Numerical Simulation of Coronary Artery Bypass Graft with an Assistant Graft

The conventional bypass design is to implant a graft on the stenosed host artery allowing blood to flow bypass the stenotic artery. However, restenosis is a challenging problem which finally results in reoperation. The purpose of this paper is to propose a new bypass graft design of coronary artery with an assistant graft for the treatment of coronary artery stenosis. An additional assistant graft was employed in the new design compared with the conventional ETS anastomosis. Numerical simulations were performed by means of finite volume method using computational fluid dynamics （CFD） solver. Results demonstrated that the new anastomoses model provided a more smooth flow at the distal ETS anastomosis without any stagnation point on anastomotic bed and vortex formation in the heel region. Oscillatory shear index （OSI） and time-averaged wall shear stress gradient （TAWSSG） at the artery bed of the distal ETS anastomosis were reduced. The coronary artery bypass graft with an assistant graft is feasible to improve the local hemodynamics and diminish the probability of restenosis in the treatment of coronary artery stenosis.     

THE DESIGN,EQUIPMENT DISPOSITION AND MANAGEMENT OF INTENSIVE CARE UNIT

A good or bad design,equipment disposition and management of Intensive CareUnit (ICU) is one of the important standards which judge the medical level.As theinvestment of equipments in ICU is so costly,the problems of how to design ICUcorrectly,how to dispose the equipments in it and how to manage ICU must besolved effectively.We have worked out a set of methods for the above problemsthrough investigating ICU in several hospitals.     

Role of remote sensing, geographic bioinformatics system and bioinformatics in kala-azar epidemiology

Visceral leishmaniasis or kala-azar is a potent parasitic infection causing death of thousands of people each year. Medicinal compounds currently available for the treatment of kala-azar have serious side effects and decreased efficacy owing to the emergence of resistant strains. The type of immune reaction is also to be considered in patients infected with Leishmania donovani (L. donovani). For complete eradication of this disease, a high level modern research is currently being applied both at the molecular level as well as at the field level. The computational approaches like remote sensing, geographic information system (GIS) and bioinformatics are the key resources for the detection and distribution of vectors, patterns, ecological and environmental factors and genomic and proteomic analysis. Novel approaches like GIS and bioinformatics have been more appropriately utilized in determining the cause of visearal leishmaniasis and in designing strategies for preventing the disease from spreading from one region to another.     

Tinea faciei in a newborn due toTrichophyton tonsurans

We report here the first case of neonatal tinea faciei caused by Trichophyton tonsurans in mainland China.The mother of the infant had tinea corpris and tinea capitis while the father had tinea incongnito.The infections in the parents were mycologically confirmed to be due to Trichophyton tonsurans.Ttinea faciei in the infant was cured after two-week topical use of amorolfine cream.The mother ceased breastfeeding and took oral terbinafine for 4 weeks.No recurrence was observed in the infant during 12 months of follow-up.     

血友病B的基因诊断

The haemophilia B(HB)is caused by the mutations in the factⅨ gene, and is known as an X-linked recessive disease. At present, due to lacking of the eradicative therapy, the gene diagnosis and detection of the carriers is an effective method to prevent the infant patients to be born, block the transmission of harmful gene, and improve the population quality. This should be actively encouraged for its pratical usefulness.     

IL-10 gene modified dendritic cells inhibit T helper type 1-mediated alloimmune responses and promote immunological tolerance in diabetes

Dendritic cells （DCs） have the potency to regulate the outcome of autoimmunity through the modulation of immune responses. The induction of antigen specific tolerance is critical for prevention and treatment of allograft rejection. In the present Study, we transfected IL-10 gene into DCs and investigated their effect on inhibition of lymphocyte activity in vitro and induction of immune tolerance on islet allograft in mice. An IDDM C57BL/6 mouse model was induced by streptozotocin. The islet cells isolated from the BALB/c mice were transplanted into the kidney capules of the model mice followed by injection of IL-10 modified DCs （mDCs）. The results showed that mDCs could significantly inhibit T lymphocyte proliferation mediated by allotype cells and induce its apoptosis, whereas, unmodified DCs （umDCs） could promote the murine lymphocyte proliferation markedly. The injection of mDCs could prolong the survival of allotype islet transplanted IDDM mice. The average plasma glucose （PG） level in mDCs treated mice returned to normal within 3 days and lasted for about 2 weeks. The rejection response in control mice occurred for 5 days after transplantation. The level of IFN-γ was lower while IL-4 was higher in mDCs treated mice than that in umDCs treated mice, which indicated that Thl/Th2 deviation occurred. Our studies suggest that IL-10 gene modified DCs can induce the immune tolerance to islet graft and prolong survival of the recipients by the inhibiting of T cell proliferation in allotype mice. Cellular ＆ Molecular Immunology.     

