Simple Test for Evaluating Hand Function for Chinese / 中国康复理论与实践

Objective:To observe the measurement of Simple Test for Evaluating Hand Function (STEF) in Chinese, and compared to that of Japanese. Methods:From May to June, 2020, 130 healthy individuals were tested with the toolkit and instructions of STEF, and the result was compared with Japanese data with one-sample t-test, and adjusted. Results:Among the ten items performed on the right side of the STEF, nine items, except item four (middle-sized cubes), were significantly different from those of Japanese (|t| > 1.760, P < 0.05). Among the ten items performed on the left side of STEF, seven items, except item four (middle-sized cubes), item seven (vinyl sheets) and item eight (iron circular plates), were significantly different from those of the Japanese (|t| > 2.257, P < 0.001). Conclusion:There is significant difference in the test results of STEF between Chinese and Japanese samples, and need to be adjusted.

Effects of mineral trioxide aggregate and ethanolic extracts of Shandong propolis on the biological properties of human dental pulp fibroblasts / 北京大学学报(医学版)

OBJECTIVE@#To evaluate the effect of mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) and propolis from Shangdong province on the cell viability, mineralization and migration and anti-inflammatory ability of dental pulp fibroblasts.@*METHODS@#The human dental pulp fibroblasts were cultured and subjected to 10 mg/L of propolis and 1:8 dilution of MTA extraction. The cell viability was evaluated with cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) after 1, 5, 7 and 9 days. The cells in the upper inserts and the test culture media on the bottoms of 24-well plates interacted for 15 hours. Then the numbers of cells migrated through the permeable membranes were compared. The cells seeded in the 24-well plates were incubated in osteogenic medium with different materials for 21 days and stained with alizarin red S, then photographed. To evaluate the deposition of calcified matrix, the wells were destained with 100 mmol/L cetylpyridinium chloride. Finally, the cells were exposed to 1 mg/L lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to induce an inflammatory response, in the presence of propolis, MTA extraction. The cells were collected after 3 h, and the expressions of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were determined using real-time polymerase chain reaction (real-time PCR). Statistical analysis was performed by one-way ANOVA and nonparametric tests (P<0.05).@*RESULTS@#The cell viability of propolis group was significantly lower than those of MTA and control groups on days 5, 7 and 9, while MTA significantly increased the numbers of the viable cells on days 7 and 9. The migration cells of propolis group (26.67±2.52) were fewer than control group (61.33±4.93), and the cells of MTA group (80.00±2.65) were statistically more than those of the other two groups. The propolis group significantly induced more calcified matrix deposition than MTA group after 21 days of culture. Propolis significantly suppressed the expressions of IL-1β and IL-6 after LPS exposure compared with MTA and control groups.@*CONCLUSION@#The propolis from Shandong compared with MTA showed a certain degree of cytotoxicity, and had no significant effect on cell migration. On the other hand, propolis exhibited significant anti-inflammatory and mineralization promotion effect, suggesting that the active ingredients of propolis could be introduced as a supplement of pulp capping materials, or used as an irrigant or intracanal medicament due to its excellent anti-inflammatory effect. Propolis may have potential in vital pulp treatment of young permanent tooth suffering pulp inflammation.

Expression and bioassay of rubella virus E1-374 glycoprotein in yeast cells / 中华实验和临床病毒学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To express the rubella virus E1-374 glycoprotein in Pichia pastoris and study the immunogenecity of the recombinant protein.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The cDNA of protein E1-374 was cloned into the expression vector pGAPZalphaA and transformed into Pichia pastoris GS115 cells by electrotransfection. The expressed protein was confirmed by indirect immunofluorescence and demonstrated immunoreactivity by Western Blot. Rubella virus IgG antibody was assayed with ELISA after mice were inmmunized by E1-374 glycoprotein.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>SDS-PAGE analysis and Western Blot analysis of E1-374 protein revealed this protein to be 46.89 x 10(3). Antiserum (1:100) and E1-374 (5.5 microg/ml) was chosen for ELISA optimization. The intra-assay coefficient of variation for the ELISA was 0.36%-12.45%.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Protein E1-374 was highly expressed in Pichia pastoris cells, and it was a good choice to prepare rubella virus recombinant protein vaccines.</p>

Pelvic artery representation on three-dimensional reconstructed multislice spiral CT images: variability between the young and the elderly / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To analyze the variability in pelvic artery representation on three-dimensional reconstructed multislice spiral CT images between young adults and the elderly.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Eight young adult volunteers from the medical staff and 8 elderly people undergoing regular coronary artery examination, who were all free of coronary artery disease and diabetes mellitus, were enrolled in this study. After administration of the contrast agent through the median cubital vein at 3.5 ml/s, the subjects underwent contrast-enhanced CT angiography of the pelvic arteries utilizing a 16-row multislice spiral CT. The images were collected and processed with volume reconstruction (VR) technique for three-dimensional reconstruction to distinguish the arteries and their branches.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Good visualization of the pelvic artery was observed on the reconstructed CT images of the young subjects, which revealed in detail up to the third- and even the fourth-order vessels, and the arteries were smooth and had plenty of branches; but in the elderly only the second- or third-order vessels were shown, and the arteries appeared stiff with only a few branches.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Compared with the young adults, the elderly have generally poor visualization of the pelvic arteries on three-dimensional reconstructed multislice spiral CT images possibly in association with atherosclerosis and the functional deterioration of the blood vessels in the latter, which is relative to vascular morphologic changes, suggesting the necessity of studying the pelvic vessels with developmental and functional methods.</p>