[Diagnosis and treatment of 18 cases of Chiari malformation with hoarseness].

Objective: To investigate the diagnosis and treatment of Chiari malformation patients with hoarseness and other otorhinolaryngological symptoms. Methods: The clinical data of 18 patients of Chiari malformation with hoarseness were retrospectively collected, which was composed of 5 men and 13 women, aged 3-71 with median age of 52. All the patients were admitted to the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University from January 1989 to January 2020. All patients underwent brain MRI and laryngoscopy. The patient's symptoms and first diagnosis department, diagnosis time, total course of disease, hoarseness course, diagnosis and treatment, and postoperative recovery time were summarized. Follow-up time was 3-16 years, with median follow-up time of 6.5 years. Descriptive methods were used for analysis. Results: The first visit departments of 18 patients included neurology (9 cases), otorhinolaryngology head and neck surgery (5 cases), pediatrics (2 cases), orthopedics (1 case) and respiratory department (1 case). Except for the 7 cases in neurology department, the other 11 patients were not diagnosed in time. The disease duration of 18 patients with Chiari malformation ranged from 2 months to 5 years, and hoarseness was present from 20 days to 5 years. After diagnosis, 9 patients underwent posterior fossa decompression surgery, and 1 of them underwent syrinx drainage at the same time. The symptoms of 8 cases improved significantly after operation, with the improvement time from 1 to 30 days. In addition, 9 patients chose conservative treatment, among whom 8 had no improvement in symptoms and 6 progressed. Conclusions: Posterior fossa decompression is an effective treatment for Chiari malformation, and the prognosis is good. Timely diagnosis and treatment can improve the prognosis of patients.

[Therapeutic effect of miR-489 in a mouse model of silica-induced matured pulmonary fibrosis].

Objective: To explore the potential therapeutic role of miR-489 in silica-induced pulmonary fibrosis mouse models. Methods: A total of 32 C57BL/6 male mice were randomly divided into four groups: saline, silica, silica plus miRNA control and silica plus miR-489 agomir (n=8 in each group) . The mice were instilled with silica particles suspended in saline or sterile saline intratracheally. Subsequently, miR-489 agomir or miRNA control was injected via the tail vein into each mouse at days 28, 35, 42 and 49, the miR-489 levels, histological examination, collagen deposition, fibrotic biomarkers (E-cadherin, α-SMA, Vimentin, Fibronectin) and transforming growth factor-ß(1) (TGF-ß(1)) protein levels in mouse lung tissues were measured. Results: miR-489 levels in silica plus miR-489 group were significantly increased in lung tissues compared with silica plus miRNA control group (P<0.05) . Histological examination showed attenuated inflammation, less severe fibrotic foci and less destruction of alveolar architecture in the silica plus miR-489 group. Additionally, both the severity and distribution of lung lesions were ameliorated in silica plus miR-489 group compared with the silica plus miRNA control group (P<0.05) . The collagen deposition and hydroxyproline levels in silica plus miR-489 group were significantly decreased compared with the silica plus miRNA control group (P<0.05) . These changes were supported by decreased protein levels of α-SMA, Vimentin, Fibronectin, TGF-ß1 along with increased protein levels of E-cadherin in silica plus miR-489 group (P<0.05) . Conclusion: Our data indicate that the upregulation of miR-489 has potential therapeutic role in silica-induced pulmonary fibrosis in vivo, which may be associated with the depression of TGF-ß1 release.

[Effects of adenotonsillectomy on immunoregulation in children with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome].

Objective:To observe the effects of adenotonsillectomy on immunoregulation in children with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome. Method:Thirty-six OSAHS children were recruited as an experimental group while 40 healthy children for the control group. Blood samples were collected from experimental group and control group. Tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy were performed under general anesthesia in the experimental group. Blood samples of the experimental group were collected at 4 days, 1, 3 and 6 months after operation, respectively. Lymphocyte subsets, NK cells and immunoglobulin were analysis in all patients. Result:①The expression of IgA in the experimental group was significantly lower than the control group before operation (P<0.01). No significant difference was found between the other groups (P>0.05). ②The percentage of CD4+ T cells and CD4+/CD8+ ratio in the experimental group were significantly lower than those in the control group before operation (P<0.01 or <0.05). The percentage of CD8+ T cells in experimental group was significantly higher than that in control group one day before operation (P<0.01). ③In the experimental group, the expression of IgG at 4 days and 1 month was significantly lower than that before operation (P<0.05). At 3 and 6 months after operation, IgA was significantly higher than that before operation, the difference was statistically significant (P<0.01 or <0.05). No significant difference was found between the other groups (P>0.05). ④The percentage of CD4+ T, CD3+ T and NK cells, CD4+/CD8+ ratio in the experimental group at post-operative 4 days were lower than those before operation, and the percentage of CD8+ T cells was CD4+/CD8+ ratio in 3 and 6 months after operation was higher than that before operation, and CD8+ T was lower than before operation,the difference was statistically significant (P<0.01 or <0.05). No significant difference was found between the other groups (P>0.05). Conclusion:①Compared with healthy children, OSAHS children have a certain degree of cellular and humoral immune disorders, accompanied by different levels of cellular and humoral immune function decline. ②The cellular and humoral immune function in children with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) decreased within 1 month, but recovered to healthy children at 6 months after operation. Adenoidectomy and tonsillectomy were helpful to restore the immune function of children with OSAHS.

