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Objective: To explore the clinical features and gene mutation of a Chinese family with Bethlem myopathy in three generations., Methods: The clinical data of proband and his family members was collected. Genomic DNA from the patient and his family members was extracted routinely from peripheral blood leukocytes. Polymerase chain reaction and DNA direct sequencing were employed to analyze COL6A1, A2 and A3 genes to determine the mutation. And the relationship between genotype and phenotype was analyzed. Furthermore, the patient's skin fibroblast was cultured and immunofluorescent staining was performed with anti-collagen VI antibody. And the expression pattern of type VI collagen in extracellular matrix between the control and the patient's fibroblast was compared., Results: In this family, 9 patients conformed to the clinical diagnosis of Bethlem myopathy. The features included motor development delay after late infantile period, generalized muscle weakness, walking unstability, distal hyper laxity, proximal joint contractures, skin changes (including hypertrophic scars) and normal intellectual development. Serum creatine kinase (CK) level became mildly elevated and electromyography showed myogenic injury. Disease progressed slowly but the lifespan was not affected. Mutation in exon 2 of COL6A1 gene with c.111-129 deletion was detected in 7 patients in this family. Immunofluorescent staining of type VI collagen in cultured skin fibroblast showed reduced expression of collagen VI in extracellular matrix in the patient compared with the control., Conclusions: Our study has defined the clinical features of Bethlem myopathy. According to molecular genetic analysis, 7 patients in this family have in-frame deletion mutations of COL6A1 and they conform to autosomal dominant inheritance. And genetic counseling and prenatal diagnosis are available. This is the first Chinese report of Bethlem myopathy family.

The nitrogen removal performance and the denitrification bacterial community structure of two pre-denitrification biological aeration filter (BAF) processes with different media combinations, the ceramic-zeolite BAF process (C-Z BAF) and the zeolite-ceramic BAF process (Z-C BAF), were compared at different C/N ratios. The results showed that the average TN removal efficiency of Z-C BAF was higher than that of C-Z BAF, and the advantage was more notable at low C/N ratio. When the C/N ratio decreased to 3.3, the average TN removal efficiency of Z-C BAF was 20% higher than that of C-Z BAF. Comparing the microbial community structure of the two combinations at different C/N ratios, it was found that the richness and diversity of denitrification bacterial community decreased significantly with the decrease of C/N ratio. At low C/N ratio, within the whole oxic filter of Z-C BAF, nosZ genetic T-RFs were detected with more than 20% relative abundance, whereas no nosZ genetic T-RFs were detected at the upper oxic filter of C-Z BAF by PCR amplification. The results indicated that the simultaneous nitrification and denitrification function of Z-C BAF was better than that of C-Z BAF. At low C/N ratio, the nitrogen removal efficiency of Z-C BAF was obviously higher than that of C-Z BAF. Thus, compared to C-Z BAF, Z-C BAF had greater potential on the treatment of wastewater with low organic concentration and low C/N ratio.

Objective: To study the status of physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviors and relevant knowledge to it among junior students., Methods: In a cross-sectional study, a self-administered questionnaire was used to assess the PA, sedentary behaviors and relevant knowledge on 4549 eligible urban junior students., Results: Among the 4549 junior students, only 7.50% engaged in ≥ 60 minutes of PA, per day. Those junior students spending 2 hours on weekdays, 3 hours on weekends in doing homework and those spending ≥ 30 min on weekdays, 2 hours on weekends in doing other sedentary activities, accounted for the highest proportion of the subjects respectively. The awareness rate of spending at least 60 minutes each day on PA to stay fit and healthy was 24.63%. Differences in gender and grade at school were significantly on 'understanding of health benefits regarding PA' (P < 0.05)., Conclusion: Urban junior students were lack of awareness and appropriate behavior on physical activities so the related intervention should be taken actively to improve the current situation among the adolescents at school.

A pretreament device was implemented for removing the interference of humidity on the baseline signal response of sensors in an electronic nose, which was used for rapid detection and real-time monitoring of volatile chlorinated hydrocarbons (VCHs) pollution in soil. The desiccant material was optimized, and the humidity removal performance and adsorpiton of VCHs was studied. The pretreatment device was evaluated by both the electronic nose and gas chromatography (GC) for its applicability in monitoring the PCE concentration in the desorption gas during the soil ventilation process. The following results were obtained: 1) A desiccant tube with anhydrous calcium chloride followed by a halogenated hydrocarbon separation tube was the best device, with a humidity removal rate of over 99%, and the baseline values of each sensor in the electronic nose were close to that of the control. 2) The desiccant device described above could continuously remove almost all the humidity from air with 75% humidity within 90 min, and the humidity removal rate remained above 95% within 120 min, while little interference was observed on the baseline of each sensor. 3) Little adsorption was observed by the pretreatment device, the relative error being only 3% - 5% between the concentration of VCHs before and after the filtration by the pretreatment device. 4) When applied for monitoring the remediation progress in a soil ventilation process, 99% of humidity was removed within 120 min from air with humidity of over 98%, and the data determined with the electronic nose and GC fitted each other very well, with R2 > 0.99. From the above, the pretreatment device connected with the electronic nose was considered to be applicable for monitoring the soil remediation process.

Adsorption is one of the principal mechanisms for soil contamination by volatile chlorinated hydrocarbons (VCHs). Dynamic adsorption experiments were carried out to study the equilibrium adsorption of four common VCHs pollutants onto eight typical soils in China. Results showed that dry soils had far greater adsorption capacity than humid soils. The soil adsorption capacity sharply decreased with the increase in the soil water content, and then reached a plateau as the water content rose to 10% or above. The adsorption isotherms of trichloroethylene (TCE), tetrachloroethylene (PCE) and 1,1,1-trichloroethane (MC) could be fitted with Henry's equation, while the adsorption isotherms of 1,1,2-trichloroethane (1,1,2-TCA) could be fitted with Freundlich model. The adsorption capacities of VCHs on humid soils were principally influenced by the content of soil organic carbon (SOC), but sometimes also impacted by the composition of SOC and the polarities of the VCHs molecules. Low polar molecules such as TCE and PCE showed adsorption capacities positively dependent on the SOC content. High polar molecules such as MC and 1,1,2-TCA displayed adsorption behavior not only influenced by SOC content but also by the SOC composition of high SOC content soils such as black soil. An adsorption equilibrium simulation model was developed for TCE and PCE on humid soils, the predicted values correlating well with the measured values (n = 80, R2 = 0.98).

