AIM :To investigate the association of primary open-glaucoma (POAG), intraocular pressure (IOP) and systemic blood pressure in a rural population aged 50 years old or above in Shaanxi Province, China.METHODS: In the population-based, cross-sectional study, 1 775 (83.53%) residents, aged 50 years old or above, from 3 counties of Shaanxi Province, China, undertook an interview with a standard questionnaire and a detailed eye examination, including logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution visual acuity, slit-lamp biomicroscopy, applanation tonometry and dilated fundus examination. Two blood pressure reading in the sitting position were taken. Gonioscopy was performed if a narrower peripheral anterior chamber (less than one fourth of the corneal thickness) was indicated. Automated visual field testing was performed by participants assessed to have suspicion of glaucomatous disc damage or if IOP was 22mmHg or higher.RESULTS: IOP significantly correlated with systemic blood pressure, and both IOP and systolic blood pressure increased significantly with increasing age. No association between POAG and hypertension was found. The frequency of POAG increased significantly with lower diastolic perfusion pressure.CONCLUSION: Data in our study are accordance with those reported in other population-based studies, and confirm that lower diastolic perfusion pressure is a significant risk factor for primary open angle glaucoma.

AIM: To assess the prevalence and risk factors for age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in a rural population in Shaanxi Province of China.METHODS: A total of 2 835 (81.00%) people aged 40 years old or more, from Fuping county, Jingbian county and Yang county of Shaanxi Province, China, underwent a comprehensive interview and a relative eye examination. The present of AMD was classified into neovascular AMD (NV) and pure geographic atrophy (GA) by using direct ophthalmoscopy for fundus examination according to International Classification System.RESULTS: The prevalence (95% CI) of AMD was 3.00% (2.42, 3.71) in this population, of which NV accounted for 1.45% (1.05, 1.98) and 1.55% (1.14, 2.10)for GA. The prevalence of AMD increased significantly with increasing age (P ＜0.001). AMD was present in 0.47% of participants aged 40 to 49 years, rising to 11.90% of participants older than 80 years, of which the corresponding data increased from 0.28% to 4.76% for NV and from 0.19% to 7.14% for GA. No significant difference was found in the prevalence of NA and GA between genders in this population. With multiple logistic analyses, apart from advancing age, only smoking was found to have a strong association with any type of AMD.CONCLUSION: The prevalence of AMD in the rural population of Shaanxi Province of China is lower than that reported from other population-based studies in different provinces of China, less than that reported in whites, more than that reported in blacks. Except increasing age, smoking is also a significant well-known risk factor for AMD.

· AIM: To assess the prevalence and related risk factors for primary angle-closure glaucoma in a rural population for 40 years of age or older in Shaanxi Province.· METHODS: By using a stratified, cluster-based, random sampling technique, 8 500 persons of all ages were selected randomly, including 3 500 those aged 40 years or more, from the North, the South and the Middle of Shaanxi Province in Western China from July to December in 2003. All participants had an interview with a standard questionnaire and those questions related to glaucoma of previous diagnosis and treatment, family history and outbreak history. Then a detailed and relative eye examination was performed, including logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution visual acuity, external eye examination with slit-lamp biomicroscopy and fundus examination. The intraocular pressure was measured with Perkins applanation tonometry to those persons aged 50 years old or more and those with suspected increased IOP. A further examination was performed to those persons with suspicious glaucoma, including repeated tonometric examination, gonioscopy, dark room test, automated visual field testing, et al.·RESULTS: 6 815 of the eligible 8 500 persons of all ages were interviewed and examined from July to December in 2003, a response rate of 80.18%, including 2835 of the eligible 3 500 persons of 40 years old or more with a response rate of 81.00%. According to Van Herick method, the percentage of shallow peripheral anterior chamber was 13.6%, of which 10.4% was in grade 2, 3.0% in grade 1, and 0.2% in grade 0. In this rural population for 40 years of age or older 31 participants were found to have primary angle-closure glaucoma, with the prevalence of 1.09%. With multiple logistic analyses, the prevalence increased significantly with age (P=0.008), whereas no significant difference (Pgender=0.180, Peducation=0.199) was found in the rate with gender and education, although women and illiteracy seemed to be at increased risk of the disease (OR: 1.77, 95%CI,0.77-4.10; OR: 1.71, 95%CT, 0.76-3.87). Of 31 participants, 21 persons (67.74%) had not been previously diagnosed and treated. Of 10 participants previously diagnosed, 6 (60%) had been received peripheral iridectomy; nevertheless, no any other treatments were performed. 48.39% participants suffered from visual impairment in various degrees, of which the percentage of blindness in either eye accounted for 29.03%. Of those with primary angle-closure glaucoma, 22 persons (70.97%) were classified as having chronic from of the disease.· CONCLUSION: In this rural population in Shaanxi Province of China, the rate of occludable angles is 13.6%, more common than that reported previously in other Chinese populations. The prevalence of primary angle-closure glaucoma is close to that from other Asian populations, increasing with age. A majority of glaucoma was undiagnosed and untreated previously.

