Child, Preschool ; Fatal Outcome ; Female ; Humans ; Respiratory Tract Infections ; complications ; Shock, Septic ; etiology ; Streptococcal Infections ; complications

OBJECTIVETo prepare and characterize the heavy metal reference material of radix salvia planted in Zhongjiang, Sichuan province under the good agricultural procedure (GAP).

METHODAfter being prepared, the reference material was digested with 65% HNO3 and H2O2 by microwave-assisted oven systems, and the heavy metals in Radix salvia reference material were accurately determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).

RESULTThe measuring method was validated by running certificated reference materials, including bush twigs and leaves (GBW07602) and tea twigs and leaves (GBW07605) under the same conditions. The recoveries of the elements mostly ranged from 90% to 110%, and the RSD was within 5%. The measurement of radix salvia reference material was carried out by different laboratories with ICP-MS and by several time intervals in one year for the stability. The results showed that the concentration of the heavy metals provided were accurate and the reference material was stable.

CONCLUSIONThe reference material is suitable to be the criterions of heavy metals for radix salvia in the qualities controlling, and is also suitable to be the criterion of poisonous heavy metals of other herbs in the administration of GAP.

Agriculture ; standards ; Arsenic ; analysis ; Cadmium ; analysis ; Drug Stability ; Lead ; analysis ; Metals, Heavy ; analysis ; Plant Roots ; chemistry ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; growth & development ; Quality Control ; Salvia miltiorrhiza ; chemistry ; growth & development

TT virus(TTV)DNA was tested by nested-PCR from sera of hepatitis patients and volunteer blood donors in Minnan area. The amplified segment was a 189 base pair region in TTV ORF2. A total of six sequences were obtained from three non-A to G hepatits patients and two from volunteer blood donors. The sequences were found to be with 82.9% to 99.3% homology to TTV Japanese strain and Chinese strain. The divergence of sequence in these six segments varied from 0.7% to 17.1%, which indicated that the TTV had been existing for a long time in this area. In the serum of a non-A to G hepatitis patient who was negative for TTV DNA in the 14th day of disease course turned to be positive in the 30th day, two TTV sequences were obtained which showed 92.1% nucleotide homology. It indicated that different TTV strains can co-exist in the same person. This patient's blood had been transfused ten times between the collection of his TTV negative sample and his positive serum sample. Seven of the blood donors were traced and sampled for sera, of which three were positive for TTV. For all 161 patients tested, the history of exposure to blood products was associated with an increased risk of TTV infection(relative risk, 3.0; 95% confidence intervals, 1.89～4.81).

OBJECTIVESTo explore the clinical, pathological features and prognosis of patients with chromophobe renal cell carcinoma.

METHODSFrom January 1998 to January 2008, clinical data of 29 patients with chromophobe renal cell carcinoma including clinical manifestations, imaging examinations, treatment models, pTNM stages and follow-up results, were summarized to investigate its features and prognosis.

RESULTSAll cases had no obvious clinical and preoperative imaging presentation. There were 23 patients underwent radical nephrectomy, and 6 cases underwent nephron sparing surgery. Postoperative pathological findings confirmed the diagnosis of chromophobe renal cell carcinoma. Macroscopically, the cut surface of the tumors were generally beige in color. Histologically, it showed polygonal chromophobe cells and small round eosinophilic cells with eccentric hyaline degeneration. These tumor cells had a clear and sharp membrane, lightly stained abundant cytoplasm with a fine reticular translucent pattern and irregular nuclei. And a perinuclear halo was often seen in these cells. Histochemically, the tumor cells generally show a diffuse and strong reaction for CK-8 with a negative expression of Vimentin. The pTNM stages of the tumor were as follows, pT1N0M0 in 11 cases, pT2N0M0 in 8 cases, pT3aN0M0 in 5 cases, pT1N1M0 in 3 cases, pT2N1M0 in 2 cases. Twenty-six cases of patients were followed up (24 to 144 months, with an average of 90 months), 3 cases died of cardio-cerebrovascular disease, and local recurrence involved in 6 cases with reoperation in 4 cases, as well as distant metastasis in 1 case. Twenty-one cases survived with tumor-free. The statistical results indicated that the survival rates of the patients with chromophobe renal cell carcinoma in five years and ten years were 83.9%, 77.9%, respectively, compared with renal cell carcinoma of the same stage 63.8% and 49.9% at the same periods, and there is no difference in the survival rate of five years (P > 0.05) but significant difference in that of ten years (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONSChromophobe renal cell carcinoma is a morphologically uncommon subtype of renal cell carcinoma with the good prognosis. Definite diagnosis depends on its typical pathological feature. Radical nephrectomy is the first choice for the treatment of chromophobe renal cell carcinoma.

