Classification of main pancreatic duct and treatment strategy after linear stapler closure of pancreatic neck in laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy / 国际外科学杂志

Objective:To investigate the classification of main pancreatic duct and treatment strategy after linear stapler closure of pancreatic neck in laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy (LPD).Methods:The records of 51 consecutive patients with LPD who were treated by linear staple closure technique of pancreatic neck from February to December 2022 from Binzhou Second People′s Hospital, Shijingshan Campus, Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Rizhao Hepatobiliary-Pancreatic-Splenic Surgery Research Institute, Chaoyang Central Hospital, Shandong Juxian People′s Hospital, Weihai Municipal Hospital, Binzhou Central Hospital, and Affiliated Hospital of Chifeng University were retrospectively reviewed. According to the visibility, position and diameter of the main pancreatic duct at the stump of the pancreas, the type of main pancreatic duct was divided into type I, type Ⅱ, type Ⅲa and type Ⅲb. The number of cases in each main pancreatic duct classification and the corresponding treatment strategies were examined.Results:A total of 51 cases of LPD were successfully completed. Of these patients, the males comprised 56.9%(29/51), and females comprised 43.1%(22/51), with age ranging from 31 to 88 years old. The type of the main pancreatic duct at the stump of the pancreas included 7 cases (13.7%) of type Ⅰ, 39 cases (76.5%) of type Ⅱ, 2 cases (3.9%) of type Ⅲa, and 3 cases (5.9%) of type Ⅲb. Corresponding treatment strategies were adopted according to different main pancreatic duct types, the main pancreatic duct was successfully found, and a support drainage tube was inserted.Conclusion:After linear stapler closure of pancreatic neck, corresponding treatment strategies should be adopted according to the classification of the main pancreatic duct, which would help to improve the success rate of finding the main pancreatic duct and placing a support drainage tube.

Evaluation of therapeutic efficacy of radiofrequency ablation on hepatic cancer: a preliminary study using superb microvascular imaging / 中华肝胆外科杂志

Objective:To study the predictive value of superb microvascular imaging(SMI) in evaluating therapeutic efficacy of hepatic cancer treated by percutaneous radiofrequency ablation(PRFA).Methods:From Feb 2017 to Feb 2018, 55 patients (male: 31, female: 24, age range: 37-68 years, mean age: 56years) with 72 hepatic carcinoma lesions (length: 21.3-45.6 mm, average: 31.2 mm) were detected by SMI and contrast-enhanced CT(CECT)before PRFA. One month after treatment, more than two imaging examinations (CECT, CEMR, ultrasonic imaging) were used as the "gold standard" to evaluate the complete ablation rates. Consistency between the SMI grading and the arterial phase enhancement of CECT was analyzed by the Kappa-test.Results:Before PRFA, SMI showed 12 lesions (16.7%) to be in grade Ⅰ, 28 lesions (38.9%) in grade Ⅱ and 32 lesions (44.4%) in grade Ⅲ. The arterial phase of CECT showed 37 lesions (51.4%) to have no obvious enhancement and 35 lesions (48.6%) to have obvious enhancement. Consistency analysis showed that there was a high consistency between SMI and CECT(Kappa=0.861, P<0.001). The higher the SMI grading, the more obvious the enhancement on CECT. The complete ablation rates of the grade Ⅰ, grade Ⅱ and grade Ⅲ lesions were 100%(12/12), 92.9%(26/28) and 71.9%(23/32), respectively. The complete ablation rate of the lesions in grade Ⅲ was significantly lower than that in grade Ⅰ and grade Ⅱ (both P<0.05). Conclusion:SMI showed a good consistency with CECT in evaluating the blood flow signals of hepatic cancer, SMI grading could be used in predicting the therapeutic efficacy of hepatic cancer treated by PRFA.