Objective: To analyze the clinical manifestation, diagnosis and treatment of Schwartz-Jampel syndrome (SJS)., Method: The clinical data, including demographic, laboratory tests (creatase, creatine kinase, etc.) and electromyography of 4 children with SJS were analyzed., Result: All the 4 patients were male. The age of onset was from 0.5 to 1.25 years (average 0.83 years). The onset of 4 patients was insidious, the age to see doctor was from 2.17 to 10 years (average 5.92 years), body height was less than the third percentile rank in the children of same age and gender, they presented with facial expression stiffness, microstomia, difficult in opening mouth, blepharophimosis, limbs stiffness and, so formed a characteristic phenotype. Investigations showed the creatase in serum increased, creatine kinase (CK): 229 - 1039 U/L (normal value < 200 U/L), Creatine Kinase MB (CK-MB): 30 - 45 U/L (normal value < 25 U/L), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH): 455 - 716 U/L (normal value < 240 U/L). General myotonia potential was found in electromyography, osteoarticular deformities in medical imaging, and muscle biopsy in 2 patients showed type I muscle fibers differed in size and were disproportionate. All the patients took oral vitamin B, and received rehabilitation training, 1 patient took carbamazepine for 1 month, blepharophimosis and limbs stiffness was improved., Conclusion: SJS is a rare autosomal recessive inherited disease. Clinical manifestations of SJS are characteristic facies, skeletal abnormalities, generous myotonia and short stature. Carbamazepine is effective for treatment.

Objective: To explore an ideal urine drainage method and new urethral secretions of hypospadias repair., Methods: The authors retrospectively analyzed 864 cases of hypospadias undergoing hypospadias repair and different post-operative urine drainages. The patients were divided into 5 groups based on the methods of urine drainage., Results: The rates of such complications as cystospasm, infection of incisional wound and urinary fistula were as follows: modified method group: 2.86%, 3.33%, 1.90%; 3-tube method group: 10.77%, 11.54%, 8.46%; He's method group: 20.89%, 15.04%, 9.75%; traditional method group: 36.25%, 41.25%, 37.50%; 1-tube method group: 56.47%, 58.82%, 48.23%. The modified method was significantly better than all the other four methods (P < 0.05)., Conclusion: As an ideal drainage method of urine and new urethral secretions of hypospadias repair, the modified method boosts the success ratio of hypospadias repair.

An electronic nose principally composed of a photo ionization detector (PID) was developed for rapid detection of volatile chlorinated hydrocarbons (VCHs) in contaminated soil. Removal of interference gas such as benzene homologues with a pre-filtration tube was analyzed with gas chromatography (GC). A standard gas generator was applied to generate different concentrations of perchloroethylene (PCE) and trichloroethylene (TCE) gas, with which the determine precision and reproducibility of the electronic nose were evaluated by comparison with GC. Finally, simulated contamination soil with three typical paddy soils in Yangtze river delta region were used for ventilation purification experiments, the change of VCHs concentrations in the ventilation gas was monitored, based on which the applicability of the electronic nose was evaluated for on-line detection of the on-going of the ventilation purification process. Results showed that a halogenated hydrocarbon RAE-SEP tube was effective to remove interference gas, with 80%-97% of benzene homologues such as benzene and ethyl benzene being removed while more than 90% of VCHs passed through. With PCE or TCE gas, a linear dependence was derived between the data determined with the electronic nose and GC, the linear slope being 1.012 and R2 > 0.99. The electronic nose showed data consistent with GC (R2 > 0.99, n = 47) when applied for monitoring the remediation progress in a soil ventilation process. The electronic nose is therefore possibly applicable for rapid determination of soil pollution by VCHs, improving the efficiency of pollution diagnosis and remediation.

Objective: To assess the efficacy and safety of hyaluronate sodium (HS) for internal derangement of temporomandibular joint by means of systematic review on relevant randomized controlled trials., Methods: After identifing the study question of the efficacy and safety of HS for internal derangement of temporomandibular joint, Medline, Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, EMBASE, OPEN SIGLE and CBM were searched electronically till October 3rd 2010. Hand-searching covering 19 dental journals in Chinese were also performed. Risk of bias assessment, with Cochrane Collaboration's tool, and data extraction of included studies were conducted by two reviewers in duplicate. Meta analysis was done with Revman 5.0.23 and the quality of evidence was evaluated by GRADE., Results: 10 randomized controlled trials met the eligibility criteria and were included. All these studies had unclear risk of bias. When compared with negative control, HS showed a significant advantage on maximal mouth opening in short and long-term (P < 0.05), and clinical overall assessment in short-term (P < 0.05), but its effect on pain control and long-term effect on clinical overall assessment had no extra benefit (P > 0.05). Additionally, when compared with glucocorticoids, the participants who received HS injection would get a better clinical overall assessment in short-term and less adverse drug reactions (P < 0.05), but presented a similar temporomandibular joint pain relief and maximal mouth opening (P > 0.05)., Conclusion: To a certain extent, HS had good efficacy and better safety than controls when treating internal derangement of temporomandibular joint. However, as the quality of some included studies were limited, more randomized controlled trials are needed to reinforce the conclusion.

Objective: To assess the clinical efficacy and the safety for periarthritis of shoulder treated with deep puncture by elongated needle combined with spike-hooked needle and cupping., Methods: A multicentral randomized controlled study was adopted. One hundred and twenty cases were divided into an observation group and a control group, 60 cases in each one. In observation group, elongated needle, spike-hooked needle and cupping were used to stimulate Jianyu (LI 15), Naoshu (SI 10), Naohui (TE 13) and Jianqian (Extra). In control group, a conventional needling and cupping were applied to the same points as observation group. Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and Melle evaluation for the function activity of shoulder joint were adopted to assess and compare the efficacy on analgesia and the effect on shoulder joint range of motion before and after treatment in two groups., Results: In observation group, the cured and markedly effective rate of analgesia was 91.7% (55/60), which was obviously better than 20.4% (12/59) in control group (P < 0.001). Concerning to the improvements of the range of motion in shoulder joint, the cured and markedly effective rate in observation group was 91.7% (55/60), which was better than 18. 6% (11/59) in control group (P < 0.001). VAS score and Melle score after treatment were apparently improved as compared with those before treatment in two groups (all P < 0.001). The improvements in observation group were superior to those in control group (both P < 0.001). There was no adverse event reported during the treatment in two groups., Conclusion: The deep puncture by elongated needle combined with spike-hooked needle and cupping achieves a significant clinical efficacy on periarthritis of shoulder and has no adverse reaction reported.

