The impact of local colleges' interference in middle school students' family psychological intervention on the psychological health status of students learning at home - a case study of northern Guangdong.

OBJECTIVE: Using college psychological resources, this paper attempts to intervene in the family psychology of middle school students learning at home during the epidemic in northern Guangdong. Focusing on the impact of family system on the psychological health status of middle school students learning at home, it provides reference for targeted family psychological intervention and treatment of students. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The "Psychological Health Survey Questions for Middle School Students Learning at Home during the Epidemic" was compiled to conduct a class-based random sampling survey of primary and secondary schools in northern Guangdong. Family psychological intervention is provided for key groups. RESULTS: (1) The middle school students' psychological health level was above average on the whole, but with great individual differences. (2) Families have a significant impact on students' psychological health, among which parents' occupation, family integrity, family economy, family atmosphere, and the number of children in the family all exert a significant impact on middle school students' psychological health. (3) Stepwise regression analysis reveals that the six factors of gender, grade, ethnicity and place of residence, family economy and atmosphere in the family environment system are included in the regression equation, explaining 11.6% of middle school students' psychological health. (4) Family psychological intervention significantly improves middle school students' psychological health. CONCLUSIONS: Local colleges' interference in middle school students' family psychological intervention can effectively improve psychological health of middle school students learning at home. Society, families and schools should value family psychological construction, and effectively unite social forces to jointly promote students' psychological health.

TLR4-mediated inflammation promotes foam cell formation of vascular smooth muscle cell by upregulating ACAT1 expression.

Vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) foam cell formation is an important hallmark, especially in advanced atherosclerosis lesions. Acyl-coenzyme A:cholesterol acyltransferase 1 (ACAT1) promotes foam cell formation by promoting intracellular cholesteryl ester synthesis. The present study tests the hypothesis that oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL) increases the ACAT1 expression by activating the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)-mediated inflammation, and ultimately promotes VSMC foam cell formation. Wild-type, ApoE(-/-), TLR4(-/-) and ACAT1(-/-) mice on a C57BL/6J background were used. Increased TLR4, proinflammatory cytokines and ACAT1 were observed in high-fat (HF) diet-induced atherosclerotic plaque formation and in oxLDL-stimulated VSMCs. ACAT1 deficiency impeded the HF diet-induced atherosclerotic plaque formation and impaired the TLR4-manipulated VSMC foam cell formation in response to oxLDL. TLR4 deficiency inhibited the upregulation of myeloid-differentiating factor 88 (MyD88), nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), proinflammatory cytokines and ACAT1, and eventually attenuated the HF diet-induced atherosclerotic plaque formation and suppressed the oxLDL-induced VSMC foam cell formation. Knockdown of MyD88 and NF-κB, respectively, impaired the TLR4-manipulated VSMC foam cell formation in response to oxLDL. Rosiglitazone (RSG) attenuated HF diet-induced atherosclerotic plaque formation in ApoE(-/-) mice, accompanied by reduced expression of TLR4, proinflammatory cytokines and ACAT1 accordingly. Activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) suppressed oxLDL-induced VSMC foam cell formation and inhibited the expression of TLR4, MyD88, NF-κB, proinflammatory cytokines and ACAT1, whereas inhibition of PPARγ exerted the opposite effect. TLR4(-/-) mice and VSMCs showed impaired atherosclerotic plaque formation and foam cell formation, and displayed no response to PPARγ manipulation. In conclusion, our data showed that oxLDL stimulation can activate the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB inflammatory signaling pathway in VSMCs, which in turn upregulates the ACAT1 expression and finally promotes VSMC foam cell formation.

Target replacement strategy for selection of DNA aptamers against the Fc region of mouse IgG.