The inhibitory effect of quercetin on IL-6 production by LPS-stimulated neutrophils

Quercetin is a herbal flavonoid derived from various foods of plant origin and plays a role in anti-inflammation. Although a number of researches in the field have been done, the mechanism of anti-inflammatory effect of quercetin should be further darified. In the present study, we investigated the effects of quercetin on IL-6 production by LPS-stimulated neutrophils in human. Neutrophils were were pre-treated with quercetin at the final concentrations of ranging from 0-80 ~M for 30 rain, or not treated, and then incubated in the presence or absence of lipopolysaccharide （LPS） at a final concentration of 100 ng/ml for indicated time. The secretion level of IL-6 in the culture supernatants was assayed by ELISA, the intracellular level of IL-6 was detected by flow cytometry and the expression of IL-6 mRNA was analyzed by RT-PCR. The experiment results showed that neutrophils cultured with medium or quercetin alone did not express IL-6, but LPS （100 ng/ml） induced IL-6 expression of neutrophils. However, after pre-treatment of neutrophils with quercetin （40 ~Vl） for 30 rain, the inducible effects of LPS on the increase of IL-6 secretion, intracellular IL-6 level and IL-6 mRNA expression by neutrophils were abrogated. IL-6 is one of the important pro-inflammatory factors, especially in early phage of inflammation. Thus, our data suggested that quercetin might exert its anti-inflammatory effect through negatively modulating pro-inflammatory factors, such as IL-6. The inhibitory effects of quercetin on IL-6 production by neutrophils may provide a theoretical basis on future therapy of inflammation. Cellular ＆ Molecular Immunology. 2005;2（6）：455-460.     

The Experimental Study on Constructing the Tissue Engineered Myocardium-like Tissue in vitro with Bone Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Objective:Unlike other tissues,myocardium has not substitute whick can be used to repair damaged cardiac tissue.This paper proposes engineering 3-D myocardium-like tissue constructs in vitro with bone mesenchymal stem cells(BMSCs) of infant and poly-lactic-co-glycolic acid(PLGA)in vitro.Methods:Bone marrow was obtained from the sternal marrow cavum outflow of infant with congenital heart disease (CHD)undergoing cardiac operation.BMSCs were obtained by density gradient centrifugation.The cells in passages two were induced in DMED with 10 umol/L 5- Azacytidine(5-Aza)for 24 h.When the induced BMSCS were cultured nearly into filled,the cells were planted in the scaffold of PLGA in 5.5×106 cells/cm2.The cell- scaffold complex has been cultured in the shake cultivation for 1 week,then the complex has been planted in the dorse of the nude mouse.When the experiment had been finished,the histology,immunology,real time PCR and so on were done.Results: The BMSCs of infant with congenital heart disease have the properties of the stable growth and the rapid proliferation.The immunohistochemistry showed that tissue engineered myocardium constructed in vitro expressed some cardiac related proteins such asα-actin,Cx-43,Desmine,cTNI and so on.The transparent myofilaments,gap junctions and intercalated disk-like structure formation could be observed in the 3D tissue-like constructs by transmission electron microscope(TEM).The engineered myocardium-like tissue had the auto-myocardial property as assessed by real time- PCR and so on.Conclusion:The engineered myocardial tissue-like constructs could be built with infant BMSCs and PLGA in vitro.Our results may provide the first step on the long road toward engineering myocardial material for repairing the defect or augmenting the tract in CHD,such as ventricular septal defect,tetralogy of Fallot and so on.     