· AIM: To assess the prevalence and related risk factors of primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) in a rural population in Shaanxi Province.· METHODS: By using a stratified, duster-based, random sampling technique, 8 500 persons of all ages were selected randomly, from the North, the South and the Middle of Shaanxi Province from July to December in 2003. All participants had an interview with a standard questionnaire and those questions related to glaucoma of previous diagnosis and treatment, family history and outbreak history. Then a detailed and relative eye examination was performed, including logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution visual acuity, external eye examination with slit-lamp biomicroscopy and fundus examination. The intraocular pressure was measured with Perkins applanation tonometry to those persons aged 50years old or more and those with suspected increased IOP. A further examination was performed to those persons with suspicious glaucoma, including repeated tonometric examination, gonioscopy, dark room test, automated visual field testing, et al.· RESULTS: 6 815 of the eligible 8 500 persons of all ages were interviewed and examined from July to December in 2003, a response rate of 80.18%. 9 participants were found to have POAG, with the prevalence of 0.13%, age ranging from 38 to 80 years (mean year:62.0). In those aged 30 years old or more, the prevalence of the disease was 0.23%, 0.28% and 0.39% for those more than 40 and 50 years old, respectively. The rate of suspicious POAG was 0.18% (12 cases) with age ranging from 35 to 77 years (mean year: 54.7). With multiple logistic analyses, the prevalence increased significantly with age (P=0.023). Other than increasing age, myopia was also a strong risk factor for POAG. Of 9participants with POAG, only 2 cases (22.22%) had been previously diagnosed. No one with POAG was received any treatment previously. 66.67% (6 cases) participants with POAG suffered from visual impairment in various degrees secondary to POAG. The percentage of blindness in either eye was 33.33%.· CONCLUSION: The prevalence of POAG is close to that from other Chinese populations, increasing with age. A majority of glaucoma was undiagnosed and untreated previously.

To explore a new method to identify Moutan Cortex to guarantee its safe use, internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) sequence was used to identify Moutan Cortex and its adulterants. DNA was extracted and target fragments were amplified. Sequences were analyzed and assembled by CodonCode Aligner V3.7.1. Genetic distances were computed and phylogenetic tree was constructed based on kimura 2-parameter (K2P) model by MEGA 5.0. The length of the 20 ITS2 sequences of Moutan Cortex from nine different places is 227 bp, and no variation site was detected. The maximum inter-specificK2P distance of Moutan Cortex is 0, the minimum intra-specific K2P distance is 0.041, the average intra-specific K2P distance is 0.222. According to NJ analysis, Moutan Cortex from different places can get together as one branch with bootstrap support values 99%, which indicates Moutan Cortex can be easily distinguished from its adulterants. Using ITS2 sequence can accurately identify Moutan Cortex and its adulterants, it is an effective supplementary to traditional identification methods.
Base Sequence ; China ; DNA Barcoding, Taxonomic ; methods ; DNA, Plant ; genetics ; DNA, Ribosomal Spacer ; genetics ; Drug Contamination ; prevention & control ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; classification ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Paeonia ; classification ; genetics ; Phylogeny ; Quality Control

Suspension cultures cell of Sorbus aucuparia (SASC) was used as materials, the changes of physiological and biochemical indexes of SASC after treatment with yeast extract (YE) were detected, and the synthetic mechanism of secondary metabolites in SASC treated with YE was preliminarily explored. The results were as follows: under the assay conditions, SASC was induced to synthesize five biphenyl compounds, and these compounds content changed differently with induction time prolonging; YE treatment inhibited cell growth, the culture medium pH was gradually reduced after treatment; water-soluble protein content showed a trend of slow decline, which was significantly increased in YE treatment group (YE group) compared with the control group (CK group), the maximum relative content was 147.76% in contrast with CK group; both YE group and CK group were extracellular Ca2+ flow influx, but the YE group flow was significantly slow than CK group. The results indicate that YE induced the cells in a stress state, which was not conducive to the growth of cells and forced the cells to synthesize biphenyl compounds against external stress; water-soluble protein may serve as intracellular enzymes involved in the synthesis of compounds regulation; Ca2+ may as signal molecule mediate cell signal transduction respond to YE stress.
Cell Culture Techniques ; instrumentation ; methods ; Culture Media ; chemistry ; metabolism ; Saccharomyces cerevisiae ; chemistry ; Secondary Metabolism ; Sorbus ; growth & development ; metabolism

