Background In the past few decades,the balance of Th1/Th2 is often used to explain the immune mechanisms of fungal infection and fungal disease.More recently,a novel subset of CD4+ effector Th cells has been found to participate in anti-fungal infection response.However,whether Th17 is involved in the immune response in fungal keratitis is unclear up to now.Objective Present study was to investigate the expression change of Th17 type cytokine and its specific transcription factor,retinoid-related orphan nuclear receptor gamma t (RORγt),in the cornea of Fusarium solani keratitis.Methods Ninety-six clean BALB/c mice were divided into Fusarium solani keratitis model group and control group by randomized digital table.Fusarium solani keratitis models were established by epikeratophakia-assisted corneal epithelial erasion and interlayerly injection of 5 μl (1 × 106 CFU/ml) Fusarium solani solution in the right eyes,and the equal volume of PBS was injected in the same way in the control group.10％ KOH wet film was used to examine the fungal hyphea and funga strain was identified by inoculation.The corneas were examined under the slit lamp microscope 1 day,3,5,7 days after modeling and the inflammatory response was scored based on the criteria of Wu and Hu.The histopathological examination of corneas was performed in the time points above.Real time fluorescence quantitative PCR was used to detect the expression levels of interleukin-17 (IL-17) mRNA and RORγt mRNA in the corneas.The expression of IL-17 protein in the corneas was detected by ELISA.The use and raise of the mice followed the Statement of Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology.Results The inflammatory scores were 3.2±0.8,6.6± 1.1,9.4± 1.1 and 6.8±0.8 in 1 day,3,5,7 days after modeling,showing a significant difference among them (F =89.786,P =0.010).The inflammatory scores were higher in the third and seventh day than that in the first day (P＜0.05),but they were significantly lower than that in the fifth day (P＜0.05).The infiltration of inflammatory cells showed a coincident tendency with the score.The expressing levels of IL-17 mRNA (2-ΔΔCt) in the corneas were 4.12±0.73,20.72±1.81 and 14.16±1.88 in 3,5,7 days after modeling,with statistically significant differences in comparison with those in the control group (P＜0.01),and the expression level was significantly higher in the fifth day than those in the first,third and seventh day in the model group(P＜0.01).The expression levels of IL-17 protein (ng/g) were significantly increased 1 day,3,5,7 days in the model group compared with the control group (P＜0.01).A similar change was found in the expression of RORγt mRNA to that of IL-17 mRNA.Conclusions Expressions of IL-17 and its transcription factor RORγt upregulate in the fungal keratitis and has an association with inflammatory degree,which suggests that Th17 subset may play an important role in the immune responses of fungal keratitis.

Objective To provide a practicable method for the complete display and localization of the posterolateral structures (PLS) of the normal knee through MRI study. Methods 30 tibial bone specimens were observed to establish the bony landmark for localizing the knee. In 50 cadaver knees, the angles between lateral tibial plateau and the long axis of the individual structure of PLS were measured. Then the scan methods of the oblique MR images were determined based on above results. The routine and oblique scans of T 1WI were performed in 40 normal knees. The display effect and appearance of the PLS were observed on MRI. Results The lateral tibial plateau was a stable bony landmark for measuring and localizing of the knee. In the 40 normal knees, The fibular collateral ligament could be intactly displayed on 70? posterior coronal oblique images in 34 cases (85%). The popliteus could be better seen on either 45? medial sagittal oblique in 34 cases (85%) or 60? posterior coronal oblique planes in 36 cases (90%). The popliteofibular ligament could be intactly appreciated on both 60? posterior coronal oblique in 32 cases (80%) and 70? lateral sagittal oblique images in 34 cases (85%). Although the arcuate ligament and the fabellofibular ligament could occasionally be seen on routine and oblique images, but the display rate was lower. Conclusion The oblique MR imaging can intactly display the main structures of PLS, and can be useful in diagnosing the injuries in those structures.

