[Investigation on the differentially expressed circular RNAs in myocardium of mice with diabetic cardiomyopathy]

Objective: To identify the differentially expressed circular RNA (circRNA) in the myocardium of diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) mice, and analyze their possible biological functions and related regulatory network. Methods: C57BL/6 mice, aged 8 weeks, and weighing were 21-27 g. Eight mice were selected as the control group and 15 mice were selected as the experimental group. The diabetic mice model was established by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin in the experimental group. One week after injection, the fasting blood glucose level of mice was measured, and 12 diabetic mice were included in the final experimental group. All mice were fed for 12 weeks under the same laboratory conditions. The cardiac structure and function were detected by echocardiography. Diabetic mice with the left ventricular ejection fraction less than 60% and the E/A less than 1.6 were selected as DCM group (n=3). Mice in DCM group and control group were then sacrificed under deep anesthesia. RNA was extracted from myocardial tissue. High-throughput RNA sequencing technology was used to sequence and identify the RNA in the myocardial tissue of DCM group and normal control group, and the difference was analyzed by DeSeq2. The analysis results were verified at the tissue level by RT-qPCR, and the differential circRNA were analyzed by GO and KEGG pathway analysis. The differentially expressed circRNA-microRNA(miRNA) interaction was predicted by the miRNA target gene prediction software. Results: A total of 63 differentially expressed circRNAs were found in the myocardium of DCM mice. The results of RT-qPCR showed that the tissue level expression of 8 differentially expressed circRNAs was consistent with the sequencing results, of which 7 were up-regulated and 1 was down-regulated. KEGG pathway analysis showed that the up-regulated circRNAs was mainly related to AMPK signal pathway and intercellular adhesion junction pathway, and the down-regulated circRNA was mainly related to cardiomyopathy. Go analysis showed that the up-regulated circRNA was mainly related to the binding process of ions, proteins, kinases and other factors in terms of molecular function, and was involved in regulating the intracellular structure, especially the composition of organelles in terms of cell components. The functional analysis of molecular function and cell components showed that the up-regulated circRNA were related to the cell component origin, recruitment and tissue, and thus participated in the regulation of cell biological process. The down regulated circRNA was related to catalytic activity in terms of molecular function, protein kinase binding process, transferase and calmodulin activity, and was closely related to the components of contractile fibers and the composition of myofibrils. These differentially expressed circRNAs were also related to biological processes such as lysine peptide modification, sarcomere composition, myofibril assembly, morphological development of myocardial tissue, myocardial hypertrophy and so on. Conclusions: In this study, we detected the novel differentially expressed circRNAs in the myocardium of DCM mice, and bioinformatics analysis confirmed that these circRNAs are related to oxidative stress, fibrosis and death of cardiomyocytes, and finally participate in the pathophysiological process of DCM.

Prognostic factors affecting overall survival in patients with spinal metastasis due to lung cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

Metastatic lung cancer often spreads to the musculoskeletal structures and spinal column. Patients suffering from spinal metastasis due to lung cancer present poorer prognostic outcomes in terms of overall survival compared to spinal metastases from other origins. To date, no meta-analysis has attempted to evaluate the prognostic impact of various predictive factors that may influence the overall survival of patients with spinal metastasis due to metastatic lung cancer. The aim of the study was to evaluate the prognostic impact of different predictive factors that might influence the overall survival of patients with spinal metastasis due to metastatic lung cancer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

 Five electronic databases (Web of Science, EMBASE, CENTRAL, Scopus, and MEDLINE) were screened for eligible studies according to PRISMA guidelines. We conducted a random-effects meta-analysis to evaluate the prognostic impact of aging, pre-ambulatory status, radiotherapy, adenocarcinoma, performance status, visceral metastasis, and number of affected vertebrae on the overall survival of patients with spinal metastasis due to lung cancer.

RESULTS

 From 963 studies, we found 13 eligible studies with data on 1144 patients. Our meta-analysis revealed that pre-treatment ambulatory status (2.08), Eastern cooperative oncology group score (1.78), and aging (1.68) had significant impacts on overall survival.

CONCLUSIONS

 We provide preliminary evidence highlighting three factors potentially predictive of overall survival for patients suffering from spinal metastasis due to metastatic lung cancer. These findings may help clinicians stratify and manage patients more effectively.

