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Rheumatic diseases often involve the musculoskeletal system, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA), spondyloarthritis (SpA), gouty arthritis, systemic sclerosis (SSc) and polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR), which are difficult to cure and have a high disability rate, thus seriously affect patients′work and life. A simple, convenient and effective means is needed for disease′s diagnosis and activity monitoring in clinic. Musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS) scans the superficial joints and muscles, and can detect the inflammation in disease′s early stage. It has the advantages of safety, high sensitivity and repeatability, and is widely applied in rheumatic diseases.
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<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the effect of different doses of acetamide on the histopathology in the cerebral cortex of rats with tetramine (TET) poisoning and to provide a basis for the treatment of fluoroacetamide poisoning with acetamide.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Eighty clean Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into five groups: saline control group,dimethylsulfoxide water solution control group,TET poisoning group, acetamide (2.88 g/kg/d) treatment group, and acetamide (5.68 g/kg/d) treatment group, with 16 rats in each group. Rats in the poisoning group and treatment groups were poisoned with TET by intragastric administration after fasting; then, saline was injected intramuscularly into rats of the poisoning group, and different doses of acetamide were injected intramuscularly into rats of treatment groups; the course of treatment was 5 d. At 3 h, 12 h, 48 h, and 7 d after treatment, the cerebral cortex was harvested from rats in each group, and the histopathological changes in the cerebral cortex were evaluated under light and electron microscopes.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The light microscopy showed that the TET poisoning group had hypoxia changes in the cerebral cortex, which worsened over time; the treatment groups had reduced hypoxia changes, and the acetamide (2.88 g/kg/d) treatment group had more reduction than the acetamide (5.68 g/kg/d) treatment group. The electron microscopy showed that the apoptosis of neuronal cells were the main pathological changes in the TET poisoning group; the treatment groups had reduced apoptotic changes, and the acetamide (2.88 g/kg/d) treatment group had more reduction than the acetamide (5.68 g/kg/d) treatment group.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>No pathological changes associated with the synergistic toxic effect of acetamide and TET are found in the cerebral cortex. Acetamide (2.88 g/kg/d) could reduce central nervous lesions, but the efficacy is not improved after increasing the dose. For patients who cannot be identified with TET or fluoroacetamide poisoning, acetamide could be considered for treatment.</p>
Subject(s)
Animals , Male , Rats , Acetamides , Pharmacology , Bridged-Ring Compounds , Toxicity , Cerebral Cortex , Pathology , Disease Models, Animal , Rats, Sprague-DawleyABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effects of acetamide at different doses on the expression of inhibitory amino acids (gamma-aminobutyric acid, GABA) and excitatory amino acid (glutamate, Glu) in the cerebral cortex of rats with acute tetramine (TET) poisoning.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Eighty Sprague-Dawley rats (SPF) were randomly divided into five groups, with 16 rats in each group: saline control group, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) control group, TET exposure group, high-dose (2.8 g/kg/d) acetamide treatment group, and super-high-dose (5.6 g/kg/d) acetamide treatment group. Rats in the exposure group and treatment groups were exposed to TET by intragastric administration after fasting, and were then intramuscularly injected with saline or different doses of acetamide in the following 5 days. The cortex of the temporal lobe was collected at 3 h, 12 h, 48 h, or 7 d after treatment. The expression levels of GABA and Glu in the cortex of the temporal lobe were determined by average optical density (OD) values in immunohistochemistry.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>1) Expression of GABA: The OD value of GABA in TET exposure group started to increase at 12 h after treatment, reached the peak at 48 h, and decreased to the normal level at 7 d. In the high-dose acetamide treatment group, the increase in OD at 12 h was not so significant as that in the TET exposure group, OD value decreased to the normal level at 48 h and was lower than that in the exposure group, and the changes were more like those in the control groups. In the super-high-dose acetamide treatment group, OD value began to increase significantly at 3 h and was significantly higher than that in the TET exposure group (P < 0.01), it reached the peak at 12 h, and was restored to the normal value at 48 h. 2) Expression of Glu: The OD value