Adsorption is one of the principal mechanisms of soil contamination by volatile chlorinated hydrocarbons (VCHs). Three typical paddy soils were collected from Yangtze Delta Region, onto which the equilibrium adsorption of six VCHs was studied under dry conditions using static equilibrium adsorption experiments. Results showed that the equilibrium adsorption isotherms of dry soils did not fit the Langmuir equation or BET equation, but could be well fitted the Dubinin-Astakhov equation (R2 > 0.95). Parameters of the Dubinin-Astakhov equation were influenced by the characteristics of soils and VCHs. The affinity coefficients (beta) were not significant influenced by the molecular volumes of VCHs but tended to increase along with the increase in the molecular polarities. The adsorption energies (E0) of the reference compound (tetrachloroethylene) positively correlated to the pore volume with radius below the average (V(< average pore radius)), while poorly related to the average pore radius of the soil. The maximum adsorption volumes of VCHs onto dry soils (W0) showed linear relationship to the pore volume with radius less than 10 nm (V(< 10nm)), while poorly correlated to the specific surface area of the soil. The Dubinin-Astakhov equation, a function of V < average pore radius), V(<10nm) and beta, could be used to predict the equilibrium adsorbed amounts of VCHs onto the dry soils. The predicted values strongly correlated with the measured values (R2 = 0.98).

Objective: To investigate whether there are different stromal compositions in the prostate tissue of patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and evaluate their significance in the course of the disease., Methods: Forty-three surgical or bioptic prostatic specimens of BPH and 5 autoptic normal prostatic specimens were stained by the Masson method to display the elements of the muscle fiber and collagen. The relationship of the changes in the prostatic stromal composition was analyzed with the degree of bladder outlet obstruction (BOO) , IPSS and medication results., Results: The mean ratio of muscle fiber to collagen in the normal prostate tissue was (3.2 +/- 0.2):1, significantly higher than that of the BPH patients (1: [4.7 +/- 3.1] ) (P < 0.01); that in the BPH patients with BOO was 1: (5.4 +/- 3.7) markedly lower than in those without BOO (1: [2.5 +/- 1.1] ) (P = 0.02); that in the BPH patients with severe prostatic symptoms was 1: (9.1 +/- 2.9), remarkably lower than in those with moderate (1: [5.3 +/- 3.4]) and mild prostatic symptoms (1: [2.8 +/- 1.7]) (P < 0.01); and that in the BPH patients with satisfactory medicinal therapeutic results was 1:(2.3 +/- 1.9), significantly higher than in those with poor therapeutic results (1: [7.6 +/- 4.3]) (P < 0.01)., Conclusion: The stromal composition in the prostatic tissue of BPH patients undergoes different degrees of changes. More obvious BPH symptoms and poorer therapeutic results are associated with a bigger proportion of collagens and a smaller proportion of muscle fibers in the prostatic tissue. These changes may play an important role in the development and progression of BPH.

Objective: To study the clinical characteristics and effects of immunoglobulin treatment in children with the different types of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS)., Method: Data of 108 patients hospitalized for GBS were retrospectively analyzed; 75 cases in this group were given acute high dose of gamma globulin (IVIG) 400 mg/(kg·d) intravenously for 5 d. Clinical and electrophysiological data and information on treatment and recovery of the children were collected during the follow-up and were analyzed., Result: According to the clinical and electrophysiologic findings, 32 patients manifested acute inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (AIDP), 34 had acute motor axonal neuropathy (AMAN), 3 had acute motor and sensory axonal neuropathy (AMSAN), 4 were inexcitable, 2 were unclassified. The clinical progress of the AMAN was faster than the AIDP group. Except for sensory nerve involvement, there was no significant difference in the clinical feature and severity. The mean time of the muscle strength began to recover was (5.59±3.63) days in the AIDP group and (7.21±4.68) days in the AMAN group after IVIG treatment. The time of the AIDP group was shorter than the AMAN group, but the difference was not statistically significant (t=-1.5702, P>0.05). The mean time of the muscle strength increased one grade was (8.88±4.39) days in the AIDP group and (12.67±8.35) days in the AMAN group. The difference was statistically significant (t=-2.3689, P<0.05). No patients in this group died. Follow-up data showed that the complete recovery time was not significantly different (t=0.2041, P>0.05)., Conclusion: The clinical progress of the AMAN was faster than the AIDP group. Besides sensory nerve involvement, there was no significant difference in the clinical feature and severity. The AIDP group's clinical recovery was faster than AMAN's after the immunoglobulin treatment. The two groups were not significantly different in long-term prognosis.

Objective: To assess the effect and safety of periodontal therapy in relieving the symptoms and clinical signs of rheumatoid arthritis (RA)., Methods: The electronic search was conducted in Medline (OVID, 1950-2010 Sep), EMBASE (1984-2010 Sep), CENTRAL (2010, Issue 3), CBM (1978-2010 Sep) and the Chinese journals on stomatology were hand-searched. Clinical randomized controlled trials as well as clinical controlled trials were selected regarding the targeted issue. Two investigators evaluated the reporting quality and risk of bias of those included trials in accordance with CONSORT statement and Cochrane risk of bias assessment tools, and collected data of included studies in duplicate. Revman 5.0.23 was applied for Meta-analysis., Results: Four trials met the inclusion criteria and a total of 150 patients were enrolled in the trials, one had low risk of bias and others had moderate risk of bias. Meta-analysis showed that pure periodontal therapy could not decrease disease activity score in 28 joints (DAS28) (P=0.06), and there was no statistically significant difference between periodontal therapy with anti-tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) medication and pure anti-TNF-alpha medication (P=0.24). But the subgroup analysis showed that a significantly decreased DAS28 was achieved by periodontal therapy (P=0.03), and the interventions provided a remarkable effect on alleviating clinical signs and erythrocyte sedimentation rate of RA (P<0.05). Results of the symptoms relief differed from the studies. No adverse events were reported., Conclusion: The evidence available currently indicates that periodontal therapy may play a positive role in remitting the clinical signs and periodontal status of RA except the relief of the symptoms.

