Objective To evaluate the value of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI)in diagnosing the acute centrum ovale infarction, and also to investigate the pathogenesis of the infarction. Methods All 58 patients underwent conventional MRI and DWI scanning after symptoms’ onset. DWI findings were compared to the findings of T_1WI and T_2WI. Results The sensitivity and specificity in diagnosing the ischemia stroke were 96.4% and 98.8% within 7 days after onset. Of all the cases, 62.1% were associated with the cerebral large-vessel disease and emboligenic heart disease. Only 36.2% had a classic lacunar syndrome but 69.0% had more frequently an abrupt onset of symptoms. Conclusion DWI is of high accuracy for diagnosing centrum ovale infarction and detecting early infarction lesions which are difficult to be displayed in conventional MRI, and very helpful in differentiating the acute from non-acute lesions; symptomatic centrum ovale infarction is suggested to be associated with large-vessel and heart disease which should be distinguished from the lacunar infarcts.

Objective: To describe the differences of plasma folate concentration and prevalence of folate deficiency in genders and ages in Chinese adults aged 35 to 64 years. Methods: By cross-sectional analysis, plasma folate concentration was measured in 2 545 adults including men and women by microbiological assay. Results: (1) Men tended to have lower plasma folate concentration and higher prevalence of folate deficiency(9.70 nmol/L, 31.0%) than did women(14.2 nmol/L, 12.5%, P=0.001). (2) Men in South have significantly higher plasma folate concentration and lower prevalence of folate deficiency than in North. The difference of plasma folate concentration was not evident between urban and rural area, but evident in North between in winter and spring. There were no significant differences of prevalence of folate deficiency for men between urban and rural areas in both regions. For women, the differences of plasma folate concentration in areas were significant, which were higher in South and urban, and lower in North and rural areas. (3) Plasma folate concentration increased with age in Southern men. A similar trend for others was not significant. Conclusion: Men have lower plasma folate concentration and higher prevalence of plasma folate deficiency than do women. The distribution of plasma folate concentrations in urban and rural areas seems different between men and women.

[ ABSTRACT] AIM:To observe the effect of high glucose on the protein expression of calreticulin ( CRT) and its association with cell apoptosis and mitochondrial dysfunction in the cardiomyocytes.METHODS: AC-16 cardiomyocytes were randomly divided into normal glucose group, high glucose group, high glucose+CRT siRNA group and isotonic con-trol group.The cell apoptotic rate, reactive oxygen species (ROS), mitochondrial membrane potential level, respiratory enzyme activity, and protein expression of CRT were observed.RESULTS: Compared with the cardiomyocytes in normal glucose group, the apoptotic rate and ROS production of cardiomyocytes increased in high glucose group, accompanying with the decreases in the mitochondrial membrane potential level and enzyme activitiy of the respiratory chain.The protein expression of CRT was significantly increased in high glucose group.However, compared with high glucose group, high glucose+CRT siRNA decreased the expression of CRT and attenuated the damage of mitochondria, but CRT siRNA did not reduce the ROS level in cardiomyocytes.CONCLUSION:High glucose brings about CRT over-expression to induce mito-chondrial injury, thus increasing myocardial apoptosis.

Mycena subpiligera, a new taxon in sect. Fragilipedes that can strongly enhance the germination efficiency of Gastrodia elata seeds, was discovered in subtropical areas of China. As revealed by a morphological comparison with related Mycena species as well as maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian phylogenetic analyses based on sequences of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and the large subunit (LSU) regions of nuclear ribosomal RNA, the new taxon can be distinguished from phenotypically similar and phylogenetically related species. Optimal cultural conditions for M. subpiligera basidiomata are reported, and the germination rate of the new species is compared with that of M. citrinomarginata.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the clinical value of (18)F-FDG PET-CT and enhanced CT imaging for staging of regional lymph node metastasis in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients.

METHODS122 patients with proven or suspected NSCLC underwent integrated PET-CT and enhanced CT scan before surgery. The results of lymph node metastasis diagnosed by PET-CT and CT were compared and analyzed according to the results of histopathological examination.

