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The aim of this research was to identify the dynamic diversity of Small Tail Han sheep in its main producing areas between different years, and provide a basis for a breeding and genetic resources conservation strategy. For this purpose, 15 microsatellites were genotyped for Small Tail Han Sheep sampled in 2014 from Heze, China, and a comparative analysis of these data with those from a previous study was undertaken using meta-analysis. The results reveal that inbreeding has caused a reduction in diversity of Small Tail Han Sheep from 2008 to 2014. Overall, our results are helpful in understanding the dynamic change in diversity, as well as providing information for a conservation strategy for this population.

We aimed to use microsatellite BM1258 loci of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) as an indicator of the influence of genetic diversity of immunity in goats (Dazu Black, Hechuan White, Meigu, and Tibetan goat). In total, 132 animals comprising 50 Dazu Black goats, 24 Hechuan White goats, 34 Meigu goats, and 24 Tibetan goats were examined. Collectively, 18 different alleles and 42 genotypes were found. The overall observed levels of heterozygosity showed large divergence from the expected levels in the four breeds, and an increase in the mean number of alleles of BM1258 accompanied decreasing altitude of the livestock's habitat. Our results indicate that low-altitude regions or plains were more conducive to genetic material exchange and gene flow between different populations. In addition, it seems that the breeds from low-altitude regions were less susceptible to problems introduced by commercial animals.

A case-control study was conducted to investigate the association between genetic variants of IL-17A rs2275913 and IL-17F rs763780 and the development of coronary artery disease (CAD) in a Chinese population. A total of 306 individuals with CAD and 306 unaffected individuals were enrolled from the Zhengzhou People's Hospital between May 2012 and May 2014. The IL-17A rs2275913 and IL-17F rs763780 genes were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction combined with a restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Logistic regression analysis revealed that individuals with the AA genotype of rs2275913 were associated with increased risk of CAD, compared to those with the GG genotype in a codominant model [adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 1.96; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.10-3.53]. On the other hand, the AA genotype of rs2275913 was correlated with moderately increased risk of CAD compared to the GG + GA genotype (adjusted OR = 1.76; 95%CI = 1.02-3.07) in a recessive model. However, no significant differences were observed between polymorphisms at the IL-17F rs763780 locus and CAD risk, in codominant, dominant, and recessive models. In conclusion, the results of our study suggested that the IL-17A rs2275913 polymorphism may affect the development of CAD; however, no significant association was observed between the IL-17F rs763780 polymorphism and risk of CAD.

DRA encodes the alpha chain of the DR heterodimer, is closely linked to DRB and is considered almost monomorphic in major histocompatibility complex region. In this study, we identified the exon 2 of DRA to evaluate the immunogenetic diversity of Chinese south indigenous goat. Two single nucleotide polymorphisms in an untranslated region and one synonymous substitution in coding region were identified. These data suggest that high immunodiversity in native Chinese population.

Objective: To compare two digital methods of quantitatively accessing the degree of facial asymmetry by three-dimensional data., Methods: The three-dimensional data of 20 subjects were got by the FaceScan, and then were input to the reverse engineering software Imageware 13.0 and Geomagic 12. Their mirror data were acquired and superimposed with the original data by the methods of interactive closest points (ICP) and Procrustes analysis (PA). The mid-sagittal planes of the two methods were extracted respectively, the degree of facial asymmetry and the distance of 21 automatic landmarks to mid-sagittal plane were calculated and compared., Results: The paired t test was taken and t=1.346, P=0.193., Conclusion: We can safely come to the conclusions that for the subjects with no evident facial asymmetry, there are no significant difference between the PA and the ICP methods for extracting the mid-sagittal plane from three-dimensional data.

Tumor necrosis factor-α is a cytokine with a wide range of effects on both lymphoid and non-lymphoid cells. In this study, we identified polymorphisms in major histocompatibility complex class III gene in the 4th exon and the 3' untranslated region of tumor necrosis factor-α to evaluate the immunogenetic diversity of Chinese south indigenous goat. Three single-nucleotide polymorphisms were identified and showed similar frequencies in different except MI loci. These data suggest that the high immunodiversity of the tumor necrosis factor-α region within these breeds can be used for strengthening variety improvement and promoting animal husbandry development in Chinese indigenous goats.

Cathelicidins are a major family of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), an important component of innate immune system, playing a critical role in host defense and disease resistance in virtually all living species. Polymorphism and functional studies on cathelicidin of Tianzhu white yak contribute to understanding the specific innate immune mechanism in animals living at high altitudes in comparison to cattle and domesticated white yak. Thirty-six individuals of Tianzhu white yak, originating from the area of three ecotypes (Gansu in China), were investigated. The total length of the aligned Yak cathelicidin 6 (CATHL-6) sequences was 1923 bp, including six single nucleotide polymorphisms and one indel. Ten haplotypes were identified, and phylogenetic analyses resolved those 10 haplotypes in two clusters. The results indicate that the white yak originated from two domestication sites. In addition, lack of significant pairwise difference between sequences (Tajima's D = 0.92865, P > 0.10) in the CATHL-6 region indicates absence of population size expansion in current white yak population.

