Objective To observe the effect of electroacupuncture on improvement of learning and memory ability and the expression of connective tissue growth factor(CTGF)mRNA and protein in hippocampus in diabetic rats with cognitive impairment.Methods The rat diabetes model was induced by injecting streptozotocin(20 g/L),and then the rats were randomly divided into three groups:electro-acupuncture group(EA),diabetes-mellitus-untreated group(DM)and control group(CN).After four weeks of electroacupuncture treatment,blood glucose level was determined and the effect of electroacupuncture on learning and memory was examined with the device of Morris water maze.RT-PCR was used to detect CTGF mRNA level,and immunohistochemistry was used to detect CTGF protein expression.Results Blood glucose level and the latency period in DM group were increased compared with those in EA and CN groups(P

ObjectiveTo explore the neural basis of visual completion for the occluded faces.Methods2 types of visual stimuli were presented randomly: pictures of complete faces,pictures of incomplete faces(the occluded part was the left-top quadrant).Subjects were instructed to perform a gender discrimination task while event-related potentials(ERPs) were recorded.ResultsCompared with complete faces,incomplete faces enhanced the amplitude of N1 on the occipito-temporal scalp bilaterally,with the right hemisphere advantage.The peak latency of N2 elicited by incomplete faces was delayed compared with that of complete faces.ConclusionThe enhancement of N1 is related to visual completion processing that requires additional time.

ObjectiveTo investigate if there were potential components similar to auditory mismatch negativity (MMN) in the visual modality.MethodsEvent-related potentials (ERP) of 15 healthy adults were tested. Subjects were demanded to complete shape-matching task and double-matching task under 4 kinds visual stimuli including no-difference (Nd), contour-difference (Cd), shape-difference (Sd) and double-difference (Dd).ResultsWithin P1-N1 latent period (100～140 ms), three kinds of deviant stimuli (Cd, Sd, Dd) elicited a positivity, mismatch positivity (MMP). MMP amplitude elicited by Dd was a sum elicited by Cd and Sd (single-difference).ConclusionIn the visual modality, MMP elicited by warp stimulus may be an element similar to auditory MMN and reflect auto-processing of brain to visual stimulus.

Objective:To observe the clinical efficacy of Gao's nape acupuncture plus swallowing training in treating pharyngeal deglutition disorder after stroke.Methods:One hundred patients with post-stroke pharyngeal deglutition disorder were randomized into a treatment group and a control group,with 50 cases in each group.The two groups both received routine neurological intervention.In addition,the treatment group was given Gao's nape acupuncture plus swallowing training,while the control group was intervened by swallowing training alone.After eight-week treatment,the two groups were observed in terms of the changes in repetitive saliva swallowing test (RSST),modified water swallowing test (MWST),standardized swallowing assessment (SSA) and swallowing-related quality of life (SWAL-QOL).The clinical efficacies of the two groups were also compared.Results:After treatment,the RSST grading,and scores of MWST,SSA and SWAL-QOL changed significantly in both groups (P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).The RSST grading,and scores of MWST,SSA and SWAL-QOL in the treatment group were significantly different from those in the control group after treatment (P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).The total effective rate and markedly effective rate were respectively 100.0％ and 72.3％ in the treatment group,versus 97.9％ and 34.0％ in the control group.There was a significant difference in the markedly effective rate between the two groups (P＜0.01).The difference in the clinical efficacy between the two groups was statistically significant (P＜0.01).Conclusion:Gao's nape acupuncture plus swallowing training is an effective approach for post-stroke pharyngeal deglutition disorder.Its therapeutic efficacy is more significant than that of swallowing training alone.

Aim To iuvestigate the effect and the mechanism of salmonmilt DNA (SMD) on age-related involutions in mouse thymus. MethodsFemale BALB/c of 10 months were divided randomly into three groupsaccording to their weights: high dosage group 333.33 mg/(kg @ d), lowdosage group 166. 67 mg/(kg @ d) and control group 0 mg/(kg @ d) .After five weeks, with Image-Pro Plus (version. 4.0) software, the thymusindexes and the thymoctytes in the thymus section were measured, as wellas the thymus cortex thickness. All the data were analyzed by SAS statisticsoftware. Mieroarray technique was applied to screen the gene fragments,which were differently expressed between the high dosage group and thecontrol group, together with RT-PCR to further confirm some of them.Results No significant differences of the variables including bodyweight, thymus weight and thymus indexes among the three groups werefound (F ＜ 3.0 and P ＞ 0.05, respectively). The thymocytes quanti-ties of thymus cortex and medulla in the high dosage group were significantlyhigher than those of the control group [cortex D(H, C) = 9.46, P ＜ 0.01;medulla t( H.C) = 2.53, P ＜ 0.05]. The thymus cortex thicknesses of bothSMD supplement groups were significantly higher than that of the control group[cortex D(L,C)=3.65, P＞ 0.05; medulla t(L, C)=0.8, P＞ 0.05] .112differently expressed gene fragments were isolated. Furthermore, we foundthe fragments with the logged number of U23789, X80232 and Aw209102were highly expressed in the high dosage group when RT-PCR techniquewas used. Conclusion SMD may reverse the age-related involutions inmouse thymus via up-regulation the expression of proliferation related genesand development and differentiation related genes simultaneously.