RESULTSPET-CT showed correctly lymph node staging in 80.3% of cases, overstaged in 13.1%, and understaged in 6.6%, while 55.8%, 26.2% and 18.0% by CT, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of PET-CT for lymph node staging was 86.3%, 85.0% and 85.3%, respectively, while the corresponding data were 68.6%, 71.0% and 70.4% by CT, respectively (P < 0.01). 81.3% of false-negative and 71.6% false-positive lymph nodes by CT were interpreted correctly by PET-CT, while 57.1% of false-negative and 45.2% of false-positive lymph nodes by PET-CT were correctly diagnosed by CT. 5.9% of PET-CT-diagnosed negative lymph nodes were pathologically proven to be positive with small cancer foci and below 10 mm in diameter, while 8.2% of pathologically proven negative lymph nodes with inflammation, high FDG uptake and exceeding 10 mm (15 mm in subcarnial nodes) in diameter were false-positive on both PET-CT and CT imaging, therefore, these lymph nodes were still in the common blind area of diagnosis by both of PET-CT and CT.

CONCLUSIONCompared with enhanced CT, integrated PET-CT improves the accuracy and is helpful to correct some CT-diagnosed false-positive and false-negative lymph nodes. But CT is also beneficial supplementation to PET-CT for assessment of regional lymph node metastasis. The combination of PET-CT and CT can make up the shortage of both of them in staging of regional lymph nodes in NSCLC patients.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung ; diagnosis ; pathology ; False Negative Reactions ; False Positive Reactions ; Female ; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; pathology ; Lymph Nodes ; diagnostic imaging ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; diagnosis ; pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; methods ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; methods ; Radiopharmaceuticals ; Tomography, Spiral Computed ; methods

OBJECTIVETo summarize clinical results of the microdecompression for the treatment of intraforaminal lumbar disc herniations.

METHODSFrom September 2005 to May 2013,16 patients( 12 males, 4 females)with intraforaminal lumbar disc herniations underwent microdecompression, ranging in age from 32 to 56 years old with a mean of 38.6 years old. The lumbar disc herniations were located at L(3,4). in one patient, L(4,5) in 10 cases and L5S1 in 5 cases.

RESULTSAll the patients were followed up, and the duration ranged from 20 to 48 months, with a mean period of 36 months. According to Macnab evaluation, 12 cases got an excellent result, 4 good. No apparent complications related to the technique occurred. Satisfactory clinical results were obtained in this series.

CONCLUSIONMicrodecompression may be particularly useful in the treatment of intraforaminal lumbar disc herniations. The microdecompression procedures are more likely to be well tolerated by older patients.

Adult ; Decompression ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Intervertebral Disc Displacement ; surgery ; Lumbar Vertebrae ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures ; Treatment Outcome

Objective To establish rSAG1-IgM-ELISA with purified rSAG1 fusion protein for immunodiagnosis of toxoplasmosis. Methods The rSAG1 fusion protein was purified by Ni 2+ column. The ELISA plate was coated with different concentrations of rSAG1, reacted with pooled positive and negtive human sera. Goat anti-human IgM conjugated to horseradish peroxidase was used as the second antibody. The appropriate detecting condition of the rSAG1-IgM-ELISA assay was determined by orthogonal experiment. The reproducibility, sensitivity and specificity of the assay were assessed. Thirty-five IgM-positive and 57 IgM-negative human sera detected by the imported IgM-ELISA kit were detected with the rSAG1-IgM-ELISA. Results The purity of rSAG1 was above 90%. The appropriate detecting condition was that the coated rSAG1 was 2 5 ?g/ml, the human serum was in 1∶100 dilution, and the second antibody was in 1∶4000 dilution. The coefficient of variation (CV) value of IgM-positive and IgM-negative pooled sera were 13 8% and 7 7% respectively. The inhibition rate of the assay was 62 0% The positive correspondence rate and negative correspondence rate were 82 9% (29/35) and 91 2% (52/57) respectively,the total correspondence rate was 88 0%, compared with the imported IgM-ELISA kit. Conclusions The rSAG1-IgM-ELISA has high sensitivity and specificity, and good correspondence rate with the imported IgM-ELISA kit. It indicates that rSAG1-IgM-ELISA has potential value for early diagnosis of toxoplasmosis.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of diazepam and modafinil on acute hepatic failure in mice. METHODS: Acute liver failure was induced in male Kunming strain mice by enterocoelia injecting the mice with D-GalN and LPS . The mice in the treatment groups were given corresponding drug 2 h before the administration of D-GalN and LPS, and the mice in the control group were given the same dose of distilled water. The 24-hour survival rate, serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels were compared. Serum levels of TNF-alpha and IL-1 and the levels of SOD, MDA, GR, GSH, NO and NOS in the liver were determined. RESULTS: Treatment with diazepam increased the survival rate and improved liver histological feature. Diazepam inhibited the serum levels of ALT, AST, TNF-alpha and IL-1, and reduced levels of MDA, NO and NOS and increased levels of GR and SOD in the liver. Modafinil decreased liver histological feature, increased the serum levels of ALT, AST, TNF-alpha and IL-1, increased level of MDA, and inhabited levels of SOD and GR in the liver. CONCLUSION Treatment with diazepam may suppress the D-GalN/LPS-induced acute hepatic failure and modafinil may facilitate the acute hepatic failure.
Animals ; Benzhydryl Compounds ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Diazepam ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Galactosamine ; Lipopolysaccharides ; Liver ; pathology ; Liver Failure, Acute ; chemically induced ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Male ; Mice ; Modafinil ; Random Allocation