[Analysis on the expression profile of circRNAs in hypertrophic myocardium mice]

Objective: To explore the differential expression of circRNAs and their potential impact on the pathophysiological process in cardiac hypertrophy. Methods: Six SPF C57BL/6J male mice, aged 8 to 10 weeks, were randomly divided into transverse aortic constriction (TAC) group (n=3) or sham operation(sham) group (n=3) according to random number table method. TAC mouse model was used to induce cardiac hypertrophy. Four weeks after surgery, high-throughput sequencing analysis was performed to detect differentially expressed circRNA in left myocardial tissues of mice between TAC group and sham group, and principal component analysis of circRNA was performed by R language software. Enrichment analysis was performed by GO and KEGG databases to predict the basic functions of differentially expressed circRNA-derived genes and their biological pathways. The differentially expressed circRNAs in the sequencing results were verified by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Cytoscape software was used to construct circRNA-microRNA (miRNA) network maps to predict their interactions by combining differentially expressed circRNA and TargetScan predicted miRNA sites. Results: Principal component analysis was performed on 4 580 circRNAs detected from 6 samples of mice in TAC group and sham group. The results of R language software indicated that the variance contribution rate of the first 3 principal components, namely the first, second and third principal components, was 91.01%, 3.19% and 2.01%, respectively, and the cumulative variance contribution rate of the 3 components was 96.21%. Among the differentially expressed circRNAs, 6 (19%) were up-regulated and 25 (81%) were down-regulated in the TAC group. GO analysis showed that differentially expressed circRNA was closely related to the occurrence and development of cardiac hypertrophy, and KEGG pathway analysis suggested that downregulated circRNA expression was involved in the regulation of actin cytoskeleton. Fifteen out of the 31 differentially expressed circRNAs were selected for real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction verification, and the results showed that 8 circRNAs were consistent with sequencing results. circRNA-miRNA co-expression network analysis results showed that chr11:65218529-65233184-interacts with mmu-miRNA-30e-3p and mmu-miRNA-30a-3p. Conclusions The differential expression of circRNA in hypertrophic myocardium mice is evidenced in TAC mouse model. circRNA may interact with the corresponding miRNA to influence the occurrence and development of cardiac hypertrophy through autophagy-related cellular hypertrophy pathway or apoptosis-related pathological phenotypes.

Efficacy of zoledronic acid with percutaneous kyphoplasty/vertebroplasty in the treatment of osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures: a systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis analyzing the efficacy of zoledronic acid in improving outcomes with percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) and percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP) surgeries for osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture (OVCF).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We electronically searched the databases of PubMed, Embase, ScienceDirect, CENTRAL, and Google Scholar up to 15th September 2020. All types of studies assessing the use of zoledronic acid with PKP/PVP surgeries were included.

RESULTS

Seven studies were included. On meta-analysis of data from five studies reporting bone mineral density (BMD) as g/cm2, we found a statistically significant increase in BMD in the zoledronic group (MD: 0.14; 95% CI: 0.07, 0.21, I2=97%; p<0.001). On pooled analysis of two studies reporting T scores, a similar result in favour of the zoledronic acid group was noted (MD: 0.60; 95% CI: 0.23, 0.98, I2=76%; p=0.002). We also found a statistically significant reduction in pain scores (MD: -1.23; 95% CI: -1.59, -0.86, I2=97%; p<0.00001), ODI scores (MD: -9.54; 95% CI: -12.76, -6.31, I2=95%; p<0.00001) and serum type I procollagen peptide (CTX) levels (MD: -0.19; 95% CI: -0.25, -0.12, I2=98%; p<0.00001) with zoledronic acid as compared to control. Our analysis also found a significantly reduced risk of further vertebral fractures in patients receiving zoledronic acid as compared to control (RR: 0.17; 95% CI: 0.07, 0.39, I2=0%; p<0.00001).

CONCLUSIONS

Our review indicates that the use of once-yearly zoledronic acid in the peri-operative period of PVP/PKP procedures for patients with OVCF leads to significant improvement of BMD, reduced pain scores, better ODI scores, and reduced incidence of further vertebral fractures. Our results have clinical significance as it encourages the use of zoledronic acid for such patients for better clinical outcomes.

