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Kai-Cai Liu,1 Wei-Fu lv,2 Dong Lu,2 Chang-Long Hou,2 Jun Xie,3 Yu-He Lu,4 Qi-Sheng Cao,5 Yu-Lin Tan,6 Ying-Zhan Zhang,7 Jie Liu8 1Infection Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Interventional Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Interventional Radiology, Fuyang People’s Hospital, Fuyang, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Interventional Radiology, Chuzhou First People’s Hospital, Chuzhou, People’s Republic of China; 5Department of Interventional Radiology, Ma’anshan People’s Hospital, Ma’anshan, People’s Republic of China; 6Department of Interventional Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, People’s Republic of China; 7Department of Interventional Radiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, People’s Republic of China; 8Department of Interventional Radiology, Yingshang People’s Hospital, Fuyang, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Wei-Fu lv; Dong LuDepartment of Interventional Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail weifulv@ustc.edu.cn; ahslludong@163.comPurpose: To investigate the potential safety and efficacy of drug-eluting bead-transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (DEB-TACE) in treating TACE-refractory hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).Methods: We retrospectively evaluated the treatment outcomes of DEB-TACE for 41 HCC nodules in 30 patients who were refractory to conventional TACE (c-TACE) according to tumor response. The antitumor response was evaluated according to mRECIST criteria, and changes in alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), albumin-bilirubin score, the incidence of adverse events, and the time to disease progression were observed.Results: The objective response rate and disease control rates were 60.98% and 95.12% at 4 weeks after DEB-TACE, 63.41% and 92.68% at 8 weeks, respectively. The median time of disease progression was 4.60 ± 0.23 months. The AFP of patients decreased continuously at 2– 6 weeks after operation, and the AFP at 4 weeks was significantly lower than that at 2 weeks (P = 0.038). Adverse reactions were well tolerated, and no grade 4 adverse reactions were reported. The albumin-bilirubin score did not deteriorate within 6 weeks.Conclusion: DEB-TACE has potential efficacy and safety after failure of c-TACE in patients with advanced liver cancer. Further studies are needed to confirm the efficacy of DEB-TACE treatment after failure of c-TACE.Keywords: transcatheter arterial chemoembolization, refractory disease, drug-eluting bead, hepatocellular carcinoma, efficacy

Chinese milk vetch ( Astragalus sinicus L.) is an important organic nutrient resource in the southern Henan rice-growing area. Thus, the effects of Chinese milk vetch (MV) returning incorporated with reduced chemical fertilizer on the physicochemical properties and bacterial community characteristics in paddy soil were studied. These results can provide a certain theoretical basis for the improvement of soil fertility and reduction of chemical fertilizer in this area. A field experiment was conducted for 12 consecutive years, involving six fertilization treatments (blank control, CK; 100% chemical fertilizer, F100; 80% chemical fertilizer+22.5 t·hm -2 MV, MV1F80; 80% chemical fertilizer+45 t·hm -2 MV, MV2F80; 60% chemical fertilizer+22.5 t·hm -2 MV, MV1F60; and 60% chemical fertilizer+45 t·hm -2 MV, MV2F60). The high-throughput sequencing method was used to compare the effects of different fertilization treatments on soil bacterial community diversity, composition, and structural characteristics. The FAPROTAX function prediction method was used to analyze the abundance differences of functional groups between different fertilization treatments. Additionally, combined with soil physicochemical properties and bacterial community characteristics, we explored the key soil environmental factors that changed the structure and functional characteristics of the soil bacterial community. Compared with that under CK, the soil bulk density (BD) under the MV returning incorporated with reduced chemical fertilizer treatment was decreased, whereas soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), and total potassium (TK) were increased by 12.7%-35.5%, 38.2%-65.7%, 66.7%-95.2%, and 20.3%-31.6%, respectively. Compared with that under the F100 treatment, the Sobs index and Shannon diversity index of the bacterial community under the MV returning incorporated with reduced chemical fertilizer were decreased, and the Sobs index and Shannon diversity index were significantly positively correlated with BD ( P <0.05) but significantly negatively correlated with SOC and TN ( P <0.05). Compared with that under the F100 treatment, the relative abundances of Firmicutes under the MV1F80 and MV2F60 treatments were significantly increased by 82.2% and 67.4% ( P <0.05), but the relative abundances of Acidobacteria were significantly reduced by 32.6% and 40.5% ( P <0.05), respectively. The relative abundance of Actinobacteria under the MV2F60 treatment was significantly increased by 30.0% ( P <0.05) compared with that under the F100 treatment. According to RDA analysis, soil SOC, TN, and TK were the main soil environmental factors that significantly affected bacterial community ( P <0.05). Compared with that under CK and the F100 treatment, the abundance of functional groups of chemoheterotrophy, nitrogen fixation, fermentation, and ureolysis under the MV returning incorporated with reduced chemical fertilizer treatment were improved, whereas the abundance of functional groups of animal parasites or symbionts, all human pathogens, and human pathogen pneumonia were reduced, particularly under MV1F80 and MV2F60. To summarize, the long-term MV returning to the field incorporated with reduced chemical fertilizer improved the soil physical and chemical properties, thus changing the structure and functional characteristics of the soil bacterial communities, contributing to the improvement in the soil fertility, stability, and health of micro-ecosystems in paddy fields, thus ensuring the green and sustainable development of regional agriculture.

In recent years, more and more forensic genetics laboratories have begun to apply massively parallel sequencing (MPS) technology, that is, next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology, to detect common forensic genetic markers, including short tandem repeat (STR), single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), the control region or whole genome of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), as well as messenger RNA (mRNA), etc., for forensic practice, such as individual identification, kinship analysis, ancestry inference and body fluid identification. As the most widely used genetic marker in forensic genetics, STR is currently mainly detected by capillary electrophoresis (CE) platform. Compared with CE platform, MPS technology has the advantages of simultaneous detection of a large number of genetic markers, massively parallel detection of samples, the polymorphism of sequence detected by NGS makes STR have the advantages of higher resolution and system efficiency. However, MPS technology is expensive, there is no uniform standard so far, and there are problems such as how to integrate MPS-STR data with the existing CE-STR database. This review summarizes the current status of the application of MPS technology in the detection of STR genetic markers in forensic genetics, puts forward the main problems that need to be solved urgently, and prospects the application prospect of this technology in forensic genetics.

Abstract: Postmortem interval （PMI） estimation has always been an important and difficult issue in the field of forensic pathology. In recent years, research progress on the estimation of PMI using RNA specific variation patterns after death has been made by researchers at home and aboard. This paper summarizes the specific application methods of messenger RNA and non-coding RNA for PMI estimation based on the literatures and discusses the existing problems and development trends, in order to provide technical reference for related studies and estimation practice., Competing Interests: The authors of this article and the planning committee members and staff have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose., (Copyright© by the Editorial Department of Journal of Forensic Medicine.)

