Mechanism of Aconiti Kusnezoffii Radix Processed with Chebulae Fructus Against H9c2 Cardiomyocyte Toxicity Based on TRPV1 Channel / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo explore the role of transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 （TRPV1） channel in reducing cardiomyocyte toxicity of Aconiti Kusnezoffii Radix processed with Chebulae Fructus. MethodH9c2 cardiomyocytes cultured in vitro were used as a model to assess cell viability by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium （MTT） assay， the expression of TRPV1 mRNA was detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR）， and the leakage rate of lactate dehydrogenase （LDH）， the changes of nucleus， reactive oxygen species （ROS）， mitochondrial membrane potential and Ca2+ contents were detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. ResultCompared with the blank group， when the concentration was ≥0.5 g·L-1， the cell viability was significantly decreased （P<0.01）， the leakage rate of LDH， the release of ROS and Ca2+ were increased， the mitochondrial membrane potential was decreased， and the nucleus was pyknosis or even broken in raw Aconiti Kusnezoffii Radix and Aconiti Kusnezoffii Radix processed with Chebulae Fructus groups. When the concentration was ≥0.5 g·L-1， compared with the same mass concentration of raw Aconiti Kusnezoffii Radix group， the cell viability increased significantly （P<0.01）， the leakage rate of LDH， the release of ROS and Ca2+ decreased， the mitochondrial membrane potential increased， and the nuclear morphology improved in Aconiti Kusnezoffii Radix processed with Chebulae Fructus group. Application of the same mass concentration of raw Aconiti Kusnezoffii Radix to H9c2 cardiomyocytes pretreated with the TRPV1 inhibitor BCTC significantly increased cell viability， decreased leakage rate of LDH， ROS and Ca2+ release， increased mitochondrial membrane potential and improved nuclear pyknosis compared with untreated H9c2 cardiomyocytes. Application of the same mass concentration of Aconiti Kusnezoffii Radix processed with Chebulae Fructus to H9c2 cardiomyocytes pretreated with BCTC decreased cell viability， increased LDH leakage rate， ROS and Ca2+ release， reduced mitochondrial membrane potential compared with untreated H9c2 cardiomyocytes. Real-time PCR results showed that both raw Aconiti Kusnezoffii Radix and Chebulae Fructus decoction could increase the expression of TRPV1 mRNA in cardiomyocytes in a concentration dependent manner. ConclusionRaw Aconiti Kusnezoffii Radix can induce cardiomyocyte apoptosis and cardiotoxicity by activating TRPV1 channel， while Aconiti Kusnezoffii Radix processed with Chebulae Fructus can attenuate the toxicity through TRPV1 channel， which may be related to the synergistic effect of acid components in Chebulae Fructus and alkaloids in Aconiti Kusnezoffii Radix on TRPV1 channel.

Expression and Significance of PD-1, TIM-3 and VISTA on T Cell of Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patients / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To study the expression of multiple negative costimulatory molecules on peripheral blood T cells in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and its affection on prognosis.@*METHODS@#The peripheral blood samples from patients with newly diagnosed AML, complete remission (CR), and no-remission (NR) were collected, the expression levels PD-1、VISTA and TIM-3 in CD4 and CD8 T cells were detected by flow cytometry , and the clinical data of patients were analyzed.@*RESULTS@#The expression levels of PD-1、VISTA and TIM-3 of CD4 and CD8 T cells in the newly diagnosed AML patients were significantly higher than those in control group (P＜0.05). The expression levels of PD-1、TIM-3 and VISTA of CD4 and CD8 T cells in the CR group were significantly lower than those in newly diagnosed and the NR group (P＜0.05). The TIM-3 expression level positively correlated with VISTA expression level of CD4 and CD8 T cells in newly diagnosed AML patients (r=0.85 and 0.73). The VISTA and PD-1 expression level of CD4 T cells in newly diagnosed AML, NR after first induction chemotherapy and high risk patients significantly increased (P＜0.05), the TIM-3 expression level of CD8 T cells in high risk group significantly increased (P＜0.05), and the VISTA expression level of CD8 T cells in CBFβ-MYH11 mutation-positive group significantly decreased (P＜0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#The expression of PD-1、TIM-3 and VISTA in AML peripheral blood T cells may be involved in the immune escape of AML and can be the targets of treatment for acute myeloid leukemia patients.