Dehydroepiandrosterone inhibited the bone resorption through the upregulation of OPG/RANKL

The plasma level of dehydroepiandrosterone （DHEA） is decreases gradually along with aging. The beneficial effects of DHEA as an anti-aging steroid, such as the stimulatory effect on immune system, anti-diabetes mellitus, antl-atherosclerosis, anti.dementia, anti-obesity and anti-osteoporosis have been demonstrated in experiment both in vitro and in vivo. It is important to investigate the effective mechanism of DHEA in therapeutics for postmenopausal osteoporosis. Having isolated and cultured osteoblasts （OBs） and osteoclasts （OCs）, we analysed the effect of DHEA on osteoblastic viability, regulation of DHEA on the expression of osteoprotegerin （OPG）/receptor activator of NF-κB Ugand （RANKL） mRNA in OBs, and then observed the action of DHEA on bone resorption of OCs in the presence or absence of OBs. The results showed that DHEA improved viability of OBs within the concentration range of 10^-8-10^-6 M, especially at the concentration of 10^-7 M. DHEA could apparently increase the ratio of OPG/RANKL mRNA in OBs. In the presence of OBs, DHEA could decrease the number and area of absorption lacuna of specula. We concluded, therefore, only in the presence of OBs, DHEA could inhibit the bone resorption of OCs, which may be mediated by OPG/RANKL of OBs.     

Investigation of NAD（P） H Fluorescence Decay in Living Cardiomyocytes with Spectrally-resolved Fluorescence Lifetime Spectroscopy

Objective：To study the mitochondrial redox state in experimental animals to sensitively detect early signs of mitochondrial function in pathophysiologieal conditions, such as isehemia. Methods： Fluorescence of nieotinamide adenine dinucleotide （phosphate） , or NAD（P）H, the principal electron donor in mitochondrial respiration responsible for vital ATP supply of cardiomyocytes, is studied for non-invasive fluorescent probing of the mitochondrial function. Examination of NAD （P）H fluorescence in living cardiomyocytes following excitation by UV-pulsed laser diode and detection by spectrally-resolved time-correlated single photon counting （TCSPC） , is based on the simultaneous measurement of the fluorescence spectra and lifetime. Results ： The dynamic characteristics of NAD （P） H fluorescence decay in living rat cardiomyocytes show that at least a 3-exponential decay model, with 0.4 - 0.7 ns, 1.2 - 1.9 ns and 8.0 - 13.0 ns lifetimes, is necessary to describe cardiomyocyte autofluorescenee （AF）. Decay-associated spectra （DSA） revealed the presence of 4 spectrally-distinct populations of NADH molecules in eardiomyocytes with spectral maximum at 470 nm for short-lifetime pool for the first time, and emission peaks at 450 nm, 470 nm and 490 nm for intermediate and long-lifetime pools. Increased mitochondrial NADH content ratio by ketone bodies enhanced the AF intensity, without the significant change in fluorescent lifetimes. Rotenone, the inhibitor of Complex I of the mitochondrial respiratory chain, increased AF and shortened the average fluorescence lifetime. Dinitrophenol （DNP）, an uncoupling agent of the mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, lowered AF,broadened the spectral shoulder at 520 nm and increased the average lifetime. These effects, comparable to the changes in the concentration and in the rate of dehydrogenation of NADH in vitro, were also examined under ischemia-mimetic conditions. Conclusion： Our findings anticipate a contribution of both conformational NADH changes and energy transfer from NADH to lipoamide dehydrogenase （LipDH）-bound flavins, to explain observed fluorescence kinetics. Presented spectrally resolved fluorescence lifetime approach provides promising new tool for analysis of mitochondrial NAD （P） H in living cardiomyocytes, and hence for investigation of energy metabolism and mitoehondrial dysfunction at a cellular level.     

An Improved Fixed-point Algorithm for Independent Component Analysis of Functional MRI Data

The fixed-point algorithm and infomax algorithm are two of the most popular algorithms in independent component analysis （ICA）. However, it is hard to take both stability and speed into consideration in processing functional magnetic resonance imaging （fMRI） data. In this paper, an optimization model for ICA is presented and an improved fixed-point algorithm based on the model is proposed. In the new algorithms a small step size is added to increase the stability. In order to accelerate the convergence, an improvement on Newton method is made, which makes cubic convergence for the new algorithm. Applying the algorithm and two other algorithms to invivo fMRI data, the results show that the new algorithm separates independent components stably, which has faster convergence speed and less computation than the other two algorithms. The algorithm has obvious advantage in processing fMRI signal with huge data.     

The Analysis to the Influence of the Mass Athletic Dance on the Middle and old aged Health

The article gives the analysis to the mass athletic dances and its influence on the health of the middle and old-aged people. The research shows, through contrasting, observing and physiologically analyzing, that there is an improvement in lowering people‘s blood viscosity and increasing fats catabolism, raising the serum level as well as lowering the serum density, if these people take part in the mass athletic dances regularly for a long time.     

