Adolescent ; Adult ; Brain Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Meningeal Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Meningioma ; diagnosis ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Middle Aged ; Mucin-1 ; metabolism ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; Reoperation ; Retrospective Studies ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Vimentin ; metabolism ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo study the effects of the potential factors, including Chinese herbal decoction, on the long-term prognosis of acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

METHODSPrevious clinical data of 162 patients with AMI were collected, who were followed-up to observe the important events for prognosis, as death and cardio-cerebral episode, and the Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to assess the relative factors.

RESULTSThe degree of cardiac function (by New York grading) increased 1 grade when age increased for 10 years, and the relative hazardous degree (RHD) raised to 1.983 and 3.169. After treatment with Chinese herbal decoction and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI), the RHD could be reduced to 0.177 and 0.161 respectively. Taking the important cardio-cerebral events, including death, as the endpoint, when age increased for 10 years, the cardiac function would increase for 1 grade and RHD of endpoint events increased to 2.021 and 1.863, if patients had history of anterior infarction, arrhythmia and diabetes mellitus, it increased to 2.903, 2.588 and 4.039 respectively. Chinese decoction and ACEI treatment could reduce it to 0.093 and 0.141 respectively.

CONCLUSIONAge, heart failure, anterior infarction, arrhythmia and diabetes mellitus are the hazardous factors of the long-term prognosis of AMI, Chinese herbal decoction and ACEI are the protective factors.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors ; therapeutic use ; China ; epidemiology ; Cohort Studies ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Middle Aged ; Myocardial Infarction ; drug therapy ; epidemiology ; mortality ; Phytotherapy ; Prognosis ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Retrospective Studies

OBJECTIVETo establish the model of bone mesenchymal stem cell-derived smooth muscle cells (BMSC-SMCs) and investigate the role of BMSC-SMCs in the development and progression of artherosclerosis.

METHODSBMSCs were isolated from the femoral bone of SD rats by adherent tissue culture method, and vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) were obtained from the thoracic aorta. The differentiation of BMSCs into BMSC-SMCs was induced in the conditioned medium. The specific markers of BMSCs and BMSC-SMCs were identified by immunofluorescence (IF) staining. After treatment with 80 mg/L oxidative low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) for 72 h, the growth characteristics of BMSC-SMCs and VSMCs were observed. Flow cytometry was applied to analyze the cell cycle of BMSC-SMCs and VSMCs.

RESULTSBMCS-SMCs transformed into foam cells after treatment with ox-LDL, which was more obvious in comparison with VSMCs. The growth curve of BMSC-SMCs and VSMCs presented with an S-shape pattern with the cell doubling time of 20 and 32 h, which was reduced to 15 and 28 h after treatment with 80 mg/L ox-LDL, respectively. Flow cytometry showed that exposure to 80 mg/L ox-LDL significantly increased G(0)/G(1) and decreased S and G(2)/M phase cells in both BMSC-SMCs (P<0.01, n=3) and VSMCs (P<0.05, n=3) in comparison with the control cells.

CONCLUSIONBMSC-SMC might be involved in the formation of fatty core and accelerate the development of atherosclerosis.

Animals ; Atherosclerosis ; etiology ; Bone Marrow Cells ; cytology ; Cell Differentiation ; physiology ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Cells, Cultured ; Female ; Foam Cells ; cytology ; Lipoproteins, LDL ; pharmacology ; Male ; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells ; cytology ; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular ; cytology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

OBJECTIVETo examine the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptors (VEGFR1, VEGFR2) in transdifferentiated human proximal tubular epithelial (HK-2) cell induced by transforming growth factor beta1 (TGFbeta1).

METHODSThe transdifferentiation of HK-2 cells was detected by evaluation of expression of alpha-SMA by cytoimmunochemistry and RT-PCR. The VEGF mRNA was evaluated with RT-PCR. The secreted VEGF in the culture media was measured with ELISA. The cellular VEGF, VEGFR1, and VEGFR2 were measured with Western blot.

RESULTSThe immunostain of alpha-SMA were positive in HK-2 cell induced by TGFbeta1 at the concentration of 5 and 8 ng/ml for 72 h. The expression of alpha-SMA mRNA was induced by TGFbeta1 in concentration- and time-dependent manners. The expressions of mRNA and protein of VEGF were upregulated by TGFbeta1 at the concentration of 0.1 and 1 ng/ml for 72 h and at the concentration of 8 ng/ml for 12 h and 24 h when compared with the control. But expressions of mRNA and protein of VEGF were downregulated by TGFbeta1 at the concentration of 3, 5, and 8 ng/ml for 72 h and at the concentration of 8 ng/ml for 36, 48, and 72 h, respectively. Meanwhile, Protein levels of VEGFR1 and VEGFR2 were upregulated by TGFbeta1 in concentration- and time- dependent manners.

