Multi-component traditional Chinese medicines are an innovative research mode for traditional Chinese medicines. Currently, there are many design methods for developing multi-component traditional Chinese medicines, but their common feature is the lack of effective connection of the traditional Chinese medicine theory. In this paper, the authors discussed the multi-component traditional Chinese medicine design methods based on medicinal property combination modes, provided the combination methods with the characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine for the prescription combinations, and proved its feasibly with hypertension cases.
Animals ; Antihypertensive Agents ; administration & dosage ; chemistry ; Blood Pressure ; drug effects ; Drug Combinations ; Drug Therapy ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; chemistry ; Humans ; Hypertension ; drug therapy ; physiopathology ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Rats

Objective Based on the principles of laser radiation protection, medical metroiogy and photoelectron technology, an automatic verification device and testing technology to provide verification and performance evaluation for laser protective spectacles and equipments which have the various functions in laser protection have been developed and established. Methods The current system comprises laser source, laser measuring instruments, software of computer detection and control and modules of optics and mechanics used in auxiliary equipment. By use of the verification device and the special test-recording method to be designed and studied by us, the measured data can be automatically acquired, processed, recorded, saved and printed and, furthermore, many parameters on protective performance of the measured laser protective spectacles can be tested and given. Results Laser wavelength of the verification apparatus are 1 064 nm and 532 nm, response range of wavelength is from 0.4 m to 1.1 μm, measuring range of laser energy is from 10-8 J to 0.3 J, measuring range of optical density for laser protective spectacles is from 0.1 to 8.0, stability is 0.21%, measuring uncertainty is 5%(k=2). Conclusion The automatic verification device is steady and reliable. The achieved performance indexes accord with the requirement of national standard on laser protection.

Models of throat excess-heat mice were established and different dosages of water extract of STRR were ig given to mice to observe anti-inflammatory effect and its mechanism. The activities of ALT, AST and the contents of TNF-α, T3, rT3, T4, SOD, MDA, PEG2, NO, NOS, Cr, BUN, GSH and GSH-Px in serum were tested while liver index, kidney index, spleen index and thymus index were measured. The anti-inflammatory efficacy accompanied by side effects and mechanisms of water extract of Sophorae Tonkinensis Radix et Rhizoma (STRR) in excess-heat mice were investigated to clear safety dose-dependence range and the relationship of efficacy, toxicity and syndrome. In the experiment, water extract of STRR showed a strong inhibitory effect on ear edema by croton oil in throat excess-heat mice. The activities of ALT, AST in serum and liver index were all higher than that of normal group after multiple administration. PEG2, SOD, MDA, NO, NOS, GSH and GSH-Px had obvious changes. According to the results, water extract of STRR has an anti-inflammatory effect on acute inflammation in throat excess-heat mice and it is stronger than that in normal mice. The anti-inflammatory effect of STRR is related to the reduction of inflammatory mediators release. Side effects and hepatotoxicity will be produced on clinical efficacy dosage. The mechanisms of anti-inflammation and hepatotoxicity are all in connection with oxidative damnification.
Animals ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents ; therapeutic use ; Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury ; etiology ; Disease Models, Animal ; Female ; Male ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Mice ; Phytotherapy ; Plant Extracts ; therapeutic use ; toxicity ; Rhizome ; Sophora

Objective To investigate the leukemia incidence among residents in the vicinity area of a nuclear installation.Methods The data were collected by the retrospective survey.Diagnosis is based on the medical records in all the relevant hospitals.The study area was those residential areas within 10 km of radium surrounding the installation.All residents who had lived in the study area for six months and over were recruited into the study group.Results The survey ascertained 643 newly diagnosed leukemia cases in the study area during 1997 to 2007.The crude rate was 2.51/100,000,and its standardized rate to national population structure was 2.53/100,000.The incidence rate in the study area was slightly lower than that in the whole city.No increase trend was detected during the period.Conclusions No significant difference of the leukemia incidence rate was found between the vicinity area of the nuclear installation and the whole city.

