OBJECTIVESTo investigate whether tibial intercondylar hyperplasia can cause anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries.

METHODSFrom February 2009 to October 2012, 58 cases (including 70 knees) with knee osteoarthritis (KOA) without trauma history were selected from the out-patient department of orthopaedics in Guang'anmen Hospital attached to China Academy of Chinese Medical Science. All cases were tested by MRI scanning, then vertical height of the medial and lateral intercondylar spine in coronal position and the area of abnormal signal of ACL in sagittal position were tested from patients. Correlation between the height of intercondylar spine and the area of abnormal signal of ACL were analyzed.

RESULTSFives cases of 58 cases( 70 knees) were excluded from episome in knee joint, and other 65 knees were in accordance with the inclusion criteria. Among them, there were 10 males and 48 females aged from 39 to 79 years old with an average of 61 years old. The vertical height of the medial intercondylar spine was (10.02 +/- 1.46) mm and lateral was (8.92 +/- 1.69) mm. The area of abnormal signal ACL was (318.42 +/- 130.10) mm2. There was positive correlation between the height of medial intercondylar spine and the area of abnormal signal of ACL (r=0.06, P=0.00). But there was no correlation between lateral intercondylar spine and the area of abnormal signal of ACL (P=0.10).

CONCLUSIONThe height of medial intercondylar spine and the area of abnormal signal of ACL is positively correlated. The clinical significance is in study, while the clinical meaning still need further study.

Adult ; Aged ; Anterior Cruciate Ligament ; abnormalities ; diagnostic imaging ; surgery ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperplasia ; diagnostic imaging ; surgery ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Osteoarthritis, Knee ; diagnostic imaging ; surgery ; Radiography ; Tibia ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; surgery

Objective:To optimize the ethanol extraction process of Rhizoma Corydalis and Salvia miltiorrhiza, and study the effect of comminution degree of the medicinal materials on the effective constituent. Methods:Using the alcohol concentration, alcohol vol-ume, extraction time and extraction times as the impacting factors,the content of tetrahydropalmatine and salvianolic acid as the indi-ces, the extraction process was optimized by orthogonal test of L9(34). Results:The best extraction conditions were as follows:Rhizo-ma Corydalis was crushed into coarse powder, the material / liquid ratio was 1∶6 with 75% ethanol as the extraction solvent,extracting twice with 1. 5h each. Conclusion:The extraction method is appropriate and simple,and can be used in the industrial production.

Various cancers have seriously threatened human' s health. Screening newer and more effective anticancer agents from natural sources to cure these diseases is the focus in research. As novel sources of potential medicine, a number of metabolites isolated from endophytic fungi have been proved to have anticancer bioactivity. Usually, these endophytic fungi have special biochemical pathway and they can accumulate anticancer agents in cultures such as taxane, alkaloids, cytochalasins, podophyllotoxin, brefeldin A and so forth. The research advance on anticancer agents purified from endophytic fungi is expatiated systemically. In addition, the strategy of screening anticancer agents as well as the prospect on this area is introduced briefly.

Animals ; Animals, Newborn ; Bone Marrow Transplantation ; Disease Models, Animal ; Humans ; Hypoxia, Brain ; physiopathology ; prevention & control ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Stromal Cells ; transplantation ; Transplants ; trends

Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Osteogenesis Imperfecta ; diagnosis ; therapy

