OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of herbs for replenishing yin to tonify kidney on testicular ultrastructural changes in rats with glucocorticoid-induced kidney deficiency. METHODS: Thirty rats were randomized into three groups: normal control group, untreated group and Erdi Biejia Decoction (EDBJD)-treated group. Kidney deficiency rat model was induced by glucocorticoid. Testicular structure and ultrastructure were observed under the light microscope and the transmission electron microscope. RESULTS: The light microscope revealed the decreased thickness of seminiferous epithelium layer, reduced number of spermatogenic cells, interstitial tissue edema, and a qualitative reduction in the number of interstitial cells and hematoxylin-eosin stained cytoplasm in the untreated group. The transmission electron microscope revealed loose structure of seminiferous epithelium, degenerative mitochondria, and increased amounts of lysosome, presence of numerous cytoplasmic vacuolation and chromatin in interstitial cell cytoplasm in the untreated group. The aggregates of heterochromatin around the nuclear membrane and the shrinkage of nucleus were also observed. Compared to the untreated group, these pathological changes were inconspicuous in EDBJD-treated group. CONCLUSION: EDBJD as replenishing yin to tonify kidney herbs can suppress glucocorticoid induced pathological changes in the testes of rats.

Objective:To investigate the expression of myocardium connexin 43 (Cx43) in late exercise preconditioning (LEP) cardioprotection.Methods: Eight-week-old adult male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly assigned into four groups (n=8). Myocardial injury was judged in accordance with serum levels of cTnⅠ and NT-proBNP as well as hematoxylin basicfuchsin picric acid staining of myocardium.Cx43mRNA was detected byin situhybridization and qualified by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR. Cx43 protein was localized by immunohistochemistry and its expression level was determined by western blotting.Results:The LEP obviously attenuated the myocardial ischemia/hypoxia injury caused by exhaustive exercise. There was no significant difference of Cx43mRNA level between the four groups. Cx43 protein level was decreased significantly in group EE (P<0.05). However, LEP produced a significant increase in Cx43 protein level (P<0.05), and the decreased Cx43 protein level in exhaustive exercise was significantly up-regulated by LEP (P<0.05).Conclusions:LEP protects rat heart against exhaustive exercise-induced myocardial injury by up-regulating the expression of myocardial Cx43.

Hypercalcemia is an abnormal calcium metabolism, which can be caused by many diseases. Hypercalcemia caused by sarcoidosis is unusual. Sarcoidosis is a systemic granulomatous disease, it is lack of specificity in initial manifestations and easy to be misdiagnosed. In this paper, we report a patient with hypercalcemia and mediastinal lymphadenectasis, which the first diagnosis was misdiagnosed as tumour. Finally, sarcoidosis was diagnosed by mediastinal lymph node biopsy, and the patient was subsequently treated with glucocorticoid. Prednisone treatment improved symptoms of sarcoidosis, normalised serum calcium and mediastinal lymph nodes were diminished. This case suggests that clinicians need to raise awareness of sarcoidosis to identify and diagnose it correctly.