Objective To investigate the effect of escharectomy on rats' pulmonary NF-?B activation and the expression of pulmonary proinflammatory cytokines in early stage of burn injury.Method Wistar rats were randomly divided into three groups:group A(control group),group B(postburn without escharectomy),group C(escharectomy at early stage of burn injury).Thermal-injuried rats underwent 35% TBSA full-thickness burns. Activation of pulmonary NF-?B at 12 hours and 24 hours postburn was tested by electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA),and at the same time expressions of pulmonary TNF-?mRNA were measured by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR)and release of pulmonary TNF-?were assayed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA).Results Compared with control group,activity of pulmonary NF-?B in group B was markedly increased,reached(19.56?1.36)?10~4 A at 12 hours and(15.23?1.94)?10~4 A at 24 hours,which was higher than that in group A[(4.36?0.38)?10~4 A,P

Objective To explore the incidence of operation complications and clinical curative effect of microsurgical vascular decompression on treatment of patients with common cranial nerve diseases. Methods One hundred and sixty-six patients with hemifacial spasm and 45 patients with primary trigeminal neuralgia,admitted to our hospital from September 2006 to May 2011,were collected in our study; all the patients under,vent microvascular decompression via a posterior sigmoid sinus key hole approach.Complications were analyzed after surgery for trigeminal neuralgia and hemifacial spasm patients to find the difference on complications between these 2 diseases. And at least 3-month clinical follow-up after microvascular decompression surgery was carried out to note the differences on disappearance of cranial nerve symptoms between 3 d and 3 months after the surgery. Results Postoperative fever in the patients with hemifacial spasm and trigeminal neuralgia was seen in 51 and 14 patients,prosopoplegia in 7 and 1 patient,hearing impairment in 4 and 2 patients,incisional cerebrospinal fluid leakage in 5 and 2 patients, and intracranial infection in 3 and 2 patients, respectively. Symptom disappearance was noted in 109 patients with hemifacial spasm 3 d after the surgery and in 153 patients 3 months after surgery with a cure rate up to 92.2％; 44 patients with disappearance of symptoms during the 3rd d to the 3rd months of surgery had delayed healing. The symptom disappearance was observed in 40 patients with trigeminal neuralgia 3 d after the surgery and in 42 patients 3 months after the surgery,with a cure rate reaching 93.3％. Conclusion No significant difference in the incidence of operation complications is noted between patients with trigeminal neuralgia and hemifacial spasm treated by microvascular decompression via a posterior sigmoid sinus key hole approach; the surgery enjoys exact effectiveness; and postoperative patients with hemifacial spasm may gradually get recovery in a short term.

Objective To study the effects of efflux pump inhibitors(CCCP and PAβN)on carbapenems in Pseudomonas aernginosa(P.aeruginosa)clinical isolates and investigate the association between the resistance to imipenem or meropenem and expression levels of efflux pumps of P.aeruginosa.Methods MICs of imipenem or meropenem combined with efflux pump inhibitors including carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone(CCCP,107 strains)and Phe-Arg-β-naphthylamide(PAβN,71 strains)against imipenem-resistant strains were determined by agar dilution method,and changes of MICs were observed.For 32 strains with different resistant phenotypes to imipenem and meropenem,the mRNA expression levels of three efflux pump genes(mexA,mexD and mexF)were quantified by real time fluorescent quantitative PCR.Results The resistance rate of imipenem and meropenem didn't prove any significant difference in the presence of efflux pump inhibitors.The X2 value of imipenem combined with CCCP and PAβN were 0.338 and 0.086,respectively(P＞0.05),while that of meropenem combined with CCCP and PAβN were 1.065 and 1.458(P＞0.05).No significant in MICs of carbapenems were seen in over half of P. aeruginesa isolates. MICs of carbapenems was significantly downregulated for 4-fold or above in eight isolates. Overexpression of efflux pumps genes were present in 24 of 27 carbapenem-resistant isolates(88. 9% ). Efflux pumps genes including MexAB-OprM, MexCD-OprJ and MexEF-OprN were all overexpressed in 13 isolates,constituting 54. 2% of all carbapenem-resistant isolates. There were 3 isolates in which beth MexAB-OprM and MexCD-OprJ showed overexpression,constituting 12. 5%. Also,MexAB-OprM and MexEF-OprN overexpressed in 3 isolates. There were 2 isolates (8.3%) showing MexEF-OprN overexpression and MexAB-OprM alone. MexCD-OprJ didn't showed overexpression alone. Furthermore,the expression levels of efflux pumps genes mexA,mexD and mexF in isolates susceptible to both in imipenem and meropenem were 0. 48±0. 48,0. 48±0. 53 and 0. 30±0. 41,respectively,which were much lower than that in carbapenem-resistant ones (P＜0. 05 ). MexA gene was expressed at a higher level in meropenemresistant isolates than meropenem-susceptible ones (P＜0. 05 ). Conclusions When the concentration of CCCP and PAβN were 5 μg/ml and 20 μg/ml respectively,the efforts on the carhapenems resistance of P.aeruginosa were small Overexpression of MexAB-OprM might play an important role in meropenemresistance in P. aerugines. Overexpression of MexCD-OprJ and MexEF-OprN was associated with imipenemresistance. However,the relationship between them and meropenem-resistance need to be explored in the future.

