OBJECTIVETo observe the clinical therapeutic effect of Nuzhen Yunyu Decoction (NYD, a Chinese recipe for nourishing blood and reinforcing Shen) and its influence on the hemodynamic parameters in ovarian and uterine arteries.

METHODSSixty-eight patients were randomly divided into two groups at the ratio of 2:1, 45 in the TCM group treated with Chinese medicine and 23 in the control group treated with clomiphene citrate. Menstrual cycle were taken as the indexes for clinical observation; basal body temperature, cervical mucus, vaginal exfoliative cells, serum hormones and B ultrasonic examination were taken as the indexes for ovulation and pregnancy assessment. The hemodynamic parameters of uterus and ovary were determined by using color Doppler ultrasonography, and the growth of follicles and ovulation, thickness of uterine endometrium were also monitored continuously.

RESULTSResults of 3 cycles treatment and 1 year follow-up study showed that the ovulation promoting rate, pregnancy rate and abortion rate in the two groups were similar, but the treated group showed better effects than that of control group, in such aspects as regulating menstruation, promoting growth and development of follicle, strengthening endometrium, improving blood supply and circulation of uterine and ovary (P < 0.05, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONNYD has the effects of ovulation promotion and holistic regulation of reproductive system.

Adult ; Anovulation ; drug therapy ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Infertility, Female ; drug therapy ; etiology ; Ovary ; blood supply ; Ovulation Induction ; Phytotherapy ; Uterus ; blood supply ; Yin Deficiency ; drug therapy

OBJECTIVE To study the cause of bacterial infection of ventilator-associated pneumonia(VAP) in intensive care unit(ICU) and summarize effective methods to prevent and control the infection.METHODS Epidemiologic study on 300 patients with VAP in ICU from Dec 1,2003 to Jul 13,2006.Preventing and controlling strategy was as follows.RESULTS Pathogenic bacteria of VAP in ICU mostly were multidrug-resistant ones,of which the G-were 56.3%,G+ were 23% and fungi were 13.7%.CONCLUSIONS To control VAP in ICU proper technique and method are important.Management of hospital infection and related training of staff in ICU are the basic way.

OBJECTIVETo study the regulatory effect of Ligustrazine Injection (LI) on the cellular immune function in patients undergoing autologous blood transfusion (ABT).

METHODSEnrolled were 60 patients scheduled for receiving selective lumbar surgery at the Department of Spinal Orthopedics, First Hospital Affiliated to Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine during October 2009 to June 2010. They were equally randomized into two groups, the trial group and the control group. LI was given to patients in the trial group by intravenous dripping at the dose of 2 mg/kg 30 min before autologous blood collection. The LI (at the final concentration of 0.005%) was added in the heparin saline solution and the washing saline for recycle blood. No LI was given to patients in the control group. They received the same treatment of the trial group. The operation time, the amount of blood loss and blood transfusion were recorded. Patients' venous blood samples were collected for determining cytokines including interleukin-2 (IL-2), interleukin-10 (IL-10), interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) by ELISA and calculating IL-2/IL-10 ratio before surgery (T1), 1 h (T2), 1 day (T3), and 5 days (T4) after ABT.

RESULTSThere was no statistical difference in the amount of blood loss and blood transfusion, the levels of IL-2, IL-10, IFN-gamma, or IL-2/IL-10 at T1 between the two groups (P>0.05). Compared with T1 of the same group, the level of IL-2 decreased at T(2-4), IL-10 increased and IL-2/IL-10 decreased at T(2-3) in the two groups. The level of IFN-gamma decreased at T(2-4), IL-2/IL-10 increased at T4, the level of IL-10 decreased at T4 in the control group (P<0.05, P<0.01). The level of IL-10 decreased at T4 in the trial group with statistical difference (P<0.05, P<0.01). Compared with the control group, the level of IL-2, IFN-gamma, and IL-2/IL-10 at T(2-4) were obviously higher in the trial group. But the IL-10 level was lower in the trial group than in the control group at T(2-4) (P<0.05, P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONThe application of LI in ABT had regulatory effects on the balance of cytokines.

