Effect of quercetin's anti-breast cancer depending on presence of estrogen receptor via down-regulating long non-coding RNA MALAT-1 and its mechanism / 中国药理学通报

Aim To investigate the molecular mechanism by which quercetin inhibits the malignant behavior of breast cancer cells. Methods Breast cancer cell lines MCF-7 and MB231 were used as the research models. Lentiviral transfection was employed to establish tumor cells with high expression of ERa and MAL-AT-1. The expression of MALAT-1 was assessed using RT-qPCR,and ERa expression was determined through Western blot. Subsequently, CCK-8 assay and colony formation assay were conducted to evaluate cell proliferation. PI staining and adenovirus transfection were performed to observe the inhibitory effects of quercetin on breast cancer cell proliferation. Results 17|3-es-tradiol ( E2 ) promoted the proliferation of MCF-7 breast cancer cells, while 5 jjunol L quercetin reversed the promoting effect of E2 on proliferation ( P 0. 05 ) . Quercetin had no effect on MB231 breast cancer cells. Overexpression of ERa significantly inhibited the pro-proliferative effect of E2 on MB231-ERa cells, and quercetin further suppressed this effect. Additionally , quercetin inhibited the expression of MALAT-1. However,this inhibitory effect was reversed by overexpression of MALAT-1, leading to enhanced cell proliferation , cell cycle progression, and clonal formation a-bility. Conclusions Quercetin exerts its anti-tumor effects on breast cancer cells by regulating MALAT-1, dependent on the presence of estrogen receptor. Quercetin shows potential as a therapeutic drug for breast cancer targeting the estrogen receptor.

Genetic Subtypes and Pretreatment Drug Resistance in the Newly Reported Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Men Aged≥50 Years Old in Guangxi / 中国医学科学院学报

Objective To analyze the genetic subtypes of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and the prevalence of pretreatment drug resistance in the newly reported HIV-infected men in Guangxi. Methods The stratified random sampling method was employed to select the newly reported HIV-infected men aged≥50 years old in 14 cities of Guangxi from January to June in 2020.The pol gene of HIV-1 was amplified by nested reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and then sequenced.The mutation sites associated with drug resistance and the degree of drug resistance were then analyzed. Results A total of 615 HIV-infected men were included in the study.The genetic subtypes of CRF01_AE,CRF07_BC,and CRF08_BC accounted for 57.4% (353/615),17.1% (105/615),and 22.4% (138/615),respectively.The mutations associated with the resistance to nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTI),non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTI),and protease inhibitors occurred in 8 (1.3%),18 (2.9%),and 0 patients,respectively.M184V (0.7%) and K103N (1.8%) were the mutations with the highest occurrence rates for the resistance to NRTIs and NNRTIs,respectively.Twenty-two (3.6%) patients were resistant to at least one type of inhibitors.Specifically,4 (0.7%),14 (2.3%),4 (0.7%),and 0 patients were resistant to NRTIs,NNRTIs,both NRTIs and NNRTIs,and protease inhibitors,respectively.The pretreatment resistance to NNRTIs had much higher frequency than that to NRTIs (2.9% vs.1.3%;χ2=3.929,P=0.047).The prevalence of pretreatment resistance to lamivudine,zidovudine,tenofovir,abacavir,rilpivirine,efavirenz,nevirapine,and lopinavir/ritonavir was 0.8%, 0.3%, 0.7%, 1.0%, 1.3%, 2.8%, 2.9%, and 0, respectively. Conclusions CRF01_AE,CRF07_BC,and CRF08_BC are the three major strains of HIV-infected men≥50 years old newly reported in Guangxi,2020,and the pretreatment drug resistance demonstrates low prevalence.

Correlation between contrast-enhanced ultrasound parameters and Crohn's disease activity / 中华内科杂志

