The purpose of this study was to develop a robotic system for image-guided percutaneous interventions using ultrasound (US) or computed tomography (CT) for needle biopsy, ablation, cryotherapy, and other needle procedures. The conventional operation of puncture was analyzed firstly, and a compact robot was then designed for manipulating a needle or other slender surgical instrument in the confined space. Its distinctive characteristic is the decoupled motion capability correlated to the positioning and orientation steps of the percutaneous intervention. This approach allowed each step of the intervention to be performed using a separate mechanism of the robot. One major advantage of this kinematic approach was patient safety.

Rats were divided into 6 groups fed with 2 levels of zinc (1.41 and 100 ppm) and 3 levels of vitamin A (retinyl acetate 0, 7 and 46 mg/kg). Each group of the rats was tube-fed for 18 days and killed on the 19th day of experiment. Growth rate, zinc and vitamin A levels in serum and tissues, alkaline phosphatase (AKP) activity in serum, total protein and hemoglobin concentrations were measured. Both zinc levels in serum and tissues and AKP activity of the zinc deficient groups were significantly lower than those of the control group. The serum vitamin A values were distinctively depressed in the vitamin A free and vitamin A normal group. The serum vitamin A values in the vitamin A enriched group were not affected by zinc deficient diet and its serum zinc levels was higher than vitamin A free and normal group. The results suggest that zinc deficiency will interfere the release of vitamin A from liver and lead to the decrease of blood vitamin A, which may occurs only when the blood zinc is lower than a certain "critical level" . Different levels of vitamin A have different effect on rats of zinc deficiency, such as vitamin A deficiency will aggravate the zinc deficient symptoms and the increase of vitamin A intake can alleviate zinc deficient harms.

This study aimed to establish human IFN-gamma (hIFN-gamma) in vitro release assay and to apply it in diagnosis of human tuberculosis. Human IFN-gamma gene was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The recombinant hIFN-gamma was purified and used as immunogen to immunize mice and rabbits respectively. Monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies were respectively developed and a sandwich ELISA was established. The heparized whole blood from 111 active tuberculosis patients and 292 clinical healthy controls were collected. The blood was stimulated with tuberculosis specific fused antigen ESAT-6/CFP-10 and the plasma was collected for IFN-gamma detection. The sensitivity for tuberculosis diagnosis was 95.5%, whereas the positive detection rate for the healthy controls was 16.7%. There was a significant difference between the patients and healthy controls (P<0.01) indicating that this assay had a high sensitivity and specificity, and thus could be promising in tuberculosis diagnosis.
Animals ; Antibodies, Monoclonal ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Female ; Humans ; Interferon-gamma ; immunology ; secretion ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis ; immunology ; Rabbits ; T-Lymphocytes ; immunology ; Tuberculosis ; diagnosis ; immunology

Objective:To investigate the effects of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) Gm13568 on the activation of A1 astrocytes and the progress of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in mice.Methods:A recombinant lentiviral vector (LV-Inhibit-Gm13568) carrying astrocyte-specific promoter of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) was established to inhibit the function of endogenous Gm13568. A control vector (LV-ctrl) was established as well. The recombinant vectors were packaged. C57BL/6 mice were injected with 1×10 7 transforming units of viral suspension via the tail vein and 7 d after the injection, myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein 35-55 (MOG 35-55) was used to establish the mouse model of EAE. Four groups, PBS group, EAE group, LV-ctrl+ EAE group and LV-Inhibit-Gm13568+ EAE group, were included in this study. Clinical signs of the mice were monitored daily in a double-blinded manner. The mice were sacrificed 23 d after the EAE model was established and the spinal cord tissues were collected. The expression of Serping 1, C3, Srgn and H2-T23 at mRNA level was detected by real-time PCR. Changes in the expression of IL-6, TNF-α, macrophage chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) and interferon-inducible protein-10 (IP-10) were measured. Western blot was used to investigate the expression of GFAP and Notch1 in spinal cord tissues and the phosphorylation of signal transduction and transcription activator 3 (STAT3). The expression of Notch1 intracellular domain (NICD) and GFAP in spinal cord tissues was detected by immunofluorescence. Furthermore, the infiltration of inflammatory cells and the demyelination of spinal cord were observed using HE and Luxol fast blue (LFB) staining methods. Results:Compared with PBS group, A1 astrocytes were activated and Notch1 expression was significantly up-regulated in EAE group and LV-ctrl+ EAE group. The clinical score of mice in LV-Inhibit-Gm13568+ EAE group was decreased from an average score of 3.5 to less than 1 on 23 d after antigen induction and the clinical symptoms were alleviated as compared with the mice in LV-ctrl+ EAE group. Meanwhile, the activation of A1 astrocytes was down-regulated, and the production of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines was also reduced. The expression of Notch1, GFAP and NICD at protein level and the phosphorylation of STAT3 were significantly reduced. Moreover, the infiltration of inflammatory cells and demyelination of spinal cord tissues were alleviated significantly.Conclusions:LncRNA Gm13568 might regulate the activation of A1 astrocytes via the Notch1/STAT3 pathway, thus affecting the production of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines and participating in the process of EAE.