ZnO anchored on vertically aligned graphene: binder-free anode materials for lithium-ion batteries.

ZnO has been regarded as a promising anode material for the next-generation lithium-ion battery. Unfortunately, the structure broken caused by the volume change of ZnO and the capacity degression due to the irreversible electrochemical reaction of ZnO still remain two major challenges. Here, we design a novel kind of in situ growth binder-free ZnO-based anodes via ZnO anchored on vertically aligned graphene. The composite anode retains physical integrity post cycling. Especially, the good conductivity of graphene and the ultrasmall size of ZnO particles help to produce a completely reversible electrochemical reaction of ZnO-based anode. The composite material exhibits a high capacity (810 mAh g(-1)), long cycle life, good cycle stability, and fast charge/discharge rate.

R-Ras contributes to LTP and contextual discrimination.

The ability to discriminate between closely related contexts is a specific form of hippocampal-dependent learning that may be impaired in certain neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's and Down Syndrome. However, signaling pathways regulating this form of learning are poorly understood. Previous studies have shown that the calcium-dependent exchange factor Ras-GRF1, an activator of Rac, Ras and R-Ras GTPases, is important for this form of learning and memory. Moreover, the ability to discriminate contexts was linked to the ability of Ras-GRF1 to promote high-frequency stimulation long-term potentiation (HFS-LTP) via the activation of p38 Map kinase. Here, we show that R-Ras is involved in this form of learning by using virally-delivered miRNAs targeting R-Ras into the CA1 region of the dorsal hippocampus and observing impaired contextual discrimination. Like the loss of GRF1, knockdown of R-Ras in the CA1 also impairs the induction of HFS-LTP and p38 Map kinase. Nevertheless, experiments indicate that this involvement of R-Ras in HFS-LTP that is required for contextual discrimination is independent of Ras-GRF1. Thus, R-Ras is a novel regulator of a form of hippocampal-dependent LTP as well as learning and memory that is affected in certain forms of neurodegenerative diseases.

Pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution of zidovudine in rats following intravenous administration of zidovudine myristate loaded liposomes.

Liposomes accumulating in the reticuloendothelial system (RES) appear to be a promising vehicle to improve the therapeutic index of anti-HIV drugs such as zidovudine (AZT). Since the entrapment efficiency of AZT in liposomes was found to be low and AZT leakage from liposomes is fast, zidovudine myristate (AZT-M) was synthesized as a prodrug, and AZT-M incorporated liposomes in a lyophilized form were prepared with an average diameter of 90 nm and an encapsulation efficiency of 98% after reconstitution. The pharmacokinetic profiles and tissue distribution of AZT after i.v. administration of AZT-M liposomes in rats were investigated, and the results were compared with those after i.v. administration of AZT solution. AZT levels in plasma were significantly higher following application of AZT-M liposomes compared with AZT solution, and AUC0_infinity increased from 5.0 +/- 0.7 micromol x min x ml(-1) to 8.2 +/- 1.7 micromol x min x ml(-1) accordingly. Tissue distribution studies also confirmed higher concentrations of AZT in organs of RES and brain, suggesting that AZT-M liposomes might be promising candidates for therapy of HIV infections.

A nine-year prospective study on the incidence of childhood type 1 diabetes mellitus in China.