Streptomyces Sp FJS31-2 is a strain isolated from special habitat soils in the early stage of our laboratory for producing a new type of halogenated type II polyketide antibiotic with good anti-MRSA activity. In this experiment, a variety of chromatographic and spectroscopic methods was used to isolate and identify a milbemycin compound VM48130 from the ethyl acetate extract of the fermentation products. To investigate its bioactivity, Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay was used to test the cytotoxic activity of the compound against a variety of cancer cells (human liver cancer cell line MHCC97H and SK-Hep1, human nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell line CNE1, mouse melanoma cell line B16, human colon cancer cell line LOVO, human lung adenocarcinoma cell line A549) and normal cells (human bronchial epithelial cell line 16HBE, human normal liver cell line L02, human nasopharyngeal epithelial cell line NP69). The results showed that the compound had significant cytotoxic activity against the above cancer cells, and the IC 50 values were 21.96 ± 1.45, 22.18 ± 0.55, 19.42 ± 0.71, 18.61 ± 1.68, 18.62 ± 0.67, 18.52 ± 0.64 μM, respectively. Furthermore, the CCK-8 method was used to evaluate the compound's reversal of cisplatin resistance in multidrug resistant cisplatin-resistant human lung adenocarcinoma (A549/DDP) cells. The results indicated that when the compound concentration was 0.5 μM, the reversal fold (RF) reached 6.25 and showed a dose-dependent effect. At 5 μM, the RF reached 8.35, which was approximately equivalent to the reversal effect of the positive drug verapamil at the same concentration. The expression of MDR1, MRP1, LRP, MAST1 resistance genes and the corresponding proteins were analyzed by quantitative RT-PCR and Western blot assay, and found that the compound could significantly down-regulate the expression of these genes and proteins. These results indicated that VM48130 had the potential of being a lead compound for the treatment or adjuvant treatment of cancer., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest None declared., (Copyright © 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To improve the method of sorting undifferentiated and differentiated spermatogonial cells by magnetic bead sorting with specific antibodies., Methods: Using the magnetic bead sorting technique combined with Thy1 and c-Kit specific antibodies, we sorted Thy1+ and c-Kit+ cells in the testis of 7-postnatal-day male mice as undifferentiated and differentiated spermatogonia, respectively. We determined the purities of the two types of spermatogonial cells by immunofluorescence and flow cytometry, identified them via the differential expressions of Gfrα1, Plzf, c-Kit and Sohlh2 by real-time quantitative PCR, and cultured the Thy1+ cells primarily., Results: The purities of the Thy1+ and c-kit+ cells were as high as (85.65 ± 8.35)% and (89.40 ± 2.77)%, respectively (P < 0.01). The relative expressions of the Gfrα1 and Plzf genes were 9.47 ± 1.29 and 4.40 ± 0.59 times higher in the Thy1+ than in the c-Kit+ cells, and those of the kit and sohlh2 genes 7.38 ± 1.07 and 3.88 ± 0.28 times lower in the former than in the latter (P < 0.01). After primary culture, the cells were seen in a normal state, proliferating smoothly with the characteristics of the proliferation of spermatogonial stem cells., Conclusions: The magnetic bead sorting technique with Thy1 and c-Kit specific antibodies can be used to effectively identify undifferentiated and differentiated spermatogonia and culture undifferentiated Thy1+ cells in vitro.

Abstract: Objective Quantitative analysis and comparison of the expression of ribonucleic acid （RNA） from frozen organs and formaldehyde-fixed and paraffin-embedded （FFPE） tissues. Methods Frozen specimens of human brain, myocardium and liver tissues as well as FFPE samples at different postmortem intervals were collected and mass concentration of RNA was extracted and detected. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction （RT-qPCR） technology was used to analyze the amplification efficiency and relative expression of each RNA marker. Results The mass concentration and integrity of RNA extracted from FFPE samples were relatively low compared with frozen specimens. The amplification efficiency of RNA markers was related with RNA species and the length of amplification products. Among them, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase （GAPDH） and β-actin （ACTB） with relatively long amplification products failed to achieve optimal amplification efficiency, whereas 5S ribosomal RNA （5S rRNA） achieved ideal amplification efficiency and showed quite stable expression across various tissues, therefore it was chosen as internal reference marker. The expression quantity of GAPDH and ACTB in frozen specimens with longer postmortem intervals and in FFPE samples with relatively long amplification products was decreased. The expressions of tissue-specific microRNAs （miRNAs）, GAPDH and ACTB with relatively short amplification products had consistency in the same tissues and FFPE samples. Conclusion Through standardizing the RT-qPCR experiment, selecting the appropriate RNA marker and designing primers of appropriate product length, RNA expression levels of FFPE samples can be accurately quantified., Competing Interests: The authors of this article and the planning committee members and staff have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose., (Copyright© by the Editorial Department of Journal of Forensic Medicine.)

Objective: To investigate the incidence of treatment-emergent central sleep apnea (TE-CSA), the characteristics of demography and the influencing factors in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) after initial continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) titration at high altitude. Methods: Clinical data of 297 patients with OSAS which living in plateau areas (1 000 meters or more above sea level) were retrospectively analyzed in this study from January to December, 2015. All of these patients taken an overnight CPAP titration in the Sleep Medicine Center of First People's Hospital of Yunnan Province. They were classified as with TE-CSA group and non TE-CSA group according to the outcome of CPAP titration. Comparisons of demographic characteristic, parameters of polysomnography in CPAP titration night, lung function test and blood gas analysis were made between the two groups, respectively, and statistical analysis was carried. Results: The incidence of TE-CSA was 16.5% (49/297) after initial CPAP titration at high altitude, which was higher in male patients (18.2% vs 6.8%, P =0.061). The incidence of TE-CSA decreased with the increase of age and body mass index (BMI), and the decrease of resident altitude. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that the resident altitude, mixed apnea index (MAI), forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV(1)) and forced vital capacity (FVC) ratio, functional residual capacity (RV) and total lung capacity (TLC) ratio were the main factors affecting the occurrence of TE-CSA. Among them, the increase of resident altitude and MAI were risk factors [ OR =1.16(1.02, 1.32), 1.05(1.01, 1.09)]. The increase of FEV(1)/FVC and RV/TLC were protective factors [ OR =0.94(0.89, 0.98), 0.94(0.88, 0.99)]. Conclusion: The incidence of TE-CSA is high at high altitude area, and the increase of resident altitude and MAI are the risk factors for TE-CSA.