Background: Because cerebral morphological abnormalities in major depressive disorder (MDD) may be modulated by antidepressant treatment, inclusion of medicated patients may have biased previous meta-analyses of voxel-based morphometry (VBM) studies. A meta-analysis of VBM studies on medication-free MDD patients should be able to distinguish the morphological features of the disease itself from those of treatment., Method: A systematic search was conducted for the relevant studies. Effect-size signed differential mapping was applied to analyse the grey matter differences between all medication-free MDD patients and healthy controls. Meta-regression was used to explore the effects of demographics and clinical characteristics., Results: A total of 14 datasets comprising 400 medication-free MDD patients and 424 healthy controls met the inclusion criteria. The pooled meta-analysis and subgroup meta-analyses showed robustly reduced grey matter in prefrontal and limbic regions in MDD. Increased right thalamus volume was only seen in first-episode medication-naive patients, and increased grey matter in the bilateral anterior cingulate cortex only in medication wash-out patients. In meta-regression analyses the percentage of female patients in each study was negatively correlated with reduced grey matter in the right hippocampus., Conclusions: By excluding interference from medication effects, the present study identified grey matter reduction in the prefrontal-limbic network in MDD. The subgroup meta-analysis results suggest that an increased right thalamus volume might be a trait directly related to MDD, while an increased anterior cingulate cortex volume might be an effect of medication. The meta-regression results perhaps reveal the structural underpinning of the sex differences in epidemiological and clinical aspects of MDD.

Introduction: Placental morphological and histopathological measures can be numerous and it is very time-consuming to collect all the information. When planning a large birth cohort study, researchers often face the dilemma as to whether and what information to collect in a placenta. The aim of this study was (1) to systematically select placental measures that have significant clinical implications, and (2) to assess the accuracy of these measures., Methods: We used placental pathology information from the Collaborative Perinatal Project (CPP), in which 45,785 births had comprehensive information on placental morphology and pathology. We chose 20 major childhood diseases as outcomes. The statistical method of LASSO (least absolute shrinkage and selection operator) was used to select important placental measures that would have better predictability for outcomes., Results: LASSO selected 81 measures as candidates. After having consulted placental pathologists, we further narrowed down to the 38 and 23 most important measures to form two shortened evaluation systems that could be used in clinical practice and research. The sensitivity and specificity of these measures for composite child diseases were 68% and 34%, respectively, for the 38 measures and 48% and 53%, respectively, for the 23 measures., Conclusions: We presented a potentially useful system for pathological characterization of the placenta. The use of these relatively simple and accessible characteristics as biomarkers may be considered in large birth cohort studies., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In the present study, we isolated three populations of Myxobolus ampullicapsulatus from the gills of crucian carp, Carassius auratus auratus, two from Yongchuan, Chongqing area and one from Poyang Lake, Jiangxi area, China, sequenced their complete small subunit ribosome RNA gene, analyzed their genetic distance and gene similarity, and explored their relationship based on Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood analyses of their small subunit ribosomal DNA. The results combined with their morphological characteristics suggest that M. ampullicapsulatus infecting the gills and pharynx of allogynogenetic gibel carp, Carassius auratus gibelio, should be Myxobolus honghuensis. This study highlights the importance of DNA sequence comparisons for distinguishing Myxobolus species and indicates that the intra-species identification for the two Myxobolus species mentioned in the present research should be less than ten variation sites. In morphology, M. honghuensis Liu et al. (2012) parasitic on the gills of C. auratus auratus (goldfish) was collected from Chongqing area, and its mature spore was 16.5-19.5 × 8.5-10.0 μm in size, polar capsule was 7.0-10.0 × 2.5-4.0 μm in size, and polar filament had 9-10 coils. M. honghuensis Liu et al. (2012) isolated from the pharynx of C. auratus gibelio was sampled in Hubei area, and its mature spore was 15.1-19.5 × 9.0-11.3 μm in size, polar capsule was 7.9-8.1 × 3.0-4.5 μm in size, and polar filament had 7-8 coils.

Objective: Late severe noninfectious diarrhea in renal transplant recipients can lead to malnutrition and even graft loss. The purpose of this study was to evaluate risk factors associated with this condition and summarize therapy for these patients., Methods: For more than 36 months we observed a cohort of 541 recipients who underwent kidney transplantation from January 2001 to June 2007. They were provided a calcineurin inhibitor (CNI) combined with mycophenolate mofetil (MMF). The four group includes a continuous cyclosporine (CsA); a preconversion to tacrolimus and a postconversion group as well as a continuous tacrolimus group. The rate of severe late noninfectious diarrhea was compared among the four groups. Risk factors were analyzed between the diarrhea and nondiarrhea cohorts. Clinical characteristics, efficacy, and safety were observed after modifying the immunosuppressive protocol for late severe noninfectious diarrhea recipients., Results: Twenty-eight recipients presented with late sever noninfectious diarrhea. No patients displayed chronic diarrhea in the CsA (n = 145) or preconversion group (n = 95). The rate of diarrhea was 7.31% in the postconversion and 7.35% in the tacrolimus group. Using multivariate Cox proportional hazards analysis, factors associated with an increased risk of noninfectious diarrhea were cytochrome P450(CYP)3A5 *3/*3 type, chronic renal allograft dysfunction, and patient ingestion of Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F. All diarrheal recipients experienced weight loss, hypoalbuminia, and an increased serum creatinine. All affected patients underwent adjustment of the immunosuppressive regimen to achieve remission. Renal allograft survival in recipients with diarrhea was worse than that in nondiarrheal recipients receiving tacrolimus combined with MMF., Conclusion: Tacrolimus with MMF increased the risk of late severe noninfectious diarrhea among renal transplant recipients compared with hosts treats with CsA plus MMF. The CYP3A5 *3/*3 type, chronic renal allograft dysfunction, and T. wilfordii supplementation were high-risk factors for late diarrhea. Prompt adjustment of immunosuppression was an effective, feasible therapy for these patients., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background and Purpose: We aimed to estimate the lifetime cost of Parkinson's disease (PD) from the societal perspective., Methods: A convenience sample of English or Chinese-speaking patients with PD was recruited from a PD and Movement Disorders Centre in Singapore to complete a financial burden questionnaire. Sociodemographic and clinical data were retrieved from hospital databases. Markov cohort model analysis was performed (cycle length, 1-year; duration, death or reached 100 years old). Patients were assumed to progress from one Markov state to the next state or death without skipping states or regressing. All model parameters were based on published local data., Results: In 195 patients with PD (median age: 68.9, male: 51.8%), the simulated lifetime cost of PD was Singapore Dollar (SGD) 60,487 (EUR purchasing power parity 56,253) per patient. Direct medical, non-medical and indirect cost accounted for 18.8%, 12.8% and 68.4% of total lifetime cost, respectively. The top three components of total lifetime cost were productivity losses (67.6%), pharmacotherapy (11.4%) and home care (8.7%). One-way sensitivity analysis and probabilistic sensitivity analyses revealed that estimates were sensitive to cost at H&Y stage 1, 2 and 2.5 and productivity losses., Conclusions: The lifetime cost of PD is evaluated for the first time. This cost is substantial and comparable to the lifetime cost of intracerebral haemorrhage in at least one study. Our study identified several priority areas for research and policy formulation: reducing productivity losses, reducing cost of pharmacotherapy, avoiding hospitalization and reducing home care cost., (© 2012 The Author(s) European Journal of Neurology © 2012 EFNS.)

