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Objective: To explore the effect of latent asymptomatic Toxoplasma gondii infection on glucose metabolism in brain of mice., Methods: Twenty mice were randomly divided into two groups: a Toxoplasma infected group and normal control group. The mice in the Toxoplasma infected group were inoculated with 0.3 ml of brain suspension in saline containing ten Toxoplasma gondii tissue cysts, avirulent Toxoplasma gondii Prugniaud (PRU, a Type II strain). The mice in the control group received 0.3 ml of saline orally. Six monthes after the infection, the glucose metabolism changes in the mouse brain were evaluated by MicroPET, then all the mice were sacrificed and the brain tissues were observed histopathologically., Results: Compared with the normal controls, the infected mice demonstrated profound and widespread brain pathology, and MicroPET indicated a significant glucose metabolism reduction in the brain of asymptomatic Toxoplasma gondii infected mice., Conclusion: Chronic Toxoplasma gondii infection maybe results in the glucose metabolism reduction in the brain of mice.

Praziquantel (PZQ) is now widely used for the treatment of human schistosomiasis. However, in recent years, there has been a growing concern about the resistance of Schistosoma to PZQ. The mechanisms of PZQ action against Schistosoma and resistance of Schistosoma to PZQ are poorly understood. Here, we report differential susceptibilities to PZQ between male and female cercariae in the PZQ-susceptible and PZQ-resistant isolates of Schistosoma mansoni, using tail loss as a measurement of PZQ action. The miracidia were collected by hatching eggs collected from faeces of infected mice. Single-sex cercaria lines were made by infecting a single Biomphalaria glabrata snail with a single miracidium. The sex of each single-sex cercaria line was identified by a direct W1-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique. Single-sex cercariae of two isolates were exposed to four different concentrations of PZQ, respectively. The tail shedding of cercariae was observed under a dissecting microscope for five time points up to 100 min after adding PZQ. The results showed that male cercariae have higher tail-shedding rates than that of female cercariae when PZQ-susceptible isolates of S. mansoni are exposed to the same concentration of PZQ. But this phenomenon was not observed in the PZQ-resistant isolates. This sexual differential resistance phenomenon of S. mansoni suggests that resistance to PZQ is induced by decreasing the PZQ susceptibility of male worms. The experiment described here may also be useful for developing tests to detect PZQ resistance in the field.

An autostereoscopic 3D projector using several 2D projectors, a projection screen, and two parallax barriers is proposed. Parallax barrier 1 facing the 2D projectors collimates the images that have aberrations on the edge of the projection screen. Parallax barrier 2 facing viewers acts as the parallax barrier in ordinary autostereoscopic 3D displays. The operation principle of the system, the calculation equations for the parallax barriers, and the capture and correction of parallax images are described in detail. A 60-inch autostereoscopic 3D projector prototype having four 2D projectors was developed. The presentation of 3D static, animation, and video images is realized by the prototype. The prototype's stereoscopic images without aberrations and with a little cross talk are sharp. Especially, its 3D resolution is the same as its 2D resolution.

Previously it was found that 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde is a competitive inhibitor of GABA transaminase. Here 3-chloro-1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)propan-1-one (9), a 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde analogue, was found to inactivate potently the enzyme in a time-dependent manner. alpha-Ketoglutarate prevented the enzyme from inactivation, suggesting that the inactivation occurs in its active site. Several experiments indicated that the inactivation is irreversible. This study provides a novel strategy for the design of more effective inhibitors.

In the present review, English literature on the pharmacological effects of Gastrodia elata was summarized. The literature mainly reported the effects of G. elata on central nervous system, including anticonvulsant, neuroprotection, improvement on learning and memory, and so on. These pharmacological effects were closely associated with its phenolic components.

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), the major inhibitory neurotransmitter, is metabolized by the successive action of GABA transaminase (GABA-T) and succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase (SSADH). Inhibition of both enzymes in brain tissues increases the GABA level and may have therapeutic applications in neurological diseases. Erigeron breviscapus ethanol extract was evaluated for their effect on both enzymes. This extract, its ethyl acetate fraction and aqueous fraction, significantly inhibited them at >100 microg/ml. Flavonoid components of E. breviscapus potently and noncompetitively inhibited both enzymes, and the different structure-activity relations were observed with respect to inhibition of both enzymes. Baicalein was the most potent inhibitor for GABA-T with an IC50 value of 12.8+/-1.2 microM, and scutellarein exhibited the best inhibitory effect on SSADH with an IC50 value of 7.20+/-0.9 microM. The present results may imply new pharmacological actions of E. breviscapus and contribute partially to the beneficial effect of the herb and flavonoids on the central nervous system.

