Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Facial Nerve ; anatomy & histology ; pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Microsurgery ; Middle Aged ; Parotid Neoplasms ; surgery ; Young Adult

Using brain microdialysis and LC-MS/MS to detect acetylcholine in rat brain to investigate the effects of ligustrazine. A liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method has been developed and validated for the determination of acetylcholine in rat brain dialysate sampling by microdialysis. The results indicated that ligustrazine administration by subcutaneous injection significantly increased Ach release in rat medial prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens in a dose-related manner. The drug' s effect on Ach release in rat brain could be directly detected by microdialysis combined with HPLC-MS/MS and this method is selective and sensitive.
Acetylcholine ; metabolism ; Animals ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Ligusticum ; chemistry ; Male ; Microdialysis ; Nucleus Accumbens ; metabolism ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Prefrontal Cortex ; metabolism ; Pyrazines ; administration & dosage ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Using brain microdialysis and LC-ECD, the content of dopamine in rat brain was detected to investigate the effects of ligustrazine. A liquid chromatography-electrochemical detector method has been established and validated for the determination of dopamine in rat brain dialysate. The results indicate that ligustrazine administration by subcutaneous injection significantly increased dopamine release in rat medial prefrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens and hippocampus in a dose-related manner. The drug's effects on dopa release in rat brain could be directly detected by microdialysis combined with HPLC-ECD and this method has the preponderance over traditional neurology methods.
Animals ; Brain ; metabolism ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Dopamine ; metabolism ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Electrochemical Techniques ; Hippocampus ; metabolism ; Injections, Subcutaneous ; Ligusticum ; chemistry ; Male ; Microdialysis ; methods ; Nucleus Accumbens ; metabolism ; Plant Roots ; chemistry ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Prefrontal Cortex ; metabolism ; Pyrazines ; administration & dosage ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

Our previous work has indicated that mycelium growth and exopolysaccharide accumulation in submerged fermentation by Pholiota squarrosa (Pers. ex Fr.) Quel. AS 5.245 are strongly affected by many internal and external factors, including medium constituents and fermentation conditions. In this study, we use an effective two-phase statistical approach to enhance exopolysaccharide production. In the first phase, Plackett-Burman design was undertaken to evaluate the effects of the twenty factors, i.e., glucose, fructose, maltose, yeast extract, tryptone, K2HPO4, KH2PO4, (NH4)2SO4, NaNO3, FeSO4, MgSO4, MnCl2, ZnCl2, FeCl3, CuSO4.5H2O, vitamin B1, initial pH, the temperature, the medium volume and the duration, to the fermentation. By regression analysis, yeast extract, tryptone, fructose, MgSO4, MnCl2, initial pH and temperature were found to be important for exopolysaccharide production, while glucose, maltose, NaNO3, ZnCl2, vitamin B1, the duration and the volume are important to the mycelium biomass. In the second phase of the optimization process, a response surface methodology (RSM) was used to optimize the above critical internal factors, and to find out the optimal concentration levels and the relationships between these factors. Based on the results of the first phase, a five-level six-factor (yeast extract, fructose, MgSO4, maltose, ZnCl2 and initial pH) central composite rotatable design (CCRD) was employed. By solving the quadratic regression model equation using appropriate statistic methods, the optimal concentrations for obtaining 876.32 microg exopolysaccharide per milliliter of fermentation liquor were calculated as: 6.0g/L yeast extract, 11.5g/L fructose, 0.5g/L MgSO4, 9.6g/L maltose, 38.6mg/L ZnCl2 and with the initial pH 5.3. The experimental data under various conditions have validated the theoretical values.
Culture Media ; Fermentation ; Fructose ; metabolism ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Maltose ; metabolism ; Pholiota ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Polysaccharides ; analysis ; biosynthesis ; Temperature

Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Joint Instability ; complications ; diagnosis ; physiopathology ; surgery ; Lumbar Vertebrae ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Spinal Canal ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Spinal Stenosis ; complications ; diagnosis ; physiopathology ; surgery

OBJECTIVETo investigate the role of plasma tissue factor (TF) and tissue factor pathway inhibitor-1 (TFPI-1) level and to observe the effect of extrinsic TFPI-1 on no-reflow (NR) in a rabbit model of ischemia/reperfusion.