OBJECTIVETo analyze the physical growth changes in Chinese children aged from 0 to 7 years old during the past 30 years.

METHODSFour national physical growth surveys of the children under 7 years old were undertaken in the same urban and suburban areas of nine main cities in China from 1975 to 2005. The nine cities were Beijing, Harbin and Xi'an in the northern part; Shanghai, Nanjing and Wuhan in the central part; Guangzhou, Fuzhou and Kunming in the southern part of China. Random cluster sampling method was used. The children aged from 0 to 7 years old were classified into 22 groups by age. The sample size was ranged from 150 to 200 persons for each sex-age group in each area (urban/rural) of each city. Totally, 158 400, 152 874, 157 362 and 138 775 healthy children were examined in 1975, 1985, 1995 and 2005 respectively. The data of weight, height, chest and head circumference obtained from these surveys were analyzed.

RESULTSAverage weight and height in most of the age groups for both boys and girls from urban and suburban rural areas has been significantly improved during the past 30 years, the average increments of weight were 0.76 kg to 1.14 kg in 12 - 15 months group and 2.58 kg to 3.26 kg in 6 - 7 years group; and the average increments of height were 2.7 cm to 3.8 cm in 12 - 15 months group and 5.0 cm to 7.6 cm in 6 - 7 years group. Chest circumference did not show an increase in infants younger than 4 months and increased slightly after 4 months. The average increments of head circumference were 0.1 cm to 1.0 cm. From 1975 to 2005, the increments of weight and height per 10 years was in an increasing trend, e.g. weight increments of 5 - 6 years old were 0.58 kg, 1.02 kg and 1.67 kg and the height increments were 1.5 cm, 2.0 cm and 2.6 cm for every 10 years. The urban-rural difference in height has become smaller, the height difference in 6 - 7 years group for boys was decreased from 4.9 cm in 1975 to 2.6 cm in 2005. The weight has become smaller in children under 3 years old but becoming greater after 3 years, such as the difference increased from 1.14 kg in 1975 to 1.72 kg in 2005 for boys aged 6 - 7 years old. The regional difference also showed a decreasing trend.

CONCLUSIONThe physical growth of Chinese children had been much improved during the past 30 years and the secular trend should be still continuing at an accelerated growth stage. The urban-rural difference and regional difference in weight and height had become smaller.

Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Body Height ; Body Weight ; Child ; Child Development ; Child, Preschool ; China ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Rural Population ; Sampling Studies ; Urban Population

AIM To study the epidermal growth factor (EGF) and transforming growth factor ? (TGF ?)and the epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR)during the course of rats gastric ulcer natural cure expressing and its possible biology meaning. METHODS We injected acetic acid to make the ulcer animal model, location expression characteristic of EGF and TGF ? and EGFR were studied by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS The normal rats stomach mucosa EGF,TGF ? and EGFR all expressed weakly at masculine. EGF and TGF ? was located at cytoplasm,and EGFR expressesed at cytoplasm and cell membrane and the expression position of the three ovrlopped with each other. EGF concentrated mainly on the cervical part of gastric gland, and TGF ? and EGFR, on the cervical and base parts of the gastric gland. Positive 9 expression cells were primarily parietal[FQ(11?46,X-WZ] and neck cells of the stamook muc. For materials taken during the course of ulcer natural recovery, regular ohanges were observed in TGF, TGF ? and EGFR expression. Higher expression was found in ulcer tissunes than in normal tissues, while the expression was not detectable in necrotic tissues and rarely detectable in granlation and scar tissnes. The expression became apparant only during healing and scar stages of ulcer but not in early stage. CONCLUSION ①TGF ?/EGFR autocrine system probably plays a leading role in maintaining rats mucosa completeness under the normal circumstances; ②EGF/EGFR and TGF ?/EGFR autocrine system may have important effect on the differentiation, hyperplasia, moving of cell and restraining the gastric acidity.