Objective: To investigate the expression of inhibitory kappa B alpha (IkappaBalpha) and it's regulatory effect on nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappaB) during viral gene transactivation triggered by respiratory tract viruses in steroid responsive simple nephrotic syndrome (SRSNS)., Methods: Children with SRSNS (including at active and remissive stage) were examined for this research project, and healthy children were chosen as controls. TaqMan reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR), Western blot, electro-mobility shift assays were performed to study the protein expression of IkappaBalpha gene and the activity of NF-kappaB in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Simultaneously, RT-PCR was used to detect the gene expression of respiratory tract viruses (including respiratory syncytial virus and influenza virus), and viral antibody was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)., Results: Comparing with that from SRSNS at remissive stage and healthy children, the activity of NF-kappaB from SRSNS at active stage was much higher statistically (P < 0.05). The positive correlation between NF-kappaB activation and the gene expression of respiratory tract viruses was observed (OR = 27, Kappa coefficient = 0.59, P <0. 05). In addition, levels of IkappaBalpha protein from children with SRSNS at active stage were much lower than those from healthy children and those from children with SRSNS at remissive stage (P < 0.05). There was a linear negative correlation between the activity of NF-kappaB and the protein level of IkappaBalpha (r = -0.884, P < 0.05). On the other hand, levels of IkappaBalpha mRNA from SRSNS at active stage were much higher than those from healthy children, but much lower than those from children with SRSNS at remissive stage (P < 0.05)., Conclusion: Abnormal expression of IkappaBalpha, which is attributed to regulate activity of NF-kappaB, occurs during viral gene transactivation triggered by respiratory tract viruses in SRSNS.

Previous study showed that 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde is a competitive inhibitor of GABA transaminase. As a result, 4-acryloylphenol was synthesized as a 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde analogue, and shown to inactivate potently the enzyme in a time-dependent manner. The inactivation was protected by alpha-ketoglutarate, indicating that it occurs at the active site of the enzyme. Beta-mercaptoethanol also prevented the enzyme from inactivation. The possible mechanism involving a Michael addition was proposed to rationalize the inactivation.

4-Hydroxybenzaldehyde (HBA) derivatives were examined as inhibitors for GABA transaminase (GABA-T) and succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase (SSADH). Investigation of structure-activity relation revealed that a carbonyl group or an amino group as well as a hydroxy group at the para position of the benzene ring are important for both enzymes' inhibition. HBA was shown to give competitive inhibition of GABA-T with respect to alpha-ketoglutarate and competitive inhibition of SSADH. 4-Hydroxybenzylamine (HBM) also showed the competitive inhibition on GABA-T with respect to GABA. In conclusion, the inhibitory effects of HBA and HBM on both enzymes could result from the similarity between both molecules and the two enzymes' substrates in structure, as well as the conjugative effect of the benzene ring. This suggested that the presence of the benzene ring may be accepted by the active site of both enzymes, HBA and HBM may be considered as lead compounds to design novel GABA-T inhibitors.

This study was to build a web-based short messaging service (SMS) system in operating room. We approached the efficiency of SMS for patient's families during the time series (pre-, intra-, and post-operation). In this study, 322 participants received 685 text messages. The findings show the usability of SMS that applied to the clinical care, especially for reducing family anxiety, improved their satisfaction. Therefore, it is suggested to exploit the effectiveness of personal medical care.

The purpose of this study was to develop a web-based short messaging service (SMS) system in the operating room (OR). At the same time, we integrated and analyzed the limits of SMS in the OR. A cross-sectional study with quantitative methods and convenience sampling was used to gather data in this study. In the SMS project, we approached the content of SMS with operation diagnosis, patient sources and time series (pre-, intra-, and post-operation). We also default the contents of SMS by patient individual conditions. In this study, 177 participants received 346 text messages and 139 participants answered satisfaction questionnaires (78.53 %). The findings show the usability of SMS as applied to clinical care, especially for reducing family anxiety, for real time information, physician-patient communication, medical care processes and patient safety. Therefore, it is suggested to exploit the effectiveness of a personal medical care information database under global goal in the future and to develop comprehensive management of the surgical patient relationship.

