Healthy eating index-2015 and its association with the prevalence of stroke among US adults.

This study aims to investigate the relationship between the healthy eating index (HEI) and the prevalence of stroke within a diverse United States population. Employing a cross-sectional design, we utilized data sourced from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Dietary information was collected from participants and HEI scores were computed. NHANES employed stratified multistage probability sampling, with subsequent weighted analysis following NHANES analytical guidelines. Thorough comparisons were made regarding the baseline characteristics of individuals with and without stroke. Weighted multivariable logistic regression analysis and restricted cubic spline (RCS) methods were employed to ascertain the association between stroke risk and HEI, with LASSO regression utilized to identify dietary factors most closely linked to stroke risk. Additionally, we constructed a nomogram model incorporating key dietary factors and assessed its discriminatory capability using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Our study encompassed 43,978 participants, representing an estimated 201 million U.S. residents. Participants with a history of stroke exhibited lower HEI scores than their non-stroke counterparts. Logistic regression analysis demonstrated a robust association between lower HEI scores and stroke, even after adjusting for confounding variables. RCS analysis indicated a nonlinear negative correlation between HEI and stroke risk. Furthermore, detailed subgroup analysis revealed a significant gender-based disparity in the impact of dietary quality on stroke risk, with females potentially benefiting more from dietary quality improvements. Sensitivity analysis using unweighted logistic regression yielded results consistent with our primary analysis. The nomogram model, based on key dietary factors identified through LASSO regression, demonstrated favorable discriminatory power, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 79.3% (95% CI 78.4-81.2%). Our findings suggest that higher HEI scores are inversely related to the risk of stroke, with potential greater benefits for women through dietary quality enhancement. These results underscore the importance of improving dietary quality for enhanced stroke prevention and treatment.

Two novel sesquiterpenes and one new monoterpene from the aerial part of Artemisia tournefortiana.

Two novel sesquiterpenes and one new monoterpene, together with eight reported compounds were isolated from dichloromethane-soluble extract of the aerial part of Artemisia tournefortiana Reichb. Their relative and absolute structures were elucidated based on the analysis of 1D and 2D NMR spectra, HRESIMS, and calculated electronic circular dichroism (ECD). Two sesquiterpenes (1 and 2) showed no inhibition effect in anti-inflammatory and cytotoxic activity tests. Three new terpenes (1-3) were tested for antibacterial activity, compounds 2 and 3 showed moderate antibacterial activities with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) between 264 and 556 µg/ml.

Mental health and academic achievement among Chinese adolescents during COVID-19 pandemic: The mediating role of self-regulation learning.

The changes that COVID-19 pandemic has brought upon the world are unprecedented. Its impact on students' learning is equally profound, making it critical to heed students' academic achievement effects that may derive from these alterations. Therefore, the present study explored an integrative model of mental health, self-regulated learning and academic achievement among adolescents during the pandemic. Participants were 1001 senior high school students (Mage = 17.00, SDage = 0.78, 48.7% female) from China. Results showed that the degree to which students were mentally healthy was not significantly related to academic achievement, whereas academic achievement and mental health were positively associated with self-regulated learning. Following structural equation modelling analysis, the effect of mental health on academic achievement was fully mediated by self-regulated learning. Taken together, the findings emphasised the necessity of developing self-regulated learning strategies during public health emergencies and have clinical and educational implications for planning psychological interventions in order to improve mental health and academic performance as well.

Diagnosis and surgical management of isolated inferior oblique palsy.

AIM: To describe the etiology, clinical characteristics, surgical options and surgical outcomes of isolated inferior oblique palsy (IOP). METHODS: A retrospective review was performed on patients with isolated IOP who were seen between January 2010 and June 2017. The following clinical data were obtained from the patients' charts: visual acuity, ocular alignment, ocular motility, cyclotorsion, stereoacuity, Parks three-step test, surgical methods, surgical outcomes and complications. Surgical success was defined as horizontal deviation ≤10 prism diopters (PD) and a vertical deviation ≤5 PD in primary gaze at both near and distant vision as assessed at last follow-up. RESULTS: The records from a total of 18 patients (8 males and 10 females) with an average age of 27.56y were included in this study. The right eye was affected in 11 patients, the left in 6 patients and both eyes in 1 patient. Twelve cases (66.7%) were congenital and 6 (33.3%) were acquired IOP. The 6 acquired cases involved 2 resulting from orbital trauma/surgery, 2 from midbrain microvascular ischemia, 1 from myasthenia gravis and 1 of unknown etiology. Strabismus surgery was performed in 13 cases. Surgical techniques included weakening of superior oblique and vertical rectus recession and resection. After a mean follow-up of 15.11mo, the corrected vertical deviation in primary position was 19.92±8.52 PD (P=0.000) and the corrected horizontal deviation was 14.31±12.68 PD (P=0.002). The surgical success rate was 61.5% and no surgical complications were present. CONCLUSION: Isolated IOP represents a rare condition, with most cases (66.7%) involving a congenital basis. The acquired cases included vascular, orbital trauma/surgery and myasthenia gravis. Weakening of the ipsilateral superior oblique muscle and/or contralateral superior rectus recession often resulted in favorable surgical outcomes with a surgical success rate of 61.5%.

Preparation of organic acid lignin submicrometer particle as a natural broad-spectrum photo-protection agent.

Valorization of lignin by-product is an urgent issue in the context of biorefinery. Lignin is a natural anti-UV active ingredient with great potential applications. In this study, a natural broad-spectrum photo-protection agent was prepared using lignin from organic acid extraction process. The submicrometer particles were prepared by dialysis lignin recovered from the pretreatments with organic acid extraction processes (formic acid, formic acid/hydrogen peroxide, and acetic acid/hydrogen peroxide/HCl) and they served as active ingredients in sunblock formulation. The structures of the lignin submicrometer particles were characterized by multiple spectroscopies. The submicrometer particles from organic acid lignin showed high capacities to enhance the sun protection factor values of lotion by 2.80-3.53 at the dosage of 5%, and the lotions containing lignin submicrometer particles had good UV-blocking properties. In addition, the UVA/UVB values (i.e., the ratio of absorbance at UVA to that at UVB) were in the range of 0.69-0.72 for the organic acid lignin submicrometer particles, indicating that they exhibited superior properties. The results indicated that the lignin submicrometer-based lotions with excellent antioxidant and UV protection capacities offered a natural source for sunblock cosmetics.

Conversion of poplar into bio-oil via subcritical hydrothermal liquefaction: Structure and antioxidant capacity.

Subcritical hydrothermal liquefaction of poplar was performed at 220-280 °C, and the liquid phase produced was extracted by ethyl acetate to obtain light oil (LO), which contained LO1 (water-soluble) and LO2 (ethyl acetate-soluble). The residue was further extracted with acetone to produce heavy oil (HO) and solid residue (SR). The highest bio-oil yield of 19.88% was obtained at 260 °C. The HO produced at 260 °C had the highest content of C (69.13%) and the higher heating value was 27.97 MJ/kg. The O/C and H/C ratios of LO were higher than those of HO due to less aromatics in LO. Oxidative inhibition rates of bio-oils, measured in DPPH-ethanol solution at a concentration of 0.1 mg/mL, reached 60.76% for LO1 while 90.29% and 90.85% for LO2 and HO, respectively. The bio-oil with good antioxidant activity can be utilized as an additive in bio-diesel to improve oxidation stability.

Hot Compress with Chinese Herbal Salt Packets Reducing PICC Catheter Complications: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the preventive effect of applying hot compress with Chinese herbal salt packets (CHSP) to puncture vessels under aseptic conditions during peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) on postoperative phlebitis. METHODS: A total of 720 hospitalized patients undergoing first PICC were assigned to treatment and control groups (360 cases each group) according to a random number table. The control group received conventional catheterization and nursing care. The treatment group was first given hot compress with CHSP (which consisted of honeysuckle 30 g, Semen brassicae 30 g, Salvia miltiorrhiza 30 g, Angelica dahurica 30 g, Semen raphani 30 g, Evodia rutaecarpa 30 g, and coarse salt 20 g) on the punctured vessel under aseptic conditions for 5-10 min before conventional catheterization. The main efficacy indices were the vessel diameters before and during catheterization and the success rate of a single catheter, and the secondary efficacy indiex was the incidence of superficial phlebitis within 1 week after catheterization. RESULTS: The vessel diameter during catheterization of the treatment group was remarkably increased compared with the control group [(7.96±0.42) mm vs. (4.39±0.54) mm, P<0.01]. The success rate of the single catheter of the treatment group was significantly higher than that of the control group [94.00% (329/350) vs. 73.72% (244/329), P<0.01]. The incidence of superficial phlebitis within 1 week after catheterization in the treatment group was lower than that in the control group (P=0.007). There was no adverse event with CHSP. CONCLUSION: Hot compress with CHSP during PICC is applicable as it can effectively improve the success rate of a single catheter and reduce the incidence of superficial phlebitis after catheterization (Trial registration No. ChiCTR-ONC-17010498).