Adult ; Aged ; Blood Transfusion, Autologous ; Female ; Humans ; Immunity, Cellular ; drug effects ; Interferon-gamma ; blood ; Interleukin-10 ; blood ; Interleukin-2 ; blood ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Postoperative Period ; Pyrazines ; therapeutic use ; Spine ; surgery ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo examine the effect of trastuzumab on cell proliferation, colony formation and changes of HER-2 proteins in human breast cancer cell line SKBR3 and human ovarian cancer cell line SKOV3 cells which overexpress p185 HER-2 but shed high or low HER-2 extracellular domain (ECD) levels.

METHODSSKBR3 cells and SKOV3 cells were treated with or without trastuzumab. Cell number and the rate of colony formation were calculated. Western blot analysis was used to detect p185 HER-2, HER-2 ECD and phospho-HER-2. Two-site ELISA assay was used for the detection of HER-2 ECD.

RESULTSTrastuzumab inhibited cell proliferation, colony formation, and decreased or eliminated the levels of two uncharacterized phospho-proteins (molar weight about 90 000 and 40 000) in SKBR3 cells shedding high level of HER-2 ECD expression. These responses were not observed in SKOV3 cells shedding low level of HER-2 ECD expression. But total p185, phospho-p185 and phospho-p95 proteins did not appear to change in SKBR3 and SKOV3 cells after treatment with trastuzumab. Trastuzumab reacts not only with proteolytic cleavage HER-2 ECD containing HER-2 ECD I , II , III and IV subdomains of p185 HER-2 extracellular domain, but also with the secreted autoinhibitor p68/ECD III a specifying 340 residues, identical to subdomains I and II from the extracellular domain of p185 HER-2, followed by a unique C-terminal sequence of 79 aa encoded by intron 8, which suggested that there may be a trastuzumab binding site on p68/ECD III a protein. Comparing with HER-2 ECD levels of the same number of SKBR3 cells, there was no significant decrease of HER-2 ECD shedding level after treatment with or without trastuzumab for 4 days in serum-free medium.

CONCLUSIONAntitumor effects of trastuzumab may be related to the two uncharacterized phospho-p90 and/or phospho-p40 proteins. There is probably a trastuzumab epitope on p68/ECD III a. The decrease of HER-2 ECD levels may be positively correlated with the number of SKBR3 cells.

Antibodies, Monoclonal ; pharmacology ; Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized ; Antineoplastic Agents ; pharmacology ; Blotting, Western ; Breast Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Female ; Humans ; Ovarian Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Phosphorylation ; Receptor, ErbB-2 ; metabolism ; Trastuzumab

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the protective effect of ligustrazine on T-lymphocyte immunity of patients undergoing autologous blood transfusion (ABT).

METHODSForty American Society of Anesthesiologist (ASA) I - II patients scheduled for receiving selective lumbar surgery, with pre-operational anticipatory blood loss > 400 mL and without any diseases of blood or endocrinal system were enrolled. They were equally randomized into two groups, the trial group and the control group. Ligustrazine was given to patients in the trial group by intravenous dripping at the dose of 2 mg/kg, 30 min before auto-blood collection, also by mixed in the washing saline and heparinized saline solution to make the final concentration of ligustrazine 0.005%. No ligustrazine was given to patients in the control group. The amount of blood loss and autotransfused were measured and recorded; and patients' venous blood samples for T-lymphocyte subsets (CD3, CD4, CD8) determination and CD4/CD8 ratio calculation were collected at different time points, i. e. before surgery (T0) and at 1 h (T1), 1st day (T2) and 5th day (T3) after ABT.

RESULTSCD3 decreased obviously at T1 and T2 in both groups (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01), while at T3, it restored to baseline in the trial group, but remained at the low level in the control group (P < 0.05). Moreover, levels of CD3 at T1-T3 were lower in the control group than those in the trial group respectively (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). CD4 decreased obviously at T1 (P < 0.01) in both groups, it recovered at T2 in the trial group, but the recovering in the control group was T3, so comparison of CD4 level between groups showed significant difference at T1 and T2 (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). As for CD4/CD8 ratio, it decreased obviously at T2 and T3 in the control group (P < 0.05), but unchanged in the trial group, showing statistical difference between groups (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONLigustrazine had definite protective effect on T-lymphocyte immunity in patients undergoing ABT, which was presented by the milder inhibition and quicker recovery of immunity.