Role of mitochondrial fusion and fission in protective effects of dexmedetomidine against cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury in mice / 南方医科大学学报

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the protective effects of dexmedetomidine (DEX) against cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury in mice and its relation with mitochondrial fusion and fission.@*METHODS@#Male ICR mice were randomly divided into sham-operated group, I/R group, I/R+DEX group and I/R+DEX+dorsomorphin group. Mouse models of cerebral I/R injury were established by modified thread occlusion of the middle cerebral artery. DEX (50 μg/kg) was injected intraperitoneally at 30 min before cerebral ischemia, which lasted for 1 h followed by reperfusion for 24 h. The neurobehavioral deficits of the mice were evaluated based on Longa's scores. The volume of cerebral infarction was detected by TTC staining. The changes in mitochondrial morphology of the brain cells were observed with transmission electron microscopy. Western blotting was performed to detect the expressions of phosphorylated AMP-activated protein kinase (p-AMPK), mitochondrial fusion protein (Mfn2) and mitochondrial fission protein (p-Drp1) in the brain tissues.@*RESULTS@#DEX pretreatment significantly reduced the neurobehavioral score and the percent volume of cerebral infarction in mice with cerebral I/R injury. Treatment with dorsomorphin (an AMPK inhibitor) in addition to DEX significantly increased the neurobehavioral score and the percent volume of cerebral infarction in the mouse models. Transmission electron microscopy showed that DEX obviously reduced mitochondrial damage caused by cerebral I/R injury and restored mitochondrial morphology of the brain cells, and such effects were abolished by dorsomorphin treatment. Western blotting showed that DEX pretreatment significantly increased the expressions of p-AMPK and Mfn2 protein and decreased the expression of p-Drp1 protein in the brain tissue of the mice, and these changes were also reversed by dorsomorphin treatment.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Preconditioning with DEX produces protective effects against cerebral I/R injury in mice possibly by activating AMPK signaling to regulate mitochondrial fusion and fission in the brain cells.

The risk factors for long-term survival after radiofrequency ablation for hepatocellular carcinoma: a multi-center study / 中华肝胆外科杂志

Objective:To explore the influencing factors of long-term survival for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treated by radiofrequency ablation (RFA).Methods:A retrospective analysis of 255 patients who underwent RFA as the main treatment modality for HCC from May 1, 2004 to Feb 28, 2015 was performed. All patients were divided into two groups according to the postoperative survival time: the 5-year or more survival group and the less than 5-year survival group. Clinical indicators such as age, maximum tumor size and number, and frequency of radiofrequency ablation were compared between the two groups. Cox single factor and multiple factors were used to analyze the influencing factors of long-term survival.Results:The median overall survival of all the 255 patients was 4.3 years (range 0.5-15.5 years). There were 115 patients (45.1%) who survived for 5 years or more and 140 patients (54.9%) who survived for less than 5 years. The 1-, 3-, 5-, and 10-year survival rates of all the patients were 86.7%, 61.2%, 44.8% and 34.8%, respectively. There were no significant differences in gender, age, accompanying symptoms, aetiology of liver disease, level of alpha fetoprotein and treatment ( P>0.05), but there were significant differences in Child-Pugh class, liver cirrhosis, maximum diameter of tumor, tumor number, tumor stage, and frequency of RFA ( P<0.05) between the 2 groups of patients. Multivariate analysis showed that age ≥70 years old, Child-Pugh class B, maximum diameter of tumor >5.0 cm, multiple tumor were independent risk factors of long-term survival, but the number of sessions of RFA was a protective factor. Conclusions:For medium sized HCC and solitary large HCC, RFA combined with other therapeutic modalities could achieve satisfactory therapeutic results. Age, Child-Pugh class, maximum diameter of tumor, tumor number and RFA frequency were influencing factors for long-term survival of HCC patients.