Effects of microwave-assisted pulse-spouted bed freeze-drying (MPSFD) on volatile compounds and structural aspects of Cordyceps militaris.

BACKGROUND: Microwave-assisted pulse-spouted bed freeze-drying (MPSFD) uses microwave heating to substitute the customary conduction heating during freeze drying (FD), resulting in high-quality dried samples with a short drying time. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of MPSFD on volatile compounds and structural aspects of Cordyceps militaris. In order to highlight the effect of MPSFD, FD (recognized for its high-quality products) and hot-air dying (HD; the most commonly used) were also evaluated using headspace solid-phase micro-extraction combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and mid-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. RESULTS: Sixty-two components were obtained by FD, 62 compounds by MPSFD and 39 by HD. FD and MPSFD exhibited much better effects on the retention of volatile components of C. militaris than HD. Principal component analysis, hierarchical clustering analysis and E-nose analysis indicated that the volatile compounds of C. militaris dried by FD and MPSFD were similar. The spectral features of FD and MPSFD samples were also similar, whereas the HD sample presented a clearly different spectral feature around a wavenumber of 1640 cm-1 . CONCLUSION: MPSFD exhibited a beneficial effect on aroma and structure retention, with shorter drying time and lower energy consumption. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

Recent developments in novel freezing and thawing technologies applied to foods.

This article reviews the recent developments in novel freezing and thawing technologies applied to foods. These novel technologies improve the quality of frozen and thawed foods and are energy efficient. The novel technologies applied to freezing include pulsed electric field pre-treatment, ultra-low temperature, ultra-rapid freezing, ultra-high pressure and ultrasound. The novel technologies applied to thawing include ultra-high pressure, ultrasound, high voltage electrostatic field (HVEF), and radio frequency. Ultra-low temperature and ultra-rapid freezing promote the formation and uniform distribution of small ice crystals throughout frozen foods. Ultra-high pressure and ultrasound assisted freezing are non-thermal methods and shorten the freezing time and improve product quality. Ultra-high pressure and HVEF thawing generate high heat transfer rates and accelerate the thawing process. Ultrasound and radio frequency thawing can facilitate thawing process by volumetrically generating heat within frozen foods. It is anticipated that these novel technologies will be increasingly used in food industries in the future.

[Annual variation of different phosphorus forms and response of algae growth in Meiliang bay of Taihu Lake].

Based on the monthly investigations of different forms of phosphorus(P) and algae growth from January to December 2013 in Meiliang bay of Taihu Lake, the transformation of different P forms and the relationship between different P forms and algae growth was investigated under the dual conditions of disturbance due to wind and wave and algae growth. Results of the total P(TP), particulate P (PP), dissolved total P(DTP), dissolved inorganic P(DIP) and bioavailable P(BAP) showed that the monthly concentrations reached the maximum in summer and autumn while the minimum in winter and spring. In addition, the algae growth showed the same trends as above. However, no variation was found in the dissolved organic P(DOP) and bioavailable particulate P(BAPP). The bioavailability of PP was only 12.75% from June to October, which was obviously lower than the annual mean (37.14%). It was attributed to the acceleration on the transformation of PP to DTP due to the immobilization of sedimentary P under sediment disturbance and algae adsorption. The percentage of DTP in BAP was up to 69.33% (average), which was obviously higher than the percentage of bioavailable PP (30.66%, average) and the annual mean (56.63%) of DTP during the interval. In addition, the algae bloom appeared in the interval.

Two genes conferring resistance to Pythium stalk rot in maize inbred line Qi319.

