Objective To sum up the therapeutic results of 125 cases of tetralogy of Fallot(TOF),and ex- plore the optimal time and risk factors of opration,as well as perioperative management.Methods One hundred and thirth-one consecutive cases of TOF underwent corrective surgery.There were simple stenosis of infundibular portion in right ventricular outflow tract in 37 cases,stenosis of infundibulum and pulmonary valve in 14 cases,main pul- monary trunk and left/right pulmonary arteries stenosis in 74 cases,and pulmonary atresia in 5 cases.Autologousper- icardial conduit,or with waived were used for right ventricular outflow tract and right ventriculo-pulmonary artery connection.Other anomalies were corrected.Results The surgicalmortality was 4.0 %.The cause of death were se- rious low cardiac output syndrome(3 patients),respiratory function failure(1 patient),pericadial infection(1 pa- tient).Conclusion It is necessary to profonn corrective opration on younger TOF patients.Effetive prophylaxis and control of low cardiac output syndrome and pulmonary complication is a useful strategy.

Melanoblasts, the precursors to melanocytes, originate in the neural crest. Some melanoblasts can travel to the hair follicle and further differentiate into pigment melanin-producing melanocytes. Hair follicles contain a pool of undifferentiated melanocyte stem cells (MSCs), which are sources of differentiated melanocytes, and functional melanocytes exhist in the hair bulb. The volume, life, and activity of melanocytes in a hair follicle is closely related with the growth cycle of follicle. Appearance of gray hair gray results from incomplete MSCs maintenance.
Aging ; physiology ; Cell Differentiation ; Hair Follicle ; cytology ; physiology ; Humans ; Melanocytes ; physiology ; Stem Cells ; physiology

OBJECTIVETo know the blood lead levels (BLL) of preschool children in Zhejiang Province between 1997 to 2003.

METHODSThe BLL of preschool children was investigated in this province with cluster sampling in 2003, and compared with the results with that of 1997. The BLL was determined with graphite oven atom absorption spectrography method.

RESULTThe average BLL of 2013 preschool children in 2003 was (0.34 +/- 0.13) micromol/L, similar with that of 1997 [(0.35 +/- 0.26)micromol/L (P >0.05)]. There were 274 children with BLL >or= 0.483 micromol/L, and the rate of lead poisoning was 13.61 %, lower than that of 1997 (when there were 448 children with BLL >or= 0.483 micromol/L, and the rate of lead poisoning was 23.84%). In 2003, the rates of lead poisoning among preschool children of Hangzhou, Shangyu, Zhoushan and Changshan were 7.69%, 15.37%, 10.87% and 20.15 %, respectively. There were significant differences among the four areas (P < 0.01). In comparison with the results of 1997, the lead poisoning rates of Hangzhou and Shangyu children decreased significantly, while that of Changshan children increased significantly (P <0.01), and that of Zhoushan children didn't change significantly. The highest rate of lead poisoning was found in children of 4-6 years group as 6 years ago.

CONCLUSIONThe rate of lead poisoning among preschool children has decreased significantly now in Zhejiang Province. But the condition of BLL in preschool children is still far from optimistic. The environmental lead pollution in remote mountain areas and island areas should be highly concerned by the government.

Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; epidemiology ; Environmental Exposure ; analysis ; prevention & control ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant ; Lead ; blood ; Lead Poisoning ; blood ; epidemiology ; Male ; Mass Screening

OBJECTIVEDiet is an important factor influencing blood pressure and, increases in dietary carbohydrate intake can raise blood pressure in adult rats. A previous study showed that the blood pressure of the rats fed with high-carbohydrate was 5-20 mmHg higher than that of control rats. While the mechanism involved is not clear. This study aimed to investigate the effects of high-sucrose intake on blood pressure of young Wistar rats and the role that sympathetic nerve system in the process.