BACKGROUNDThis study was designed to investigate the potential pathogenicity of Mycoplasma penetrans (M. penetrans) and its molecular mechanisms responsible for the induction of iNOS gene expression in mouse macrophages stimulated by lipid-associated membrane proteins (LAMPs) prepared from M. penetrans.

METHODSMouse macrophages were stimulated with M. penetrans LAMPs to assay the production of nitric oxide (NO). The expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) was detected by RT-PCR and Western blotting. The activity of nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) and the effects of pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC), an inhibitor of NF-kappaB, on the production of nitric oxide and the expression of iNOS were also assessed in mouse macrophages treated with M. penetrans LAMPs by indirect immunofluorescence and Western blotting.

RESULTSM. penetrans LAMPs stimulated mouse macrophages to produce nitric oxide in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The mRNA and protein levels of iNOS were also upregulated in response to LAMP stimulation and inhibited by PDTC treatment. M. penetrans LAMPs were found to trigger NF-kappaB activation, a possible mechanism for the induction of iNOS expression.

CONCLUSIONThis study demonstrated that M. penetrans may be an important etiological factor of certain diseases due to the ability of M. penetrans LAMPs to stimulate the expression of iNOS, which is probably mediated through the activation of NF-kappaB.

Animals ; Bacterial Proteins ; pharmacology ; Cells, Cultured ; Enzyme Induction ; Lipoproteins ; pharmacology ; Membrane Proteins ; pharmacology ; Mice ; Mycoplasma penetrans ; chemistry ; NF-kappa B ; metabolism ; Nitric Oxide ; biosynthesis ; Nitric Oxide Synthase ; biosynthesis ; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II ; RNA, Messenger ; analysis

Objective Modified upper abdominal cluster transplantation (MCT), which was inspired by the classical cluster transplant technique, has been proven more effective and feasible in the treatment of patients with end stage liver diseases associated with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (DM) than orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) alone. In this study, we summarized our experience with MCT in 5 consecutive patients suffering from end stage liver diseases associated with insulin-dependent type 2 DM in our single center.Methods Five patients with hepatitis B-related chronic liver cirrhosis and insulin dependent type 2 DM received MCT in our single center. The biliary and exocrine pancreatic drainage reconstructions were achieved by a Roux-en-Y duodenojejunostomy or a side-to-side duodenojejunostomy. A quadruple immunosuppressive regimen based on tacrolimus including Basiliximab induction, mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) and steroids was used in the early stage post-transplant, and then converted to tacrolimus monotherapy.Results All of the patients experienced an uneventful post-operative recovery. They were rendered independent from insulin therapy shortly after transplantation. The fasting glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin levels were within normal range. In addition, the fasting C-peptide value was increased from much lower than the normal range pre-transplant to within normal range post-transplant and maintained stable since then. However, the third patient suffered from graft verse host disease (GVHD) 20 days post-operatively and died from severe infection on the post-operative 47 days. The other 4 patients had returned to work and a normal lifestyle over 22, 15, 5 and 4 months of follow-up.Conclusion MCT is an effective method in treating patients suffering from end stage liver diseases combined with insulin-dependent type 2 DM. Whether a cluster graft would increase the risk of GVHD needs further investigation.