Antihypertensive Agents ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Hypertension ; drug therapy ; genetics ; Molecular Biology

In recent years, the study of autophagy in spinal cord injury (SCI) gradually becomes the hot spot. However, the function of autophagy in the injured spinal cord is still controversial. In order to further understand the role of autophagy after SCI, we summarized the activation of autophagy, autophagic cell death, the relationship between autophagy and apoptosis, the function of autophagy in promoting the molecular metabolism and the role of autophagy after spinal cord injury. We concluded that the role of autophagy after SCI is a double-edged sword. Upregulating the level of autophagy appropriately can promote damaged proteins metabolism and inhibit apoptosis. However, excessive activation of antophagy may induce autophagic cell dealth. So we consider that the proper regulation of autophagy will be a new target in the treatment of SCI.
Animals ; Apoptosis ; Autophagy ; physiology ; Humans ; Spinal Cord Injuries ; etiology ; pathology

Objective To study the effects of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor benazepri1 on apoptosis and the expression of Fas and FasL in the kidney of rats with adriamycin-indued nephritic glomeruosclerosis.Methods After uninephrectomy and the injection of adriamycin induced rats model with glomerulosclerosis, benazapril(6 mg/kg) was delivered daily by gavage to the rats in therapeutic groups for 12 weeks.Apoptosis was examined by means of terminal-deoxynucleotidyl trans ferase mediated d-UTP nick end label ling(TUNEL) and immunohistochemistry was utlized to detect the expression of Fas and FasL.Software of pathological analysis quantitated the level of Fas and FasL.Results Compared with those of the control group, the kidney of model group had moresevere glomerulosclerosis, much more apoptotic cells and higher level of exprssion of Fas and FasL. The degree of glomeruloscleroais, the nuxner of apoptotic cells and the level of expression of Fas and FasL were ameliofated by benazepril treatment.Conclusion Benazepril may suppress the excessive apoptosis of kidney cell by lowering the expression of the protin correlatng apoptosis Fas and FasL,so as to postpone the process of glomeruosclerosis.

The α4β2-nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) is a ligand-gated ion channel that is distributed throughout the nervous system. It is involved in the regulation of various neurotransmitters including acetylcholine, dopamine, γ-aminobutyric acid, and norepinephrine. α4β2-nAChR plays an important role in learning, memory, cognition, attention, inflammation, and pain. A large number of studies have shown that α4β2-nAChR is an important therapeutic target for neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, depression, nicotine dependence, pain, etc. It is an important target in the early diagnosis and curative effect detection of neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease. This review summarizes the role, mechanisms and related drug research advances on α4β2-nAChR ligand drugs in neurological diseases, as well as providing a theoretical basis for identifying and developing more suitable α4β2-nAChR-related compounds.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the influence of seasons, blood types and semen parameters on the cryosurvival rate of frozen-thawed spermatozoa from sperm donors.

METHODSWe retrospectively analyzed the influence of seasons, blood types, abstinence period, semen volume, sperm morphology, and pre-freeze sperm motility and concentration on the cryosurvival rate of frozen-thawed sperm in 4 088 semen samples from Shaanxi Human Sperm Bank.

RESULTSThe cryosurvival rate of the post-thaw sperm was correlated negatively with the progressive motility of the pre-freeze sperm (r = -0.262, P < 0.01), but positively with pre-freeze sperm concentration (r = 0.247, P < 0.01), and it was significantly higher in the 6-day abstinence group ([70.2 +/- 5.4]%) than in the other abstinence groups (P < 0.01), so was it in the normal sperm morphology rate > 20% group ([71.4 +/- 5.1]%) than in the others (P < 0.01). The survival rate of the post-thaw sperm was not correlated with seasons, blood types, and semen volume (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSperm motility, concentration and morphology and the abstinence period of sperm donors may be valuable predictors of the cryosurvival rate of post-thaw sperm, but no correlation was found between the survival rate and seasons, blood types and semen volume.

Adult ; Cryopreservation ; Humans ; Male ; Retrospective Studies ; Semen Preservation ; Sperm Motility ; Spermatozoa ; Young Adult

BACKGROUNDBacterial infections remain a serious complication following coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). The objective of the study was to determine the effectiveness of a guideline for the appropriate use of antibiotics in CABG during the perioperative period.

METHODSSix hundred and fourteen hospitalized patients who had undergone CABG from January to June 2006 were randomly allocated to an intervention group and a control group. The data on the hospital stay, days of antibiotic used, types of prophylactic antibiotics used, surgical wound infection and pulmonary infection and antibiotic costs for the patients were compared.

RESULTSThe postoperative hospitalization days of the intervention group were significantly fewer than that for the control group (P < 0.05). The time of antibiotic use and post-infection treatment time were also significantly less in the intervention group than in the control group (P < 0.05). The average hospital daily cost and total cost of antibiotics were less in the intervention group than in the control group (P < 0.05). Compared with the control group, prophylactic antibiotic use in the intervention group was more reasonable.

CONCLUSIONSThe guideline for the appropriate use of antibiotics in CABG during the perioperative period is effective strategies for reducing antibiotic costs, the time of antibiotic use and post-infection treatment time without compromising the patients' clinical outcome.

