An argon atmospheric pressure plasma jet was employed to treat L929 murine fibroblasts cultured in vitro. Experimental results showed that, compared with the control cells, the treatment of fibroblasts with 15 s of plasma led to a significant increase of cell viability and collagen synthesis, while the treatment of 25 s plasma resulted in a remarkable decrease. Exploration of related mechanisms suggested that cold plasma could up-regulate CyclinD1 gene expression and down-regulate p27 gene expression at a low dose, while it could down-regulate CyclinD1 expression and up-regulate p27 expression at a higher dose, thus altering the cell cycle progression, and then affecting cell viability and collagen synthesis of fibroblasts.

No abstract

Bipartite patella is recognized as a developmental anomaly of ossification. Most of them are asymptomatic and are discovered incidentally. Bipartite patella is sometimes misdiagnosed as a patella fracture, because the x-ray images of both these conditions may appear very similar. In this case, the patient complained of left knee pain after x-ray films revealed a fracture-like line in the left patella. The patient was then diagnosed as having a patella fracture. In China, the injury degree is categorized as serious injury, minor injury, and trivial injury. As the injury degree of patellar fracture is identified as minor injury, the defendant who injured the patient will be sentenced to prison for ≤3 years. However, the defendant objected to this judgment and applied for the second evaluation of injury degree. On the basis of the site of injury, clinical manifestations, and imaging findings, we diagnosed the patient with bipartite patella which belongs to normal anatomic variant. Therefore, the injury degree of the patient was not minor injury.

No abstract

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a kind of lung disease with high morbidity and mortality. Genetic polymorphisms of IL18 have been associated with respiratory system disease such as asthma, pulmonary tuberculosis, and lung cancer; however, little information is found about the association between IL18 polymorphisms and risk of COPD. We investigated the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in IL18 and COPD risk in a case-control study that included 300 COPD cases and 300 healthy controls. Five SNPs were selected and genotyped using the Sequenom MassARRAY platform. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using unconditional logistic regression after adjusting for gender and age. In the genotype model analysis, we determined that rs2043055 polymorphism had an increased effect on the risk of COPD (GG versus AA: OR = 5.29; 95% CI = 1.15-24.35; p = 0.006). In the genetic model analysis, we identified four SNPs associated with COPD risk under recessive model. The "GG" genotype of rs2043055 and rs187238 were associated with increased risk of COPD (rs2043055: OR = 5.13, 95% CI = 1.12-23.49, p = 0.021; rs187238: OR = 4.99, 95% CI = 1.08-23.06, p = 0.025). Additionally, the "CC" genotype of rs1946519 was associated with increased risk of COPD (OR = 2.31; 95% CI = 1.03-5.19; p = 0.038). By contrast, the "TT" genotype of rs1946518 was associated with decreased risk of COPD (OR = 0.58; 95% CI = 0.35-0.98; p = 0.039). Our data shed new light on the association between IL18 polymorphisms and risk of COPD in a Chinese Han population.