BACKGROUND: It is manifested in epidemiology and clinical observation that lipoprotein (a) is a new risk factor of cerebrovascular disease and is closely related to cerebral ischemic stroke.OBJECTIVE: To discuss the relationship between levels of high serum lipoprotein (a) and stroke.DESIGN: Case controlled analysis.SETTING: Neurological Institute of Xiangya Hospital of Central South University.METHODS: Totally 294 patients with stroke were selected from Neurological Department of Xiangya Hospital of Central So, uth University between September 1999 and March 2002. Of them, 159 cases were regarded as cerebral infarction group and other 135 cases as acute hypertensive cerebral hemorrhage group. In cerebral infarction group, 109 patients had atherosclerotic cerebral infarction and 50 patients had lacunar cerebral infarction, and 94patients with contimuous health examination were regarded as health examination group. Serum lipoprotein (a) in each group was assayed with "sandwich enzyme-linked immuno-sorbent assay". According to whether the value of lipid was normal or not, patients with atherosclerotic cerebral infarction and acute hypertensive cerebral hemorrhage were divided into two groups. Comparisons between the two groups were assayed with single sample t test, and multiple liner regression was used to assay whether sex, hypertension and value of lipid were related to the level of serum lipoprotein (a).MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: ① Comparisons of serum lipoprotein (a)among atherosclerotic cerebral infarction group, lacunar cerebral infarction group, acute hypertensive cerebral hemorrhage group and health examination group. ② Correlated analysis between serum lipoprotein (a) and lipid.RESULTS: Among 294 patients, 94 cases in control group entered the final analysis. ① Comparisons of serum lipoprotein (a) among atherosclerotic cerebral infarction group, lacunar cerebral infarction group, acute hypertensive cerebral hemorrhage group and health examination group: Levels of serum lipoprotein (a) in atherosclerotic cerebral infarction group and cerebral hemorrhage group were higher than those in health control group (P ＜ 0.05), and concentration of lipoprotein (a) in atheroosclerotic cerebral infarction group was increased as compared with that in acute hypertensive cerebral hemorrhage group (P ＜ 0.05). Also, level of lipoprotein (a) in lacunar cerebral infarction group was a little higher than that in control group,but the difference was not significant (P ＞ 0.05). ② Correlated analysis between serum lipoprotein (a) and lipid: Levels of lipoprotein (a) in both normal lipid group and abnormal lipid group were assayed with single sample t test, and the results showed that levels in the two groups were similar (P ＞ 0.05). Multiple liner regression was used to assay whether sex,hypertension and value of lipid were related to level of serum lipoprotein (a).CONCLUSION: Levels of lipoprotein (a) may be an independent risk factor for cerebral hemorrhage and atherosclerotic cerebral infarction.

Objective: To investigate the effect ofintestinal trefoil factor (ITF) on the transcriptional activity of ITF promoter and to explore the regulatory mechanismofJanus kinase/signal transducersand activators of transcription(JAK/STAT) on ITF promoter. Methods: The 5' flanking sequence of the ITF gene was cloned from human whole blood genomic DNA by PCR. ITF promoter fragment was cloned and inserted into the pGL3-Basic vector to construct recombinant vector. ITF promoter vector was stimulated with ITF at various concentrations and the luciferase activity was measured. The JAK-STAT3 signal transductionpathway was then blocked by a speciifc inhibitor AG490 to determine the signal pathway involved in ITF promoter activity. Results: Restriction endonuclease analysis and DNA sequencing confirmed that the recombinant plasmid, containing ITF promoter, was constructed successfully. After transient transfection, the activity of ITF promoter was increased signiifcantly in the presence of ITF (P<0.05). Blockage of the JAK-STAT3 signal transduction pathway with AG490 signiifcantly reduced the ITF promoter activity (P<0.05). Conclusion: ITF increases the transcriptional activity of ITF promoter via the JAK-STAT3 signal transduction pathway.