Expression of Versican and Its Related Molecules in Patient with Multiple Myeloma and Its Clinical Significance / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the expression and clinical significant of VCAN and its related molecules in patients with MM.@*METHODS@#Ficoll density gradient centrifugation method was used to speared the bone marrow mononuclear cell in 25 cases of MM before and after treatment, the relative mRNA expression of VCAN and their related molecules (FAK, FN, MK, and HAS) in bone marrow was detected by real-time quantitative PCR, and their protein expression was determined by Western bolt.@*RESULTS@#The expression of VCAN, FK and FN in the effective group after treatment was significantly lower than that before treatment (P＜0.05), however, the expression of MK and HAS showed no statistically significantly different before and after treatment (P＜0.05). The expression of VCAN of patients in non remission group was significantly higher than that in control group (P＜0.05). The expression of FAK and FN of patients in no remission group was significant increased as compared with the patients in newly diagnosed group (P＜0.05). The relative expression of VCAN mRNA in the patients at 3rd stage was significantly higher than those at the 1st stage (P＜0.05) and control group but showed no significant difference to the patients at 2nd stage (P＜0.05). The expression of VCAN and its related proteins (FAK, MK, FN) showed positively correlation in bone marrow mononuclear cells of MM patients (P＜0.05). The correlation between VCAN and HAS was not statistically significant (r=0.259，P＞0.05). Survival analysis showed that the relative expression of VCAN mRNA was associated with OS (P=0.049) and PFS (P=0.041) in MM patients.@*CONCLUSION@#VCAN and its related molecules are highly expressed in MM patients; VCAN may act as potential biomarker in the development of multiple myeloma.

Clinical Significance of Platelet Closure Time in Patients with Multiple Myeloma / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the clinical significance of platelet closure time (PCT) in patients with multiple myeloma (MM).@*METHODS@#Peripheral blood samples of 50 newly diagnosed MM patients treated in our hospital from July 2018 to November 2019 and 34 healthy persons underuent physical at the same time were collected. PCT induced by collagen/epinephrine (CEPI) and collagen/adenosinediphosphate (CADP) in peripheral blood were detected by PFA-200，and the clinical data included age, sex, leukocyte count, hemoglobin level, platelet count and level of serum creatinine, cystatin c, blood calcium, β-microglobulin (β-MG), bone marrow plasma cells, light chain protein, as well as the MM types, ISS stage of patients were collected.@*RESULTS@#The level of PCT in MM patients was significantly higher than that in healthy persons; the level of PCT were significantly increased with the increasing of ISS stage in newly diagnosed MM patients; After chemotherapy with bortezomib/dexamethasone (BD), the level of PCT in 15 patients who were responded to the treatment was significantly lower than those before treatment.@*CONCLUSION@#The platelet closure time is abnormal in MM patients, moreover, relates to the progress of the disease. It has an important clinical significance for the evaluation of diagnostic stage and therapeutic efficacy evaluation of MM patients.

Functional movement disorders in children and adolescents / 中国当代儿科杂志

Functional movement disorders (FMDs), also known as psychogenic movement disorders (PMDs), should be considered a biological-psychological-social disease like other functional neurological diseases. It is not merely a psychological or mental disease. The etiology of FMDs includes neurobiological changes, such as abnormal patterns of cerebral activation and abnormal connectivity between the limbic system and the motor networks. Inheritance and epigenetic machinery, such as DNA methylation and changes in grey and white matter morphology, may influence the development of FMDs. FMDs are not rare in the outpatient service of pediatrics and are one of the most challenging movement disorders due to complex and diversified clinical manifestations. Due to a lack of clinical knowledge and unified diagnostic criteria, it is difficult for pediatricians to make a correct diagnosis of FMDs, which may be easily confused with other diseases. Pediatricians should pay more attention to children with FMDs and establish a multidisciplinary team with psychiatrists, specialists in developmental behavior, and physiotherapists, so as to provide active management and treatment for such children.