METHODSMale neonatal Wistar rats were performed sympathectomy operation with 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) and then divided into four groups: (1) 0.1% VitC saline-common diet group (VN), (2) 0.1% VitC saline-high sucrose (VS), (3) 6-OHDA-common diet group (OHN) and (4) 6-OHDA-high sucrose (OHS) after three week. The data on the body weight (BW), systolic blood pressure (SBP) and heart rate (HR) were recorded. Then the level of blood glucose, serum insulin and angiotensin II (AngII) were measured and the functional studies of the thoracic aorta was performed.

RESULTSThe VS group exhibited higher SBP than the OHS group from the 6th week (113.7 +/- 4.2 mmHg vs. 104.0 +/- 5.8 mmHg, P < 0.01) and the VN group from the 7th week (117.6 +/- 6.3 mmHg vs. 109.6 +/- 4.6 mmHg, P < 0.01), while the SBP of the VN group was similar to those of the OHN group and the OHS group (P > 0.05). No significant differences in blood glucose, serum insulin and insulin sensitive index (ISI) were found among the four groups. The thoracic aorta segments of the VS group had higher contractive response to AngII (P < 0.01) and NE (P < 0.05) than the VN group, but the relaxations to acetylcholine (ACh) and nitroglycerine (NTG) showed no difference among the four groups (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe high-sucrose diet might elevate the blood pressure in young Wistar rats and the sympathetic system may play an important role in this process.

Angiotensin II ; blood ; Animal Feed ; Animals ; Blood Glucose ; metabolism ; Blood Pressure ; drug effects ; physiology ; Body Weight ; drug effects ; Dietary Sucrose ; administration & dosage ; Insulin ; blood ; Male ; Oxidopamine ; administration & dosage ; blood ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Sympathectomy

OBJECTIVETo investigate the chronic effects of intracoronary autologous bone marrow mononuclear cell (BM-MNCs) transplantation in patients with refractory heart failure (RIHF) after myocardial infarction.

METHODSThirty patients with RIHF (LVEF < 40%) were enrolled in this nonrandomized study, autologous BM-MNCs (5.0 +/- 0.7) x 10(7) were transplanted with via infarct-related coronary artery in 16 patients and 14 patients received standard medical therapy served as control. Baseline and follow up evaluations included complete clinical evaluations, plasma BNP, ANP, ET-1 measurements, echocardiography, PET, and Holter monitoring.

RESULTSBaseline characteristics were similar between the 2 groups. There were no major periprocedural complications. One patient developed ventricular premature contractions during cell infusion for several seconds and recovered spontaneously. Compared to pre-transplantation, plasma BNP and ET-1 significantly decreased and plasma ANP significantly increased at 7 days post transplantation; 6 minutes walking distance increased from (72.1 +/- 31.5) to (201.6 +/- 23.3) m (P < 0.01), LVEF increased 9.9% (P < 0.001) and FDG-PET revealed vital myocardium area increased (10.3 +/- 3.4)% (P < 0.01) at 3 months after BM-MNCs transplantation. At 6 months follow up, the NYHA class improved from (3.4 +/- 0.1 to 2.4 +/- 0.2, P < 0.001) and no patient died and 1 patient rehospitalized due to lower extremities edema. In control group, LVEF decreased 7.2% compared to baseline (P < 0.001) and was significantly lower than transplantation group at 3 months (P < 0.001). At 6 months follow up, the NYHA class increased from (3.5 +/- 0.1 to 3.9 +/- 0.1, P < 0.05), 2 patients died and 10 patients rehospitalized due to aggravated heart failure.

CONCLUSIONPresent study demonstrates that intracoronary transplantation of autologous BM-MNCs is safe and effective for treating patients with RIHF after myocardial infarction.

