Objective To analyze the optimal timing of endoscopic stone extraction combined with extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) in the treatment of chronic pancreatitis (CP) with pancreatic stones. Methods Data regarding 170 pancreatic stone patients receiving ESWL and endoscopic stone extraction at Shanghai Changhai Hospital from February 2014 to February 2015 were retrospectively analyzed. Based on the the prior history of endoscopic treatment,patients were divided into group A and B,and then sub-divided into three groups according to the timing of endoscopic intervention after ESWL including <12 h,12~36 h and >36 h subgroup. The success of pancreatic ductal cannulation, clearance of stone in the main pancreatic duct, and ERCP-related complications were evaluated. Results Among all the enrolled 170 patients,107 previously received ERCP(group A) while the others didn't(group B). The overall success rate of cannulation and clearance rate of stones at different times showed no significant difference. The success rate and clearance rate in group A in <12 h,12~36 h and >36 h subgroup were 91.7%,95.2%,78.0%,and 91.7%,95.2%,80.0%,and no significant difference existed. In group B, the success rate and clearance rate in <12 h, 12~36 h and >36 h subgroup were 66.7%, 71.4%, 96.3%, and 60.0%, 76.2%, 92.6%, and the differences were statistically different. The success rate and clearance rate of >36 h subgroup in group B were obviously higher than that in <12 hours (P=0.025) and 12~36 h subgroup (P=0.04). The timing of endoscopic stone extraction did not influence ERCP-related complications. Conclusions Early endoscopic stone extraction after ESWL can be considered in patients with pancreatic stones who previously underwent ERCP. Delayed endoscopic stone extraction after ESWL is recommended in patients without prior ERCP,which can help promote the therapeutic efficacy.

β-Catenin plays a critical role in cartilage formation and development. To further understand the role of β-catenin in osteoarthritis (OA) development in temporomandibular joint (TMJ), we have generated β-catenin conditional activation mice (β-cat(ex3) ) by breeding Agc1-CreER mice with β-catenin mice. Results of histologic analysis showed the progressive TMJ defects in 3- and 6-month-old β-cat(ex3) mice (tamoxifen induction was performed at 2 weeks of age), including decreased chondrocyte numbers in the superficial layer associated with less Alcian blue staining, increased numbers of hypertrophic chondrocytes in deep layers, and rough articular surface. Compared to the TMJ phenotype of β-cat(ex3) mice, β-cat(ex3) mice showed much severe morphological defects in the superficial layer of TMJ. This may reflect that Agc1-CreER mice could efficiently target cells in the superficial layer of TMJ. Results of immunostaining showed significantly increased expression of MMP13, Col-X, Adamts4, and Adamts5 in TMJ of β-cat(ex3) mice. Results of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), Ki67, and terminal deoxinucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-fluorescein nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining further demonstrated that cell proliferation was decreased and cell apoptosis was increased in condylar cartilage of β-cat(ex3) mice. Our findings indicate that abnormal upregulation of β-catenin in TMJ leads to defects assembling to OA-like phenotype, further demonstrating that β-catenin plays a critical role in TMJ pathogenesis.
Aggrecans ; metabolism ; Animals ; Apoptosis ; Cartilage, Articular ; metabolism ; Cell Differentiation ; Cell Proliferation ; Cells, Cultured ; Disease Models, Animal ; In Situ Nick-End Labeling ; Mice ; Osteoarthritis ; metabolism ; Phenotype ; Signal Transduction ; Surface Properties ; Temporomandibular Joint ; metabolism ; beta Catenin ; metabolism

