Comet Assay

Objective To explore the echocardiography characteristics of non-compaction of ventricular myocardium(NVM),and assess its value in the diagnosis of NVM.Methods Philips SONOS 5500 color Doppler ultrasound system with 2-4 MHz transducers was used in 9 patients with NVM.Results In all 9 patients,the presence of multiple trabeculations and multiple deep intertrabecular Space communicating with the ventricular cavity was demonstrated by color Doppler imaging.Both ventricles were involved in 1 patient,only the left ventricle in 7 patients,and right ventricle in 1 patient.Conclusions NVM has typical ultrasonic appearance on echocardiography.It Can find out the NVM manifestations even if patients do not have any symptoms.It is a reliable and convenient way for diagnosing NVM.

Humans ; Occupational Exposure ; Risk Assessment ; Workplace

Adult ; Ergonomics ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multivariate Analysis ; Musculoskeletal Physiological Phenomena ; Regression Analysis ; Workplace

AlM: To investigate the refractive status of the preschool children in Xiantao, Hubei Province in order to find out the abnormal refraction error beyond the physiological range.
METHODS: ln this cross - sectional study, we investigated preschool children in kindergartens and the scattered ones were 12 716 ( 25 432 eyes ) ranging from 6mo ~ 6 years old. 1 581 children ( 3 162 eyes ) were diagnosed ametropia by Suresight refractive screening instrument, which were confirmed again after mydriasis optometry.
RESULTS: The incidence rate of ametropia in preschool children in Xiantao was 12. 4%, and statistics showed no significant difference between boys and girls (P>0. 05), but had differences of morbility rate among each age group (P<0. 05). With age increasing morbility rate of the refractive error decreased. The simple hyperopia and the compound hyperopia astigmatism were dominant in all refraction error. Professional ophthalmologists diagnosed amblyopia in 261 children (522 eyes), which was 16. 5%, among 1581 abnormal refractive children (3 162 eyes) screened out by Suresight refractive screening instrument.
CONCLUSlON: The incidence rate of ametropia decreases with age increasing in the preschool children from 6mo~6 years old, which imply preschool children should have mydriasis optometry in order to find out amblyopia and other congenital eye disease.

Health Personnel ; psychology ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Multivariate Analysis ; Professional Competence ; statistics & numerical data ; Stress, Psychological ; epidemiology

Background Pupillary light reflex has been widely used in the diagnosis and evaluation of visual system and nervous system diseases.However,in animal experiments,functional evaluation of the visual system and nervous system needs more advanced technology and are affected by many factors.Objective This study was to explore the use of the dynamic pupillometer in evaluating pupillary light reflex and to discuss the influence of brightness of stimulate on relevant curve parameters in C57BL/6 mouse.Methods Ten healthy SPF male C57BL/6 mice were collected in this experiment.White light of five luminance levels (2,8,32,128,256 cd/m2) was used to stimulate the mice following a 2-hour dark adaptation.The stimulation was given at the 60-second intervals,for a duration of 100 ms at every stimulation.An infrared camera and video capture card were used to capture digital images during the measuring process in a scotopic environment,at a speed of 60 frames per second.Measuring outcome was saved in the*.AVI format.A software that was developed by our group was used to determine pupil diameter and output pupillary light reflex curve offline.Pupil initial diameter (R1),constriction amplitude (CA),constriction velocity (CV),latency (T1),time for maximum velocity (T2),time for maximum constriction (T3),time for maximun con-striction to 10.1％ R1 re-dilation (RT)and re-dilation velocity (RV)were assessed,and the correlations between luminosity and measuring parameters were analyzed using the Spearman rank correlation.The use of animals followed the Regulations for thd Administration of Affairs Concerning Experimental Animals by State Science and Technology Commission.Results R1 values showed no statistically significant difference among the 5 different luminosity groups(F=1.117,P=0.361).A positive linear correlation was found between stimulating luminosity and CA(r=0.508,P＜ 0.01),but negative correlations were seen between stimulating luminosity and CV or RV (r=-0.625,-0.609,P＜0.01).T1 and T2 values in the 5 different luminosity groups were not statistically significant (F =0.202,P =0.936 ; F =1.584,P =0.195).The different levels of stimulating luminosity showed positive linear correlations with T3 and RT values (r =0.791,0.609,P＜ 0.01).Conclusions The dynamic pupillometer can quantitatively measure the pupillary light reflex of C57BL/6 mice.The pupillary light reflex dynamic curve parameters of mouse were affected by stimulus luminosity levels.These outcomes offer a basis for the application of the dynamic pupillometer system for measuring pupillary light reflex in animal models.

