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Objective: To study the alterations of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and mitochondrial damage after acute myocardial infarction (AMI)., Methods: A total of 40 SD rats were used in this study and 32 of them were subjected to AMI by ligation of left anterior descending artery. The rats were sacrificed and the heart tissues were collected after 1 h, 2 h, 4 h and 6 h of AMI ( n =8 per group). The mRNA levels of activating transcription factor 6 alpha ( ATF 6) and immunoglobulin heavy chain binding potein ( BiP ), as well as the expression of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in cytoplasm were detected by RT-PCR. The ATP levels in the cardiomyocytes were detected by a commercial ATP assay kit., Results: The mRNA levels of ATF 6 and BiP were significantly increased after 1 h of AMI, which were maintained at high level from 2 h of AMI to the end of the experiment ( P <0.05). The ATP concentrations in the cardiomyocytes were significantly elevated after 1 h of AMI but remarkably decreased after 4 h and 6 h of AMI ( P <0.05). The release of mtDNA in cytoplasm was significantly increased after 2 h of AMI, followed by further elevations at 4 h and 6 h after AMI ( P <0.05)., Conclusion: Mitochondrial damage is secondary to ER stress in AMI., (Copyright© by Editorial Board of Journal of Sichuan University (Medical Science Edition).)

Objective: This study was designed to investigate whether epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) postconditioning protects the heart against ischemic-reperfusion injury (IRI), and to explore its potential mechanisms in a rat model., Methods: Male Wistar rats were subjected to myocardial ischemia (30 min) and reperfusion (up to 2 h) and the rats were divided into sham group (SO) group, ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) model group and EGCG group. EGCG group were treated with EGCG (10 mg/kg) via intravenous infusion 5 min before reperfusion. Electrocardiogram were applied to record ventricular arrhythmia frequency. The severity of myocardial injury [serum level of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and creatine kinase (CK), hematoxylineosin (HE) staining] and ventricular arrhythmia, and the serum levels of inflammatory cytokines [tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukins-6 (IL-6) and IL-8] were assessed with ELISA, electrocardiogram and Western blot respectively., Results: EGCG given before reperfusion could effectively reduce the serum level of LDH and CK and the incidence of ventricular arrhythmia (P < 0.05, respectively), improved the pathological damage. Meanwhile, EGCG could down-regulate the expression levels of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-8 in the myocardial tissue after IRI (P < 0.05, repectively). The expression levels of p-p85 and p-Akt in the EGCG group were significantly up-regulated compared to those in I/R group (P < 0.05, repectively)., Conclusion: EGCG-related anti-inflammatory action could attenuate rat myocardial IRI and this cardioprotective effect might be activated through the PI3K/Akt pathway.

Objective: To investigate the effects of rapamycin (RAP) on pulmonary hypertension (PH) in rats, and to provide new insights into medication selection for the clinical treatment of PH., Methods: Fifty male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into blank control, PH model, solvent control, RAP 1, and RAP 2 groups. A rat model of PH was induced by left pneumonectomy (PE) and monocrotaline (MCT). At 5 days after PH model establishment, the solvent control group and the RAP 1 group received an intramuscular injection of solvent and RAP, respectively. At 35 days after PH model establishment, the RAP 2 group received an intramuscular injection of RAP. The mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) and the right ventricle/left ventricle plus septum weight ratio (RV/LV+S) were measured in each group. Histopathological changes in the right lung were evaluated by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining. The relative expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and smooth muscle protein 22-alpha (SM22α) in each group was determined using real-time PCR., Results: At 35 days after surgery, the PH model and the solvent control groups had significantly higher mPAP and RV/LV+S than the blank control group, while the RAP 1 and the RAP 2 groups had significantly lower mPAP than the solvent control group (P<0.05). The RV/LV+S in the RAP 1 group was significantly lower than that in the solvent control group (P<0.05); however, there was no significant difference in RV/LV+S between the RAP 2 and the solvent control groups (P>0.05). HE staining in the right lung showed the substantially thickened pulmonary artery wall and narrowed arterial lumen in the PH model and the solvent control groups compared with the blank control group. Different degrees of reversal of the pulmonary artery wall thickening were observed after RAP administration. The results of real-time PCR revealed that the relative expression of α-SMA and SM22α in the PH model and the solvent control groups was significantly lower than in the blank control group, while the relative expression of α-SMA and SM22α in the RAP 1 and the RAP 2 groups was significantly higher than in the solvent control group (P<0.05)., Conclusions: RAP can reverse the increase in pulmonary artery pressure and the right ventricular hypertrophy probably by regulation of the phenotypic conversion of vascular smooth muscle cells.