迷走神经电刺激治疗癫痫的现状与展望

Electrical vagus nerve stimulation （VNS） has been approved by FDA and is widely used in recent years for the treatment of epilepsy and possibly other medical conditions such as depression. The current success rate of VNS for epilepsy is about 50%, but there are complications, potential risks and cost concerns. One of the major limitations for this new therapy is that its antiseizure mechanisms are by no means clear. In particular, it is not known whether the therapeutic effect is vagal specific, what types of nerve fibers in the vagus nerve are contributing to the therapeutic effects, or what individual patients would benefit from the use of the expensive and invasive VNS implantation. There are controversies regarding how and where the VNS takes effect on epilepsy in the central nervous system. The poor understanding of VNS has inevitably limited the application and success of the therapy. The current review analyses the pros and cons of VNS for epilepsy in vis-à- vis other available therapies including Chinese medical methods, and explores the possible mechanisms in order to stimulate further improvement of this new technology.     

GYY4137 protects against myocardial ischemia and reperfusion injury by attenuating oxidative stress and apoptosis in rats

Hydrogen sulfide（H₂S） is a gasotransmitter that regulates cardiovascular functions.The present study aimed to determine the protective effect of slow-releasing H₂S donor GYY4137 on myocardial ischemia and reperfusion（I/R） injury and to investigate the possible signaling mechanisms involved.Male Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with GYY4137 at 12.5 mg/（kg·day）,25 mg/（kg·day） or 50 mg/（kg·day） intraperitoneally for7 days.Then,rats were subjected to 30 minutes of left anterior descending coronary artery occlusion followed by reperfusion for 24 hours.We found that GYY4137 increased the cardiac ejection fraction and fractional shortening,reduced the ischemia area,alleviated histological injury and decreased plasma creatine kinase after myocardial I/R.Both H₂S concentration in plasma and cystathionine-γ-lyase（CSE） activity in the myocardium were enhanced in the GYY4137 treated groups.GYY4137 also decreased malondialdehyde and myeloperoxidase levels in serum,attenuated superoxide anion level and suppressed phosphorylation of mitogen activated protein kinases in the myocardium after I/R.Meanwhile,GYY4137 increased the expression of Bcl-2 but decreased the expression of Bax,caspase-3 activity and apoptosis in the myocardium.The data suggest that GYY4137 protects against myocardial ischemia and reperfusion injury by attenuating oxidative stress and apoptosis.     

Maternal risk factors for low birth weight for term births in a developed region in China:a hospital-based study of 55,633 pregnancies

Low birth weight (LBW) is an important risk factor for neonatal and infant mortality and morbidity in adults..However,no large scale study on the prevalence of LBW and related maternal risk factors in China has been published.To explore the effects of maternal factors on LBW for term birth in China,we conducted a hospital-based retrospective study of 55,633 Chinese pregnancy cases between 2001 and 2008.Maternal sociodemographic data,history of infertility and contraceptive use were obtained.Their medical status and diseases during pre-pregnancy were examined by physical examination at the first antenatal care visit.Maternal medical status before childbirth and pregnancy outcomes,including body weight,infant gender,multiple pregnancy and congenital anomalies,were recorded.Univariate and multivariate logistic regression,and linear regression were used to investigate the relationship between maternal factors and term LBW.The general incidence of term LBW was 1.70% in the developed area of China.After preliminary analysis using the univariate model,low primary education,anemia,hypertensive disorders,placental previa,oligohydramnios and premature rupture of membrane were predicted as independent factors of term LBW in the multivariate model.Furthermore,the decrease in annual frquencies of these risk factors were major causes of gradual decline in the incidence of LBW (from 2.43% in 2001 to 1.21% in 2008).The study demonstrated that among maternal factors,primary education,anemia and hypertensive disorders could contribute to LBW for term birth even in the most developed area of China.     

rFliC prolongs allograft survival in association with the activation of recipient Tregs in a TLR5-dependent manner