Objectives: To explore the correlation between the expression levels of several RNA markers in human brain tissue and early postmortem interval （PMI）., Methods: Twelve individuals with known PMI （range from 4.3 to 22.5 h） were selected and total RNA was extracted from brain tissue. Eight commonly used RNA markers were chosen including β -actin, GAPDH, RPS29, 18S rRNA, 5S rRNA, U6 snRNA, miRNA-9 and miRNA-125b, and the expression levels were detected in brain tissue by real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR. The internal reference markers with stable expression in early PMI were screened using geNorm software and the relationship between its expression level and some relevant factors such as age, gender and cause of death were analyzed. RNA markers normalized by internal reference were inserted into the mathematic model established by previous research for PMI estimation using R software. Model quality was judged by the error rate calculated with estimated PMI., Results: 5S rRNA, miRNA-9 and miRNA-125b showed quite stable expression and their expression levels had no relation with age, gender and cause of death. The error rate of estimated PMI using β -actin was 24.6%, while GAPDH was 41.0%., Conclusions: 5S rRNA, miRNA-9 and miRNA-125b are suitable as internal reference markers of human brain tissue owing to their stable expression in early PMI. The expression level of β -actin correlates well with PMI, which can be used as an additional index for early PMI estimation., Competing Interests: The authors of this article and the planning committee members and staff have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose., (Copyright© by the Editorial Department of Journal of Forensic Medicine)

Orthotopic xenograft model of human brain cancer cells is a good preclinical model for evaluation of antitumor compounds. In the present study, an orthotopic xenograft model of U87MG-m Cherry-luc was established in Balb/c nude mice and the tumor growth was monitored via imaging technology including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), in vivo imaging (IVI) and micro-CT. Furthermore, the model was evaluated with a positive drug temozolomide. Our data suggest that integrated imaging technology including MRI, IVI and micro-CT in orthotopic xenograft model can be used to facilitate monitoring of cancer progression and evaluate antitumor activity of drugs against glioma.

Objectives: To explore the correlation between early postmortem interval （PMI） and eight RNA markers of rat's brain at different temperatures., Methods: Total 222 SD rats were randomly divided into control group （PMI=0 h） and four experimental groups. And the rats in the experimental groups were sacrificed by cervical dislocation and respectively kept at 5 ℃, 15 ℃, 25 ℃ and 35 ℃ in a controlled environment chamber. The RNA was extracted from brain tissues, which was taken at 9 time points from 1 h to 24 h postmortem. The expression levels of eight markers, β-actin, GAPDH, RPS29, 18S rRNA, 5S rRNA, U6 snRNA, miRNA-9 and miRNA-125b, were detected using real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR, respectively. Proper internal reference was selected by geNorm software. Regression analysis of normalized RNA markers was performed by SPSS software. Mathematical model for PMI estimation was established using R software. Another 6 SD rats with known PMI were used to verify the mathematical model., Results: 5S rRNA, miR-9 and miR-125b were suitable as internal reference markers for their stable expression. Both β-actin and GAPDH had well time-dependent degradation patterns and degraded continually with prolongation of PMI in 24 h postmortem. The mathematical model of the variation of ΔCt values with PMI and temperature was set up by R software and the model could be used for PMI estimation. The average error rates of model validation using β-actin and GAPDH were 14.1% and 22.2%, respectively., Conclusions: The expression levels of β-actin and GAPDH are well correlated with PMI and environmental temperature. The mathematical model established in present study can provide references for estimating early PMI under various temperature conditions., Competing Interests: The authors of this article and the planning committee members and staff have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose., (Copyright© by the Editorial Department of Journal of Forensic Medicine)

Objective: To explore the correlation between postmortem interval (PMI) and five RNA markers of rat's skin--β-actin, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), 18S ribosomal RNA(18S rRNA), 5S ribosomal RNA (5S rRNA), and microRNA-203 (miR-203), at different temperatures., Methods: Eighteen SD rats were randomly divided into three environmental temperature groups: 4 °C, 15 °C and 35 °C, respectively. Skin samples were taken at 11 time points from 0 h to 120 h post-mortem. The total RNA was extracted from the skin samples and the five RNA levels were detected by real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR. Proper internal reference was selected by geNorm software. Regression analysis of the RNA markers was conducted by GraphPad software., Results: 5S rRNA and miR-203 were most suitable internal references. A good linear relationship between PMI and RNA levels (β-actin and GAPDH) was observed in two groups (4 °C and 15 °C), whereas the S type curve relationship between the expression levels of the two markers (β-actin and GAPDH) and PMI was observed in the 35 °C group. The partial linear relationship between 18S rRNA and PMI was observed in the groups (15 °C and 35 °C)., Conclusion: Skin could be a suitable material for extracting RNA. The RNA expression levels of β-actin and GAPDH correlate well with PMI, and these RNA markers of skin tissue could be additional indice for the estimation of PMI.

Vectors used to carry foreign genes play an important role in gene therapy, among which, the adeno-associated virus (AAV) has many advantages, such as nonpathogenicity, low immunogenicity, stable and long-term expression and multiple-tissue-type infection, etc. These advantages have made AAV one of the most potential vectors in gene therapy, and widely used in many clinical researches, for example, Parkinson's disease. This paper introduces the biological characteristics of AAV and the latest research progress of AAV carrying neurotrophic factor, dopamine synthesis related enzymes and glutamic acid decarboxylase gene in the gene therapy of Parkinson's disease.

Objective: To observe the changes of relative expression of myocardial various RNAs in rats died of different causes and their relationship with PMI., Methods: The rat models were established in which the rats were sacrificed by broken neck, asphyxia, and hemorrhagic shock. Total RNAs were extracted from myocardium. The quantitative real time PCR was used to calculate threshold cycle values of RNAs including glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), beta-actin, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and U6 small nuclear RNA (U6 snRNA) and to study the changes of the relative expressions of various indexes with PMI., Results: U6 snRNA with stable expression level could be used as appropriate internal control. In the early PMI, the relative expression of GAPDH, HIF-1, iNOS, TNF-alpha, and IL-6 more characteristically increased in groups of asphyxia and hemorrhagic shock than in group of broken neck, but the quantity of beta-actin decreased in all groups. In the late PMI, all the relative expressions significantly declined in correlation with the degradation of RNA., Conclusion: The characteristic changes of each RNA expression can be used as references to estimate PMI in deaths by different causes.

