Objective To investigate the com and pepper fluorine in Zhenxiong county of Yunnan province, as well as the change of com and pepper fluorine after baked by coal, clay-mixed with cual for a relatively long-term, in order to provide a scientific basis for reducing fluorine intake. Methods The endemic areas of Yile, Wufeng's Songlinwan, Tangfang and Wufeng's Wugu in Zhenxiong county, and a non-endemic area Xiaguan in Dali city were selected as study sites. Ten samples of fresh corn and pepper were collected in each region, and fluorine was determined using acid leaching/potentiometry freshly and after baking or drying for 10 days or 4 months, respectively. Results The fluorine content of local fresh corn in Xiaguan of Dali city and Yile,Wufeng's Songlinwan, Tangfang, Wufeng's Wugu in Zhenxiong county were (1.31 ± 0.13),(1.65 ± 0.64),(1.92 ±0.37), (2.32 ± 0.49), (1.98 ± 0.66)mg/kg, respectively, and there were statistically significant differences across the regions(H = 27.871, P ＜ 0.05). The fluorine content of corn samples after baking or drying for 4 months were ( 1.82 ± 0.17), (26.43 ± 12.03), (39.27 ± 8.09), ( 14.27 ± 4.37), ( 14.33 ± 1.73)mg/kg, respectively, which were significantly higher than that of the fresh com in the corresponding region(all P ＜ 0.05 ), and there were statistically significant differences across the regions(H = 42.512, P＜ 0.05). The fluorine content of the local fresh chili were (3.34 ± 1.08), (3.44 ± 0.55), (3.47 ± 0.74), (3.46 ± 0.93)mg/kg, respectively, in the 4 observed places in Xiaguan of Dali city and Yile, Wufeng's Songlinwan, Tangfang in Zhenxiong county, and there were no statistically significant differences across the regions (F = 0.052, P ＞ 0.05 ). The fluorine content of pepper samples after baking or drying for 4 months were (7.01 ± 1.64), (226.07 ± 83.69), (179.36 ± 148.37), (54.51 ± 34.67)mg/kg,respectively, which were significantly higher than that of the fresh pepper in the corresponding region(all P ＜ 0.05 ),and there were statistically significant differences across the regions(H = 28.822, P ＜ 0.05). Conclusion Corn and chili fluorine is significantly increased after baked with coal and clay-mixed with coal by farmers in Zhenxiong county, a coal- burning borne endemic fluorosis area of Yunnan province.

Objective To study the effect of dialysis adcquacy,microinflammation and residual renal function on nutritional status of hemodialysis patients.Methods One hundred and fourteen patients were enrolled in this study.Kt/V,?_2-MG and serum iPTH were measured as markers of hemodialysis adequacy.Nutritional evaluation included MQSGA,Alb,Hb,TF,IGF-1,IGFBP-3 and anthropometrics such as HGS,BSF,TSF,MAC,MAMC and AMA.Serum IL-6,TNF-?and CRP were detected to assess microinflammation.Urinary volume of 24 hours was measured to investigate the residual renal function (RRF).Results (1)There were different correlations and regressive associations of Kt/V,iPTH and?_2-MG with HGS,MAMC,AMA,Alb,Hb,nPCR,IGF-1 and MQSGA respectively.(2) There were significant correlations and regressive associations of RRF to HGS,TSF,MAMC,Alb,nPCR and IGF-1 within the first year of hemodialysis.(3) There were different correlations and regression relationships of IL-6,TNF-?and CRP with HGS、MAMC、AMA、Alb、TSF、Hb、nPCR、IGF-1 respectively.(4) Multivariate analysis showed that Kt/V,iPTH,IL-6, TNF-?,?_2-MG and RRF were influencing factors,among them,Kt/V,iPTH,IL-6 and TNF-?were independent predictors of nutritional status.Conclusions Hemodialysis adequacy and micruinflammation may impact on nutritional status.Residual renal function may be involved in nutritional status in the first year of hemodialysis.Kt/V,iPTH,IL-6 and TNF-?are independent factors affecting nutritional status.