Aptamers that recognize the IgG Fc region are of great interest because of their wide application as an immunology probing tool, for diagnostics, and as affinity agents for antibody purification. We developed a target replacement strategy as a modification of conventional Systematic Evolution of Ligands by EXponential enrichment (SELEX) in order to efficiently select and identify novel DNA aptamers against the Fc region of mouse IgG. In this new approach, multiple IgG subclasses (IgG1, IgG2a, mouse IgG Fc, and anti-HBs IgG) were sequentially used to select aptamers in one continuous SELEX. After 8 rounds of selection, the aptamers were analyzed using dot blot and an electrophoretic mobility shift assay, which showed universal binding capability to different IgG subclasses. Secondary structure analysis of the aptamers indicated that the stem-loop structure of the aptamers play an important role in binding to the common site in different mouse IgG subclasses. This demonstrated the feasibility of using multiple target replacement SELEX for the selection of aptamers. This target replacement strategy is also expected to be useful for selecting aptamers that bind common regions of molecules other than antibodies.

Partial protective of chickens against Eimeria tenella challenge with recombinant EtMIC-1 antigen.

Eimeria tenella microneme protein 1 (EtMIC-1) is highly conserved with TgMIC-2, which is involved in parasite binding specifically to host cells. Little is known about the immune responses and protective efficacy against E. tenella infection with EtMIC-1 antigen. In the present study, the recombinant proteins of E. tenella mature MIC-1 and adhesive domain (von Willebrand factor type A domain, EtMIC-1-VD) were obtained, protective efficacy against E.tenella infection and the mucosal immune response, which is induced in broilers was evaluated. The antibody levels and the transcription profiles of cytokine of chickens, such as interleukin-12 (IL-12) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ), were detected after being immunized three times with the recombinant EtMIC-1 and EtMIC-1-VD by ELISA assay and quantitative real-time PCR, respectively. The results showed that both groups of chickens, after being immunized with 100 µg EtMIC-1 or EtMIC-1-VD antigen, induced about tenfold higher IgG levels compared to the nonimmune groups. The transcription profiles of IL-12 and IFN-γ of the immunized groups were significantly higher than the control groups as well. The anticoccidial index of the group immunized with 100 µg EtMIC-1 and the group immunized with 100 µg EtMIC-1-VD were 167.2 and 165.5, respectively, which are significantly higher than low-dose immunized groups and challenged control groups. Our data suggests that VD domain is the key functional structure of EtMIC-1 that could trigger a significant humoral and cellular response against E. tenella infection, and EtMIC-1 had the potential in imparting partial protection in chickens against homologous challenge.

Effects of estrogen on cognition, mood, and cerebral blood flow in AD: a controlled study.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of estrogen therapy on cognition, mood, and cerebral blood flow in patients with AD. BACKGROUND: Some studies have suggested estrogen may be effective in the treatment of AD. However, most of these studies were not controlled adequately. METHODS: Fifty female AD patients were recruited in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled 12-week trial. Each member of the estrogen-treated group received conjugated estrogen (Premarin) 1.25 mg/day. The primary outcome measures were the Cognitive Ability Screening Instrument (CASI), Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR), and Clinician Interview-Based Impression of Change (CIBIC-plus). The secondary outcome measures were Behavioral Pathology in Alzheimer's Disease (BEHAVE-AD), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), and 99mTc hexamethylpropylene amine oxime SPECT of the brain. RESULTS: No meaningful differences were found between the outcome measures (CASI, CDR, CIBIC-plus, BEHAVE-AD, HARS, HDRS, and cerebral blood flow) taken from the estrogen-treated group and those from the control group. CONCLUSION: A 1.25-mg/day dose of Premarin administered for 12 consecutive weeks does not produce a meaningful effect on cognitive performance, dementia severity, behavior, mood, and cerebral perfusion in female AD patients. Because estrogen therapy has been suspected of yielding adverse effects, and its therapeutic effectiveness is in doubt, additional evaluation of its role in AD treatment ought to be conducted.

Quantification of iodine-131 in tumors using a threshold based on image contrast.