Background: Magnifying endoscopy with narrow-band imaging (ME-NBI) can more clearly assess the surface pattern and microvascular architecture of gastric lesions., Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of ME-NBI in patients with early gastric cancer., Design: Prospective study., Setting: Single academic center., Patients: This study involved 164 suspected gastric lesions in 146 consecutive patients who underwent ME-NBI for additional differential diagnosis before treatment., Intervention: ME-NBI findings were classified into 3 groups based on irregularities, absence of surface pattern, and microvascular architecture. All lesions were treated endoscopically or surgically, and ME-NBI diagnosis was compared with histopathological findings., Main Outcome Measurements: Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy of real-time ME-NBI diagnosis were determined., Results: The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of ME-NBI were 97.3%, 84.4%, and 90.2%, respectively, in distinguishing between cancerous and noncancerous lesions and were 92.3%, 89.7%, and 90.4%, respectively, in distinguishing undifferentiated from differentiated adenocarcinoma. ME-NBI accurately predicted depth of invasion in 37 of 39 differentiated adenocarcinomas (95%)., Limitations: The sample size was relatively small., Conclusions: ME-NBI can successfully distinguish between cancerous and noncancerous lesions and between undifferentiated and differentiated adenocarcinomas. Of the 3 patterns on ME-NBI, type A is mainly characteristic of noncancerous lesions, type B is a good indicator of differentiated adenocarcinoma and intramucosal/superficially invasive cancers, and type C is indicative of undifferentiated adenocarcinoma or differentiated cancer with deep submucosal invasion., (Copyright © 2012 American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Graves' disease (GD) is an organ-specific autoimmune thyroid disease; 25-50% of GD patients will develop Graves' ophthalmopathy (GO). The etiology of GD and GO may be multifactorial, but the immune response plays a central role. Many studies have reported that IL-21 has crucial roles in autoimmune diseases. We examined whether IL-21 is associated with the development of GD and GO. The serum concentration of IL-21 was tested in 40 primary GD patients, 42 treated GO patients and 24 healthy controls. Our data show that the serum level of IL-21 is associated with the development of GD. We also made an association study with the IL-21 gene polymorphisms rs4833837, rs907715 and rs13143866 in a comparison of 633 patients and 612 healthy controls from the Chinese population. This case-control association study demonstrated that rs907715 SNP is significantly associated with GD, while the rs13143866 A allele is significantly associated with GO. The haplotypes A-G-G and A-A-A were found at higher and lower frequencies, respectively, in GD patients, suggesting a protective role for A-A-A. However, there were no significant differences in the frequencies of these haplotypes between the GO patients and the control group. We found no association between IL-21 gene polymorphisms and the age of GD onset. We conclude that IL-21 is associated with GD and GO.

Background: This study was carried out to evaluate the economic burden of Parkinson's disease (PD) and factors independently associated with individual components of total cost in Singapore., Methods: A consecutive sample of 195 patients with PD (mean age: 68.2, men: 51.8%) attending a tertiary neuroscience clinic were identified and interviewed using standardized questionnaires including a financial burden questionnaire, two Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) questionnaires and the Beck Depression Inventory questionnaire., Results: Annual total cost of PD from a societal perspective was SGD11345 (USD10129) per patient, with direct cost accounted for 38.5% and indirect cost 61.5%. The main cost components for direct medical cost, direct non-medical cost, and indirect cost was pharmacotherapy (50.4%), home care (76.1%), and productivity loss (97.9%), respectively. In multiple linear regression analysis, higher education, younger age and longer duration of PD were associated with higher total cost., Conclusions: Parkinson's disease exerts a considerable burden on patients, health care system and society in Singapore. As productivity loss accounts for a large share of the economic burden imposed by PD, treatments and health care programmes with potential for returning patients to higher productivity are urgently needed., (© 2010 The Author(s). European Journal of Neurology © 2010 EFNS.)

