This article described the current status of problems in quality and safety in TCM industry. It also emphatically discussed the quality and safety control in TCM production process. In addition, this article used the HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) system to conduct a hazard analysis on TCM production process and determined the critical control points, and carried out the corresponding control measures, with a purpose to realize effective regulation and control of hazard factors and ensure TCM quality and safety.

BACKGROUND: Laser facial skin resurfacing has become a method of treatment for photoaging and pigmentary conditions. Although excellent results can be obtained by high-energy, pulsed carbon dioxide(CO2) laser, significant morbidity exists due to the considerable thermal damage to the skin. The Erbium: Yttrium Aluminum Garnet(Er: YAG) laser, with a wavelength of 2940 nm, is well absorbed in water. This leads to a very small zone of thermal necrosis, compared ta the CO2 laser. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the results of the combined use of the char-free CO2 laser and the Er: YAG laser in the treatment of facial wrinkles. METHODS: Forty-six patients, aged between 30 and 68 years, with facial wrinkles, were evaulated. Two types of resurfacing laser systems were utilized in this study, a high-energy, short-pulsed CO2 laser and a Er: YAG 1aser. Wrinkle improvement was evaulated by the patients satisfaction, clinical improvement, and photographic analysis before and after the resurfacing procedure. RESULTS: Twenty-six of the 46 patients had greater than an 80% improvement, and 19 patients had a 60-80% improvement. Only one patient showed a 50% or less improvement. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of char-free CO2 laser and Er: YAG laser for facial wrinkles is a safe and effective modality for laser skin resurfacing.
Aluminum ; Carbon Dioxide* ; Carbon* ; Erbium* ; Humans ; Lasers, Gas* ; Lasers, Solid-State* ; Necrosis ; Skin ; Water ; Yttrium

Letterer-Siwe disease in an acutely onset, progressive and fatal disorder of RES, usually appears in male children, chareacterized by constitutional signs and extraos-seous lesions. This case occurred in a 18-day-old female showing hepatomegaly, hemorrhagic crusted papular eruptions on the entire body, and abdominal distension. Direct smear of scraping materials from the skin lesion showed numerous histiocytes. Hematologic and other laboratory examinatons showed no abonormalities.
Child ; Female ; Hepatomegaly ; Histiocytes ; Histiocytosis, Langerhans-Cell ; Humans ; Male ; Skin

BACKGROUND: Within the bone marrow stroma there exists a subset of non-hematopoietic stem cells referred to as marrow stromal cells or mesenchymal stem cells. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a group of cells with highly capability of self-renew and potential of multilineage differentiation, these properties make them present a promising prospect for clinical practice. Of particular concern is hepatogenic potential that can be used for liver-directed stem cell therapy and transplantation. However, the culture system has not been developed.OBJECTIVE: To explore whether human MSCs are able to differentiate into functional hepatocyte-like cells with hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) in vitro.DESIGN : Open study.SETTING: Department of Infectious Disease and Institute of Urology Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital, Nanchang University.MATERIALS: The study was performed in the Institute of Urolgoy Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University from July 2004 to March 2005. Bone marrow was donated by healthy adult with informed consent. DMEM/F12 medium (Gibco); insulin, transferrin, human epidermal growth factor (EGF); human HGF; monoclonal antibodies against human AFP; FITC-conjugated rabbit anti-mouse IgG (Sigma); human bFGF (Invitrogen); monoclonal antibodies against human CK18 and CK19 (Chemicon); fetal bovine serum (Si jiqin, Hangzhou).METHODS: Bone marrow (10 mL) in this study was aspirated from the iliac crest of healthy donors. MSCs were isolated by density gradient centrifugation in combination with plastic adherence. For hepatic differentiation, the 4th- to 8th-passage human MSCs seeded on 24-well tissue culture plates coated with 0.1% gelatin, at 1×104 MSCs/mL, were serum deprived for 2 days, in DMEM/F12 supplemented with 10 μg/L EGF, 10 μg/L bFGF, 5 mg/L insulin and 5 mg/L transferrin. Differentiation was induced by treating MSCs with differentiation medium, consisting of DMEWF12 supplemented with 10 μg/L bFGF, 20 μg/L HGF, 5 mg/L insulin, 5 mg/L transferrin. Medium changes were performed every three days. MSCs without HGF and bFGF in medium served as the control. In the differentiating period, the concentration of AFP in the suernatant was determined dynamically by radioimmunoassay (RIA). The hepatic surface phenotype including AFP, CK18 and CK19 were identified by immunofluorescent staining at day 0, 7, 14, 21 and 28. Glycogen storage was detected by Periodic Acid-Schiff (PAS) staining.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: ① the morphological changes of induced MSCs; ② the concentration of AFP in the supernatant; ③ the hepatic surface phenotype; ④ glycogen storage.RESULTS: ① After 14 days ofinduction, the fibroblast-like morphology of human MSCs was lost and cells became broadened and fiattened. After prolonged culture, polygonal cells were seen and further matured hepatocyte-like colonies were seen by day 28. ② The concentration of AFP in the supernatant was first detected on day 14, at a concentration of 0.1 μg/mL, and increased to 0.4 μg/mL by day 17, then decreased to 0.3 μg/mL by day 21. ③ Immunofiuorescent staining showed the expression of AFP and CK18 until day 14. The expression of CK19 was detected by day 28. ④ Glycogen storage could be detected by day 21.CONCLUSION: Human bone marrow MSCs are able to differentiate into functional hepatocyte-like cells and may sere as a new source of cells for cell therapy of hepatic diseases.

OBJECTIVE:To establish a method for the content determination of baicalin in Yangyin mixture. METHODS:HPLC was performed on the column of SunFire C18 with mobile phase of methnol-water-phosphoric acid(43∶57∶0.2,V/V/V)at a flow rate of 1.0 ml/min,the detection wavelength was 280 nm, column temperature was 30 ℃,and the volume injection was 10 μl. RESULTS:The linear range of baicalin was 0.055 75-1.115 μg(r=0.999 9);RSDs of precision,stability and reproducibility test were lower than 2%;recovery was 95.39%-98.44%(RSD=1.19%,n=6). CONCLUSIONS:The method is simple,rapid and accurate,and suitable for the content determination of baicalin in Yangyin mixture.

Objective To investigate the correlation between blood pressure variability and variabilities of some feature variables extracted from photoplethysmography (PPG) signal.Methods Continuous blood pressure (BP) and PPG signal were collected simultaneously from 19 healthy subjects under rest and after exercise.Eight feature variables were extracted from the PPG signal.The relationship between the beat-to-beat variability of BP and feature variables extracted from PPG were quantified by calculating Person's correlation coefficient.Results The variability of the amplitude of PPG was highly correlated with systolic BP variability both under rest (0.75) and after exercise (0.76).Meanwhile,the correlations between systolic BP variability and the variability of the time from the trough to the dicrotic north were 0.74(under rest) and 0.78(after exercise).Conclusion The amplitude variability of PPG is highly correlated with systolic BP variability and can be potentially used for monitoring BP variability.

Objective To study an identified leucine-rich repeats(LRRs)protein,LRR containing 19(LRRC19),and to determine the distribution,localization,and biological function of LRRC19 mRNA expression in spleen cells.Methods Bioinformatics analysis was used to predetermine the structure of LRRC19 gene and protein.The distribution and localization of LRRC19 mRNA expression were detected by hybridization in situ with LRRC19 mRNA specific probes and reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR).Additionally,the activity of secreted alkaline phosphatase(SEAP)was detected for analyzing the nuclear factor-kappa B(NF-?B)activation in HEK293T cells transfected with the expression vector of LRRC19 in vitro.Results LRRC19 was found to be a transmembrane protein,with 4 LRR motifs,a single transmembrane domain and two phosphorylation sites of casein kinase 2(CK2)at cytoplasmic domain,as analyzed through bioinformatics soft wares.Previous study revealed that LRRC19 without cytoplasmic Toll/IL-1 receptor(TIR)domain could activate NF-?B to enhance the expression of proinflammatory cytokines.LRRC 19 could also be demonstrated by ectopic expression in RAW264.7 cells after transfection with murine LRRC19 expression plasmid pcDNA3.1-V5-LRRC19 indicating that it was a transmembrane protein.In persent study,the results of hybridization in situ and RT-PCR showed that LRRC19 mRNA was expressed in the germinal center and splenic cord of mouse spleen.Additionally,LRRC19 was predominantly expressed in CD5+ lymphocyte,known as B1 cell.In vitro study also indicated that several pathogens might significantly enhance the NF-?B activity of the cells transfected with LRRC19.Conclusion LRRC19 might be a transmembrane receptor,and it may be able to recognize the conserved sequence of pathogens,participate in the induction of cell signaling,activate the NF-?B signal pathway,promote transcription of target genes,and modulate the innate immune response.

Objective To study the effect of ATRA and IFN? on growth and differentiation of SH-SY5Y cell line and the possible molecular mechanisms.Methods The expression of TrkA mRNA was detected by RT-PCR.Trypan blue exclusion was used to detect the antiproliferative effect of ATRA,IFN?and ATRA +IFN? on SY5Y cells.Morphologic changes were observed using phase-contrast microscopy.Results TrkA mRNA was upregulated by ATRA and IFN?.ATRA and IFN? could induce morphological differentiation and inhibit growth of SY5Y cells.The combination of ATRA+IFN? enhanced the induced differentiation and growth inhibition of SY5Y cells.Conclusion Synergistic effects of ATRA and IFN? on growth inhibition and inducing differentiation in SY5Y cells are observed and this may result from upregulating the expression of TrkA mRNA.