Rac1 belongs to the family of Rho GTPases, and plays important roles in the brain function. It affects the cell migration and axon guidance via regulating the cytoskeleton and cellular morphology. However, the effect of its dynamic activation in regulating physiological function remains unclear. Recently, a photoactivatable analogue of Rac1 (PA-Rac1) has been developed, allowing the activation of Rac1 by the specific wavelength of light in living cells. Thus, we constructed recombinant adeno-associated virus (AAV) of PA-Rac1 and its light-insensitive mutant PA-Rac1-C450A under the control of the mouse glial fibrillary acidic protein (mGFAP) promoter to manipulate Rac1 activity in astrocytes by optical stimulation. Primary culture of hippocampal astrocytes was infected with the recombinant AAV-PA-Rac1 or AAV-PA-Rac1-C450A. Real-time fluorescence imaging showed that the cell membrane of the astrocyte expressing PA-Rac1 protruded near the light spot, while the astrocyte expressing PA-Rac1-C450A did not. We injected AAV-PA-Rac1 and AAV-PA-Rac1-C450A into dorsal hippocampus to investigate the role of the activation of Rac1 in regulating the associative learning. With optical stimulation, the PA-Rac1 group, rather than the PA-Rac1-C450A group, showed slower learning curve during the fear conditioning compared with the control group, indicating that activating astrocytic Rac1 blocks the formation of contextual memory. Our data suggest that the activation of Rac1 in dorsal hippocampal astrocyte plays an important role in the associative learning.
Animals ; Astrocytes ; physiology ; Cell Membrane ; Cell Movement ; Conditioning, Classical ; Cytoskeleton ; Dependovirus ; Fear ; Hippocampus ; physiology ; Memory ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Neuropeptides ; genetics ; physiology ; Optogenetics ; rac1 GTP-Binding Protein ; genetics ; physiology

AIM: To discuss the clinical efficacy of fresh amniotic membrane ( AM ) during the microscopic adjustable suture surgery in children's intercommunity strabismus, in order to guide clinical treatment.
METHODS: With the clinical randomized control study (RCT), 60 (112 eyes) cases of patients in childhood who received microscopic strabismus surgery in our hospital were divided them into two different groups from Jan. 2010 to Oct. 2015. According to the application of AM on the basis of ophthalmology outpatient number, 30 cases (58 eyes) in group A were treated with rectus muscle recession surgery combined adjustable suture combined with AM. The other 30 cases (54 eyes) in group B were treated with rectus muscle recession surgery combined adjustable suture only. All patients in two groups were followed-up over 6mo after the strabismus surgery.
RESULTS:Twenty-seven cases ( 48 eyes ) of all the strabismus patients must be adjusted after strabismus surgery, and the eye position adjustment rate was 42.9%. At 1mo after surgery, eye position of 18 cases (29 eyes) can be adjusted in all patients, and 44. 8% (16 cases, 26 eyes ) in group A with the average of adjustment lengths was 2. 56±0. 64mm, and 5. 6% ( 2 cases, 3 eyes ) in group B, with the average of adjustment lengths was 0. 52±0. 28mm, the differences of the adjustment rate and the average of adjustment amount were both high statistically significant (χ2 =22.477, P<0. 01; t=16. 502, P<0. 01 ) between the two groups. Except of 3 cases who couldn't cooperate with eye position adjustment, they all received eye position adjustment in different degrees in one month after strabismus surgery,and after eye position adjustment, 27 cases (53 eyes) in group A got normal eye position, and the correction rate of eye position was 91. 4%, and 16 cases (28 eyes) in group B got normal eye position after eye position adjustment, the correction rate was 51. 9%, the differences of the correction rate were statistically significant (χ2=21. 827, P<0. 01) between the two groups.
CONCLUSION: The application of fresh AM in the microscopic adjustable suture strabismus surgery is exactly effective in treatment of children's intercommunity strabismus. It can significantly extend the adjustment time and increase the adjustment amount, and it also can statistically improve the controllability and achievement ratio for children's strabismus surgery.

Compartments of soil microorganism and enzymes between stereoscopic cultivation (three storeys) and field cultivation (CK) of Panax notoginseng were carried out, and the effects on P. notoginseng agronomic characters were also studied. Results show that concentration of soil microorganism of stereoscopic cultivation was lower than field cultivation; the activity of soil urea enzyme, saccharase and neutral phosphatase increased from lower storey to upper storey; the activity of soil urea enzyme and saccharase of lower and upper storeys were significantly lower than CK; agronomic characters of stereoscopic cultivated P. notoginsengin were inferior to field cultivation, the middle storey with the best agronomic characters among the three storeys. The correlation analysis showed that fungi, actinomycetes and neutral phosphatase were significantly correlated with P. notoginseng agronomic characters; concentration of soil fungi and bacteria were significantly correlated with the soil relative water content; actinomycete and neutral phosphatase were significantly correlated with soil pH and relative water content, respectively; the activities of soil urea enzyme and saccharase were significantly correlated with the soil daily maximum temperature difference. Inconclusion, The current research shows that the imbalance of soil microorganism and the acutely changing of soil enzyme activity were the main reasons that caused the agronomic characters of stereoscopic cultivated P. notoginseng were worse than field cultivation. Thus improves the concentration of soil microorganism and enzyme activity near to field soil by improving the structure of stereoscopic cultivation is very important. And it was the direction which we are endeavoring that built better soil ecological environment for P. notoginseng of stereoscopic cultivation.
Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Panax notoginseng ; growth & development ; Phosphoric Monoester Hydrolases ; metabolism ; Soil ; chemistry ; Soil Microbiology ; beta-Fructofuranosidase ; metabolism