Objective: To study the prevalence rates of knowledge, attitudes and use of the nutrition labeling and related influential factors in Hangzhou supermarket consumers., Methods: Using a self-developed survey questionnaire, randomly selected customers were conducted a face-to-face interview program in a large supermarket of Hangzhou city., Results: 586 people were interviewed, including 202 males and 384 females, with the mean age as 41.6 ± 17.23 years. The accuracy rates of 6 questions related to the 'ability of choosing healthier food by using the Nutrition Facts Labels' were as follows: dietary fiber (71.84%), fat (70.99%), calcium (60.75%), salt (58.36%), energy (50.85%) and sugar (39.42%). The support rates of the three attitudes indicators were "support marking the Nutrition Facts Label" (90.44%), "support marking the nutrition claims" (87.03%) and "want to know more relative knowledge" (77.13%). There were 58.36% and 80.03% first-time buyers who would read the Nutrition Facts Food Labels and the Nutrition Claims. Through logistic model analysis, male, youth, low-educated people were found to be the risk factors related to the nutrition label reading behavior., Conclusion: The capacity of the reading, understanding and correct application of nutrition labeling among consumers was not satisfactory. Improvement on the readability and the authority of nutrition labeling and the development of the national nutrition knowledge and health education programs were in urgent needs.

To review the findings on major chronic diseases in Chinese literature, articles published between 1990 and 2009 were systematically collected. Bibliometric method was used to describe the research number, research topics, methods used, research problems and authors' affiliations. 20 662 articles in Chinese and 5219 articles in English languages were included, showing the number of research papers was increasing every year. More than half of the papers were focusing on tumors while less was on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Descriptive methods were often used and papers were mainly related to clinical characteristics and treatment. Most of the authors were from medical institutions. The research topics on major chronic diseases had an uneven distribution on the classification of diseases and on the problems. There was some inappropriateness on research design regarding the etiology and treatment. Topics related to disease burden and methodology called for further attention and improvement in the future.

Objective: To determine the current status and influence factors of reporting quality of the Chinese meta-analysis on stomatology., Methods: A comprehensive electronic search was carried out through Chinese BioMedical Literature Database (CBM), VIP Database for Chinese Technical Periodicals (VIP) and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and a hand searching was also performed through 19 stomatological journals in Chinese to identify meta-analysis on stomatology. Two reviewers took responsibility for study inclusion, data extraction and reporting quality assessment with preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis (PRISMA) in duplicate and any disagreement was resolved by discussion., Results: A total of 34 meta-analysis on stomatology were eligible, most of them were on oral medicine and oral and maxillofacial surgery, and mainly focusing on etiology, prevention and treatment of oral diseases. The number of the meta-analysis increased during recent years. Reporting quality of the meta-analysis was not high and the PRISMA scored (13.6 ± 4.2). The main factors that influenced the reporting quality of meta-analysis were published on evidence-based medicine journals (adjusted β = 0.53, t = 4.15, P < 0.001) and year of publication (adjusted β = -0.44, t = -3.28, P = 0.001). The sensitivity analysis showed that this outcome was stable., Conclusions: Reporting quality of the Chinese meta-analysis on stomatology is low. To provide sufficient evidence to the clinicians and promote the development of evidence-based dentistry in China, experts on stomatology should study the knowledge of evidence-based medicine and comply with PRISMA statement when producing the meta-analysis.

Background: Insulin-like growth factor-II mRNA-binding protein 3 (IMP3) is a newly identified mRNA-binding protein that is involved in embryogenesis and carcinogenesis of some malignant tumors. The aim of this study was to detect the expression of IMP3 protein in gastric adenocarcinoma (GAC) and the correlation with clinicopathological features., Methods: IMP3 protein in 92 samples of GAC was evaluated by immunohistochemical method. The Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal-Wallis H test were used to compare IMP3 expression and clinicopathological parameters. Kaplan-Meier survival curve, log-rank test and Cox-regression model were used to evaluate the correlation of IMP3 protein expression to the prognosis of patients., Results: Out of 92 cases of adjacent normal mucosa (ANM), 10 with dysplasia demonstrated weak expression of IMP3 and 82 without dysplasia showed negative expression. Out of 92 cases of GAC, positive immunohistochemical stain for IMP3 was identified in 75 (82%) cases. A comparison of IMP3 expression in GAC and ANM showed stronger immunohistochemical reactivity in GAC (P < 0.05). High expression of IMP3 was found to be associated with lymphoid metastasis, high Ki-67 labelling index, and patient poor outcome (P < 0.05). There was a significant TNM stage difference between GAC with and without IMP3 expression (P < 0.05). Tumors with higher stage showed higher level of IMP3 expression. In multivariate analysis, IMP3 emerged as an independent predictor of survival., Conclusions: Increase of IMP3 expression suggests that IMP3 may play an importent role in the carcinogenesis and tumor metastasis in GAC. It could be regarded as a novel proliferation and prognostic indicator for patients with GAC.

The aim of this study was to establish an efficient method for expansion in vitro of natural killer (NK) cells highly purified from human peripheral blood. The CD3-CD56+CD16+ NK cells purified by the negative sorting method of MACS (magnetic microbeads activated cells sorting) were expanded with the different combinations of IL-2, SCF, IL-15 in SCGM (stem cell growth medium) supplemented with 10% human AB serum for 18 days. Cultures were fed with fresh medium and cytokines every 3 days. The sum of cells was counted for evaluating the efficiency of expansion. Then the purity of the CD3-CD56+CD16+ NK cells were determined by flow cytometry and the cytotoxicity to K562 targets was detected by CCK-8 assay in the end. Furthermore, the same way was used to explore the relationship between the efficiency of expansion, cytotoxicity to K562 targets of NK cells and the dose of IL-2. The results showed that after peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMNC) were purified by the negative sorting method of MACS, the purity of CD3-CD56+CD16+ NK cells increased from (12.70±2.66)% to (93.03±1.72)%. The CD3-CD56+CD16+ NK cells purified by MACS were expanded with the different combinations of IL-2, SCF, IL-15 in SCGM supplemented with 10% human AB serum for 18 days. The expanding multiple of IL-2/IL-15/SCF group was significantly higher than other groups (p<0.05). The purity of NK cells in the groups with cytokines was not significantly lower than that before expansion (p>0.05). The cytotoxicity of the groups with cytokines was significantly higher than that before expansion. Especially, the cytotoxicity (%) of NK cells in IL-2/IL-15 group and IL-2/IL-15/SCF group was more than 90%. The expanding multiples of low-dose group, medium-dose group and high-dose group were significantly higher than that of zero-dose group (p<0.05), but no significant difference was found between themselves (p>0.05). The cytotoxicity of the groups with IL-2 was significantly higher than that before expansion. Cytotoxicity to K562 cells in high-dose group was significantly higher than that in others (p<0.05); there was no significant difference between low-dose group and medium-dose group (p>0.05). It is concluded that cytokines in the 4 groups were efficient for expansion and the cytotoxicity of highly purified NK cells in vitro. IL-2/SCF/IL-15 combination is the most efficient one among different combinations, and enhanced significantly the cytotoxicity of NK cells against K562 targets. The efficiency of expansion and the cytotoxicity in vitro of NK cells are not related with the dose of IL-2, when IL-2<1,000 U/ml. It is indicated that IL-2 of high-dose (≥1,000 U/ml) may enhance the cytotoxicity of NK cells in vitro more efficiently.

