Role of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in proliferation of neural stem cells of neonatal rats in vitro after hyperbaric oxygen therapy / 中华实用儿科临床杂志

Objective To investigate the role of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy for hypoxic-ischemic brain damage(HIBD).Methods The neural stem cells (NSCs) of neonatal rats were randomly divided into control group and 8 treatment groups,then the treatment groups were cultured in the supernatant of brain homogenate to simulate micro-environment of HIBD and normal brain respectively.Through electroporation β-catenin siRNA and negative control plasmid was transfected into NSCs respectively,then HBO therapy was performed.Immunocytochemical staining was performed simultaneously in the 9 groups of NSCs on precoated chamber slides to detect the differentiation of NSCs.Quantitative reverse transcriptase(RT)-PCR was used to detect the relative content of Ngn1 mRNA and bone morphogenetic protein(BMP4) mRNA in the of NSCs.Western blot was used to detect the relative content of Ngn1 protein and BMP4 protein in the NSCs.Results In vitro,HBO alone promoted NSCs infected with negative control siRNA (ncNSCs) to differentiate into neurons and oligodendrocytes and depressed astrogliosis ; HIBD or normal brain tissue extract cultures promoted ncNSCs to differentiate into neurons and oligodendrocytes but depressed astrogliosis,and the effect of HIBD brain extract cultures was superior to the latter and could be further increased by HBO; β-catenin siRNA decreased the NSE-positive neurons and increased glial fibrillary acidic protein-positive astrocytes in the siNSCs (NSCs infected with β-catenin siRNA) in vitro,the effect could not be inversed by HBO,but could be alleviated; HBO increased the level of Ngn1 mRNA and Ngn1 protein,decreased BMP4 mRNA and BMP4 protein of ncNSCs,transfection of β-catenin siRNA could down-regulate the expression of Ngn1 mRNA and upregulate BMP4 mRNA of NSCs in vitro respectively.Conclusions HBO can promote NSCs cultured with HIBD brain extract cultures to differentiate into neuronal or Oligodendrocyte,and inhibit them to differentiate into astrocytes.HBO therapy promotes the proliferation of NSCs in vitro,an effect which is correlated with β-catenin protein.HBO therapy can promote neurogenesis by β-catenin-induced activated Ngn1,and repress astrocytogenesis by β-catenin-induced down-regulated BMP4.There are potential cooperative actions of BMP4 and Ngn1 on differentiating rat NSCs in cerebral ischemic brain.The ability of Ngn1 to promote neurogenesis may allow Ngn1 to act as a potent neuronal commitment factor.

Changes of high-sensitivity CRP and insulin sensitivity index in children with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the levels of high-sensitivity CRP (hsCRP) and insulin sensitivity index (ISI) in children with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Twenty-nine children with OSAHS and 22 children with primary snoring (PS) were enrolled. Polysomnography was performed. Body mass index (BMI), hsCRP, serum lipids, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), and insulin (INS) were measured. ISI was calculated.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The apnea hypopnea index (AHI) in the OSAHS group was higher than that in the PS group (13.2 ± 9.2 vs 1.2 ± 1.1; P<0.05). The lowest oxygen saturation (LSaO2) in the OSAHS group was lower than that in the PS group [(78.5 ± 5.4)% vs (87.4 ± 3.7)%; P<0.05]. The values of hsCRP in the OSAHS group was higher than those in the PS group (2.8 ± 2.7 mg/L vs 0.6 ± 0.9 mg/L; P<0.05). There were no significant differences in the ISI and serum lipids between the two groups. The hsCRP level was negatively correlated with LSaO2 in the OSAHS group (r=-0.531, P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The hsCRP level increases in children with OSAHS. The increased hsCRP level might be associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases.</p>

Prevalence of upper respiratory tract group A Streptococcus carriage in school-age children from Tulufan City and Buerjin County of Xinjiang Province / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the prevalence rate of upper respiratory tract group A Streptococcus (GAS) carriage in school-age children from Xinjiang Province.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 478 children at age of 9-12 years from Tulufan City and Buerjin County of Xinjiang Province were enrolled by random cluster sampling. Throat swab cultures were performed once each season for the determination of presence of GAS.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In the 1 827 samples, 196 GAS strains were isolated, with a GAS carrier rate of 10.7%. The prevalence rate of GAS carrier in Tulufan City ranged from 3.7%-16.5% compared with 4.7%-21.4% in Buerjin County (P < 0.05). The prevalence rate of GAS carrier in winter is the highest, followed by in autumn, spring and summer in both regions. There were significant differences in the GAS carriage rate in autumn between the two regions. There were no significant differences in the GAS carriage rate between boys and girls. Of the 196 GAS strains, 133 from Han, 22 from Uygur and 41 from Hazakh children. There were significant differences in the prevalence rate of GAS carriage among children with different ethic groups.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The prevalence rate of GAS carriage is high in school-age children from Tulufan and Buerjin of Xinjiang Province. The GAS carrier rate is associated with the season and ethic group. The children from Buerjin County present a higher GAS carrier rate than those from Tulufan City.</p>