This study was carried out to evaluate the association between selegiline use and Parkinson's disease (PD) progression in a clinical sample by evaluating modified Hoehn and Yahr Stage (H&Y) stage transition times. Data were obtained from the movement disorder database of the National Neuroscience Institute in Singapore. Cox regression analysis was used to examine the association between baseline variables and H&Y stage transition times. In multi-variate Cox regression analysis, patients who were of younger age, shorter PD duration, lower Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) motor scores, on selegiline treatment (≥ 3 years) and not on COMT inhibitors were associated with longer transition times from stage 2-2.5. Patients who were treated with selegiline (≥ 3 years) and not on COMT inhibitors experienced longer transition times from stage 2.5-3. In conclusion, selegiline use for 3 years or more in early PD was associated with a slower progression of PD as evaluated by H&Y transition times., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Chemoresistance is a major cause of treatment failure and poor outcome in neuroblastoma. In this study, we investigated the expression and function of dual-specificity phosphatase 26 (DUSP26), also known as mitogen-activated protein kinase phophatase-8, in human neuroblastoma. We found that DUSP26 was expressed in a majority of neuroblastoma cell lines and tissue specimens. Importantly, we found that DUSP26 promotes the resistance of human neuroblastoma to doxorubicin-induced apoptosis by acting as a p53 phosphatase to downregulate p53 tumor suppressor function in neuroblastoma cells. Inhibiting DUSP26 expression in the IMR-32 neuroblastoma cell line enhanced doxorubicin-induced p53 phosphorylation at Ser20 and Ser37, p21, Puma, Bax expression as well as apoptosis. In contrast, DUSP26 overexpression in the SK-N-SH cell line inhibited doxorubicin-induced p53 phosphorylation at Ser20 and Ser37, p21, Puma, Bax expression and apoptosis. Using in vitro and in vivo assays, we found that DUSP26 binds to p53 and dephosphorylates p53 at Ser20 and Ser37. In this report, we show that DUSP26 functions as a p53 phosphatase, which suppresses downstream p53 activity in response to genotoxic stress. This suggests that inhibition of this phosphatase may increase neuroblastoma chemosensitivity and DUSP26 is a novel therapeutic target for this aggressive pediatric malignancy.

In this paper, we describe sex-related health risks among hostesses in two metropolises in China based on data obtained from in-depth interviews. The data show that hostesses, many engaging in commercial sex, are vulnerable to HIV infection, unwanted pregnancies and reproductive tract infections. Nevertheless, many obstacles still are present that hinder them from engaging in safe sex. The findings from our study illustrate the need for targeted interventions in order to improve reproductive health and promote safe sex among this group.

Background and Purpose: This cross-sectional study was carried out to identify factors predicting health-related quality of life (HRQoL) amongst Asian patients with Parkinson's disease (PD)., Methods: A total of 183 PD patients (mean age: 61 years, male: 68.9%) attending a tertiary neuroscience clinic in Singapore completed the English or Chinese version of the 8-item Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-8). Patients' socio-demographic characteristics and their clinical variables were analysed to identify factors influencing the PDQ-8 Summary Index and responses to its eight dimensions., Results: In the multiple linear regression model, the use of Chinese survey, higher motor score and longer duration of PD were associated with poorer overall HRQoL. The multiple logistic regression analyses showed that female patients and patients with higher Hoehn and Yahr stage were more probably to report worse emotional well-being; patients who completed Chinese survey reported more problems with mobility, cognition and stigma; patients with higher motor scores were more probably to report problems with activities of daily living; patients with longer duration of PD were more probably to report problems with mobility, social support, communication and stigma., Conclusion: Both socio-demographic factors and disease-specific variables influence HRQoL in PD patients; the effects of culture-related factors on HRQoL should not be overlooked when assessing HRQoL in multi-cultural settings.

The ectopic ACTH syndrome (EAS) caused by thymic carcinoid is rare and its diagnosis remains a challenge to the endocrinologist. Here are six cases of EAS with a typical Cushing habitus accompanied by hyperpigmentation and hypokalemia. For all six patients, the high dose (8 mg) dexamethasone suppression test (HDDST) showed lack of suppression, computed tomography (CT) scanning documented anterior mediastinal masses, and the mediastenal tumors removed were confirmed as ACTH secreting thymic carcinoids by positive ACTH and NSE staining. Our data indicate that HDDST chest radiologic imaging and other laboratory examinations will greatly assist in diagnosing the thymic carcinoid-induced EAS at an earlier stage, which will significantly improve the long-term survival of the patient.

Objective: To analyze the relation of the design parameters and appraise the heat removing characteristic of liquid cooling garment (LCG) using thermal manikin., Method: To appraise the design of LCG, the thermal manikin wearing LCG and heat insulation garment was put in the temperature cabin, then the inlet and outlet temperature of cooling liquid in the LCG were measured and the heat removed was calculated., Result: The relationship between the design parameters and heat removed, and also that between the design parameters and temperature ratio efficiency were found. And the heat removed was calculated. It provided a reasonable basis for appraisal of LCG., Conclusion: The design of the LCG for the EVA space suit was found to be reasonable. The flow rate regulation range was too narrow, and the change of heat removing capacity depended on the change of inlet temperature.

Several seven-transmembrane chemokine receptors are known to function as entry coreceptors for human immunodeficiency virus type 1. CCR5 and CXCR4 are the major coreceptors for non-syncytium-inducing (NSI) and syncytium-inducing (SI) viruses, respectively. During the natural course of infection, the emergence of variants with a phenotypic transition from NSI to SI and rapid disease progression is associated with expanded coreceptor usage to CXCR4. Characteristic amino acids at several positions in the hypervariable region 3 (V3) of gp120 have been linked to CXCR4 utilization. Previously, we reported that a highly conserved arginine residue of V3 played an important role in CCR5 utilization. In this study, the possible involvement of the same arginine residue in CXCR4 utilization was investigated. Amino acid substitutions introduced to this arginine on R5X4 viruses were found to have a significant effect on their utilization of CXCR4. These results, taken together with those reported previously, suggest that this highly conserved arginine may contribute to the functional convergence of chemokine coreceptor utilization by human immunodeficiency viruses and may represent a unique target for future antiviral design.

