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Background Procymidone (PCM) exposure can cause damage to reproductive organs of male mice, but whether its mechanism is related to the retinoic acid (RA) signaling pathway is unclear. Objective To explore the possible mechanism of PCM-induced testes damage in adolescent mice. Methods Three-week-old ICR mice (n=64) were randomly divided into a control group and three dose groups (low, medium, and high), with 16 mice in each group. PCM was administered orally at 0, 50, 100, and 200 mg·kg−1·d−1 for 21 consecutive days. Serum and bilateral testes in each mouse were collected to detect content of testosterone in serum and to observe histological changes in testis section after the mice were sacrificed one week after cessation of drug administration. Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR and Western blotting were used to detect the mRNA expression abundances of genes related to the RA signaling pathway and apoptosis genes Casp9 and Casp12, and the protein expression levels of CYP26A1, ALDH2, and CASP9 respectively. Results Compared with the control group, there was no significant change in the overall appearance and testicular appearance of mice in each dose group after the PCM exposure. According to pathological section observation, the testicular seminiferous tubules of mice in the low-dose group showed slight atrophy and reduced sperm production; the testes of mice in the medium- and the high-dose groups showed obvious pathological damage (e.g. dilated lumen of seminiferous tubules, damaged spermatogenic epithelium, decreased number of spermatogonia, and partial absence of sertoli cells); as the concentration of PCM increased, the degree of spermatogenic epithelial damage in mice gradually increased and the number of spermatozoa in the seminiferous tubules decreased. There were no significant differences in the distance between the anus and the genitals, testicular mass, testicular volume, and testicular organ coefficient among the four groups of mice (P>0.05). The body weights of the mice in the low-, medium-, and high-dose groups were (34.91±1.89), (34.88±1.75), and (32.94±1.37) g respectively, and that in the high-dose group was lower than that in the control group, (35.93±1.99) g, (P<0.05); the serum testosterone concentrations were (313.77±5.32), (305.31±3.47), and (304.80±5.28) pg·mL−1 respectively, which were lower than that in the control group, (319.05±1.92) pg·mL−1 (P<0.05); as the dose of PCM increased, the body weight and serum testosterone concentration showed decreasing trends. The mRNA expression levels of Stra6 and Rbp1 in the high-dose group were higher than those in the control group (P<0.05); the mRNA expression levels of Aldh2, Aldh1a1, Aldh1a3, Rarα, Rar\begin{document}$\beta $\end{document}, Rxrα and Rxr\begin{document}$\beta $\end{document} in the medium-and the high-dose groups were higher than those in the control group (P<0.05); the mRNA expression levels of Cyp26a1 and Cyp26b1 in the medium- and high-dose groups were lower than those in the control group(P<0.05); the mRNA expression levels of apoptosis genes Casp9 and Casp12 in the medium-and the high-dose groups were higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). The protein expression level of CYP26A1 in each exposure group was lower than that in the control group (P<0.05), and the expression level decreased with increasing concentration of PCM; the expression level of ALDH2 protein in the medium- and the high-dose groups and the protein expression level of CASP9 in each exposure group were higher than those in the control group (P<0.05), and the levels increased with increasing concentration of PCM. Conclusion PCM can damage the testis tissues of adolescent mice, where RA signaling pathway, Casp9 and Casp12 genes, and CASP9 protein are activated.
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Objective To establish a method to determine the contents of total flavonoids and shikimic acid in pine needles of Pinus massoniana Lamb.in Wudang Area.Methods Rutin was used as reference standard,and the content of total flavonoids in pine needles of Pinus massoniana Lamb. was determined by UV spectrometry at wavelength of 500 nm. The content of shikimic acid was determined by HPLC-DAD. The Fortis Xi C8 column (5 μm, 250 mm × 4.6 mm) was adopted with acetonitrile - 0.4% phosphoric acid solution (8:92, V/V) as mobile phase at the flow rate of 0.9 mL/min. The detection wavelength was 213 nm; the column temperature was 30 ℃; the injection volume was 20 μL. Results The linear range was 8.26-49.54 μg for rutin (r=0.999 4) with an average recovery of 99.2%, RSD=1.94%. The linear range was 10.26-61.56 μg for shikimic acid (r=0.999 4) with an average recovery of 99.5%,RSD=1.93%.The contents of total flavonoids in pine needles of Pinus massoniana Lamb.was 28.33 mg/g, and shikimic acid was 15.25 mg/g, respectively. Conclusion The method is simple, rapid, accurate and reproducible. It can be used for the content determination of total flavonoids and shikimic acid in pine needles of Pinus massoniana Lamb. in Wudang Area.
