Comparative expression profiling in primary and immortalized endothelial cells: changes in gene expression in response to hydroxy methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase inhibition.

Immortalized cell lines offer significant logistical advantages over primary cells when used for in-vitro studies. Immortalized cells may, however, exhibit important differences relative to their primary cell counterparts. In this study, microarrays were used to make a genome-wide comparison between primary human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and EA.hy926, an immortalized HUVEC cell line, in their baseline properties and in their response to inhibition of the mevalonate pathway with an inhibitor of hydroxy methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (statin). HUVECs and EA.hy926 were incubated with control medium, atorvastatin, mevalonate, or a combination of atorvastatin and mevalonate for 24 h. Gene expression profiles were obtained in duplicates using Affymetrix Human Genome U133A 2.0 arrays (Santa Clara, California, USA). Probe-sets were selected according to the following criteria: a twofold or greater increase/decrease in atorvastatin-treated cells compared with untreated cells; a twofold or greater reversal of the effect of atorvastatin by combined treatment with atorvastatin and mevalonate; no significant change in gene expression in cells treated with mevalonate alone compared with untreated cells. Most genes that were expressed by untreated HUVECs, were also expressed by untreated EA.hy926 cells. EA.hy926 cells, however, constitutively expressed a large number of additional genes, many of which were related to cell cycle control and apoptosis. Atorvastatin induced differential expression (> or = twofold) of 103 genes in HUVECs (10 up, 93 down) and 466 genes in EA.hy926 cells (198 up, 268 down). Applying the above selection criteria, thrombomodulin and tissue plasminogen activator were up-regulated in both cell types, whereas, connective tissue growth factor, thrombospondin-1, and cysteine-rich angiogenic inducer 61 were down-regulated. In conclusion, EA.hy926 cells retain most of the characteristics of endothelial cells under baseline conditions as well as after treatment with atorvastatin. It is necessary, however, to carefully select and validate changes in genes that are the focus of studies when using EA.hy926 cells. While this cell line is highly useful in studies on some genes, including genes encoding molecules involved in regulating thrombohemorrhagic homeostasis, they appear to be less suited for studies focused on other genes, particularly those involved in the regulation of cell proliferation and apoptosis.     

颈椎术后病人首次下床活动的感受及需求的调查

早期下床活动的必要性已得到大家认可,但术后早期病人常常较虚弱,且下床活动时会引发一些不适,病人也会有一些担心和顾虑,这在一定程度上会影响病人下床活动的积极性。颈椎手术本身有其特殊性,术后对颈部的稳定要求较高,因此此类病人活动有其特点。本研究以颈椎术后已下床活动的病人为研究对象,通过问卷调查,了解颈椎手术后病人首次下床的感受和相关需求,为进一步提高颈椎术后护理质量提供依据。1资料和方法1.1对象采用方便取样,选取2005年4月—2005年6月在某三甲医院因颈椎病入院、术后已下床活动的病人75例。其中男54例,女21例;年龄28岁~7…     

Buccal mucosal graft for urethral reconstruction.

Urethral reconstruction with graft substances, such as skin and bladder mucosa, has been previously used when primary anastomosis cannot be achieved. However, stricture and meatal prolapse are associated with these grafts. We report the use of buccal mucosa for the reconstruction of urethral defects in 3 patients. One patient with failed operation for hypospadias received tube buccal mucosal graft for urethral replacement. Two patients with urethral necrosis and stricture received onlay buccal mucosal graft. All patients were disease-free during follow-up (range, 12 to 49 months; mean, 36 months). One patient had a pinhole fistula that was successfully managed with simple repair. This technique appears to be useful for urethral reconstruction when a local graft is not available, even in patients with complicated conditions.     

咳喘"冬病夏治"临床应用

"冬病夏治"法意即冬天易发作的病,在夏天(特指伏天)提前预防性治疗的一种特色疗法.寒性咳喘是我国北方冬季的常见病、多发病.我院针灸科从1983年开始,每年伏天运用针药并用外敷治疗寒性咳喘的"冬病夏治"法,治愈数千例患者,取得了很好的疗效.     

Evaluation of Class I ART restorations in Brazilian schoolchildren: three-year results

Atraumetic Restorative Treatment (ART) has been adopted around the world to avoid unnecessary extractions, especially in non-industrialized countries The development of specific glass ionomer cements marketed for the ART technique has contributed to the technical success rate. In this study. Ketac-Molar^a (3M ESPE. Dental Medzn Germany) was used to restore 150 Class I cavities in 118 Brazilian public school children, aged from 7–12 years. At baseline and at subsequent recalls. CPI probes with a ball-end of 0.5 millimeters (mm) were used to assess loss of restorative material, and photographic color transparencies of restorations were made. After six months. 83 patients returned for follow-up examinations, with 71.8% of their restorations designated as acceptable. After three years. 49 patients with 57 ART-restorations were evaluated, with 21.0% of these restorations graded as acceptable Another 29.8% of their restorations had been replaced by more permanent materials. The main objective of the ART technique is tooth retention; this was achieved for 94.7% of the restored teeth in a high caries risk population who returned for recalls.     