METHODSRabbits were randomized into four groups (n = 10 each): ischemic- reperfusion group (IR, subjected to 120 minutes of coronary artery occlusion and followed by 60 minutes of reperfusion); ischemic- reperfusion TFPI-1 group (100 ng/kg bolus and 1 ng x kg(-1) x min(-1) infusion during reperfusion); ischemic group (subjected to 180 minutes of coronary artery occlusion) and sham group. The NR area and ischemic area were determined by thioflavin S and Evan's blue staining in vivo. Plasma TF and TFPI-1 levels were measured before operation, before and at 120 minutes post coronary artery ligation, 10 and 60 minutes after reperfusion by ELISA.

RESULTSPlasma TF and TFPI-1 levels before and at 120 minutes post coronary artery ligation were similar among the four groups (all P > 0.05). At 10 and 60 minutes after reperfusion, the plasma TF levels in the IR group was significantly higher than those in ischemic group and sham group [10 minutes: (20.7 + or - 4.1) pg/ml vs. (13.9 + or - 2.2) pg/ml (P < 0.001), (20.7 + or - 4.1) pg/ml vs. (13.2 + or - 2.6) pg/ml (P < 0.001); 60 minutes: (15.8 + or - 2.6) pg/ml vs. (13.5 + or - 1.6) pg/ml (P < 0.05), (15.8 + or - 2.6) pg/ml vs. (12.1 + or - 0.7) pg/ml (P < 0.001)] while the plasma TFPI-1 levels were similar among IR, ischemic and sham groups at 10 minutes after reperfusion and at 60 minutes after reperfusion (all P > 0.05). TFPI-1 level [(9.7 + or - 1.6) ng/ml] was significantly lower in the IR group than in the ischemic group [(11.6 + or - 1.6) ng/ml, P < 0.05] and sham group [(10.1 + or - 1.3) ng/ml, P < 0.01]. TF mRNA expression in the NR area in IR group was significantly up-regulated compared to the ischemic group (P < 0.05) and sham group (P < 0.001) while TFPI-1 mRNA expression was similar between IR group and ischemic group (P > 0.05). NR severity in the ischemic-reperfusion TFPI-1 group was significantly attenuated compared to IR group (0.39 + or - 0.11 vs. 0.54 + or - 0.06, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONUpregulated TF mRNA expression in the NR area and increased plasma TF level during reperfusion period, reduced plasma TFPI-1 level during reperfusion period as well as attenuated NR severity by extrinsic application of human rTFPI-1 in this model suggested an important role in the pathogenesis of the NR phenomenon.

Animals ; Blood Proteins ; metabolism ; Lipoproteins ; blood ; Myocardial Reperfusion Injury ; blood ; Rabbits ; Thromboplastin ; metabolism

BACKGROUNDVasoactive factors have been reported to correlate with vulnerable plaque and acute coronary syndrome (ACS). This study aimed to investigate the relationship between vasoactive factors and plaque morphology in patients suffering from non-ST-segment elevated ACS.

METHODSFrom April 2007 to April 2009, 124 consecutive patients suffering from non-ST-segment elevated ACS who had received coronary angiography (CAG) and intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) in the People's Liberation Army General Hospital and Beijing Anzhen Hospital were enrolled in this study. Three serum vasoactive factors, plasma soluble vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-1 (sFlt-1), placental growth factor (PLGF) and interleukin-18 (IL-18), were measured by enzyme-linked-immunosorbent serologic assay of the patients. The levels of vasoactive factors were compared between vulnerable plaque group and stable plaque group, and between unstable angina pectoris (UAP) group and non-ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction (NSTE-AMI) group. The relationship between the plaque morphology and levels of vasoactive factors was analyzed.

