Ear Diseases ; congenital ; surgery ; therapy ; Ear, External ; abnormalities ; Ear, Middle ; abnormalities ; Humans

Objective: To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on Janus kinase 2/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (JAK2/STAT3) pathway in knee joint synovial tissues of rats with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and to explore the action mechanism of EA on RA. Methods: Twelve of the 48 SPF male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were assigned to a normal group by the random number table method. The remaining 36 rats were subjected to RA model preparation by intradermal injection of the Freund's complete adjuvant into the right hind foot pad of each rat under sterile conditions. After the model was successfully prepared, rats were then divided into a model group, a drug group and an EA group according to a random number table method (n=12). Rats in the drug group were treated with 2 mL aqueous solution of tripterygium glycosides [8.1 mg/(kg?bw)]; rats in the EA group were treated with EA at bilateral Yanglingquan (GB 34) and Zusanli (ST 36), for 30 min each time; rats in the normal group and the model group were placed in a special rat fixation tank for 30 min each time, and received the same dose of normal saline as those in the drug group. Rats in all groups received intervention once a day for 4 weeks. Diameter of rat ankle joint and rat arthritis index were measured before and after the intervention. At the end of the experiment, the expressions of phospho-JAK2 and phospho-STAT3 were determined by immunohistochemistry. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was used to detect JAK2 and STAT3 mRNAs expressions. Results: After the model was produced, the arthritis index >2 was considered successful in model preparation. Compared with the model group, the ankle joint diameters and arthritis indexes of rats in the drug group and the EA group were significantly lower (all P<0.01); immunohistochemical staining cells with phospho-JAK2 and phospho-STAT3 were significantly decreased (all P<0.01); the expression levels of JAK2 and STAT3 mRNAs were decreased with statistical differences (all P<0.01). There were no significant differences between the EA group and the drug group (all P>0.05). Conclusion: EA can alleviate the inflammatory response of RA rats, improve their pathological conditions, reduce the expressions of phospho-JAK2 and phospho-STAT3 in the synovial tissue of knee joint, and decrease the expressions of JAK2 and STAT3 mRNAs. The therapeutic effect of EA is comparable to that of the tripterygium glycosides. The mechanism of EA treatment may be related to the inactivation of the JAK2/STAT3 pathway.

Objective To investigate the effect and underlying mechanisms of ghrelin in a rat model of renal fibrosis. Methods Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 4 groups , including sham operation +saline or brain gut peptide treatment group , model + saline or brain gut peptide treatment group. Unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) was established by left ureteral ligation. 7 days and 14 days after operation, the rats were sacrificed , while the kidney tissue of obstruction side was harvested for pathlogical changes through Masson coloration. Expression of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-β1) and phosphorylated Smad3 (p-Smad3) in renal tissues were analyzed through immunohistochemistry. Expression of α-SMA and TGF-β1 mRNA was detected by real-time-PCR. Apoptosis kidneys cells were marked with TUNEL. Results Ghrelin inhibited renal fibrosis by reducing the production of collagen , restraining extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition and decreasing the expression of α-SMA. Meanwhile, ghrelin inhibited the accumulation of myofibroblasts by blocking the transforming growth factor-β1/Smad3 (TGF-β1/Smad3) signaling pathway. Moreover, ghrelin could attenuate renal tubular cell apoptosis induced by UUO injury. Conclusion Ghrelin can reduce renal fibrosis and renal cell apoptosis induced by UUO , demonstrating that ghrelin is a potent antifibrotic agent that may have therapeutic potential for patients with obstructive nephropathy.

Objective To establish human lung adenocarcinoma multidrug resistance cell lines in vitro,observe their biological characteristics,and investigate the mRNA expressions of DNA pol?,mdr 1,mrp1,GST-?,lrp and topo Ⅱ genes.Methods Paclitaxel-resistant cell lines(A549/TXL20) were established in vitro by exposure to stepwise increased concentrations of the drug in a cell culture medium.Biological morphology and cell cycles were analyzed by morphometry and flow cytometry.The chemoresistance indexes of cells were measured by methyl tetrazolium assay.Evaluation of growth and in vitro drug sensitivity were performed.RT-PCR was employed to analyze the mRNA expressions of the DNA pol?,mdr 1,mrp1,GST-?,lrp,and topo Ⅱ genes.Results ① Compared with parent cells,the resistant sublines had a lower confluent density.They were smaller and mixed with giant cells in different sizes and with different numbers of nucleoli,and the growth property of A549/TXL20 did not change significantly compared with A549 cell lines.② The resistant cells,A549/TXL20,were 19.3 times more resistant to paclitaxel and 67.4 times more resistant to cisplatin than the parent cells,and also demonstrated cross-resistance to mitomycin,vinblastine,and 5-fluouracil(5-FU). ③ Compared with the A549 celllines,an unreasonably higher level of drug resistance and lower drug concentration was detected in A549/TXL20 cells after exposure to the drug in the culture medium.④ The mRNA expression level of DNA pol?,mdr1,GST-?,mrp1 andlrp genes in A549/TXL20 cells was significantly higher than that in A549 cell lines(P