Bone Marrow Transplantation ; Coronary Vessels ; surgery ; Follow-Up Studies ; Heart Failure ; complications ; Humans ; Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation ; Monocytes ; transplantation ; Myocardial Infarction ; surgery ; Myocardial Ischemia ; complications ; Transplantation, Autologous

OBJECTIVETo investigate effects of developmental lead exposure on nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity in different brain regions and on N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor mRNA expression in the hippocampus of rats. On the basis of these observations, we explored possible mechanisms by which lead exposure leads to impaired learning and memorizing abilities in children.

METHODSA series of rat animal models exposed to low levels of lead during the developing period was established (drinking water containing 0.025%, 0.05% and 0.075% lead acetate). NOS activities in the hippocampus, the cerebral cortex, the cerebellum and the brain stem were determined with fluorescence measurement and levels of mRNA expression of the NMDA receptor 2A (NR2A) subunit and NMDA receptor 2B (NR2B) subunit in the rat hippocampus were measured with Retro-translation (RT-PCR).

RESULTSThere were no differences in the body weight of rat pups between any of the groups at any given time (P>0.05). The blood lead level of Pb-exposed rat pups showed a systematic pattern of change: at 14 d of age, it was lower than that at 7 d of age, then rising to the peak level at 21 d and finally falling to lower levels at 28 d. The hippocampal NOS activities of lead-exposed groups were all lower than that of the control group on the 21st and 28th day (P<0.01). NOS activities in the cerebellum of lead-exposed groups were all lower than that of the control group on the 21st and 28th day (P<0.001) and the NOS activity of the 0.025% group was significantly lower than that of the 0.05% and 0.075% groups on the 28th day (P<0.05). NOS activity in the cerebral cortex of the 0.075% group was significantly lower than that of the control, 0.025% and 0.05% groups on the four day spans (P<0.001). There was no significant difference of NOS activity in the brain stem between any lead-exposed group and the control group on the four day spans. In the 0.05% and the 0.075% groups, the level of NR2A mRNA expression was higher than that in the control group at 7 d and 14 d of age (P<0.05). In the 0.025% group, the level of NR2A was found to be higher than that in the control group at 7 d of age only (P<0.05). No significant differences were found for the levels of NR2B mRNA expression between any of the groups at any given time.

CONCLUSIONSNOS activity in the hippocampus, the cerebral cortex and the cerebellum are inhibited by lead exposure. The degree of the inhibitory effect depends on the time span of exposure and the lead concentration. Developmental low-level lead exposure was found to raise the level of NR2A mRNA expression in the hippocampus of rats. Developmental low-level lead exposure does not affect the level of NR2B mRNA expression in the hippocampus.

Animals ; Animals, Newborn ; Brain ; drug effects ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Environmental Exposure ; adverse effects ; Enzyme Activation ; drug effects ; Female ; Lead ; toxicity ; Male ; Neurotoxins ; toxicity ; Nitric Oxide Synthase ; metabolism ; Rats ; Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo study the clinical therapy and prognosis in children with transient congenital hypothyroidism (CH).

METHODSFifty-seven children with CH diagnosed after neonatal screening were treated with low-dosage levothyroxine (L-T4). Follow-up evaluation included the determination of TT3, TT4 and TSH serum levels and the assessment of thyroid gland morphology, bone age, growth development and development quotients (DQ). A full check-up was performed at age 2, when the affected children first discontinued the L-T4 treatment for 1 month, and one year later. Development quotients were compared with a control group of 29 healthy peers.

RESULTSThe initial L-T4 dosage administered was 3.21-5.81 microg/(kg.d) with an average of (16.25+/-3.87) microg/d. Mean duration of therapy was (28.09+/-9.56) months. No significant difference was found between study group and control group in the DQ test (average score (106.58+/-14.40) vs (102.4+/-8.6), P>0.05) and 96.49% of the CH children achieved a test score above 85. Bone age, 99mTc scans and ultrasonographic findings were all normal, and evaluation of physical development was normal too, as were the serum levels of TT3, TT4 and TSH after one year of follow-up.