Palmitic acid as an excipient in implants for sustained release of insulin

Sustained-release implants for insulin can be made by compressing a powder admixture with palmitic acid as the excipient. At less than 20%, insulin does not disperse uniformly in the admixture. The size distribution of the excipient particles obtained after grinding for 15 min does not affect the sustained release action. When tested in a 33 d period, an 1/8-size piece (approximately 25 mg) implant cut from a pellet disc containing 20% insulin which is 13 mm in diameter and 1.5 mm thick released 0.12-0.17 mg insulin/d in diabetic Wistar rats. The 1/8-size piece containing 20% insulin or a rod of similar weight with a diameter of 3 mm, which can be inserted by a trocar, was optimal for the implant to provide a service-life of 49 +/- 7 d. The service-life decreased with progressive reduction in implant size. The implant functioned just as well subcutaneously or intraperitoneally and was eroded subcutaneously by 33.6-53.1% in 33 d. The glycosylated haemoglobin contents of diabetic animals on implant therapy which had a blood glucose level of 4.7 +/- 2.5 mmol/l were in a range of 6.2-8.9% compared to the control value of greater than 13% with chronic hyperglycemia. The overall results indicated that the implant was a promising alternative to daily insulin injections.     

Microarray analysis of healing rat Achilles tendon: evidence for glutamate signaling mechanisms and embryonic gene expression in healing tendon tissue.

Tendon healing is a complex process consisting of a large number of intricate pathways roughly divided into the phases of inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling. Although these processes have been extensively studied at a variety of levels in recent years, there is still much that remains unknown. This study used microarray analyses to investigate the process at a genetic level in healing rat Achilles tendon at 1, 7, and 21 days postinjury, roughly representing the inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling phases. An interesting temporal expression profile was demonstrated, identifying both known and novel genes and pathways involved in the progression of tendon healing. Both inflammatory response and pro-proliferative genes were shown to be significantly upregulated from 24 h postinjury through to 21 days. Day 7 showed the largest increase in genetic activity, particularly with the expression of collagens and other extracellular matrix genes. Interestingly, there was also evidence of central nervous system-like glutamate-based signaling machinery present in tendon cells, as has recently been shown in bone. This type of signaling mechanism has not previously been shown to exist in tendon. Another novel finding from these analyses is that there appears to be several genes upregulated during healing which have exclusively or primarily been characterized as key modulators of proliferation and patterning during embryonic development. This may suggest that similar pathways are employed in wound healing as in the tightly regulated progression of growth and development in the embryo. These results could be of use in designing novel gene-based therapies to increase the efficacy and efficiency of tendon healing.     

Laryngeal tuberculosis: a review of 26 cases.

OBJECTIVES: To review the clinical characteristics of laryngeal tuberculosis. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective case series. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Medical records of 26 histopathology-confirmed cases in a tertiary medical center from 1992 to 2006. RESULTS: The female patients were significantly younger than male patients. Hoarseness is the most common symptom (84.6%) because true vocal fold is most commonly involved (80.8%). Infection usually involves unilateral (66.7%) and right-side larynx but multiple subsites of the larynx (57.7%). The appearance of the affected larynx may have mixed features and change before diagnosis. Laryngeal tuberculosis is usually misdiagnosed as laryngeal cancer, especially in patients with malignant signs such as enlarged cervical lymph nodes and vocal fold immobility. Chest film is better than sputum examinations for screening. CONCLUSION: We should be especially alert about TB infection when facing young female patients with unusual laryngeal lesions. Extensive laser excision before diagnosis should be avoided because after antituberculous treatment, prognosis is usually good and vocal fold immobility could be reversible.     

表皮生长因子及其受体与流产关系的探讨

采用放射免疫竞争抑制饱和分析法，检测４７例难免流产患者，６５例人工流产及２０例健康非孕妇女血清表皮生长因子（ＥＧＦ）水平；同时采用免疫组织化学法检测流产者胚胎组织中表皮生长因子受体（ＥＧＦＲ）表达程度。结果：人工流产组血清ＥＧＦ水平高于自然流产及非孕妇女，而自然流产与非孕妇女差异无显著性；胚胎组织中ＥＧＦＲ阳性表达率人工流产组明显高于自然流产组。提示：ＥＧＦ通过与其受体结合对妊娠维持、胚胎及胎儿的