Accurate and reproducible quantification of tumor radioactivity by imaging requires definition of a region of interest (ROI) for the tumor. The use of a threshold for creating the tumor ROI based on tumor-to-background image contrast (image contrast) was examined. Quantification of iodine-131 in spheres in a phantom that simulated tumors in patients was investigated using planar imaging and geometric-mean and effective-point-source methods. Thresholds that provided the least quantitative error for spheres with different diameters (1-5 cm) and locations (0-11 cm deep in the body), 131I concentrations (0.037-3.2 MBq/ml), and sphere-to-background concentration ratios (1:0, 14:1 and 7:1) were investigated. The correlation between threshold and sphere image contrast was examined. The phantom study showed that an appropriate threshold value for quantification of tumor radioactivity could be determined using image contrast for a single view, provided that image contrast was >/=1.5. The error of quantification was less than 10% for spheres with high image contrast (>/=1.5) but was greater than 17% for spheres with low image contrast (<1.5). When image contrast-dependent thresholds were applied to patient studies, 131I concentrations determined by imaging were in good agreement with the concentrations determined by counting biopsy samples. Additionally, reproducibility was improved when compared with a visual boundary method. It is concluded that accurate and reproducible quantification of radioactivity in tumors is achievable using thresholds based on image contrast if image contrast is greater than or equal to 1.5. Optimal thresholds for quantification of tumor radioactivity were similar if image contrast was similar despite differing tumor diameters, locations and 131I concentrations. Under certain circumstances, the effective-point-source method was preferable to the geometric-mean method.

Evaluation of tissue perfusion by the Xe-133 washout method in lower limbs of patients with noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

Ischemia is thought to be a major component in the pathogenesis of foot problems. The authors use the Xe-133 washout method to evaluate the blood perfusion of muscle tissue in the lower legs of patients with noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). Eighty-five male patients with NIDDM ranging in age from 51 years to 79 years (mean, 66.5 years) and 47 nondiabetic control males with a matched age ranging from 52 years to 82 years (mean, 64.5 years) were included in this study. None of the diabetics had a history or presentation of peripheral vascular disease in the lower limbs. The patients were separated into groups according to the duration of the disease and condition of blood sugar control. The Xe-133 washout method was performed in the anterior tibial muscle of all the subjects. According to a Student's t-test, the tissue perfusion were of significant difference between 1) NIDDM and normal controls (1.98 +/- 1.39 ml/100 g/minute versus 2.85 +/- 1.35 ml/100 g/minute), 2) good and poor blood sugar control (2.36 +/- 1.58 versus 1.51 +/- 0.94), and 3) long and short disease durations (1.50 +/- 0.78 versus 2.35 +/- 1.63). It is concluded that the tissue perfusion in the lower legs of patients with NIDDM is significantly decreased and related to the duration of the disease and condition of blood sugar control. This may contribute to the high incidence of foot gangrene and limb loss in patients with NIDDM.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The normal values of the radionuclide esophageal transit test and the influence of age and gender in healthy Chinese.

This study evaluates esophageal function in 55 healthy Chinese using a radionuclide esophageal transit test (RETT) of solid and liquid foods. A standard method modified from Klein et al. and Russell et al. was used to calculate: total mean transit time (MTT), residual fraction (RF), and retrograde index (RI) in the supine position. In Group 1, 30 cases accepted solid food RETT and in Group 2, 25 cases accepted liquid food RETT. Both groups were divided into different subgroups based on their ages: older and younger or according to their sex: male and female. The results show significant differences in MTT, RF and RI between the two groups, but no statistical differences were found in all of the parameters between the subgroups based on age or sex in both food types. In conclusion, the RETT is a simple and non-invasive method of evaluating the esophageal functions for both types of food and influences due to differences in age or sex were not significant in healthy Chinese.

Bone scintigraphy in evaluation of heel pain in Reiter's disease: compared with radiography and clinical examination.

