. Conclusions Two multiplex RT-PCR assays show high consistency with common RT-PCR. The multiplex RT-PCR assays were initially established.

Objective To study the effects of cooking practice education on their status of nutrient intake and blood glucose control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) over 60 years old.Methods Four-hour cooking practice education lecture was offered per month for 57 patients with T2DM over 60-year old based on balance diet and food exchange list,with features including requiring patients joining the lecture with their family members together,demonstration of raw and fresh dietary materials and cooked food,choice of food to eat by the patients themselves according to their own dietary regimen.Sixty patients with T2DM who were only educated by outpatient department of nutrition for 35 minutes were selected as control.After twelve months of education,indices such as scores of awareness of knowledge of food exchange list,status of nutrient intake and blood glucose control,and so on,were compared between the two groups to evaluate the effects of cooking practice education.Results After 12- month education,score of knowledge of food exchange list in the experiment group increased significantly,as compared to that in the control group.Intake of energy [(6304?826) kJ] and fat [(46?6) g] decreased significantly in the experimental group [(6921?860) kJ and (63?9) g,respectively],and fasting blood glucose [(7.1?0.8) mmol/L],postprandial blood glucose [(11.2?1.1) mmol/L] and glycosylated hemoglobin A1c [(6.2?0.5)%] were decreased significantly,as compared to those in the control group [(7.8?0.9) mmol/L,(12.4?1.2) mmol/L,and (6.5?0.7)%)],respectively.Conclusions Cooking practice education is effective to correctly use diet regimen and improve status of nutrient intake and control of blood glucoses for over-60-year patients with T2DM.

AIMTo investigate the penetration kinetics of xanthotoxin in human skin and stratum corneum.

METHODSThe penetration experiments were accomplished by the deposit of ethanolic xanthotoxin solution onto human skin and stratum corneum mounted on Franz cells. The diffused xanthotoxin in the receptor solution (1.4% human serum albumin) and the retained amount in the skin and in the stratum corneum after 24 h exposure were quantified by using high performance liquid chromatography.

RESULTSXanthotoxin flux was increased with the concentration deposited onto the human skin, and when the concentration is above 2.5 mg x mL(-1), there is no influence on the xanthotoxin flux. Similar results were obtained from the stratum corneum. And the peak time for the flux in the stratum corneum was preceded about 6 h earlier than that of the whole human skin. The retained xanthotoxin amount after 24 h exposure in the skin and in the stratum corneum increased according to the concentration deposited and has the tendency to saturate. The lag time of ethanolic xanthotoxin solution in the whole human skin is significantly higher than that in the stratum corneum (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe characteristics of penetration kinetics of xanthotoxin will provide the information for concentration choice of topical formulation and give a reference for ultra violet A (UVA) irradiation time confirmation.

Administration, Cutaneous ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Epidermis ; metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; In Vitro Techniques ; Methoxsalen ; administration & dosage ; pharmacokinetics ; Middle Aged ; Photosensitizing Agents ; administration & dosage ; pharmacokinetics ; Skin ; metabolism ; Skin Absorption ; Time Factors

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of microRNA-144 (miR-144) expression on H9C2 (2-1) myocytes.

METHODSMiR-144 was up-regulated in primary cultured H9C2 (2-1) myocytes through transfection. Cells transfected with Lipofectamine(TM) 2000 and its mixture with miRNA synthesized randomly as blank control and negative control respectively. The up-regulation of miR-144 was confirmed by real-time PCR. Cell apoptosis was evaluated by means of CCK-8, Caspase-3 and flow cytometry.

RESULTSReal-time PCR results showed that the miR-144 expression was obviously increased in miR-144 up-regulation group (2178.84 ± 838.52) compared with negative (2.06 ± 0.73) and blank (1.00 ± 0.00) control group (all P < 0.01). The proliferation was lower, the activity of Caspase-3 was elevated and the apoptosis rates were significantly increased in miR-144 up-regulation group compared with negative and blank control group, while no significant difference was found between the latter 2 groups.

CONCLUSIONMiR-144 mimics may selectively up-regulate the expression of miR-144 in myocardial cells and consequently promote apoptosis and inhibit proliferation in myocardial cells.