BACKGROUND: The key point in the treatment of acute cerebral infarction lies in inproving the blood supply of brain effectively as soon as possible as well as rescue ischemic and half diazonal nerve cells, so as to contract the local of infarction as great as possible.OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of traditional treatment of cerebral piamatral microcirculation in gerbil with cerebral ischemic reperfusion injury by supplementing qi and activating blood circulation.DESIGN: Contrast animal experiment at random.SETTING: Zhabei Branch of Shanghai Changzheng Hospital.MATERIALS: The experiment was performed in the Institute of Naval Medicine (key laboratory of the whole army). Twenty-two healthy Monglian gerbils of clean grade (six months old) were selected and randomly divided into medicine group and control group with 11 gerbils in each group.METHODS: Animals were routinely anaesthetized and fixed in prone position to open the cranium window in median line and expose the pia mater. The cranium window was protected by being covered with a cotton ball containing artificial cerebrospinal fluid (ACSF) after operation. Gerbils were fixed in dorsal position with an median incision made in the lateral cervical nucleus to isolate and expose bilateral common carotid artery (CCA). The bilateral CCA were occluded by atraumatic micro-bulldog clamp, and the occluded blood flow in the distal end was observed under the microscope. Thirty minutes after occlusion of bilateral CCA, the vascular clamp was unclamped to recover the cerebral blood reperfusion. Gerbils in the medicine group were abdominally injected with 0.4 mL of Huangqi injection (containing 0.8 g of crude drug), 0.3 mL of compound Danggui injection (containing Danggui, Chuanqiong and Honghua, 0.09 g for each)and 0.3 mL of Danshen injection (containing 0.45 g of Shengyao). Animals in the control group were abdominally injected with same-volume of normal saline. The changes of pial microcirculation were quantitatively observed in two groups through cranium window respectively before blockage, at the reperfusion after blockage as well as in 120 minutes after injection by laser microcirculation microscope and the TV video system.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The changes of piamatral microcirculation as well as comparison in venous blood flow velocity in gerbils of each group before and after ischemic reperfusion.RESULTS: All gerbils were involved in the analysis of results with no animal died in the experiment.①When the CCA of animals in the two groups were blocked, obvious contraction of piamatral microcirculation was seen and partial blood vessels were blocked up. Platelet and red blood cells etc.adhered to the arteriolae of grade Ⅰ and veinules below grade Ⅲ with microthrombus formed and large ischemic area appeared. The blood flow rate was obviously slowed down. Moderate and severe aggregations were found in red blood cells, and the white blood cells were significantly increased.There was obvious exudation in the periphery of microvessels. After CCA reperfusion, the arteriolae and veinule were in different thickness, and the thrombus in veinule of grade Ⅰ and Ⅱ formed in the cerebral ischemia were difficult to be removed by blood flow. Red blood cell moderately aggregated, and the number of white blood cells greatly increased. White small thrombus could be seen sometimes, while the exsudation in the periphery of microvessel was not significantly ameliorated. Great changes were found in gerbils of the medicine group after abnormal injection of supplementing qi and activating blood circulation medicine: almost all arteriolae and venulae were opened, and the rate of blood flow was accelerated with the blood flow rate remarkably increased. Deposit in the venulae began to decreased, and the thrombus was gradually dissolved. Red blood cells were moderately aggregated or normal. Blood flow in ischemic spot was improved significantly than that after reperfusion. The exudation in the periphery of microvessels was gradually lessened even dissolved. However,no obvious change was found in gerbils of the control group. ②The blood flow rate of arteriole in the medicine group was 1.04-1.50 mm, which was obviously higher than that in the control group with significant differences (P ＜ 0.5-0.01).③The blood flow rate of veinule in the medicine group was 0.96-1.12 mm/s, which was remarkably higher than that in the control group with marked differences (P ＜ 0.05-0.01).CONCLUSION: The effect on piamatral microcirculation of gerbil with cerebral ischemic reperfusion by supplementing qi and activating blood is exact, which is directly related with accelerated blood flow rate, expanded veinule and arteriolae as well as ameliorated blood-supply of brain.