Down-regulation of pannexin 2 channel enhances cisplatin-induced apoptosis in testicular cancer I-10 cells / 南方医科大学学报

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the effect of down-regulation of pannexin 2 (Panx-2) channels on cisplatin-induced apoptosis in I-10 cells.@*METHODS@#The expression of Panx-2 protein in testicular cancer cells was detected with Western blotting. The testicular cancer cell line I-10 was transfected with two short hairpin RNA (shRNA1 and shRNA2) Lipofectamine, the empty vector (NC group) or Lipofectamine2000 (blank control group), and the changes in the expression of Panx-2 was detected with Western blotting. The effects of transfection with a Panx-2 inhibitor on surviving fraction of the cells treated with cisplatin (16 μmol/L) for 24 h, 48 h and 72 h was assessed with MTT assay, and the clonogenic capacity of the cells was evaluated with colony-forming assay. At 8 h after incubation with 16 μmol/L cisplatin, AnnexinV/PI double staining was used to detect the early apoptosis of the cells. After 24 h of treatment with 16 μmol/L cisplatin, the cells were examined for expressions of caspase-3, Bcl-2 and Bax using Western blotting.@*RESULTS@#The expression of Panx-2 was significantly increased in cisplatin-resistant I-10/DDP ( < 0.001) cells and Tcam-2/DDP ( < 0.01) cells as compared with I-10 cells and Tcam-2 cells. Transfection of I-10 cells with shRNA1 and shRNA2 resulted in significantly decreased Panx-2 expression ( < 0.05) and significantly reduced cell surviving fraction ( < 0.001). In the presence of cisplatin, the cells in NC group showed a higher clonogenic efficiency than those in shRNA1 and shRNA2 groups ( < 0.001). The early-stage apoptosis rate of the cells in shRNA1 and shRNA2 groups were significantly higher than that in NC group ( < 0.01). Panx-2 knockdown in I-10 cells significantly increased caspase-3 and Bax expressions ( < 0.05) and significantly decreased the expression of Bcl-2 ( < 0.01).@*CONCLUSIONS@#Down-regulation of Panx-2 channel enhances cisplatin-induced apoptosis in cultured testicular cancer cells.

Inhibitory effect of connexin43 protein on autophagy in cisplatin-resistant testicular cancer I-10 cells / 南方医科大学学报

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the effect of connexin43 (Cx43) protein on autophagy in cisplatin (DDP)-resistant testicular cancer I-10 cells.@*METHODS@#The expression of Cx43 proteins in testicular cancer I-10 cells and I-10/DDP cells were detected with Western blotting. I-10/DDP cells were transfected with a full- length mouse Cx43 vector (mCx43) Lipofectamine, the empty vector or Lipofectamine (blank control group), and the changes in the expressions of LC3 and p62 proteins were determined with Western blotting. mCherry-GFP-LC3B transfection and transmission electron microscopy were used to analyze the changes in autophagy of the cells with Cx43 overexpression.@*RESULTS@#Cx43 was significantly decreased in I-10/DDP cells compared with I-10 cells ( < 0.01). Transfection of the I-10/DDP cells with mCx43 vector resulted in significantly increased Cx43 expression in the cells ( < 0.01) and caused significantly decreased expression of LC3-Ⅱ ( < 0.01) and increased expression of p62 ( < 0.05) as compared with the negative control cells. Both transmission electron microscopy and mCherry-GFP-LC3B transfection showed that the number of autophagosomes was obviously reduced in mCx43-transfected cells as compared with the negative control cells.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Cx43 inhibits autophagy in cisplatin-resistant testicular cancer I-10 /DDP cells.