Objective: To study factors related to recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) paralysis, a major complication of thyroidectomy., Method: Retrospective study of outcome of patient's medical records in Xijing Hospital and Tumor Hospital of Liaoning Province. Records of 1,563 patients who underwent thyroidectomy by departments of general surgery, ENT and head & neck surgery at these two hospitals were reviewed for RLN paralysis., Main Outcome Measures: RLN injury was analyzed in relation to types of surgery, RLN identification, and histopathology., Result: The incidence of RLN paralysis was 7.8%, and significantly related to the histopathologic findings of malignancy (P < 0.01). The positive identification and prevention of RLN would not be in either permanent RLN paralysis or temporary RLN paralysis, and the types of surgery were not found to be significant factors in both paralysis., Conclusion: RLNs should be identified to avoid iatrogenic injury and subsequent paralysis, and meticulous surgical technique should be applied in patients whose results of biopsy suggested malignancy.

We studied a Chinese family and revealed 5.4% and 3.2% fetal hemoglobin (HbF) with advantageously Agamma type in the mother and the daughter, respectively, using alkali denaturation assay and urea-Triton-acrylamide gel electrophoresis and high-performance liquid chromatography. The father's HbF was less than 0.5%. Large deletion was not observed within the beta-globin gene cluster by restriction endonuclease mapping. Characterization by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and DNA sequencing demonstrated the mother is a homozygote with a novel four base-pair "AAGC" (-226 to -223) deletion within the Agamma-globin gene promoter and the daughter is a heterozygote with this deletion. The deletion was not detected in the father. No any mutations were identified in the Ggamma promoter of all the subjects studied. We propose that the small deletion is associated with the slight increase of Agamma gene expression in adult., (Copyright 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)

It has been demonstrated that administration of an interleukin-1 receptor antagonist protein (IL-1ra) reduces ischemic brain injury; however, the detrimental mechanism initiated by interleukin-1 (IL-1) in ischemic brain injury is unclear. In this study, we used mice that were transfected to overexpress human IL-1ra to elucidate the role of IL-1 in the activation of the inflammatory response after middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). Myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity and immunohistostaining were used as a marker of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNL) infiltration. Adenoviral vector (1 x 10(9) particles) was administered by injection into the right lateral ventricle in mice. Five days later, MCAO was performed on the mice using a suture technique. Permanent MCAO was achieved for 24 hours in the Ad.RSVIL-1ra-transfected. Ad.RSVlacZ-transfected, and saline (control) mice. Myeloperoxidase activity was quantified in each region and localization of MPO was determined by immunohistochemistry. After 2 hours of MCAO, the surface cerebral blood flow was reduced to 13.5% +/- 3.4%, 10.75% +/- 2.6%, and 10.9% +/- 2.6% of baseline in the ischemic hemisphere in Ad.RSVIL-1ra-transfected, Ad.RSVlacZ-transfected, and saline-treated mice, respectively. The MPO activity in the ischemic hemisphere in the Ad.RSVlacZ group was similar to that in the saline control group (cortex: 0.40 +/- 0.22 versus 0.33 +/- 0.11; basal ganglia: 0.46 +/- 0.23 versus 0.49 +/- 0.17; P > 0.05); however, it was significantly reduced in the Ad.RSVIL-1ra group (cortex: 0.18 +/- 0.07; basal ganglia: 0.26 +/- 0.15; P < 0.05). Myeloperoxidase immunohistochemistry showed that the massive accumulation of MPO-positive cells in the ischemic cortex, striatum, and corpus callosum regions was greatly attenuated in Ad.RSVIL-1ra-transfected mice. Our results indicate that Ad.RSVIL-1ra-transfected mice provide a useful tool to study the mechanism of action of IL-1. The MPO activity assay and immunostaining after 24 hours of focal ischemia were significantly reduced in IL-1ra gene-transfected mice, suggesting that IL-1 may play an important role in the activation of inflammatory cells during focal cerebral ischemia.

The drought of progress in clinical brain tumor therapy provides an impetus for developing new treatments as well as methods for testing therapeutics in animal models. The inability of traditional assays to simultaneously measure tumor size, location, growth kinetics, and cell kill achieved by a treatment complicates the interpretation of therapy experiments in animal models. To address these issues, tumor volume measurements obtained from serial magnetic resonance images were used to noninvasively estimate cell kill values in individual rats with intracerebral 9L tumors after treatment with 0.5, 1, or 2 x LD10 doses of 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea. The calculated cell kill values were consistently lower than those reported using traditional assays. A dose-dependent increase in 9L tumor doubling time after treatment was observed that significantly contributed to the time required for surviving cells to repopulate the tumor mass. This study reveals that increases in animal survival are not exclusively attributable to the fraction of tumor cells killed but rather are a function of the cell kill and repopulation kinetics, both of which vary with treatment dose.