Three new phenolic glycosides, curculigosides F-H (1-3), were isolated from rhizomes of Curculigo orchioides Gaertn. Their structures were elucidated based on comprehensive spectroscopic analyses including IR, MS, 1D- and 2D NMR (HSQC, COSY, and HMBC). Curculigosides F-H (1-3) were evaluated for their anti-HBV activity in vitro using the HBV transfected Hep G2.2.15 cell line. Compound 1 exhibited weak activity with an IC(50) value of 2.08 mM on hepatitis B virus (HBV) e antigen (HBeAg) secretion of the HepG2.2.15 cell line., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This study is to investigate the influence and mechanism of action of asymmetrical dimethylarginine (ADMA) and the induced oxidative stress level on Alzheimer's disease (AD) incidence. ADMA concentration, nitric oxide, Abeta(40)/Abeta(42) ratio, inducible NO synthase (iNOS) activity and the concentrations of the induced free radicals including malondialdehyde (MDA), 3-nitrotyrosine (3-NT) and peroxynitrite (ONOO-) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from 34 neurologically normal controls and 37 AD patients were quantitatively determined and statistically compared. The results showed that the ADMA concentration significantly decreased in AD patients, and it showed negative correlation with the NO, iNOS activity, and showed positive correlation with MMSE score. ADMA concentration was negatively correlated with Abeta(40)/Abeta(42) ratio (P<0.01) with the observation that Abeta(40)/Abeta(42) ratio increased while ADMA level decreased in CSF in AD patients. The concentration levels of MDA, 3-NT and ROS significantly increased compared with the control with all the P values less than 0.05. These findings suggested that the ADMA disorder and the oxidative damage effect of the induced free radicals in CSF of AD patients are an important mechanism of AD incidence, and their joint regulation may provide new idea for the prevention and clinical treatment of AD.

An inversion formula for the export loads of nonpoint sources pollution in headwater area was established based on one-dimensional water quality equation, and it was used to calculate the pollution loads for tributaries in the headwater catchment of Laohutan Reservoir, in Huzhou City, Zhejiang Province of China. Monte Carlo method was adopted to determine the sensitivity about each input parameter in the inversion formula. Because each sensitive parameter can be measured directly in the inversion formula, so that this approach can decreased calculation error, which is often caused by the parameter estimation. Furthermore, the inversion formula can be adopted to calculate pollution loading on any time scale. Monthly nonpoint sources pollution export loads in 2007 were calculated by the model in the research catchment. Results showed that pollution loads in stream were significantly positive related with flow rates (r > 0. 90, p < 0.01), and the flow rate was the most sensitive factor in the model, followed by the nutrient concentration and background concentration at the stream end. While, comprehensive degradation coefficient and flow velocity contributed very little influence to the model uncertainty.

Objective: To summarize the clinical characteristics of acute pandysautonomia in childhood, to gain better understanding of the diagnosis and differential diagnosis., Methods: The clinical data of 6 children with acute pandysautonomia were analyzed and followed-up. All the 6 patients had routine blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), electrocardiography (ECG), electromyography (EMG), cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and autonomic nerve function tests (head upright tilt test, dermatography test, and thermal/sympathetic sweat response). Other laboratory examinations such as immunologic markers of CSF, electroencephalography (EEG), spinal cord MRI and somatosensory evoked potential (SEP) were also performed in some patients., Results: Of the 6 patients, 1 was male, and 5 were female. The age of onset was from 2.3 to 14.5 years (average 8.2 years). The initial symptoms were gastrointestinal dysfunction in 3 patients and somatic motor dysfunction as their initial symptoms, one had irritability in 1 case, pain in 1 and dysphagia in 1, respectively. Autonomic nerve signs and symptoms: (1) Skin and mucosa are rough and dry, there was no or little perspiration, alacrimia or little tear in all patients. (2) Vision problem appeared in 1 patient, blepharoptosis in 3 patients, pupillary abnormality existed in all patients. (3) Gastrointestinal symptoms were present in all patients. Vomiting and constipation were present in 4 patients, diarrhea and constipation were alternatively present in 1 patient, abdominal distention and abdominal pain were present in 2 patients. (4) Cardiovascular system manifestations included postural dizziness or syncope in 3 patients, tightness and palpitation in 2 patients. (5) Urinary dysfunction was present in 4 patients. In addition, mild to moderate somatic motor dysfunction was present in 5 patients, sensory dysfunction in 3 patients. Autonomic nerve function tests were abnormal in all patients. Laboratory findings included serum IgM antibody to herpes simplex virus and antistreptolysin "O" (ASO) test were positive respectively in 1 patient. The immunological markers in CSF were abnormal in 3 patients and the protein level in CSF was slightly elevated in 3 patients. Cranial MRI was slightly abnormal in 4 patients. ECG was slightly abnormal in all patients. EMG was abnormal in 5 patients. SEP was abnormal in 3 patients. Five patients received IVIG therapy. Five patients were followed-up. One patient died, one lost to follow up and one had slight improvement. Significant improvement was seen in 2 patients., Conclusion: Acute pandysautonomia in children usually had non-specific symptoms and could affect multiple organs. Heterotropia, cardiovascular dysfunction and gastrointestinal dysfunction were commonly seen in these patients. In acute pandysautonomia patients, IVIG seemed to be effective and the prognosis was poor in severe cases.

Based on the one-dimension model for river water environmental capacity (WEC) and the statistical analysis of the measured hydrological and water quality variables, a uncertainty analysis method for the WEC in nonpoint source polluted river was developed, which included the sensitivity analysis for input parameters of the model and the probability distributions analysis for the WEC using Monte Carlo simulation approach. The method, which described the uncertainty derived from the adopted information of the river system and the randomicity from the occurrence of nonpoint source pollution, could provide different WEC combined with reliabilities for different hydrological seasons. As a case study, the total nitrogen (TN) WEC in the Changle River located in southeast China was calculated using the method. Results indicated that the TN WEC with 90% of reliability were 487.9, 949.8 and 1392.8 kg x d(-1) in dry season, average season and flood season, respectively, and the dilution effect of river water flow accounted for the main content of WEC. In order to satisfy water quality target of the river, about 1258.3-3591.2 kg x d(-1) of current TN quantity that entered into the river should be reduced in watershed, and the largest reducing quantity of TN was occurred during flood season. The uncertainty method, which reflected hydrology and water quality variations in the nonpoint source polluted river, provided a more reliable and efficient method for the WEC calculation.