Adult ; Aged ; Carcinoma, Renal Cell ; pathology ; surgery ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Kidney Neoplasms ; pathology ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nephrectomy ; methods ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies

In this paper, we designed to investigate the frequencies of tumor necrosis factor receptor 2 (TNFR2) polymorphisms at nt587 and nt694 in south Chinese SLE patients and healthy individuals and explore whether genetic variants in TNFR2 gene is involved in the pathogenesis of SLE. The results showed that the nt587G allele frequency was 21.1% in the 128 SLE patients and the allele frequency was 13.0% in the 135 healthy individuals, the former was significantly higher than the latter in the allele frequency (P ＜ 0.05). People with the nt587 G variant showed high risk to SLE. The frequency of nt694 was slightly but not statistically significantly increased in SLE patients compared with healthy controls(16.0% versus 11.9%, P= 0.149). These results indicate that the polymorphism at nt587 of TNFR2 is associated with the south Chinese SLE patients. The polymorphism at nt694 is not associated with SLE.

OBJECTIVETo explore the effects of bisphenol A (BPA) exposure on toxicity characteristic and OCT4 and SOX2 gene expression of mouse embryonic stem cells (mESC).

METHODSmESC were cultured, and treated with the doses of 10(-8), 10(-7), 10(-6), 10(-5), 10(-4) mol/L respectively of BPA and DMSO (the solvent control group)for 24 hours, and three groups of cells were treated with the same method. The morphological changes of mESC in the control and exposure groups were observed through an inverted microscope. Cell counting kit 8 (CCK8) was used to detect the effects of BPA on proliferation of mESC, and based on the results, the half inhibitory concentration (IC50) was calculated. Real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-QPCR) and western blotting were used to detect the expression of OCT4 and SOX2.

RESULTSBPA had certain toxicity on mESC, the treatment of BPA significantly increased cell toxicity in a concentration-dependent manner, and the IC50 was 4.3×10(-4) mol/L, combined with the BPA exposure concentration of the environment and the related literature, eventually taking the five concentrations of 10(-8), 10(-7), 10(-6), 10(-5), 10(-4) mol/L as the experimental groups. The mESC morphology were effected after the treatment of BPA for 24 h, compared with the control group, the number of cells decreased, appearing some floating cells, and the cell cloning became irregular and differentiation in the higher concentration groups. The OCT4 mRNA expression level in the 10(-7) mol/L (1.146 ± 0.087), 10(-6) mol/L (1.156 ± 0.030), 10(-5) mol/L (1.158 ± 0.103) and the 10(-4) mol/L (1.374 ± 0.053) dose group were all significantly higher than the control group (1.000 ± 0.000) (t values were -2.384, -2.953, -3.203, -4.021 respectively, P value all < 0.05). Meanwhile, the SOX2 mRNA expression level in the 10(-4) mol/L (1.113 ± 0.052) were higher than the control group (1.000 ± 0.000) (t value was -2.765, P value < 0.05). Moreover, the OCT4 protein expression level in the 10(-5) mol/L (1.360 ± 0.168) and 10(-4) mol/L (1.602 ± 0.151) were all significantly higher than the control group (1.000 ± 0.000) (t values were -3.538, -4.002 respectively, P value all < 0.05), while no obvious change of the SOX2 protein expression level was detected in all treated groups.