Tc-99m MDP bone scans were used to evaluate the heel pain (talalgia) in 38 patients with Reiter's disease, and compared with clinical examination and radiologic findings. In our work, 58% (22/38) patients presented talalgia with a total of 35 lesions. Only two lesions of clinical talalgia were missed by the bone scan. The diagnostic sensitivity was as high as 94% (33/35). However, the diagnostic sensitivity of radiography was only 69% (11/16) when the disease duration was more than one year; furthermore, it declined to 33% (4/12) when the disease duration was less than one year. Based on the bone scans, the correlation between positive scintigraphic findings and clinical talalgia was extremely good. Clinical talalgia occurred in all the 33 lesions demonstrated by bone scan. However, three lesions demonstrated by radiography were not consistent with clinical talalgia and not visualized by radioscintigraphy. Our data show that the radionuclide scan is a more sensitive indicator and has better correlation with clinical talalgia than radiography. We consider that bone scintigraphy is superior to radiography in the evaluation of heel pain in Reiter's disease.

Influence of meal energy on gastric emptying in healthy Chinese.

Radionuclide gastric emptying studies of liquid phases were used to evaluate the gastric motility of healthy Chinese. A total of 53 normal volunteers were included in this study and divided into two groups. Group 1, included 20 males and 8 females (ages: 17-73) who received a meal which consisted of 500ml normal saline containing 500 uCi of Tc-99m phytate. Group 2, included 19 males and 6 females (ages: 27-73) who received a meal which consisted of 500ml 5% glucose solution (25g glucose, 100Kcal) labeled with 500 uCi Tc-99m phytate. Studies were performed with the subjects in the supine position and a gamma camera in a left anterior oblique (LAO) position, while data were collected for 30 minutes after injection of the liquid meal. The gastric emptying time was presented as the half-time (T1/2) for the food to empty from the stomach. The study results showed that the T1/2 was 20.5 +/- 7.2 min in Group 1 and 35.3 +/- 11.7 min in Group 2. We conclude that gastric emptying is slower for a liquid meal with a higher caloric content.

The role of Tc-99m MDP and Ga-67 imaging in the clinical evaluation of malignant fibrous histiocytoma.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the value of bone and Ga-67 imaging in patients with malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH). Thirty-four patients with biopsy-proven MFH were studied. Of these patients, 15 underwent Ga-67 imaging, 26 underwent Tc-99m MDP imaging, and 7 underwent both imaging procedures. In evaluation of the primary tumors, intense Ga-67 uptake was observed in 14 of 15 patients with a diagnostic sensitivity of 93.3%. However, positive bone imaging results were observed in only 10 of 26 patients with a diagnostic sensitivity of 38.5%. Most of these were secondary to Tc-99m MDP uptake in adjacent bone invaded by the primary tumor. Only two patients, of the 18 patients without direct bone invasion, had increased radioactivity in the tumors (11.1%). In evaluation of the metastatic lesions, increased Ga-67 uptake was observed in 8 of 8 metastatic sites (100%). However, Tc-99m MDP could only detect 5 of 12 metastatic sites (41.7%), which were all diagnosed to be bone metastases. None of the extraskeletal metastasis could be detected by Tc-99m MDP imaging. Ga-67 scintigraphy appears to be a very useful tool in the evaluation of both primary and metastatic lesions of MFH and is assumed to be useful in the follow-up. However, it is emphasized that bone scintigraphy is useful only when the tumor invades the skeletal system and is of limited value in the evaluation of extraskeletal lesions.

Thallium myocardial scintigraphy in single left coronary artery.

A case of single left coronary artery is presented with the correlation between the results of thallium-201 (T1-201) myocardial single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and coronary angiographic findings. The chest pain in this case might be partly secondary to the myocardial ischemia, under stress, which could result from the steal phenomenon to normal perfusion myocardium due to anatomical anomaly of single left coronary artery. Our findings suggest that T1-201 myocardial SPECT could be a useful method for detecting myocardial ischemia in patients with single left coronary artery.

[Biliary ascariasis--a case report].

A 60-year-old male suffered from abdominal pain, chills and fever for two weeks. A vivid Ascaris lumbricoides in the common bile duct and intrahepatic ducts was identified in operation. Chronic cholecystitis was also noted. We discuss the findings of multiple image modalities in biliary ascariasis and review the literature.