Objective: It is well known that vitamin A can improve mucosal immunity and anti-infection immunity. But the mechanisms thereof remain to be clarified. Previous studies on the role of vitamin A in immune regulation focused on lymphocytes, whereas little had been done about dendritic cells, which play very important roles in immune response. The objective of this study was to understand the effects of retinoic acid (RA), the metabolic product of vitamin A in vivo,on the differentiation, maturation and functions of dendritic cells from cord blood., Methods: Cord blood samples were collected from nine well-nourished full-term neonates. Mononuclear cells were isolated by Ficoll-Hypaque gradient centrifugation and cultured in the presence of 1000 u/ml GM-CSF, 500 u/ml IL-4 for 6 days, then TNF-alpha 20 ng/ml was added into the medium and cultured for another 3 days. The cells were incubated with or without 1 x 10(-6) MRA. Expression of surface molecules, CD1a, CD83, HLA-DR on DC was measured by flow cytometry. The ability of DC derived from the culture to induce proliferation of T cells in the mixed lymphocyte reaction (allo-MLR) was used for the evaluation of their function. IL-12, IFN-gamma, IL-4 and IL-10 were detected at mRNA levels by RT-PCR to understand the roles of DC treated with RA in regulation of Th1/Th2 balance., Results: On the sixth day of cell culture, the percentage of DC incubated with RA (57.28 +/- 9.22) was much lower than that without RA (79.57 +/- 11.85) (P < 0.001), but on the ninth day, there were no differences between the presence or absence of RA (76.18 +/- 10.27 vs. 73.72 +/- 15.58). When RA was added to the medium and the culture was continued for nine days, the percent of immature DC (CD1a + HLA-DR+) was much higher than that of the control (absence of RA) (58.93 +/- 4.70 vs. 45.80 +/- 7.88, t = 6.575, P < 0.001); whereas, mature DC (CD83 + HLA-DR+) percentage was markedly lower than that of the control (17.25 +/- 8.49 vs. 27.92 +/- 13.94, t = 4.435, P = 0.002). The T lymphocytes proliferation induced by the DC treated with RA was reduced from 16 857 +/- 3 643 to 11 924 +/- 2 576 cpm (t = 5.598, P < 0.001) in allo-MLR. Expression of mRNA for IL-12p35, IL-12p40, IFN-gamma in the cells that had been incubated with RA declined, but IL-10, IL-4 increased significantly., Conclusion: Vitamin A inhibited the differentiation and maturation of cord blood DC, reduced it's ability to stimulate allo-T lymphocytes proliferation, and down-regulated Th1 cytokines, up-regulated Th2 cytokines, consequently made immune response inclined to Th2.

Objective: The beta-D-endoglycosidase heparanase (Hpa) is HS-specific which leads to the degradation of heparan sulfate (HS). An increased permeability of the glomerular basement membrane (GBM) for proteinuria was suggested to relate to a decrease of HS side chains in the GBM. However, whether an up-regulated expression of Hpa exists in steroid responsive nephrotic syndrome (SRSNS) remains unknown. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the role of Hpa in the development of SRSNS and the correlation with the proteinuria., Methods: Forty-three children with SRSNS were selected and included the active stage group (n = 23), the restoration stage group (n = 10) and the remission stage group (n = 10). There were 23 nephritic nephrosis children, 15 purpura nephritis children and 15 healthy children as controls. By using the method of reverse transcriptase-PCR (RT-PCR), Hpa gene expression in the peripheral blood leukocytes (PBLs) was assayed., Results: (1) All patients with nephrotic syndrome exhibited higher levels of Hpa mRNA than those of the healthy group (P < 0.05). The highest expression was in the active stage group of SRSNS (1.27 +/- 0.36, P < 0.001), while there was no difference between the patients of nephritic nephrosis group (0.62 +/- 0.15) and purpura nephritis group (0.55 +/- 0.17) (P > 0.05). (2) In contrast with the healthy group, there was a significant difference in the active stage group of SRSNS (P < 0.001). So was the restoration stage group (P < 0.05), but there was no difference to the remission stage group (P > 0.05). (3) There was a positive correlation between the expression level of Hpa mRNA and the quantity of urinary protein (r(s) = 0.751, P < 0.001)., Conclusion: Up-regulated expression of Hpa mRNA may be important to the loss of glomerular negative charge in GBM and lead to proteinuria in SRSNS.

This study examined the effect of conversation and assertive skills training on social skills of schizophrenic patients. Patients who met the study criteria were randomly assigned to the experimental or control group. The experimental group received eight group training sessions and the control group received routine nursing care treatment. Data were collected at pretreatment (before group treatment), intratreatment (after fourth group treatment), posttreatment (after eighth group treatment), and follow-up (1 month after the end of group treatment). Conversation and assertive skills of the experimental group improved significantly with treatment and were superior to the control group at intratreatment, posttreatment, and follow-up. We suggest incorporating social skills training into treatment plans for patients with schizophrenia to improve their social skills ability.

Objective: A prospective study was performed to analyze the visual outcome and factors related to the visual outcome in cataract patients with extreme myopia, in order to provide a principle for intraocular lens (IOL) diopter chosen., Methods: 43 cases were included in the present series (myopia over 10.00 D, axial length over 27.00 mm, with clear cornea and slight or moderate opacity of the lens). Distance and near visual acuity (NVA), best corrected visual acuity and the fundus were examined before and after the phacoemulsification and implantation of IOL. chi(2) test and stepwise regression analysis were used to identify the predictive factors., Results: (1) Distance visual acuity, NVA and best corrected visual acuity were markedly improved in most cases. (2) NVA and fundus pathologic changes were two important factors for predicting post-operative visual acuity. (3) The prognosis was better in cases with NVA better than 20/200, and in cases with axial length below 29.00 mm. (4) Some cases with postoperative NVA worse than 20/80 complained of difficulty in reading., Conclusions: NVA is an important factor influencing the outcome of vision and is an important parameter for predicting the outcome of vision in cataract patients with extreme myopia. IOL diopter should be determined carefully by preoperative NVA and the patients' demand for near work.