CONCLUSIONBPA in a certain dose range could upregulate the expression of OCT4 gene in mouse embryonic stem cells while had no significant effect on the expression of SOX2 gene.

Animals ; Benzhydryl Compounds ; toxicity ; Cells, Cultured ; Embryonic Stem Cells ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Gene Expression ; Mice ; Octamer Transcription Factor-3 ; genetics ; Phenols ; toxicity ; SOXB1 Transcription Factors ; genetics ; Signal Transduction ; drug effects

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the clinical efficacy and toxicity of vinorelbine (N) and epirubicin (E) as the neoadjuvant chemotherapy regimen in the treatment of locally advanced breast cancer (LABC).

METHODSFrom September 2001 to December 2004, 158 patients with LABC were treated with NE chemotherapy before operation. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy containing vinorelbine (N), 25 mg/m(2) (days 1 and 8) and epirubicin (E), 60 mg/m(2) (days 1) was administered every 3 weeks for three cycles before local treatment.

RESULTSResponse in the breast: the clinical objective response was 81.6% [23.4% (37/158) cCR and 58.2% (92/158) PR], 16.5% (26/158) SD and 1.9% (3/158) PD. Pathological complete response was found in 29 cases (18.3%). Eighteen cases (26.5%) who have positive FNA result in the axillary lymphnode before chemotherapy showed negative result in the surgery specimen. The most common toxicities were neutropenia, alopecia and nausea/vomiting. Neutropenia grade 3 - 4 was reported in 111 patients (70.3%) and there was no toxic deaths.

CONCLUSIONSThe combination of vinorelbine and epirubicin is a very active and well-tolerated regimen as neoadjuvant chemotherapy for the LABC.

Adult ; Aged ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; therapeutic use ; Breast Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant ; Drug Administration Schedule ; Epirubicin ; administration & dosage ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Treatment Outcome ; Vinblastine ; administration & dosage ; analogs & derivatives

Objective To investigate the clinical characteristics and antimicrobial resistance of Acinetobacter baumannii(A.baumannii) in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs).Methods The clinical isolation and antimicrobial resistance of A.baumannii causing healthcare-associated infection(HAD in 4 NICUs of a hospital from October 2012 to October 2014 were analyzed statistically.Results A total of 11 640 neonates were admitted in 4 NICUs,500(4.3 ％) developed HAI,51 (10.2 ％) developed 52 cases of A.baumannii infection.Distribution of A.baumannii infection was as follows:NICU of extremely premature infants,premature infants,full-term infants,and surgical NICU were 42,1,4,and 5 cases respectively.Incidences of A.baumannii HAI in 4 seasons were compared,difference was statistically significant(x2 =16.05,P＜0.05),infection mainly occurred in the spring and summer.A.baumannii had high resistance rates to β-1actam antibiotics (such as piperacillin/sulbactam,cefepime,imipenem)and gentamycin(＞90 ％),resistance rate to amikacin was the lowest (51.9 ％).Among 52 strains of A.baumannii,46 were multidrug-resistant strains,and 3 were extensively drug-resistant strains.Conclusion A.baumannii HAI is most serious in NICU of extremely premature infants,resistance rates to commonly used antimicrobial agents are high.

Objective To observe the effect of burying beans at ear acupoints combining sticking Chinese medicine at acupoints to prevent nausea and vomiting after gynecological surgery .Methods Patients who undergone three kinds of abdominal gynecological operations from December 2011 to November 2012 were chosen as the observation group , and those from December 2010 to November 2011 were chosen as the control group.The observation group applied burying beans at ear acupoints combining sticking Chinese medicine at acupoints to prevent nausea and vomiting while the control group had no special preoperative preventive measures but give medicine after the surgery to deal with symptoms .The incidence rate of PONV and its severity in 24 hours after surgery was observed and compared between two groups .Results There were 44 cases (68.18%) of GradeⅠPONV, 4 cases (9.09%) of GradeⅡ PONV, 10 cases (22.73%) of Grade Ⅲ PONV in the observation group, and 23 cases (44.23%) of GradeⅠPONV, 7 cases (13.46%) of GradeⅡ PONV, 22 cases (42.31%) of Grade Ⅲ PONV in the control group.And the difference of incidence of PONV was statistically significant between two groups (Uc=2.3322, P<0.05).The severity of nausea and vomiting was better in the observation group and single medication can relieve symptoms during Grade Ⅲ PONV. Conclusions Burying beans at ear acupoints combining sticking Chinese medicine at acupoints can prevent incidence of PONV after gynecological surgery , which is easy for nurses to implement and worthy clinical promotion.