Stalk rots are destructive diseases in maize around the world, and are most often caused by the pathogen Pythium, Fusarium and other fungi. The most efficient management for controlling stalk rots is to breed resistant cultivars. Pythium stalk rot can cause serious yield loss on maize, and to find the resistance genes from the existing germplasm is the basis to develop Pythium-resistance hybrid lines. In this study, we investigated the genetic resistance to Pythium stalk rot in inbred line Qi319 using F2 and F2:3 population, and found that the resistance to Pythium inflatum in Qi319 was conferred by two independently inherited dominant genes, RpiQI319-1 and RpiQI319-2. Linkage analysis uncovered that the RpiQI319-1 co-segregated with markers bnlg1203, and bnlg2057 on chromosome 1, and that the RpiQI319-2 locus co-segregated with markers umc2069 and bnlg1716 on chromosome 10. The RpiQI319-1 locus was further mapped into a ~500-kb interval flanked by markers SSRZ33 and SSRZ47. These results will facilitate marker-assisted selection of Pythium stalk rot-resistant cultivars in maize breeding. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the resistance to P. inflatum in the inbred line Qi319, and is also the first description of two independently inherited dominant genes conferring the resistance of Pythium stalk rot in maize.

[Bioavailable phosphorus on suspended solids of lake under short-term and repeated sediment disturbance].

Variation of bioavailable phosphorus forms on suspended solids under short-term and repeated sediment disturbance was investigated, using sediments and overlying water from Meiliang Bay and Yueliang Bay. The results showed that the average percentage of algae available phosphorus (AAP) in the dissolved total phosphorus (DTP) decreased with the increase of disturbance number. The NH4Cl-P and bioavailable particulate phosphorus (BAPP) on the suspended solids increased by 3.5%, 37.3% (Meiliang Bay) and 2.0%, 50.7% (Yueliang Bay), respectively. In addition, the AAP and its percentage of AAP in Tot-P on the suspended solids in Meiliang Bay increased with the increase of disturbance number. However, the case was the opposite for Yueliang Bay. During the disturbance, the BAPP was higher than the sum of NH4Cl-P and AAP, indicating that the sum of NH4Cl-P and AAP constituted 80% of BAPP. It also suggested that estimating the BAPP on the suspended solids using the sum of NH4Cl-P and AAP is problematic.

The effectiveness of noninvasive biomarkers to predict hepatitis B-related significant fibrosis and cirrhosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis of diagnostic test accuracy.

Noninvasive biomarkers have been developed to predict hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related fibrosis owing to the significant limitations of liver biopsy. Those biomarkers were initially derived from evaluation of hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related fibrosis, and their accuracy among HBV-infected patients was under constant debate. A systematic review was conducted on records in PubMed, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library electronic databases, up until April 1st, 2013, in order to systematically assess the effectiveness and accuracy of these biomarkers for predicting HBV-related fibrosis. The questionnaire for quality assessment of diagnostic accuracy studies (QUADAS) was used. Out of 115 articles evaluated for eligibility, 79 studies satisfied the pre-determined inclusion criteria for meta-analysis. Eventually, our final data set for the meta-analysis contained 30 studies. The areas under the SROC curve for APRI, FIB-4, and FibroTest of significant fibrosis were 0.77, 0.75, and 0.84, respectively. For cirrhosis, the areas under the SROC curve for APRI, FIB-4 and FibroTest were 0.75, 0.87, and 0.90, respectively. The heterogeneity of FIB-4 and FibroTest were not statistically significant. The heterogeneity of APRI for detecting significant fibrosis was affected by median age (P = 0.0211), and for cirrhosis was affected by etiology (P = 0.0159). Based on the analysis we claim that FibroTest has excellent diagnostic accuracy for identification of HBV-related significant fibrosis and cirrhosis. FIB-4 has modest benefits and may be suitable for wider scope implementation.

[Regeneration and transformation of BAPP in suspended solids under short term sediment disturbance].