OBJECTIVE: To obtain information on the toxicity of lufenuron on the reproduction ability and the growth and development of offspring in female and male rats through two-generation reproduction toxicity study. METHODS: The specific pathogen free healthy SD rats were randomly divided into control group and low-, medium-and high-dose lufenuron groups, with 60 rats in each group, half females and half males. Rats in the low-, medium-and high-dose lufenuron groups were respectively fed with lufenuron at the dose of 5.0, 20.0 and 80.0 mg/(kg body weight·day) for 8 weeks before mating. The control group was fed with standard foot. The reproductive index, brain and reproductive organ coefficients and pathological changes were observed in P and F1 parents. The birth and growth indexes of the offspring were measured. RESULTS: i) P generation: from the 14 th day, the female rats in the medium-dose group had lower body weight than that of the female control group(P<0.05); from the 35 th day, the body weight was lower than that of the female low-dose group(P<0.05). From the 14 th day, the female rats in the high-dose group had lower body weight than that of the other three female groups(P<0.05). From the 14 th day, the male rats in the medium-and high-dose groups had lower body weight than that of the male control group and low-dose group(P<0.05). The body weight of pregnant rats in the parental high-dose group was lower than that of the control group, low-dose group, and medium-dose group at day 0, 7, 14, 19 of the pregnancy duration(P<0.05). The body weight of pregnant rats in the parental medium-dose group was lower than that of the low-dose group on day 0 of the pregnancy duration, and lower than that of the control and low-dose groups on day 7 and 14(P<0.05). The conception rate, the new-borne survival rates and the feeding survival rate of female rats in the high-dose group was lower than that of the other three female groups(P<0.008). The new-borne feeding survival rate of female rats in the medium-dose group was lower than that of the control group and low-dose group(P<0.008). The organ coefficients of brain in female rats in the medium-and high-dose groups were higher than that of the female control group and low-dose group(P<0.05). The organ coefficients of brain and testis in male rats in the medium-and high-dose groups were higher than that of the control group and low-dose group(P<0.05). The organ coefficient of epididymis in male rats in the high dose group was lower than that of the other three male groups(P<0.05). ii) F1 generation: the body weight of female rats in the low-and medium-dose group was higher than that of the female control group on the 42 th day(P<0.05). The body weight of male rats in the low-dose group was higher than that of the male control group on the 42 th, 49 th, and 56 th days(P<0.05). The body weight of male rats in the medium-dose group was higher than that of the male control group on the 14 th, 21 th, 42 th, 49 th, and 56 th days(P<0.05). The new-borne survival rate in the low-dose group was lower than that of the control group(P<0.017). The body weight of new-borne rats in the high-dose group on day 4 of birth was lower than that in the other three female groups(P<0.05). iii) F2 generation: the body weight of male rats in the male medium-dose group was lower than that in the control group on day 21 of birth(P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The reproductive and developmental toxicity of lufenuron is found in rats in the medium-and high-dose groups. Toxicities including low body weight, conception rate, new-borne survival rate and feeding survival rate are found in P generation; low body weight and feeding survival rate are found in F1 generation; low body weight is found in male F2 generation. The no-observed-adverse-effects levels of lufenuron in two-generation reproductive study are 5.87 mg/(kg·d) for females and 5.09 mg/(kg·d) for males in SD rats.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effects of sub-acute inhalation of 1-bromopropane( 1-BP) on the ultrastructure of cerebral cortex,hippocampus,cerebellum,and brainstem in male rats. METHODS: Specific pathogen free healthy male Wistar rats were randomly divided into control group and exposure group with 6 rats in each group. The rats of exposure group received 1-BP vapor at a concentration of 5 000 mg/m3. The rats in the control group were given fresh air in a dynamic inhalation chamber system for 4 weeks(6 hours/day,5 days/week). After the end of the exposure,the cerebral cortex,hippocampus,cerebellum and brainstem of rats were collected and the ultrastructural changes were observed under transmission electron microscope( TEM). RESULTS: After 3 weeks of exposure to 1-BP,the rats in the exposure group began to have unresponsiveness and decreased muscle strength in hind limbs. The body weight of exposure group was lower than that of control group from the 1 st to the 4 th week( P < 0. 05). TEM results showed destroyed structure of the myelin sheath in the region of cerebral cortex, hippocampus, cerebellum and brainstem, and irregular nucleus, vacuolar degeneration,increased lysosome of endoplasmic reticulum,mitochondrion swelling of neuron cells,karyopyknosis of astrocytes and vacuolation in the neurite of astrocytes located in the blood brain barrier( BBB). CONCLUSION: 1-BP sub-acute inhalation exposure could damage the myelin,neuron,astrocyte and BBB in male rats. The demyelination of nerve fiber and decreased permeability of BBB was particularly noticeable.