Aged ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; economics ; therapeutic use ; Coronary Artery Bypass ; economics ; methods ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Perioperative Period

OBJECTIVETo culture the keratinocytes on the acellular pig dermis and establish a composite skin in vitro.

METHODSFull thickness skin taken from neonatal SD rats of approximate 24-hour-old was cultivated in asepsis condition, which was then separated into epidermal and dermal layers with low-temperature enzyme digestion. The basal lamina cells between the two layers were scraped off and the pure keratinocytes were obtained using gradient density centrifugation. In the experimental group, the keratinocytes were cultured on acellular xenodermis(AX) as the three-dimensional frames. In the control, the keratinocytes were cultured without any trophoblast. The air-liquid interface(ALI) culture continued after the primary culture. Routine histological HE staining and assay of Pancytokeratin and Laminin with strepavidin-biotin-peroxidase complex (SABC) method were used to study the morphology of CK and AX.

RESULTSHE staining demonstrated the formation of more than 4 lays of keratinocytes and basement membrane, with slight keratinization of the cells. Pancytokeratin(+) in immunohistochemical results confirmed that the cultured cells on AX were keratinocytes, not other kinds of cells. Laminin(+) indicated that new procreant basement membrane appeared in CK.

CONCLUSIONKeratinocytes cultured on the acellular pig dermis grow well and form basement membrane. This study implies successful construction of composite skin.

Acellular Dermis ; Animals ; Animals, Newborn ; Basement Membrane ; cytology ; Cell Culture Techniques ; Cells, Cultured ; Epidermis ; cytology ; Keratinocytes ; cytology ; Keratins ; analysis ; Laminin ; analysis ; Rats ; Skin ; cytology ; Skin Transplantation ; Staining and Labeling ; methods ; Swine ; Transplantation, Heterologous

OBJECTIVETo investigate the biomechanical differences between the surgery and adjacent segments of intervertebral discs in the lower lumbar spine, which were implanted with Coflex into the segments of L4, and L5S1, respectively.

METHODSThree finite-element models (the model of the intact lower lumbar sacrum,the L4.5 and L5S1 segments implanted by Coflex) were developed, respectively. According to the spinal three-column loading theory, three models were forced by the physiological loads of upright standing, flexion and extension. The stress of the different areas of the disc annulus, the changes of intervertebral dorsal height and the degree of nucleus pulposus pressure were compared and analyzed.

RESULTSCoflex implanted into the L4.5 and L5S1 segments in compression and extension could both decrease the stress of the posterior area of intervertebral disc in the surgery segment, resist the changes of the intervertebral disc dorsal height and reduce the perssure of nucleus pulposus. Furthermore, the stress of the L5S1 segment decreased when Coflex fixed the L4.5 segment in extension. However, when Coflex fixed the L5S1 segment, the stress of L4.5 segment had no significant changes.

CONCLUSIONCoflex fixing the L4,5 and L5S1 segments can effectively decrease the stress of the surgery segmental discs, respectively. Furthermore, Coflex fixing L4,5 segment may play a biomechanical role in reducing the stress of L5S1 segment.

Adult ; Biomechanical Phenomena ; Finite Element Analysis ; Humans ; Internal Fixators ; Intervertebral Disc ; physiopathology ; surgery ; Lumbar Vertebrae ; surgery ; Male ; Stress, Mechanical

The biological characters of Sindbis virus strain of Yunnan(YN87448 strain) were studied by the test of the filtration, acid-resistant, ether-resistant, CPE, susceptibility of animal, HA, plague, determination of virus titres, and the cross-HI, cross-IFAT and PRNT as well.The results indicated that YN87448 strain belongs to Sindbis virus, Alphavirus, Togaviridae. YN87448 strain virus was plaque purified(PYN87448). The biological character of PYN87448 strain virus was studied too. PYN87448 strain virus will be used in the molecule biological test.

AIMTo investigate the effects of tamoxifen on proliferation of human breast cancer Bcap-37 cells and cervical carcinoma HeLa cells and to explore it's possible mechanism.

METHODSThe techniques of cell culture, growth curves, flow cytometry and laser scanning confocal microscope were used.

RESULTSTamoxifen (10(-6) mol/L) shifted the growth curve of Bcap-37 cells downward, and shifted the growth curve of HeLa cells upward. Tamoxifen (10(-8) - 10(-6) mol/L) inhibited the proliferation of Bcap-37 cells in a dose-dependent manner, but stimulated the proliferation of HeLa cells in a dose-dependent manner. Bcap-37 cells appeared apoptosis when treated with tamoxifen (10(-6) mol/L), and the same dose stimulated the proliferation of HeLa cells at GI/S phases. The apoptotic rate of Bcap-37 cells was 97.5%. It blocked G1 phase of HeLa cells from 55.5% to 32.8%, and increased the S phase from 29.0% to 49.4%. Tamoxifen (10(-6) mol/L) also increased the releasing of calcium in Bcap-37 and HeLa cells.

CONCLUSIONTamoxifen can significantly influence the proliferation of breast cancer and cervical carcinoma cells possibly by affecting cell cycle and stimulating the releasing of Ca2+ in the cells.

Breast Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Female ; HeLa Cells ; Humans ; Tamoxifen ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Tumor Cells, Cultured ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; pathology