Study on Preparation of Triptolide-glycyrrhetic Acid Compound Microemulsion and Its Physicochemical Properties and in vitro Release Characteristics / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE： To establish content determination method of Triptolide-glycyrrhetic acid compound microemulsion， optimize the formula and investigate its physicochemical properties and release rate in vitro. METHODS： The content of Triptolide- glycyrrhetic acid compound microemulsion was determined by UPLC. The determination was performed on ACQUITY UPLC BEH C18 column with mobile phase consisted of 0.1％ formic acid aqueous solution-acetonitrile （gradient elution） at the flow rate of 0.4 mL/min. The column temperature was 40 ℃. The detection wavelength was set at 218 nm， and sample size was 5 μL. Pseudo-ternary phase diagrams were drawn by water titration method. Using oil phase， surfactants and co-surfactants as index， the formula was optimized， and in intro release characteristics was investigated by in vitro release test. RESULTS： The linear range of triptolide and glycyrrhetinic acid were 1-40 μg/mL（r＝0.999 7） and 10-400 μg/mL（r＝0.999 8）， respectively. The limits of quantitation were 0.5 and 0.8 μg/mL； the limits of detection were 0.1 and 0.2 μg/mL. RSDs of precision， stability and reproducibility tests were all less than 2％. Average recoveries were 100.32％-101.15％ （RSD＝0.36％， n＝6）， 99.78％-101.42％ （RSD＝0.59％，n＝6）. The optimal formula included that medium chain triglyceride as oil phase， polyethylene glycol hydroxy stearate as surfactants， ethanol as co-surfactants， water as water phase， the proportion of them was 8 ∶  28 ∶ 14 ∶ 50. The obtained microemulsion was O/W type， being transparent and clear， with average diameter， average polydispersity index and average viscosity of （62.38±3.44） nm， 0.096±0.001 and （26.84±1.10） mPa·S. Within 24 h， cumulative release rates of triptolide and glycyrrhetinic acid in obtained microemulsion were 99.8％ and 99.7％ （in PBS pH 2.0）， 99.3％ and 99.4％ （in PBS pH 7.4）， 98.9％ and 98.4％ （in PBS pH 9.0）， respectively. Triptolide and glycyrrhetinic acid released faster in the single microemulsion than in the compound microemulsion. CONCLUSIONS： Established content determination method is simple and stable. The optimized formula is stable and feasible. Obtained iriptolide-glycyrrhetinic acid compound microemulsion show better sustained-release effect than sigle microemulsion.

Protective effects of P2X7 receptor inhibition in cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury in rats / 中南大学学报(医学版)

To investigate the protective effects of P2X7 receptor (P2X7R) inhibitor against cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury in rats and the possible mechanisms.
 Methods: The neurological deficit of rats was evaluated by Longa score. The infarct volume was examined by 2, 3, 5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining. The expression levels of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), phosphorylation extracellular signal-regulated kinas p-ERK), connexin 43 (Cx43), Bax, Bcl-2 and cleaved caspase-3 were detected by Western blot.
 Results: Compared with sham group, the neurobehavioral score (P<0.05) and cerebral infarct volume (P<0.01) of rats in I/R group was increased. Compared with I/R group, brilliant blue G (BBG, the antagonist of P2X7R) or PD98059 (the inhibitor of EKR kinase) could reduce the neurobehavioral score (P<0.01) and cerebral infarct volume significantly (P<0.05). The neurobehavioral score and cerebral infarct volume was further decreased (P<0.05) when rats were treated with both BBG and PD98059. Compared with I/R group, the expression levels of p-ERK, Cx43, cleaved caspase-3 and the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 were decreased by BBG or PD98059 pretreatment, and the protective effects were further enhanced when rats were treated with both BBG and PD98059 (P<0.05).
 Conclusion: Inhibition of P2X7R reduces the cerebral I/R injury of rats. ERK inhibition is probably involved in the protective effects of P2X7R inhibitor against cerebral I/R injury, which may be related to the reduction of Cx43 and cleaved caspase-3, and the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2.

Early laparoscopic radiofrequency ablation for spontaneous rupture of hepatocellular carcinoma / 国际外科学杂志

Objective To evaluate the efficacy and clinical outcomes of early laparoscopic radiofrequency ablation(RFA) forspontaneously ruptured hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 12 patients with spontaneously ruptured HCC treated by laparoscopic RFA from April 2005 to June 2018 in the West Campus of Beijing Chao-yang Hospital,Capital Medical University.The successful rate,safety,peritoneal recurrence rate,complete ablation rate and survival rate of RFA were respectively analyzed.Results The median size of the 12 HCC cases was 5.85 cm (4.0-10.1 cm) in the maximal dimension.Procedures of laparoscopic RFA ablation were performed successfully for all patients.Complete ablation was achieved in 58.3％patients (7/12).Five patients with incompletely ablated tumors received repeated RF ablation to achieve completeablation.Four patients (33.3％) developed minor complications(Dindo-Clavien grade Ⅰ).The mean follow-up of 36.8 months,4 patients (33.3％) were alive and 8 (66.7％) died.Of the 12 patients,the 1-and 3-year survival rates were 90.0％ and 60.0％,respectively.No patient had peritoneal recurrence.Conclusion Early laparoscopic RFA therapy is an minimally invasive,safety and effective treatment measure for spontaneouslyruptured HCC in selected patients,which presents an advantage of achieving simultaneous hemostasis,tumorelimination,and rinsing of peritoneal cavity to minimize the risk of peritoneal metastasis.