Animals ; Apoptosis ; genetics ; Caspase 3 ; metabolism ; Cell Line ; MicroRNAs ; genetics ; metabolism ; Muscle Cells ; metabolism ; Rats ; Sincalide ; metabolism ; Transfection

BACKGROUNDNon-valvular atrial fibrillation is associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke; however, the appropriate intensity of anticoagulation therapy for Chinese patients has not been determined. The purpose of this study was to compare the safety and the efficacy of standard-intensity warfarin therapy, low-intensity warfarin therapy, and aspirin therapy for the prevention of ischemic events in Chinese patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF).

METHODSA total of 786 patients from 75 Chinese hospitals were enrolled in this study and randomized into three therapy groups: standard-intensity warfarin (international normalized ratio (INR) 2.1 to 2.5) group, low-intensity warfarin (INR 1.6 to 2.0) group and aspirin (200 mg per day) group. All patients were evaluated by physicians at 1, 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21 and 24 months after randomization to obtain a patient questionnaire, physical examination and related laboratory tests.

RESULTSThe annual event rates of ischemic stroke, transient ischemic attack (TIA) or systemic thromboembolism were 2.6%, 3.1% and 6.9% in the standard-intensity warfarin, low-intensity warfarin and aspirin groups, respectively (P = 0.027). Thromboembolic event rates in both warfarin groups were significantly lower than that in the aspirin group (P = 0.018, P = 0.044), and there was no significant difference between the two warfarin groups. Severe hemorrhagic events occurred in 15 patients, 7 (2.6%) in the standard-intensity warfarin group, 7 (2.4%) in the low-intensity warfarin group and 1 (0.4%) in the aspirin group. The severe hemorrhagic event rates in the warfarin groups were higher than that in the aspirin group, but the difference did not reach statistical significance (P = 0.101). The mild hemorrhagic and total hemorrhagic event rates in the warfarin groups (whether in the standard-intensity warfarin group or low-intensity warfarin group) were much higher than that in the aspirin group with the annual event rates of total hemorrhages of 10.2%, 7.6% and 2.2%, respectively, in the 3 groups (P = 0.001). Furthermore, there was no significant difference in all cause mortality among the three study groups.

CONCLUSIONIn Chinese patients with NVAF, the warfarin therapy (INR 1.6 - 2.5) for the prevention of thromboembolic events was superior to aspirin.

Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Anticoagulants ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Aspirin ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Atrial Fibrillation ; drug therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Warfarin ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use

OBJECTIVEStudying the gene expression profiling of different stage hairy root of Salvia miltiorrhiza, in order to find functional genes.

METHODThe contents of second metabolites were determined by HPLC and gene expression profiling was detected by cDNA microarray. cDNA labeled with a fluorescent dye (Cy5 and Cy3-dCTP) was produced by Eberwine's linear RNA amplification method and subsequent enzymatic reaction. The microarrays were scanned with a ScanArray Express scanner using ScanArray 2.0 software and quantified by signal intensities of individual spots from the 16-bit TIFF images using GenePix Pro 4.0. The linear normalization method was used for data analyze. Northern blot was used to test the gene expression results obtained by microarray. Different expressed genes were sequenced and analyzed by gap4 software, and then they were analyzed with BLASTX, BLASTN, GO and KEGG.

RESULTGrowth rate and second metabolites analysis indicated that the stage from 30 d to 45 d was the growth stage, while the stage from 45 d to 60 d was the second metabolites accumulation stage. Accordingly 30 d hairy root was chosen as a reference, which was hybridized with 45 d and 60 d hairy root separately. Total 203 different expressed genes were obtained. Northern blot showed that the result was identical with the microarray result. After sequenced, there were 172 genes clustered into 114 clusters (Unigenes). Among them, 62 unigenes had known functions, 34 unigenes were hypothetical protein, 9 unigenes were homologues with no similarity and 9 unigenes were unidentified protein with low similarity. Total 67 genes were classified into cellular component ontology, molecular function ontology and biological process ontology based on GO analysis. Total 26 genes, which represented 29 metabolic-related enzymes, were located in metabolic maps based on KEGG pathway classification.

CONCLUSIONSeveral important functional genes related to second metabolite synthesis were cloned such as P450 and copalyl diphosphate synthase genes. cDNA microarray was a useful tool for functional genomics of traditional Chinese medicine.

