Objective To explore the influence of thyroid status on serum level of leptin and expression of leptin mRNA in rats with hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism.Methods Fifty rats were artificially rendered hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism by L-thyroxine or methimazole and divided into 5 groups.The serum of T 3,T 4,TSH,leptin concentration and expression of leptin mRNA were measured in 5 groups.Results Serum leptin concentration was significantly correlated with weight of rats in 5 groups(P

Objective To investigate the changes of Bcl-2 and Bax expression in white matter of fetal rats after maternal endotoxin administration. Methods Pregnant rats were randomly divided into two groups: infection group and control group. The infection group was established by intraperitoneal injection of endotoxin in pregnant rats when gestation was 70% complete (15 days). The control group was treated with normal saline. The fetal rats were killed at 2, 4, 12, 24 and 72 hours after maternal endotoxin administration. The pathological changes in placenta and in fetal rat brain were determined by HE staining. Immunohistochemical method was used to detect the expression of Bcl-2 and Bax proteins in fetal rat brains. Results The major pathological changes in fetal rats niter maternal endotoxin administration included neutrophil infiltration in the placenta, weak staining of white matter and focal infarction. After maternal endotoxin administration, the expression of Bcl-2 gradually decreased from 2 h and arrived at the valley at 12 h, while that of Bax gradually increased 2 h and reached a peak at 12 h. Between the endotoxin-gronp and the control group, the number of positive cells of Bcl-2 and Bax in brain of the fetal rat had significant difference at 4, 12, 24 and 72 hours (P< 0.01 ), and there was no significant difference at 2 h (P > 0.05). The ratio of Bax to Bcl-2 in the endotoxingroup was significantly higher than that in the control group at each time point (P<0.01).Conclusion Endotoxin can be used to eatablish intrauterine irfection models and the infection may cause damage to the white matter. Overexpression of Bcl-2 protects cell from apoptosis, but Bax may function as a cell death effector pro-tein. The ratio of Bax to Bcl-2 may play an important role for apoptosis in the lesion of the white matter.

Atrial Flutter ; Fetus ; Humans

Objective To investigate the levels of interleukin 1? (IL 1?) and tumor necrosis factor ? (TNF ?) in both serum and CSF in patients with Alzheimer's disease Methods Eleven patients with Alzheimer's disease,13 patients with vascular dementia (VD) and 13 healthy controls were analyzed by using commercial ELISA kits Results The average serum level of IL 1? was found higher in AD patients(60 13?17 81 pg/ml) than in VD patients(38 51?14 39 pg/ml) and in healthy controls(33 98?16 31 pg/ml)( P

Objective: Clone, express and purify human recombinant calreticulin (CRT). Methods: Human CRT cDNA was amplified from total RNA of human lung cancer cell line A549 cells by RT-PCR. Then, PCR product was subcloned into prokaryotic expression vector pET-15b. After sequencing, this recombinant plasmid was transformed into E.coli. Rossetta. Recombinant CRT was expressed in host cells by IPTG induction. Resulted protein was purified by Ni-NTA resin under denature condition and dialyzed to recover its native structure. SDS-PAGE and Western blot method were used to identify the expression and purification of reconbinant CRT. Results: Human CRT cDNA was cloned from total RNA of A549 cells. CRT prokaryotic expression vector pET-15b-crt was constructed. Reconbinant CRT was induced to express in E.coli and purified by Ni-NTA affinity chromatograph. Conclusion: A method for prokaryotic expression and purification of human recombinant CRT was successfully established. This method laid a foundation for the subsequent CRT research.

The main objective of this research is to investigate the effects of astragaloside IV, calycosin separately glucoside, formononetin on oxidative stress in Chang Liver cells induced by H2O2. In the experiments, Chang Liver cells (a kind of normal human hepatocytes) were used as the research object, bifendate which has a clear hepatoprotective effect was used as the positive control drug, then the oxidative damage model of Chang Liver cells were established by H2O2. Cells were divided into six groups: blank control group, oxidative stress group, astragaloside IV group, calycosin separately glucoside group, formononetin group and positive control group. Then endogenous antioxidant system related indexes were detected by micro plate and colorimetric method; intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) were detected by DCFH-DA fluorescent probe; and the expressions of CYP2E1 were evaluated by liver microsomes, mRNA, and protein, respectively with spectrophotometry, Real-time PCR method, and Western blot technique. Results showed that H2O2 decreased antioxidant activity, and increased ROS level and expression of CYP2E1. The above oxidative stress status had been changed with protections of the three components of Astragalus membranaceus (compared with oxidative stress group, P < 0.05, P < 0.01), which taken as a whole had equivalent effects as the drug of positive control group( bifendate). Taken together, three Astragalus membranaceus ingredients all had significant or extremely significant inhibiting effects on oxidative damaged Chang Liver cells which were induced by H2O2, and the oxidative damage of Chang Liver cells had been relieved.
Astragalus membranaceus ; chemistry ; Cells, Cultured ; Cytochrome P-450 CYP2E1 ; metabolism ; Humans ; Isoflavones ; pharmacology ; Liver ; drug effects ; Oxidative Stress ; drug effects ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; metabolism ; Saponins ; pharmacology ; Triterpenes ; pharmacology