CONCLUSIONSIncreased expression of VEGFR1 and VEGFR2 and two-phase change in VEGF expression occurred in the process of tubular epithelial transdifferentiation induced by TGFbeta1. Reduced expression of VEGF may contribute to tubular epithelial transdifferentiation in a vicious circle.

Cell Differentiation ; Epithelial Cells ; cytology ; Humans ; Kidney Tubules, Proximal ; cytology ; RNA, Messenger ; metabolism ; Receptors, Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor ; metabolism ; Transforming Growth Factor beta ; pharmacology ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1 ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; metabolism ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-1 ; metabolism ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2 ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo observe the expression of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) in the tubulointerstitium in type 2 diabetic KKA(y) mice and the effect of rosiglitazone on it.

METHODSKKA(y) and C57 BL/6 mice aged 16 weeks ( n = 5 in each group) were sacrificed as controls before treatment. Another 20 KKA(y) mice were treated with rosiglitazone (30 mg x kg (-1) d (-1), n = 10) or placebo (n = 10). The mice were sacrificed at 20 and 24-week-age (n = 5 at each time point). Protein expression of transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1 ), CTGF, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPARgamma) , and fibronectin were assayed by Western blot, while protein CTGF, PPARgamma, and alpha-smooth muscle actin ( alpha-SMA) were assayed by immunohistochemistry in kidney tissue sections.

RESULTSProteinuria was significantly decreased in mice aged 24 weeks treated by rosiglitazone than same-aged mice treated with placebo [ (44. 53+/-1. 96) vs (63. 66 +/-5. 57) microg/24 h, P < 0. 05 ]. The expressions of TGF-beta1, CTGF, and fibronectin in mice aged 20 weeks treated with rosiglitazone decreased by 37% , 21% , and 52% than same-aged control (P <0. 01) , and those were decreased by 61% , 50% , and 51% in mice aged 24 weeks treated with rosiglitazone compared with same-aged control mice (P < 0. 01). CTGF in the tubulointerstitium were respectively downregulated by 25% and 44. 9% in treated mice aged 20 weeks and 24 weeks compared with the same-aged control mice ( P < 0. 01). The PPARgamma appeared in diabetic mice and increased by 18. 1% in mice aged 24 weeks and treated with rosiglitazone than the same-aged control mice (P <0. 05).

CONCLUSIONHeterogeneous rosiglitazone may upregulate the expression of PPARgamma in renal cortex, and remarkably inhibit the expressions of CTGF in the tubulointerstitium and renal cortex in diabetic KKA(y) mice.

Animals ; Connective Tissue Growth Factor ; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Down-Regulation ; Female ; Fibronectins ; biosynthesis ; Immediate-Early Proteins ; biosynthesis ; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins ; biosynthesis ; Kidney Cortex ; metabolism ; Kidney Tubules ; metabolism ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Mice, Mutant Strains ; PPAR gamma ; agonists ; biosynthesis ; Thiazolidinediones ; pharmacology ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1 ; biosynthesis ; Up-Regulation

Objective：This study was designed to establish a salivary EBV-EA IgA and DNase IgA test technique, and seek a fast and specific diagnostic technique for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Methods：Polypeptides of EBV-DNase(ED) and EA-D was synthesized as catching antigens. With ELISA technique, IgA/ED and IgA/EA-D were evaluated respectively in saliva and serum from NPC patients and healthy volunteers. Results：After statistic analysis of the optical density(OD) values of samples, the diagnostic criteria of NPC in the examination of either IgA/ED or IgA/EA-D was defined as following：OD≥ 0.3 for serum and OD≥ 0.45 for saliva. Significantly statistical difference existed between the values of either IgA/ED or IgA/EA-D titer in patients with NPC and the values in healthy volunteers,P<0.0001. The coincidence rates between the diagnosis of above IgA/ED or IgA/EA-D titer testes and corresponding histological diagnosis were 72.6％ － 77.3％ . Conclusion： The Elisa test to detect salivary IgA/ED and IgA/EA-D with synthesized polypeptides is a simple, repeatable, and cheap technique with stability and sensitivity. However its coincidence rate with histology should be improved.?