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Objective :To analyze influence of probucol combined atorvastatin on hemodynamics and blood lipids in patients with large artery cerebral infarction (LACI).Methods :A total of 92 LACI patients were randomly and e-qually divided into atorvastatin group and combined treatment group (received atorvastatin combined probucol ) , both groups were treated for six months .Therapeutic effect etc indexes before and after treatment were compared between two groups .Results :Compared with atorvastatin group after six-month treatment ,there were significant reductions in levels of TC [ (4.57 ± 0.82) mmol/L vs.(3.23 ± 0.71) mmol/L] ,TG [ (1.37 ± 0.45) mmol/L vs. (1.02 ± 0.34) mmol/L] ,LDL-C [ (2.52 ± 0.83) mmol/L vs .(1.50 ± 0.54) mmol/L] ,oxidized low density lipo-protein [ox-LDL ,(78.36 ± 14.05) mg/L vs.(58.37 ± 12.00) mg/L] ,left and right middle cerebral artery pulsatili-ty index (PI) [left :(0.84 ± 0.25) vs.(0.74 ± 0.14) ,right :(0.84 ± 0.23) vs.(0.74 ± 0.16)] and inflammatory factors ,and significant rise in total effective rate (69.57% vs.89.13% P＝0.020) ,left and right middle cerebral systolic blood flow velocity (Vs) [left :(87.45 ± 15.58) cm/s vs.(95.48 ± 18.34) cm/s ,right :(89.27 ± 14.36) cm/s vs.(96.18 ± 14.03) cm/s] and mean blood flow velocity (Vm) [left :(60.90 ± 16.19) cm/s vs .(76.19 ± 17.40) cm/s ,right :(62.08 ± 17.23) cm/s vs .(91.38 ± 19.26) cm/s] in combined treatment group ,P＜0.05 or ＜0.01. There was no significant difference in drug adverse reactions incidence rate between two groups , P＝1. 000 .Conclu-sion :Therapeutic effect of probucol combined atorvastatin is significantly better than that of pure atorvastatin on large artery cerebral infarction .It can more significantly improve blood lipids and intracranial artery hemodynamics with anti-inflammatory effects .
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Objective To study the damage propagation and evolution mechanism of cartilage under compressive loads.Methods The fiber-reinforced porous elastic model of cartilage with micro-defect was established by using finite element method,and the process of damage evolution under compressive loads was simulated and analyzed with parameters.The patterns of stress and strain distributions on cartilage matrix and collagen fiber at different damage extension stages were obtained.Results The strain in the surface and forefront of cartilage damage increased significantly with the increase of compression displacement,and they were obviously in positive correlation;in the process of damage evolution,there was a trend that cartilage extended to the deep and both sides simultaneously;cracks and damage in cartilage extended preferentially along the fiber tangent direction.With the aggravation of cartilage damage,the lateral extension speed was significantly faster than the longitudinal extension speed.Conclusions The process of cartilage damage extension has a close relationship with the distribution of fibers.The damages in matrix and fiber promote each other.The evolution speed and degree of cartilage vary constantly in different layers and at different stages.These results can provide the qualitative reference for prediction and repair of cartilage damage,as well as the theoretical basis for explaining pathological phenomena of damage degeneration and its clinic treatment.
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Objective To study the damage propagation and evolution mechanism of cartilage under compressive loads.Methods The fiber-reinforced porous elastic model of cartilage with micro-defect was established by using finite element method,and the process of damage evolution under compressive loads was simulated and analyzed with parameters.The patterns of stress and strain distributions on cartilage matrix and collagen fiber at different damage extension stages were obtained.Results The strain in the surface and forefront of cartilage damage increased significantly with the increase of compression displacement,and they were obviously in positive correlation;in the process of damage evolution,there was a trend that cartilage extended to the deep and both sides simultaneously;cracks and damage in cartilage extended preferentially along the fiber tangent direction.With the aggravation of cartilage damage,the lateral extension speed was significantly faster than the longitudinal extension speed.Conclusions The process of cartilage damage extension has a close relationship with the distribution of fibers.The damages in matrix and fiber promote each other.The evolution speed and degree of cartilage vary constantly in different layers and at different stages.These results can provide the qualitative reference for prediction and repair of cartilage damage,as well as the theoretical basis for explaining pathological phenomena of damage degeneration and its clinic treatment.
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Objective To study the damage propagation and evolution mechanism of cartilage under compressive load. Methods The fiber-reinforced porous elastic model of cartilage with micro-defect was established by using finite element method, and the process of damage evolution under compressive load was simulated and analyzed with parameters. The patterns of stress and strain distributions on cartilage matrix and collagen fiber at different damage extension stage were obtained. Results The strain in surface and the forefront of cartilage damage increased significantly with the increase of compression displacement, and they were obviously in positive correlation; in the process of damage evolution, there was a trend that cartilage extended to the deep and both sides simultaneously; cracks and damage in cartilage extended preferentially along the fiber tangent direction. With the aggravation of cartilage damage, the lateral extension speed was significantly faster than the longitudinal extension speed. Conclusions The process of cartilage damage extension has a close relationship with the distribution of fibers. And the damage in matrix and fiber promote each other. The evolution speed and degree of cartilage vary constantly in different layers and at different stages. These results can provide the qualitative reference for prediction and repair of cartilage damage, as well as the theoretical basis for explaining clinical pathological phenomena of damage degeneration and treatment.