Objective: By investigating the correlation between quantitative parameters of contrast enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) and commonly used activity assessment indicators of Crohn's disease (CD), and comparing the predictive power of laboratory inflammatory indicators with CEUS on Crohn's disease (CD), the significance of CEUS was evaluated. Methods: A case-control study. From October 2019 to December 2021, the clinical data of 67 patients with CD who were diagnosed by endoscopy and underwent contrast-enhanced ultrasonography were retrospectively analyzed in the First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University, and their routine ultrasound and CEUS parameters, C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), fecal calprotectin (FC), Crohn's disease activity index (CDAI) and simplified endoscopic score for Crohn's disease (SES-CD) were collected. Using SES-CD as the standard, the patients were divided into a remission group and an active group, and the correlation of laboratory inflammatory indexes and contrast-enhanced ultrasound parameters with CDAI and SES-CD were evaluated. Besides, the ROC curve was used to analyze the predictive efficacy of each index on CD endoscopic activity. Results: A total of 67 patients were included in this study. According to the SES-CD score, there were 17 patients in the remission group and 50 patients in the active group. Except for the coefficient of the enhancement wash in slope and time to peak (TTP), the peak intensity (PI), area under the angiography curve, and laboratory inflammatory indexes were significantly different between the two groups (P<0.05), which also showed a moderate positive correlation with CDAI and SES-CD (P<0.05). ROC analysis showed that among the non-invasive indicators, PI and area under the angiography curve had the highest AUCs for predicting CD endoscopic activity, which were 0.912 and 0.891, respectively; with SES-CD taking >3 as the cut-off value, the corresponding sensitivities were 78.0% and 72.0%, with specificities of 100.0% and 94.1%, respectively. Conclusion: CEUS can objectively and repeatedly evaluate the disease activity of CD patients, and has great clinical application value, which can be used as a reliable imaging method for diagnosis and follow-up of patients with Crohn's disease.

Current situation and influence factors of suicidal self-injurious behavior in teenagers in Guangdong / 上海预防医学

Objective:To investigate the current situation of suicidal self-injurious behavior in teenagers and analyze its influencing factors. Methods:From January to November 2020， a stratified sampling method was used to investigate 707 teenagers in Guangdong. The “questionnaire of health-related behaviors of Chinese teenagers” compiled by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention was used anonymously to investigate the current situation of suicidal self-injurious behavior of the teenagers. The chi-square test was used for univariate analysis， and logistic regression was used for multivariate analysis. Results:The incidence rate of suicidal self-injurious behavior was 14.57% （103/707）. It was 13.31% （45/338） in males， 15.72% （58/369） in females， 13.83% （48/347） in junior high school students and 15.28% （55/360） in senior high school students. There was no statistical significance in the incidence of suicidal self-injurious behavior of teenagers between different genders， different learning stages， smoking or not， asexual behavior or not， gambling or not， and fighting or not （all P>0.05）. The incidence of suicidal self-injurious behaviors in teenagers from single parent family， drunkenness， runaway， loneliness， under great study pressure， lovelorn， and mobile phone addiction was significantly higher （χ2=13.809， 10.852， 14.279， 11.451， 12.893， 22.905， 19.473， respectively. All P<0.001）. Logistic regression analysis showed that the following were main risk factors affecting the incidence of suicidal self-injurious behavior in teenagers： single parent family （OR=3.826， 95%CI： 1.402-7.501）， drunkenness （OR=3.903， 95%CI： 1.512-7.368）， runaway （OR=3.447， 95%CI： 1.669-7.715）， loneliness （OR=3.613， 95%CI： 1.504-7.697）， great study pressure （OR=3.712， 95%CI： 1.387-7.604）， lovelorn（OR=4.125， 95%CI： 1.516-8.117） and mobile phone addiction（OR=4.027， 95%CI： 1.499-7.984 （all P<0.001）. Conclusion:The incidence of suicidal self-injurious behavior in teenagers is not low in Guangdong， and targeted measures should be developed to screen and intervene based on the influencing factors.

Movement coordination ability among preschool children in Shanghai / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To investigate the preschool children’s movement coordination ability in Shanghai and to provide the evidence for formulating a scientific sports strategy@*Methods@#During May to June of 2018, 9 833 preschool children aged 3-6 years were selected from 174 kindergartens of 4 districts (Jing’an, Pudong, Songjiang and Minhang) in Shanghai. Motor coordination ability was assessed by using Little Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire.@*Results@#n this study, the total scores of movement coordination ability, motor control, fine motor/writing and general coordination were 67.96±8.44,23.01±2.92,22.85±2.97 and 22.10±3.12，respectively,which gradually increased with age(P<0.01), and girls sorced higher than boys(each P<0.01). The incidence of developmental coordination disorder was 4.4% and the rate of suspected developmental coordination disorder was 7.9%. The incidences of developmental coordination disorder in students in the age group between 3 and 6 were 7.0%，4.7%，3.5% and 2.7% , which gradually decreased with age(χ2=92.04, P<0.01). The incidence rates of boys and girls were 5.3% and 3.4%, respectively，boys had a higher incidence of developmental coordination disorders than that of girls(χ2=31.70, P<0.01). @*Conclusion@#Preschool children in Shanghai have fine movement coordination ability which varies by age and sex.

