Objective To explore the effects of modified tubo-uterine implantations performed on women with proximal tubal occlusive infertility after femal sterilization with mucilago phenol.Methods Two hundred and eight infertile women who were admitted to the Second Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University between 1986 and 2004 were included.They all accepted modified tubo-uterine implantation after occlusion of fallopian tubes with mucilago phenol.Results It was found that the occlusions were all located in the interstitial portion or isthmic portion of the fallopian tubes.Different degrees of pelvic adhesions were found in 65 cases.Fifty-seven cases were slightly adhesive,seven cases were of moderate degree and one case was severe.One hundred and ninety-nine cases were followed up after operations(95.7%).One hundred and ninety-three women accepted hydrotubation in the following month just after the operation and 185 women were found to be unobstructed(95.8%).One hundred and forty-three women became pregnant, the pregnant rate being 71.9%(143/199).One hundred and twenty-five women had term deliveries (87.4%),three women were in early pregnancy and two in midtrimester pregnancy.Eleven women had spontaneous abortion(7.7%).Two women had tubal pregnancy(1.0%).None of the 199 cases had any signs of endometriosis.Conelusions Modified tubo-uterine implantations are quite effective for proximal tubal occlusive infertility.It may be a favorable method for such kind of tubal occlusions.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the intervention effect of thalidomide on paraquat-induced acute lung injury in mice and its mechanism.

METHODSMale ICR mice were randomly allocated to negative control group (n = 30), thalidomide control group (n = 30), paraquat poisoning group (n = 30), 50 mg/kg thalidomide treatment group (n = 30), 100 mg/kg thalidomide treatment group (n = 30), and 150 mg/kg thalidomide treatment group (n = 30). The negative control group was intraperitoneally injected with the same volume of saline; the thalidomide control group was intraperitoneally injected with thalidomide (150 mg/kg); the paraquat poisoning group was intraperitoneally injected with diluted paraquat solution (22 mg/kg); each thalidomide treatment group was intraperitoneally injected with the same volume of paraquat solution (22 mg/kg) and was injected with thalidomide (50, 100, or 150 mg/kg) 1 h later. All mice were anesthetized and sacrificed at 1, 3, or 7 d after paraquat poisoning, and their lung tissue was collected. The levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-6 in lung tissue were measured by double-antibody sandwich ELISA; the mRNA expression of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) was measured by RT-PCR; the protein expression of nuclear NF-kgr;B p65 was measured by Western blot. The pathological changes of lung tissue were observed under light microscope; the wet/dry ratio of the lung was calculated.

RESULTSCompared with the negative control group, the paraquat poisoning group had significantly increased levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, NF-κB mRNA, and nuclear NF-κB p65 and wet/dry ratio of the lung (P < 0.05). Compared with the paraquat poisoning group, the thalidomide treatment groups had significantly decreased levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, NF-κB mRNA, and nuclear NF-κB p65 and wet/dry ratios of the lung (P < 0.05), and the 150 mg/kg thalidomide treatment group showed the most significant decrease in the levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, NF-κB mRNA, and nuclear NF-κB p65. The observation of pathological changes showed that the paraquat poisoning group had the most marked lung tissue damage at 3 d after poisoning, and the lung tissue damage was lessened in the thalidomide treatment groups.

CONCLUSIONThalidomide can reduce paraquat-induced acute lung injury and lung edema. The mechanism may include inhibition of NF-κB activation and expression and downregulation of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6.

Acute Lung Injury ; chemically induced ; drug therapy ; Animals ; Cytokines ; metabolism ; Disease Models, Animal ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred ICR ; NF-kappa B p50 Subunit ; metabolism ; Paraquat ; poisoning ; Thalidomide ; pharmacology ; Transcription Factor RelA ; metabolism

Soxhlet extraction is a common method of sample preparation. However, there has been no discussion about the efficiency of Soxhlet extraction from different batches and the factors that cause content fluctuation. In this study, Panax ginseng was selected as a model sample. Soxhlet extraction by means of a water bath, which has always been neglected, was identified as a novel key factor in the poor repeat-ability in different batches of Soxhlet extraction, as it can affect the siphon times and reflux time, which have been positively correlated with the ginsenoside contents. By substituting round bottom flasks in the same column, the relative standard deviation of the most fluctuated compound, ginsenoside Rb1, was decreased from 24.6% to 5.02%. Scanning electron microscopy analysis confirmed that the breakdown of the surface of the ginseng powder in the Soxhlet extraction led to a better dissolution of ginsenosides, indicating that chloroform may promote the extraction of ginsenosides by disrupting the cell structure. Moreover, 70% methanol was regarded as the better solvent for extracting the ginsenosides. Overall, this work offers a practical and effective protocol for improving the accuracy and repeatability of Soxhlet extraction methodology for ginsenosides and other analytes.