The effects of acute ethanol intoxication were investigated in a rat model of unilateral middle cerebral artery occlusion. Groups of 5 to 8 male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to 4 hr of left middle cerebral artery occlusion. All groups were deprived of food overnight and were pretreated intraperitoneally with 5% dextrose solution (10 ml/kg), 20% ethyl alcohol in 5% dextrose solution (2 g/kg), or 30% ethyl alcohol in a 5% dextrose solution (3 g/kg) 1 hr before middle cerebral artery occlusion. Regional cerebral blood flow during ipsilateral occlusion was approximately 9.1 to 10% of baseline in all groups. The mean % brain water content in control, 2 g/kg ethanol-treated groups, and 3 g/kg ethanol-treated groups were: in the ischemic core--81.6, 81.2, and 82.4; intermediate zone--80.5, 80.6, and 81.7; and outer zone--79.7, 79.7, and 80.8, respectively. Brain Na+ and K+ content in the three groups was related to water content, but much greater with ethanol pretreatment. The water content of the intermediate zones in the 3 g/kg ethanol-treated animals was significantly greater than in the control (p < 0.01 and 0.001) and the 2 g/kg ethanol-treated groups. One-way analysis of variance indicated a significant dose-effect relationship in which the lower dose of ethanol tended to reduce ischemic core water content, and the larger dose increased ischemic core water, compared with the control. None of the overnight fasted groups had any significant hyperglycemia. The group given 3 g/kg i.p. ethanol 1 hr before had exacerbated edema formation with a mean whole blood level of ethanol of approximately 230 mg/dl. The neurotoxic effects of high concentrations of ethanol were unrelated to any change in plasma glucose concentrations.

Increase in intracellular adenosine 3', 5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) is a common pathway for many clinically used drugs to cause pulmonary artery (PA) relaxation. Activity of sarcolemmal K+ and Cl(-)-channels is an important determinant of membrane potential (Em), which, in turn, plays a critical role in regulating pulmonary vascular tone. Whether K+ and Cl- channels were involved in cAMP-induced PA relaxation was tested using isolated rat PA rings. Raising extracellular K+ concentration from 20 to 142.7 mM increased the K(+)-evoked contraction, but significantly decreased the relaxation induced by the adenylate cyclase activator, forskolin (FSK, 2.5 microM), suggesting that FSK-induced PA relaxation depended on transmembrane K+ gradient. Indeed, the FSK-induced relaxation was inhibited by 4-aminopyridine (4-AP, 10 mM), a voltage-gated K+ (Kv) channel blocker. Neither the Ca(2+)-activated K+ channel blocker, charybdotoxin, nor the ATP-sensitive K+ channel blocker, glibenclamide, had this effect. Furthermore, reducing extracellular Cl- concentration from 142.7 to 50 mM significantly decreased the FSK-induced relaxation in PA rings precontracted with 142.7 mM K+ (Ek approximately 0 mV), but negligibly affected the evoked contraction. This indicates that transmembrane Cl- gradient also regulates FSK-induced PA relaxation. Indeed, the Cl- channel blocker, 5-nitro-2-(3-phenylpropylamino)benzoic acid (NPPB, 10 microM), significantly inhibited the FSK-induced relaxation in PA rings preconstricted by 142.7 mM K+. In summary, the data suggest that the cAMP-induced PA relaxation is attributable, at least partly, to both activation of the 4-AP-sensitive Kv channels and stimulation of the NPPB-sensitive Cl- channels.

In situ hybridization of a biotin-labeled specific dopamine1A (D1A) receptor gene oligonucleotide probe combined with computer-assisted image analyzer was used to directly visualize D1A receptor mRNA and quantify the relative mRNA levels in sections of rat aorta and pulmonary and caudal arteries. Positive D1A receptor mRNA signals were found in rat aorta and pulmonary arteries, while no specific signals could be detected in the caudal artery. D1A receptor mRNA was located mainly within the medial layer of aorta, with intimal distribution in the pulmonary artery. The density of D1A receptor mRNA in different vascular beds demonstrated heterogeneity. D1A receptor mRNA levels in the aorta were much higher than those in the pulmonary artery (p < 0.01). These results demonstrate the existence of D1A receptor mRNA in both aorta and pulmonary beds, although with different distribution and density. The results further support the heterogeneity of the D1A receptor in different vascular beds.

Focal cerebral ischemia was induced in a rat model of middle cerebral artery occlusion. Three groups of adult male Sprague-Dawley rats, given food and water ad libitum, were subjected to 4 hr of middle cerebral artery occlusion. All were given vehicle control and ethanol pretreatments intraperitoneally 1 hr before. Mean ipsilateral brain water content in the control, 2 g/kg ethanol, and 2 g/kg ethanol + insulin-treated groups showed: ischemia core: 81.1%, 82.5%, and 80.9%; intermediate zone: 81.0%, and 80.3%; and outer zone: 80.3%, 81.3%, and 80.1%, respectively. Brain Na+ and K4 content in these groups paralleled the water content. In addition to significantly (p < 0.05) more brain edema, the 2 g/kg ethanol-treated animal group also had significant hyperglycemia. In contrast, the 2 g/kg ethanol + insulin-treated animals were normoglycemic and had ischemic, intermediate, and outer zone Na+, K+, and Cl- levels comparable with the control group (p > 0.05). These results stress the importance of measuring and controlling plasma glucose levels in the in vivo studies of the neurotoxic effects of acute ethanol.