Effect of selective brain hypothermia on long noncoding RNA AK009271 of cerebral cortex following cerebral ischemia-reperfusion in rats / 中国脑血管病杂志

Objective: To observe the expression of long noncoding RNA (LncRNA) AK009271 in the cortex of rats with cerebral ischemia-reperfusion,and to evaluate the effect of selective brain hypothermia on the its expression. Methods: All 75 healthy male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats of SPF grade, weighing 200-250 g,were randomly divided into the sham operation group (group S), the ischemia-reperfusion group (group I/R) and the hypothermia group (group HT) by random digital scale method,with 25 rats in each group. Focal cerebral ischemia-reperfusion model was induced by string Longa's thread thrombus method of the middle cerebral artery for 2 hours. The group HT was infused with 4°C cold isotonic saline for 15 min (20 ml/kg) through internal carotid artery immediately after reperfusion. During the procedure, brain and rectal temperatures were monitored to ensure successful construction of selective brain hypothermia model. The group S only separated the carotid artery without performing middle cerebral artery embolization. At 6,24,and 48 h after reperfusion, the neurological deficit scores were measured and the expression of LncRNA AK009271 was evaluated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). At 24 h after reperfusion, the expression of Fisl was determined by Western Blot, and mitochondrial morphology was observed by electron microscopy. The apoptosis rate of cells was detected by TUNEL staining. Results: (1) Compared with the group I/R, the group HT had decreased brain temperature after perfusion of 4 °C isotonic saline for 15 min (32. 27 ± 0. 15 vs. 34. 52 ± 0. 22,t = 1. 603, P 0. 05). (2) Compared with the group S,the neurological deficit scores were increased in the other two groups;the neurological deficit score in the group HT was lower than the group I/R; all P < 0. 05. (3) Compared with the group S, the expression of LncRNA AK009271 in the group I/R all decreased at 6,24 and 48 h after reperfusion,and reached the lowest at 24 h after reperfusion (all P <0. 05);however,the expression of LncRNA AK009271 in the group HT increased at 6,24 and 48h after reperfusion compared with the group I/R (both P<0.05). (4) Compared with the group S, up-regulated expression of Fisl, mitochondrial ultrastructure damage and increased apoptosis rate were observed in the other two groups at 24 h after reperfusion (all P < 0. 05); However, compared with group I/R, down-regulated expression of Fisl (P <0. 05), less damaged mitochondrial ultrastructure and decreased apoptosis rate were observed in the HT group (P < 0. 05). Conclusions The expression of LncRNA AK009271 in the cortex of rats with cerebral ischemia-reperfusion is decreased. Selective brain hypothermia could ameliorate focal cerebral I/R injury in rats through up-regulating LncRNA AK009271 expression, inhibiting Fisl expression and lightening cell apoptosis.

Effects of neoadjuvant chemotherapy on the expression of ER, PR,HER-2 and Ki67 in breast cancer patients / 西安交通大学学报(医学版)

Objective To investigate the effect of neoadjuvant chemotherapy on the expression of four molecular markers ER,PR,HER-2 and Ki6 7 ,so as to provide the basis for accurate individualized treatment of breast cancer patients.Methods We enrolled 165 breast cancer patients who underwent radical surgery in the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University from January 1,2013 to December 31,2015.Among them,62 patients received preoperative neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC group),and 103 received no adjuvant (control group).We collected all the patients'preoperative and postoperative pathological specimens;we detected the expression levels of ER,PR,HER-2 and Ki67 by immunohistochemical method.Results Compared with that in control group patients,in NAC group the change rate of ER expression was 12.1% (7/58)and 7.8% (8/103) before and after chemotherapy,respectively,with no significant difference (P=0.3 78);the change rate of PR expression was 10.3% (3/58)and 10.7% (11/103),with no significant difference (P=0.227);the change rate of HER-2 expression was 8.6% (5/58)and 22.3 (23/103),with significant difference (P=0.026);the change rate of Ki67 expression was 39.7% (23/58)and 19.4% (20/103),with significant difference (P=0.006).In addition,the effective rate of neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer patients with high Ki67 expression was 63.8% (30/47), that of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with low Ki6 7 expression was 3 3 .3 % (5/15),with significant differences between the two groups (P=0.038).Conclusion Neoadjuvant chemotherapy can change the status of HER-2 and Ki6 7 in breast cancer patients,in which the high Ki6 7 expression level predicts better effect of chemo-therapy.