Protective effect of NADPH oxidase against cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury / 中国药理学通报

Aim To determine the protective effect of NADPH oxidase against focal cerebral ischemia/reper-fusion ( I/R) injury in rats. Method A thread occlu-sion method was used to make a middle cerebral artery occlusion ( MCAO ) model. Apocynin ( 2. 5 mg · kg-1 ) was injected by tail vein 15 min before ischemi-a. Then, the neurological behavior, cerebral infarction volume, pathological morphological changes and the expression of Cx36, PKC, Bax, Bcl-2 of rats were de-tected after ischemia for 2 h, followed by reperfusion for 24 h. Results Compared with cerebral I/R group, administration of apocynin significantly reduced the neurological behavior scores and the cerebral in-farction volume percentage, alleviated the pathological morphological damage, increased the protein expres-sion of Cx36 and PKC, and reduced the Bax/Bcl-2 ra-tio of rats with focal cerebral I/R injury. Compared with apocynin group , apocynin combined with PKC inhibitor significantly reduced above protective effects. Conclusion Inhibition of NADPH oxidase could alle-viate cerebral I/R injury, increase the levels of Cx36, PKC proteins and reduce the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio.

Src kinase inhibitor PP2 protects rat astrocytes from hypoxia/reoxygenation injury in vitro / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effect of Src kinase inhibitor PP2 on hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) injury in rat astrocytes in vitro.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>In vitro cultured rat astrocytes were exposed to hypoxia for 8 h followed by reoxygenation for 24 h with or without pretreatment with PP2 (10 µmol/L) for 24 h before H/R injury. MTT assay and flow cytometry were used to detect the viability and apoptosis of the exposed astrocytes, respectively, and the protein expressions of Src, Bax, and Bcl-2 in the cells were determined using Western blotting.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>PP2 pretreatment significantly increased the viability and decreased the apoptosis rate of rat astrocytes exposed to H/R injury (P<0.01). Western blotting showed that H/R injury caused increased expression of Src kinase, which was lowered by PP2 pretreatment. The ratio of Bax/bcl-2 in the astrocytes increased after H/R injury, and was significantly decreased by PP2 pretreatment (P<0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>PP2 protects rat astrocytes from H/R injury possibly by inhibiting the expression of Src kinase and activating the anti-apoptotic mechanisms in the cells.</p>

Protective effect of propofol against cerebral ischemic/reperfusion injury may involve inhibition of gap junction / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the protective effect of propofol against focal cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury in rats and its relation with gap junction.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Seventy adult male SD rats were randomly divided into sham-operated group, I/R group, low-, moderate-, and high-dose propofol groups (25, 50, 100 mg/kg; P25, P50, P100 groups, respectively), I/R+CBX group and P100+CBX group. Thread occlusion was used to induce middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) in the mice for 2 h followed by reperfusion for 24 h. Longa's scores were used to evaluate the neurological behavior of the rats. TTC staining was used to measure the cerebral infarction volume and Western blotting was performed to detect the expressions of Cx43, PKC, Bax, and Bcl-2 in the brain of the rats.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with the I/R group, the rats pretreated with moderate and high doses of propofol showed significantly reduced neurological behavior scores and cerebral infarction volume percentage, and the effect was more obvious in high-dose propofol pretreatment group. CBX obviously enhanced the protective effect of propofol against I/R injury. Compared with those in the sham-operated group, the protein expression of Cx43 and the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio were increased and the protein expression of PKC was reduced in I/R group, and these changes were significantly reversed by high-dose propofol pretreatment; the effects of propofol were further enhanced by CBX.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The protective effect of propofol against cerebral I/R injury may involve the inhibition of the gap junction via PKC signaling and by reducing the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio.</p>

