AIM:To investigate the cause of blindness, except those caused by cataract, in Haimen city.METHODS:According to the WHO`s criteria of blindness, the blindness level was decided through ophthalmic tests by associate chief or chief ophthalmologists who were trained especially for disability evaluation.The analysis of the the leading cause were taken too.RESULTS:Totally 3 266 persons were blindness, in which 2 118 were first level blindness, 1 148 persons were second lever blindness, and 1 308 persons were male, 1958 were female.The leading cause of blindness were retina and uveitis diseases (31.58%), genetic diseases(23.47%), cornea disease(14.49%).CONCLUSION:The leading cause of blindness are retina and uveitis diseases, genetic diseases, cornea diseases in Haimen city of Jiangsu province.Early prevention and treatment should be strengthened to reduce the occurrence of blindness.

Calibration ; Dose Fractionation ; Humans ; Imaging, Three-Dimensional ; instrumentation ; Movement ; Particle Accelerators ; instrumentation ; Radiotherapy Planning, Computer-Assisted ; Radiotherapy, Conformal ; Respiration ; Stereotaxic Techniques ; Technology, Radiologic ; instrumentation ; methods ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; methods

With the development of natural products, the research activities on the solubilization methods of water-insoluble natural products have been carried out worldwide. Big molecular weight and poor solubility of most natural active ingredients lead to a very poor oral absorption and low bioavailability, which has extremely limited their development in pharmaceutical fields and clinical application. As a result, it is necessary to find out a suitable technique to improve the solubility and enhance the oral bioavailability of insoluble natural drugs. Based on the related references published in these years, this review introduced some new techniques to improve the solubility and bioavailability of natural drugs, including prodrugs, inclusion complex, solid dispersion, cocrystals, osmotic pump, liquisolid compacts, micronization, self-microemulsifying, nanosuspensions, lipsomes, polymeric micelles and so on, and summarized the theory, characteristics, application range, application examples, problems and development direction of each technique.
Administration, Oral ; Biological Availability ; Biological Products ; administration & dosage ; chemistry ; pharmacokinetics ; Chemistry, Pharmaceutical ; methods ; trends ; Solubility ; Technology, Pharmaceutical ; methods ; trends ; Water

Objective To compare the outcomes of off-pump versus on-pump CABG.Methods From 2002 to 2008,CABG was performed in 105 patients aged 80 years and over,including 45 without cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) or off-pump (OP) CABG (OPCAB) and 60 with CPB (onpump CABG).The outcomes were compared between two groups.Results The mean ICU stay was (37.1±30.3) h in OPCAB group and (60.6±58.2) h in on-pump CABG group (P＜0.01).Average ventilator-assisted time was (10.8±9.7) h for OPCAB group versus (22.3±35.7) h for onpump CABG group (P＜0.01).Postoperative atrial fibrillation occurred in 31.1％ of OPCABG patients and 41.7 ％ of on-pump CABG patients (P＜0.01).The mortality rate was 5.0％ in OPCABG group versus 8.3％ in on-pump CABG group (P＜0.05).Conclusions OPCABG is a safe and efficient method of myocardial revascularization in the elderly patients with lower morbidity and complications.

Objective To evaluate the short-term therapeutic effect and radiation reaction of stereotactic radiotherapy for early stage non-small cell lung cancer in the elderly patients. Methods Thirty-one patients with stage Ⅰ - Ⅱ non-small cell lung cancer were treated with stereotactic radiotherapy. Patients aged 70-88 years, median age 76; 21 were stage I patients, and 10 stage Ⅱ ; 14 patients had tumor

Objective:To study the effects of ~(125)I-(α_v)ASODN on the in vitro invasive ability of heptocellular carcino-ma cell line(HepG2) through PEI-RGD-mediated receptor process. Methods: Intergrin α_v-specific antisense oligonucle-otide was labeled with ~(125)I, and PEI-RGD/~(125)I-(α_v)ASODN complex was prepared by combining ~(125)I-(α_v)ASODN with polyethyleneimine derivative PEI-RGD. PEI-RGD/~(125)I-(α_v)ASODN complex was transferred into HepG2 cells through the receptor-mediated process. The effect of PEI-RGD/~(125)I-(α_v)ASODN complex on the invasive ability of HepG2 cells was examined by Boyden chamber invasive assay. Results: (1) The labeling yield and radiochemical purity of ~(125)I-(α_v) ASODN were(73.78±4.09)% and(96.68±1.38)%, respectively, and the labeled compound had a good stability in vitro after 48 h at 37℃; (2) The ability of HepG2 cells to uptake PEI-RGD/~(125)I-(α_v)ASODN reached its peek ([12.77±0.85] % ) when PEI-RGD/~(125)I-(α_v)ASODN was at 4 μl/2 μg ([12.77±0.85] %), and then gredually decreased thereafter. So the dosage of PEI-RGD/~(125)I-(α_v)ASODN for the following experiment was chosen as 2 μl/1 μg; (3) The invasive capacity of HepG2 cells was significantly reduced in PEI-RGD/~(125)I-(α_v)ASODN group compared with those in other experiment and control groups (P <0.01 ). Conclusion: ~(125)I-(α_v)ASODN mediated by PEI-RGD can effectively inhibit the invasive capacity of HepG2 cells.

