CT and radiographic evaluation of bronchial collapsibility at forced expiration in asymptomatic brachycephalic dogs

Bronchial collapse due to bronchomalacia is an important cause of chronic coughing in dogs. Radiographic and CT evidence of bronchial collapse has previously been reported in healthy Beagle dogs under forced expiration. However, published studies in brachycephalic dog breeds that are prone to bronchial collapse are currently lacking. In the present prospective analytical experimental study, CT and radiography were used to measure the bronchial diameter and collapsibility of each pulmonary bronchus during end‐expiratory, 5 mL/kg forced‐expiratory, and 10 mL/kg forced‐expiratory phases in 17 asymptomatic brachycephalic dogs and six healthy Beagle dogs. Bronchial collapsibility was significantly greater during forced expiration, than that at the end of expiration in both groups (P < .001). Bronchial collapsibility measurements of the left lung lobes and the right cranial, middle, and accessory lobes were significantly higher in asymptomatic brachycephalic dogs than those in healthy Beagle dogs, during all expiratory phases (P < .05). The higher bronchial collapsibility of brachycephalic dogs was also supported using CT multiplanar reconstruction images and radiography. In conclusion, radiographic and CT measures of bronchial collapsibility in asymptomatic brachycephalic dogs are higher than measures in healthy Beagle dogs. Therefore, measures of bronchial collapse in brachycephalic dogs should not be evaluated using the same baseline measures as those used for healthy Beagle dogs.     

5种常见呼吸疾病患者血浆激肽释放酶的检测及其临床意义

用发色底物法对５种呼吸系统疾病患者及健康人作了血浆激肽释放酶（ＰＫ）的检测，结果显示：（１）肺心病组（４０例）为１３３．７％±４２．０％；（２）慢阻肺组（３０例）为１３０．８％±３２．９％；（３）哮喘组（１３例）１５５．０％±４１．７％；（４）胸腔积液组（２１例）为１１９．３％±４１．４％；（５）肺癌组（１１例）为１２７．０％±４１．７％；（６）对照组（健康人１００例）为９７．２％±２６．８％（对照组ＶＳ（１）、（２）、（３）组比Ｐ＜０．０１；对照组ＶＳ（４）、（５）纽比Ｐ＜０．０５）。对其临床意义作了讨论。     

培土生金法联合穴位敷贴治疗慢性阻塞性肺疾病稳定期的临床研究

目的 研究培土生金法联合穴位敷贴治疗慢性阻塞性肺疾病（COPD）稳定期的临床疗效。方法 将60例COPD稳定期（肺脾气虚型）患者随机分为治疗组和对照组,每组30例患者。对照组予吸入沙美特罗替卡松粉,按需使用,治疗组予参苓白术散加减联合穴位敷贴,两组治疗时间均为6个月。记录观察比较两组患者治疗前、治疗结束时及随访时肺功能指标、中医证候、生存质量、疾病复发率。结果 两组治疗后肺功能指标、中医证候、生存质量、疾病复发率均明显改善（P<0.05或P<0.01）,且治疗组与对照组比较,差异亦有统计学意义（P<0.05）。结论 培土生金法联合穴位敷贴疗法能调节肺脾功能,改善肺功能的退化,有效预防和减少COPD急性发作的发病次数,减轻其发病程度,提高生活质量,值得推广应用。     

Expression of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α in pulmonary tissues from patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

AIM：To study the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) in pulmonary tissues from patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) μg/L and its effects on the pathogenesis of COPD. METHODS：Pulmonary tissues were obtained from 32 subjects (16 patients with COPD and 16 without COPD as controls) who were undergoing single or bilateral lobectomy or wedge resection for lung cancer. The specimens were obtained as far away from the cancer foci (≥8 cm) as possible. The expression of HIF-1α protein in pulmonary tissues was measured by Western blotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS：The expression of HIF-1α protein in pulmonary tissues from controls and COPD patients was as follows: (0.96±0.43) μg/L and (0.16±0.07) μg/L (ELISA， P<0.05); 0.71±0.22 and 0.53±0.15 (Western blotting, P<0.05). Furthermore, the level of HIF-1α protein in pulmonary tissues from mild and moderate COPD patients was obviously higher than that from severe COPD patients (P<0.05). CONCLUSION：HIF-1α may play an important role in the progress of COPD.     