Background: Accelerated coronary arteriosclerosis is a major complication in long-term survivors of cardiac transplantation. Estrogen prevents transplant arteriosclerosis in experimental cardiac and aortic allografts and may act by an immune mechanism., Methods and Results: New Zealand White rabbits immunosuppressed with cyclosporine were recipients of cardiac allografts from Dutch Belted rabbits. The recipients received either estradiol or placebo daily until they were killed 6 weeks later. Histological cross sections of the cardiac allograft were used for quantification of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II antigen expression, T lymphocytes, and macrophages by immunohistochemistry using monoclonal antibodies. MHC class II antigen expression was not detectable in allograft coronary arteries from any of the estradiol-treated recipients, whereas this antigen expression was present in the allograft coronary arteries from all the placebo-treated recipients. Macrophage and lymphocyte infiltration of the allograft coronary artery myointima was significantly less frequent in the estradiol-treated group. Rejection was moderate but slightly less in the estradiol-treated group. These findings were associated with a 60% decrease in allograft coronary artery myointimal thickening (determined by morphometry) in the estradiol-treated compared with the placebo-treated group., Conclusions: Estradiol treatment of cardiac allograft recipients abolishes MHC class II antigen expression in the coronary arteries and decreases macrophage infiltration in all three layers of the vessel wall, whereas T-lymphocyte infiltration is decreased only in the myointima. These findings are associated with estradiol inhibition of myointimal proliferation. Thus, estradiol treatment may have a beneficial effect on graft arteriosclerosis through immune mechanisms.

We studied magnetic field intensity in the magnetic resonance imaging suite at our hospital and its possible effect on several different types of aneurysm clips, including one Heifetz 17-7 PH, six Heifetz Elgiloy, one Mayfield, six Perneczky, fifteen Sugita, one Sundt-Kees Variangle, four Variangle-McFadden and fifteen Yasargil clips. We carefully observed the clips for any translational or rotational movements along the path from the door towards the magnetic resonance imaging gantry. The magnetic field strength was 0.04 kiloGauss at the entrance of the room, with an acute increase of magnetic strength at 310 cm away from the entrance to the room, 90 cm to the entrance of the gantry. The magnetic strength continued to increase at a rate of 1.0-1.5 kiloGauss for every 20 cm up to the entrance to the gantry. No movement was observed in any of the clips at the entrance to the suite except for the Heifetz 17-7 PH clip, which showed small movement in the longitudinal plane of the clip. At the entrance to the gantry, the Heifetz 17-7 PH, Sundt-Kees Variangle, and Mayfield clips were aligned on the walls of the test container perpendicular to the magnetic bore. The, Heifetz Elgiloy, Perneczky, Sugita, Variangle-McFadden, and Yasargil clips showed no movement throughout the path of the stretcher or near the gantry.

Endogenous prostacyclin (PGI2; epoprostenol) is a potent endothelium-derived pulmonary vasodilator. However, the effects of exogenous PGI2 on isolated arteries could be either relaxant or contractile, depending on the species and organ studied. The present study investigated the distal pathways involved in the PGI2-induced contraction in rat intrapulmonary artery (PA) and relaxation in lamb PA. When vessels were precontracted with 30 mM K+, PGI2 (1 microM) induced relaxation in lamb PA but caused contraction in rat PA. Use of 30 mM K+, phenylephrine, serotonin, angiotensin II, or hypoxia to precontract the vessels did not alter the contractile effect of PGI2 in rat PA. Nevertheless, PGI2 produced a mild relaxation in rat PA precontracted by U-46619, a thromboxane A2 (TxA2)-receptor agonist, whereas the TxA2-receptor blocker SQ-29548 (0.1-0.5 microM) abolished the contractile response in rat PA. These data suggest that PGI2-induced contraction is mediated by activation of TxA2 receptors. The PGI2-induced modest relaxation in rat PA, which was only observed when TxA2 receptors were blocked by SQ-29548, suggests that the PGI2-mediated vasorelaxant pathway is diminished in these vessels. Simultaneous application of forskolin, an adenylate cyclase activator, and rolipram, a phosphodiesterase inhibitor, caused similar relaxation in both rat and lamb PA. This suggests that the adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate-dependent relaxing pathway is intact in rat PA and is comparable to that in lamb PA. On the basis of these data, we conclude that the pathways responsible for the paradoxical effects of PGI2 on rat and lamb PA are located upstream of the adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate-dependent relaxing pathway and that a paucity of PGI2 receptors in rat PA may be responsible.

Saloma [Opt. Lett. 20, 1943 (1995)] proposed the concept of mirrors with point-spread functions that exhibit wavelet-related characteristics. We propose novel filters with wavelet point-spread functions. The mirrors are suggested to reform not only the phases of optical waves, but also the filters for amplitude. The transmittance functions of the filters, which are real and positive under some conditions, are given. Optical wavelet transforms can easily be made with these filters, and computer simulations for edge and corner extractions are given.

1038 cases of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) were treated by injection of Chuan Shen Tong (CST), a Chinese herbal medicine, into the prostate gland. At the end of treatment the effective rate was 96%. After the treatment the BPH with urodynamic measurement was studied and it was found that the peak flow rate and mean flow rate increased 18% and 41.8% respectively. Transabdominal and transrectal ultrasonographies were used to measure the shrinkage of prostate's size after the injection treatment to be 0.51 and 0.4 cm (mean diameter) respectively. Animal model of BPH was established by the testosterone propionate. The prostatic weight and prostatic index was measured in mice after the injection of CST, it significantly decreased compared with that of the control (P < 0.01). The pathological findings: The hyperplastic papillae disappeared and the body of prostate markedly shrank in size. Experiment dogs has been carried out for the prostate quantitative analysis. The result revealed that the prostate parenchyma and intercellular substance shrank to 26.8% and 4.5% respectively.