The change of phosphorus forms in suspended solids under short-term sediment disturbance of different modes and its influence on BAPP in suspended solids were investigated, using sediments and overlying water from Meiliang Bay. The results showed that the concentrations of DIP in the overlying water decreased under disturbance. The concentrations of DIP under continuous disturbance were lower than those under intermittent disturbance. The NH4Cl-P, Ca-P and Res-P concentrations increased by 2.97%, 12.23%, 4.09% under continuous disturbance and 3.53%, 10.35%, 2.07% under intermittent disturbance and the non-occluded Fe/Al-P decreased by 5.55% under continuous disturbance and 1.78% under intermittent in suspended solids during the experiment, indicating that sediment disturbance could promote the transformation of sedimentary phosphorus from mobile forms to refractory forms. According to the speculation, the content of BAPP should decrease. However, it increased from 20.68% (initial state) to 49.27% (average, under continuous disturbance) and 57.92% (average, under intermittent disturbance). This result indicated that it is problematic to estimate the BAPP using solely the mobile phosphorus forms, such as NH4 Cl-P and non-occluded Fe/Al-P.

Dynamic morphological examination and evaluation of biological characteristics of a multinodular liver cancer model in mice.

Compared with single nodular liver cancer, the prominent biological characteristics of multinodular liver cancer include rapid progression and short survival. Here, we developed a multinodular liver cancer model in mice and assessed the biological characteristics of the resulting neoplasms. H22 hepatoma cells at a dose of 2 × 10(5)/mouse, suspended in 1.6 mL, 0.8 mL, or 200 µL saline were injected via the tail vein of BALB/c mice at a velocity of 200 µL per second. The mice were sacrificed at different time points after injection. And at the time of death the liver, lungs, spleen, kidneys and heart were removed for morphological study. The biological characteristics of the tumor nodules were evaluated by immunohistochemistry. In the mice treated with a large volume injection of H22 cells, by day 7, there was a 100% occurrence of multinodular tumors in the livers, determined by histology. At the time of death, there were 100%, 100%, 37.5% and 37.5% occurrences of tumors in the lungs, kidneys, spleen and heart, respectively. The neoplastic cells in the liver nodules showed pleomorphism, and exhibited high expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), c-myc, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2). In mice treated with a small or medium volume injection, no tumor cells were identified in the livers, spleen, kidneys or heart at any of the examined time points. By day 7 and at the time of death, there was a 100% occurrence of tumor in the lungs. A multinodular liver cancer model in mice was achieved using a large volume injection of H22 cells.

Multimode plasmon excitation and in situ analysis in top-down fabricated nanocircuits.

We experimentally demonstrate synthesis and in situ analysis of multimode plasmonic excitations in two-wire transmission lines supporting a symmetric and an antisymmetric eigenmode. To this end we irradiate an incoupling antenna with a diffraction-limited excitation spot exploiting a polarization- and position-dependent excitation efficiency. Modal analysis is performed by recording the far-field emission of two mode-specific spatially separated emission spots at the far end of the transmission line. To illustrate the power of the approach we selectively determine the group velocities of symmetric and antisymmetric contributions of a multimode ultrafast plasmon pulse.

[The effect of compressive stress on the factors for liver regeneration in hepatocytes Chang cell line].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of compressive stress on the factors for liver regeneration including NF-kappaB, signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 (STATS), c-fos and c-jun in hepatocytes Chang cell line. METHODS: Human hepatocytes Chang cell line were subjected to compressive stress at 1000 microstain or 2000 microstain, expression of NF-kappaB P65, p-STAT3, c-fos and c-jun were detected by Western blot or RT-PCR at 30 min, 1 h, 2 h, 3 h, 4 h, 6 h after application of compressive stress to indicate the priming of hepatocytes proliferation. RESULTS: Enhanced expressions of NF-kappaB P65 and p-STAT3 were observed in hepatocytes under compressive stress indicated by Western blot, the magnitude of compressive stress loaded significantly affected the level of expression of NF-kappaB P65 at 2 h (P = 0.046) and p-STAT3 at 1 h (P = 0.039), the peak of expression of p-STAT3 was at 30 minutes after stress-loading while NF-kappaB P65 was at 1 hour; RT-PCR showed that expression of c-fos was not significantly different between 1000 microstain and 2000 microstain at each time point, and expression of c-jun was significantly different at 30 minutes (P = 0.026), 1 h (P = 0.031), 2 h (P = 0.033) after compressive stress loading. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that compressive stress may play an important role in initiating the process of liver regeneration.

[Joint application of mathematic models in assessing the residual risk of hepatitis C virus transmitted through blood transfusion].