The physiological effects of Panax notoginseng seedlings under simulated drought stress by PEG 6000 on antioxidant enzymes, osmotic substances and root activities were studied. The results showed that the activity of POD and APX in roots and leaves kept rising with increasing processing concentration and time. However, on the one hand, at the same processing time, SOD in roots and leaves firstly increased and then decreased with the increase of processing concentration. On the other hand, at the same processing concentration, SOD kept rising with the extension of processing time. In addition, the activity of CAT in roots and leaves tended to increase with the increasing concentration at the same processing time, while it increased at first and then decreased with the extension of time at the same concentration. The activity of SOD and APX in stem did not change obviously, whereas CAT activity in stem increased with the increasing processing time and concentration. With the increase of processing concentration and the extension of processing time, the MDA, soluble protein, proline content and root activity in leaves and roots apparently rose. Moreover, fluorescence signal of H2O2 and NO in root tip enhanced as the processing concentration increased after treated for 1 d. In summary, P. notoginseng seedlings could deal with drought stress by means of adjusting the system of antioxidant enzyme, permeating stress substances and impeded stress signal substances. Thus, when the concentration of PEG 6000 was more than 5%, it would have harm on P. notoginseng seedlings.
Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Droughts ; Panax notoginseng ; drug effects ; physiology ; Polyethylene Glycols ; pharmacology ; Seedlings ; drug effects ; physiology ; Stress, Physiological ; physiology ; Superoxide Dismutase ; metabolism

The physiological response and bioaccumulation of 2-year-old Panax notoginseng to cadmium stress was investigated under a hydroponic experiment with different cadmium concentrations (0, 2.5, 5, 10 μmol · L(-1)). Result showed that low concentration (2.5 μmol · L(-1)) of cadmium could stimulate the activities of SOD, POD, APX in P. notoginseng, while high concentration (10 μmol · L(-1)) treatment made activities of antioxidant enzyme descended obviously. But, no matter how high the concentration of cadmium was, the activities of CAT were inhibited. The Pn, Tr, Gs in P. notoginseng decreased gradually with the increase of cadmium concentration, however Ci showed a trend from rise to decline. The enrichment coefficients of different parts in P. notoginseng ranked in the order of hair root > root > rhizome > leaf > stem, and all enrichment coefficients decreased with the increase of concentration of cadmium treatments; while the cadmium content in different parts of P. notoginseng and the transport coefficients rose. To sum up, cadmium could affect antioxidant enzyme system and photosynthetic system of P. notoginseng; P. notoginseng had the ability of cadmium enrichment, so we should plant it in suitable place reduce for reducing the absorption of cadmium; and choose medicinal parts properly to lessen cadmium intake.
Cadmium ; pharmacokinetics ; toxicity ; Hydroponics ; Panax notoginseng ; drug effects ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Photosynthesis ; drug effects ; Superoxide Dismutase ; metabolism