of Glu in TET exposure group at 3 h after treatment was significantly lower than those in the two control groups, it increased gradually from 12 h to 48 h, and recovered to the normal level at the 7th d. The changes in the high-dose acetamide treatment group were similar to those in the TET exposure group, but became more like those in the control groups after 48 h; the OD value in super-high-dose acetamide treatment group was significantly higher than that in the TET exposure group at 3 h after treatment (P < 0.01), while no significant difference was found at 12 h; it was significantly lower than those of all other groups at 48 h and 7 d (P < 0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Treatment with high dose of acetamide has some curative effect on TET poisoning-induced central nervous lesion, while the effect of super-high-dose acetamide on expression of neurotransmitters is too complex to evaluate.</p>
Subject(s)
Animals , Female , Male , Rats , Acetamides , Pharmacology , Bridged-Ring Compounds , Poisoning , Cerebral Cortex , Metabolism , Glutamic Acid , Metabolism , Rats, Sprague-Dawley , gamma-Aminobutyric Acid , MetabolismABSTRACT
Objective To evaluate clinical significance of the grade of ischemia by QRS complex on the admission electrocardiogram(ECG)to predict severe arrithmia in patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction(STEMI).Methods Patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction(STEMI)admitted to emergency department from July 2003 to April 2008 were enrolled.A total of 223 patients met the criteria(ischemic chest pain ≥ 30 min,2 or more adjacent leads of ST segment elevation and onset time within 12 h).Exclusion criteria were bundle branch block and left ventricular hypertrophy.All enrolled patients were divided into two groups based on the enrollment electrocardiogram:grade 2 ischemia(ST elevation without terminal QRS distortion; n =134)and grade 3 ischemia(ST elevation with terminal QRS distortion; n =89).Patients of the two groups had comparable genderproportion,average age and coronary heart disease risk factors etc.All patients received thrombolytic therapy.The incidence rate of ST segment resolution(STR)and severe arrithmia in hospital stay were observed.Numerical variables were expressed mean ± standard deviation and compared by unpaired Student't test,Categorical variables were expressed percentage and compared by chi square test.Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to determine independent predictors of severe arrithmia.Results Patients with grade 3 ischemia had greater Σ ST on admission and 2 h after thrombolysis ECGs(P ＜ 0.01),the incidence rate of STR in patients with grade 3 ischemia was lower than that in patients with grade 2 ischemia(P ＜0.01).The peak creatine kinase MB fraction was higher in patients with grade 3 ischemia than that in patients with grade 2 ischemia(P ＜ 0.01).There was no significant difference of the incidence of severe arrithmia,such as ventricular premature beat,ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation,second-degree or third-degree atrioventricular block,and sinus arrest between the two groups(P ＞ 0.05),but there was a trend of higher incidence of severe arrithmia in patients with grade 3 ischemia compared with that in patients with grade 2 ischemia.Multiple logistic regression analysis demonstrated that the independent predictors of severe arrithmia were duration from symptom to thrombolysis and initial.Σ ST,whereas grade 3 ischemia remained a strong predictor of severe arrithmia.Conclusions Grade 3 ischemia on admission is associated with lower incidence of STR in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction(STEMI)after thrombolysis and a strong predictor of severe arrithmia.
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Objective To investigate the effects of N - acetylcysteine (NAC) on apoptosis and the expressions of Fas/FasL mRNA in lung tissue of rats with paraquat - induced acute lung injury.Methods Forty five male SD rats were randomly (random number) divided into normal control group,paraquat (PQ) group,and NAC treatment group.The rat model of acute lung injury was made with 2％ PQ induction in dose of 25 mg/kg injected,and NAC was injected into the PQ poisoning rats (200 mg/kg) 30 minutes after PQ administration in NAC treatment group.In the control group,equal amount of saline instead was injected into the rats.Apoptosis was detected by using TUNEL method and the expressions of Fas/FasL mRNA were evaluated by using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT- PCR),and the levels of Fas/FasL protein were detected by using western blot analysis.Results Compared with control group,cell apoptosis and expressions Fas/FasL mRNA in PQ group were significantly different ( P ＜ 0.05 ).Compared with PQ group,cell apoptosis and expressions Fas/FasL mRNA in NAC group were significantly decreased,were significant lower (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions NAC inhibited apoptosis in lung tissue of rats with paraquat induction by regulating the activation of Fas/FasL systems.