The practicable and effective methods for residual risk assessment on transfusion-transmitted disease was to establish the mathematic models. Based on the characteristics of the repeat donors which donated their blood on a regular base, a model of sero-conversion during the interval of donations was established to assess the incidence of the repeat donors. Based on the characteristics of the prevalence in the population, a model of 'prevalence increased with the age of the donor' was established to assess the incidence of those first-time donors. And based on the impact of the windows period through blood screening program, a model of residual risk associated with the incidence and the length of the windows period was established to assess the residual risk of blood transfusion. In this paper, above said 3 kinds of mathematic models were jointly applied to assess the residual risk of hepatitis C virus (HCV) which was transmitted through blood transfusion in Shanghai, based on data from the routine blood collection and screening program. All the anti-HCV unqualified blood donations were confirmed before assessment. Results showed that the residual risk of HCV transmitted through blood transfusion during Jan. 1(st), 2007 to Dec. 31(st), 2008 in Shanghai was 1:101 000. Data showed that the results of residual risk assessment with mathematic models was valuable. The residual risk of transfusion-transmitted HCV in Shanghai was at a safe level, according to the results in this paper.

The role of estrogen in the formation of experimental abdominal aortic aneurysm.

OBJECTIVE: The current study sought to investigate the role of estrogen in the formation of experimental abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). METHODS: Elastase perfusion of infrarenal AAA animal model was performed in 20 female and 20 male Wistar rats that were randomly divided into an ovariectomized/sham-operated group and an estradiol (E2) experimental/saline control group, respectively. At day 14, E2 was detected, while the mRNA and protein expressions of matrix metalloproteinases 2 and 9 (MMP-2 and -9) in AAA tissue were detected by immunohistochemistry and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). RESULTS: The ovariectomized group showed lower estrogen levels and a higher aneurysm dilatation rate and significantly higher MMP-2 and -9 expression compared with the sham-operated group (P < .01), which was in accordance with MMP-2 and -9 mRNA expression. The E2 group showed higher estrogen levels and a lower aneurysm dilatation rate and significantly lower MMP-2 and -9 expression than did the saline control group (P < .01), which was in accordance with MMP-2 and -9 mRNA expression. CONCLUSIONS: In the pathogenesis of AAA, estrogen may play an inhibitory role by decreasing expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 synthesis.

[The role of estrogen in the formation and development of abdominal aortic aneurysm: experiment with rats].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of estrogen in the formation and development of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). METHODS: Twenty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 2 equal groups: experiment group, injected with 17-beta estradiol (E2) intraperitoneally 1 week before the establishment of AAA once a day for 3 weeks (until 2 weeks after the establishment of AAA), and underwent infusion of pancreatic elastase into the infrarenal abdominal aorta through a catheter inserted into the left common iliac artery o as to establish the AAA model, and control group, injected with normal saline intraperitoneally for 3 weeks. Two weeks after the establishment of AAA model, the rats underwent laparotomy, blood samples were collected from vena cava inferior to detect the level of E2 by radioimmunoassay and then the aneurysms were harvested to undergo immunohistochemistry and real-time PCR to detect the protein expression and mRNA expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9. RESULTS: The plasma E2 level of the experiment group was (28+/-6) pg/ml, significantly higher than that of the control group [(5.86+/-0.24) pg/ml, P<0.01]. The aorta dilatation rate of the experiment group was (103+/-4)%, significantly lower than that of the control group [(172+/-13)%, P<0.01]. The destruction of arterial wall, degradation of elastic fibers, and infiltration of inflammatory cells were all more severe in the control group than in the experiment group. The relative mRNA expression of MMP-2 of the experiment group was 0.07+/-0.04, significantly lower than that of the control group (0.22+/-0.07, P<0.01); and the relative mRNA expression of MMP-9 of the experiment group was 1.4+/-0.7, significantly lower than that of the control group (7.4+/-2.8, P<0.01). The protein expression of MMP-2 of the experiment group was (22+/-3)%, significantly lower than that of the control group [(50+/-12)%, P<0.01], and the protein expression of MMP-9 of the experiment group was (23+/-2)%, significantly lower than that of the control group too [(45+/-10)%, P<0.01]. CONCLUSIONS: Estrogen inhibits the AAA formation and development by reducing the MMP-2 and MMP-9 mRNA and protein expression and the infiltration of inflammatory cells.