RESULTSThe levels of vasoactive factors were similar between the UAP group (69 patients) and NSTE-AMI group (55 patients). The levels of sFlt-1 and PLGF in the vulnerable plaque group were significantly higher than those in the stable plaque group. The level of IL-18 was correlated positively with plaque morphology. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that the level of PLGF was an independent risk factor for vulnerable plaque (OR=2.115, 95% CI 1.415-5.758, P=0.018). Using the ROC curve, PLGF was a significant factor for the diagnosis of vulnerable plaque (the diagnostic point was 26.3 ng/L, the proportion of square area under the ROC curve was 0.799, 95%CI 0.758-0.839, P<0.001; the sensitivity of PLGF under the ROC curve was 86%, and the specificity 63%).

CONCLUSIONBoth IL-18 and PLGF are biomarkers for vulnerable plaques and helpful to predict vulnerable plaque.

Acute Coronary Syndrome ; blood ; diagnostic imaging ; Aged ; Angina Pectoris ; blood ; diagnostic imaging ; Angina, Unstable ; blood ; diagnostic imaging ; Coronary Angiography ; Female ; Humans ; Interleukin-18 ; blood ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Placenta Growth Factor ; Pregnancy Proteins ; blood ; Ultrasonography, Interventional ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-1 ; blood

OBJECTIVEEpidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI) such as gefitinib and erlotinib are used as standard 2(nd)/3(rd) line therapy in previously treated advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the optimal treatment for patients who experienced disease progression after chemotherapy and EGFR-TKI is unclear. The aim of this study was to explore the efficacy and safety of a salvage chemotherapy in advanced NSCLC patients who failed the previous treatment of platinum-based chemotherapy and EGFR-TKI.

METHODSClinicopathological data of 55 cases of advanced NSCLC patients who failure of first-line platinum-based chemotherapy and subsequent treatment with TKI were collected and analyzed. The patients were of PS = 0-2, and with normal vital organ function. Patients received salvage chemotherapy until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity or the patient refused to continue receiving treatment. A chart review assessed the key outcomes including the objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR) and progression-free survival (PFS).

RESULTSFifty-five patients were enrolled in this study from march 2007 to october 2009. The median age of patients was 55 years (range: 34 - 72), 60.0% were males, PS 0-1 patients were 65.5%, stage IV patients were 100%; 34.5% had a TKI treatment duration ≥ 6 months. Twenty-four patients received pemetrexed as salvage chemotherapy, 21 received docetaxal and 10 had other chemotherapy. All patients were evaluable for efficacy. Among them, 7 (12.7%) patients achieved PR, 21 (38.2%) patients SD, and 27 (49.1%) patients PD, with ORR of 12.7% and DCR of 50.9%. The median follow-up duration was 5.5 months, and the median PFS was 2.0 months. The ORR and PFS were not significantly related with gender, PS and chemotherapy regimens (all P > 0.05), but patients with EGFR-TKI treatment ≥ 6 months achieved a significantly better ORR and DCR than those < 6 months (ORR: 21.1% vs. 8.3%, P = 0.012; DCR: 73.3% vs. 38.9%, P = 0.017), mPFS was significant longer in the patients received ≥ 6 months of EGFR-TKI (4.5 vs. 2.0 months, P = 0.008). The toxicity was acceptable and there were no treatment-related deaths.

CONCLUSIONAdvanced NSCLC patients failed with the previous treatment of first-line platinum-based chemotherapy and EGFR-TKI may benefit from salvage chemotherapy, especially in patients who received ≥ 6 months of EGFR-TKI. The toxicity of the salvage chemotherapy is acceptable.

Adult ; Aged ; Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Antineoplastic Agents ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; therapeutic use ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Disease-Free Survival ; Erlotinib Hydrochloride ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Glutamates ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Guanine ; adverse effects ; analogs & derivatives ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Neutropenia ; chemically induced ; Pemetrexed ; Platinum ; administration & dosage ; Protein Kinase Inhibitors ; therapeutic use ; Quinazolines ; therapeutic use ; Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor ; antagonists & inhibitors ; therapeutic use ; Remission Induction ; Salvage Therapy ; Taxoids ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Treatment Failure

OBJECTIVETo investigate the relationship between the patient-based questionnaires and the computed tomography (CT) staging in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS).