AIIorejection remains an obstacle for successful organ transplantation. Although different types of immunosuppressive agents are effective for controlling rejection and prolonging graft survival, drug treatment is limited because of side effects and toxicity. Therefore, it is necessary and urgent to identify new candidate drugs for inducing allotolerance. Recently, it has been reported that bacterial flagellin induces the immunosuppressive activity of regulatory T cells （Tregs） in humans in vitro. In the present study, we analyzed the effects of recombinant flagellin （rFliC） on allograft survival and explored the underlying mechanisms associated with the activation of recipient Tregs in a murine skin allotransplantation model. The results showed that rFliC administration （3 mg/kg, once per day for 3 days, i.p.） prolonged allograft survival （mean survival time： 18.4--.1.1 days） compared to the control group （10___0.7 days, P〈O.01）. Additionally, higher positive expression of Toll-like receptor 5 （TLR5） was detected within the allograft administered with rFliC. The frequency of CD4＋CD25＋Foxp3＋ Tregs; the expression of Treg-related factors TLR5, Foxp3, TGF-I~I and IL-IO; and the proliferation and suppression of Tregs were increased following rFliC administration compared to the control. Moreover, the increased expression of tolerance-related molecules and the proliferation of Tregs induced by rFliC were attenuated by an anti-TLR5 blocking antibody both in vivo and in vitro. In conclusion, rFliC administration prolongs the survival of allografts, which is associated with the activation of recipient Tregs in a TLR5-dependent manner, rFliC may be a new candidate for anti-allorejection therapy.     

Biomechanopharmacology in Evaluation of Herbs of Activating Blood Circulation to Remove Blood Stasis

Herbs of activating blood circulation to remove blood stasis （ABCRBS） are a category of over 10% in the modern Chinese Pharmacopoeia. A new borderline discipline, biomechanopharmacology, is shaping by the efforts of applying biomechanics in pharmacological studies of ABCRBS herbs. Biomechanics is involved in modeling of blood stasis syndrome （BSS） with mechanical force induced injury and model evaluation by shear stress monitoring for blood coagulation. Investigations showed that tetramethylpyrazine （TMP） contained in Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort and diallyl trisulfide （DT） extracted from garlic demonstrated inhibiting characteristics on vWF mediated platelet activation and thrombus formation occurring under high shear rates. The effect of TMP on shear-induced platelet aggregation might be due to inhibition of calcium channel activity since it showed significant inhibition on intracellular level of calcium demonstrated by laser confocal microscope. The combined effects of TMP and shear stress on rat cerebral microvascular endothelial cell （rCMEC） were investigated by various doses of TMP incorporated with different levels of shear stress generated by a rotational coneplate rheometer. The results indicated that apoptosis of rCMECs could be restrained by a combination of medial level of shear stress with a suitable dose of TMP. To study the influences of shear stress, pressure and TMP on angiogenesis of vascular endothelial cell, cultured rCMEC was pretreated in a flow chamber with independent adjustment for levels of shear stress and pressure, and then 3D cultured on Matrigel. The results indicate that combined effects of shear stress, pressure and TMP may influence angiogenesis significantly. We believe that research on interactions among blood shear stress, secretion of endothelial cell, and pharmacodynamics will be an interesting area of biomechanopharmacology. Herbs of ABCRBS and their extracts for protecting endothelial cells to maintain their normal functions are expected.     

Combination of Human Fas （CD95/Apo-1） Ligand with Adriamycin Significantly Enhances the Efficacy of Antitumor Response

The prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma （HCC） is poor, even with the combined treatment of curative resection and adjuvant chemoradiotherapy. To solve this problem, many biologic therapies have been investigated. Fas ligand （FasL, CD95L） is mainly expressed in activated T lymphocytes and natural killer （NK） cells, and plays a central role in both cell-mediated immunity and immune downregulation. Several studies have shown that FasL is expressed in HCC. In the present report, we prepared recombinant human pET-22b（＋）/FasL protein and investigated the effect of FasL on HCC cells in vitro and on tumor growth in a murine HCC tumor model. The well-known cytotoxic chemotherapeutic reagent adriamycin （ADM） served as a control. We found that FasL effectively suppressed the viability of H22 tumor cells and significantly induced the apoptosis of H22 cells. The apoptotic levels of cells treated with FasL-ADM were significantly higher than those treated with FasL or ADM alone, and the FasL-ADM combination resulted in a more than additive effect on tumor growth delay in this model. The results suggested that combined treatment of FasL and other chemotherapeutic agents may be a new approach to improve the efficacy of chemotherapy for HCC.