Preparation and cytocompatibility of porous zirconia scaffold modified by graphene oxide for bone tissue engineering / 医学研究生学报

Objective In order to meet the needs of maxillofacical bone defect repair, the aim of this study was to synthesize graphene oxide(GO) modified three-dimensional conneted nano- zirconia(ZrO2) bone tissue engineering scaffold and evaluate its surface morphology, compressive strength and cytocompatibility. Methods GO was synthesized by a modified Hummers method and then was testified by scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscopy and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. ZrO2 scaffold was modified by different concentrations(0.5,1.0,1.5mg/mL) of GO dispersion via a silane-mediated method. The composite scaffold with uniform GO coating was chosen for compressive strength test and co-cultured with human dental pulp stem cells(hDPSCs). Actin staining was used to observe the growth of the cells on the scaffold, and MTS was used to detect the cell activity. Results The characterization results showed that, under scanning electron microscope, the GO was flaky and the surface morphology of folds could be seen. Part of the GO layer folds up at the edge. Under transmission electron microscopy, the GO was clearly observed to have a gossylike, translucent and slightly wrinkled lamellar structure. The crystal structure in this area in the high-resolution filter image showed a six-member ring structure like graphite. Under high power electron microscope, the 1.0mg/ml GO-ZrO2 scaffold could be seen to deposit a thin layer of GO at the crack of the scaffold skeleton, connecting the two ends of the crack, and lamellar GO with folds could be observed on the surface of ceramic particles. The comparison of mechanical properties showed that the compression strength of GO-ZrO2 scaffold was sgnificantly increased compared with that of ZrO2 scaffold[（1.292±0.087）vs（1.031±0.076）, P<0.05]. Compared with the simple ZrO2 scaffold, the GO-ZrO2 scaffold showed more dense extension and adhesion to the surface of scaffolds, showing more active cell proliferation. The cell viability test showed that the viability of hDPSCs was significantly improved on GO-ZrO2 scaffold after 1, 3 and 5 days of proliferation compared with the simple ZrO2 scaffold(P<0.05). Conclusion The ZrO2 scaffold modified by GO improved compressive strength, promoted the early proliferation of hDPSCs with good cytocompatibility.

Recombinant human serum albumin promotes differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells into cardiomyocytes in vitro / 中国胸心血管外科临床杂志

@#Objective    To investigate whether recombinant human serum albumin (rHSA) can replace traditional B27 as a basic medium for differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) into cardiomyocytes. Methods     hPSCs were seeded at a cell density of 1.2×104/cm2; until up to 75% confluency hPSCs were induced by differentiation medium containing various concentration of rHSA (0, 50, 100, 200 g/L). Light microscope and fluorescence microscope recorded the whole process of stem cells differentiating into myocardium. Flow cytometry was used to detect the cardiac differentiation efficiency at different concentrations of rHSA. Immunofluorescence staining was used to detect the cardiac specific protein α-actinin and troponin T (cTnT) and electron microscope to observe the ultrastructure of human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hPSC-CM) and beating rates of hPSC-CMs response to drugs. Results     A large number of spontaneous beating cardiomyocytes were observed 9 days after induction and differentition. The percentage of colonies showing beating cardiomyocytes was 60.4% at the concentration of 200 g/L of rice derived-rHSA. Beating cardiomyocytes were α-actinin and cTnT positive. Ultrastructural analysis showed scattered sarcomeres and mitochondrial. hPSC-CMs were dose-dependent on isopropyl adrenaline and verapamil. Conclusion     Using such simple media to differentiate hPSCs into functional cardiomyocytes is cost-effective and highly efficient, and can be used in the clinical research.

