Evaluation of 2-stage Treatment for Cervical Dorsal Rami Entrapment Syndrome: A Randomized, Controlled Trial.

Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of a 2-stage nonoperative treatment for patients with cervical dorsal rami entrapment syndrome.

Materials And Methods: The study included 66 patients diagnosed with cervical dorsal rami entrapment syndrome randomized to an experimental group (n=33) and control group (n=33). The experimental group was treated with additional diagnostic block if regular 2 weeks medication was not effective.

Molecular characterization of Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) sodium bicarbonate cotransporter (NBC) and its role in response to pH stress.

The sodium bicarbonate cotransporter (NBC) is an integral membrane ion transporter that can transport HCO (or a related species, such as CO) across the plasma membrane. Previous researches revealed that NBC might play an important role in the regulation of intracellular pH in vertebrates. In the present study, an NBC cDNA was identified from Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) and designated as Lv-NBC.

Goldfish Leptin-AI and Leptin-AII: Function and Central Mechanism in Feeding Control.

In mammals, leptin is a peripheral satiety factor that inhibits feeding by regulating a variety of appetite-related hormones in the brain. However, most of the previous studies examining leptin in fish feeding were performed with mammalian leptins, which share very low sequence homologies with fish leptins. To elucidate the function and mechanism of endogenous fish leptins in feeding regulation, recombinant goldfish leptin-AI and leptin-AII were expressed in methylotrophic yeast and purified by immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography (IMAC).

[Correlation of toll-like receptor 3 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha with idiopathic fetal growth restriction.].

Objective: To investigate the expression and the significance of toll-like receptor 3 (TLR-3) in placenta, tumor necrosis factor-alpha(TNF-alpha) in maternal and cord blood of idiopathic fetal growth restriction (IFGR), and their correlation with the pathogenesis of symmetric and asymmetric IFGR.

Methods: From April 2008 to April 2009, 42 primiparae of singleton pregnancy and their IFGR babies, who delivered at term through cesarean section, in the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University were enrolled. All subjectects were divided into symmetric IFGR group (n = 20) and asymmetric IFGR group (n = 22).

[An experimental study of expression of angiotension converting enzyme 2 in myocardium and effect of telmisartan treatment in pressure-overloaded rats].

Objective: To study the effect of hypertension and telmisartan treatment on the protein and gene expression of cardiac angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) in pressure-overloaded rats.

Methods: Coarctation of suprarenal abdominal aorta was reproduced in 8 week-old male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats and then randomized into 4 groups, including a sham group (n=15), a suprarenal aortic coarctation group (model group, n=12), a suprarenal aortic coarctation with low-dose Telmisartan treatment group (low-dose group, 2 mgxkg(-1)xd(-1), n=11) and a suprarenal aortic coarctation with high-dose Telmisartan treatment group(high-dose group, 10 mgxkg(-1)xd(-1), n=13). Telmisartan or equivalent amount of normal saline was gavaged 24 hours before the operation and once every day afterwards for 3 weeks.

A risk-predictive score for cardiogenic shock after acute myocardial infarction in Chinese patients.

Background: Cardiogenic shock after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) remains a poor prognosis. Although numerous studies discussed the predictors of cardiogenic shock complicating AMI, the data in Chinese patients is still absent. The goal of this study is to develop a risk-predictive score for cardiogenic shock after AMI, among Chinese patients, so as to guide clinicians to prevent cardiogenic shock.

[Study on up-regulation of the expression of angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 in human umbilical vein endothelial cells by telmisartan].

Objective: To investigate the effect of telmisartan on the protein and gene expression of angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE2) in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs).

Methods: HUVECs were treated with various concentrations of telmisartan (10(-7), 10(-6) and 10(-5) mol/L) for 24 hours. In a time-control experiment, HUVECs were treated with telmisartan at the final concentration of 10(-6) mol/L for 6, 12 and 24 hours, respectively.

[Angiotensin-(1-7) modulates fibrinolytic imbalance induced by oxidized low-density lipoprotein in cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells].

Objective: To study the effect of angiotensin-(1-7)[Ang-(1-7)]on fibrinolytic imbalance induced by oxidized low- density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) in cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs).

Method: Cultured HUVECs were incubated for 24 h in the presence of Ang-(1-7), ox-LDL and A-779 at different concentrations either separately or in combination. The final concentrations of Ang-(1-7) were 10, 100 and 1,000 nmol/L, and those of ox-LDL were 25, 50 and 100 mg protein/L.

Chronic administration of angiotensin-(1-7) attenuates pressure-overload left ventricular hypertrophy and fibrosis in rats.

Objective: To test the hypothesis that chronic administration of angiotensin-(1-7) [Ang-(1-7)] attenuates cardiac hypertrophy in rats in vivo.

Methods: Coarctation of the suprarenal abdominal aorta was performed in 41 8-week-old male Sprague Dawley rats. Twenty-four hours after the operation, osmotic minipumps were surgically implanted subcutaneously in the rats, which were randomly divided into 3 groups, including a sham-operation group (n=15) receiving infusion with normal saline, a suprarenal aortic coarctation group (n=12), and a suprarenal aortic coarctation group (n=14) with Ang-(1-7) treatment at the dose of 25 mug x kg(-1) x h(-1).