In vitro gene delivery, polyethyleneimine (PEI) has been described as one of the most efficient nonviral vector. Herein the formation mechanism of PEI/DNA complexes is elucidated. The transition phase of "bead-on-string" structure in the formation of complexes was supposed to exist through spectroscopy, electrophoresis and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) technology. The construction of PEI/DNA complexes is related closely to the characteristics of PEI and DNA plasmid. As well as the dominant electrostatic effects, the nonelectrostatic interactions were thought to be partially responsible for the presence of PEI/DNA complexes even in the high ionic strength. The surface charge of complexes particles increased with the N/P ratio, but the absolute value of zeta potential was lower at the N/P ratio of 8 and 12, perhaps attributed to the use of larger DNA plasmid. As a result, the repulsion between particles was decreased and prone to aggregate to the structure like a clustered grape-string in the solution. Interestingly, contrast to the formation behavior of complexes, the PEI/DNA complexes aggregated primarily due to hydrophobic interactions while electrostatic attractions play a little role in the complexes particles aggregation in different concentrations of salt solutions. Comparable transfection efficiency in HepG2 cells was observed for the Lipofectamine 2000 and PEI/DNA complexes at the N/P ratio of 12, and showed that larger or aggregable complexes could transfect the cells in some different mechanisms.
DNA ; genetics ; Drug Carriers ; Gene Transfer Techniques ; Genetic Therapy ; Polyethyleneimine ; chemistry ; Transfection

BACKGROUNDThe treatment of spinal cord injury is still a challenge. This study aimed at evaluating the therapeutical effectiveness of neurons derived form mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for spinal cord injury.

METHODSIn this study, rhesus MSCs were isolated and induced by cryptotanshinone in vitro and then a process of RT-PCR was used to detect the expression of glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) gene. The induced MSCs were tagged with Hoechst 33342 and injected into the injury site of rhesus spinal cord made by the modified Allen method. Following that, behavior analysis was made after 1 week, 1 month, 2 months and 3 months. After 3 months, true blue chloride retrograde tracing study was also used to evaluate the re-establishment of axons pathway and the hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining and immunohistochemistry were performed after the animals had been killed.

RESULTSIn this study, the expression of mRNA of GAD gene could be found in the induced MSCs but not in primitive MSCs and immunohistochemistry could also confirm that rhesus MSCs could be induced and differentiated into neurons. Behavior analysis showed that the experimental animals restored the function of spinal cord up to grade 2-3 of Tarlov classification. Retrograde tracing study showed that true blue chollide could be found in the rostral thoracic spinal cords, red nucleus and sensory-motor cortex.

CONCLUSIONSThese results suggest that the transplantation is safe and effective.

Animals ; Bone Marrow Cells ; cytology ; Glutamate Decarboxylase ; genetics ; Isoenzymes ; genetics ; Macaca mulatta ; Male ; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells ; cytology ; Neurons ; transplantation ; RNA, Messenger ; analysis ; Spinal Cord Injuries ; pathology ; therapy

OBJECTIVETo evaluate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) characteristics and surgical results of adrenocorticotropin (ACTH)-secreting pituitary adenomas.

METHODSMRI characteristics and relationship between MRI positive rate and surgical results of 266 patients with pathologically confirmed Cushing's disease were analyzed retrospectively. All patients underwent thin-section sagittal and coronal scans of the pituitary gland before and after administration of gadolinium-diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid (Gd-DTPA) on a 1.5 Tesla MRI scanner, and dynamic enhanced MRI was performed in 39 patients. All patients underwent transsphenoidal adenomectomy. Endocrinological examinations and assessments were performed.