KLF7 promotes macrophage activation by activating the NF-κB signaling pathway in epicardial adipose tissue in patients with coronary artery disease

OBJECTIVE

Inflammatory accumulation in epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) may influence the formation and development of coronary artery disease (CAD). EAT macrophages exhibit M1 polarization and the secretion of a large number of inflammatory factors in CAD patients. Emerging data demonstrate that Krüppel-like factor-7 (KLF7), contributes to the regulation of adipocyte differentiation and the secretion of adipose tissue inflammation. However, the function of KLF7 in EAT inflammation still remains to be uncovered. This study aims to investigate the role of KLF7 in macrophage activation in EAT.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in cell supernatant were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The mRNA expression levels were measured by Real Time-PCR. The protein expression level was detected by Western blot.

RESULTS

The expression of inflammatory factors and KLF7 were markedly increased in CAD EAT than non-CAD EAT. KLF7 is highly expressed in human THP-1-derived macrophages induced by inflammatory stimuli, such as LPS. The knockdown of KLF7 inhibited the release of inflammatory factors and significantly decreased the expression of KLF7 in human THP-1-derived macrophages stimulated by LPS. Moreover, transfection with KLF7-siRNA caused the marked inhibition of LPS-induced phosphorylation of JNK-MAPKs and also suppressed the levels of p-p65 and inhibited the activation of p-IκBα.

CONCLUSIONS

Taken together, these results indicate that KLF7 enhances macrophage activation, mediated by JNK-NF-κB signaling pathways in EAT. This suggests that KLF7 may be a potential therapeutic target for cardiovascular diseases such as CAD.

[Efficacy of mini nutritional assessment short-form in predicting the risk of acute exacerbation in old chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients]

Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of Mini Nutritional Assessment Short-form (MNA-SF) in predicting acute exacerbation of old chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. Methods: The clinical data and Nutritional assessment of 202 outpatients who were given treatment in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University from January 2017 to May 2019 were analyzed. According to the frequency of acute exacerbation in the last year, patients were divided into high-risk group and low-risk group. The dependent variable was the risk of the acute exacerbation of COPD while the predicting model was established by using multivariate Logistic regression. Finally, the accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of the model was evaluated by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Results: Among the 202 COPD patients, 131 patients (64.9%) were brought into the high-risk group and 71 patients (35.1%) were brought into the low-risk group. MNA-SF scores in high-risk group were significant lower than those in low-risk group [(9.4±2.1) vs (11.6±1.9), P<0.001]. The logistic regression analysis showed that MNA-SF score [OR=0.556(95%CI: 0.445-0.695), P<0.05] was an independent factor of acute exacerbation. The obtained model was Logit(P)=4.413-0.586×MNA-SF scores. The accuracy of model for the risk of the acute exacerbation of COPD was 77.4%, with a sensitivity of 79.7%, a specificity of 72.1%. Conclusion: MNA-SF is qualified for predicting the acute exacerbation of COPD patients in stable stage.

[Cerebrospinal fluid adenosine deaminase and its dynamic changes in tuberculous meningitis]

Objective: To explore the diagnostic value of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) adenosine deaminase (ADA) level in tuberculous meningitis. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 139 patients (73 males, 66 females) who visited Beijing Chest Hospital for suspected TBM from January 2010 to June 2015. Of them, 99 patients were diagnosed to have TBM, with 45 males and 54 females, and a mean age of (33±15) years. Forty patients were diagnosed as having Non-TBM, with 28 males and 12 females, and a mean age of (35±18) years. All patients underwent lumbar puncture, and CSF ADA, routine, biochemical and bacteriological tests were performed. Thirty-five TBM patients reviewed CSF ADA test after treatment for 4 weeks, 8 weeks and 6 months. Results: The level of CSF ADA in TBM group was higher than that in the non-TBM group, the difference being statistically significant (5.6 U/L vs 2.3 U/L, P=0.000). When the cut-off value of the CSF ADA was 3.8 U/L , the sensitivity and specificity for diagnosis of TBM were 60.6% (95%CI 50.3%-70.1%) and 87.5% (95%CI 72.4%-95.3%), respectively, and the area under the ROC curve was 0.734.The CSF ADA level was (6.7±4.2) U/L in the 35 cases of TBM before treatment. After 4 weeks, 8 weeks and 6 months of anti-tuberculosis treatment, the CSF ADA levels were (4.5±3.3) U/L, (3.7±2.7) U/L and (2.0±1.5) U/L, respectively; all significantly decreased as compared to that before treatment (P<0.001). There was no significant change in the ADA level between 8 weeks and 4 weeks (P=0.128). After 6 months of treatment, the level of CSF ADA was significantly lower than those after 4 and 8 weeks' treatment (P<0.001). Conclusions: CSF ADA in TBM patients was significantly higher than in non-TBM patients. The sensitivity of CSF ADA level in the diagnosis of TBM was poor, but the specificity was better. CSF ADA was significantly reduced and showed dynamic changes with effective anti-tuberculosis treatment and maybe helpful in evaluating the effect of treatment.