Adult ; Aged ; Blood Transfusion, Autologous ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pyrazines ; pharmacology ; T-Lymphocyte Subsets ; drug effects ; immunology ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo detect the expression profile of NK ligands in acute leukemia cell lines and investigate the differential expression pattern between acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

METHODSUsing quantitative real-time PCR, 23 NK ligands (MICA, MICB, ULBP-1, ULBP-2, ULBP-3, ULBP-4, HLA-E, HLA-G, CD48, NBTA, HLA-F, LLT-1, PVR, Nectin2, CD72, CD80, ICAM-1, LFA-3, CRACC, Fas, DR4, DR5, TNFR1) were detected in 6 acute leukemia cell lines, including 3 ALL cell lines (CEM, Jurkat T, Reh) and 3 AML cell lines (HL-60, KG-1a, NB4), respectively. Independent-samples t test analysis was performed to determine statistical significance.

RESULTSUsing β-actin as reference gene, the relative expression results showed that the expression of 4 NK ligands between ALL and AML is significantly different. Specifically, the level of ULBP-2 is higher in ALL (CEM: 1, Jurkat T: 0.617, Reh: 0.246) than that in AML (HL-60: 0.000, KG-1a: 0.003, NB4: 0.000)(P = 0.047). However, the expressions of CD48, PVR(PVR-1, PVR-2) and DR4 is higher in AML (HL-60: 13.987, 4.403, 10.334, 8.711; KG-1a: 5.387, 2.900, 7.315, 4.512; NB4: 7.763, 3.248, 7.049, 6.127) than that in ALL (CEM: 1, 1, 1, 1; Jurkat T: 2.035, 1.553, 3.888, 0.449; Reh: 1.559, 0.000, 0.000, 1.304) (P = 0.044, 0.014, 0.014, 0.011). And there're no significant differences between the rest 19 NK ligands.

CONCLUSIONSULBP-2, CD48, PVR and DR4 might play an important role in the distinct mechanisms in leukemogenesis between ALL and AML and could be potential targets for diagnosis and treatment.

Acute Disease ; Antigens, CD ; genetics ; metabolism ; CD48 Antigen ; Cell Line, Tumor ; GPI-Linked Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; HL-60 Cells ; Humans ; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Leukemia ; genetics ; metabolism ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute ; genetics ; metabolism ; Ligands ; Membrane Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma ; genetics ; metabolism ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Receptors, TNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand ; genetics ; metabolism ; Receptors, Virus ; genetics ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo explore the association between angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) and the polymorphisms of N5, N10-methylenetetrahydrofolic acid reductase (MTHFR) gene in patients with ischemic stroke (IS).

METHODSTotally 454 patients with IS (IS group) and 334 controls (control group) were recruited in our study. Their I/D polymorphisms of ACE gene and C677T polymorphisms of MTHFR gene were detected by PCR and denaturing high performance liquid chromatography.

RESULTSThe frequencies of DD, ID, II and CC, CT, TT genotype in IS group were 22.5%, 43.4%, 34.1%, and 51.8%, 40.5%, 7.7%, respectively, and were 17.4%, 45.5%, 37.1% and 56.9%, 38.3%, 4.8% in the control group, respectively. DD genotype was associated with large-artery atherosclerosis (LAA), and TT genotype and T allele were associated with LAA and cardioembolism. Synergistic effects were found between TT and DD/ID DD genotypes in the pathogenesis of ischemic stroke.

CONCLUSIONDD, TT genotype and T allele are risk factors of IS, and ACE gene and MTHFR gene have synergistic effects in the pathogenesis of IS.

Brain Ischemia ; complications ; genetics ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Humans ; Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (NADPH2) ; genetics ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Renin ; genetics ; Stroke ; etiology ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo establish a method for detecting the polymorphism of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene (MTHFR).

METHODSThe MTHFR was amplified, and the amplified products were detected by denaturing high performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC), and the amplified MTHFR was confirmed by sequencing and restriction enzyme digesting.

RESULTSA total of 334 individuals of Han people in southern China were recruited in our study, and their polymorphisms of MTHFR were detected. The accurate rate of the DHPLC method, that was very sensitive with 100% detection rate available, was over 99%. The frequencies of CC, CT and TT genotypes were 56.9%, 38.3% and 4.8% individually, and the frequencies of T and C alleles were 23.95% and 76.05% individually.

CONCLUSIONThe DHPLC method can detect polymorphism of MTHFR rapidly, effectively and economically. And there is the existence of different MTHFR polymorphisms in area and race.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Alleles ; China ; ethnology ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; methods ; DNA Mutational Analysis ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Methylenetetrahydrofolate Dehydrogenase (NAD+) ; genetics ; Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (NADPH2) ; genetics ; Middle Aged ; Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques ; Polymorphism, Genetic

OBJECTIVETo study the effect of polydatin on the expression level of miR-214 and liver function in atherosclerotic mice.