We have identified and molecularly characterized a novel deletion in the beta-globin gene cluster that is associated with elevated fetal hemoglobin in the adult. The propositus is a homozygote from the Yunnan province of China. The deletion spans about 90 kb of DNA and removes the A gamma, delta, and beta-globin genes. The 5' breakpoint of the deletion is located about 0.13 kb upstream from the A gamma-globin gene, whereas the 3' breakpoint is located about 66 kb downstream from the beta-globin gene, about 13 kb upstream from the breakpoint of the Chinese (A gamma delta beta)zero-thalassemia. Heterozygotes for this Yunnanese form of (A gamma delta beta)zero-thalassemia express between 9% and 17% of fetal hemoglobin, whereas the homozygote present with a mild anemia (Hb = 10.7 g/dl). Comparison of the sites of 3' breakpoints of the Yunnanese and the Chinese (A gamma delta beta)zero-thalassemia mutants is compatible with the hypothesis that an enhancer element is located between the 3' breakpoints of these two mutants. Juxta-position to the G gamma gene of this element may be responsible for the efficient gamma-gene expression in the Yunnanese mutant.

In order to reduce the misdiagnostic rate of obliterative pulmonary hypertension (OPH), the clinical data was analysed of 126 cases of OPH, including 83 cases of unexplained pulmonary hypertension (UPH) and 43 cases of thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (TEPH). The results showed that the misdiagnostic rate of UPH and TEPH was 93.98% and 79.07% respectively, with a total misdiagnostic rate of 88.89%. UPH was frequently misdiagnosed as congenital heart disease (63.86%), valvular heart disease (13.5%) and coronary heart disease (9.64%). TEPH was usually misdiagnosed as cardiomyopathy (37.21%), coronary heart disease (18.61%), and valvular heart disease (18.61%). The possible causes of misdiagnosis were discussed.

The inhabitants with positive eggs of whipworm and ascaris in a village of Jiangdou County were examined and treated with different antihelmintic drugs twice a year. The uncured population were treated by drug administration once again. On an average the efficiency of drug treatment (cure rate x treatment rate) was 56.7% in whipworm and 64.5% in ascaris. The program had been carried out for five years. The positive rate of eggs of whipworm and ascaris in the population decreased from 64.7% and 52.1% to 2.7% and 4.1%, respectively, the mean increase in infection rates among population at 5 or 7 months after treatment was 2.68 (0.86-5.74)% and 6.94(1.72-17.27)%, respectively.

Idiopathic dilatation of the pulmonary artery (IDPA) is a disease which, generally speaking, does not need treatment. But a correct differential diagnosis is of great importance. 21 cases of IDPA were reported. The clinical data showed that 66.67% of the patients were asymptomatic and all the patients had normal respiratory and cardiovascular functions. 10% of the cases had had a history of more than 20 years. The results showed that IDPA was a benign anomaly and most of its symptoms were iatrogenic. It was usually misdiagnosed as pulmonary stenosis (42.86%), atrial septal defect (38.10%), pulmonary hypertension (28.57%), and so on. Careful chest X-ray, ECG and UCG examinations are useful for the differential diagnosis, but a clinical diagnosis should be based on the normal result of right heart catheterization.

Several avian and mammalian c-type lysozymes were chromatographed on chelated (to iminodiacetate) and immobilized transition metal ions (Co2+, Ni2+, Cu2+ and Zn2+) under a variety of experimental conditions. The varied affinity of evolutionary variants of the lysozyme family for chelated metal ions, IDA-M(II), can be rationalized primarily in terms of the presence, multiplicity and microenvironments of histidine residues. The chromatographic resolution of some of these closely related proteins attests to the analytical power of immobilized metal-ion affinity chromatography.

32 cases of obliterative pulmonary vascular disease were studied by comparing, the results of pulmonary impedance plethysmogram (PIP) and hemodynamic parameters obtained by catheterization. It is shown that the main PIP feature of obliterative pulmonary vascular disease is a delayed peak of delta Zmax, and QZM is correlated with pulmonary artery pressure. Two sets of regression equations were established with parameters of PIP for the estimation of pulmonary artery pressure in obliterative pulmonary vascular disease.

A method for the quantitative determination of three main bile acids, cholic acid (CA), ursodesoxycholic acid (UDCA) and chenodesoxycholic acid (CDCA), in bear gall, drainage from bear gall and bear gallstone is described. Experimental conditions: TLC Scanner CS-910, fluorescence scanning, lambda ex 470 nm and lambda em 550 nm for CA; lambda ex 380 nm and lambda em 450 nm for UDCA and CDCA. The results showed that the contents of UDCA and CDCA in bear gall drainage were higher than those in bear gall. The method is simple, rapid and sensitive. The reproducibility is good. The average recovery is 98.4%, CV is 1.4%.

Concanavalin A was coupled to Sepharose 6B after activation by cyanogen bromide, divinyl sulfone, or glutaraldehyde and its adsorption behavior toward human serum proteins was investigated. The capacity and selectivity of the lectin were influenced markedly by the method used for its immobilization. When coupled to agarose via CNBr, the resulting absorbent showed the highest capacity and the lowest selectivity relative to the other two derivatives. When coupled to agarose via divinyl sulfone, the lectin exhibited high selectivity but its adsorption capacity was significantly reduced. Coupling to agarose via glutaraldehyde gave an absorbent that behaved, in some respects, differently from the other two. The variability in the adsorption behavior of the immobilized concanavalin A is attributed in part to variations in the degree of multipoint attachment of the lectin or its subunits to the agarose matrix. The selectivity increases also with increasing sample load, irrespective of the coupling method used, apparently due to protein-protein displacement.