A two-dimension simulated sand box was set up to investigate the influencing factors, such as the initial groundwater level, aeration rate and the initial groundwater rate, that affect groundwater circulation well (GCW) by determining the intensity of groundwater circulation which was characterized by the variation of groundwater level before and after aeration. The optimal operating parameters were used to remediate nitrobenzene contaminated aquifer. The results demonstrated that: GCW could be well operated under the conditions of 45 cm groundwater level, 0.7 m3 · h(-1) aeration rate. The effects of groundwater velocity less than 1.0 m · d(-1) could be ignored. The lateral mobility rate of nitrobenzene was faster than that of longitudinal. The average concentration of nitrobenzene was 246.97 mg · L(-1) on day 50 of leakage. During the remediation of circulation well, an efficient organics remediation region was gradually formed around the circulation well. The organics in this region was removed preferentially, and the concentration decreased continuously. Besides the efficient remediation region, there was a transient region, where the concentration of organics was influenced by the combined effects of adsorption/desorption and migration potential of organics. During the whole remediation process, the concentration of nitrobenzene went through three stages described as rapid removal, slow removal. After 14h aeration, the nitrobenzene average concentration was reduced to 71.19 mg L(-1). The residual nitrobenzene was distributed in regions far away from GCW. Therefore, nitrobenzene contaminated aquifer could be well remediated by GCW, and there were optimal operation conditions and appropriate remediation time which guaranteed the best remediation effect.

Objective: To investigate whether quantifiable changes in serum levels of hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) in response to 24 weeks of pegylated-interferon alfa-2a (Peg-IFN-a 2a) treatment are predictive of therapeutic efficacy at 48 weeks of treatment in HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients and to investigate the efficacy of using an individualized antiviral treatment strategy., Methods: Ninety-six HBeAg-positive CHB patients with detectable HBeAg at week 24 of Peg-IFN-a 2a treatment were categorized according to the quantitative change in HBeAg (vs. pre-treatment baseline): group A, HBeAg decline more than 2 log; group B, HBeAg decline between 1 - 2 log; group C, HBeAg decline less than 1 log, which was then randomly divided into two sub-groups: C1 and C2. Group A, B, and C1 patients continued the original therapy for an additional 24 weeks, while group C2 patients were supplemented with lamivudine (3TC + Peg-IFN-a 2a) for the additional 24 weeks of treatment. All patients underwent liver biopsy at the end of treatment (week 48), and HBV covalently-closed circular (ccc)DNA was quantified as a measure of therapeutic efficacy. A, B, and C1 between-group multiple comparisons were made by the Nemenyi test; C1 and C2 between-group comparison was made by the Mann-Whitney U test. The significance of between-group differences in decreased HBV cccDNA vs. HBeAg/anti-HBe seroconversion was made by the Chi-squared test., Results: At week 48, the mean decrease of serum HBV cccDNA in each group was: A, 5.8 log10 copy/ml; B, 3.8 log10 copy/ml; C1, 2.8 log10 copy/ml; C2, 5.7 log10 copy/ml. Statistically significant differences were observed for group A vs. B and C1 (P less than 0.01) and C1 vs. C2 (P less than 0.01); however, the difference between group B and C1 did not reach statistical significance (P = 0.19). The mean decrease of HBeAg in each group was: A, 2.7 log10 S/CO; B, 1.9 log10 S/CO; C1, 0.9 log10 S/CO; C2, 1.6 log10 S/CO. Statistically significant differences were observed for group A vs. B and C1 (P less than 0.01) and C1 vs. C2 (P less than 0.01). The rate of patients who achieved undetectable HBV DNA in each group was: A, 87.5%; B, 34.5%; C1, 17.4%; C2, 85.0%. Statistically significant differences were observed for group A vs. B and C1 (P less than 0.01) and C1 vs. C2 (P less than 0.01). The HBeAg seroconversion rates were: A, 75.0%; B, 24.1%; C1, 13.0%; C2, 25.0%. Statistically significant differences were observed only for group A vs. B and C1 (P less than 0.01). Finally, group A achieved greater reduction in levels of cccDNA in liver tissues than B or C1 (P less than 0.01); however, the differences between B and C1 and between C1 and C2 did not reach statistical significance., Conclusion: CHB patients who showed an HBeAg decline of more than 2 log at week 24 of Peg-IFN-a 2a treatment had better treatment outcome at week 48 than those who showed HBeAg decline less than 2 log at week 24. Augmenting the Peg-IFN-a 2a treatment with 3TC can improve the clinical response. A change of quantifiable HBeAg at week 24 of Peg-IFN-a 2a treatment may be a useful predictor of therapeutic efficacy of a 48-week antiviral regimen.