Phaffia rhodozyma is a good strain for astaxanthin production. An over-producing mutant YB-20-29 was obtained by means of Cs137-?ray and N-methy1-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidin (NTG) treatment. The biomass for this strain by shake culture was 36.32 g/L, the pigment content was 1216.0 ?g/g, an increase of 308% compare to o-riginal strain. The astaxanthin content in broth was 30.9?g /mL. It was a potential strain for astaxanthin over-production.

The recombinaut porcine insulin precursor(PIP)produced by Pichia pastoris in shake-flask and 501.fermenter was investigated respectively.The results indicated that 60h induction time length and 2.0%～2.5% methanol addition every day was optimum in shake- flask.The process in 50L fermenter was consisted of batch,feed-batch and induction phases.The relationship between dry cell weight(y) and culture time (t) in growth phase(batch and feed-batch phase)could be described by model y=0.6525e~(0.1907t).Glycerol and ammonia were almost used for cell growth and maintain,and no by-product was observed in batch and fed-batch phase Only 80% ammonia and 70% methanol were used by cell in induction phase.By comparison the results of shake-flask and 50L fermenter,it was concluded that the limit- ing factor in the fermentation of shake-flask and 50L fermenter was dissolved oxygen(DO)and.carbon source,respectively.When scaling the result of shake-flask to 501.fermenter,the control strategy was adapted for 50L fermenter by increasing the feed rate of methanol and the maximum PIP concentration reached 1.72 g/L.

Objective:It has been proposed that blood pressure variability(BPV) is positively related to end-organ damage(EOD) in hypertension.The present work was designed to observe the effects of long-term treatment with nitrendipine and hydralazine on BPV and EOD in spontaneously hypertensive rats(SHR),to examine the hypothesis that lowering BPV with an antihypertensive drug is an important factor in organ protection.Design and methods:Drugs were mixed in rat chow.After 4 months of drug administration,blood pressure was recorded continuously in conscious freely moving rats for 24 h.The heart,kidneys,and brain were then isolated and examined.Results:It was found that nitrendipine significantly decreased blood pressure and BPV,and significantly decreased EOD score in SHR.Hydralazine decreased blood pressure,but did not lower BPV.No effect on EOD was found in hydralazine-treated rats.In control rat(n=38),EOD score was weakly related to systolic blood pressure(r=0.331,P<0.05) and closely related to long-term systolic BPV(r=0.551,P<0.01).In nitrendipine-treated rats,EOD score was closely related to long-term systolic BPV(r=0.602,P<0.01),but not to blood pressure level(r=0.174,P>0.05).Conclusion:BPV plays an important role in the organ-protecting effects of nitrendipine.

Objective:It has been proposed that blood pressure variability(BPV) is positively related to end-organ damage(EOD) in hypertension.The present work was designed to observe the effects of long-term treatment with nitrendipine and hydralazine on BPV and EOD in spontaneously hypertensive rats(SHR),to examine the hypothesis that lowering BPV with an antihypertensive drug is an important factor in organ protection.Design and methods:Drugs were mixed in rat chow.After 4 months of drug administration,blood pressure was recorded continuously in conscious freely moving rats for 24 h.The heart,kidneys,and brain were then isolated and examined.Results:It was found that nitrendipine significantly decreased blood pressure and BPV,and significantly decreased EOD score in SHR.Hydralazine decreased blood pressure,but did not lower BPV.No effect on EOD was found in hydralazine-treated rats.In control rat(n=38),EOD score was weakly related to systolic blood pressure(r=0.331,P<0.05) and closely related to long-term systolic BPV(r=0.551,P<0.01).In nitrendipine-treated rats,EOD score was closely related to long-term systolic BPV(r=0.602,P<0.01),but not to blood pressure level(r=0.174,P>0.05).Conclusion:BPV plays an important role in the organ-protecting effects of nitrendipine.

Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of nape acupuncture plus basic treatment and rehabilitation in treating pseudobulbar palsy after cerebral stroke and the relation between the efficacy and age of onset. Method A hundred patients were randomized into an observation group and a control group, 50 cases each. The control group was intervened by basic treatment and swallowing rehabilitation training, and the observation group was intervened by nape acupuncture in addition to the treatment given to the control group, once a day, five sessions a week, for 8 weeks in total. The Repetitive Saliva Swallowing Test (RSST), Water Swallowing Test (WST) and Standardized Swallowing Assessment (SSA) were observed in the two groups before and after the treatment; the relation between the age of onset and the efficacy of the integrated treatment method was also observed. Result The scores of RSST, SSA and WST were significantly improved after the treatment in both groups (P<0.01), and the improvements in the observation group were more significant than those in the control group (P<0.01). The therapeutic efficacy of nape acupuncture plus basic treatment and swallowing rehabilitation training was associated with the age of onset (P<0.05). Conclusion Nape acupuncture plus basic treatment and swallowing training can effectively improve dysphagia in pseudobulbar palsy after cerebral stroke. This method produces the most significant efficacy for patients aged 51-60, better than that for those aged over 60 and equivalent to the efficacy for patients aged 41-50.