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of opiate abuse on the expression of Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of HIV-1-infected patients and to elucidate possible mechanisms involved in the enhancement of HIV-1 replication by opiate abuse. A total of 200 participants were enrolled in the study by random selection from methadone treatment centers and voluntary HIV counseling and testing centers in the cities of Nanning, Liuzhou, and Qinzhou. These participants included 50 HIV-positive opiate abusers (Opiates HIV(+) group), 50 HIV-negative opiate abusers (Opiates HIV(-) group), 50 HIV-positive subjects who were not opiate abusers (Non-opiates HIV (+) group), and 50 HIV-negative subjects who were not opiate abusers (Control group). PBMCs were isolated from the peripheral blood samples from the subjects and the expression levels of TLR9 mRNA and protein were determined by q-PCR and western blot respectively. There was no significant difference among the four groups in age, gender, nationality, domicile, marital status, educational background or duration of drug abuse (P > 0.05). The median viral loads of the Opiates HIV(+) were significantly higher than those of the Non-Opiates HIV(+) groups (4.450 x 10(3) and 3.977 x 10(3) copies/mL respectively, P < 0.05). The relative expression levels of TLR9 mRNA in the Opiates HIV(+), Non-Opiates HIV(+), Opiates HIV(-) and Control groups were (2.13 +/- 1.59) x 10(-3), (3.66 +/- 2.22) x 10(-3), (1.96 +/- 1.42) x 10(-3) and (7.66 +/- 4.87) x 10(-3), respectively. The expression of TLR9 mRNA was significantly lower in both HIV-1-infected and -uninfected groups of opiate abusers compared with groups of non-abusers (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in TLR9 mRNA expression levels between the Opiates HIV(+) group and the Opiates HIV(-) group (P > 0.05). However, in the non-opiate groups, the expression levels of TLR9 mRNA in the HIV(+) group were significantly lower than that of the control group (P< 0.05). Western blot results confirmed that the expression of TLR9 protein was lower in the Opiates HIV(+), Non-Opiates HIV(+), and Opiates HIV(-) groups compared to the control group. These results suggest that opiate abuse can decrease the expression of TLR9 in PBMCs, which may result in the enhancement of HIV-1 infection and replication due to a decline in immune response mediated by the TLR9 pathway.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Female ; HIV Infections ; genetics ; metabolism ; virology ; HIV-1 ; physiology ; Humans ; Leukocytes, Mononuclear ; metabolism ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Opioid-Related Disorders ; genetics ; metabolism ; Toll-Like Receptor 9 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Young Adult

Objective To investigate the impact of methamphetamine (Meth) on the expressions of macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-1α ,MIP-1β ,interleukin (IL)-6 among human immunodeficiency virus(HIV)-infected patients .Methods The investigation was performed among 15 Meth-abuse and HIV-infected subjects (Meth + HIV ) ,15 non-Meth-abuse and HIV-infected subjects (non-Meth + HIV ) ,15 Meth-abuse and HIV-uninfected subjects (Meth) ,and 15 healthy subjects (HC) .CD4 + T lymphocyte counts in peripheral blood were detected by flow cytometry .The HIV viral loads in HIV-infected patients were detected by standard detection method .The levels of plasma MIP-1α ,MIP-1β and IL-6 from four groups were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA ) .Intergroup difference was compared using t-test and interactive analysis was conducted using analysis of variance .Results In HIV-infected patients ,CD4 + T lymphocyte counts in Meth + HIV group was significant lower than non-Meth +HIV group (t= 5 .431 , P< 0 .01) ,whereas HIV viral load in Meth + HIV group was significant higher than non-Meth + HIV group (t= 4 .670 , P < 0 .01) .The levels of MIP-1α ,MIP-1β and IL-6 in Meth +HIV group were (40 .60 ± 9 .84) pg/mL , (47 .35 ± 11 .25 ) pg/mL and (37 .94 ± 11 .44 ) pg/mL , respectively ,and those in non-Meth + HIV group were (31 .31 ± 8 .11) pg/mL ,(39 .40 ± 8 .41) pg/mL and (31 .31 ± 8 .11) pg/mL ,respectively .The levels of MIP-1α ,MIP-1β and IL-6 in Meth + HIV group were all significantly higher than those in non-Meth + HIV group(t = 2 .822 , P= 0 .001 ;t = 2 .192 , P=0 .020 ;t= 1 .831 , P = 0 .043 ,respectively ) .The levels of MIP-1α ,MIP-1β and IL-6 in Meth group were (24 .45 ± 5 .90) pg/mL ,(27 .82 ± 7 .25) pg/mL and (27 .18 ± 8 .57) pg/mL ,respectively ,and those in HC group were (28 .42 ± 5 .79) pg/mL ,(31 .76 ± 9 .04) pg/mL and (23 .28 ± 6 .07) pg/mL ,respectively .But there were no significant differences of the levels of MIP-1α ,MIP-1β and IL-6 between Meth group and HC group(t= 1 .860 , P = 0 .158 ; t = 1 .317 , P = 0 .233 ; t = 1 .438 , P = 0 .228 ,respectively) .There was no association between Meth-abuse and the levels of these cytokines (P> 0 .05) ,neither between HIV infection and the levels of cytokines (P> 0 .05) .Conclusion Meth abuse results in elevated expressions of MIP-1αand MIP-1β ,which indicates that Meth abuse may play a regulating role on promoting HIV infection .