Objective: To study the effects of oxytocin antagonists-atosiban on pregnancy outcome after thaw embryo transfer (TET)., Methods: Between Jul. and Dec. 2012, a total of 120 women undergoing TET in Reproductive Medical Center, General Hospital of Tianjin Medical University were randomly allocated into atosiban and control group. They were all transferred 2 or 3 top quality embryos at phase of 7-8 cells . Patients in atosiban group were administered by intravenous administration of atosiban before 30 minutes of embryo transfer with a total administered dose of 37.5 mg. In the control group, no special treatment was given before embryo transfer. All patients in 2 groups underwent progesterone luteal support regularly after embryo transfer, then the clinical rate of pregnancy, implantation and early abortion was compared., Results: The clinical pregnancy rate per cycle and implantation rate per transfer were 60% (36/60) and 30.0% (48/160) in the atosiban group, which were higher than 42% (25/60) and 20.3% (31/153) in the control group (all P < 0.05). Early abortion rate was 6% (2/36) in the atosiban group, which was no statistical difference comapring with control group [16% (4/25), P > 0.05]., Conclusion: It was suggested that atosiban treatment before embryo transfer can improve the outcome of pregnancy, and increase clinical pregnancy rate and implantation rate after TET.

Objectives: To evaluate the incidence and factors related to daytime CO2 retention (PaCO2 ≥ 45 mm Hg, 1 mm Hg = 0.133 kPa) in Chinese patients with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome., Methods: 1441 patients with OSAHS had daytime arterial blood gas analysis were recruited from 2007 to 2009 in Peking University People's Hospital. 145 patients underwent pulmonary function test and had FEV1/FVC ratio over 70% were under further analysis. Sex, age, BMI, pulmonary function, polysomnography (PSG) and blood gas analysis results were recorded. Linear regression analysis was used to evaluate the relationship between PaCO2 levels and related parameters. Comparison was done between hypercanpnic and eucapnic patients., Results: Daytime hypercapnia occurred in 25.2% of the 1441 patients with OSAHS, and 26.9% in the 145 OSAHS patients who had lung function test and with FEV1/FVC ratio over 70%. PaCO2 was correlated with BMI, PaO2 and the severity of nocturnal hypoxemia as reflected by the mean SpO2 and SIT90. This was also confirmed by the comparison between the hypercapnic and eucapnic patients., Conclusions: Hypercapnia occurs in a large part of patients with OSAHS and normal FEV1/FVC. BMI, nocturnal hypoxemia and daytime PaO2 level are all contributed to the development of daytime CO2 retention in OSAHS.

To conserve ecosystem and its services is a frontier and hot topic in the researches of conservation ecology. This paper reviewed the newest concepts and methods in the assessment of ecosystem and its services conservation, with the focus on the indicators and criteria for assessing the conservation status and the endangerment level of ecosystem as well as the main methods of ecosystem services assessment and conservation (including benefit transfer, systematic modeling, and quantitative indicator-based estimation). With the consideration of the research progress and the demands of ecological conservation in China, some issues to be urgently solved were put forward: 1) formulating the indicators, criteria, and methods suitable for the assessment of ecosystem conservation in China, 2) developing the methodologies for the quantitative assessment of ecosystem services, 3) determining the demands and optimal spatial arrangement of ecosystem and its services conservation in China, and 4) establishing the policies and incentive mechanisms for ecosystem and its services conservation. The resolution of these issues would supply important guarantee to the development of ecological civilization in China.

Aptamers are capable of binding a wide range of biomolecular targets with high affinity and specificity. It has been widely developed for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. Because of unique three dimensional structures and cell-membrane penetration, aptamers inhibit virus infection not only through binding specific target, such as the viral envelope, genomic site, enzyme, or other viral components, but also can be connected to each other or with siRNA jointly achieve antiviral activity. Taking human immunodeficiency virus and hepatitis C virus as examples, this paper reviewed the effects and mechanisms of aptamers on disturbing viral infection and replication steps. It may provide an insight to the development of aptamer-based new antiviral drugs.

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) refers to sudden stop of breath and heartbeat and death within one hour caused by underlying cardiac diseases. Clinical manifestation of inherited arrhythmia is lethal arrhythmia without gross cardiac lesions, which can lead to SCD. The autopsy and pathological examination are difficult to identify the cause of death. Fatal mechanism of inherited arrhythmia is the change in the genes encoding for cardiac ion channel protein, which causes the dysfunctions of cardiac electrical activity. It is very important to detect genetic mutation by the technique of molecular biology in negative autopsy. This review presents the latest research on the relation between SCD and inherited arrhythmia, and the application of molecular autopsy used in identifying SCD due to inherited arrhythmia and its candidate gene.

A new compound, named jiangxienone, has been isolated from a culture of the traditional Chinese medicinal mushroom Cordyceps jiangxiensis, and its chemical structure was established on the basis of spectroscopic and chemical techniques. Jiangxienone showed potent cytotoxic effects against human gastric adenocarcinoma SGC-7901 cell and human lung carcinoma A549 cell with IC(50) values ranging from 1.38 to 2.93 μM, i.e., with at least approximately six-fold stronger cytotoxicity than cisplatin, a first-line chemotherapy drug for cancer patients., (Copyright © 2012 Verlag Helvetica Chimica Acta AG, Zürich.)

Objective: To explore the post-therapeutic change of cathelicidin LL-37 in asthmatics of different inflammatory phenotypes., Methods: Thirty-four patients with initially diagnosed asthma (asthma group) and 14 normal subjects (control group) were recruited at Nanfang Hospital from August 2009 to August 2010 for this prospective study. Sputum and venous blood samples were collected and analyzed for cell differential. Eosinophilic asthma was defined as the count of sputum eosinophils ≥ 3%. The LL-37 concentrations in plasma and sputum supernatant were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit. The subjects were treated with budesonide/formoterol (160/4.5 µg) one inhalation twice daily and re-examined after 1 month., Results: Prior to treatment, there were no differences between the asthma and control groups in the levels of LL-37 in plasma and sputum supernatant (P = 0.427,0.427). The plasma concentrations of LL-37 in asthma group were negatively correlated with baseline forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV(1), r = -0.470, P = 0.005), percent predicted of FEV(1) (FEV(1)%pred, r = -0.421, P = 0.013) and forced vital capacity (FVC, r = -0.367, P = 0.033). After treatment, the plasma and sputum supernatant concentrations of LL-37 (M (Q(R))) in the asthma group (5.6 (16.2), 65.6 (184.0) µg/L) were significantly higher than those baseline concentrations (5.03 (9.21), 28.40(109.76) µg/L, P = 0.005, 0.015). In the eosinophilic asthma subgroup, the plasma and sputum supernatant concentrations of LL-37 (M (Q(R))) after treatment (5.3 (19.3), 65.6 (185.2) µg/L) were significantly higher than those baseline concentrations (6.7 (8.9) L, 35.3 (102.0) µg/L, P = 0.021,0.014). And in the non-eosinophilic asthma subgroup, the changes of plasma and sputum supernatant concentrations of LL-37 showed no significant differences (P = 0.139, 0.386). In the asthma group, the correlations between plasma concentrations of LL-37 and FEV(1), FEV(1)%pred, FVC were not statistically significant (P = 0.283, 0.706,0.272) after treatment., Conclusions: LL-37 may participate in the aggravation of asthma. The elevated concentrations of LL-37 in eosinophilic asthma is probably due to the resolved suppression of LL-37 expression by eosinophilic inflammation. But its mechanism needs further researches.