METHODSQuantitative data of 121 preoperative recruits with CRS were collected by using the Lund-Mackay CT staging system, a visual analogue scale (VAS), sino-nasal outcome test-20 (SNOT-20), and the medical outcome study short-form 36 items (SF-36). The patients were classified into several subgroups according to whether CRS was associated with nasal polyps (NP) or not, sex, duration of disease, and educational background. Correlation between the patient-based questionnaires and the CT staging were analyzed in the total cohort patients and subgroups.

RESULTSIn the total cohort patients, there were significant correlations between SNOT-20 and SF-36 (r = -0.561, P < 0.01), SNOT-20 and VAS (r = 0.743, P < 0.01), and SF-36 and VAS (r = -0.504, P < 0.01), however, the CT staging did not correlate with the patient-based questionnaires (P > 0.05). Significant but weak correlations were found between the CT staging and the patient-based questionnaires in the CRS with NP subgroup (CT vs SNOT-20, r = 0.318, P = 0.005; CT vs SF-36, r = -0.358, P = 0.002; CT vs VAS, r = 0.358, P = 0.002). Compared between CRS with NP and without NP subgroup, there were statistic differences on the Lund-Mackay CT stage and the SNOT-20 and VAS scores (t value was 3.249, -2.409, -2.957, respectively, all P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSThe patient-based questionnaires correlate well with each other, but CT staging correlated significantly but weakly with the patient-based questionnaires only in the CRS with NP subgroup. Nasal polyps do not appear to be responsible for the adverse effects of CRS on quality of life.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Chronic Disease ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nasal Polyps ; diagnostic imaging ; psychology ; Pain Measurement ; Quality of Life ; Sinusitis ; diagnostic imaging ; psychology ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Young Adult

BACKGROUNDAlthough overlapping sirolimus-eluting stents are often used in long lesions during percutaneous coronary intervention, it was not clear how intimal hyperplasia at the overlapping segments compares with that of single-layer sirolimus-eluting stents.

METHODSOptical coherence tomography (OCT) examinations were performed on 22 patients in whom overlapping sirolimus-eluting stents (SESs) were implanted. OCT images were analyzed off-line after the procedure. Still frames were selected and classified, and the length of overlap, lumen loss, and average neointimal thickness on the strut were measured. The stent strut was classified into well-apposed to vessel wall with apparent neointimal coverage (type A), well-apposed to vessel wall without neointimal coverage (type B), malapposed to the vessel wall without neointimal coverage (type C), and strut located at a major side branch (type D).

RESULTSThere was no statistically significant difference between strut coverage types within overlapping and non-overlapping segments, but a greater percentage of type C struts were observed within the overlapping segments (5.2% vs 1.4%, P > 0.05). Neither neointimal thickness ((175.0 +/- 59.9) microm vs (168.3 +/- 90.2) microm, P = 0.715) nor lumen loss ((1.61 +/- 0.55) mm(2) vs (1.48 +/- 0.37) mm(2), P = 0.397) was statistically different between the two segments. One patient was diagnosed with suspected in-stent thrombosis at 6 months. Although no specific characteristics of thrombosis were seen on the OCT images, a greater number of malapposed struts without neointima coverage were observed.

CONCLUSIONSAbout 90% struts were completely covered by neointimal proliferation at 12 months follow-up, and the thicknesses of neointima on overlapping and non-overlapping segments were similar. Most of type C struts at the overlapping segments were found on the inside layer stents. Delayed antiplatelet therapy was beneficial for the patients with incompletely covered struts.

Aged ; Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary ; methods ; Drug-Eluting Stents ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Sirolimus ; therapeutic use ; Tomography, Optical Coherence ; methods