Activation of nuclear factor-κB subunit p50/p65 enhances gefitinib resistance of lung adenocarcinoma H1650 cell line / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the intrinsic connection between activation of classical nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) pathway and gefitinib resistance in human lung adenocarcinoma H1650 cells.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Human lung adenocarcinoma H1650 cells were exposed to gefitinib continuously for 60 days to obtain resistant H1650 cells. The expressions of P-IκBα, P-p50 and P-p65 in the cytoplasm or nuclei were detected using Western blotting in human lung adenocarcinoma HCC827 cells, parental H1650 cells and gefitinib-resistant H1650 cells. The effects of gefitinib alone or in combination with PDTC on the survival rate and expressions of NF-κB P-p50 and P-p65 were compared among the 3 cell lines.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Gefitinib-resistant H1650 cells showed increased cytoplasmic and nuclear P-IκBα expressions. The expressions of P-p50 and P-p65 differed significantly among the 3 cell line, decreasing in the order of resistant H1650 cells, parental H1650 cells, and gefitinib sensitive HCC827 cell lines (P<0.05 or 0.01). Treatment with gefitinib alone resulted in a significantly lower cell inhibition rate in resistant H1650 cells than in the parental H1650 cells (P<0.05) and HCC827 cells (P<0.01). The resistant H1650 cells had a significantly higher expression of P-p50 and P-p65 than other two cell lines (P<0.05). In both the resistant and parental H1650 cells, gefitinib significantly lowered P-p50 and P-p65 expressions (P<0.05 or 0.01), and the combined treatment with gefitinib and PDTC significantly decreased the cell survival rate and further lowered the cytoplasmic and nuclear expressions of P-p50 and P-p65 (P<0.01 or 0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The activation of classical NF-κB pathway is a key factor contributing to transformation of the parental H1650 cells into gefitinib-resistant cells. Gefitinib combined with PDTC can inhibit P-IκBα production and NF-κB P-p50 and P-p65 activation to suppress the survival of residual H1650 cells and the generation of gefitinib-resistant cells.</p>

Changes of Brain Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Study in Hemorrhagic Shock: An Experimental Study on a Rabbit Model / 中国实验血液学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the changes of cerebral metabolism in rabbit model of hemorrhagic shock by using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy(PMRS).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Ten New Zealand white rabbits were used for construction of the model of acute hemorrhagic anemia. 1H-MRS was performed before and at the time-peint of 30, 90, and 180 min after hemorrhagic shock. The concentrations of NAA, Cr, Cho, Lac, and NAA/Cr and Cho/Cr ratios were estimated.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Hemorrhagic shock was associated with significant reductions in red blood cell count, hemoglobin level, hematocrit, pH, and PaCO, and elevations of blood lactate and PaO. The ratios of NAA/Cr at 30 min, 90 min and 180 min after shock were (1.50±0.09), (1.37±0.09) and (1.27±0.10), respectively, which were significantly lower than those before shock (2.11±0.16) (P <0.05) (1.16±0.05) and (0.97±0.04) at 30 min and 90 min after shock, respectively, which were significantly lower than those pre-shock (1.38±0.08) (P <0.05). The ratis of Cho/Cr at 30 min and 90 min were (1.16±0.05) and (0.97±0.04), respectively, which were significantly lower than those before shock (1.38±0.08) (P <0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>MRS can noninvasively and dynamically detect brean metabolic changes in early hemorrhagic shock, and has positive significance for early diagnosis and prognosis assessment of hemorrhagic shock.</p>

The value of high-flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy after extubation in patients with acute respiratory failure

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the value of high-flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy after extubation in patients with acute respiratory failure. METHODS: A single-center, prospective, randomized, controlled pilot trial was conducted between January 2013 and December 2014. Sixty enrolled patients were randomized immediately after extubation into either a high-flow nasal cannula group (n=30) or an air entrainment mask group (n=30) at a fixed inspired oxygen fraction (40%). The success rate of oxygen therapy, respiratory and hemodynamic parameters and subjective discomfort (using a visual analogue scale) were assessed at 24h after extubation. RESULTS: The two groups were comparable at extubation. A total of 46 patients were successfully treated including 27 patients in the high-flow nasal cannula group and 19 patients in the air entrainment mask group. Compared to the air entrainment mask group, the success rate of oxygen therapy and the partial pressure of arterial oxygen were significantly higher and the respiratory rate was lower in the high-flow nasal cannula group. In addition, less discomfort related to interface displacement and airway dryness was observed in the high-flow nasal cannula group than in the air entrainment mask group. CONCLUSIONS: At a fixed inspired oxygen fraction, the application of a high-flow nasal cannula after extubation achieves a higher success rate of oxygen therapy and less discomfort at 24h than an air entrainment mask in patients with acute respiratory failure.