Helicity-dependent photocurrent induced by the in-plane transverse electric current in an InAs quantum well

We report the observation of a new type of helicity-dependent photocurrent induced by an in-plane transverse direct electric current in an InAs quantum well. The amplitude of the photocurrent depends linearly on the transverse current. Moreover, the observed incident azimuth-angle dependence of this photocurrent is different from that induced by the circular photogalvanic effect. This new photocurrent appears as a result of an asymmetrical carrier distribution in both the conduction and valence bands induced by the transverse current. The photoexcited carrier density created by interband transition processes is thus modulated and leads to the observed new azimuth-angle dependence. The observed efficient generation of the helicity-dependent photocurrent offers an effective approach to manipulate electron spins in two-dimensional semiconductor systems with the added advantage of electrical control of the spin-related photocurrent in spintronic applications.

Astrocyte-derived estrogen enhances synapse formation and synaptic transmission between cultured neonatal rat cortical neurons

Recent in vitro studies have found that astrocytes exert powerful control over the number of neuronal synapses, leading us to consider why glia can exert this control and what the underlying mechanism(s) may be. To understand the potential possibility, we studied the formation of synapses and synaptic function in primary rat cortical neurons. We found that primary cultured neonatal rat cortical astrocytes modulate synaptogenesis and synaptic function through producing and secreting estradiol into culture medium. The concentration of estradiol produced by pure cultured astrocytes increased in correspondence with the days of culture and the number of proliferating astrocytes, which peaked at 266+/-22 ng/l around day 14 of culture. When astrocyte-conditioned medium (ACM) was added into pure cultured cortical neurons, the number of synapses formed between cortical neurons increased by nearly sixfold. The mean frequency and the amplitude of mini-postsynaptic currents (mPSCs) increased from 13+/-4 events/min and 20.5+/-2 pA to 73+/-16 events/min and 29.1+/-3 pA, respectively. In the meantime, the level of estrogen receptor-alpha (ER-alpha) expressed on neonatal rat cortical neurons was significantly up-regulated. Moreover, the effect of ACM on synaptic formation and transmission was blocked by tamoxifen (estrogen receptor antagonist) in culture. After the treatment of tamoxifen, the number of synapses on neurons decreased from 79+/-9 to 32+/-3. The mean amplitude and frequency of mPSCs were also dropped to 24.5+/-2 pA and 35+/-10/min, respectively. Unexpectedly, exogenic estradiol can mimic the effect of ACM on synaptic formation and transmission. Finally, to understand whether astrocyte-derived estradiol regulates the synaptic transmission via presynapse, the release of presynaptic vesicle from neuron was monitored by FM 4-64 assay. The results showed that when ACM or exogenic estradiol was added into neurons, the kinetics of vesicle release speed are similar to that of neuronal cultured with astrocytes, which were faster than that of just pure neuronal cultures. These observations suggest that estrogen synthesized and secreted by astrocytes can regulate synapse formation and synaptic transmission.

Anticarcinogenic effect of red ginseng on the development of liver cancer induced by diethylnitrosamine in rats

Anticarcinogenic effect of red ginseng (Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer cultivated in JiLin, China) on the development of liver cancer induced by diethylnitrosamine (DEN) in rats was studied, especially in preventive and curative groups. In the preventive group, the rats were given with DEN concomitantly with red ginseng fluid, and in the curative group, the rats were administered with red ginseng fluid after they developed liver cancer nodules induced by DEN. The result of the preventive group revealed that the developmental rate of liver cancer in the experimental group was 14.3%, while 100% in the control group, with the difference being statistically significant. DNA, RNA, glycogen, gamma-GT, SDH, and 5'-NT were maintained at relatively normal level in experimental group, and decreased or increased in the control group. The result of curative group showed that hepatoma nodules of the DEN-red ginseng group I were smaller than those of control group I, the structure of hepatic tissue was well preserved, the area with gamma-GT positive was smaller, and the ultrastructure of hepatocytes was normal. The average life span the DEN-red ginseng group II and the DEN control group II were 72.8 and 42.3 days, respectively. To sum up, all findings on preventive and curative groups had clearly proved that the red ginseng had the anticarcinogenic effect on the development of liver cancer induced by DEN in rats.

