calculated from these measurements.Results All data sets could be measured with all three techniques in this study.The intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) between techniques were all ＞ 0.90.The time necessary to measure the stroke volume was significantly shorter using SonoAVC than using VOCAL and Inversion.Bland-Altman plots showed no clinically significant mean percent differences between stroke volume measurements obtained from each ventricle using three techniques.The left ventricular end-systole volume(ESV),stroke volume(SV)and ejection fraction(EF)was significantly different than fetuses with normal heart (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions This study shows the feasibility of measuring left ventricular volumes during either systole or diastole and thereby calculating stroke volumes with all three techniques.And there was a high degree of reliability for all three techniques,as shown by excellent ICCs.There was good accuracy of STIC techniques in measuring fetal left ventricular volumes with cardiomegaly.

Alzheimer Disease ; metabolism ; therapy ; Amyloid beta-Peptides ; immunology ; metabolism ; Antibodies ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Immunotherapy

Adolescent ; Attention ; drug effects ; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity ; drug therapy ; physiopathology ; Child ; Electroencephalography ; drug effects ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Psychomotor Performance ; Treatment Outcome

Gindenosides are the active ingredients of Panax ginseng. 20 (S) -protopanaxadiolocotillol type epimers are the main metabolites of 20 (S) -protopanaxadiol. The previous studies showed that there are stereoselectivity difference in pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics between 24R-epimer and 24S-epimer. The purpose of this study was to explore the excretion of the epimers in bile, feces and urine of rat. Liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method has been performed for determination of 24R-epimer and 24S-epimer in bile, feces and urine. 24R-epimer or 24S-epimer was intragastric administered to rats at a single dose of 10 mg x kg(-1). Results showed that after administration the recovery of 24R-epimer and 24S-epimer in feces was 17.69% and 17.09%, respectively, while both of the two epimers were hardly detected in urine. The 48 h cumulative biliary excretion rate of 24R-epimer was 8.01% after administration, while only 1.47% for 24S-epimer. It indicated that there are stereoselectivity in biliary excretion of the epimers with intragastric administration.
Animals ; Bile ; chemistry ; metabolism ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; pharmacokinetics ; Feces ; chemistry ; Ginsenosides ; chemistry ; pharmacokinetics ; Male ; Mass Spectrometry ; Panax ; chemistry ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Stereoisomerism ; Urine ; chemistry

OBJECTIVE To investigate the diagnostic and prognostic value of molecular biological detection of DTC in peripheral blood. METHODS 32 cases of laryngeal or laryngopharyngeal carcinoma were investigated. DTC in peripheral blood was detected by nested reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction,using CK19mRNA as the marker. RESULTS In the RT-PCR study,15 of 32 cases (46.9 %) showed a positive result. Ten of the 25 cases (40 %) of laryngeal carcinoma were positive. Fix of the remaining 7 cases (71.4 %) of laryngopharyngeal carcinoma were positive. All controls were negative. Of the 20 cases without lymph node metastasis,6 were positive; of the 12 cases with lymph node metastasis,9 were positive. The positive rate of the group with lymph node metastasis was higher than that of the group without lymph node involvement(P

Objective To describe the clinical characteristics of a patient with Gitelman syndrome,and to identify the associated SLC12A3 gene mutations.Methods A suspected case of teenager-onset Gitelman syndrome was observed in our hospital.It was further confirmed by clinical manifestations and auxiliary examination.In addition,direct sequencing for the exons of SLC12A3 gene and CLCNKB gene region was conducted to identify the probable disease-associated mutations.Results The case showed characteristics of hypokalemia,hypomagnesemia,and low level of urinary calcium and onset by age of 18.By excluding the possibilities of long-term use of thiazide diuretics,laxatives,chronic vomiting and diarrhea,he was finally diagnosed as a case of Gitelman syndrome.Furthermore,by Sanger direct sequencing,2 coding variations were identified in SLC12A3 gene region,including T304M and L488P.L488P was a new heterozygous mutation.Conclusion Detection of SLC12A3 gene mutation could facilitate the diagnosis of Gitelman syndrome and improve prognosis.