Adolescent ; Cardiac Catheterization ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Heart Septal Defects, Atrial ; pathology ; surgery ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Postoperative Complications ; pathology

Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; methods ; Adult ; Aged ; Catgut ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Phlebotomy ; Trigeminal Neuralgia ; therapy

BACKGROUND: High incidence rate in the morning and low incidence rate in the evening is the regularity of stroke; however, there are no clear reports on changes of concentration of plasma endothelins and its relationship with onset of cerebral thrombus.OBJECTIVE: To investigate dynamic regularity of plasma endothelins in patients with acute cerebral thrombus within 24 hours and its correlation with episode.DESIGN: Case-controlled study.SETTING: Center of Radio-immunology and Department of Laboratory of Affiliated Hospital of Medical College of Qingdao University.PARTICIPANTS: Totally 32 patients with cerebral thrombus were selected from Neurological Department of Affiliated Hospital of Medical College of Qingdao University from January 2002 to January 2003. There were 20males and 12 females with mean age of (61.5±4.1) years. Ten patients had history of diabetes mellitus combined with hypertension, 8 had history of hypertension, 1 had history of diabetes mellitus, and 13 did not have history of diabetes mellitus and hypertension. Another 30 healthy subjects were selected from the same hospital including 13 males and 17 females with the mean age of (58.1±6.25) years. Informed consent was obtained from all subjects.METHODS: Radio-immune analysis was used to determine the dynamic changes of plasma-endothelins level in 32 patients with cerebral thrombus and 20 healthy subjects at 2, 8, 14 and 20 o'clock.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: ① Plasma-endothelins level of patients in cerebral thrombus group and control group at the four time points within 24 hours; ② Plasma-endothelins level of patients with or without cerebral thrombus at the four time points within 24 hours.RESULTS: Totally 32 patients with cerebral thrombus and 30 subjects in control group entered the final analysis. ① Plasma-endothelins level in cerebral thrombus group day and night was higher than that in the control group (t=29.1-30.5, P ＜ 0.001). The level was the lowest [(69.96±3.92) ng/L] at 2 o'clock within 24 hours but the highest at 8 o'clock [(78.55±3.80) ng/L,(t=5.67, P ＜ 0.01)]. ② Levels of endothelins in patients with history of hypertension and cerebral thrombus were obviously higher than those in patients without history of hypertension and cerebral thrombus at 2, 8, 14 and 20 o 'clock within 24 hours [(73.28±7.89), (64.52±5.29) ng/L; (82.39±8.62),(75.81±5.14) ng/L; (81.39±8.62), (70.32±5.97) ng/L; (82.47±5.04),(65.27±5.14) ng/L, (t=2.11-5.17, P ＜ 0.05-0.01)].CONCLUSION: Plasma-endothelins level in patients with acute cerebral thrombus has rhythm changes within 24 hours. The changes are high in the morning and low in the evening, and this is accorded with high onset of cerebral thrombus in the morning.

Objective In order to measure the nursing unit workload scientifically,we used the Delphi method to investigate the influencing factors of nursing unit workload.Methods After consulting literature and discussing with experts,alternative indicators were designed,then two rounds of consultations were made with experts by using the Delphi method.Results The questionnaires revealed that the valid recovery rate,after two rounds of consultations,were 95％ and 100％ respectively,which reflected the positivity of the experts which participated in this study.The expert authority coefficient was 0.896,which indicated the high reliability of the consulting.The coordination indexes of expert opinions were 0.467 and 0.239 respectively,which showed the expert advices had good coordination and the results had high reliability.Conclusions The influencing factors of nursing unit workload determined by Delphi method have high reliability,which is significant for the scientific measuring of the nursing unit workload.