[The effect of Beijing Fangshan Cardiovascular Prevention Program on the incidence and mortality of stroke]

OBJECTIVE

To explore potential effective measures for lowering incidence and mortality of stroke in rural community population of China.

METHODS

Beijing Fangshan Cardiovascular Prevention Program (BFCP), under whole population and high risk individuals strategies with measures of health education and hypertension control, were launched in 1991 in five communities including intervention communities (IC), about 66,000 residents, and control communities (CC), about 54,000 residents, in Fangshan, Beijing suburb.

RESULT

Incidences of stroke averaged 235.23 per 100,000 and 289.22 per 100,000, for IC and CC respectively, with a statistically significant difference, and mortalities of stroke averaged 80.63 per 100,000 and 98.01 per 100,000, for IC and CC respectively, with a statistically significant difference, during years of 1992 to 1999. The net change of stroke incidence was 126.13 per 100,000 in IC versus CC, with a statistically significant difference. Incidences of stroke increased by 11.63% and 75.27%, for IC and CC respectively, while mortalities of stroke decreased by 46.80% and 22.82%, respectively, for IC and CC from years of 1992 to 1999.

CONCLUSION

BFCP has yielded obvious effect on controlling incidence and mortality of stroke in rural community population, but the trend of stroke incidence increasing was still not restrained radically.

[Effects of 8 years community intervention on risk factors of cardiovascular diseases in Fangshan Beijing]

OBJECTIVE

To study the changes of risk factors of cardiovascular disease in the rural community population after intervention.

METHODS

The Beijing Fangshan cardiovascular prevention program was a community-based comprehensive intervention study which was launched from 1991 and ended in 2000 in five communities including three as intervention communities (IC) and two as control communities (CC) in Fangshan, Beijing suburb. The intervention measures were focused on health education and hypertension control. The changes of risk factors of cardiovascular disease in IC and CC were analyzed using random sample in the year 1991, 1995 and 1999, respectively. The risk factors include systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP), body mass index(BMI), serum total cholesterol(TC), triglyceride(TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL), smoking, and drinking.

RESULTS

From the year 1991 to 1999, the risk factors of cardiovascular disease such as SBP, DBP, smoking rate and drinking rate were reduced in the population of IC. For male in IC, the decline of SBP, DBP, smoking rate, and drinking rate were 1.6 mmHg, 1.1 mmHg, 14.5% (P < 0.01) and 3.7%, respectively. For female of IC, SBP and DBP declined 4.8 mmHg (P < 0.01) and 3.2 mmHg (P < 0.01), respectively. SBP, DBP and smoking rate in the population of CC had a little reduction while BMI, TC and TG increased in both IC and CC. During the period of 1991 to 1999, most cardiovascular risk factors in the population of IC had net reduction compared to that of CC.

CONCLUSIONS

Except for BMI and lipids, rural community intervention, as focused on health education and hypertension control, has resulted in the reduction of most risk factors of cardiovascular disease.

Effects of AP-V and bicuculline on somatostatin-positive neurons in hypothalamus of rats subjected to acute hypobaric hypoxia

AIM

To investigate the effects of 2-amino-5-phosphonovalerate-pharmacology (AP-V) and bicuculline on somatostatin (SST)-positive neurons in hypothalamus of rats subjected to acute hypobaric hypoxia.

METHODS

SST-immunoreactivity (IR) and somatostatin mRNA (SS mRNA)-positive neurons were measured by immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization methods.

RESULTS

Compared with control rats, SST-IR and SS mRNA-positive neurons in hypothalamic periventricular nucleus (PeV), paraventricular nucleus (PVN), and arcuate nucleus (ARC) increased after acute hypobaric hypoxia for 6 h (P < 0.01), and these effects were markedly inhibited by AP-V (10 microg, icv), a highly selective N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, whereas were strongly enhanced by bicuculline (1.5 mg/kg, ip), a gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABAA) receptor antagonist.