Objective: To study the effects of diet and physical activity factors on blood pressure in nine provinces, using the multilevel model., Methods: Data was collected in the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS). A total of 6706 men and 7140 women aged above 18 who attended at least one of the surveys in the year of 1997, 2000, 2004 and 2006 were selected, and a two-level male and female random intercept-slope growth models were applied to estimate the relationship between the intake of daily salt, vegetable, fruit, fat, protein as well as the time spent on the moderate or heavy physical activity and blood pressure., Results: After controlling for age, education, BMI, drinks and total energy intake, mean of the daily salt intake per person was positively associated with systolic blood pressure in women (β = 0.0481, s(x(-)) = 0.0178, P < 0.01). Mean of the daily vegetable intake per person was negatively associated with systolic blood pressure in men and women, with the regression coefficients as -0.0063, -0.0068 respectively, indicating that if mean of the daily vegetable intake per person increased by 100 g, the systolic blood pressure would decrease by 0.6 mm Hg (1 mm Hg = 0.133 kPa) or more. In addition, the daily vegetable intake was also negatively associated with diastolic blood pressure (P < 0.01). Daily fruit intake was negatively associated with systolic blood pressure both in men and women, with regression coefficients as -0.0029 and -0.0031 respectively. Time spent on the moderate or heavy physical activity was also negatively associated with systolic blood pressure in both men and women, and diastolic blood pressure in women (P < 0.05). No relationship was found between daily fat, protein intake and blood pressure., Conclusion: Daily salt, vegetable, fruit intake, time spent on the moderate or heavy physical activity were associated with blood pressure in both men and women. Programs on integrated lifestyle modifications including dietary salt reduction, eating more vegetable and fruits, increasing physical activity level, plus weight control were critical for the control of high blood pressure.

In this study, a pyridine-degrading bacterium, Paracoccus denitrifican W12, was isolated. It was cultivated to grow on the surface of activated bamboo charcoal (ABC) particles so that the ABC turned into biological activated bamboo charcoal (BABC) covered with biofilm of the W12. Free cells of the W12 and the BABC were separately tested in removing pyridine from aqueous solution. The results showed that 0.31 g x L(-1) suspended growing-W12 completely degraded 48.70-1399 mg x L(-1) of pyridine within 26.5-48.9 h, while the BABC (attached growing-W12) degraded pyridine much more efficiently due to the combination of biodegradation and adsorption. When the dosage of BABC was 10.0 g x L(-1) at the temperature of 35 degrees C, 692.2 mg x L(-1) of pyridine was decreased by 52% in the first 3.6 h mainly by adsorption, then was totally removed within 23.7 h mainly by biodegradation. Increasing the dosage of BABC or batch of treatment promoted the efficiency of pyridine removal remarkably. The synergistic mechanism of BABC removing pyridine from aqueous solution was further discussed on the basis of its microstructure.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of prostatic ischemia in rabbit and approach the significance of ischemia in the development of benign prostatic hyperplasia., Methods: Male rabbits underwent surgical prostatic ischemia for durations of 1, 2, 4, 8 and 12 weeks and sham-operated rabbits served as controls. The weight of prostate was examined and a histological examination conducted. Ki67 immunohistochemical stain for the generation of prostatic cells and TUNEL test for the apoptosis of prostatic cells were used., Results: In sham-operated rabbits, the mean (SD) weight of prostate were 0.831(0.127) g, the mean (SD) positive Ki67 staining prostatic epithelial cells 2.1(0.8) in 100 prostatic epithelial cells and stromal cells 2.6(1.1) in 100, mean (SD) positive TUNEL test prostatic epithelial cells 2.0(1.0) in 100 and stromal cells 2.5(0.7) in 100. In operated rabbits, the generation of prostatic stromal cells increased and the apoptosis of prostatic stromal cells decreased over 1 - 12 weeks. The generation of prostatic epithelial cells increased and the apoptosis of prostatic epithelial cells decreased over 2 - 12 weeks, but in the first week, there were no significantly difference between operated and sham-operated rabbits in the generation and apoptosis of prostatic epithelial cells. The weight of prostate in operated animals increased at Weeks 4, 8 and 12, were significantly heavier than sham-operated rabbits, 1 week post-op and 2 weeks post-op rabbits, there were no significantly difference between the latter 3 groups., Conclusion: Ischemia can induce the gain of prostatic weight by improving the generation and inhibiting the apoptosis of prostatic cells. And the effect of ischemia to prostate is correlated with ischemic time. Ischemia may play an important role in the development of benign prostatic hyperplasia. The first response to ischemia is the change of prostatic stromal cells.

Objective: To investigate the "window" surgical exposure strategy of the upper anterior cervical retropharyngeal approach for the exposure and decompression and instrumentation of the upper cervical spine., Methods: From Jan. 2000 to July 2008, 5 patients with upper cervical spinal injuries were treated by surgical operation included 4 males and 1 female with and average age of 35 years old ranging from 16 to 68 years. There were 2 cases of Hangman's fractures (type II ), 2 of C2.3 intervertebral disc displacement and 1 of C2 vertebral body tuberculosis. All patients underwent the upper cervical anterior retropharyngeal approach through the "window" between the hypoglossal nerve and the superior laryngeal nerve and pharynx and carotid artery. Two patients of Hangman's fractures underwent the C2,3 intervertebral disc discectomy, bone graft fusion and internal fixation. Two patients of C2,3 intervertebral disc displacement underwent the C2,3 intervertebral disc discectomy, decompression bone graft fusion and internal fixation. One patient of C2 vertebral body tuberculosis was dissected and resected and the focus and the cavity was filled by bone autografting., Results: C1 anterior arch to C3 anterior vertebral body were successful exposed. Lesion resection or decompression and fusion were successful in all patients. All patients were followed-up for from 5 to 26 months (means 13.5 months). There was no important vascular and nerve injury and no wound infection. Neutral symptoms was improved and all patient got successful fusion., Conclusion: The "window" surgical exposure surgical technique of the upper cervical anterior retropharyngeal approach is a favorable strategy. This approach strategy can be performed with full exposure for C1-C3 anterior anatomical structure, and can get minimally invasive surgery results and few and far between wound complication, that is safe if corresponding experience is achieved.