Comparison of cisplatin-resistant testicular cancer cell lines established by two methods / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To compare the biological behaviors of two drug-resistant testicular cancer cell lines established by different methods.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Drug-resistance was induced in testicular cancer cell lines exposure of the cells to increasing concentrations of or a high dose of cisplatin (I-10/DDPi and I-10/DDPh cell lines, respectively). The morphological characteristics of the two cell lines were observed microscopically. The resistance index of the cells was determined with MTT assay, and the cell growth curves were drawn. The cellular expression of resistance-associated proteins MDR1 and P-gp was detected by Western blotting. The cell invasion ability was assessed with Transwell assay.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Normal testicular cancer cell line I-10 and the two resistant cell lines all showed an adherent growth pattern. Compared with I-10 cells, I-10/DDP cells exhibited slightly heterogenous cell sizes, irregular shapes, the presence of microvilli tentacles on the cell surface, and a scattered arrangement. The cisplatin resistance index of I-10/DDPi and I-10/DDPh cells were 3.924 and 3.099, respectively. Compared with I-10, the drug-resistant cell lines showed extended doubling time with increased expressions of MDR1 and P-gp and increased cell invasiveness, which was especially obvious in I-10/DDPi cells.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Both increasing dose exposure and high-dose exposure to cisplatin can induce cisplatin resistance in testicular cancer cells, and the resistant cells established by the latter method better mimics clinical drug-resistant tumor cells.</p>

Functional enhancement of gap junction by valproate acid sodium in breast cancer cells and the mechanism / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effect of valproate acid sodium (VPA) on gap junction intercellular communication in breast cancer Hs578T cells and explore the mechanism.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>MTT assay was used to detect the cytotoxicity of VPA on Hs578T cells, and parachute assay was used to detect the effect of VPA on dye spread of the cells. Western blotting was employed to detect the expression changes of Cx43 total protein in VPA-treated Hs578T cells. The effect of VPA on the expression of Cx43 on the surface of Hs578T cells was examined with immunofluorescence assay.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>MTT assay showed no obvious cytotoxicity of VPA on Hs578T cells at the concentrations below 10 mmol/L. VPA below 5 mmol/L obviously increased the gap junction function in Hs578T cells (P<0.01), and significantly enhanced the expression of Cx43 total protein (P<0.01) and Cx43 expression on the surface of Hs578T cells (P<0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>VPA can obviously increase the gap junction function in Hs578T cells possibly by enhancing Cx43 total protein expression and Cx43 protein expression on the surface of Hs578T cells.</p>

Expression of connexin 43 and functional modulation of gap junction in neonatal rat astrocytes in vitro / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To determine the expression of connexin 43 (Cx43) protein and explore the functional modulation of gap junction intercellular communication in astrocytes.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Cultured neonatal SD rat astrocytes were divided into normal control group, all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) group (treated with 10 µmol/L ATRA for 24 h) and oleamide group (treated with 25 µmol/L oleamide for 2 h). Western blotting and immunofluorescence assay were used to detect total cellular Cx43 protein expression and Cx43 expression on the surface of the astrocytes, respectively. Parachute assay was used to evaluate the functional changes of gap junction intercellular communication of the astrocytes.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with the normal control cells, ATRA treatment resulted in a significantly increased expression of total Cx43 protein in the astrocytes (P<0.01), and oleamide significantly suppressed its expression (P<0.01). Similarly, ATRA obviously enhanced while oleamide suppressed Cx43 protein expression on the surface of the astrocytes. The gap junction intercellular communication of the astrocytes was enhanced by ATRA (P<0.01) and inhibited by oleamide (P<0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>ATRA and oleamide can modulate gap junction intercellular communication of the astrocytes possibly by regulating the expression of Cx43 protein.</p>

