AIM: To clarify whether advanced glycation end products (AGEs) can influence the expression of mitochondrial fusion proteins Mfn1 and Mfn2 in cultured human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs) in vitro.METHODS:AGE-BSA was used as AGEs.Purchased primary human aortic endothelial cell line was multiplied, and transferred to dif-ferent passages for subsequent grouping.For dose-dependent experiment, HAECs were divided into 4 groups, and the con-centrations of AGE-BSA in each group were 0 mg/L (control group), 50 mg/L, 100 mg/L and 200 mg/L, respectively. For time-dependent experiment, HAECs were divided into 5 groups with the same concentration (100 mg/L) of AGE-BSA, but the intervention time was 0 h (control group), 6 h, 12 h, 24 h and 48 h, respectively.The mRNA and protein expres-sion levels of Mfn1 and Mfn2 in the HAECs were detected by real-time PCR and Western blot, respectively.RESULTS:Exposure of the HAECs to AGEs at different concentrations for 24 h all down-regulated the mRNA and protein expression levels of Mfn1 and Mfn2.Except for 6 h intervention group, 100 mg/L AGEs intervention for 12 h, 24 h and 48 h all down-regulated the mRNA and protein expression levels of Mfn1 and Mfn2 in cultured HAECs.CONCLUSION: AGEs down-regulates the expression of mitochondrial fusion proteins Mfn1 and Mfn2 in cultured HAECs, indicating that AGEs may influence mitochondrial dynamics of human aortic endothelial cells.

Herpes Simplex ; immunology ; Humans ; Immune System Diseases ; etiology ; Immunosuppression ; Infant, Newborn ; Male

AIM: To study the cytological characteristics and gene expression of normal cultured bEnd.3, a mouse brain microvascular endothelial cell strain. METHODS: The morphology of bEnd.3 was studied by light and electronic microscopy, its molecular markers were observed by immunocytochemistry. Cell proliferation kinetics and apoptosis were analyzed by flow cytometry and MTT assay, PGE_2 level was measured by ELISA, and expression of the genes that closely related with vascular endothelial functions was studied by gene micro-array. RESULTS: bEnd.3 had morphological characteristics of microvascular endothelial cells (MVEC) growing in a cobblestone pattern, forming tube-like structure or capillary network and having microvilli. Furthermore, bEnd.3 showed positive staining for vW factor and CD34 and secreted high level of PGE_2 (644.55?30.24 ng/L). Gene micro-array analysis showed CD31, CD36, CD105 expression, and other genes closely related to microvascular endothelial functions also expressed at relatively high level. In addition, bEnd.3 responsed sensitively to mitogen such as basic fibroblast growth factor. CONCLUSION: bEnd.3 is a kind of MVEC, and it can be utilized to study the mechanisms of some diseases such as cancers and cardio- cerebral vascular diseases.

AIM: To examine the effect of protamine sulfate, lipopolysaccharide(LPS),tumor necrosis factor(TNF), epidermal growth factor(EGF) and " Bushen Huoxue Xiezhuo" (BHX) decoction on the proliferation of extracorporeal cultured rat glomerular epithelial cells (GEC). METHODS: Their action on the proliferation of rat GEC were investigated using the -TdR incorporation. Meanwhile, the serum of rats treated with BHX decoction was extracted pharmacologically and its effects on the growth of GEC were also studied. RESULTS: LPS, protamine sulfate, TNF-? and EGF could significantly inhibit the -TdR incorporation of GEC in a dose- and time-dependent manner. However, this inhibition could be efficiently reversed by the serum containing BHX decoction. CONCLUSION: GEC is one of the main target cells on which BHX decoction act, and the protection on GEC might be one of the mechanisms underlying the role of BHX decoction in preventing the progression of nephrosis.

Objective To explore the expression and significance of Dickkopf-1 (Dkk-1) and cell lymphoma/leukemia-2 (Bcl-2) protein in sinonasal squamoucell carcinoma(SNSCC) .MethodThe immunohistochemical SP method and Western blomethod were adopted to determine the expression of Dkk-1 and Bcl-2 in 30 specimenof SNSC(SNSCgroup) ,38 specimenof sinonasal inverted papillomas(SNIP group) and 20 specimenof middle turbinate mucosa(control group) .ResultThe expression of DKK-1 protein in the SNSCgroup wasignificantly down-regulated compared with the SNIP group and the control group ,while the expression of Bcl-2 protein in the SNSCgroup wasignificantly up-regulated compared with the SNIP group and the control group;in the SNSCgroup ,the positive rateof DKK-1 protein and Bcl-2 protein in the high and middle differentiation group and the low differentiation group were 100 .00% ,68 .75% ,33 .33% and 50 .00% ,62 .50% ,100 .00% respectively ,the differencewere statistically significan(P＜0 .05) .Conclusion Dkk-1 protein may play an importanpromoting role in the developmenand pro-gression procesof SNSC,the expression of Dkk-1 protein hanegative correlation with the expression of Bcl-2 protein in SNSC,which may become new targespoof SNSCgene therapy .