Persistent hypertension for two months in a preterm infant / 中国当代儿科杂志

A boy aged 2 months (born at 36 weeks of gestation) was admitted due to cough and dyspnea. After admission, he was found to have persistent hypertension, proteinuria, and persistent convulsion, and imaging examination showed extensive calcification of the aorta and major branches and stenosis of local lumens of the abdominal aorta and the right renal artery with increased blood flow velocity. The boy was admitted during the neonatal period due to wet lung and pulmonary arterial hypertension and was found to have hypertension and proteinuria. High-throughput whole-exome sequencing was performed and found two compound heterozygous mutations in the ENPP1 gene from his parents, c.130C>T (p.Q44X) and c.1112A>T (p.Y371F). c.130C>T was a nonsense mutation, which could cause partial deletion of protein from 44 amino acids, and was defined as a primary pathogenic mutation. c.1112A>T was a missense mutation which had been reported as a pathogenic mutation associated with idiopathic infantile arterial calcification (IIAC). Therefore, he was diagnosed with IIAC. He was given phosphonate drugs, antihypertensive drugs, anticonvulsion treatment, and respiratory support. Blood pressure was maintained at the upper limit of normal value. There was no deterioration of arterial calcification. It is concluded that IIAC should be considered for infants with persistent hypertension and extensive vascular calcification, and imaging and genetic examinations should be performed as early as possible to make a confirmed diagnosis.

Long-term outcomes of extremely preterm infants and extremely low birth weight infants with low one-minute Apgar score / 中华围产医学杂志

Objective To investigate the relationships between low one-minute Apgar score and the prognosis of extremely preterm infants (EPI) and extremely low birth weight infants (ELBWI). Methods Altogether 50 EPI and ELBWI who had a low one-minute Apgar score ( ≤ 7) and were admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Peking University Third Hospital from January 1,2010 to December 31, 2015 were enrolled in this study. All of them were divided into two groups according to their Apgar score: mild group (4-7) and severe group (0-3). Medical records of the subjects were reviewed and an at least 18 months follow up study was conducted. Conditions of all subjects during perinatal period and hospitalization were summarized. Outcomes and follow-up results were compared between the two groups by using Fisher exact test. Results (1) General information: Fifty infants were involved, among which 37 had a mild low Apgar score and 13 had a severe low Apgar score. The mean gestational age was (27.7±2.1) weeks and the mean birth weight was (884.4±174.3) grams. (2) Main complications (some infants with more than one complication): There were 42 cases of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome, 12 cases of pulmonary hemorrhage, 21 cases of bronchopulmonary dysplasia, 31 cases of patent ductus arteriosus, 36 cases of intraventricular hemorrhage, 22 cases of white matter damage and six cases of retinopathy of prematurity. (3) Outcomes: The survival rate was 48% (24/50) and the mortality rate was 52% (26/50). Among the 26 infants, five died despite treatment and 21 died within 72 hours after their parents giving up treatment. There were no significant differences in the survival rates, mortality rates and rates of abandon treatment between the two groups [43% (16/37) vs 8/13; 11%(4/37) vs 1/13; 46% (17/37) vs 4/13; Fisher exact test, all P>0.05]. (4) Follow-up results: Twenty-one infants were followed-up to at least 18 months of age, among which four were normal, 10 had growth retardation and recurrent respiratory tract infection and seven had motor development retardation. The incidence of motor development retardation in severe group was higher than that in mild group, and the difference between them was statistically significant (5/8 vs 2/13, Fisher exact test, P=0.046). Conclusions EPI or ELBWI with a low one-minute Apgar score have many nosocomial complications, resulting in high mortality and high incidence of motor development retardation.