CONCLUSIONA L-T4 dosage of 3.21-5.81 microg/(kg.d) was found sufficient for the treatment of transient CH. The treated children showed satisfactory overall mental and physical development at age 2. So it is possible for CH children to stop taking medicine if their laboratory findings and physical development are all normal after regular treatment and 2-3 years of follow-up.

Bone Development ; drug effects ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hyperthyroidism ; blood ; congenital ; diagnosis ; drug therapy ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Prognosis ; Thyroid Gland ; drug effects ; Thyroxine ; therapeutic use ; Time Factors ; Treatment Outcome ; Triiodothyronine ; blood

AIMTo study the effects of cryopreservation length on the proliferative potential of hematopoietic cells derived from cord blood.

METHODSUsing Dextran-40 and 10% DMSO as cryoprotectants, separated nuclear cells were stored in liquid nitrogen after they were freezed according programme. One month or 4 months later, they were thawed and expanded in serum-free medium for culture and expansion of hematopoietic cell (SFEM) for 5 weeks. Dynamic results were detected every week.

RESULTSAt the 5th week of expanding, TNC were expanded for 1499.0 +/- 115.6-folds and 1513.0 +/- 110.4-folds, respectively. CD34+ cells and CFCs reached to their highest level at the 2nd week and at the 3rd week. CD34+ cells were expanded for 63.8 +/- 6.1-folds and 62.4 +/- 5.7-folds, respectively. CFCs were expanded for 53.8 +/- 6.3-folds and 54.8 +/- 6.7-folds, respectively. Between the two kinds of cells, statistical significant difference in proliferative potential wasn't detected.

CONCLUSIONIn ideal cryopreservative condition, the cryopreservation length would do not affect the proliferative potential of cord blood hematopoietic cells.

Cell Proliferation ; Cell Survival ; Cells, Cultured ; Cryopreservation ; methods ; Fetal Blood ; cytology ; Hematopoietic Stem Cells ; cytology ; Humans ; Time Factors

OBJECTIVETo summarize and analyze the clinical characteristics and diagnostic and therapeutic measures for the first human case of H5N1 avian influenza pneumonia in mainland of China.

METHODSThe clinical data of the first case of H5N1 avian influenza virus infection in China were analyzed and summarized.

RESULTSThe case is a 9-year old boy, who developed acute symptoms of a light common respiratory infection, including fever and dry cough without obvious catarrh. On the 7th day after onset, his temperature reached 40 degrees C, tachypnea occurred, distinct rales could be heard and large areas of consolidation were seen in the lungs on chest X-ray. The patient's peripheral blood leukocyte count was 2.81 x 10(9)/L and neutrophils dominated. After comprehensive therapeutic approaches, including antiviral therapy (amantadine) and use of low-dosage glucocorticoid, the patient's temperature returned to normal on the 3rd hospitalization day, chest X-ray showed absorbed inflammatory change on the 5th day after admission, and leukocyte count became normal on the 6th day. No complication occurred during the whole course. The case was diagnosed by the 4 fold raised antibody to the H5N1 influenza virus in recovery stage serum because the H5N1 nucleic acid test in early stage was negative. The case was cured and discharged after 3 weeks comprehensive treatment.

CONCLUSIONSIt is very important for clinicians to pay enough attention to epidemiological history, especially history of exposure to avian influenza virus contaminated material, which will be very helpful for early detection, early diagnosis of the disease, and also very important for effective treatment and better prognosis.

Amantadine ; therapeutic use ; Animals ; Antibodies, Viral ; blood ; immunology ; Antiviral Agents ; therapeutic use ; Birds ; Child ; China ; Glucocorticoids ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Influenza A Virus, H5N1 Subtype ; immunology ; isolation & purification ; Influenza in Birds ; transmission ; Influenza, Human ; complications ; diagnosis ; Male ; Pneumonia ; diagnosis ; drug therapy ; physiopathology ; virology ; Treatment Outcome