Objective Analyze the causes of ambiguous medical records to provide evidence for the DRGs.Methods 268 Ambiguous medical records were selected from 17 751 surgery medical records between 2010 and 2014 based on major diagnosis and major surgery.The single factor Chi-square test was used to study the influence of various inpatient characteristics on the occurrence of ambiguous medical records, and those significant variables were given assignment to find influencing factors of ambiguous medical records by using logistic regression analysis.Results Ambiguous medical records account for 1.51％ of all surgical medical records.Logistic regression analysis results show that such risk factors as discharging from internal medicine, death of patient, transfer between departments, elderly, long time of hospitalization, and tumor patients, as contributing to ambiguous medical records.All the results are statistically significant (P＜0.05), including discharging from which departments (OR=6.595, 95％CI..5.043 ～ 8.625), death of patient (OR=3.787, 95％ CI: 2.611 ～ 5.492) and transfer between departments (OR =2.746, 95％ CI: 2.061 ～ 3.659), which rank important risk factors for ambiguous medical records.Conclusion Analysis of the causes of ambiguous medical records provides important evidences for the hospital to improve its medical record quality management.

The lecture, role play, combination of team learning and self-directed learning, group presentation,these multiple pedagogies were adopted in the teaching of selective medical English course.The questionnaire result showed this multiple teaching strategy can foster the students' interest in medical English, enhance their awareness of active learning and increase the ir learning efficacy, which is an effective teaching model, and can be applied and promoted in the medical English teaching.

Objective To investigate the application of ultrasound and 64-slice spiral CT in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis. Methods Sixty-five patients with pathologically or clinally confirmed acute appendicitis were underwent ultrasound and CT examina-tion before operation or conservative treatment.Compared with pathology,the accuracy of CT and B-ultrasound imaging were ana-lyzed.Results Fifty-eight cases were correctly diagnosed by CT and 48 cases were correctly diagnosed by ultrasound,the accuracy was 89.23% (58/65)and 73.85% (48/65),respectively.There was a statistically significant difference between two groups (χ2 =5.1 1,P =0.024).Conclusion The accuracy of multi-slice spiral CT is higher than ultrasound in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the treatment efficiency of Au nanoparticles enhanced photosensitizer using near-infrared illumination.MethodsSpecific length-diameter-ratio Au Nanorods (AuNR) was coated with traditional photosensitizer indocyanine green (ICG),producing the novel photosensitizer ICG-AuNR.In order to evaluate the treatment efficiency,in-vitro near-infrared phototherapy experiments were performed on 4T1 mouse breast cancer cells.ResultsThe fluorescent intensity of ICG-AuNR is three times stronger than that of free ICG of the same concentration.Compared with free ICG of the same concentration,cell viability of 4Tl cells reduced in the near-infrared illumination treatment with the novel photosensitizer ICG-AuNR.ConclusionIn comparison with free ICG of the same concentration,the novel photosensitizer ICG-AuNR proves to be more effective on growth inhibition of cancer cells using near-infrared illumination treatment.

Objective:To explore associations of subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) with endocrine metabolic characteristics in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).Methods:A total of 321 women who were newly diagnosed as PCOS were recruited from two endocrine outpatient clinics.The diagnosis of PCOS was established according to the 2003 Rotterdam consensus criteria.Thyroid function was examined by chemiluminescent immunoassay.Patients who had normal free thyroxine (FT4) were divided into different SCH subgroups according to two thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) cutoffpoints (4.2 and 2.5 mU/L).Endocrine metabolic characteristics in different subgroups were compared and analyzed.Results:In PCOS women with normal FT4,the patients with TSH ≥ 4.2 mU/L had higher prolactin (PRL),luteinizing hormone-to-follicle stimulating hormone ratio,and visceral adipose index (all P<0.05).There were trends toward an increase in triglyceride (P=0.085) and a decrease in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (P=0.060) in the patients with TSH ≥ 4.2 mU/L compared with that in the patients with TSH<4.2 mU/L.Also in PCOS women with normal FT4,the patients with TSH ≥ 2.5 mU/L had higher body mass index,PRL,triglyceride,visceral adipose index and lower HDL-C in comparison of that in the patients with TSH<2.5 mU/L (all P<0.05).Conclusion:SCH is associated with more severe endocrine abnormality,dyslipidemia,and visceral obesity in PCOS women.PCOS women with normal FT4 and endocrine metabolic characteristics are more prone to be different between the SCH group and the euthyroid group when setting 2.5 mU/L as a TSH cutoff for SCH,indicating that 2.5 mU/L is a good TSH cutoff for SCH in PCOS women.