To investigate the epidemiological characteristics of childhood type 1 diabetes mellitus in China, newly diagnosed cases of type 1 diabetes with an onset age under 15 years were retrospectively registered by 23 local centers in China following a standardized protocol on the basis of the nationwide registry established by the WHO DiaMond Project China Participating Center, Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine (CAPM). A population of about 24 million children were covered in the defined areas. A two-sample capture-recapture method was used to estimate case ascertainment. Between 1988 and 1996, 903 diabetic cases were registered in 9 ethnic groups. The overall ascertainment corrected incidence rate (IR) was 0.59 per 100,000 person-year. The IR was 0.52/100,000 (95% CI: 0.50-0.54) for males and 0.66/100,000 (95% CI: 0.64-0.68) for females. The standardized ascertainment corrected IR by the national age-specific population in 1990 was 0.57 per 100,000 person-year. The incidence among various ethnic groups ranged from 0.25/100,000 to 3. 06/100,000. The IRs increased with northern latitude, and the IR of Han population was significantly higher in North China compared with South China (0.67 versus 0.53 per 100,000 respectively, P < 0.01). A correlation model of incidence and calendar time showed that the IR increased significantly between 1988 and 1996 (r = 0.86, P = 0.0027). The relative risk (RR) of type 1 diabetes mellitus for different age-groups estimated by a Poisson regression model showed that taking RR as 1.00 for age-group from 0 to 4 years, the RR for age-group from 5 to 9 year and from 10 to 14 year was 2.30 and 3.60 respectively. The standardized ascertainment corrected IR of childhood type 1 diabetes mellitus in China in much lower than in other countries. The geographic and ethnic variability of the incidence suggests that both genetic and environmental factors play a role in the development of childhood diabetes in China.

Analysis of 541 cases of occupational acute chemical injuries in a large petrochemical company in China.

The authors carried out a descriptive analysis of acute chemical intoxication in a large petrochemical corporation with 38,000 employees, located in a suburban district of Shanghai, China, to determine the chemicals involved and the primary causes of the incidents. Between 1977 and 1997, 350 cases of acute chemical-intoxication were recorded, resulting in a total of 541 workers with symptoms. Of these, 483 were male and 58, female, with over half the victims under 30 years old. Two hundred and seventy-five cases were serious enough to necessitate hospital admission. There were 266 cases of chemical irritation or inhalation responses (49.2%), 215 cases of mild chemical poisoning (39.7%), 31 cases of moderate poisoning (5.7%), and 29 cases resulting in critical injury (5.4%), including eight deaths (1.5%). The main causes of injury reported by patients were lack of training about safety (63%) and equipment failure (23%). The chemicals involved were asphyxiating gases (302 cases; 55.8%), irritating gases (111 cases; 20.5%), and other toxins. Intervention strategies for the prevention of acute chemical exposures were suggested to the corporation.

Convergence of perianal cutaneous and pelvic visceral nociceptive inputs onto neurons of dorsal commissural nucleus in the cat sacral spinal cord.

The effects of somatic and visceral nociceptive stimulation on neurons of dorsal commissural nucleus in sacral spinal cord were studied in pentobarbitone anesthetized cats using extracellular recording techniques. The results indicated that all neurons deriving input from A delta fibers of the pelvic nerve were either nociceptive specific or wide dynamic range neurons, and could be activated by mechanical or intense electrical stimulation of the respective receptive fields including perianal region. The above results suggest that the A delta afferents innervation of the pelvic organ is important in nociception.

Expression of c-fos protein in substance P receptor-like immunoreactive neurons in response to noxious stimuli on the urinary bladder: an observation in the lumbosacral cord segments of the rat.

Chemical irritation of the urinary bladder with formalin in the rat induced c-fos protein-like immunoreactivity in more than 80% of substance P receptor-like immunoreactive (SPR-LI) neurons of the dorsal commissural nucleus, sacral parasympathetic nucleus and lamina I in the 6th lumbar and 1st sacral cord segments. These neurons with SPR-LI may receive noxious information from the urinary bladder through the primary afferent fibers with substance P.

[A study using FRTL-5 cell for detecting thyroid stimulating antibody activity in serum in patients with Graves disease].

Using a strain of functioning rat thyroid cells (Fischer rat thyroid line-5, FRTL-5) as target cells and immunoglobin G sedimented from serum by polyethylene glycol (PEG), we studied thyroid stimulating antibody (TsAb) activity in serum of patients with Graves' disease. In a total of 92 cases, TsAb activity was detected in 92.59% (25/27) of the patients with untreated Graves' disease, 75.00% (9/12) of the patients with relapsing Graves' disease and 39.13% (18/46) of the patients with Graves' disease who were euthyroid while taking antithyroid drugs. TsAb activity was also detected in 42.86% (3/7) of the patients with ophthalmic Graves' disease and 12.50% (2/16) of the patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis. The results showed that TsAb activity can be used as an immunologic index and is valuable in the diagnosis of Graves' disease. Remission and relapse of Graves' disease can be indicated or monitored with the measurement of TsAb activity.