Development of a mouse model of arecoline-induced oral mucosal fibrosis

Objective To develop a BALB/c mouse model of oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) induced by arecoline and to exhibit an accumulation of collagen and angiogenesis changes. Methods BALB/c mice were randomly assigned to either the control (distilled water) or experimental group (arecoline) (n = 40). Eight mice from each group were sacrificed every 4 weeks since 8 weeks post treatment. Changes in histopathologic features, levels of collagen type I and collagen type III, and angiogenesis were measured. Results In the 8th week, epithelium atrophy, collagen cumulation and micrangium pathologic changes in the lamina propria were observed in the oral mucosa. In the 20th week, hyaline degeneration of the connective tissues was observed on the tongue and palate mucosa. The angiogenesis and collagen type I changed significantly as the diseases advanced (P < 0.05); however, collagen type III was not statistically different. Conclusions An OSF model involving mice can be rapidly induced by drinking a high-dose of arecoline. OSF angiogenic changes in mice primarily decrease and collagen accumulation is mainly collagen type I.

Development of a mouse model of arecoline-induced oral mucosal fibrosis

OBJECTIVE@#To develop a BALB/c mouse model of oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) induced by arecoline and to exhibit an accumulation of collagen and angiogenesis changes.@*METHODS@#BALB/c mice were randomly assigned to either the control (distilled water) or experimental group (arecoline) (n = 40). Eight mice from each group were sacrificed every 4 weeks since 8 weeks post treatment. Changes in histopathologic features, levels of collagen type I and collagen type III, and angiogenesis were measured.@*RESULTS@#In the 8th week, epithelium atrophy, collagen cumulation and micrangium pathologic changes in the lamina propria were observed in the oral mucosa. In the 20th week, hyaline degeneration of the connective tissues was observed on the tongue and palate mucosa. The angiogenesis and collagen type I changed significantly as the diseases advanced (P < 0.05); however, collagen type III was not statistically different.@*CONCLUSIONS@#An OSF model involving mice can be rapidly induced by drinking a high-dose of arecoline. OSF angiogenic changes in mice primarily decrease and collagen accumulation is mainly collagen type I.

Molecular cloning and characterization of Pseudorabies virus EP0 gene.

The pseudorabies virus (PRV) early protein EP0 is a homologue of the herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) immediate-early protein ICP0, which is a multifunctional protein and important for HSV-1 infection. However, the exact function of EP0 is not clear. In this study, using polymerase chain reaction, a 1,104 base-pair sequence of the EP0 gene was amplified from the PRV Becker strain genome and identification of the EP0 gene was confirmed by further cloning and sequencing. Bioinformatics analysis indicated that the PRV EP0 gene encoded a putative polypeptide with 367 amino acids. The encoded protein, designated as EP0 contained a conserved RING-finger superfamily domain and was found to be closely related with the herpes virus RING-finger superfamily and was highly conserved among the counterparts encoded by RING-finger genes. Multiple nucleic acid sequence and amino-acid sequence alignments suggested that PRV EP0 showed a relatively higher similarity with EP0-like proteins of genus Varicellovirus than with those of other genera of Alphaherpesvirinae. In addition, phylogenetic analysis showed that PRV EP0 had a close evolutionary relationship with members of genus Varicellovirus, especially bovine herpesvirus 1 (BoHV-1) and BoHV-5. Antigen prediction indicated that several potential B-cell epitopes were located in EP0. Also, subcellular localization analysis demonstrated that EP0 was predominantly localized in the nucleus, suggesting that it might function as a nuclear-targeted protein.

Association between CHRNA3 rs1051730 genotype and lung cancer risk in Chinese Han population: A case-control study / 华中科技大学学报（医学）（英德文版）

Recent population-based genome wide association studies have revealed potential susceptibility loci of lung cancer at the region of chromosome 15q25.1 containing nicotinic acetylcholine receptor genes. The loci increasing lung cancer risk has been widely identified in Caucasians, but whether this association also exists in Asians and whether this association is a direct role or mediated via tobacco smoking indirectly has not been fully established. We conducted a case-control study comprising of 210 histologically confirmed lung cancer cases and 200 healthy controls to examine rs1051730 genotyping, a single nucleotide polymorphism receiving much attention recently, and its influence on lung cancer risk as well as nicotine dependence in a Chinese Han population. Our results showed that the heterozygous C/T genotype and minor allele T conferred a significant higher risk of lung cancer than the CC homozygotes and allele C (adjusted OR=2.25, 95% CI=1.04-4.89, P=0.040 and OR=2.18, 95% CI=1.02-4.67, P=0.045 respectively). However, no association between the smoking habit and the CHRNA3 rs1051730 polymorphism was observed in this study. The results suggested that the rs1051730 polymorphism may modify susceptibility to lung cancer via a smoking-independent manner among Chinese Han population. Additional studies in vitro and in vivo are warranted to further elucidate the impact of rs1051730 on lung cancer susceptibility.