Clinical study of sequential therapy by synchronized nasal intermittent positive pressure ventilation for preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome after extubation / 中华实用儿科临床杂志

Objective To assess the efficiency of synchronized nasal intermittent positive pressure ventilation (SNIPPV) as a transitional mode in treatment of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) after extubation.Methods In this single-center and randomized controlled trial,preterm infants (gestational age less than 35 weeks)with RDS who received mechanical ventilation were randomly assigned to receive SNIPPV(33 cases) or NCPAP(34 cases) after extubation.Blood gas analysis,prevalence of extubation failure and complications were compared between the 2 groups.Results The Pa (O2) in SNIPPV group was significantly higher but the pa (CO2) was significantly lower than those in the NCPAP group at 3 h and 12 h after extubation respectively(all P ＜ 0.05).Infants treated with SNIPPV had a decreased incidence of hypoxemia,hyperbicarbonatemia and extubation failure compared with those of patients treated with NCPAP (all P ＜ 0.05).SNIPPV group had a decreased incidence of apnea (P =0.000),shorter duration of mechanical ventilation and oxygen treatment duration than those of NCPAP group (all P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions SNIPPV is superior to NCPAP in serving as a transitional mode after extubation for preterm infants with RDS,and should be used in preference after extubation.

Clinical features of respiratory diseases in late preterm neonates / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the clinical features of respiratory diseases of late preterm neonates.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Six hundred and thirty late preterm infant(gestational age: 34~36+6weeks),4401 cases of term infants and 328 early preterm infants who were born at the obstetrical department of Peking University 3rd Hospital from January 2009 to December 2010 were enrolled. Among them 84 late preterm infants, 135 term infants and 182 early preterm infants developed respiratory diseases. The incidence of respiratory diseases,clinical features and the severity of the diseases were compared among the three groups.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The incidence and mortality rates of respiratory diseases and the percentage of severe cases were significantly higher in the late preterm group than in the term group, but lower than in the early preterm group (P<0.01). The symptoms of respiratory disease occurred earlier in the late preterm group than in the term group, but later than in the early preterm group (P<0.01). The late preterm group had a significantly higher incidence of tachypnea and lower incidence of retraction sign when compared with the term and early preterm groups (P<0.05). The percentages requiring oxygen therapy and mechanical ventilation in the late preterm group were both significantly higher than in the term group, but lower than in the early preterm group (P<0.05). The multiple linear regression analysis showed 11 factors associated with the severity of respiratory diseases: decreased arterial partial pressure of oxygen, hematokrit, pH value and respiratory rate, arterial oxyhemoglobin saturation, systolic arterial pressure, 5 minute Apgar score and gestational age, and increased blood urea nitrogen, heart rate and respiratory rate.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Late preterm infants are more likely to develop respiratory diseases than term infants, and to develop a more severe condition and need a more intensive respiratory support treatment. Tachypnea is a common presentation of dyspnea in late preterm infants and occurs earlier than in term infants but later than in early preterm infants. It may usually indicate a serious condition when dyspnea, abnormal heart rate and blood pressure, and multisystem damages occur in late preterm infants.</p>

A follow-up of the survival and medical factors responsible for the termination of treatment in very or extremely low birth weight infants / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the outcomes of very or extremely low birth weight (VLBW/ELBW) infants born between 2000 and 2008 in a single NICU and the medical factors associated with the termination of treatment in some infants.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>In this case control study, the clinical data of 148 VLBW/ELBW infants were retrospectively studied and the surviving infants were followed up. Both univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to investigate the medical factors associated with terminating treatment in infants.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Twenty infants (13.5%) failed to respond to the therapy and died in the hospital. Three infants (2.0%) died after discharge. Nineteen infants (12.8%) did not receive treatment due to decision of the guardian and died. Thirty infants (20.3%) were not followed up after discharge. Seventy-six infants (51.4%) survived, including 47 healthy infants, 2 cases of congenital diseases and 27 cases with poor prognosis. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed there were 2 significant factors associated with terminating treatment: neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (P=0.030, OR=11.396, 95%CI 1.-102.701) and hospitalization periods (the year 2004-2006) (P=0.039, OR=9.869, 95%CI 1.118-87.140).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The survival status of VLBW and ELBW infants needs to be improved. It is important to decrease the incidence of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome for decreasing the proportion of terminating treatment in the infants.</p>