Protective effects of pomegranate polyphenols on cardiac function in rats with myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To determine the protective effect of pomegranate polyphenols on cardiac function in rats with myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury and explore the possible mechanism.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Fifty SD rats were randomized into 5 equal groups, including a sham-operated group, an I/R model group, and 3 pomegranate polyphenol dose groups (150, 300, and 600 mg/kg). The rats were subject to a 45-min left main coronary artery occlusion followed by a 180-min reperfusion to induce myocardial I/R injury except for the rats those in the sham-operated group. The cardiac functions were monitored continuously during the experiment. At the end of the reperfusion, arterial blood samples were obtained to measure plasma contents of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine kinase (CK), malondialdehyde (MDA) and the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD). Triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining was used to evaluate the infarct size.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with the sham-operated group, all the rats with I/R showed significantly decreased left ventricular systolic pressure (LVSP), maximal rates of increase/decrease of the left ventricular pressure (±dp/dtmax) (P<0.01) and significantly increased left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) (P<0.01). Compared with the I/R model group, all the 3 pomegranate polyphenol groups had significantly improved cardiac function (P<0.05), decreased plasma contents of CK, LDH and MDA (P<0.01), increased SOD activities (P<0.01), and obviously reduced infarct size (P<0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Pomegranate polyphenols can protect the cardiac function of rats with I/R injury probably in association with their actions in enhancing oxygen free radical scavenging activity and decreasing lipid peroxidative damage of the myocardial tissues.</p>

Investigation in anxiety and depression of patients with chronic prostatitis and psychological nursing countermeasures / 中国实用护理杂志

Objective To provide therapeutic strategy by investigating the anxiety and depression status as well as the correlated impact factors in patients with chronic prostatitis. Methods The self-rating anxiety scale (SAS)and self-rating depression scale (SDS)were employed to evaluate psychological response of 360 patients with chronic prostatitis. Results Both the average scores of SAS and SDS in patients with chronic prostatitis were higher than normal levels of Chinese population. The impact factors for anxiety included income status, educational level and disease course. Conclusions The mental health status of chronic prostatitis patients is poor and certain factors affect the occurrence of anxiety and depression. Therefore, it is necessary to treat the patients with supportive psychotherapeutic intervention and with combined approaches.

Effects of Bingdouting Capsule on Heart Rate and Sinoatrial Node Function in Rabbit Model of Sick Sinus Syndrome / 中药新药与临床药理

Objective To observe the effect of Bingdouting capsule(BC)on rabbit model of sick sinus syndrome.Methods Rabbit models of sick sinus syndrome were established by external application of 20 % methanal on the region of sinoatrial node.The effect of BC on heart rate and electrophysicological parameters of sinoatrial node was observed.Results BC markedly increased the heart rate,shortened the sinoatrial conduction time(SACT)and corrected sinoatrial node recovery time(CSNRT).Conclusion BC has an obvious effect for the treatment of sick sinus syndrome in rabbits.

Investigation on Blood Lead Levels of Preschool Children in Harbin and Jixi / 环境与健康杂志

Objective To understand the effects of environmental pollution on blood lead levels of children.Methods The blood lead levels of605children aged2-7in6urban districts of Harbin and307children aged2-7in Jixi were deter-mined by graphite furnace atom absorption spectrophotometry during the period from April to June in1999.Results The data on blood lead levels of children in two cities showed both positive skewness distribution.The geometric means of blood lead lev-els of children were0.354?mol/L in Harbin and0.441?mol/L in Jixi,the medians were0.369?mol/L in Harbin and0.440?mol/L in Jixi,the values of P 95 were1.575?mol/L in Harbin and1.304?mol/L in Jixi.The children with blood lead levels of≥0.483?mol/L accounted for44.5%of total observed in Harbin and44.9%in Jixi.Conclusion Environmental lead pollution had coused potential adverse effects on preschool children health.

Investigation on Children Blood Lead Level and the Influential Factors in Harbin,China / 环境与健康杂志

Objective To understand the influential factors for blood lead level of children in Harbin.Methods The lead level in the air,dust,vegetables and the blood of 605 children aged 2-7 years were determineded and family fitment,fuel combustion,the food consumption were investigated.Results The lead contents of air,dust in pollutant areas [(2.037?0.455)?g/m3,(84.000?0.015)mg/kg] were higher compared with the control areas[(1.017?0.595)?g/m3,(72.000?0.025)mg/kg],the differences were significant(P