Association between CHRNA3 rs1051730 genotype and lung cancer risk in Chinese Han population: a case-control study / 华中科技大学学报（医学）（英德文版）

Recent population-based genome wide association studies have revealed potential susceptibility loci of lung cancer at the region of chromosome 15q25.1 containing nicotinic acetylcholine receptor genes. The loci increasing lung cancer risk has been widely identified in Caucasians, but whether this association also exists in Asians and whether this association is a direct role or mediated via tobacco smoking indirectly has not been fully established. We conducted a case-control study comprising of 210 histologically confirmed lung cancer cases and 200 healthy controls to examine rs1051730 genotyping, a single nucleotide polymorphism receiving much attention recently, and its influence on lung cancer risk as well as nicotine dependence in a Chinese Han population. Our results showed that the heterozygous C/T genotype and minor allele T conferred a significant higher risk of lung cancer than the CC homozygotes and allele C (adjusted OR=2.25, 95% CI=1.04-4.89, P=0.040 and OR=2.18, 95% CI=1.02-4.67, P=0.045 respectively). However, no association between the smoking habit and the CHRNA3 rs1051730 polymorphism was observed in this study. The results suggested that the rs1051730 polymorphism may modify susceptibility to lung cancer via a smoking-independent manner among Chinese Han population. Additional studies in vitro and in vivo are warranted to further elucidate the impact of rs1051730 on lung cancer susceptibility.

Interleukin-18-induced transdifferentiation in renal proximal tubular cells is mediated by activation of p38MAPK pathway / 中国应用生理学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the effect of p38MAPK signaling pathway in interleukin-18-induced transdifferentiation in renal proximal tubular cells.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Human proximal tubular epithelial cell line (HK-2 cells) was cultured in vitro. After preincubated with SB203580 (0, 5, 10, 20 micromol/L) for 30 minutes, cells were exposed to IL-18 (100 ng/ml) for 24, 48 and 72 hours respectively. The expressions of a-smooth actin (alpha-SMA) in cultured HK-2 cells were assessed by RT-PCR and ELISA.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>IL-18-induced expressions of a-SMA mRNA and protein were inhibited obviously by a dose-dependent manner when HK-2 cells were incubated with SB203580 (0, 5, 10, 20 micromol/L) and IL-18 (100 ng/ml) for different time (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>IL-18-induced transdifferentiation of renal tubular epithelial cells (RTECs) is suppressed obviously by blocking p38MAPK signaling pathways. IL-18-induced transdifferentiation of RTECs is probably mediated, at least in part, through the activation of p38MAPK signaling pathways.</p>

A method to automatically analyze and diagnose ambulatory ECG signals for telemonitoring system / 中国医疗器械杂志

This paper proposes a method of automatic ECG analysis and arrhythmia diagnosis for telemonitoring system. A multi-buffer technique is applied to organize dispersive ECG data. Then, according to second order derivatives of ECG signals, peaks of R waves are automatically detected. Finally, real-time heart rhythm is decided by results of R wave detection. Tests prove that the proposed method is precise, efficient and stable to be applied in real-time ECG telemonitoring system.

A denoising method of epicardial potential mapping signals based on ICA / 中国医疗器械杂志

A new denoising method is presented in the paper, based on the independent component analysis(ICA) and the noise independent component selection measurement which is the dispersivity of the independent component's projection coefficients to each electrode. The results indicate that the method can denoise EPM signals with giving prominence to electrodes' true depolarization signals. So it' s fit well for the EPM system.

The design of the external defibrillator using the truncated exponential biphasic waveform / 中国医疗器械杂志

The external defibrillator is an emergency instrument used very widely in clinics. It plays an important role in rescuing ventricle fibrillation (VF) patients. We have designed an external defibrillator using the truncated exponential biphasic waveform. The system consists of three parts: the ECG collection module, the control module and the defibrillator module. They are introduced respectively, listing the main problems and the methods to solve them. Some experiments have been done and the corresponding results are given.

3D emulation of epicardium dynamic mapping / 中国医疗器械杂志

In order to realize epicardium dynamic mapping of the whole atria, 3-D graphics are drawn with OpenGL. Some source codes are introduced in the paper to explain how to produce, read, and manipulate 3-D model data.