Objective: To study the effect and mechanism of Shuanghua aerosol (SHA) in treating infantile upper respiratory tract infection. Methods: In the clinical study, 276 patients were randomly divided into two groups. The treated group was treated with SHA and the control group was treated with Shuanghuanglian aerosol (SHLA, 双黄连气雾剂). In the experimental study, the effects of SHA on anti-inflammation and anti-virus were observed. Results: The clinical total effective rate of SHA was 99.03% and its cure rate 65.38%, while those of the SHLA were 94.11% and 44.12% respectively, significant difference was shown between the two groups (P<0.01). Experimental study showed that SHA could inhibit the xylol induced ear swelling and the egg white induced paw swelling in mice obviously, and inhibit the proliferation of influenza virus in rat's lung. Conclusion: SHA has obvious anti-inflammatory and anti-viral effect, and has good curative effect in treating infantile upper respiratory tract infection.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the correlation between different Chinese medicine (CM) syndromes and variations in microcirculation in septic shock patients.

METHODSseventy Septic shock patients were divided into four groups: heat damaging qi-yin group (HDQY, 23 cases); yin exhaustion and yang collapse group (YEYC, 26 cases); excessive heat in Fu organ group (EHFO, 10 cases); and heat damaging nutrient-blood group (HDNB, 11 cases). Sublingual microcirculation parameters were observed by sidestream dark-field (SDF) imaging and scored by Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) and the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA), and parameters of microcirculation perfusion variations and prognoses were analyzed.

RESULTSCompared with those with qi-yin heat damage, perfused vessel density (PVD) in other groups decreased dramatically (P<0.05), and APACHE II scores increased significantly (P<0.05). In addition, the recovery time was prolonged substantially (P<0.05), and the mixed venous oxygen saturation (SVO2) decreased (P<0.05). Blood lactic acid increased significantly (P<0.05), and the mixed SVO decreased (P<0.05), in the YEYC group. Compared with the thermal injury camp blood group, sublingual microcirculation parameter variations showed no obvious difference in the YEYC and EHFO groups (P>0.05). There were significant positive correlations between CM syndromes and APACHE II scoring in different groups (r=0.512, P<0.05). There were negative correlations between PVD and APACHE II scoring (r=-0.378, P=0.043), the proportion of perfused vessels (PPV) and APACHE II scoring (r=-0.472, P=0.008), as well as between the microvascular flow index (MFI) and APACHE II scoring (r=-0.424, P=0.023) in different patients.

CONCLUSIONSublingual microcirculation may serve as a clinical diagnostic parameter of the patient condition, as well as being a prognostic indicator.

Aged ; Dopamine ; therapeutic use ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Female ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Male ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Microcirculation ; physiology ; Middle Aged ; Mouth Floor ; blood supply ; physiopathology ; Perfusion ; Shock, Septic ; blood ; drug therapy ; mortality ; physiopathology ; Syndrome

OBJECTIVETo evaluate histopathologic examination of the testis tissue from testicular sperm aspiration (TESA).

METHODSWe analyzed the results of inverted microscopy and histopathologic examination of 96 samples of testis tissue from TESA, and compared the accuracy of the two methods in detecting sperm in the testis tissue.

RESULTSAmong the 11 cases in which sperm was found by inverted microscopy, 9 were confirmed by histopathologic examination, and among the 57 cases in which sperm was not detected by inverted microscopy, 11 (19.3%) were found with sperm by histopathologic examination. Histopathologically, the cases in which sperm was not found by inverted microscopy included Sertoli-cell-only syndrome (n = 34), maturation arrest (n = 12) and hypospermatogenesis (n = 11).

CONCLUSIONHistopathologic examination may reveal sperm in the TESA testis tissue proved to be sperm-absent by microscopy, and thus offer valuable information for a second testicular sperm retrieval.

Adult ; Azoospermia ; pathology ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Sperm Count ; Sperm Retrieval ; Testis ; pathology ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo investigate the characteristics of erectile dysfunction (ED) in old males with lacunar infarction.

METHODSA total of 38 old patients ages from 60 to 70 years were involved. The questionnaire of international index of erectile function 5 (IIEF -5) was used to determine the status and severity of ED. According to the focus of infarction on MRI, the patients were divided into two groups, Group I with lacunar infarction and minor neurological deficits, and Group II with none. The total IIEF-5 scores were compared between the two groups and repeatedly evaluated six months after discharge.

RESULTSAccording to the total scores of IIEF-5, the prevalence of ED in Group II (95%) was higher, and the incidence of severe ED was significantly increased (60.0% vs. 44.4%, P < 0.05) as compared with Group II. In both the two groups, severe ED was more often seen in diabetic patients. At six months after discharge, the total scores of IIEF-5 were significantly increased (11.2 +/- 3.2 vs. 15.6 +/- 2.2, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONED is significantly increased in old males with lacunar infarction, and it is more severe in diabetic patients. Post-stroke rehabilitation care helps to improve ED.

Aged ; Brain Infarction ; complications ; rehabilitation ; Diabetes Complications ; Erectile Dysfunction ; epidemiology ; etiology ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Penile Erection ; Surveys and Questionnaires