The combination of medicinal properties refers to expression forms of elements with active properties combined according to a specific sequence. The mode of medicinal property combination refers to the compatible relationship multiple medicinal property combinations. In this paper, based on the mode, safflower, Taohong Siwu decoction, Xuefu Zhuyu decoction and Buyang Huanwu decoction were taken for example to study the characteristics of the compatibility among single herb, herbal pairs and prescriptions. The authors discovered the similarities and differences among them, interpreted the self-similarity in medicinal property combinations of traditional Chinese medicines, and analyzed the compatible relationship among multiple medicinal property combinations, so as to bring forth new ideas in discovering the correlation between the compatibility study mode of traditional Chinese medicines based medicinal property combinations and the efficient compatibility of medicinal property combination.
Drug Combinations ; Drug Prescriptions ; Drug Therapy ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional

Objective To evaluate the safety and clinical efficacy of the treatment for symptomatic uterine fibroids with MR guided focused ultrasound surgery(MRgFUS)in China. Methods Twenty five selected patients with symptomatic uterine fibroids underwent MRgFUS treatment in our perspective clinical study. Immediately after treatment the patients accepted pelvic enhanced MRI scans, and recorded the non-perfused volume(NPV)and calculated the non-perfused volume ratio(NPV%). We recorded the symptom severity score(SSS) and standard SSS change(ΔSSS)of the patients before, during and 1 week after treatment together with 1, 3, 6, 12 months and several years follow-up. The patients accepted pelvic enhanced MRI scans in the follow-up of 12 months after treatment,and recorded the volume and the volume change(ΔV) of fibroids. We observed the adverse reactions during the treatment and the follow-ups. Wilcoxon test or t test and Pearson or Spearman correlation analysis were used to analyze the data. Results Totally 31 fibroids of 25 patients were completed the treatment. Twenty two patients completed the 12 months follow-up and 15 patients completed the long-term follow-up which was during 34 to 66 months, median follow-up duration was(55 ± 11)months. The NPV was 4.5 to 295.0 cm3, median was 37.0 cm3. The NPV%was 6%to 94%, average was(64 ± 23)%. According to our follow up, the standard SSS continued to decline. Compared with screening standard SSS, all the follow-up standard SSS had significant difference(P<0.05), except for that of the first week. Among all the follow up, only the standard SSS change of 1 week after the treatment had a correlation with NPV%(r=0.552,P=0.005), and the others had no significant correlation with NPV%(P>0.05). The uterine fibroids volume decreased in the 12 months follow-up, which had a significant difference with the volume before treatment(P<0.05). And there was also correlation between the fibroids volume change and NPV(r=0.587,P=0.017). There was no correlation between the volume or volume change and standard SSS or standard SSS change(all P>0.05). None serious adverse effects occurred in all cases. Conclusion MRgFUS is a safe and effective way to treat uterine fibroids.

OBJECTIVEIt is revealed that circulating fibrocytes are elevated in patients/animals with cardiac fibrosis, and this review aims to provide an introduction to circulating fibrocytes and their role in cardiac fibrosis.

DATA SOURCESThis review is based on the data from 1994 to present obtained from PubMed. The search terms were "circulating fibrocytes " and "cardiac fibrosis ".

STUDY SELECTIONArticles and critical reviews, which are related to circulating fibrocytes and cardiac fibrosis, were selected.

RESULTSCirculating fibrocytes, which are derived from hematopoietic stem cells, represent a subset of peripheral blood mononuclear cells exhibiting mixed morphological and molecular characteristics of hematopoietic and mesenchymal cells (CD34+/CD45+/collagen I+). They can produce extracellular matrix and many cytokines. It is shown that circulating fibrocytes participate in many fibrotic diseases, including cardiac fibrosis. Evidence accumulated in recent years shows that aging individuals and patients with hypertension, heart failure, coronary heart disease, and atrial fibrillation have more circulating fibrocytes in peripheral blood and/or heart tissue, and this elevation of circulating fibrocytes is correlated with the degree of fibrosis in the hearts.

CONCLUSIONSCirculating fibrocytes are effector cells in cardiac fibrosis.