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Objective To study the damage propagation and evolution mechanism of cartilage under compressive loads.Methods The fiber-reinforced porous elastic model of cartilage with micro-defect was established by using finite element method,and the process of damage evolution under compressive loads was simulated and analyzed with parameters.The patterns of stress and strain distributions on cartilage matrix and collagen fiber at different damage extension stages were obtained.Results The strain in the surface and forefront of cartilage damage increased significantly with the increase of compression displacement,and they were obviously in positive correlation;in the process of damage evolution,there was a trend that cartilage extended to the deep and both sides simultaneously;cracks and damage in cartilage extended preferentially along the fiber tangent direction.With the aggravation of cartilage damage,the lateral extension speed was significantly faster than the longitudinal extension speed.Conclusions The process of cartilage damage extension has a close relationship with the distribution of fibers.The damages in matrix and fiber promote each other.The evolution speed and degree of cartilage vary constantly in different layers and at different stages.These results can provide the qualitative reference for prediction and repair of cartilage damage,as well as the theoretical basis for explaining pathological phenomena of damage degeneration and its clinic treatment.
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Objective To study the value of serum procalcitonin(PCT) to the early diagnosis of sepsis .Methods From June 2014 to June 2015 ,a total of 686 cases were enrolled in this retrospective study .PCT tests were assayed within 2 days of bacterial culture .Results In this study ,56 cases ,67cases ,and 567cases were classified into the positive blood culture group ,positive body fluid culture group ,and negative all culture group ,respectively .Median PCT values were 4 .26 2 .78 ,0 .46 ng/mL ,respectively .Me-dian PCT values in the gram-positive bacterial culture group and gram-negative bacterial culture group ,respectively ,were 2 .35 and 4 .56 ng/mL .Median PCT values in the positive hydrothorax culture group ,positive ascites culture group ,and positive bile culture group ,respectively ,were 1 .91 ,5 .23 ,3 .64 ng/mL .In all ,Median PCT values of 47 cases of sepsis and 16 cases of severe sepsis were 5 .32 and 10 .25 ng/mL ,respectively .Conclusion PCT level is correlated with the severity of sepsis ,pathogenic bacteria type ,and the site of infection ,and can be used in the early diagnosis of sepsis .
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<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>The accurate measurement of the femoral anteversion (FA) angle is always a topic of much debate in the orthopedic surgery and radiology research. We aimed to explore a new FA measurement method to acquire accurate results without radiation damage using piglet model.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of thirty piglets were assigned to two groups based on the age. Bilateral femora were imaged with 3.0-T magnetic resonance (MR) and 64-slice computed tomography (CT) examinations on all piglets. FA was measured on MR-three-dimensional (3D) postprocessing software with a four-step method: initial validation of the femoral condylar axis, validation of the condylar plane, validation of the femoral neck axis, and line-plane angle measurement of FA. After MR and CT examinations, all piglets were sacrificed and their degree of FA was measured using their excised, dried femora. MR, CT, and dried-femur measurement results were analyzed statistically; MR and CT measurements were compared for accuracy against each other and against the gold standard dried femur measurement.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In both groups, the mean FA value measured by MR was lower than that measured by CT. A statistically significant difference was observed between CT- and dried-femur measurements but not between MR- and dried-femur measurements. A higher correlation (0.783 vs. 0.408) and a higher consistency (0.863 vs. 0.578) with dried-femur measurement results were seen for MR measurements than CT measurements in the 1-week age group. However, in the 8-week age group, similar correlations (0.707 vs. 0.669) and consistencies (0.864 vs. 0.821) were observed.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Noninvasive MR-3D-Cube reconstruction was able to accurately measure FA in piglets. Particularly in the 1-week age group with a larger proportion of cartilaginous structures, the correlation and consistency between MR- and dried-femur measurement results were higher than those between CT- and dried-femur measurements, suggesting that MR may be a new useful examination tool for FA-related diseases in children.</p>
Subject(s)
Animals , Bone Anteversion , Diagnosis , Femur Neck , Pathology , Imaging, Three-Dimensional , Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Methods , Swine , Tomography, X-Ray ComputedABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe therapeutic effects of acupuncture at different opportunities on peripheral facial paralysis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Fifty-two cases were randomly divided into a treatment group (n=28) and a control group (n=24). The treatment group at the acute stage (1-10 days) were treated with acupuncture at Dicang (ST 4), Jiache (ST 6), Yangbai (GB 14), etc., with less than 4 points selected on the face and with shallow puncture, and 10 days later electroacupuncture were added at acupoints selected routinely; the control group were treated with the same methods as the treatment group but acupuncture was not given at the acute stage.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The cured rate of 78.6% in the treatment group was significantly higher than 50.0% in the control group (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Early acupuncture is a key for achieving the best therapeutic effect on facial paralysis.</p>