Objective To investigate the association between serum N-terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide(NT-ProBNP) and creatine kinase myocardial(CK-MB),cardiac troponin I(cTnI) in children who were diagnosed as viral myocarditis(VMC),and to explore the clinical significance.Methods Fifty children with VMC were selected as VMC group who were further divided into cTnI(+)group and cTnI(-)group.Fifteen healthy children were selected as healthy control group.The levels of myocardial enzyme of the 2 groups were tested by automatic biochemical analyzer and level of NT-proBNP was detected by specific NT-proBNP enzymelink immunosorbent assay(ELISA) kit.SPSS 13.0 software was used to analyze the data.Results 1.There were 23 cases with positive cTnI and 27 cases with negative cTnI.The levels of NT-proBNP in VMC group including cTnI positive and cTnI negative were significantly higher than those in healthy control group (P0.05).2.In the group with positive cTnI,the level of NT-proBNP was correlated with cTnI.The coefficient of determination was 0.17.3.In the group with negative cTnI,the level of NT-proBNP was correlated with CK-MB.The coefficient of determination was 0.34.NT-proBNP presented a increasing trend during interval of 25-100 U?L-1 and 175-255 U?L-1 of CK-MB.Conclusions The levels in the serum NT-proBNP in VMC children were higher than those in healthy children.Serum detection NT-proBNP may be applied as a new approach in diagnosis of VMC in children.

Animals ; Diet, Atherogenic ; Disease Models, Animal ; Heart ; physiopathology ; Myocardium ; pathology ; Obesity ; etiology ; physiopathology ; Rats ; Renin-Angiotensin System ; physiology

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis and to provide evidence for its use in clinical practice. Methods: Eight databases were extensively searched up to March 2018. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the efficacy of acupuncture with sham acupuncture or no acupuncture for knee osteoarthritis were included. Study selection, data extraction and quality assessment were independently conducted by two reviewers. The Cochrane Collaboration's tool was used for assessing the risk of bias. Results: A total of 18 RCTs were included, involving a total of 3522 participants. The results showed that acupuncture was superior to sham acupuncture in relieving pain (SMD=-0.34, 95％CI:-0.57 to -0.11, I2=85％, P=0.003) and improving physical function (SMD=-0.34, 95％CI: -0.57 to -0.11, I2=85％, P=0.003). In comparison to the no-acupuncture group, the acupuncture group also showed significant advantages in relieving pain (SMD=-0.79, 95％CI: -1.15 to -0.43, I2=87％, P<0.0001) and improving physical function (SMD=-0.75, 95％CI:-1.19 to -0.31, I2=91％, P=0.0008). Sensitivity analyses suggested that the results were robust, and Egger's test found no potential publication bias. Conclusion: In the treatment of knee osteoarthritis, the acupuncture group had significant advantages over sham acupuncture or no-acupuncture groups in relieving pain and improving physical function.

OBJECTIVETo compare the efficacy of internal fixation (including PFNA and PFN) versus hip replacement (including FHR or THA) in the treatment of trochanteric fractures in adults.

METHODSReports of studies using randomized controlled trials (RCT) to compare internal fixationg with hip replacement in the management of intertrochanteric fractures were retrieved (up to January 1, 2013) from the Cochrane Library, PUBMED Data, CNKI (China National Knowledge infrastructure), Elsevier, the Chinese Biomedical Database, Wanfang Data, and manually. Methodological quality of the trials was critically assessed, and relevant data were extracted. Statistical software RevMan 5.0 was used for data-analysis.

RESULTSSeven articles were included in the meta-analysis. The results showed that,compared internal fixation with hip replacement,there were statistical significance in the duration of surgery time [WMD = -2.66, 95% CI (-5.25,-0.06), P = 0.05], intra-operative blood loss [WMD = -24.20, 95% CI (-30.38, -18.02), P < 0.000 01], hospital stays time [WMD = -4.72, 95% CI (-5.18, -4.25), P < 0.000 01], bearing load time [WMD = -29.54, 95% CI (-30.77, -28.31), P < 0.000 01], total complications rate [WMD = 0.15, 95% CI (0.11, 0.22), P < 0.000 01], the good rate of Harris scores [WMD = 1.09, 95% CI (0.54,1.32), P < 0.05]. However, there were no statistical significance in the rate of deep venous thrombosis [WMD = 1.09, 95% CI (0.47, 2.55), P > 0.05]. CON- CLUSION: Hip replacement (containing FHR or THA) for the treatment of intertrochanteric fractures is superior to internal fixa- tion in regards to the duration of surgery time, the mean duration of hosipital stays, mean post-operative down time, intra-opera- tive blood loss, the rate of post-operative good Harris scores. But there is not enough evidence to show any difference between hip replacement (containing THA or FHR) and internal fixation in regards to the rate of deep venous thrombosis. However, internal fixation for the treatment of intertrochanteric fractures is superior to hip replacement (containing FHR or THA) in regards to total complications rate.

Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip ; methods ; Fracture Fixation, Internal ; methods ; Hip Fractures ; surgery ; Humans

Objective To observe the interactions between a anti-interleukin-8 monoclonal antibody (anti-IL-8 mAb) carried targeted ultrasound contrast agents and the injured vascular endothelial cells,as well as to explore the role of IL-8 in the formation of atherosclerotic plaques and a new assessing method of vascular endothelial functions.Methods The targeted ultrasound contrast agent was prepared by using a erosslinking agent to couple a anti-IL-8 mAb with SonoVue microbubbles.The interactions between SonoVue microbubbles/the targeted microbubbles and normal/injured endothelial cells were observed under an inverted microscope,respectively.The numbers of endothelial cells and adhered microbubbles were counted under high power magnification.The ratio of microbubbles to endothelial cells was calculated for the quantitative analysis of the interactions.Results In the control group,only a slight amount of original SonoVue microbubbles were bound to normal/injured endothelial cells.In contrast,it was visible under the microscope that the anti-IL-8 mAb carried SonoVue could be bound to endothelial cells,and the number of microbubbles bound to the surface of injured endothelial cells was significantly higher than that bound to the normal endothelial cells.Conclusions The anti-IL-8 mAb carried targeted ultrasound contrast agent could be readily bound to the surface of the injured cells specifically,and thus suggesting a new direction for ultrasonic detection of vascular endothelial injury and the ultrasonic assessment of vascular endothelial functions.

Background Researches showed that wild-type p53(wtp53)and Rb94 genes inhibit the growth of retinoblastoma(RB),and these genes are involved in signal pathway in the induction and maintenance of cellular senescence.Thus the combination of two genes to inhibit growth of RB is concerned.Objective This study was to observe the inhibitory effect of the co-transfection of Rb94 and wtp53 gcnc into subretina on RB with ultrasound microbubble.Methods HXO-Rb44 suspension was subretinally injected to establish the RB model in 40 SPF female Balb/c nude mice.The RB models were randomized into model control group,wtp53 group,Rb94 group and wtp53+Rb94 group,and 0.1 ml relevant gene microvesicle suspension was injected via caudal vein in the different groups,but no any gene was used in the model control group.Seven days after modeling,followed by 0.5 W/cm2ultrasonic wave irradiated the eyeballs immediately for 4 seconds ×2 times and interrupted for 24 seconds.Eyeballs were extracted 7 days after gene transfection,and the expressions of wtp53 mRNA and Rb94 mRNA in tumor tissuc were detected by RT-PCR,and wtp53 and Rb94 protein in tumor tissue were assayed using Western blot.Immunochemistry was used to exam the VEGF expression,and TUNEL was used to evaluate the apoptosis of the tumor cells.Results The model successful rate after HXO-Rb44 suspension was 80％ (32/40)and obvious malformation cells were seen under the light microscope.In 7 days after gene transfection,no response band for wtp53 mRNA and Rb94 mRNA were found.The relative expression valuc of wtp53 mRNA was 0.65±0.07 in the wtp53 group,and that in wtp53+Rb94 group was 0.32±0.02,showing a significant difference between them (t =11.743,P =0.000).Rb94mRNA relative value was 0.42 ±0.03 in Rb94 group,and that in the wtp53 + Rb94 group was 0.23 ± 0.03,with a significant difference(t=5.041,P=0.001).The response bands of wtp53 and Rb94 proteins were seen in wtp53group,Rb94 group and wtp53+Rb94 group.Immunochemistry showed that the positive reactive intensity for VEGF in tumor tissue was obviously weaker in wtp53+Rb94 group than that in the wtp53 group,Rb94 group and model control group.Apoptotic index(Al) was 37.35±2.14 in the wtp53+Rb94 group,showing a significant increase in comparison with model control group (0.46 ± 0.05),wtp53 group (5.05 ± 0.80) and Rb94 group (6.43 ± 1.02) (t =-34.395,-28.206,-26.006,P＜0.01).Conclusions Ultrasound microvesicle enable double gene transfecting into RB tumor tissue,and Rb94 gene cooperation with wtp53 gene enhance the inhibitory effect on RB by promoting the apoptosis of RB cells.