Objective To discuss the risks of hypertension development with relation to the level of lipid variables among populations who had normal blood pressure at baseline study. Methods In April 2000, under the support of project "prevention of metabolic syndrome and multi-metabolic disorders in Jiangsu province", a cohort study was performed to obtain the baseline data among 8685 persons from age 34 to 74. In June of 2006, a follow-up investigation was carried out among those who had been in the study for 5 years after the baseline study started. 2603 persons who met the selection criteria and showed normal blood pressure during baseline study, were recruited in this investigation. The interval from the baseline to the follow-up studies was 6.38 years on average. Relationship between the risk of developing hypertension and the baseline level of lipid variables were analyzed. Results Relations between baseline lipid levels and the incidence of hypertension during the follow-up was discovered. In gender and age adjusted model, the lipid variables were all associated with hypertension(Wend test, P<0.01). In multivariable-adjusted model, HDL-C [aRR=0.71 (95%CI: 0.61-0.99)], non-HDL-C [αRR=1.28 (95%CI: 1.14-1.83)], TC/HDL-C ratio[aRR=1.41 (95%CI: 1.25-2.03)] and TG [αRR=1.49(95%CI: 1.30-2.13)] were again associated with hypertension (trend test, P<0.05). Even the αRR was much weakened after the baseline SBP, DBP were adjusted with Cox model, the significant relation of hypertension to HDL-C, TC/HDL-C ratio and TG still existed. Excluding the two factors of obesity (BMI≥28) and diabetes which had been recognized in marked linking with hypertension, lipid variables were still associated with hypertension. Conclusion Dyslipidemia might occur before being hypertensive. Hypertension was associated with HDL-C, TC/HDL-C and TG or even exclusion of obesity, diabetes and factors of smoking and drinking or baseline level of SBP, DBP were adjusted.

The function for cardiac vascular system of taurine is extensive, and the mechanism is complicated. Taurine protects the cells from the cell injury caused by ischemia etc. Through repressing apoptosis, prevents endothelial dysfunction caused by hyperglycemia, hypercholesterolemia, smoking and homocysteine; suppresses the proliferation and calcification in vascular smooth muscle cells, promotes metabolization and excretion of cholesterol in the animal models of hyperlipemia, and confers the resistance to an oxidant, hypochlorous acid, produced by neutrophil on cells, and taurine chrolamine to inhibit activation of NF-kappaB, which might be associated with anti-atherosclerotic effect. Taurine mainly acts inside the cell. However, taurine transport system becomes aberrant in pathological myocardial and vascular tissue. In addition, taurine improves cardiovascular function in fructose-induced hypertension and an iron-overload murine animal models.
Animals ; Antioxidants ; pharmacology ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Humans ; Lipid Metabolism ; drug effects ; Materia Medica ; pharmacology ; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular ; cytology ; Myocytes, Cardiac ; pathology ; Taurine ; pharmacology

AIMTo study chemical constituents from pine cone of Pinus armandii Franch.

METHODSThe constituents were isolated by chromatographic method and the structures were identified on the basis of spectral analysis.

RESULTSFour compounds were identified as 7-oxo-12alpha, 13beta-dihydroxyabiet-8(14)-en18-oic acid (I), 7-oxo-13beta-hydroxyabiet-8 (14)-en-18-oic acid (II), 8 (14)-podocarpen-13-on-18-oic acid (III) and lambertianic acid (IV).

CONCLUSIONCompound I is a new diterpenoid and compounds II, III were isolated from this plant for the first time.

Carboxylic Acids ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Diterpenes ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Fruit ; chemistry ; Molecular Conformation ; Naphthalenes ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Pinus ; chemistry ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry