Objective To explore the clinical significance of osteopontin (OPN) in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and its pathogenic role in SLE by studying the correlation between OPN and clinical manifestations,laboratory parameters and disease activity.Methods The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)was used to measure the level of OPN in serum of 68 SLE patients and 20 healthy controls.the clin-ical data and laboratory parameters were recorded.Results The positive rate of OPN was 79.41%in 68 SLEpatients and could not be detected in healthy controls.Compared with healthy controls.the positive rate and level of OPN in SLE patients was significantly higher(P＜0.01).There was no significant difference in age.gender and disease duration between OPN positive and negative lupus patients(P＞0.05).The Drevalence of fever,hair loss,WBC decrease,liver damage,serum C4 decrease,proteinuria and anti-dsDNA antibody in OPN positive SLE were significantly higher than those of OPN negative SLE(P＜0.05).The positive rate of serum OPN in SLE patients was significantly higher than that of anti-dsDNA antibody and anti-Sm antibody (P＜0.01).The level of plasma OPN was associated with systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index (SLEDAI)(r=0.292,P＜0.05).The positive rate and level of OPN in active SLE patients was significantly higher than that of inactive SLE patients(P＜O.05).Conclusion The level of plasma OPN has a close rela-tionship with the activity of SLE.It may serve as an active disease marker of SLE.

aration caused by varieties of violence does not catch the attention of domestic orthopedic surgeons enough in the past years.This passage is to discuss the damage mechanism,clinical treatment and prognosis evaluation of this kind of injury through the analysis of the case of Logsplitter injury.Methods Retrospective analysis 23 patients of Logsplitter injury from December 2006 to December 2014,male in 17 cases,female in 6 cases,average age (43.68±12.67) years (21-60 years).Hurt injury in 9 cases,sports injury in 1 case,falling injury in 2 cases,traffic injuries in 10 cases,crushing injury in 1 case.Open injures in 10 cases,of which the Gustilo Ⅱ type in 7 cases,Gustilo Ⅲ A type or above in 3 cases,closed injuries in 13 cases.According to the AO/OTA fracture classification,44c type in 19 cases,44b type in 3 cases,44a type in 1 case.Fibula fractures in 22 cases,19 cases of medial malleolus fracture.Results 23 patients received follow-up,with an average period was (0.91±0.26) years (0.4-2.37 years).21 cases underwent open reduction internal fixation (ORIF),2 cases underwent closed reduction external fixation and K-wire fixation.17 cases were fixed with the syndesmosis screws,among them,1 screw was used to fix 14 cases,two screws were used to fix 3 cases;the utilization rate of 3.5 mm screws is higher,at 94.1％,and all screws were entered through 3 layers of cortical;Combined with medial malleolus fracture cases were fixed with cannulated screws/K-wire internal fixation.Average healing time of the skin surrounding the ankle skin was (2.26±1.91) weeks;average healing time of fracture was (15.34±5.13) weeks;Joint pain ocurred combined with joint space narrowing after loading in 18 cases,at 78.3％;Postoperative infection,2 cases,the proportion was 8.7％;Fracture delayed union 1 case.Functional examination of the ankle joint (angle measurement method):Dorsiflexion average angle (23.9±2.21)degrees,Plantar flexion average angle (32.1 ±4.13) degrees.Average angle of introversion was (23.91 ±2.24) degrees.Hallux valgus average angle (27.6±3.81) degrees.75 points and over were got in AOFAS in 21 cases,the ratio of excellent was 91.3％.Conclusion Logsplitter injury represents a kind of important and unique ankle fracture,dislocation and the inferior tibiofibular syndesmosis separation caused by varieties of violence,accompany with potentially soft tissue injury and platford injury,according to existing treatment principle and treatment strategy summarizied by us,the clinical therapeutic effect of this damage is ideal,functional recovery is relatively satisfactory prognosis.