Objective To understand the cue-induced craving, physiological reactions to heroin-related cues, and to explore the factors that impact the cue-induced craving. Methods 369 abstinent heroin addicts were exposed to videotapes of heroin using and simulacrum after the self relaxation. The craving, abstinent symp-toms were measured before and after cue exposures. The physiological reactions were measured by multi-biofeed-back instrument before, during, and after cue exposure. BIS-Ⅱ questionnaire was used to collect information about their impulsive characteristic. Results After cue exposure, the self-reports scores of craving (t=11.24, P< 0.01), physiological index including heart rate((76.6±11.3) beats/min, F=19.23), skin conduct ((7.48± 4.25)μs, F=53.99), pupil size (t=11.73) had significant change in heroin addicts (P<0.01). Logistic regres-sion results showed that the scores of BIS-Ⅱ were related to cue-reduced craving (P=0.001,95% CI: 1.015～1. 065). Conclusions Exposure to drug-related cues can induces craving and physiological reactions in long term abstinence heroin addicts. High impulsive characteristic is a risk factor to induce drug-related craving. The inter-vention strategies should consider the impulsive characteristic and make a comprehensive intervention program to prevent relapse.

Issues on basic medical English teaching,curriculum and the construction ne-cessity for teaching material were analyzed and discussed.The corresponding strategy toward these issues in our university and the progress we have made were reported.

Objective To observe the influence of environment stimulation on learning and memory ability and hippocampal pathology of neonatal rats with hypoxic-ischemic brain damage (HIBD).Methods The models of HIBD SD rats were established by the method of Rice, and were divided randomly into three groups: enriched environment stimulation group (EE), impoverished environment stimulation group (IE), and standard environment stimulation group (SE). The sham-operation rats were served as control group. Different environment stimulation was administrated to the rats since day 1 after HIBD.On the day 28,Morris water maze was used to evaluate the learning and memory ability. HE staining and nissl stain were employed to observe the pathological change and the number of neurons in hippocampus of rats.Results The learning and memory ability of EE group was significantly higher than that of SE group (P0.05), and the ability of SE group was higher than that of IE group ( P0.05). The number of SE group was lower than that of Sham group (P

Animals ; Disease Models, Animal ; Facial Nerve Injuries ; etiology ; Female ; Male ; Rabbits

Adolescent ; Adult ; Diverticulum ; diagnostic imaging ; Female ; Humans ; Jugular Veins ; diagnostic imaging ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Young Adult

Objective To study the effect of different dose fractionation on overall survival in patients with limited-stage small cell lung cancer (LS-SCLC). Methods LS-SCLC patients treated with radical combined chemotherapy and radiotherapy (RT) between January 2001 and Dec 2007 were analyzed retrospectively. According to the dose fractionation schemes, patients were divided into three groups:conventional fractionated RT (1. 8 -2.0 Gy,once daily), hyperfractionated RT (1.4 Gy, twice daily) and hypofractionated RT (2. 5 Gy,once daily). Overall survival, disease free survival and pattern of failures of the three groups were compared. A total of 177 patients were enrolled, including 63 patients in conventional fractionated RT group, 79 in hyperfractionated RT group and 35 in hypofractionated RT group. Results The overall follow-up rate was 96. 6%. The patient numbers with follow-up of more than 2 and 5 years were 153 and 92, respectively. The median survival time of the entire group was 22. 4 months, and the 2-and 5-year survival rates were 43.4% and 23. 5%, respectively. The 2-year survival rates for three groups were 31%, 46% and 59% (x2 =7.94,P=0.019), respectively. The 2-year disease free survival for three groups were 20%, 31% and 40% ( x2 = 4. 86, P = 0. 088 ), respectively. In the pairwise comparisons,patients in hypofractionated RT group have better survival than those in conventional fractionated RT group ( x2 = 7. 81, P = 0. 005 ), the effect of hyperfractionated RT group lies between the hypo-and the conventional fractionated RT groups, but no significant differences were detected ( x2 = 2. 31, P = 0. 128; x2 = 2. 95, P =0. 086). The mildest side effect was found in the hypofractionated RT group. No statistically significant differences were found in the patterns of first failure. Conclusion The hypofractionated RT scheme showed potential survival benefits for patients with LS-SCLC and should be considered in the setting of randomized clinical trials.