High mobility group A2 protein (HMGA2), an architectural factor, is highly expressed in various cancer types including lung cancers. It is a candidate target for cancer therapy. RNAi is an effective gene silencing method with low cost and less time-consuming. It is possible to exploit this technology in therapy. Here, 5 siRNAs targeting Hmga2 gene (HMGA2 siRNA1-5) were designed and synthesized. MTT assay, colony formation assay, transwell assay and flow cytometry were used to evaluate the effects of these siRNAs on lung cancer cell lines (NCI-H446 and A549). Results from cell proliferation, clone formation, migration and apoptosis showed that HMGA2 siRNA1, 3, 5 could affect these aspects for both lung cancer cell lines. Among the five siRNAs, HMGA2 siRNA5 showed the greatest inhibition effects. The inhibition effects of HMGA2 siRNA5 are sequence specific and are not due to the induction of interferon response. Taken together, siRNAs targeting Hmga2 gene are potential candidates for lung cancer gene therapy.

The variations of width and shift of Ar I (2P2 --> 1S5) spectral line with discharge parameters were studied in a slot microplasma. In order to measure the wavelength shift, the Ar I (2P2 --> 1S5) spectral line emitted from argon discharge at pressure of 10 Pa was used as a reference line. With the gas pressure increasing in the range of 1 x 10(4) - 6 x 10(4) Pa, the width and shift of Ar I (2P2 --> 1S5) spectral line were measured in argon (99.92%)/air discharge. It was found that both the width and the shift of Ar I (2P2 --> 1S5) spectral line increase linearly with the increase in gas pressure, indicating that the electron density increases with the increase in gas pressure. In addition, the width and the shift of Ar I (2P2 --> 1S5) spectral line at gas gap width of 100 and 300 microm were measured for comparison. It was found that both increase with the increase in gas gap width, which indicates that the electron density in the slot microplasma increases with the increase in gas gap width.

Objective: To investigate the level of the patients perceived control of asthma (PCA) in South China and analyze the risk factors contributing to inadequate PCA., Methods: A total of 150 asthmatic out-patients consisting of 86 males and 64 females aged 19-65 (38.6∓11.7) years were enrolled in this investigation. The patients were asked to complete questionnaires of the demographic data, perceived control of asthma (PCAQ-6) scales, asthma control test (ACT) scales and Standard asthma-specific quality of life [AQLQ(S)] scale. The data of spirometric measurements, blood cell count and induced sputum cell count were also collected., Results: All the 150 asthmatic out-patients recruited completed the questionnaires and examinations. The PCAQ-6 scores ranged from 10 to 26 (18.75∓3.42) in these patients (18.6∓3.28 in male and 18.95∓3.6 in female patients), significantly lower than those reported in other countries (P<1). PCA was positively correlated to the level of asthma control (r(p)=0.377, P=0.000) and AQLQ(S) scores (r(p)=0.675, P=0.000). Multiple linear regression showed that PCA was positively correlated to FEV1% and blood neutrophil counts, and inversely to asthma duration., Conclusion: The level of the PCA appears inadequate in South China. The PCA can affect the level of asthma control and asthma-specific quality of life. The factors contributing to inadequate PCA include primarily asthma duration, lung function and blood neutrophil counts.

Comparative pharmacokinetic (PK) analysis is often carried out throughout the entire period of drug development, the common approach for the assessment of pharmacokinetics between different treatments requires that the individual PK parameters, which employs estimation of 90% confidence intervals for the ratio of average parameters, such as AUC and Cmax, these 90% confidence intervals then need to be compared with the pre-specified equivalent interval, and last we determine whether the two treatments are equivalent. Unfortunately in many clinical circumstances, some or even all of the individuals can only be sparsely sampled, making the individual evaluation difficult by the conventional non-compartmental analysis. In such cases, nonlinear mixed effect model (NONMEM) could be applied to analyze the sparse data. In this article, we simulated a sparsely sampling design trial based on the dense sampling data from a truly comparative PK study. The sparse data were analyzed with NONMEM method, and the original dense data were analyzed with non-compartment analysis. Although the trial design and analysis methods are different, the 90% confidence intervals for the ratio of PK parameters based on 1000 Bootstrap are very similar, indicated that the analysis based on NONMEM is a reliable method to treat with the sparse data in the comparative pharmacokinetic study.

Slot microplasma was generated in argon and air mixture by using dielectric barrier discharge device with two parallel water electrodes. The molecular vibrational temperature, molecular rotational temperature and average electron energy of the slot plasma were studied by optical emission spectrum. The molecular vibrational temperature was calculated using the second positive system of nitrogen molecules ( C3 pi(u) --> B3 pi(g)). The molecular rotational temperature was calculated using the first negative system of nitrogen molecular ions ( B 2sigma(u)+ --> X sigma(g)+). The relative intensities of the first negative system of nitrogen molecular ions (391.4 nm) and nitrogen molecules in the excitation level (337.1 nm) emission spectrum line were measured for studying the variations of electron energy. It was found that the molecular vibrational temperature, molecular rotational temperature and average electron energy decrease with gas pressure increasing.

Background: Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is the most aggressive form of lung cancer. This study aimed to investigate the mechanism of human small cell lung cancer cell line resistance to etoposide (VP-16), H446/VP., Methods: The cell viability was measured by MTT assay. Immunocytochemistry, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blotting methods were used to detect the multidrug resistance gene (MDR1), bcl-2, bax and the topoisomerase II (Topo II) expressions in H446 and H446/VP cells after treated with or without VP-16., Results: The 50% inhibition concentration (IC50) of VP-16 on H446 cells was 49 mg/L, and 836 mg/L was for H446/VP cells. The expressions of MDR1 and bcl-2 were up-regulated, while the amounts of bax and Topo II were reduced in H446/VP cells. After treated with 49 mg/L of VP-16, it showed that the drug could significantly inhibit bcl-2 and Topo II expressions, and increase bax expression in H446 cells compared with that of H446/VP cells., Conclusions: The H446/VP cell was stably resistant to VP-16. The decreased expression of Topo II was correlated with the H446/VP multidrug resistance. The elevated expressions of MDR1, and the altered apoptotic pathways also played an important role in VP-16 induced multidrug resistance of SCLC.