METHODSForty male ApoE(-/-) mice were randomly allocated into 4 groups (n=10), namely the model group, low- and high-dose polydatin groups, and simvastin group, with 10 male C57BL/6J mice serving as the normal control group. Mouse models of atherosclerosis were established by feeding the ApoE(-/-) mice with a high-fat diet. After 12 weeks of treatment, blood levels of glucose, lipids, AST, and ALT and the contents of T-SOD and MDA in the liver tissue were detected. The pathologies of the liver were examined with HE staining, and miR-214 expression in the liver was detected using quantitative real-time PCR.

RESULTSCompared with the normal control mice, the mice in the model group showed significantly increased blood glucose, serum TC, TG, LDL-C, ALT, and AST levels, and MDA contents in the liver (P<0.01), with significantly decreased serum HDL-C level and SOD and miR-214 levels in liver (P<0.01). Polydatin treatment significantly ameliorated such changes in blood glucose, serum ALT, AST, TC, TG, LDL-C, and HDL-C levels, and MDA, SOD, and miR-214 contents in liver tissue (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONs Polydatin can reduce blood glucose and lipid levels and protect the liver function in atherosclerotic mice possibly by up-regulating the expression of miR-214 and T-SOD and down-regulating MDA in the liver.

Animals ; Apolipoproteins E ; genetics ; Atherosclerosis ; drug therapy ; Blood Glucose ; analysis ; Diet, High-Fat ; Disease Models, Animal ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Glucosides ; pharmacology ; Lipids ; blood ; Liver ; drug effects ; Male ; Malondialdehyde ; metabolism ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Mice, Knockout ; MicroRNAs ; metabolism ; Stilbenes ; pharmacology ; Superoxide Dismutase ; metabolism

BACKGROUNDAlthough endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) plays a crucial role in the final diagnosis in patients with heart failure of unknown etiology, the invasive nature of this technique limits its clinical application in China. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical application of EMB in diagnosing cardiomyopathy with unexplained etiologies in China.

METHODSFifty-three consecutive patients (38 males, age 14 - 67 years, median 43 years) were included in the study who were initially diagnosed as unexplained cardiomyopathy and under EMB biopsy in Peking Union Medical College Hospital from 2006 to 2009. The patients were clinically divided into four groups: dilated, hypertrophic, restrictive and unclassified cardiomyopathy. Biopsies were performed via right internal jugular vein with the use of the bioptome under fluoroscopic guidance. Three to five endomyocardial samples were taken from each patient for light microscopy examination and one sample for electron microscopy was taken if necessary. For each patient, an initial clinical diagnosis, an EMB diagnosis and a final diagnosis prior to discharge were established. All the data were compared and analyzed for the evaluation of clinical utility of EMB in China.

RESULTSIn 26 patients initially diagnosed with restrictive cardiomyopathy (RCM), the etiology of the condition was finally diagnosed using EMB in 15; including 13 amyloidosis and two eosinophilic myocarditis. We employed EMB in 19 patients clinically diagnosed as dilated cardiomyopathy and detected viral myocarditis in one patient, cardiac involvement due to polymyositis in four and doxorubicin-induced cardiomyopathy in one. In five patients with severe left ventricle hypertrophy undergoing EMB, one patient was diagnosed as autophagic vacuolar cardiomyopathy and one as mitochondrial disease. In the remaining three patients with unclassified cardiomyopathy, EMB revealed infiltration of eosinophils as the cause of atrial ventricular block in one patient. Final diagnoses were made in 24 of the total 53 patients (45%) based on the combination of EMB and clinical data. Transient atrial ventricular block in a patient with prior complete left bundle branch block was the only complication occurred during the procedures.

CONCLUSIONThe clinical application of EMB is safe. The combination of EMB and clinical data produced a better understanding of the mechanisms behind the clinically diagnosed cardiomyopathy in China.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Biopsy ; methods ; Cardiomyopathies ; classification ; diagnosis ; pathology ; Cardiomyopathy, Dilated ; diagnosis ; pathology ; Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic ; diagnosis ; pathology ; Cardiomyopathy, Restrictive ; diagnosis ; pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Myocardium ; pathology ; Young Adult