Coronary Disease ; pathology ; Fibroblasts ; physiology ; Fibrosis ; pathology ; Heart Failure ; pathology ; Humans ; Hypertension ; pathology ; Myocardium ; pathology

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Current international guidelines recommend colorectal cancer screening for average-risk people over 50 years of age. Accordingly, we aimed to estimate the prevalence of colorectal neoplasms in all age groups and evaluate associated risk factors. METHODS: Data of 14,932 subjects who underwent colonoscopy from July 2006 to January 2012 at Health Promotion Center, Gangnam Severance Hospital (Seoul, Korea) as part of a health check-up were reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of colorectal neoplasms and adenoma were 34.6% and 25.3%, respectively. Colorectal adenoma was found in 3.2%, 13.0%, 21.7%, 33.8%, 44.0%, 50.5%, and 54.2% of subjects under 30 years, 30-39 years, 40-49 years, 50-59 years, 60-69 years, 70-79 years, and over 80 years of age (trend p<0.0001). Independent predictors of colorectal adenoma included male gender (OR 2.38, 95% CI 2.084-2.718), positive occult blood (2.266, 1.761-2.917), positive serology of Helicobacter pylori (1.253, 1.114-1.409) and hypertriglyceremia (1.267, 1.065-1.508). Compared to the 30-39 years of age reference group, the ORs for each age group were 0.195 (under 30 years), 1.634 (40-49 years), 2.954 (50-59 years), 5.159 (60-69 years), 5.640 (70-79 years), 11.020 (over 80 years), while the 95% CIs were 0.071-0.536 (under 30 years), 1.340-1.992 (40-49 years), 2.421-3.604 (50-59 years), 4.109-6.476 (60-69 years), 3.822-8.322 (70-79 years), and 2.809-42.234 (over 80 years). CONCLUSIONS: Colorectal adenoma prevalence increased proportionally with age. Only subjects under the age of 30 years had a definitely lower prevalence of colorectal adenoma. Male gender, positive occult blood, positive serology of H. pylori, and hypertriglyceremia were associated risk factors of colorectal adenoma.
Adenoma/*epidemiology/etiology ; Adult ; Age Factors ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Colonoscopy ; Colorectal Neoplasms/*epidemiology/etiology ; Female ; Helicobacter Infections/complications ; Helicobacter pylori ; Humans ; Hypertriglyceridemia/complications ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Odds Ratio ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Retrospective Studies ; Sex Factors

Objective To detect the feasibility of magnetically labeled swine bone marrow mesenehymal stem cells(MSCs)with SHU 555A combined with poly-L-arginine(PLL),under MR imaging in vitro and in vivo.Methods Swine mesenehymal stem cells were isolated and culture-expanded 3 passages in vitro,then magnetically labeled by incubation with SHU 555A(25?g Fe/ml,Resovist,Schering)for 24 hours with 750 ng/mL poly-L-lysine(PLL;average MW_275 kDa)added 1 hour before incubation.Cellular iron incorporation and detention at 0 d,4 d,8 d,12 d,16 d,20 d after labeling was qualitatively assessed using Prussian blue and quantified at atomic absorption spectrometry.Cell viability was assessed by trypan-blue exclusion test.Cell suspensions underwent MR imaging with T_1-and T_2-weighted spin-echo and fast field-echo sequences on a clinical 1.5 T MR system.At last,1?10~6 SHU 555A labeled and unlabeled MSCs were transextracardially implanted into the infracted and normal myocardium approximately 2 week following the ligation of left anterior descending coronary artery in 1 swine respectively,and finally performed 1.5-T MRI within 1 week after infarction.Results①Intracytoplasmic particles stained with Prussian blue stain were detected for all cells with mean cellular iron content of(13.13?2.30)pg per cell.With division of stem cells, the stained particles decreased gradually with iron content(0.68?0.20)pg per cell.at 16 days after labeling, approximately to the prelabeled baseline values.(0.21?0.06)pg per cell(P＞0.05).The viability of the labeled cells at various time points were not significantly different with that of nonlabeled cells(P＞0.05).②MR images showed signal intensity changed most obviouly in T2*WI in vitro.The percentage change of signal intensity increased with increasing cell numbers,and decreased with the time.As few as 5?10~4-1?10~5 cells could be detected by using this approach.③Two injected sites containing MR-MSCs were detected in vivo,presentingas low signal intensity areas with the T_2*WI scanning sequence.Conclusion Swine bone marrow MSCs can be labeled with SHU555A-PLL and depicted with a standard 1.5-T MR imager in vitro and in vivo.(J lntervent Radiol,2007,16:115-121)