Effects of obstructive jaundice on enterocyte chloridion secretion in rats

AIM: To investigate the effects of obstructive jaundice (OJ) on enterocyte chloridion secretion in rats. METHODS: The OJ model of rats was set up. The rats were divided into OJ1 group and OJ2 group randomly. The animals in OJ1 group were sacrificed by exsanguination 7 days after operation and the rats in OJ2 group were sacrificed 14 days after operation. The Cl^- concentration in peripheral blood was detected. The epithelial cells in the terminal ileum mucosas were cultured in vitro. The concentration of intracellular Cl^- was detected by fluorospectrophotometry. The Cl^- current was measured by whole-cell patch clamp experiments. Western blotting was used to examine the change of voltage-gated Cl^- channel 2 protein (ClC-2) and the images were analyzed by image analysis system and statistical software quantitatively. RESULTS: The serum Cl^- concentration in OJ1 group and OJ2 group were obviously lower than that in control group . The intracellular Cl^- relative concentrations in OJ1 group and OJ2 group were higher than that in control group (3.14±0.38 and 3.55±0.47 vs 2.69±0.41,both P<0.05). The Cl^- current of normal epithelial cells displayed outward rectification, and transformed negative value into positive value following cell membrane depolarization. The Cl^- current was (-15.45±7.56) pA/pF and (5.85±0.81) pA/pF when voltage was -80 mV and 80 mV. The ranges of upgrade of absolute values of average electric current density in OJ groups were lower than those in control group (all P<0.05). Western blotting analysis showed that the ClC-2 protein generated a broad band about 90 kD. The average gradations of Western blotting images were lower in OJ groups than that in control group (0.20±0.04 and 0.19±0.06 vs 0.27±0.06, both P<0.05). However, no difference between the 2 OJ groups was observed (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: The chloridion secretion of intestinal epithelium is restrained in rats with OJ. The concentration gradient between exterior and interior of epithelial cells is decreased, and the Cl^- outward current is reduced. All of above are concerned with downregulation of ClC-2 protein in cell membrane.     

Effect of β2-adrenergic receptor expression on migration of early-EPCs in COPD patients

AIM：To investigate whether early endothelial progenitor cells (early-EPCs) express β2-adrenergic receptor (β2AR) in the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients and the effect of β2AR expression on the migration of early-EPCs. METHODS：Venous blood samples (20 mL) were obtained from antecubital vein of COPD patients or healthy controls. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated by standard Ficoll gradient centrifugation, and purified by CD34 positive selection cocktail. The mRNA expression of β2AR in the early-EPCs was detected by RT-PCR. The protein levels of β2AR were assessed by Western blotting and flow cytometry. Chemotaxis was studied by Transwell assay. Cultured early-EPCs were treated with ICI118551, norpinephrine (NE) or monoclonal antibody of β2AR (mAb-β2AR) for 24 h. The number of migratory cells was counted under a light microscope. RESULTS：The level of β2AR expression in the COPD patients was higher than that in the controls. The number of migratory early-EPCs to stromal cell-derived factor 1α was significantly improved by ICI118551 compared with other COPD groups. When early-EPCs from the COPD patients or the controls were treated with different concentrations of mAb-β2AR for 24 h, the number of migratory early-EPCs from the COPD patients and the controls treated with NE at concentration of 100 nmol/L was significantly reduced. However, a marked decrease in the number of migratory early-EPCs from the COPD patients treated with NE was observed compared with control group. Before treated with ICI118551 or NE for 24 h, the early-EPCs were co-incubated with mAb-β2AR for 40 min, and the number of migratory early-EPCs was not significantly different between COPD group and control group. Genetic down-regulation of β2AR promoted the migration of early-EPCs in COPD group. CONCLUSION：The level of β2AR expression in the COPD patients is increased compared with the controls. The down-regulation of β2AR improves the migration of early-EPCs.     

Experimental study on setting up hypercapnic model and its pathophysiological changes in rats

AIM:To reproduce hypercapnic models and approach some pathophysiological changes in rats. METHODS:The mixed gases of high concentrated carbon dioxide (8% CO₂, 21% O₂, 71% N₂) were given to wistar rats 7 hours a day for 28 days. The various indexes were compared between control group (group A) and hypercapnic group (group B). RESULTS:The PaCO₂ and the lipid peroxides (LPO) contents in plasma, lung tissue and right ventricle were significantly higher in group B than those in group A (P＜0.05 ); while artery pH values (7.205±0.037) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities in erythrocytes, lung tissue and right ventricle were significantly decreased in group B compared with group A (P＜0.05). The weight of right ventricle was significantly heavier than that of group A (P＜0.05). There were no significant differences were found in mean right artial pressure (Rap), mean right ventricle pressure (Rvp) and mean pulmonary artery pressure (Pap) between both groups.CONCLUSION:Hypercapnic model can be reproduced with 8% CO₂ mixed gases in rats. High concentration of CO₂ can cause a series of positively toxic injuries to the body. Care should be seriously taken when using permissive hypercapnic ventilation in the clinic.