RESULTSPreoperative MRI revealed normal results in 41 (15.4%) cases, microadenoma in 179 (67.3%), macroadenoma in 42 (15.8%), and huge adenoma in 4 (1.5%). Pituitary apoplexy was found in 13 (4.9%) cases. Positive rate of ACTH-secreting adenomas was 84.6% (225/266) on MRI scans, and that of small microadenomas was 87.2% (34/39) on dynamic enhanced MRI scans. Preoperative endocrinological tests of 199 cases supported the diagnosis of typical Cushing's disease, while the other 67 cases had atypical endocrinological results. The endocrinological cure rate, remission rate, and inefficacy rate were 85.7%, 7.9%, and 6.4%, respectively. There was no difference in the initial endocrinological cure rate between the patients with positive and normal MRI results (90% vs. 87.8%, P = 0.904).

CONCLUSIONSEnhanced coronal pituitary MRI is helpful for preoperative localization of ACTH-secreting pituitary microadenoma. Dynamic enhanced MRI may improve detection rate of microadenoma. There is no marked difference in the surgical results for patients with preoperative MRI results indicating presence or absence of microadenoma.

Adenoma ; diagnosis ; secretion ; surgery ; Adolescent ; Adrenocorticotropic Hormone ; secretion ; Adult ; Child ; Female ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; methods ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pituitary Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; secretion ; surgery

Objective To understand the antibody levels against pandemic influenza A (H1N1) virus (2009 H1N1 ) among aged ≥3 years population in 2009, from Jiangsu province, and to describe the distribution of 2009 H1N1. Methods Serum specimens were collected from natural populations at four different periods in Jiangsu, and tested with hernagglutination-inhibition (HI)assays. Rates of protective antibody against 2009 H1N1 and Geometric mean titers (GMTs)were estimated. Results The rates of protective antibody against 2009 H1N1 rose with the and November, 2009. There were no significant differences on the rates of protective antibody between males and females at four different cross-sectional periods (P＞0.05), and no significant differences on GMTs were observed at different periods except for November 2009. Significant differences on rates of protective antibody and GMTs among various age groups were observed at four different periods (P＜0.05), and similar results were observed among different periods in various age groups (P＜0.05). There were significant differences on rates of protective antibody and GMTs among different areas (P＜0.05). Conclusion The 2009 H1N1 strain had been widely spread out in Jiangsu province since July 2009. People aged 12-17 years became the major victims after August. As of November 2009, the rate of protective antibody against 2009 H1N1 was still low, predicting that the epidemic might continue to exist for a certain period of time.

To study the effects of squalene on behavior and related proteins of glutamate toxicity pathways in the mice with chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS), thirteen different kinds of CUMS were applied to the male BALB/C mice for 35 days to establish the mouse model of CUMS depression. The stress conditions include food deprivation, noise, stroboscopic lighting, hot stress (45℃), brake, exposure to lower temperature (4℃), shake, soiled cage, clamp tail, water deprivation, swimming, electric shock, presence of a foreign object in the home cage. The mice were treated with squalene at 3 doses (80, 40 and 20 mg·kg^-1·d^-1) through oral administration from the 3rd week continuously. Three weeks later, the impacts were evaluated in the mice with behavioral tests, and malondialdehyde (MDA) and hippocampal glutamate (GLU) contents, the superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity in hippocampus were measured by spectropho-tometry or reversed phase HPLC (RP-HPLC). Western blot was used to examine the expression level of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor subunits epsilon-2 (NMDAε2), calmodulin kinaseⅡ (CaMKⅡ) and neuronal nitric oxide synthase (NOS1) in hippocampus. Compared with model group, the squalene-treated mice exhibited an increase in body weight, sucrose preference rate and the times of crossing-movement and rearing-movement, shortened the immobility time in the tails suspension test and forced swimming test in the depression mice (P<0.05). Meanwhile, the treated mice had a significant decrease in the contents of GLU and MDA (P<0.05) in hippocampus, increased the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and downregulated the expression of NMDAε2, CaMKⅡ and NOS1 in the hippocampus. In conclusion, squalene shows anti-depressant effect on depressant model in mice, meanwhile the downregulated ROS, related proteins of GLU-NMDAε2-CaMKⅡ-NOS1 signal pathways may be related to the antidepressant effect of squalene.

