Serum anti-uveal autoantigen with coiled coil domains and ankyrin repeats (UACA) antibody titer was measured using ELISA in 32 patients with thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy ( TAO ) and 20 patients with Graves' disease (GD) without ophthalmopathy.The level of anti-UACA antibody in TAO group was higher than that in GD group [ (225.91 ± 144.21 vs 187.42 ± 46.77 ) pg/ml,P＜0.05 ],and especially higher in patients with ocular myopathy [ (254.35 ± 168.29 ) pg/ml ].It seems that anti-UACA antibody is the sensitive clinical marker of ocular myopathy in TAO patients.

Ascites ; etiology ; therapy ; Hepatorenal Syndrome ; etiology ; prevention & control ; Humans ; Hyponatremia ; etiology ; therapy ; Liver Cirrhosis ; complications ; therapy ; Sodium ; blood ; Sodium Chloride ; administration & dosage

Objective To investigate the change of threshold of electrical sense through experiments in the presence of electrical noise according to stochastic resonance phenomenon that has been observed in somatosensory system.Method Psychophysical experiments were carried out using both single stimulus method based on random-gradient method and one-interval-forced-choice method.The glabrous skin of human fingers was choosed as the experimental objects,which was stimulated by square wave electrical signal mixed with electrical noise.Result The corresponding threshold of electrical sense can be reduced by the effect of external electrical noises.Conclusion Although electrical sense is not natural sense,stochastic resonance can occur in it, and effect of noise on enhancing this sense can be implemented by controlling external noises.

Animals ; Aorta, Thoracic ; physiology ; Endothelium ; blood supply ; Male ; Physical Conditioning, Animal ; physiology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Vasodilation

To investigate the role of ERC,6 gene in the growth rate and antifungal susceptibility,Aspergillus fumigatus strain with extra copies of ERG6 gene was constructed.Open reading frame (ORF) of putative ERG6 gene was searched in A.fumigatus genome.A PCR fragment, ERG6 ORF sandwiched by its flanking sequences (about 1 kb respectively),was amplified and was then subcloned into vector pRG-AMA1- NotI to produce a recombinant plasmid pERG6,which was further transformed into uracil auxotroph A.fumigatus strain AF293.1 to produce the transformant AF-pERG6.In the same time,empty plasmid pRG-AMA1-NotI was also transformed into A.fumigatus strain AF293.1 to produce the transformant AF-empty as a control.Radial growth of the transformants was tested on minimal medium (MM) and YAG medi- um.Antifungal susceptibilities of these resahing transformants,AF-pERG6 and AF-empty,to the common antifungal agents were performed by using both disk diffusion and broth microdillution methods.A.fumigatus genome contains a ERG6 gene,of which the ORF size is 1 256 bp.Comparing to Candida albicans and Sacchromyces cerivisiae sterol methyltransferase,A.fumigatus Erg6p had 57% and 50% identity, and had 70% and 63% similarity in amino acid sequences,respectively.Radial growth of transformant AF-pERG6 was slower than that of transformant AF-empty.The antifungal susceptibilties of transformant AF-pERG6 to the antifungal drugs itraconazole,voriconazole,terbin- aline,amphotericin B,caspofungin and grisefolvin were same to that of transformant AF-empty.In A.fumigatus,extra copies of ERG6 gene have no effect on antifungal susceptibilities to itraconazole,voriconazole,terbinafine,amphotericin B,caspofungin and grisefolvin.Radial growth of A.fumigatus harboring extra copies of ERG6 gene becomes slower compared to the control.

The new drug of Chinese herbal prescription, which is the best carrier for the syndrome differentiation and treatment of Chinese medicine and is the main form of the new drug research and development, plays a very important role in the new drug research and development. Although there are many sources of the prescriptions, whether it can become a new drug, the necessity, rationality and science of the prescriptions are the key to develop the new drug. In this article, aiming at the key issues in prescriptions design, the source, classification, composition design of new drug of Chinese herbal prescriptions are discussed, and provide a useful reference for research and development of new drugs.
Drug Design ; Drug Prescriptions ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; chemistry ; Humans

Ecotoxicology ; Humans ; Proteomics ; Risk Assessment

Humans ; Otitis Media ; classification ; surgery ; Practice Guidelines as Topic

Objective T o investigate the serum IgE w ith various postm ortem intervals (PMI) in guinea pigs due to sudden death from anaphylactic shock and to explore the effect of refrigeration of corpse on serum IgE level and its application value in forensic m edicine. Methods T he anim al death m odels of anaphylactic shock w ere established. T he corpses w ere preserved at room tem perature (20℃) for 6 h and then refrigerated at 4℃. T he serum w as sam pled at 6, 12, 24, 36 and 48 hours after death. T he IgE level of serum w as detected w ith ELISA . The control group w as also established. Results The serum IgE level had significant difference betw een the experim ental group and the control group (P<0.05). T here w as no significant difference am ong the experim ental groups at 6, 12, 24, 36 and 48 hours post-m ortem (P>0.05). Conclusion If the corpses w ere placed in 4℃ conditions 6 hours after anaphylactic death, the serum IgE still show s a good m arker w ithin 48 h for forensic investigation.

The risk factor of dental fluorosis are mainly related to the cancen tration of fluoride in the drinking water,the supplements of fluoride,nutrition states and regime,the time of fluoride exposure.Other factor such as the period of mother's milk feeding,the altitude of resident,the environmental pollution,the education degree of parents,and the level of health service of the community are also contributed to the development of dental fluorosis.Besides,the knowledge of dentists,the health habits of individual,the condition of economic,and so on is somehow the risk factor of dental fluorosis.The chances of fluoride exposure will become more often as the prosperous of the society.Thus any health policy of the complement of fluoride should be adapted to local conditions.