BACKGROUND: There has been increasing attention in the study of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (ALS)and bone metabolism, which is accompanied by osteopenia and osteoporosis. Interleukin(IL) -6, a cytokine that strongly promotes bone resorption, participates in the regulation of bone metablism.OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship between changes of bone mineral density(BMD) and serum IL-6 content in AIS.DESIGN: A controlled non-randomized concurrent study involving patients with AIS and and healthy volunteers.SETTING: The clinic and wards of the department of spinal surgery of a university-affiliated hospital.PARTICIPANTS: Thirty-six patients with AIS(6 males and 30 females aged 12 to 18 years) were treated in the Department of Spinal Surgery, Drum Tower Hospital, Medical College of Nanjing University from July to October 2003, who had a Cobb angle ranging from 34° - 109° and curvature of the thoracic spine. Thirty-six healthy adolescent volunteers(7 males and 29 females within the range of 13 - 18 years old) served as the control group.METHODS: The BMD was measured at L2- L4 and the proximal femur;(including the femoral neck, greater trochanter and Ward' s triangle) by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and serum IL-6 determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA).MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: ① BMD of the lumbar spine and femur ② Comparison of serum IL-6 content of all the subjects.RESULTS: The BMD of AIS patients at L2- L4, femoral neck, greater trochanter and Ward' s triangle was 0.79±0. 12, 0.78±0. 12, 0.65± 0. 10, and 0. 69 ± 0. 13 g/cm2, respectively, all significantly lower than the corresponding measurements of the control group(1.09 ± 0. 11, 0.95 ± 0. 11,0. 78 ± 0. 10, and 0. 88 ± 0. 11 g/cm2, respectively, P ＜ 0. 001), whereas the serum IL-6 content in the patients was significantly higher than that in the control subjects ( P ＜ 0. 005). The changes of BMD at the lumbar spine and the three sites of femur were negatively correlated with serum IL-6 in AIS patients( P ＜ 0. 001 ), but not so in the control group( P ＞ 0.05).CONCLUSION: The BMD is decreased and serum IL-6 elevated in patients with AIS, and excessive secretion of IL-6 might be one of the important factors of osteopenia in AIS.

We used 4 methods,such as ultrasonic crush(UC),ultrasonic rinse(UR),whorl surge(WS)and rubbing(RU),to isolate epiphytic bacteria from red alga Gracilaria lemaneiformis.Then,we counted bacteria numbers,detected bacterial species,observed bacterial configuration and characteristic of cell wall.Compared with these methods and with different treatments in one method,the results were drawn:the UR and RU were inferior in all methods to isolate bacterial numbers and species,the UC and WS were better,especially,the treatment 30W 30s of UC was the best in experiment,which isolated 12 of 16 bacterial species,and got 1.75 10~6 cells per gram wet weight G.lemaneiformis.

Objective To investigate the expression transforming growth factor?1(TGF-?1),Smad7 and connective tissue growth factor(CTGF) in rats with renal tubulointerstitial fibrosis and the effects of Gypenosides(GPs) treatment on expression of TGF-?,Smad7 and CTGF.Methods Unilateral ureteral Obstruction(UUO) rat animal models were used and the rats were divided into GPs group(Gypenosides 200 mg?Kg~(-1)?d~(-1) by gastric gavage from 3d before the obstruction to 14 days after the induction),model group and sham operated group.The expression of TGF-?1,Smad7 and CTGF in the obstructed kidneys was assessed by RT-PCR,immunohistochemistry and HE staining methods after 3,7,and 14d respectively.The degree of tubulointerstitial damage was scored by Masson staining methods.Results Compared with the sham operated group,the expressions of TGF-?1,CTGF mRNA and protein were markedly increased in UUO group,and the expression of Smad7 mRNA and protein was markedly decreased(all P

Objective:To investigate the effects of the β-casomorphin-7 on in vitro and in vivo mice splenic lymphocyte and macrophage nitric oxide production.Methods:Splenocytes proliferation assay and nitrite determination were employed for the studies of effects of β-casomorphin-7 on mice splenic lymphocyte and macrophage following in vitro stimulation of β-casomorphin-7 and in vivo intrapetitoneal administration and drinking β-casomorphin-7 solution administration.Results:In vitro study, β-casomorphin-7 showed a stimulation as well as a suppression of lymphocyte proliferation and significantly(P＜0.01) suppressed the production of nitric oxide. In vivo study, β-casomorphin-7 actions on lymphocytes and macrophages were accordant in intraperitoneal administration and drinking β-casomorphin-7 solution administration. β-casomorphin-7 significantly(P＜0.01) increased in splenic lymphocyte proliferative response and suppressed nitric oxide production in peritoneal macrophages.Conclusion:The present study indicates that the β-casomorphin-7 has the immunomodulatory effects and β-casomorphin-7 may be permeable into peripheral blood intact in mice of 2-3 weeks of age.