Background and purpose:Intensity-modulated radiotherapy(IMRT) can significantly improve the dosimetric distribution of both the target and organs at risk compared to tangential irradiation for whole breast. However,its optimized methods remain different and conflicting for many radiotherapy institutions.In order to achieve the optimized planning of IMRT for the irradiation of intact breast,we investigated different optimizing methods in three dimensional radiotherapy planning system.Methods:Ten patients with early-stage breast cancer after breast conserving surgery were eligible for the study.Two kinds of plans were performed on each patient in three-dimensional treatment planning system,inverse planning IMRT and forward planning IMRT which included 3 different optimizing methods as manual optimizing(MO),multiple points optimizing(PO) and automated inverse optimizing(AO).Various parameters were used to evaluate the efficacy of different IMRT plans.All plans were compared using dose volume histograms(DVH) for the planning target volume(PTV) and organs at risk(OARs).Results:For MO,PO,AO forward plans and inverse plans,median number of segments were 5,5.5,5 and 20 respectively,and mean total MU were 225.8, 228.4,226.4 and 345.8 MU,respectively.Comparing the different forward planning optimizations,the best target coverage and dose homogeneity of PTV was observed in AO plans(P(?)0.01),and PO and AO plans showed a better reduction of OARs exposure compared with MO plans(P(?)0.05).A further improvement of dose homogeneity in the PTV and better sparing of OARs was achieved using inverse planning(P(?)0.05).Conclusion:Forward planning IMRT with AO optimization for intact breast irradiation could provide both efficacy and dosimetric advantages better than others.The inverse IMRT plan showed more potential in improving the dosimetric outcomes.However,further studies are required for inverse optimizing plans.

Animals ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Dermatitis ; epidemiology ; parasitology ; Disease Outbreaks ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Mites ; Schools, Nursery

OBJECTIVETo analyze the epidemiological features of patients with head injuries in the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake.

METHODSMedical records of patients with head injuries who were admitted to 14 hospitals in Deyang, Mianyang and Chengdu cities after the earthquake were retrospectively analyzed. The patients'age, gender, cause of injury, diagnosis, and outcome were analyzed retrospectively.

RESULTSA total of 1 281 patients with 807 males and 474 females were included. According to Glasgow Coma Scale score at admission, 1 029 patients presented with mild injury, 161 moderate injury and 91 severe injury. The major cause of injuries (83%) was bruise by collapsed buildings. Open head injuries accounted for 60.8%. A total of 720 patients underwent surgical treatment. Good recovery was achieved in 1 056 patients, moderate disability in 106, severe disability in 71, coma in 29 and death in 19.

CONCLUSIONSIn this series, male patients were more than female patients. The main cause of injury was hit by falling objects due to building collapse. Minor and open craniocerebral injuries were most common. The epidemiological features of head injuries in Wenchuan earthquake may be helpful to preparation for future rescue.

Craniocerebral Trauma ; Earthquakes ; Glasgow Coma Scale ; Humans ; Retrospective Studies

OBJECTIVESTo investigate the effects of FAK-related non-kinase (FRNK) on expressions of type I collagen and matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) mRNA and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-2 (TIMP-2) mRNA in rat hepatic stellate cells (HSC).

METHODSUsing in vitro cell culture technique, FRNK plasmids were transfected into HSC mediated by cationic liposome. Type I collagen synthesis capability in HSC was examined by 3H-Pro incorporation assay. The levels of FRNK in HSC were assayed by Western blot, and the expressions of MMP-2 and TIMP-2 were assayed by RT-PCR on mRNA levels.

RESULTSThe exposure of HSC to FRNK caused the expression of FRNK protein to be up-regulated, and the FRNK protein contents reached the highest point at 48 h after the transfection, P less than 0.05. The expressions of MMP-2 mRNA were up-regulated by FRNK; the expressions of TIMP-2 mRNA were down-regulated by FRNK; the ratios of MMP-2 mRNA/TIMP-2 mRNA were enhanced by FRNK.

CONCLUSIONAfter FRNK was transfected, the capability of type I collagen synthesis in HSC was inhibited, which may be related to the up-regulation of MMP-2 mRNA/TIMP-2 mRNA.

Animals ; Cells, Cultured ; Collagen Type I ; metabolism ; Hepatic Stellate Cells ; cytology ; metabolism ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 ; metabolism ; Plasmids ; Protein-Tyrosine Kinases ; genetics ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; Rats ; Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-2 ; metabolism ; Transfection