Based on the 2000-2008 MODIS-NDVI images and using dimidiate pixel model, a dynamic evaluation was made on the vegetation coverage in northern Shaanxi Province, one of the ecologically fragile area in China, under the backgrounds of returning farmland to forestland and grassland and of the integrated management of soil and water loss. In 2000-2008, the vegetation coverage in the study area fluctuated within a year, being the highest in August and the lowest in March, and showed an increasing trend from the northwest to the southeast. The annual maximum vegetation coverage had a pronounced increase, but the area of medium and high coverage increased while that of low coverage decreased. The increased area of vegetation coverage occupied more than half of the study area, especially in the northeast. Climate features and human activities were the main causes inducing the pronounced increase of vegetation coverage, reflecting to a certain extent the effectiveness of ecological restoration efforts. The dimidiate pixel model based on the MODIS-NDVI images could well and truly simulate the spatiotemporal variation trend of the vegetation cover in northern Shaanxi, and be applicable to quantitatively estimate and evaluate the effectiveness of vegetation restoration at regional scale.

The paper aimed to find the optimal combination and evaluation of the interactions of antitumor effect of the curcumin (Cur) and adriamycin (ADM) in vitro. According to the factorial design and data characteristics, the parameter method combined with the response surface approach were used to analyze the pharmacodynamic interactions of in vitro antitumor effects of the combination of Cur and ADM at different dosages. The results showed that the dose-effect relationship of the combination with the ratio of ADM-Cur 1:3 showed significant differences in comparison with either used alone. The dose-effect curve was shift left in combination. The combination of adriamycin (ADM, 0.693-2.132 micromol L(-1)) and curcumin (Cur, 2.047-6.304 micromol L(-1)) with a fixed ratio (1:3) showed a synergism. With increasing doses of the combination, there is an additive effect. Computer simulation showed a trend of decreasing difference between the observed and expected effects with the dose increasing in Cur from 6.304 to 16.0 micromol L(-1) and ADM from 2.132 to 5.3 micromol L(-1). The response surface analysis showed the optimal combination to be Cur 18.50 micromol L(-1) and ADM 3.89 micromol L(-1) with a ratio of 5:1. This study suggests that the parameter method combined with the response surface analysis provides richer and more reasonable information, and is helpful for quantitative design of drug combination therapy and to describe the nature and degree of drug interaction.

Based on the 10-day SPOT VEGETATION NDVI data and the daily meteorological data from 1998 to 2007 in Yan' an City, the main meteorological variables affecting the annual and interannual variations of NDVI were determined by using regression tree. It was found that the effects of test meteorological variables on the variability of NDVI differed with seasons and time lags. Temperature and precipitation were the most important meteorological variables affecting the annual variation of NDVI, and the average highest temperature was the most important meteorological variable affecting the inter-annual variation of NDVI. Regression tree was very powerful in determining the key meteorological variables affecting NDVI variation, but could not build quantitative relations between NDVI and meteorological variables, which limited its further and wider application.

Sediment gyration sampling was conducted in June 2006 to analyze the profile distribution of sediment particle sizes at a check-dam built in 1954 in a typical small watershed of hilly and gully Loess plateau. There were at least 28 layers of sediment gyration at the check-dam, with the layer depth varied from 2 cm to 60 cm. In the sediment profile, silt (0.05-0.002 mm) occupied > 60%, its particle size being mainly within the range of 0.01-0.05 mm, while coarse sand (> 0.05 mm) accounted for 23.09%. The variation degree of sediment particle sizes increased with increasing depth, and an abrupt change was observed at the depth 2 m. Both longitudinal gradient and hydrodynamic condition caused the variation of sediment particle sizes. There was an accumulated plough layer of 72 cm thickness in the profile, which had indicative role for the sediment erosion environment of check dam.

Based on the land use change data and by using 137Cs tracer technique, this paper studied the change process of soil erosion intensity in Yangjuangou watershed in Loess Hilly Region. Since the 1980's, the land use intensity in the watershed decreased gradually. In 1980-2006, the slope arable land decreased from 94.9 hm2 to 0.2 hmb2, while the forest land, shrub land, orchard land, and grassland increased from 0 to 51.1 hm2, from 0 to 19.2 hm2, from 0 to 18.0 hm2, and from 76.9 hm2 to 80.1 hmb2, respectively. The soil erosion intensity was in the order of slope arable land > shrub land > orchard land > grass land > forest land. In 1980, 1984, 1996, and 2006, the soil erosion intensity was 6408.9, 5362.4, 4903.9, and 3641.4 t x km(-2) x a(-1), respectively, being changed from intense to moderate. Soil and water conservation and vegetation restoration were the main causes of the decrease of soil erosion intensity in the study area.

Objective: To investigate the effect of acute hypoxia and/or hypercapnia on cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) and blood pressure (BP) in patients with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS)., Method: CAVI and blood pressure were measured before and after isocapnic hypoxic, hyperoxia hypercapnic, and hypoxic and hypercapnic challenge in 28 non-hypertensive patients with OSAHS (AHI > 10/h) and 26 healthy controls (AHI < 5/h), respectively. They were matched for age and sex. Hypoxia and hypercapnia were induced by re-breathing technique., Results: The 2 groups had no differences in regard to systolic (SBP) and diastolic BP(DBP) and CAVI. After hypercapnic challenge, SBP increased significantly in both groups. CAVI decreased significantly in controls, but not in OSAHS. Hypoxia induced significant increase of CAVI, but not in OSAHS. SBP and DBP maintained to the pre-challenge levels in both group. Hypercapnia and hypoxia together caused increase of SBP in both groups, and CAVI increased significantly in controls, but not in OSAHS., Conclusions: Acute hypoxia and hypercapnia exposure caused change of arterial stiffness and BP in both control and patients with sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome. However, CAVI responses to hypoxic and/or hypercapnic challenge were blunted in patients with OSAHS.