CONCLUSION

SST possibly participates in acute hypoxic reaction in hypothalamus, furthermore, glutamate and GABA can affect somatostatin release and synthesis in hypothalamus through NMDA and GABAA receptors respectively.

[Excitatory amino acid enhance prepro-somatostatin mRNA expression induced by altitude hypoxia in the rat hypothalamus]

AIM AND METHODS

Contents of glutamate (Glu), asparate (Asp) and expression of prepro-somatostatin mRNA (PPS-mRNA) in rat hypothalamus were measured by using imitated altitude hypoxia rat model, amino acid analyzer and in situ hybridization technique.

RESULTS

After rats were subjected to altitude hypoxia, contents of Glu and Asp in hypothalamus and PPS-mRNA expression in periventricular nucleus (PeVN), paraventricular nucleus (PaVN) and arcuate nucleus (ArcN) were increased significantly. Ketamine, a NMDA receptor antagonist, could decrease the number of PPS-mRNA neurons in rat hypothalamus evoked by altitude hypoxia, but had no effect on Glu and Asp contents evoled by altitude hypoxia.

CONCLUSION

It is suggested that somatostatin maybe paticipate in altitude hypoxia reaction, Glu can enhance PPS-mRNA expression through NMDA receptor.

[Hemangioendothelioma of larynx]

OBJECTIVE

To study the biological behaviour and treatment of larynx hemangioendothelioma.

METHOD

One case of larynx hemangioendothelioma was reported and the relative literatures were reviewed.

RESULT

The common symptoms of the disease include hoarseness and larynx obstruction caused by the enlargement of the tumor. The biological behaviour of the larynx hemangioendothelioma is low-grade malignant and recurred, between the benign hemangiomas and malignant angiosarcomas.

CONCLUSION

The treatment of the hemangioendotheliomas is enlarged removal of the tumor by Majer-Piquet' operation. Chemotherapy and radiation are not valuable.

Blocking of the polaron effect and spin-split cyclotron resonance in a two-dimensional electron Gas

Cyclotron resonance (CR) of high density GaAs quantum wells exhibits well-resolved spin splitting above the LO-phonon frequency. The spin-up and spin-down CR frequencies are reversed relative to the order expected from simple band nonparabolicity. We demonstrate that this is a consequence of the blocking of the polaron interaction which is a sensitive function of the filling of the Landau levels.

The prevalence of functional disability in activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living among elderly Beijing Chinese

In order to assess the prevalence of the functional disability defined by activity of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activity of daily living (IADL) and associated factors in elderly Chinese, a population-based cross-sectional study was performed in urban, plain rural and mountain rural regions of Beijing. Of the 3440 subjects, 1707 are males and 1733 are females, with mean age of 71.4+/-7.7 years. Demographic, socio-economic and health aspects were obtained by trained interviewers. The results showed functional disability prevalence was 6.5% on ADL and 7.9% on IADL. Among the three representative areas in Beijing, the plain rural had the highest disability rate, increasing with the progression of age. Bathing and doing heavy housework were the two most difficult functional tasks. The functional disabilities were associated with gender and marital status. Our data suggest that plain rural elderly are most likely to generate functional disability, and bathing and doing heavy housework are two promising predictors to monitor the development of functional disability in the elderly.

Severe osteoarthrosis after fracture of the mandibular condyle: a clinical and histologic study of seven patients

The factors that induce complications subsequent to fractures of the mandibular condyle have long been controversial. A clinical and histologic study of seven patients (nine temporomandibular joints [TMJs]) who suffered from severe TMJ problems subsequent to condylar fractures showed that the complications were related to comminution of the condyle, sagittal fracture of the condyle, and subcondylar fracture dislocation. Alterations in these TMJs all involved secondary osteoarthrosis. Additionally, aseptic necrosis, bifid deformity of the condyle (two of the three sagittally fractured condyles), and TMJ ankylosis occurred in these patients. It is suggested that the involved fracture patterns be given more attention by clinicians.

Chondrocyte clusters in the condylar cartilage of an ankylosed temporomandibular joint

A complete condyle specimen from a female patient who had temporomandibular joint (TMJ) ankylosis and associated craniofacial deformities was obtained. Abundant chondrocyte clusters were found in the remaining cartilage of the enlarged condyle. The implications of the clusters in this patient are discussed.