Objective To investigate the expression of vascular endothelial cell growth factor(VEGF) and its upregulation of matrix metalloproteinase-2(MMP-2)activation in synovial fluid of patients with rheumatoid arthritis(RA)as well as its role in the pathogeneses of RA.Mathods Expression of VEGF and receptor KDR in mononuclear cell(MNC)of synovial fluid of RA patients and controls were determined by Western blot;VEGF levels of supernantants from MNC was determined by ELISA;supernantants from KDR~+ MNC of synovial fluid of RA patients collected after incubation in serum-free medium with or without VEGF, their activity of MMP-2 was measured by gelatinolytic zymography;Boyden chamber-matrigel in vitro invasion assay was used to detect the invasive capacity in vitro in KDR~+ MNC of synovial fluid of RA patients incubat- ed with or without VEGF.Results The expressions of VEGF/KDR in MNC of synovial fluid of RA patients were significantly higher than those of controls;the MMP-2 activity and invasive ability of co-cuhured KDR~+ MNC with VEGF was higher than those of without VEGF.Conclusion VEGF upregulates MMP-2 activation and promotes invasion of MNC of synovial fluid of RA patients by interacting with receptor KDR,indicating that VEGF plays an important role in RA pathology.

Clinical practice teaching in out-patient department is an important part of general internal clinical teaching for medical students. From 2010, eight-year program medical students in Huazhong University of Science and Technology began their clinical rotation practice in the out-patient department of general internal medicine. The one-on-one tutoring style was used in clinical teaching. We combined teacher demonstration teaching method with teacher supervision teaching method in clinical practice, and carried out periodical case discussion. At the end of each rotation stage, regular teaching evaluation and examination was taken. It has been proved that our teaching mode can not only help the students improve their professional and practical levels of clinical skills, and also help them gain the clinical working abilities and the professional spirits, which is worthy of further promotion.

OBJECTIVETo observe the distribution of constitution types of Chinese medicine (CM) in patients with osteonecrosis of femoral head (ONFH).

METHODSTotally 130 ONFH patients were recruited. Constitution types of CM were identified in all patients. Distribution features of constitution types of CM in ONFH patients were observed. The differences of distribution in gender, age, single or bilateral hips, course of disease, staging, cause, and region were also analyzed.

RESULTSSeventy patients were of complicated constitutions, while 60 patients were of single constitution. Among the 60 single constitution cases, yang-deficiency constitution [18 (13.9%)], damp-heat constitution [10 (7.7%)], blood-stasis constitution [7 (5.4%)], and qi-deficiency constitution [7 (5.4%)] were mainly distributed. Of the complicated constitutions, yang-deficiency dominated constitution occupied the top ratio [30 (23.1%)], followed by blood-stasis dominated constitution [15 (11.5%)], damp-heat dominated constitution [9 (6.9%)]. By putting them together, yang-deficiency constitution occupied the top constitution of CM [48 (36.9%)], followed by blood-stasis constitution [ 22 (16.9%)] and damp-heat constitution [19 (14.6%)]. The aforesaid three constitutions accounted for 68.5% of the total. There were no statistical distribution differences in gender, age, single or bilateral hips, course of disease, staging, or cause.

CONCLUSIONYang-deficiency constitution, damp-heat constitution, and blood-stasis constitution were liable constitutions of CM in ONFH patients.

Femur ; pathology ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Osteonecrosis ; complications ; drug therapy ; Yang Deficiency

AIMTo investigate the influence of the vagus nerve on the electrophysiological properties in the Mauthner cell soma and the relationship between soma and viscus.

METHODSThe microelectrode recording technique was used to explore the electrophysiological properties in the Mauthner cell when stimulating the right vagus.

RESULTSAt lower stimulation strength a graded and compound excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSP), formed by two components with lower amplitude, were recorded on the Mauthner cell in a crucian carp. As the intensity of stimulus increased, the amplitude became larger and lasting time longer. With the stimulations high enough, action potentials (AP) were evoked on the EPSP.

CONCLUSION(1) Action potential can be induced on M cell by a direct stimulation on vagus nerve, which is in controversy with previous reports. (2) The neural pathway projecting from vagus to M cell is composed of a set of neuronal chains with excitatory and/or inhibitory members, the activation of M cell depends on the relationship between excitatory and inhibitory neuron.

Animals ; Carps ; physiology ; Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials ; physiology ; Microelectrodes ; Neurons ; physiology ; Vagus Nerve ; physiology