Objective: To group and characterize natural plague foci in China., Methods: A novel two-class typing method as well as a three-indication nomenclature method were established to group and characterize the natural plague foci, on the basis of eco-geographical landscapes of plague foci, genetics of Yersinia pestis, zoology of rodent reservoirs and the entomology of flea vectors., Results: A total of 12 distinct natural plague foci (including 19 subtypes) as well as their biological features were characterized., Conclusion: Natural plague foci in China were grouped and characterized in this study.

Objective: To study the biological characteristics of natural reservoirs of Yesinia (Y.) pestis in China., Methods: Species and genera of natural reservoirs of Y. pestis in China and their faunal distribution were characterized with modern taxonomic techniques. The ecological roles of natural reservoirs of Y. pestis in the natural plague foci were determined according to the animal ecological experiments., Results: There were 86 species of natural reservoirs of Y. pestis including 14 major reservoirs and 72 kinds of the secondary or occasional reservoirs., Conclusion: The biological characteristics of major reservoirs of Y. pestis and their roles in natural plague foci were defined.

To analyze the characteristics of serum sodium in decompensated cirrhosis and evaluate the prognostic ability of the model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) in Na-containing models. Patients diagnosed with decompensated cirrhosis at our hospital were enrolled for study between June 2005 and October 2010. Patients were classified among three groups, according to serum sodium concentration: less than 125 mmol/L, 125 to 135 mmol/L, and more than 135 mmol/L. Mortality rates among the three groups were compared by Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. In addition, the different serum sodium concentrations were analyzed for correlations between Child-Pugh score and complication incidence rates of portal hypertension. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) was used to compare the predictive abilities of MELD, MELD-Na, and the integrated (i) MELD scores for 3-month, 6-month and 1-year mortalities. A total of 467 patients were analyzed, and 50.54% had hyponatremia ( less than 135 mmol/L). Sodium concentration was correlated with mortality, and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis indicated that mortality was significantly higher in each subgroup with lower sodium concentration (all, P = 0.000). Likewise, sodium concentration decreased in conjunction with increased severity of decompensation, as classified by Child-Pugh scoring (sodium: A more than B more than C; mortality: A less than B less than C). With the exception of digestive tract bleeding, complication incidence rates of hepatic encephalopathy, ascites, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, and hepatorenal syndrome increased when sodium concentration decreased. For predicting 3-month mortality, the AUC scores of MELD were not significantly different from the MELD-Na and iMELD scores (P more than 0.05). For predicting 6-month and 1-year mortality, the AUC scores of MELD-Na and iMELD were significantly higher than those of MELD (P less than 0.05). Hyponatremia is correlated with mortality and complications in decompensated cirrhosis patients. Incorporation of Na into the MELD may enhance it's prognostic ability.