Objective: To investigate the effect of Changyanqing decoction, a traditional Chinese medicinal preparation, on the expressions of interleukin-10 (IL-10) and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) in the colon mucosa of rats with ulcerative colitis., Methods: The rats with ulcerative colitis induced by trinitrobenzene sulphonic acid and ethanol enema were randomly divided into 3 groups, namely the model group, sulfasalazine (SASP) group, and Changyanqing decoction group. Daily treatment with intragastric administration and enema of normal saline, SASP (100 mg/kg), and Changyanqing decoction (39.75 mg/kg), respectively, were administered 24 h after the establishment of colitis till the end of the experiment. Another group of rats was used as the normal control group. The disease activity index (DAI) and colon mucosa damage index (CMDI) of the rats were calculated. The activity of myeloperoxidase (MPO) was measured by biochemical method, and the expressions of IL-10 and ICAM-1 protein were measured by ELISA and immunohistochemistry, respectively., Results: Compared with the normal group, the model group showed significantly increased DAI, CMDI, HS score and MPO activity in the colon tissues (P < 0.01), with also significantly increased expression of ICAM-1 (P < 0.01) and decreased expression of IL-10 in the rat colon mucosa (P < 0.01). Treatment with Changyanqing decoction resulted in a significant reduction in DAI, CMDI, HS score and MPO activity (P < 0.01), and decreased the expression of ICAM-1 (P < 0.01) and increased the expression of IL-10 (P < 0.01) in the colon mucosa. The expression of ICAM-1 in the colon mucosa was positively correlated to that of IL-10 (r = 0.927, P < 0.01) and the activity of MPO (r = 0.621, P < 0.01)., Conclusions: Changyanqing decoction has protective effect against rat ulcerative colitis, mediated probably by enhancement of IL-10 expression and reduction in ICAM-1 expression and neutrophil infiltration.

Objective: To probe into the therapeutic effect of catgut implantation at acupoint on exercise fatigue and to study on the mechanism., Methods: Catgut implantation was given at main points Guanyuan (CV 4), Shen shu (BL 23), Mingmen (GV 4), Zusanli (ST 36), Sanyinjiao (SP 6) in 41 players during training for 2 courses. Training-related condition and changes of blood testosterone (T) and hemoglobin (Hb) before and after training were observed., Results: After treatment, sleeping quality, the mental state at the time of getting out of bed in the morning, appetite, training wish, training stamina, training quality, training attention, etc. in the player significantly improved, and blood T and Hb levels significantly increased., Conclusion: Catgut implantation at acupoints can significantly improve exercise fatigue in the player and the mechanism is possibly related with increase of testosterone and hemoglobin levels.

Objective: To investigate the effect of short-term continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment on the arterial stiffness in patients with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS)., Methods: Cardio ankle vascular index (CAVI) and blood pressure (BP) were measured before and after sleep in 60 non-hypertensive patients with OSAHS and gender and 60 age-matched healthy controls. CPAP was administrated in 22 of the 60 OSAHS patients. And on the first and third days of the CPAP treatment CAVI and BP were measured in the morning, i. e., after sleep., Results: In the morning, the CAVI of the OSAHS patients was 8.0 +/- 1.2 m/s, significantly higher than that before sleep (7.3 +/- 1.0, P = 0.000), the diastolic BP (DBP) was (86 +/- 12) mm Hg, significantly higher than that before sleep (83 +/- 13 mmHg, P = 0.001), and the mean BP (MBP) was (101 +/- 12) mm Hg, significantly higher than that before sleep (98 +/- 14, P = 0.00116). However, there were no significant differences in these parameters among the controls The systolic BP (SBP) of the OSAHS patients did not changed significantly after sleep, however, there was a tendency to decrease in the controls [(123 +/- 14) vs (121 +/- 13) mm Hg, P = 0.074). After the first night treatment, the CAVI, SBP, DBP, and mean BP of the 22 severe OSAHS patients decreased significantly (all P < 0.05), and after three nights treatment, only the CAVI showed further significant decrease (P < 0.05)., Conclusion: Sleep induces increase of artery stiffness in OSAHS patients, but not in the normal controls. Short-term CPAP may decrease CAVI without affecting the blood pressures. Early atherosclerosis in the patients with OSAHS may be reversed by CPAP therapy.

This study introduces the construction of the first intraspecific genetic linkage map of the A-genome diploid cotton with newly developed simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers using 189 F(2) plants derived from the cross of two Asiatic cotton cultivars (Gossypium arboreum L.) Jianglingzhongmian x Zhejiangxiaoshanlüshu. Polymorphisms between the two parents were detected using 6 092 pairs of SSR primers. Two-hundred and sixty-eight pairs of SSR primers with better polymorphisms were picked out to analyze the F(2) population. In total, 320 polymorphic bands were generated and used to construct a linkage map with JoinMap3.0. Two-hundred and sixty-seven loci, including three phenotypic traits were mapped at a logarithms of odds ratio (LOD) > or = 3.0 on 13 linkage groups. The total length of the map was 2 508.71 cM, and the average distance between adjacent markers was 9.40 cM. Chromosome assignments were according to the association of linkages with our backbone tetraploid specific map using the 89 similar SSR loci. Comparisons among the 13 suites of orthologous linkage groups revealed that the A-genome chromosomes are largely collinear with the A(t) and D(t) sub-genome chromosomes. Chromosomes associated with inversions suggested that allopolyploidization was accompanied by homologous chromosomal rearrangement. The inter-chromosomal duplicated loci supply molecular evidence that the A-genome diploid Asiatic cotton is paleopolyploid.

Objective: To analyze the polysomnographic (PSG) features of sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (SAHS) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and to define the association between SAHS and respiratory control disorder., Methods: Three hundred patients with stable COPD were screened for SAHS using questionnaire, Epworth sleep scale (ESS) and home pulse oximeter testing. Those with ESS > or = 10 or oxygen desaturation over 3% more than 5 times per hour sleep were under further PSG testing. The PSG features were compared between COPD patients with apnea hypopnea index (AHI) > 10 and 118 SAHS patients with normal lung function. The two groups were matched for age, body mass index (BMI) and AHI. Among them 22 with COPD and AHI > or = 10 were tested for the chemo-responsiveness to isocapnic hypoxia and hypercapnia., Results: Among the 300 patients with stable COPD, 79 had AHI over 10, meeting the diagnostic criteria of overlap syndrome (OS). Analysis of the polysomnography found that 32 cases (40%) with OS had more hypoventilation lasting over 1 min during sleep. Compared to patients with SAHS only, OS patients had higher percentage of hypopnea index over AHI [(69 +/- 30)% vs (52 +/- 31)%] and a higher percentage of total hypopnea time over total time of sleep apnea and hypopnea [(15 +/- 12)% vs (12 +/- 10)%]. OS patients also had lower hypoxic [(-0.11 +/- 0.05) vs (-0.35 +/- 0.24) L.min(-1).%(-1)] and hypercapnic responses [(1.1 +/- 0.8) vs (1.6 +/- 0.8) L.min(-1).mm Hg(-1) (1 mm Hg = 0.133 kPa)]., Conclusion: Patients with both COPD and SAHS had more episodes of hypopnea and hypoventilation during sleep, and had depressed chemo-responsiveness to hypoxia during wakefulness.