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary stretch reflex plays an important role in regulation of respiratory movement. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of pulmonary stretch reflex on lung injury in rabbits with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). METHODS: ARDS rabbits were given intratracheal infusion of hydrochloric acid and ventilated with neurally adjusted ventilatory assistance (NAVA) with a tidal volume (VT) of 6 mL/kg and the electrical activity of diaphragm (EAdi)-determined positive end expiratory pressure. After isolation of the bilateral vagusnerve trunk, the rabbits were randomized into two groups: sham operation (SHAM) group (n=5) and bilateral vagotomy (VAG) group (n=5). Gas exchange and respiratory mechanics were detected at baseline, after lung injury and 1, 2, and 3 hours after ventilation respectively. Pulmonary permeability index, pathological changes and inflammatory response were also measured. RESULTS: Compared with the SHAM group, PaO2/FiO2 in the VAG group decreased significantly 2 and 3 hours after ventilation (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in PaCO2 between the SHAM and VAG groups (P>0.05), and the VAG group had a high VT, peak pressure (Ppeak), and mean pressure (Pm) compared with the SHAM group 1, 2, 3 hours after ventilation (P<0.05). Compared to the SHAM group, dead space fraction (VD/VT) and respiratory system elastance (Ers) in the VAG group increased (P<0.05) and static pulmonary compliance (Cst) decreased markedly (P<0.05) after ventilation for 3 hours. Lung wet/dry weight ratio (W/D) (8.4±1.2 vs. 6.6±1.0), lung injury score (6.3±1.8 vs. 3.8±1.3), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) (779±372 pg/mL vs. 355±130 pg/mL) and interleukin-8 (IL-8) (169±21 pg/mL vs. 118±17 pg/mL) increased significantly in the VAG group compared with the SHAM group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Lung injury is aggravated after bilateral vagotomy, demonstrating that pulmonary stretch reflex may have protective effect on the lung.

OBJECTIVETo recognize changes in the contents of ingredients of Andrographis Tablet in the process of production.

METHODAdopting TLCS, TLC, HPLC to detect effective contents of ingredients which are produced in every stage of process of Andrographis Table's production.

RESULTHandling with the fresh Herba Andrographis according to current pharmacopeoia's technology, it showed that only dehyandrographolide can be detected. It indicated that the main factor that leads to chemical change is the heating process in the process of production.

CONCLUSIONAvoiding heating treatment or reducing heating treatment time is the main factor to protect the effective ingredients.

Andrographis ; chemistry ; Diterpenes ; analysis ; Drug Stability ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Hot Temperature ; Plant Components, Aerial ; chemistry ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Tablets ; Technology, Pharmaceutical ; methods

BACKGROUNDHepatocyte transplantation has been proposed as an alternative to whole-organ transplantation to support many forms of hepatic insufficiency. Unfortunately, the lack of donor livers makes it difficult to obtain enough viable human hepatocytes for hepatocyte-based therapies. Therefore, it is urgent to find new ways to provide ample hepatocytes. Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, a breakthrough in stem cell research, may terminate these hinders for cell transplantation. For the promise of iPS cells to be realized in liver diseases, it is necessary to determine if and how efficient they can be differentiated into functional hepatocytes.

METHODSIn this study, we directly compared the hepatic-differentiation capacity of mouse iPS cells and embryonic stem (ES) cells with three different induction approaches: conditions via embryonic body (EB) formation plus cytokines, conditions by combination of dimethyl sulfoxide and sodium butyrate and chemically defined, serum free monolayer conditions. Among these three induction conditions, more homogenous populations can be promoted under chemically defined, serum free conditions. The cells generated under these conditions exhibited hepatic functions in vitro, including glycogen storage, indocynine green (ICG) uptake and release as well as urea secretion. Although efficient hepatocytes differentiation from mouse iPS cells were observed, mouse iPS cells showed relatively lower hepatic induction efficiency compared with mouse ES cells.

RESULTSMouse iPS cells would be efficiently differentiated into functional hepatocytes in vitro, which may be helpful in facilitating the development of hepatocytes for transplantation and for research on drug discovery.

CONCLUSIONWe demonstrate that mouse iPS cells retain full potential for fetal liver development and describe procedures that facilitates the efficient generation of highly differentiated human hepatocyte-like cells from iPS cells in vitro.

Animals ; Butyrates ; pharmacology ; Cell Differentiation ; drug effects ; Cells, Cultured ; Cytokines ; pharmacology ; Embryonic Stem Cells ; cytology ; drug effects ; Hepatocytes ; cytology ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells ; cytology ; drug effects ; Mice ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction

OBJECTIVETo elucidate the variation in characterizations and genetic evolution of the matrix protein 2 or ion channel protein(M2) genes of avian influenza subtype H5N1 viruses in the boundary region of Yunnan province from 2008 to 2012.

METHODSA total of swab samples were collected from foreign poultry such as the junction between Yunnan and Vietnam, Laos,myanmar and wild birds in boundary region of Yunnan province from 2008 to 2012 and screened by H5N1 subtype-specific multiplex RT-PCR. The M genes of H5N1 virus from the positive samples were amplified by RT-PCR and cloned into pMD18-T vectors for sequencing. The alignment and phylogenetic analysis of M2 genes were performed with sequences of the known reference strains.