Objective To investigate the effect of pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) on the pathogenesis of preeclampsia disease,by detecting the expression of PEDF in the placentas,as well as the relationship between PEDF and the production of placental vessels.Methods A study was performed in 60 cases of pregnant women with preeclampsia in the obstetrical department of Nanfang Hospital affiliated to southern medical university from October 2011 to January 2013,in which 30 cases were patients with mild preeclampsia(mPE) and other 30 cases were those with severe preeclampsia (sPE).40 normal pregnant women who also been hospitalized and delivered were selected as control group.The expression of PEDF and micro-vessel density (MVD) in placentas were assayed by using western blot and SP immunohistochemical method,then the relationship between PEDF and MVD was analyzed.Results (1) The pathological changes of placentas:the placental weight were lightened obviously in the mild preeclampsia and severe preeclampsia groups,the reduced blood vessels and luminal stegnosis were found in chorionic villus,basement membrane of trophocytes were thickening.The hyperplasia syneytiotrophoblast were like nodosity,with focus infarction,fibrinoid necrosis,or thrombogenesis.While there was no the above mentioned pathological alteration in normal control group.(2)The levels of PEDF expression in mild and severe preeclampsia group were 0.63 ± 0.09,0.93 ± 0.07,while 0.47 ± 0.04 in control group,which in mild and sever preeclampsia groups were significantly higher than that in normal group (P ＜ 0.05).Compared to mild preeclampsia group,the expression of PEDF was significantly increased in severe preeclampsia group,there was statistical significance between the difference (P ＜ 0.05).(3) The amount of microvessel density (MVD) in mild and severe preeclampsia group were 106 ±9,93 ±8,while 136 ±9 in control group,which were significantly reduced in mild and severe preeclampsia group,compared to that in normal control group (P ＜ 0.05).And it was significantly lower in severe preeclampsia group than that in mild preeclampsia group (P ＜ 0.05).(4) The expression of PEDF was negatively correlated with the amount of MVD in mild and severe preeclampsia group (r =-0.426,P ＜ 0.05 ; and r =-0.646,P ＜ 0.05 respectively),which was also negative in control group (r =-0.589,P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion Increased PEDF expression in placentas of women with preeclampsia induce the dysfunction of the placental vascular reconstruction and the pathological alteration like ischemic and hypoxia in placentas,which may be involved in pathogenesis and pathogenic progress of preeclampsia.

Objectives To study the role of interleukin-4 (IL-4) and interferon-gamma (IFN-?) in the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis and eczema,and the changes of serum levels of IL-4 and INF-? with topical treatment of co rticosteroid plus antibiotic cream or corticosteroid cream alone.Methods Seru m levels of IL-4 and IFN-? were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assa y(ELISA).Results Serum levels of IL-4 and INF-? were significantly higher in the patients with atopic dermatitis and eczema than those in the normal control s,respectively(both P

A series of novel 4-substituted-3-nitrobenzamide derivatives were designed and synthesized. The structures of the target compounds were confirmed with 1H NMR, 13C NMR, MS and element analysis. Anti-tumor activities against HCT-116, MDA-MB435 and HL-60 cell lines in vitro were evaluated by SRB assay. The results indicated most of the target compounds exhibited potent anti-tumor activity. Compound 4a showed the most potent inhibitory activities against three cancer cell lines with the GI50 values of 1.904-2.111 micromol x L(-1). Compounds 4g, 41-4n exhibited more potent inhibitory activities against MDA-MB435 and HL-60 cell lines with the GI50 values of 1.008-3.586 micromol x L(-1) and 1.993-3.778 micromol x L(-1), respectively. The structure-activity relationship of these compounds is discussed preliminarily.
Antineoplastic Agents ; chemical synthesis ; pharmacology ; Benzamides ; chemical synthesis ; pharmacology ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; Drug Design ; HL-60 Cells ; Humans ; Inhibitory Concentration 50 ; Structure-Activity Relationship

Objective To evaluate the impact of breathing motion on target volume and the factors influencing the set-up errors during tangential whole breast irradiation.Methods From Jan 2003 to Dec 2003,patients with early-stage breast cancer after breast conserving surgery,were selected to be eligible for the study.All patients were immobilized in treatment position by breast beard of Med-Tec 250.The motion of the breast treatment volume was observed on a fluoroscope in different directions under free breathing in 16 patients.The set-up errors in different dimensions during irradiation were measured by weekly portal films (PF) in comparison with digital reconstructed radiographs (DRR) in 11 patients.Results The central lung distance (CLD) variation during free breathing was (2.1?1.2) mm which is greater than the motion to- wards the other directions.By comparing the PF and DRR,the systemic error,random error and overall er- ror in the outer,inner and cranio-caudal directions was 1.9,1.6,2.5 and 2.4,1.7,3.1 and 2.6,2.3, 3.5 mm,respectively.In addition,the discrepancy of the treatment position in cranio-caudal direction and breast volume was most obvious at the beginning 2 weeks with the peak of breast volume at the second week. It decreased gradually during the following 3 weeks.Conclusions This study suggests that the mean value of the motion of the breast target volume during one breathing cycle is less than 2 mm.The set-up errors dur- ing irradiation is the greatest in cranio-caudal direction,suggesting that the fixing precision of the breast board should be further improved.The set-up error during irradiation are most obvious at the beginning two weeks,with the peak of the breast volume in the second week.

AIM:To investigate the effect of irbesartan on the fatty liver of db/db mice and whether autophagy is involved in the process.METHODS:Male db/db mice(n=24)were randomly divided into model group and irbesar-tan group,and 12 db/m mice with similar age and weight were selected as normal control group.After 16 weeks of inter-vention respectively,the fatty liver-related parameters including body weight, liver index, blood lipid, liver function and pathological changes in the liver were observed.The protein levels of p-PI3K,p-Akt,and p-mTOR,as well as Atg-7,bec-lin-1 and LC3B in the liver tissues were detected by Western blot,and the autophagosomes in the liver were observed under electron microscope.RESULTS:Compared with the model group,the body weight,liver index,blood lipids,alanine and aspartate aminotransferase were decreased in irbesartan group(P<0.05).Moreover,the pathological changes in the liver were significantly ameliorated in irbesartan group than that of model group.Importantly, the protein levels of p-PI3K, p-Akt and p-mTOR were decreased with irbesartan administration,while the expression of Atg-7,beclin-1 and LC3B-Ⅱwas increased(P<0.05),which resulted in a distinct increase in autophagosomes.CONCLUSION:Irbesartan alleviates he-patic steatosis in db/db mice by inhibiting the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway and upregulating the protein expression of Atg-7,beclin-1 and LC3B-Ⅱ,thereby inducing autophagy in hepatocytes.