Objective: To study the clinical and laboratory features of the patients with Menkes disease., Method: Three infants were diagnosed as Menkes disease. Their clinical feature, laboratory findings, radiological manifestation and genes were reviewed., Result: All the three cases were male infants. Their clinical manifestations began at the 3, 5 and 6 months after birth. They all had light complexion, sparse fuzzy woolly hair. The main clinical manifestation was severe mental retardation. The first and the third case also had focal clonus seizures. The second case had feeding difficulty after birth. Their hair showed pili torti and trichorrhexis nodosa microscopically. Their ceruloplasmin in plasma were 32.3 mg/L, 72.5 mg/L and 60.7 mg/L, which were significantly lower as compared with the normal values. Their neuroimaging findings were cortical atrophy, delayed myelination of the white matter and tortuosity of the intracranial vessels. The gene examination of the first and the second case showed deletion and nonsense mutation on exon 14 respectively., Conclusion: Menkes disease is an X-linked recessive disorder characterized by a copper-transporting ATPase defect. The main clinical manifestation is progressive nerve damage. Patients with the disease have special face and hair abnormality, and have morphological changes of brain blood vessels and cerebral atrophy.

Objective: To compare the clinical effects and graft outcomes of 4 surgical approaches for nephrectomy in living related kidney donors., Methods: Between June, 2004 and June, 2007, 119 living related kidney donors underwent nephrectomy via different surgical approaches, and their clinical data were retrospectively analyzed. Of these donors, 22 received retroperitoneal open nephrectomy, 21 had retroperitoneoscopic nephrectomy, 13 had hand-assisted laparoscopic nephrectomy, and 63 underwent transperitoneal open nephrectomy. The operating time, warm ischemia time of the graft, renal graft artery and vein lengths, reduction rate of recipient serum creatinine in the first 3 days after renal transplantation, mean hospital stay and complications of the donors were compared between the 4 surgical approaches., Results: Open surgeries were associated with significantly shorter operating time (P=0.0033) and warm ischemia time of the graft (P=0.0001), longer hospital stay (P=0.0000), higher hospital expenses (P=0.0000), faster postoperative reduction of recipient serum creatinine (P=0.0001), and longer renal artery and vein lengths (P=0.0000 on the left and P=0.0001 on the right) than laparoscopic surgeries. In the laparoscopic surgery group, subcutaneous emphysema occurred in 1 case, DGF in 2 cases, and lumbar vein hemorrhage in 2 cases for which open surgery was performed. In the open surgery group, only one case required reoperation due to adrenal gland hemorrhage. All the kidney grafts were successfully harvested without other complications observed in the donors., Conclusions: Both open and laparoscopic surgeries are safe for nephrectomy in living related kidney donors, and the selection of the surgical approaches depends on the kidney and donor conditions and the surgical proficiency of the surgeons.

Based on the one-dimension model for water environmental capacity (WEC) in river, a new model for the WEC estimation in river-reservoir system was developed in drinking water source conservation area (DWSCA). In the new model, the concept was introduced that the water quality target of the rivers in DWSCA was determined by the water quality demand of reservoir for drinking water source. It implied that the WEC of the reservoir could be used as the water quality control target at the reach-end of the upstream rivers in DWSCA so that the problems for WEC estimation might be avoided that the differences of the standards for a water quality control target between in river and in reservoir, such as the criterions differences for total phosphorus (TP)/total nitrogen (TN) between in reservoir and in river according to the National Surface Water Quality Standard of China (GB 3838-2002), and the difference of designed hydrology conditions for WEC estimation between in reservoir and in river. The new model described the quantitative relationship between the WEC of drinking water source and of the river, and it factually expressed the continuity and interplay of these low water areas. As a case study, WEC for the rivers in DWSCA of Laohutan reservoir located in southeast China was estimated using the new model. Results indicated that the WEC for TN and TP was 65.05 t x a(-1) and 5.05 t x a(-1) in the rivers of the DWSCA, respectively. According to the WEC of Laohutan reservoir and current TN and TP quantity that entered into the rivers, about 33.86 t x a(-1) of current TN quantity should be reduced in the DWSCA, while there was 2.23 t x a(-1) of residual WEC of TP in the rivers. The modeling method was also widely applicable for the continuous water bodies with different water quality targets, especially for the situation of higher water quality control target in downstream water body than that in upstream.

The reduced lower temporal arcade of the skull and the movable quadrate are the most distinctive features of squamates. Up to now, no exception has been documented for any fossil or extant squamates. We report here a new fossil lizard that possesses a complete lower temporal arcade and an unmovable quadrate. The anatomical relationships indicate that those two modifications were secondarily obtained in the new lizard. The complete lower temporal bar and the firm contact between the pterygoid and quadrate may have served as a brace to support the quadrate jaw articulation and thus prevent it from twisting anteriorly rather than posteriorly during the bite cycles. This represents an entirely new pattern of jaw muscle functions within the Squamata.

Background: Osteopontin (OPN) is one kind of cytokine which can play a number of roles in promoting activation of T lymphocyte, regulating balance between Th1 and Th2, participating in cell-induced immunologic response and stimulating B lymphocyte to express multi-clone antibodies. Some researches have showed that OPN may be involved in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The aim of this study was to investigate possible association of a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) at position 9250 in exon 7 of the OPN gene (OPN gene 9250) with SLE in Chinese patients., Methods: Totally 158 patients (18 males and 140 females) fulfilled the revised criteria for SLE by the American College of Rheumatology in 1982 and 180 healthy volunteer controls (34 males and 146 females), all from the south of China, consented to participate in the study. OPN gene 9250 polymorphism was detected by polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP)., Results: The frequency of TT genotype of the OPN gene 9250 was significantly lower (52.5% vs 70%, P < 0.05) and the frequency of TC genotype of the OPN gene 9250 was significantly higher (43.7% vs 29.4%, P < 0.05) in SLE patients than in controls. There were significant differences in OPN gene 9250 allele and phenotype frequencies between the SLE patients and controls (P < 0.05). When the SLE patients and controls were separated into men and women, significant differences of frequencies were noted in TT genotype, TC genotype and allele of the OPN gene 9250 in women (P < 0.05) but not in men (P > 0.05)., Conclusions: OPN gene 9250 polymorphism appears to be associated with susceptibility to SLE in Chinese Han ethnic population.