The metabonomics method was used to study the intervention effect of Psoraleae Fructus and Myristicae Semen in "Ershen pill" on the changes in serum endogenous metabolites in spleen-kidney Yang deficiency diarrhea rats before and after processing, screen out differentiated metabolites related to spleen-kidney Yang deficiency diarrhea and explore the metabolic patterns related to spleen-kidney Yang deficiency diarrhea and the processing synergy mechanism of Psoraleae Fructus and Myristicae Semen in "Ershen pill". Efforts were made to detect SOD and MDA of each group, test rat serum metabolic fingerprints in different stages by using GC-MS, analyze by PCA and PLS-DA methods and screen out potential biomarks through VIP and t test. The results revealed that "Ershen pill" could enhance the level of SOD and decrease the level of MDA and identified 10 differentiated metabolites related to spleen-kidney Yang deficiency diarrhea. Compared with the model group, all of metabolites recovered to varying levels after being intervened with "Ershen pill", with the best effect shown in the "Ershen pill" IV group (salt-processed Psoraleae Fructus + bran-roasted Myristicae Semen). It is speculated that that Psoraleae Fructus and Semen Myristicae in "Ershen pill" show a synergistic effect by inhibiting peroxide, improving aglucolipid, amino acids and energy metabolism, with multiple target sites.
Animals ; Chemistry, Pharmaceutical ; Diarrhea ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; physiopathology ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; chemistry ; Energy Metabolism ; drug effects ; Humans ; Kidney ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Male ; Metabolomics ; Myristicaceae ; chemistry ; Psoralea ; chemistry ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Spleen ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Yang Deficiency ; drug therapy ; metabolism

OBJECTIVEHigh altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE), a life-threatening disease, has no biological markers used for the routine prevention, diagnosis and treatment. The aim of this study was to identify serum proteins differentially expressed in patients with HAPE for discovering essential biomarkers.

METHODSA complete serum proteomic analysis was performed on 10 HAPE patients and on 10 high altitude and 11 sea level healthy people as control using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, followed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry and peptide mass fingerprinting. Finally, two most significantly changed proteins were validated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

RESULTSEight protein spots stained with differential intensity, respresenting 5 distinct proteins were identified in patients compared with healthy controls through analysis of these composite gels. Among them, four proteins, namely alpha 1-antitrypsin(alpha1-AT), Haptoglobin(Hp), apolipoprotein A-1 (apoA-1) and Complement C3 increased remarkably, while one protein, apolipoprotein A-IV (apoA-IV) decreased significantly. The variation of alpha1-AT and Haptoglobin, as detected by ELISA, was consistent with the results from proteomic analysis.

CONCLUSIONSIt is well known that Hp, alpha1-AT and complement C3 are associated with inflammation and apoA-1 and apoA-IV play important roles in lipid absorption, transport and metabolism. Therefore, the significant expression changes of Hp, alpha1-AT and complement C3 and apoA-1 and apoA-IV between HAPE patients and their corresponding healthy controls highlight the role of inflammatory response system and lipid metabolism system in the pathophysiology of HAPE.

Altitude ; Biomarkers ; blood ; Blood Proteins ; metabolism ; Case-Control Studies ; Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Humans ; Peptide Mapping ; Proteome ; Pulmonary Edema ; blood ; Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization

OBJECTIVETo investigate the dynamic changes of the epididymal size 1 year after vasectomy.

METHODSFifty male volunteers received vasoligation. Before and at 1, 2, 3, 6, and 12 months after operation, we measured the size and detected the internal echoes of the epididymis using color Doppler ultrasonography.

RESULTSThe bilateral epididymides were both thickened post-operatively in all the 50 cases, with statistically significant differences between the baseline and the 1st month, the 1st and the 2nd month, the 2nd and the 3rd month, or the 3rd and the 6th month after surgery (all P < 0.01), but not between the 6th and the 12th month (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONWithin 6 months after vasectomy, the bilateral epididymides manifested a progressive thickening, but basically restored their balance of secretion-absorption after 6 months.

Epididymis ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; physiology ; Humans ; Male ; Organ Size ; Postoperative Period ; Time Factors ; Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color ; Vasectomy

OBJECTIVETo study the effects of Volatile Oil of Radix Angelicae Sinensis (VOA) on experimental asthma in rat model based on abnormal immune functions of Treg cells.

METHODSAfter grouping, the asthmatic rats were developed through injecting OVA and AI(OH)3 for sensitization and then administering OVA aerosol for challenge, and the respiratory functions, asthmatic behaviors, IL-10 levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) (ELISA) and Foxp3 expression (immunohistochemistry) in lung of asthmatic rats were observed.

RESULTSVOA at the doses of 40-160 mg/kg could improve the respiratory functions and the asthmatic behaviors, and upgrade IL-10 levels in BALF and Foxp3 expression in lung of asthmatic rats.

CONCLUSIONVOA has some effects of anti-asthma and one of the mechanisms is to improving the lower immune functions of Treg cells.

Angelica sinensis ; chemistry ; Animals ; Asthma ; drug therapy ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid ; chemistry ; Disease Models, Animal ; Forkhead Transcription Factors ; metabolism ; Interleukin-10 ; chemistry ; Lung ; metabolism ; Oils, Volatile ; pharmacology ; Plant Oils ; pharmacology ; Rats ; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory ; cytology