Objective: To investigate the effect of noninvasive ventilation on respiratory control in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) combined with sleep a apnea-hypopnea syndrome (SAHS)-overlap syndrome (OS)., Methods: Ten body mass index, apnea-hypopnea index, and age-matched OSAHS patients, 5 being hypercapnic (PaCO(2) > 45 mm Hg) OSAHS patients with normal FEV(1)/FVC, and 5 being OSAHS patients with COPD and the mean FEV(1)/FVC of 59% +/- 6% underwent bi-level positive airway pressure (BiPAP) treatment. Hypoxic responses, including the ratio of the change in minute ventilation (DeltaVE) to the change in arterial oxygen saturation (DeltaSaO(2)), and hypercapnic responses (DeltaVE/DeltaPaCO(2) ratio) were tested during wakefulness before treatment and 6 weeks after the treatment., Results: Before treatment, the DeltaVE/DeltaSaO(2) ratios of the OS and OSAHS patients were (-0.023 +/- 0.049) L.min(-1).%(-1) and (-0.16 +/- 0.06) L.min(-1).%(-1) respectively, both lower than the laboratory normal value [(-0.35 +/- 0.21) L.min(-1).%(-1)]. The DeltaVE/DeltaPaCO(2) ratio of the OS patients was (0.54 +/- 0.16) L.mm Hg(-1), significantly lower than the normal value [(1.26 +/- 0.54) L.mm.Hg(-1), P < 0.05]. After receiving 6 weeks of noninvasive ventilation treatment, the hypoxic response of OSAHS patients were (-0.16 +/- 0.06) L.min(-1).%(-1), significantly higher than that before treatment [(-0.36 +/- 0.14) L.min(-1).%(-1)], and hypercapnic response of the OSAHS patients was (1.30 +/- 0.62) L.min(-1).mm Hg(-1), significantly lower than that before treatment [(1.78 +/- 0.93) L.min(-1).mm Hg(-1)], both bring within the normal ranges. In the patients with OS, the hypercapnic response was unchanged [(0.54 +/- 0.16) vs (0.51 +/- 0.23) L.min(-1).mm Hg(-1)], and the hypoxic responses increased significantly but still remained at a very low level [(-0.023 +/- 0.049) vs (-0.09 +/- 0.007) L.min(-1).%(-1)] after treatment., Conclusion: Hypercapnic and hypoxic responses in patients with OS and in patients with OSAHS respond differently after pressure support ventilation. This indicates that depressed chemoresponsiveness in patients with OS may not be only a response to sleep-disordered breathing.

Objective: To investigate the changes of CD4(+)CD28(-) T cell and CD4(+)CD25(+) regulatory T cell (Treg) subsets in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD)., Methods: Twenty-eight patients with angiographically established CAD were recruited in this study, including 16 with unstable angina (UA group) and 12 with stable angina (SA group). Eleven patients with chest pain syndrome served as the control group. The proportions of peripheral CD4(+)CD28(-) T cells and CD4(+)CD25(+) Treg subsets were determined with fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS)., Results: The proportions of CD4(+)CD25(+) Treg were significantly lower in UA group (6.55-/+2.45%) than in SA (14.01-/+4.92%) and control groups (13.55-/+3.87%). The proportions of CD4(+)CD28(-) T cells were significantly higher in UA group (10.55-/+4.76%) than in SA (2.64-/+1.33%) and control (2.75-/+1.55%) groups., Conclusion: Alterations of circulating T-lymphocyte subsets occur in patients with UA. The changes of Treg and CD4(+)CD28(-) T cells may lead to breakdown of peripheral autoimmune tolerance and play an important role in the development and progression of CHD.

Objective: To investigate the sleep architectures of patients with narcolepsy., Methods: 38 drug-naive narcoleptic patients, 25 males and 13 females, aged 21 +/- 6.5, and 44 age-, sex ratio-, and BMI-matched normal persons underwent polysomnography (PSG) and multiple sleep latency test (MSLT) during one night sleep. Conventional visual scoring of the polysomnograms was performed according to the international., Results: The sleep latency of the patients was 5.6 min, however, 30 patients (79%) complained of fragmented nocturnal sleep and difficulty to fall asleep again. The sleep efficiency of the narcoleptics was 81.7% +/- 12.5%, significantly lower than that of the normal persons (87.1% +/- 7.9%, P = 0.029). The non-rapid eye movement (NREM) I sleep accounted for (21.5 +/- 12.2)% in the patients, a proportion significantly higher than that of the normal persons [(10.3 +/- 6.3)%, P = 0.000]). The AHI of the patients was 0.6 +/- 1.3 times/h, not significantly different from that of the normal persons (0.5 +/- 1.1 times/h). Although the rapid eye movement (REM) period and eye movement density of the narcoleptics were significantly increased, their REM period duration was not significantly different from that of the normal subjects (17.7% +/- 6.9% vs 18.9% +/- 5.5%, P = 0.23), probably due to the interruption of REM sleep by more frequent arousals in narcoleptics. PSG did not show significant periodic leg movements in these 2 groups., Conclusion: One of the important symptoms of narcolepsy, night sleep disturbance may contribute to the pathological sleepiness of narcolepsy during daytime.

Objective: To study the effect of human urotensin II (HU II) on secretion of adrenomedullin (ADM) from human vascular endothelial cells (HVEC) and its mechanism., Methods: In cultured HVEC, different concentrations of HUII were used to stimulate the ADM secretion from HVEC, and the inhibitors of different signal transduction pathway were used to investigate their effects on ADM secretion. The contents of ADM in medium were determined by radio immunoassay., Results: HUII stimulated secretion of ADM from HVEC in a time-dependent and concentration-dependent manner. The contents of ADM in the experiment groups were changed compared with that in control group (P < 0.05). The increase of ADM could be inhibited by inhibitor of extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (PD(98059)), inhibitor of P38 kinase (SB(202190)), inhibitor of calmodulin (W(7)) and inhibitor of Ca(2+) (nicardipine) (P < 0.05). The inhibition ratio in those groups was 68%, 78%, 24% and 25% respectively. But the inhibitor of Calcineurin (CaN) and inhibitor of protein kinase C (H(7)) had no influence on the secretion of ADM from HVEC (P > 0.05)., Conclusion: The stimulated effect of HUII on the ADM secretion from HVEC may be mediated by Ca(2+), ERKs, CaM-PK and P38 signal transduction pathways.