Diagnostic values of serum orexin-A levels in children with obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome / 中华儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>Currently people regard polysomnography (PSG) monitoring as the golden standard for diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) in children. However, due to the high cost, time and manpower consuming, PSG is not applicable to epidemiological investigation and clinical screening, especially not suitable for child patients and remote hospitals in Xinjiang. Therefore, it is of important clinical significance to find out a simple method (e.g. a kind of serum index) to primarily screen out suspicious patients for early diagnosis and treatment. The present study was conducted to assess the clinical usefulness of the measurement of orexin-A concentration in serum as a diagnostic predictor to screen patients with OSAHS in children.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Serum orexin-A concentration was measured with enzyme immunoassay (EIA) kit in 60 patient with snoring before performing polysomnography (PSG). Subsequently all the subjects underwent PSG test. Forty subjects were diagnosed as having OSAHS, and twenty subjects had no OSAHS. These 20 non-OSAHS subjects served as controls. Compared with the PSG results the clinical usefulness of the measurement of orexin-A concentration in serum was assessed as a diagnostic predictor to screen patients with OSAHS. Correlation between orexin-A levels and apnea hypoventilation index (AHI), micro-arousal index (MAI) and lowest SaO2 (LSaO2) were analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The serum orexin-A levels in the OSAHS group [(0.49 +/- 0.10) microg/L] was significantly higher than that of the control group [(0.28 +/- 0.11) microg/L, P < 0.01]. If a patient's level of orexin-A was higher than 0.36 microg/L, the patient more likely to have OSAHS. The sensitivity rate was 85.0% and the specificity was 80.0%. Serum orexin-A levels in children with OSAHS correlated positively with the AHI (r = 0.427, P < 0.05) and MAI (r = 0.468, P < 0.05), but correlated negatively with the LSaO2 (r = -0.527, P < 0.01) and the mean oxygen saturation (MSaO2) (r = -0.541, P < 0.01), not correlated significantly with the BMI (r = -0.212, P > 0.05). The serum orexin-A levels in the OSAHS children after who under went tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy significantly decreased (P < 0.05) 3 months after surgery as compared with pre-operation level.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>These findings suggest that the serum level of orexin-A could be used as a predictor in screening for OSAHS children and a biological marker of the severity of OSAHS children.</p>

Protection of azithromycin against pulmonary II epithelial cell injuries induced by cigarette smoke extract and relevant mechanisms / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>Cigarette smoke extract (CSE) can induce injuries of pulmonary II epithelial cells, activate nuclear factor-kappaB and increase tumor necrosis factor-alpha(TNF-alpha) secretion. This study aimed to investigate whether azithromycin can protect pulmonary II epithelial cells from injuries induced by CSE and relevant mechanisms.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Pulmonary II epithelial cells (A549 cells) were cultured in vitro. After 48 hrs of culture the cells were randomly treated with serum-free DMEM only (blank control group), azithromycin + serum-free DMEM, CSE+ serum-free DMEM or CSE+azithromycin. Eight hours later the morphology of A549 cells, the activity of NF-kappaB and the levels of TNF-alpha were measured by inverted microscope, immunohistochemistry and ELISA.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The morphology and structure of A549 cells were changed, NF-kappaB activity increased (dark brown staining ) and TNF-alpha levels (0.307 +/- 0.036 pg/mL vs 0.234 +/- 0.028 pg/mL)increased in the CSE+ serum-free DMEM group compared with the blank control group (P < 0.01). CSE together with azithromycin treatment recovered partly the morphological injuries of A549 cells. It also attenuated NF-kappaB staining and decreased TNF-alpha levels from 0.307 +/- 0.036 pg/mL (CSE+serum-free DMEM group) to 0.269 +/- 0.009 pg/mL (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Azithromycin may inhibit NF-kappaB activity, decrease TNF-alpha secretion and thus lessen cytotoxicity of CSE to A549 cells.</p>

Effect of Montelukast Treatment on Bronchiolitis Induced by Different Etiological Agents / 实用儿科临床杂志

0.05).No significant difference was seen between the 2 groups in IgE,ECP,but within-group,except for oreillons,coxsackie,and there were significant differences in IgE and ECP(Pa0.05).Conclusions Montelukast can ameliorate clinical symptom and BHR subsequent to bronchiolitis after non-RSV infection,and decrease the asthma formation rate,and there are no significant differences in montelukast′s clinical effect among different etiological agents.

Characteristics of Polysomngraphy on Children with Obstructive Sleep Apnea Hypopnea Syndrome and Primary Snoring / 实用儿科临床杂志

Objective To explore the polysomnography(PSG) characteristice of obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome(OS-AHS) and primary snoring(PS) in children and clinical value of PSG in children with sleep disorders. Methods We analyzed 74 children with OSAHS and 62 with PS, every patient being monitored with PSG for 7 hours at night for 16 parameters, including apnea hypopnea index(AHI), periodic leg movement index(PLMI),and the lowest oxygen saturation(LSaQ2) etc. The parameters of the 2 groups were comparaed. Results Comparaed with PS group, there was statistically significant difference in parameters such as PLMI, AHI,LSaQ2,the moderate oxygen saturation(MSaO2).AHI in non- rapid eye movement (NREM)(P