Objective: To investigate the possible association of a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) at position 9250 in exon 7 of osteopontin gene (OPN gene 9250) with lupus nephritis (LN) in southern Chinese patients., Methods: Altogether 109 patients with LN (12 males and 97 females) diagnosed according to the American College of Rheumatology criteria (revised in 1982) for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and 180 healthy ethnically matched controls (34 males and 146 females), all Han people living in South China, were enrolled in this study with informed consent. Blood samples from all subjects were collected in EDTA tube for genomic DNA extraction according to the standard isolation procedures. OPN gene 9250 polymorphism was typed by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP)., Results: All the genotype frequencies of OPN gene 9250 were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Compared with the controls, LN patients showed significantly lower frequency of TT genotype of OPN gene 9250 (70% vs 51%, P<0.05) and significantly higher frequency of TC genotype (29.4% vs 45%, P<0.05). There were significant differences in OPN gene 9250 allele and phenotype frequencies between LN patients and the controls (P<0.05). Compared with the female controls, the frequency of TT genotype of OPN gene 9250 was significantly lower in female LN patients (68.5% vs 54%, P<0.05), and there was a significant difference in OPN gene 9250 allele frequency between them (P<0.05)., Conclusion: OPN gene 9250 polymorphism appears to be associated with the susceptibility to LN in southern Chinese Han population.

Based on the investigation of the application and emission quantities (QAE) of total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) for nonpoint sources in river catchment' s area, included fertilizer applications, livestock and living pollutants emissions, the quantities of TN and TP entered the river were computed by means of export coefficient model in Changle River, southeast China. Self-purification capacities of TN and TP in the reach were also estimated in terms of input-output balance analysis method. According to the provisions of water function planning in the river, the water environment residual capacity (WERC) or the demand for reducing the application and emission (DRAE) of nitrogen and phosphorus in the corresponding catchment were monthly estimated, and WERC and DRAE were respectively allocated among the pollution sources. Results indicated that about 28.8% of TN loads and 51.2% of TP loads could be self-purified respectively in the reach, i. e., purification of 775.9 t a(-1) for TN and 30.9 t a(-1) for TP. Seasonal variations of the self-purification for the pollutants not only resulted from riverine hydrological and ecological conditions, but also affected by the pollution loading. According to the demand of the water quality protection in the reach, about 1581.0 t a(-1) QAE of TN had to reduce in Changle catchment. The maximum demand for the reducing QAE of TN was the fertilizer application (1047.4 t a(-1)), and the highest ratio for the reducing QAE of TN was livestock-poultry breeding (32.4%). There was about 2335.7 t a(-1) WERC for TP in the reach. The largest DRAE of nitrogen was during mid-water season and the least WERC of TP was during higher-water season.

Objective: To observe the protecting actions of Peristrophe roxburghiane on liver functions and structure in fatty liver rats caused by insulin resistance., Method: High-fat-sugar diet was fed in rats to produce insulin resistance and fatty liver model, and then P. roxburghiane was administered for 8 weeks, and the rats were killed and the blood was sampled to measure the levels of FFA, TC, TG, HDL-C and LDL-C, and the activities of AST, ALT. The fasting serum glucose (FBG) and insulin were measured, and insulin-sensitivity index was calculated. The liver was weighed and collected to calculate liver index and measured the activities of GSH-PX, SOD, CAT and the amount of MDA., Result: High and low dosage of P. roxburghiane can decrease the levels of FFA, TG and increase the level of HDL-C, reduce the activities of ALT, AST and liver index, and reduce the damaged degree of the liver tissue significantly. High and low dosage of P. roxburghiane can significantly enhance the activities of SOD, CAT, and GSH-PX, reduce the amount of MDA., Conclusion: P. roxburghiane possesses regulating action on the serum lipid, blood glucose and insulin, and improving liver functions of fatty liver rats induced by high-fat-sugar diet, and the acting mechanism may be concerned with enhanced antioxidative ability.

To investigate the expression of phospholipase C-gamma1 (PLC-gamma1) in mouse embryonic tissues, serial tissue sections were prepared routinely for immunocytochemistry for PLC-gamma1. The results showed that PLC-gamma1 was expressed in the cartilage, skeletal muscles, myocardium, the collecting tubule of the kidney, connective tissues and the brain, suggesting the important role PLC-gamma1 and the related signal pathway may play in the development of mouse embryonic tissues.

Three-dimensional specimens of the volant fossil bird Gansus yumenensis from the Early Cretaceous Xiagou Formation of northwestern China demonstrate that this taxon possesses advanced anatomical features previously known only in Late Cretaceous and Cenozoic ornithuran birds. Phylogenetic analysis recovers Gansus within the Ornithurae, making it the oldest known member of the clade. The Xiagou Formation preserves the oldest known ornithuromorph-dominated avian assemblage. The anatomy of Gansus, like that of other non-neornithean (nonmodern) ornithuran birds, indicates specialization for an amphibious life-style, supporting the hypothesis that modern birds originated in aquatic or littoral niches.

Objective: To study the effects of green tea polyphenol (GTP) on the behaviour of Alzheimer' s Disease like mice induced by D-galactose and Abeta25-35., Methods: D-galactose (120 mg/kg) was intraperitoneally injected into mice for 12 weeks and Abeta25-35 (4nmol) was injected by icv to establish Alzheimer' s Disease like mice. The protective and therapeutic effects of GTP were determined by using water maze test, step down test, step through test and open field test., Results: GTP ameliorated the deleterious effects of D-galactose and Abeta25-35, and thereby improved the animal' s learning and memory, prolonged latency time, and the error numbers were significantly reduced. At the same time the autonomic activities were significantly increased., Conclusion: GTP can improve the behaviour of Alzheimer' s Disease like mice induced by D-galactose and Abeta25-35.

Objective: To observe the effects of Radix Puerariae on protein glycation in model rats induced by D-galactose., Methods: The model rats of protein glycatin were induced by intraperitoneal administration of D-galactose (150 mg/kg) for 8 weeks, and all rats were treated by Radix Puerariae (High dose 300 mg/kg, Middle dose 150 mg/kg, Low dose 75 mg/kg) for 6 weeks. The activity of aldose reductase in red blood cells, the content of fructosamine in serum, the amount of glycohaemoglobin and advanced glycation end-products, the level of insulin in serum, the activity of superoxide dismutase and the amount of maleic dialdehyde were measured., Results: High dose and middle dose of Radix Puerariae could decrease the level of blood glucose and the activity of aldose reductase in red blood cells, inhibit the formation of glycation products significantly in model rats induced by D-galactose (P < 0.01), increase insulin sensitivity and activity of superoxide dismutase (P < 0.01) and decrease the amount of maleic dialdehyde (P < 0.01)., Conclusion: Puerariae can significantly inhibit glycation reaction in rats induced by D-galactose.