In order to determine the challenge dose of pigeon paramyxovirus type 1 (PPMV-1) inactivated vaccine (S-1 strain). The virus titer of PPMV-1 E5 allantoic fluid (Chuansha strain) was determined using SPF chicken embryos in this research. After inoculating 30-day-old and 120-day-old pigeons with low-HI antibody against PPMV-1 (HI antibody < or =2) with different doses of PPMV-1 (Chuansha strain), the clinical symptoms and histopathological lesions of the challenged pigeons were examined. The results showed that the minimal lethal dose (MLD) of PPMV-1 (Chuansha strain) was 102.5 ELD50, so we determined that 10(5.5) ELD50, which was 1000 times the MLD, could be taken as the challenge dose in the vaccine efficacy test for PPMV-1 inactivated vaccine (S-1 strain).
Animals ; Antibodies, Viral ; immunology ; Bird Diseases ; immunology ; mortality ; virology ; Chick Embryo ; Columbidae ; immunology ; virology ; Newcastle Disease ; immunology ; mortality ; virology ; Newcastle disease virus ; immunology ; pathogenicity ; Phylogeny ; Viral Vaccines ; immunology ; Virulence

OBJECTIVETo investigate the impact of 1, 25-(OH)2D3 on left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in type 2 diabetic rats.

METHODSType 2 diabetic mellitus (DM) model rats were established by intraperitoneally injecting with 30 mg/kg streptozotocin. After 8 weeks, 19 male rats were identified as diabetic with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) by ultrasound examination, and randomly assigned into three groups: untreated (DM-LVH, n=7), treated with insulin (DM-LVH+INS, n=6), and treated with 1, 25-(OH)2D3 (DM-LVH+VD, n=6). Healthy male rats were used as the controls group (n=6). The fasting blood glucose and the insulin level were determined weekly. The left ventricular mass index, myocardial collagen content, collagen volume fraction, and 1, 25-(OH)2D3-receptor level were determined by 4 weeks later.

RESULTSIn the DM-LVH model group, the insulin level was significantly decreased compared with the non-diabetic control group (P<0.05), whereas the blood glucose, left ventricular mass index, myocardial collagen content, collagen volume fraction, and 1, 25-(OH)2D3-receptor expression were significantly increased (all P<0.05). In the DM-LVH+INS and DM-LVH+VD groups, the insulin levels were significantly increased compared with the DM-LVH model group (P<0.05), whereas the other parameters were significantly decreased (all P<0.05).

CONCLUSION1, 25-(OH)2D3 could reverse LVH in diabetic rats and that the mechanism may involve stimulating insulin secretion and reducing blood glucose via direct up-regulation of 1, 25-(OH)2D3-receptor expression.

Animals ; Blood Glucose ; analysis ; Calcitriol ; therapeutic use ; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental ; blood ; complications ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; blood ; complications ; Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular ; prevention & control ; Insulin ; blood ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Receptors, Calcitriol ; analysis ; Streptozocin

Objective To study the effects of granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) on the expression of vascular endotllelial growth factor (VEGF) in human dermal fibroblast. Methods In vitro human dermal fibroblasts in good status were incubated with GM-CSF (GM-CSF group) or non-GM-CSF (control group) culture medium for different periods of time. The mRNA, protein expression of VEGF in derma fibroblast were determined by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blotting, respectively, and the secretion of VEGF in supernatant was measured by enzyme linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA). Results The expression of VEGF mRNA from dermal fibroblasts was increased significantly after l or more hours of incubation with GM-CSF comparing with the control (P＜0.05). 6 hours of stimulation by GM-CSF caused maximal expression of VEGF mRNA. The expression of VEGF protein in dermal fibroblasts was increased from 12 hours and was peaked at 24 hour after stimulation by GM-CSF. VEGF protein from the supernatant of the dermal fibroblasts was also raised persistently from 12 hour after stimulation by GM-CSF and was improved remarkably compared with the control. Conclusions GM-CSF can up-regulate directly the expression of VEGF in human derma fibroblast, which may be one of the mechanisms that GM-CSF accelerates neovascularization in wound healing.

Objective To establish plaque reduction assay and evaluate the activities of oseltamivir (tamiflu),amantadine,ribavirin and herb radix isatidis against influenza virus in vitro.Methods Plaque reduction assay was used to determine IC_(50) values of four studied drugs above in this susceptibility testing in which 8 clinical isolates(three influenza A virus isolates and five influenza B virus isolateds)were inoculated and tested.Results By testing of 8 clinical isolates of influenza virus A and B isolated between the year 2001 to 2008,oseltamivir and amantadine were found to be sensitive to influenza A virus with IC_(50) of 0.064 -0.128 mg/L and 0.5 mg/L,respectively.However,ribavirin(IC_(50)>8 mg/L)was not found to be sensitive,and herb radix isatidis had totally no activities.Unfortunately.all four studied drugs were not found to have activities against influenza B virus in vitro.Conclusions It Was indicated that oseltamivir and amantadine.but not ribavirin and herb radix isatidis.are sensitive to influenza A virus.All four studied drugs were not found to have activities against influenza B virus in vitro.