Objective To investigate the protective effects of Salvianolic acid on myocardial ischemic injury of rats from the aspect of inhibiting inflammatory reaction.Methods Sixty Sprague Dawley (SD) male rats were randomly divided into four groups (n =15per group):sham operation group,model group,experimental-high (36 mg · kg-1) group,experimental-low (18mg · kg-1) group with intraperitoneal injection dosing.Same amount of distilled water was injected to sham operation group and model group,lasting for 4 days.Myocardial ischemia model was established by coronary artery ligation of left anterior descending (LAD) branch after the last administration.Six hours after the operation,the blood of eye canthus was collected to assay the levels of creatine kinase(CK),MB isoenzyme of creatine kinase (CK-MB) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in serum.The heart was collected 24 h after the operation,stained by hematoxylin eosin (HE)and checked the pathological change of the cardiac muscle tissue,assayed the cardiac troponin (cTnT),tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) in serum and myeloperoxidase (MPO) was measured in myocardial tissue homogenate.Results After 6 hours' myocardial ischemia,the serum CK in sham operation group was (529.61 ± 141.93) U · L-1,CK-MB was (708.12 ±385.93) U · L-1,LDH was (330.12 ±158.38) U · L-1 and cTnT was (294.12 ±55.10)pg· mL-1 after 24 hours' myocardial ischemia.The serum CK in model group was (996.42 ± 413.42) U · L-1,CK-MB was (1346.11 ±558.30) U · L-1,LDH was (520.12 ±154.76) U · L-1and cTnT was (513.00 ±69.71)pg · mL-1after 24 hours' myocardial ischemia.The serum CK in experimental-low and experimental-high groups were (499.45 ±159.33),(514.91 ±98.82)U · L-1,CK-MB were (831.42 ±385.11),(592.10 ±206.32)U·L-1,LDH were (462.62 ±229.68),(437.72 ± 175.80)U· L-1,and cTnT were (431.12 ±106.00),(338.80 ± 76.92)pg · mL-1after 24 hours' myocardial ischemia.Compared with the sham operation group,the CK,CK-MB and LDH value in the serum of model group increased significantly (P ＜ 0.05).Compared with the model group,the salvianolic acid significantly both can decrease the CK and CK-MB in serum (P ＜ 0.05).Compared with sham operation group,the cTnT value in the serum of model group increased significantly (P ＜ 0.05).Compared with model group,high dosage of salvianolic acid could significantly decrease the cTnT value (P ＜ 0.05).After 24 hours'myocardial ischemia,the TNF-α in serum of sham operation group was (118.90 ± 17.58) pg · mL-1,the MPO in heart tissue was (32.25 ± 3.75) U · L-1.The TNF-α in serum of model group was (156.00 ± 28.24) pg · mL-1,the MPO in heart tissue was (104.83 ±22.87) U · L-1.The TNF-α in serum of experimental-low and experimental-high groups were (136.05 ± 34.00),(125.06 ± 30.13) pg · mL-1,the MPO in heart tissue were (91.70 ±21.57),(68.00 ± 18.47) U · L-1.Compared with sham operation group,the TNF-α values in the serum and the MPO value in model group increased significantly (P ＜ 0.05).Compared with model group,these values of experimental-high group decreased with significantly (all P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion Salvianolic acid showed the protection of myocardial tissue,which also could significantly reduce the myocardial cell injury and inflammatory cell infiltration of cardiac myocytes,which could be related with the decreased levels of TNF-α and MPO.