A meta-analysis of nasal intermittent positive pressure ventilation in treatment of respiratory distress syndrome in premature infants / 中华儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To assess the efficacy of nasal intermittent positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) in treatment of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) in premature infants.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>According to the requirements of Cochrane systematic review, a thorough literature search was performed among PubMed (1977-2008), Embase (1989-2008), OVID, Cochrane (2008), Chinese Digital Hospital Library (www.chkd.cnki.net) and Chinese Biomedical Literature Disk Database (CBMdisc). Quality assessments of clinical trials were carried out. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with NIPPV and RDS were enrolled, and Revman 4.2 software was used for meta-analysis. The trials were analyzed using relative risk (RR) for dichotomous data, weighted mean difference (WMD) were used for continuous data, both kind of data were expressed by 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). For homogenous data (P> or =0.10), fixed effects model was calculated, for heterogeneity data (P<0.10), random effects model was calculated.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Five RCTs involving 284 premature infants diagnosed as respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) were included. Three studies comparing NIPPV with nasal continuous positive airway pressure (NCPAP) in the postextubation period, the extubation failure rate was 8.34% vs 40.79% in NIPPV group and NCPAP group, the NIPPV group had significantly lower extubation failure rates [RR 0.21 (95% CI: 0.10-0.45; P<0.001)]. Two of the above-mentioned three studies analyzed bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) rates, the incidence of BPD was 39.34% vs 54.39% in NIPPV group and NCPAP group, the NIPPV group had a trend towards lower BPD rates, but this did not reach statistical significance [RR 0.73 (95% CI: 0.49-1.07; P=0.11)]. NIPPV was used as primary mode in two studies, one compared with conventional ventilation (CV), which detected that the NIPPV group had significantly lower BPD rates (10% vs. 33.33%, P=0.04); the other compared with NCPAP, which also showed that NIPPV group had significantly lower BPD rates (2.33% vs. 17.07%, P=0.03).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The primary mode NIPPV was found to be feasible as a method of ventilation in preterm infants with RDS, and was associated with a decreased incidence of BPD. In the postextubation period, NIPPV is more effective in preventing failure of extubation than NCPAP.</p>

Expression of caspase-3 mRNA in the hippocampus of seven-day-old hypoxic-ischemic rats and the mechanism of neural protection with magnesium sulfate / 中华儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>There was consanguineous relationship between caspase-3 and early damage after hypoxia and ischemia. Caspase-3 plays a key role in the process of apoptosis in neuron. Magnesium sulfate could protect neuron from injuries, but the mechanism was not clear. The study was to investigate the expression of caspase-3 mRNA in the hippocampus of seven-day-old hypoxic-ischemic rats and the possible mechanism of neural protection with magnesium sulfate.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The model of seven-day-old hypoxia-ischemia rats was established. The rats were divided randomly into 6 groups as follows: (1) normal control (n = 4); (2) sham surgery control (n = 4); (3) hypoxia-ischemia (n = 4); (4) sodium chloride injection with hypoxia-ischemia (n = 4); (5) magnesium sulfate pre-injection with hypoxia-ischemia (n = 4); (6)magnesium sulfate post-injection with hypoxia-ischemia (n = 4). The therapy groups received a bolus injection of 500 mg/kg magnesium sulfate intraperitoneally 0.5 hour before or after hypoxia-ischemia. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR was used to measure caspase-3 mRNA expression in the hippocampus 24 hours after hypoxia-ischemia.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The expression of caspase-3 mRNA was significantly increased in the hippocampus of the hypoxia-ischemia pups (1.88 +/- 0.36 vs 0.97 +/- 0.46, P < 0.05). The expression of caspase-3 mRNA in rats with magnesium sulfate pre-injection and post-injection decreased significantly (1.54 +/- 0.49, 1.65 +/- 0.48 vs 1.88 +/- 0.36, P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Caspase-3 was activated in the hippocampus of the seven-day-old rats 24 hours after hypoxia-ischemia. The suppression of the expression of caspase-3 mRNA in the hippocampus was probably related to the protective effect of magnesium sulfate on the brain injury of hypoxia-ischemia.</p>