Objective To investigate the curative effect of acute severe brain injury complicated ARDS, Methods 31 patients who had acute severe brain injury complicated ARDS were divided into two groups:A group was early discovery of ARDS and given treatment.B group was late discovery of ARDS and treated late.Then the curative effects were compared.Results A group was significantly higher than B group in blood gas analysis(P

To investigate the practicability of establishing zebrafish lipid-lowering drug screening model and the effect of berberine (BBR) on hyperlipidemic zebrafish. Three-month-old zebrafishes were fed with 4% cholesterol for 0, 2, 4, 8, 14, 20, 25, 30 days, and the level of total cholesterol in serum was measured. Zebrafish were randomly divided into four groups: the control group, the high cholesterol diet group, the 0.01% simvastatin-treated group, the 0.1% berberine-treated group and the 0.2% berberine-treated group. The levels of total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TC), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) in serum were measured; the expression of hepatic HMGCR, LDLR and CYP7A1a mRNA expressions were detected by real time PCR. Oil red O staining was performed to observe the changes in fat content in the liver. According to the result, the level of serum TC in the 4% cholesterol diet group significantly was higher than that of the normal control group in a time-dependent manner and reached a stable level at the 20th day. The BBR group showed significant decreases in the levels of TC, TG and LDL-c, HMGCR mRNA expression and fat content and increases in LDLR and CYP7A1a mRNA. The hyperlipidemia zebrafish model was successfully established by feeding with 4% cholesterol for 20 days. The findings lay a foundation for further screenings on lipid-lowering drugs.
Animals ; Berberine ; administration & dosage ; Cholesterol ; metabolism ; Disease Models, Animal ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperlipidemias ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Hypolipidemic Agents ; administration & dosage ; Liver ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Male ; Triglycerides ; metabolism ; Zebrafish ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of small interfering RNA targeting connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) on rat transforming growth factor beta (TGF beta)/Smads signal pathway.

METHODSChemically synthetic siRNA targeting CTGF was transfected into HSC T6 and then they were injected into rat livers through their intraportal veins. At the same time these rats also received CCl4 subcutaneously every three days for 6 consecutive weeks. Untreated HSC T6 or/and rats with random siRNA treatment served as controls. Total RNA or/and protein in HSC T6 and rat hepatic tissues were extracted. The expressions of CTGF and TGF beta 1, Smad2, 3 and 7 genes were detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and/or Western blot.

RESULTSCTGF siRNA significantly reduced the expression of CTGF protein in HSC T6. At 48 h after CTGF siRNA treatment, the down-regulation of CTGF protein was the most significant, up to 94%+/-4% (t=46.196, P less than 0.01), but the expressions of TGF beta 1, Smad2, 3 and 7 mRNA showed no differences in HSC T6 compared with the blank controls. Six weeks after CCl4 injections, prominent up-regulations were observed in the gene expressions of CTGF and TGF beta 1 in saline control or siRNA-treated rat livers. Administering CTGF siRNA for six weeks markedly attenuated the induction of CTGF and TGF beta 1 genes; the expressions of CTGF and TGF beta 1 protein decreased by 95%+/-2% (F=21.234, P less than 0.01) and 74%+/-8% (F=13.464, P less than 0.05), respectively, whereas Smad2, 7 protein expressions were not affected.

CONCLUSIONSilencing the CTGF gene can suppress the TGF beta /Smads signal pathway in rat livers.

Animals ; Connective Tissue Growth Factor ; metabolism ; Gene Silencing ; Male ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; RNA, Small Interfering ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Signal Transduction ; Smad Proteins ; metabolism ; Transfection ; Transforming Growth Factor beta ; metabolism