Melatonin has been reported to inhibit hepatic fibrosis and the mechanism may be correlated to its anti-oxidant effect.Nevertheless,the mechanism is not completely identified.This study was conducted to investigate the effects of melatonin on TGF-β1/Smad signaling pathway in liver fibrosis in rats.The liver fibrosis model was made by the subcutaneous injection of CCl4.The liver pathology changes were detected using hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining and Van Gieson (VG) staining.Serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activities were measured with an autoanalyzer.Glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities and levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydroxyproline (Hyp) in liver were evaluated by spectrophotometry.Expression levels of TGF-β1,Smad2/3,phosphorylated Smad2/3 (p-Smad2/3) and Smad7 in liver were detected by immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis.Results showed that melatonin suppressed CC14-induced liver fibrosis,along with an improvement in histological changes,significant decreases in pathologic grading sores and obvious decreases in Hyp levels in liver.Melatonin improved liver function indicated by decreased serum ALT and AST activities.In addition,melatonin exerted its anti-oxidant effects,as supported by decreased MDA levels and increased GPx activities in liver.Furthermore,melatonin inhibited TGF-β1/Smad pathway,as evidenced by decreased TGF-β1,Smad2/3 and p-Smad2/3 expression and increased Smad7 expression in liver.In conclusion,melatonin may suppress CCl4-induced hepatic fibrosis in rats via inhibiting TGF-β1/Smad pathway.It is possible for melatonin to be a potential reagent to treat and cure liver fibrosis.

Objective To compare the advantages and values of several special staining methods of chondrocytes . Methods Twelve 7-day old healthy C57BL/6J mice were killed to obtain the cartilage tissue of the knee joint in order to isolate the chondrycytes .Type II collagen was used to assess the chondrocytes .Then the chondrocyte climbing slices were prepared.The materials were fixed, and HE staining, Safranin O-fast green staining, SA-β-gal staining and immunohistochemical staining of Type II collagen were performed and compared .Results HE staining showed clear morphology of the chondrocytes .The cell nuclei were stained blue and the cytoplasm was pink .Safranin O-fast green staining showed that the nuclei were pink and the cytoplasm green .SA-β-gal staining showed that the aging cells were green while the young cells were colorless .Immunohistochemical staining of type II collagen showed the distribution of type II collagen and they were stained brown while the cell nuclei were blue .Conclusions HE staining and safranin O-fast green staining can provide more information than the other staining techniques .SA-β-gal staining is useful in the analysis of aging chondrocytes .Immunohistochemical of type II collagen can be used to study type II collagen .

OBJECTIVETo identify the existence of the dental pulp stem cells in Beagle's pulp tissue by using the same methods of isolating and culturing the human dental pulp stem cells.

METHODSPulp tissue was extirpated from the crown and root of the Beagle's healthy permanent tooth, and digested by dispase for cell culture. Classical identification methods of mesenchymal stem cells including observation of biological characteristics, capacity of multilineage differentiation, and expression of specific markers associated with mesenchymal stem cells were applied to verify the existence of Beagle's dental pulp stem cells.

RESULTSA clonogenic, rapidly proliferative population of cells were isolated from Beagle' pulp tissue. Under the same culture condition, the Beagle's dental pulp stem cells had a significant higher colony-forming unit-fibroblast (CFU-F) formation rate (150 colony/10(4) cells) than the dental pulp cells derived from the human pulp tissue (60 colony/10(4) cells). These cells also had the multilineage differentiation ability. They could be induced to form mineralized nodules, lipid droplets and chondrocytes. Furthermore these cells expressed the mesenchymal stem cell markers including STRO-1, CD146, alkaline phosphatase, nestin, vimentin and cytokeratin-18.

CONCLUSIONSThere are dental pulp stem cells in the Beagle's pulp tissue.

Alkaline Phosphatase ; metabolism ; Animals ; Antigens, Surface ; metabolism ; CD146 Antigen ; metabolism ; Cell Culture Techniques ; Cell Differentiation ; Cell Proliferation ; Colony-Forming Units Assay ; Dental Pulp ; cytology ; Dogs ; Humans ; Keratin-18 ; metabolism ; Male ; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells ; cytology ; metabolism ; Nestin ; metabolism ; Osteogenesis ; Vimentin ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo analyze the nystagmus during particle repositioning maneuver for posterior semicircular canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (PC-BPPV), and verify different pathogenesis of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV).

METHODSThe chief complains, nystagmus during positioning test and particle repositioning maneuver (PRM) were recorded in detail from 66 PC-BPPV cases during Dec.2007 and Apr.2008, and verifying possible pathogenesis of BPPV was based on nystagmus.

RESULTSOf all 66 PC-BPPV cases, the four positions of PRM were found in 24 cases presented upward torsional nystagmus at the second or third position, 21 cases presented negative nystagmus except the first position, 7 cases presented intensity horizontal nystagmus during PRM and 14 cases presented downward nystagmus at the second or third position during PRM. Of all 66 cases, 78.8% of them were accord with canalithiasis and cupulolithiasis while the other may be related with otolith organ or nerve disease.

CONCLUSIONSBesides canalithiasis and cupulolithiasis, part of BPPV may be related with otolith organ or nerve disease.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nystagmus, Pathologic ; etiology ; Semicircular Canals ; Vertigo ; etiology ; pathology ; therapy ; Young Adult