BACKGROUND: Autophagy is a homeostatic process for intracellular recycling of bulk proteins and aging organelles. Increased autophagy has now been reported in experimental models of traumatic brain injury, stroke and excitotoxicity, and in patients with Alzheimer's disease and critical illness. The role of autophagy in developmental epilepsy, however, is unknown. The present study was to investigate the effects of recurrent neonatal seizure, in the presence and absence of autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine (3-MA), on the acute phase gene expression of ZnTs, LC3 and Beclin-1 in rat cerebral cortex and the interaction among them. METHODS: Thirty-six Sprague-Dawley neonatal rats at postnatal day 6(P6) were randomly divided into three groups: a recurrent-seizures group (RS, n=12), a 3-MA treated-seizure group (3-MA group, each rat pretreated with 3-methyladenine before seizures, 100nmol/ l/day, i.p., n=12) and a control group (n=12). At 1.5 and 6 hours after the last seizures, the mRNA levels of ZnT1-ZnT3, microtubule-associated protein 1A/1B light chain 3 (LC3) and beclin-1 were detected using the real-time RT-PCR method. The LC3 protein level was examined by Western blotting. RESULTS: The levels of LC3, beclin-1 and ZnT-2 transcripts in the RS group elevated significantly at 1.5 and 6 hours after the last seizures compared with those in the control and 3-MA groups. At the interval of 1.5 hours, the mRNA level of ZnT-1 increased significantly after the last seizure compared with that in the control group. There was no significant difference in the transcript levels of ZnT-3 among the three groups. Linear correlation analysis showed that the expression of the five genes in the control group exhibited a significant inter-relationship. In the 3-MA group, however, the inter-relationship was only found between beclin-1 and ZnT-1. In the RS group, the inter-relationship was not observed. CONCLUSIONS: The autophagy/lysosomal pathway is immediately activated along with the elevated expression of ZnT1 and ZnT2 in the cerebral cortex after recurrent seizures. 3-MA is involved in the regulation of the autophagy/lysosomal pathway and ZnTs by down-regulating the expression of LC3 and beclin-1.

This study aims at trying to establish a novel method of sterility test for injections based on biothermodynamics, in order to overcome the deficiencies of routine sterility tests such as long detecting cycle, low sensitivity and prone to misjudgments. A biothermodynamics method was adopted to rapidly detect the microorganism contamination of injections by monitoring the heat metabolism during the growth of microbe. The growth rate equal to or greater than zero and the heat power difference of P(i) and P(0) with three folds higher than the noise of baseline were chosen as indexes to study the heat change rule of microbe. In this way, the effectiveness of the new method to detect strains required by conventional sterility test or in injection samples was also investigated. Results showed that the Gram-positive bacteria, Gram-negative bacteria and fungi demanded by sterility testing methodology could be detected by biothermodynamics method within 10 hours, with the sensitivity lower than 100 CFU x mL(-1). Meanwhile, this method was successfully applied to the sterility test of Compound Yinchen injection (FFYC), Shuanghuanglian powder injection (SHL) and Compound Triamcinolone injection (TAND) which were sterilized with different degrees. Therefore, the biothermodynamics method, with advantages of fast detection and high sensitivity, could be a complementary solution for conventional sterility tests.
Anti-Inflammatory Agents ; administration & dosage ; chemistry ; Drug Contamination ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; chemistry ; Fungi ; isolation & purification ; Gram-Negative Bacteria ; isolation & purification ; Gram-Positive Bacteria ; isolation & purification ; Hot Temperature ; Injections ; Microbiological Techniques ; methods ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Sterilization ; Triamcinolone ; administration & dosage ; chemistry

Antibiotics, Antineoplastic ; therapeutic use ; Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating ; therapeutic use ; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic ; therapeutic use ; Breast Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Cyclophosphamide ; therapeutic use ; Epirubicin ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Lymph Node Excision ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasms, Multiple Primary ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Paclitaxel ; therapeutic use

OBJECTIVETo analyze the effects of three surgical operations in the treatment of Pilon fracture of Rüedi-Allgower type III, and put forward the best therapeutic method.

METHODSThe clinical data of 33 patients with Pilon fracture who received surgical operations (plaster immobilization group, 10 cases; distal tibia anatomical plate group, 11 cases; external fixation with limited internal fixation group, 12 cases) from October 2009 to January 2012 were analyzed. There were 5 males and 5 females, ranging in age from 24 to 61 years in the plaster immobilization group. There were 7 males and 4 females, ranging in age from 21 to 64 years in the distal tibia anatomical plate group. There were 7 males and 5 females, ranging in age from 23 to 67 years in the external fixation with limited internal fixation group. The Ankle X-ray of Pilon fracture after operation, ankle score, early and late complications were collected. Bourne system was used to evaluate ankle joint function.

RESULTSAfter 8 months to 3 years follow-up, it was found that three kinds of treatment had significant differences in the outcomes and complications (P < 0.05): the external fixation with limited internal fixation group got the best results. The number of anatomic reduction cases in the external fixation with limited internal fixation group (7 cases) and the distal tibia anatomical plate group (8 cases) was more than the plaster immobilization group (2 cases). According to the ankle score, 8 patients got an excellent result, 3 good and 1 poor in the limited internal fixation group ,which was better than those of distal tibia anatomical plate group (5 excellent, 4 good and 2 poor) and the plaster immobilization group (3 excellent, 4 good and 3 poor). The number of early and late complications in the external fixation with limited internal fixation group was more than those in the plaster immobilization group and the distal tibia anatomical plate group (P< 0.05).

CONCLUSIONTreatment of external fixation with limited internal fixation in the treatment of Pilon fracture of Rüedi-Allgower type III is effective and safe.

Adult ; Aged ; Case-Control Studies ; Female ; Fracture Fixation, Internal ; methods ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Tibial Fractures ; diagnostic imaging ; surgery ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult