ObjectiveTo investigate the clinical and pathological characteristics of dermatomyositis with muscular perifascicular atrophy (PFA).MethodsA series of 104 consecutive patients clinically and pathologically diagnosed as dermatomyositis by muscle biopsy in our laboratory from December,2003 to August,2011,were enrolled in this study. Muscle biopsy of all the enrolled patients had shown PFA of muscle fibers.ResultsAmong the 104 patients,34 were males and 70 were females with a mean age of 45 years old.Among them,8 cases had normal electromyogram;42 had normal serum creatine kinase level;11 were diagnosed as carcinoma;75 were found to be combined with interstitial lung disease (ILD).Based on morphologic changes of muscle biopsy,they were divided into pure PFA group with 54 cases and PFA plus focal damage group with 50 cases.Compared with the pure PFA group,there was prominent mononuclear cell infiltration into perimysial intermediate sized vessels and membrane attack complement (MAC) deposition in the intramuscular capillaries in the PFA plus group.Skin biopsy had been taken in 12 cases together with muscle biopsy and had shown the border effectof both PFA and interface dermatitis in muscle and skin.ConclusionsOur study suggests that chronic immune vascular damage and insufficiency in dermatomyositis may cause ischemia and focal myofiber damage in watershed regions. The incidence of ILD in our dermatomyositis patients with PFA is high.

Objective To explore the pathological changes of the livers from hepatic failure (HF)patients and its association with clinical disease stages.Methods Thirty-nine patients with liver failure caused by HBV infections were investigated,and none accompanied with hepatocellular carci- noma.The sections of tissue were taken from the liver after liver transplantation and stained with he- matoxylin eosin(H&E)or RT(reticular fiber)staining.The pathological features were analyzed and compared between the clinical and pathological diagnosis.Results 1.The range and the grade of the pathological changes were all well-proportioned in the whole liver but quite asymmetrical in the same spicemen.2.4 cases with clinical diagnosis of cirrhosis(active stage)were in accordance with the pathological diagnosis.Only 17 in 35cases can be pathologically diagnosed as chronic severe hepatitis (SH),while the other 18 cases were pathologically diagnosed as cirrhosis(active stage).Conclu- sion There were a great inconsistency between the clinical and pathological diagnosis.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the influence of total flavonoids of Elsholtzia splendens (TFES) on isolated ischemia/reperfusion rat hearts and its underlying mechanisms.

METHODSHearts isolated from male SD rats were perfused on the Langendorff apparatus and subjected to global ischemia for 30 min followed by 120 min of reperfusion. The cardiac infarct size was measured by TTC staining. Hemodynamic parameters and the level of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in the coronary effluent were measured. Absorbance at 520 nm was determined in isolated cardiac mitochondria exposed to 200 micromol/L CaCl2 to detect the opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore.

RESULTSPretreatment with TFES (1, 10, 100 microg/ml) for 5 min decreased infarct size and LDH release and improved the recovery of the left ventricular developed pressure. In mitochondria, the decrease of absorbance at 520 nm evoked by CaCl2 was greatly inhibited by TFES.

CONCLUSIONTFES prevents myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury, and this cardioprotective effect is probably via inhibiting mitochondrial permeability transition pore opening.

Animals ; Cardiotonic Agents ; pharmacology ; Disease Models, Animal ; Flavones ; pharmacology ; In Vitro Techniques ; Lamiaceae ; chemistry ; Male ; Mitochondria, Heart ; drug effects ; Mitochondrial Membrane Transport Proteins ; drug effects ; Myocardial Reperfusion ; Myocardial Reperfusion Injury ; prevention & control ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

The biochemical mechanism of degrading keratins by S.fradiae var S-221 was primarily studied.The compounds (Na_ 2 SO_ 4 , Na_ 2 SO_ 3 and sulfdryl acohol), which respecitively enhance specific activity of keratinase, activate keratinase intensively and mainly act on the disulfide bonds reductase in the keratinase, Na_ 2 SO_ 3 activates intensively both disulfide bonds reductase and polypeptide hydrolytase at 0.01 mol/L, whereas Na_ 2 S_ 2 O_ 3 , which acts on the disulfide bonds reductase, inhibits keratinase.On the condition that substrate, keratins exists, S.fradiae var S-221 is induced to produce exo-keratinase, which is a multiproteinase, containing disulfide bonds reductase, which is a key enzyme degrading keratins, then, with polypeptidic, hydrolytase, graduately hydrolyzates denatured keratins into polypeptides, oligopeptides and free amino acids, so that keratins have been decomposed completely.Sulfur in the keratins was transferred into sulfhydryl compounds, H_ 2 S and sulfates in the course of keratinolysine.

OBJECTIVETo observe the effect of Tangke Decoction (TD) on the expression of TGF-beta1/Smad4 of rats with early diabetes and to explore the effect and mechanism of TD against the renal injury induced by diabetes.

METHODSSD rats were randomly divided into the normal control group (n = 12), the model group (n = 10), the Chinese herbs prevented group (n =10), the Chinese herbs treated group (n = 10), and the Western medicine control group (n = 10). TD (18 mg/kg) was given by gastrogavage to rats in the Chinese herbs prevented group immediately after successful modeling for 12 weeks, once daily. At the 4th week of successful modeling, rats in the rest 4 groups were administered by gastrogavage. Equal volume of normal saline was given to rats in the model group and the normal control group. Benazepril suspension (1 mg/kg) was administered by gastrogavage to rats in the Western medicine control group for 8 weeks, once daily. TD (18 mg/kg) was given by gastrogavage to rats in the Chinese herbs treated group for 8 weeks, once daily. The body weight, kidney weight, index of kidney weight, fasting blood sugar, 24 h urinary albumin excretion rate were examined after experiment. The pathological changes of the renal tissue were observed by HE staining, Masson staining, and electron microscope. The expression of renal transforming growth factor-beta1, (TGF-beta1) and Smad4 were detected using immunohistochemical assay.

RESULTSCompared with the normal control group, the body weight of rats decreased significantly; the kidney weight, index of kidney weight, blood sugar, 24 h urinary protein excretion, the urinary albumin excretion rate,TGF-beta1 and Smad4 expression increased significantly in the model group (all P < 0.01). Compared with the model group, the aforesaid indices were improved in each treatment group with statistical difference (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). Compared with the Western medicine control group, the kidney weight, index of kidney weight, blood sugar, 24 h urinary protein excretion, and the urinary albumin excretion rate were obviously improved in the Chinese herbs prevented group (P < 0.01). The renal pathological changes were most obvious in the model group significantly, but they were improved in all treatment groups.

CONCLUSIONTD could obviously improve the symptoms of diabetes and down-regulate the expression of renal TGF-beta1 and Smad4 of early diabetic nephropathy rats, which suggested that TD had certain preventive effect on early diabetic nephropathy.

Animals ; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Kidney ; metabolism ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Smad4 Protein ; metabolism ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1 ; metabolism

ObjectiveIn an attempt to clarify the usefulness of combined nerve and muscle biopsy in the diagnosis of neuromuscular disease when compared with traditional sural nerve biopsy.Methods Fifteen biopsies of superficial peroneal nerve (SPN) and peroneus brevis muscle ( PBM ) by one incision performed within one neurological clinic were reviewed.All patients had peripheral neuropathy while 3 of them had myopathy clinically.The diagnostic significance of SPN and PBM biopsies were classified into 3 grade: essential,helpful,no value.ResultsOf 15 SPN and PBM biopsies,7 showed essential pathological findings whichreachedthe etiologicaldiagnosis, including 5definitevasculitis, 1inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy and 1 amyloid neuropathy.Five biopsies are helpful for etiological diagnosis,including demyelinating neuropathy,mild inflammation,and microvascular lesion,et al.Three biopsies are of no value for etiological diagnosis which only have nonspecific change such as type 2 fiber atrophy,neurogenic atrophy and axonal degeneration et al. Finally,SPN and PBM biopsies made the definite etiological diagnosis possible in 12 patients.ConclusionsSPN and PBM biopsy improved the yield of specific pathological and etiological diagnosis of neuropathy and myopathy such as vasculitis and amyloidosis with minor trauma and side effect.Further clinical and pathological studies will be necessary for a better practice of combined nerve and muscle biopsy.

Objective To investigate the vascular effect of hydroxyl-safflor yellow A(HSYA) on rat thoracic aorta and its underlying mechanism. Methods The tension of isolated thoracic aorta rings of rats perfused with different concentrations of HSYA(1?10-6-1?10-4 mol/L) was measured using organ bath technique.The effects of HSYA on the vasocontraction induced by cumulative phenylephrine(PE)(1?10-6-1?10-4 mol/L),KCl(6?10-2 mol/L) and CaCl2(1?10-5-3?10-3 mol/L) were recorded respectively. Results HSYAcaused a concentration-dependent anti-contraction effects by KCl or PE in endothelium-intact and endothelium-denuded aortic rings.HSYA inhibited the CaCl2-induced contraction and downward shifted concentration-response curve of aortic rings.HSYA+HP resulted in more significant anti-contraction effect than single use of HSYA(P0.05).There were significant differences in anti-contraction effect between HSYA+RR and RR or HSYA(P

The M and NP genes of H5N1 avian influenza virus (A/chicken/Hubei/489/2004) were amplified by RT-PCR from viral RNA,and cloned into pMD 18-T vector respectively.The expression plasmid containing the M gene (pHM6-m) or the NP gene (pHM6-np) was then constructed by inserting the M or NP gene into the pHM6 eukaryote expression vector; the constructed plasmid was then sequenced.32 BALB/c mice (6-week-old) were divided into four groups at random.Three groups of BALB/c mice were inoculated one time the intramuscular route with either 30 μg of plasmid pHM6-m,30 μg of plasmid pHM6-np or the mixture of plasmid pHM6-m (15 μg ) and pHM6-np(15 μg) respectively.A additional group of mice were injected with 100 μ1 PBS as controls.Two weeks later,all mice were challenged with homologous H5N1 avian influenza virus,and observed in the following 12 days.The survival rates of mice in the pHM6-m group,the pHM6-np group and mixed plasmids group were 62.5% ,25.0% and 50.0%,respectively.Results showed that effective protection could be provided by either pHM6-m or pHM6-np,but pHM6-m provided a better protective effect than pHM6-np.

Objective To investigate the features of chronic prostatitis during puberty(CPP)and the effects of pelvic floor biofeedback therapy.Methods Totally,25 CPP children (mean age,16 years) and 15 children (mean age,16 years) with normal lower urinary tract as controls were included.In CPP group,NIH-CPSI scores were evaluated,expressed prostatic secretions (EPS) were examined,and bacterial culture was done;and CPP patients were categorized based on the definitions of NIH types.In both groups, urodynamic examination was performed,including evaluation of uroflow curve,maximum flow rate (Q_(max)), post-voiding residual urine (PVR),detrusor-sphincter dyssynergia (DSD),maximum detrusor pressure (P_(det,max))and maximum urethral closure pressure (MUCP).CPP patients underwent biofeedback therapy, and 10 weeks later the effects were assessed.Results In CPP group,NIH typing showedⅡ,ⅢA andⅢB in 1,3 and 21 cases,respectively.Before treatment in CPP and control groups,the incidence of staccato voiding (20 cases vs 1 case),DSD (22 cases vs 1 case),Q_(max)(10.7?3.7 vs 15.0?4.3ml/s),PVR (7.7?4.1vs 3.2?2.6ml),P_(det,max)(115.1?33.6vs 76.8?16.6cm H_2O)and MUCP(176.5?45.7 vs 86.2?28.5cm H_2O)all showed significant differences between the 2 groups(P＜0.05).In CPP group,the differences in pain(4.6?2.2 vs 2.1?1.6),urination (7.9?2.0vs 2.2?1.7),life impact (9.4?2.2vs 2.6?2.1)and total scores(22.0?5.2vs 7.0?4.2) of NIH-CPSI and Q_(max)(10.7?3.7 vs 14.9?5.6) between pre-and post-biofeedback were significant (P＜0.05).Conclusions The main type of CPP is categoryⅢB.The primary symptom is voiding disorder,which leads to greater psychological stress in patients.Children with CPP have pelvic floor dysfunctions and multiple abnormal urodynamic param- eters.The short-term effect of biofeedback strategies for CPP is satisfactory.

High glucose stimulated angiotensinⅡ(ATⅡ) production in mesangial cells of rat.Both high glucose and ATⅡdecreased expressions of matrix metalloprotein-9 (MMP-9) mRNA and MMP-9/tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) mRNA ratio and increased TIMP-1 mRNA expression in mesangial cells of rat,which could be reversed by an ATⅡreceptor blocker,Saralasin.