Correlated firings among neurons have been extensively investigated; however, previous studies on retinal ganglion cell (RGC) population activities were mainly based on analyzing the correlated activities between the entire spike trains. In the present study, the correlation properties were explored based on burst-like activities and solitary spikes separately. The results indicate that: (1) burst-like activities were more correlated with other neurons' activities; (2) burst-like spikes correlated with their neighboring neurons represented a smaller receptive field than that of correlated solitary spikes. These results suggest that correlated burst-like spikes should be more efficient in signal transmission, and could encode more detailed spatial information.
Action Potentials ; Animals ; Computer Simulation ; Darkness ; Electrophysiology ; In Vitro Techniques ; Light ; Patch-Clamp Techniques ; Postsynaptic Potential Summation ; Rana catesbeiana ; physiology ; surgery ; Retina ; physiology ; Retinal Ganglion Cells ; physiology ; Retinal Neurons ; physiology ; Signal Transduction

A series of [1,3]dioxolo[4,5-f]isoindolone derivatives were designed, synthesized and evaluated as inhibitors of acetylcholinesterases (AChE). Furthermore, their effects on memory impairment of mice induced by scopolamine were investigated with step-through test. The results suggested that most of the target compounds exhibited potential inhibition on AChE with IC50 values at micromolar range. Compounds I1 (IC50 value of 0.086 μmol · L(-1)) and I2 (IC50 value of 0.080 μmol · L(-1)) showed the strongest AChE inhibitory activity, which are equipotent to donepezil (IC50 value of 0.094 μmol · L(-1)). Moreover, compounds I1-I4 could improve the memory impairment induced by scopolamine in mice.
Animals ; Cholinesterase Inhibitors ; chemical synthesis ; chemistry ; Dioxoles ; chemical synthesis ; chemistry ; Drug Design ; Indans ; Inhibitory Concentration 50 ; Isoindoles ; chemical synthesis ; chemistry ; Memory Disorders ; drug therapy ; Mice ; Piperidines ; Scopolamine Hydrobromide

OBJECTIVETo study the role of apelin in the prevention of pulmonary hypertension induced by hypoxia in rats.

METHODSThe animal model of hypoxic pulmonary hypertension was established by exposing the rats to isobaric hypoxic chamber for 4 weeks (8 h/d, 6 d/ w). Forty male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into control group (NC), hypoxic group(HH), hypoxic with low-dose apelin (5 nmol/(kg x d) group(LA) and high-dose apelin (10 nmol/(kg x d) (HA). [pGlu]apelin-13 was administered into the rats of apelin groups by mini-osmotic pump subcutaneously. The mean pulmonary arterial pressure(mPAP) and the mean carotid arterial pressure (mCAP) were measured by either right or left cardiac catheterization, and the weight ratio of right ventricule/left ventricule plus septum (RV/(LV + S)) were calculated. The Masson's trichrome stained lung specimens were examined by light microscope to examine the vessel wall area/total area (WA/TA), vessel cavity area/total area (CA/TA) and media thickness of pulmonary arterioles (PAMT). Meanwhile, the lung homogenates were assayed for the activity of supeeroxide dismutase (SOD) and the content of malondialdehyde (MDA).

RESULTS(1) mPAP and RV/(LV + S) of HH group were significantly higher than those of NC group. mPAP of LA and HA groups were lower than those of HH group. The RV/(LV + S) of HA group was significantly lower than that of HH group, but there was no significant difference between HH group and LA group. (2) Masson's trichrome staining revealed that WA/TA and PAMT of HH group were higher than those of NC group. Administration of apelin significantly eliminated WA/TA and PAMT in LA and HA groups. (3) CA/TA of HH group was lower than that of NC group. Administration of apelin significantly elevated CA/TA in LA and HA groups. (4) The activity of SOD and content of MDA in HH group was, respectively, lower and higher than those in NC group. Apelin treatment increased the activity of SOD in LA and HA groups while decreased the content of MDA.

CONCLUSIONSApelin could play an important role in treatment of hypoxic pulmonary hypertension of rats and the mechanisms of protection were associated with vasodilation of pulmonary artery and inhibition of oxidative stress.

Animals ; Cardiotonic Agents ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Hypertension, Pulmonary ; etiology ; physiopathology ; prevention & control ; Hypoxia ; complications ; physiopathology ; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Male ; Oxidative Stress ; drug effects ; Pulmonary Artery ; physiopathology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Vasodilation ; drug effects