RESULTSA total of 71 positive samples were found out of 1240 samples and the positive rate was 5.72%. A total of 14 different M2 sequences were obtained from 30 positive samples and were divided into 3 distinct clades or sub-clades(1.2.1, 1.2.2 and 2) by phylogenetic analysis, 5, 7 and 2, respectively. The M2 genes and Hemagglutinin(HA) genes of H5N1 viruses from the boundary region of Yunnan province had showed different relationship of genetic evolution. The substitution or mutation of key amino acids sites had been found among the domains of epitope, adamantane-resistance, and poultry or human original viral strains.

CONCLUSIONThe M2 genes of H5N1 subtype viruses in boundary region of Yunnan province from 2008 to 2012 showed genetic divergence and the virus of clade 1.2.2 had become dominant epidemic strain in this region.

Animals ; Birds ; virology ; Chickens ; virology ; China ; Evolution, Molecular ; Influenza A Virus, H5N1 Subtype ; classification ; genetics ; Influenza in Birds ; virology ; Phylogeny ; Poultry ; virology ; Viral Matrix Proteins ; genetics

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing ; genetics ; B-Cell CLL-Lymphoma 10 Protein ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 11 ; genetics ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 18 ; genetics ; Gene Rearrangement, B-Lymphocyte ; Humans ; In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence ; methods ; Lymphoma, B-Cell, Marginal Zone ; genetics ; Paraffin Embedding ; Translocation, Genetic

OBJECTIVETo use a mathematical model and computer simulation to study transmission dynamics and control of schistosomiasis in mountainous regions of Sichuan.

METHODSBased on studies of schistosomiasis japonica transmission in 20 villages in mountainous regions of Sichuan, a mathematical model was developed to characterize the impact of local environmental factors on transmission intensity. The model integrated site-specific factors and was calibrated to field epidemiological data from 3 subset villages. The dichotomic method was then used to predict different control measures.

RESULTSThe study showed high variations in prevalence of infection and infection intensity across villages, ranging between 3%-73%, 0.1-100 epg (eggs per gram stool), respectively. Important factors including occupation of local residents, exposure to contaminated water, microclimatic characteristics were integrated in the model. The predictions of dichotomic models showed that continuing chemotherapy (coverage between 50%-60%) could reduce infection intensities to 30%-80%, but could not change local transmission potential; therefore, the termination of chemotherapy would be followed by bouncing back of transmission. Sustaining targeted environmental interventions through snail and parasite oval control at certain coverage (30%-50%, respectively) could reduce the transmission to relatively stable levels. The model predictions showed that an integrated control (e.g., including both chemotherapy and environmental interventions) could suppress the transmission to an undetectable level even interruption of transmission between 5-10 years.

CONCLUSIONThe study demonstrated the feasibility of using a dynamic model, calibrated to local data, to gain insights into complicated processes underlying the transmission and informing site-specific control strategies.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Animals ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; Environment ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Models, Theoretical ; Schistosoma japonicum ; Schistosomiasis japonica ; epidemiology ; prevention & control ; transmission ; Snails ; parasitology

OBJECTIVETo elucidate the characteristics of variation and the genetic evolution of non-structural protein (NS1, NS2) genes related to avian influenza subtype H5N1 viruses isolated from the boundary region of Yunnan province.

METHODSSwab samples were collected from foreign poultry and wild birds in the boundary regions of Yunnan province and screened by H5/N1 subtype-specific multiplex RT-PCR. The NS segment of H5N1 virus from the positive samples were amplified by RT-PCR and cloned into pMD18-T vectors for sequencing. The alignment and phylogenetic analysis on those available NS1, NS2 genes were performed with sequences of the known reference strains.

RESULTS71 positive samples were identified from 1240 samples, with the positive rate as 5.72%. Fourteen different NS segment sequences were obtained from 30 representative positive samples and could be divided into 3 distinct clades or sub-clades (I-1, I-2 and II), by phylogenetic analysis. The NS1/NS2 genes and Hemagglutinin (HA) genes of H5N1 viruses from the boundary regions of Yunnan province showed different relationships regarding the characteristics on genetic evolution. The substitution or mutation of key amino acids sites had been noticed in the nuclear location signal domains, effect domain, and other pathogenicity markers.

CONCLUSIONNS genes of H5N1 subtype viruses in boundary region of Yunnan province showed genetic divergence and the virus of clade I-2 and II had become dominant epidemic strains in this region since 2010.

Amino Acid Sequence ; Animals ; Animals, Wild ; Birds ; virology ; China ; epidemiology ; Evolution, Molecular ; Genome, Viral ; Influenza A Virus, H5N1 Subtype ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Influenza in Birds ; epidemiology ; virology ; Phylogeny