Alkyl and Aryl Transferases ; genetics ; metabolism ; Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System ; genetics ; metabolism ; Gene Expression Profiling ; Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental ; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant ; Genomics ; methods ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis ; Plant Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Plant Roots ; genetics ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Plants, Medicinal ; genetics ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Salvia miltiorrhiza ; genetics ; growth & development ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the efficiency and safety of transhepatic arterial chemoembolization (TACE) with gemcitabine and carboplatin for the treatment of stage III hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

METHODSSixty-one HCC patients were treated by TACE. During TACE, At first, intra-arterial infusion of carboplatin 300 mg/m2, then gemcitabine 1000 mg/m2 with 5-30 ml of ultra-lipoidal iodide oil emulsion was used for arterial embolization. The toxicity and hepatic damage were observed according to WHO anticancer drug toxicity criteria and Child-Pugh classification criteria, respectively. The survival time was also observed during follow-up.

RESULTSThe blood toxicity was bone marrow suppression presented as grade I leucopenia in 39.3%, grade II in 29.5%, grade III-IV in 18.0%. Grade II-III nausea and vomiting developed in 96.8% of the patients. Hepatic function damage became aggravated in 16 patients from A to B class, in 2 from A to C class, and in 6 from B to C class according to Child-Pugh classification criteria. The median survival time was 20 months with a range of 5 to 3 5 months.

CONCLUSIONTranshepatic arterial chemoembolization using carboplatin and mixture of gemcitabine with ultra-lipoidal iodide oil emulsion is safe and effective in the management of stage III hepatocellular carcinoma. This regimen can also improve their quality of life.

Adult ; Aged ; Alanine Transaminase ; blood ; Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects ; Antineoplastic Agents ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects ; Carboplatin ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; blood ; pathology ; therapy ; Chemoembolization, Therapeutic ; Deoxycytidine ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects ; analogs & derivatives ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Leukopenia ; chemically induced ; Liver Neoplasms ; blood ; pathology ; therapy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nausea ; chemically induced ; Neoplasm Staging ; Quality of Life ; Remission Induction ; Survival Rate ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo understand the rate of viral carrying status among rodents as well as genotypes and distribution of Hantaviruses (HV) isolated in Hunan province.

METHODSWith DFA, the HV antigen in lung tissues of rodents was detected. The total viral RNA was extracted from the lung tissues of the HV infected rats and amplified with reverse transcrition-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), using the HV genotype specific primers. The amplified genes were then sequenced and subjected to genotyping and homologic analysis.

RESULTSThe average density of rodents was 3.15% and the virus carrying rate among rodents was 1.31%. Data from genotype analysis showed that the HV isolated from seven lung specimens taken from Rattus norvgicus, Apodemus agraius, Mus musculus, Rattus flavipectus among indoor rodents in Shaodong and Liuyang belonged to HV type II (SEOV), and one isolated from Apodemus agraius in Shaungfen belonged to HV type I (HTNV) among outdoor rodents. Six strains were sequenced successfully and the homology between six srains was 88.3%-100%. The homology of HN1, HN2, HN4, HN6 came from Liuyang and the HN7 and HN8 from Shaodong were both 100% while the homology between L99 and the strains from Liuyang and Shaodong were 94.4% and 88.3% respectively.

CONCLUSIONHV type II (SEOV) and the HV type I (HTNV) were all existed in Hunan province while SEOV was the main genotype.

Animals ; Genotype ; Hantavirus ; classification ; genetics ; Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome ; virology ; Phylogeny ; RNA, Viral ; genetics ; Rats ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction

BACKGROUNDMultiple epiphysis dysplasia (MED) is a common skeletal dysplasia with a significant locus heterogeneity. In the majority of clinically defined cases, mutations have been identified in the gene encoding cartilage algometric matrix protein (COMP).

METHODSFive patients were included in the study. Linkage analysis and mutation analysis of the COMP gene were conducted in the patients and their family members.

RESULTSWe have identified a novel mutation in axon 14 of COMP gene in the family.

CONCLUSIONSThis mutation produced a severe MED phenotype with marked short stature, early onset osteoarthritis, and remarkable radiographic changes. Our results extended the range of disease-causing mutations in COMP gene and contributed more information about relationship between mutations and phenotype.

Adolescent ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Cartilage Oligomeric Matrix Protein ; genetics ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Osteochondrodysplasias ; genetics ; Pedigree ; Point Mutation ; genetics