According to international medical information standard and Chinese healthcare management criterion,this paper study EMR features which focus on standard documents exchange and sharing.Tele Regional Healthcare Platform is established by EMR in order to realize medical resource sharing between big hospital in the situation of China, one solution is offered to stave difficulty and high expense of medical service in countryside.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of portal hypertension on prognosis in patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis., Methods: The clinical data of decompensated cirrhosis patients in our hospital, between 2003 and 2006, were retrospected and followed up. Model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score and Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) classification was calculated using the standard formula. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to compare the mortality in subgroups ranked by the syndromes. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to evaluate the effect of the syndromes on prognosis., Results: A cohort of 322 patients was admitted in this study at the end of the follow-up. The mortality of variceal bleeding, hepatic encephalopathy, a large volume ascites, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, the type I and type II hepatorenal syndrome was 45.9%, 79.4%, 66.7%, 100%, 100% and 84.6% respectively. On the whole, the occurrence of all the syndromes was correlated with CTP classification and MELD score. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that all of these syndromes, except for low to medium volume of ascites, significantly affected the survival rate (P<0.01). In Cox regression analysis, all the syndromes were the independent predictors of prognosis, the regression coefficient values of hepatic encephalopathy, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, type I and type II hepatorenal syndrome, variceal bleeding and ascites were 0.973, 0.928, 0.935, 0.866, 0.464 and 0.369 respectively., Conclusions: The portal hypertensive syndromes have significant effect on the prognosis of the patients with decompensated cirrhosis, hepatic encephalopathy is the worst one.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of Ginkgo biloba extract (EGb) on hepatic microcirculation and portal hypertension in CCl4 treated rats., Methods: Twenty-five male Wistar rats were divided into a blank, a CCl4 treated and a CCl4 plus EGb treated group, and all were treated for 10 weeks. The free portal vein pressures were measured through catheterizations. Hepatic sinusoidal endothelial cells and other parameters of hepatic microcirculation were studied with transmission electron microscopy. The amounts of malondialdehyde (MDA), endothelin (ET-1), platelet-activating factor (PAF), nitric oxide (NO), cNOS and iNOS in the liver tissues were determined., Results: The portal vein pressure of the CCl4 plus EGb treated group was (7.4 +/- 0.6) mm Hg while the pressure of the CCl4 treated group was (8.7 +/- 0.8) mm Hg. Aggregation of blood cells or microthrombosis in hepatic sinusoids, deposition of collagen in hepatic sinusoids and spaces of Disse, injury of endothelial cells and capillarization of hepatic sinusoid were significantly milder in the EGb group. The amounts of MDA, ET-1, PAF, NO and iNOS were markedly lower in the CCl4 plus EGb treated group than in the CCl4 treated group., Conclusion: The results demonstrated that EGb can decrease the portal vein pressure and improve hepatic microcirculation in CCl4 treated rats. The mechanisms of this effect may involve its inhibition on ET-1, PAF, lipid peroxidation, and down regulation of the hepatic iNOS and NO expressions.

Background & Objective: It has been reported that hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) expresses gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) with unique carbohydrate moieties compared with normal liver GGT enzymes, this unique GGT was used as a marker for the diagnosis of HCC. However, the genomic changes in GGT relating to the development of HCC are not known. This study was designed to explore the relationship between alteration in GGTmRNA subtypes and the development of HCC, and to seek a new method for early diagnosis of HCC., Methods: Three GGTmRNA subtypes (F, H, P) were determined bu using RT-PCR in normal liver tissues, diseased liver tissues without HCC, cancerous and noncancerous tissues from the livers with HCC, noncancerous tissues from secondary carcinoma of liver and peripheral blood of all cases., Results: The main subtype of GGTmRNA was type F in normal liver tissues, liver tissues from noncancerous liver diseases and paracancerous tissues from secondary carcinoma of liver. The prevalence of subtype H was significantly higher in cancerous tissues, adjacent paracancerous and distal cancerous tissues from the livers with HCC than that in tissues from normal livers and noncancerous liver diseases (P < 0.05). The prevalence of subtype F in cancerous tissues was significantly lower than that in tissues from normal livers and noncancerous liver diseases (P < 0.05). Among 26 patients with HCC, GGTmRNA-H in peripheral blood was found in 12 cases. In 10 HCC patients with negative AFP, GGTmRNA-H in peripheral blood was found in 5 cases., Conclusions: The changes of GGTmRNA subtypes are closely related to the development of HCC, and the analysis of GGT genes might be a sensitive assay to monitor the hepatic cell canceration.