Many phytochemicals show promise in cancer prevention and treatment, but their low aqueous solubility, poor stability, unfavorable bioavailability, and low target specificity make administering them at therapeutic doses unrealistic. This is particularly true for (-)-epigallocatechin gallate, curcumin, quercetin, resveratrol, and genistein. There is an increasing interest in developing novel delivery strategies for these natural products. Liposomes, micelles, nanoemulsions, solid lipid nanoparticles, nanostructured lipid carriers and poly (lactide-co-glycolide) nanoparticles are biocompatible and biodegradable nanoparticles. Those nanoparticles can increase the stability and solubility of phytochemicals, exhibit a sustained release property, enhance their absorption and bioavailability, protect them from premature enzymatic degradation or metabolism, prolong their circulation time, improve their target specificity to cancer cells or tumors via passive or targeted delivery, lower toxicity or side-effects to normal cells or tissues through preventing them from prematurely interacting with the biological environment, and enhance anti-cancer activities. Nanotechnology opens a door for developing phytochemical-loaded nanoparticles for prevention and treatment of cancer.
Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Drug Carriers ; Humans ; Materials Testing ; Nanoparticles ; Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; Phytochemicals ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Plant Extracts ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the three-dimensional radiographic characteristics of maxillary radi-cular cysts using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) and spiral CT. METHODS: Clinical records, histopathological reports, and CBCT or non-enhanced spiral CT images of 67 consecutive patients with maxillary radicular cysts were retrospectively acquired, and radiographic features, including size, shape, expansion, internal structure and relationship with the surrounding tissues, were analyzed. The lesions were divided into three types according to the involved tooth number, as follows: type Ⅰ (single tooth), the epicenter of the cyst was located at the apex of a nonvital tooth, without involvement of the neighbo-ring tooth; type Ⅱ (adjacent tooth involvement), the cyst was located at the apex of a nonvital tooth with involvement of the mesial and/or distal tooth root; and type Ⅲ (multi-teeth), the cyst involved the apexes of ≥4 teeth. Besides, these cysts were classified as another three types on sagittal views, as follows: centripetal, the root apex was oriented centripetally to the center of the cyst; palatal, the cyst was located mainly at the palatal side of the apex; and labial/buccal, the cyst was located mainly at the labial/buccal side of the apex. RESULTS: Totally, 67 patients with maxillary radicular cysts were acquired, including 38 males and 29 females, and their ages ranged from 13 to 77 years. Among them, 46 lesions (68.7%) were located in the anterior maxilla and 65 (97.0%) were round or oval. Labial/buccal cortex expansion was present in 43 cases (64.2%) and palatal cortex expansion in 37 cases (55.2%). The nasal floor was invaded in 27 cases (40.3%), the maxillary sinus was invaginated in 26 cases (38.8%), and root resorption was present in 9 cases (13.4%). The average diameter of lesions was (20.89±8.11) mm mesio-distally and (16.70±5.88) mm bucco-palatally. In spite of the 4 residual cysts, the remaining 63 lesions included 14 type Ⅰ, 26 type Ⅱ and 23 type Ⅲ cysts according to the involved tooth number. Besides, the 63 lesions included 46 centripetal, 15 palatal and 2 buccal cysts on sagittal views. CONCLUSION The maxillary radicular cysts were frequently well-circumscribed round or oval radiolucency, with significantly different sizes. According to the involved tooth number, it can be divided into single tooth, adjacent tooth involvement and multi-teeth types. On sagittal views, the root-cyst relationship was centripetal in most cases, while a minority of cysts expanded palatally or buccally.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Cone-Beam Computed Tomography ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Maxilla/diagnostic imaging* ; Middle Aged ; Radicular Cyst/diagnostic imaging* ; Retrospective Studies ; Tooth Root ; Young Adult