[Sagittal fracture of mandibular condyle (SFMC): a clinical and pathological study on the operated patients]

8 patients with SFMC (9 TMJs) were treated surgically, of which findings on images, during operation and pathological examination demonstrated that SFMC of human being was able to reach bony healing, however, with a larger transverse diameter and a step-like articular surface or a bifid condyle; and that both the fractured and the remained condylar cartilage early show degeneration deteriorating progressively, as a result, all 3 six-month or more SFMC patients had perforation of disc and adhesion in TMJ and complained of TMJDS symptoms. These results support the views that the fate of SFMC is severe secondary osteoarthrosis and that SFMC patients should be treated with positive procedures as early as possible.

[Sagittal fracture of the mandibular condyle (SFMC): its clinical image diagnosis]

Each of 12 SFMC patients (13 TMJs) underwent 8 X-ray examinations. It was found that SFMCs were easily missed from the conventional X-ray views, while CPMOT (Condyle pterygoid-maxillo oblique tomography) and CT were effective to demonstrate them. The reasons for SFMCs' being missed from the conventional views are discussed. It is concluded that the best procedure to show a possible SFMC is: the reversed Town's view-->TMJ coronal tomography or CPMOT-->CT (using coronal or CPMOT sections as the first choice). The authors declare that SFMC could not be explained by the acknowledged theory that the neck of condyle is a safety mechanism to protect the brain.

[Effects of ginseng on hepatocellular carcinoma in rats induced by diethylnitrosamine--a further study]

The curative effects of Panax ginseng on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in rats induced by diethylnitrosamine (DEN) were further studied. The size of cancerous nodes was quantitatively measured by image analysis instrument. The hepatocellular hyperplastic foci were quantitatively analysed with gamma-GT stain under microspectrophotometer. Pathological changes of hepatocytes were observed under light and electron microscope. The results of the investigation indicated that ginseng had significant inhibitory effect on HCC in rats induced by DEN and prolonged the survival time of the rats with HCC. The mechanism of inhibition of the development of HCC by ginseng was also preliminarily approached.

Influence of ginseng upon the development of liver cancer induced by diethylnitrosamine in rats

The influence of ginseng upon the development of liver cancer induced by diethylnitrosamine (DEN) in rats was observed with histochemical methods and microscopy. The incidence of liver cancer was 14.3% in the experimental group and 100% in the control group, with the difference being statistically significant. Degeneration and necrosis of the hepatocytes in the experimental group were milder than in the control group. Histochemical studies also revealed that the activity of SDH, 5'-NT and gamma-GT, and the amounts of DNA, RNA and glycogen in the experimental group were maintained at relatively normal level, and decreased or increased in the control group. The results obtained in our experimental studies indicated that the ginseng seems to play a role of protecting the hepatocyte from injury by DEN, thereby inhibiting the development of liver cancer induced by DEN.

Estimation of pubic age among Chinese Han people by means of multiple stepwise progressive analysis

This paper sets up an equation for estimating male and female ages separately by means of a computer with mathematical model of multiple stepwise progressive regression on data of 454 pairs of pubes of Chinese Han people in Northeast China. The equation upgrades a standardization of pubic age estimation to quantification. The correlation coefficient of the equation is 0.9906-0.9912; S.D. is 1.56-1.97; variance analysis F greater than 001 and p less than 0.01. By a blindfold test of 43 pairs of pubic bones with birthdate, the rate of concordance is 76-82% for +/- S.D. and 92-96% for +/- 2S.D.

Dietary patterns in 10 groups and the relationship with blood pressure. Collaborative Study Group for Cardiovascular Diseases and Their Risk Factors

An epidemiological comparative study on dietary patterns and population means of blood pressure was undertaken in 10 groups (3 of workers, 6 of farmers, 1 of fishermen) of adult males and females of northeast, north, south, middle and east China. Standardized methods and record forms were used for blood pressure measurements and 24-hr dietary recall interviews. Simple correlation and linear regression, multiple regression (adjusted for age, sex and body mass index) and ridge regression were used to analyze the relationship of dietary electrolytes and animal protein to blood pressure. The results show a significant negative association of mean daily intake of Ca and animal protein with population mean blood pressure. Excluding the fishermen's group, mean daily intake of Na showed significant positive association with both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. The Chinese diet should probably be improved, increasing Ca and animal protein and cutting salt to a much lower level.