Objective To provide a new method for measuring cervical spine curvature and the range of flexion-extension and to analyse the radiographic features of the cervical degeneration.Methods The study included 78 patients with cervical spondylosis,90 patients with neck symptoms and 86 normal volunteers.The three groups were compared with each other by the indexes of the cervical spine curvature and the range of flexion-extension.Results There was significantly difference among three groups in the cervical vertebrae lordosis at neutral position.The range of flexion-extension of cervical spondylosis in the patients was smaller than that of the normal volunteers.Conclusions The index method can accurately depict the cervical spine curvature and the range of flexion-extension.There is definitive order in symptom appearance,alterations of physiologic curvature and flexion-extension in the cervical degeneration.

BACKGROUND: Dialysis-related amyloid may occur during long-term dialysis for patients with uraemia, of which the main evocator is β_2-microglobulin (β_22M); therefore, how to eliminate 132M from blood is always the focus of research. OBJECTIVE: To observe ability of removal of β_2-microglobulin (β_2M) from serum using two kinds of polyethersulfone (PES) membrane materials with various degrees of sulfonation.METHODS: These materials were incubated in radio-labeled β_2M (~(125)Ⅰ-β_2M) solution and human serum respectively at appointed time at 37 ℃, and then the amounts of ~(125)Ⅰ-β_2M and serumβ_2M adsorbed by materials were measured by radio immunoassay. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: In the ~(125)Ⅰ-β_2M system, amounts of ~(125)Ⅰ-β_2M adsorbed by the materials decreased in the following sequence PES with high degree of sulfonation > PES with low degree of sulfonation > PES, whatever the source of PES was. In the serum system, amounts of β_2M adsorbed reached maximums at 30 minutes and the final adsorptions decreased in sequence of PES with high degree of sulfonation > PES with low degree of sulfonaUon > PES. Sulfonated PES removed β_2M more than PES did and the adsorption of β_2M increases with the increase in the degree of sulfonation. Its ability to remove significant amount of β_2M may result in less β_2M available for incorporation into amyloid. The use of sulfonated PES membranes may lessen the likelihood of development of dialysis-related amyloidosis, which remains a major source of morbidity for patients treated with long-term hemodialysis.

This study was performed to evaluate the adsorption of beta2-microglobulin(beta2 M) by blood dialysis membrane materials which are polyethersulfone (PES), sulfonated polyethersulfones, (PES-SO3Na-I and PES-SO3Na-I ) in vitro incubated in human serum and radiolabeled beta2M (125I-beta2 M) solution respectively. In these experiments, the materials were incubated in 125I-beta2 M solution and human serum at the appointed time ranging from 15 minutes to four hours at 37 degrees C, and then the amounts of 125I-beta2M and serum beta2M adsorbed by materials were measured by radioimmunoassay (RIA). In the 125I-beta2 M system, amounts of 125I-beta2M adsorbed by the materials decreased in sequence of PES-SO3 Na-II > PES-SO3Na-I > PES. In the serum system, amounts of beta2M adsorbed reached maximums at 30 minutes and the final adsorptions decreased in sequence of PES-SO3Na-II > PES-SO3Na-I > PES. Sulfonated PES removes beta2M more than PES does and the adsorption of beta2M increases with the increase in the degree of sulfonation. Its ability to remove significant amount of beta2M may result in less beta2M available for incorporation into amyloid. The use of PES-SO3Na membranes lessens the likelihood of dialysis-related amyloidosis (DRA) development, which remains a major source of morbidity for patients treated with long-term hemodialysis.
Adsorption ; Amyloidosis ; blood ; Humans ; Polymers ; chemistry ; Renal Dialysis ; adverse effects ; Sulfones ; chemistry ; beta 2-Microglobulin ; blood

OBJECTIVETo raise awareness of the pathogenesis and diagnosis of thalassemia by reporting one case of α thalassemia patient with a large deletion fragment and analyzing the pedigree.

METHODSFirstly, blood cells and hemoglobin electrophoresis analysis were used for screening of thalassemia, and then three common kinds of deletional α thalassemia in Chinese was detected by Gap-PCR, three common kinds of non- deletional α thalassemia and seventeen common mutations of β thalassemia in Chinese were analyzed by using PCR- RDB. The unknown mutation of samples was identified with Multiplex Ligation-dependent Probe Amplification (MLPA) and DNA sequencing.

RESULTSThe proband female presented with microcytic hypochromic anemia(hemoglobin 71 g/L, mean corpuscular volume 52.4 fl, mean corpuscular hemoglobin 16.1 pg), and hemoglobin A2 1.4%. The identified large deletion fragment length was 21 925 bp, so far which had not been reported in the world and was named -α²¹·⁹. It was registered in USA DNA database and GenBank accession number as KF360979. The genotype of her mother and father and brother were αα/-α²¹·⁹, --(SEA)/-α³·⁷, αα/-α³·⁷ respectively, and the genotype of her and her sister were the same of --(SEA)/-α²¹·⁹. Her husband gene of thalassemia had no mutation, so prenatal diagnosis of thalassemia was not carried out in the pregnant woman.

CONCLUSIONThe discovery of -α(21.9) deletion mutation was enriched the DNA mutation gene database of thalassemia, and had important significance for genetic counseling and thalassemia prenatal diagnosis.

Female ; Humans ; Male ; Pedigree ; Sequence Deletion ; Young Adult ; alpha-Thalassemia ; genetics

With the recent upsurge of studies in the field of microbiology, we have learned more about the complexity of the gastrointestinal microecosystem. More than 30 genera and 1000 species of gastrointestinal microflora have been found. The structure of the normal microflora is relatively stable, and is in an interdependent and restricted dynamic equilibrium with the body. In recent years, studies have shown that there is a potential relationship between gastrointestinal microflora imbalance and gastric cancer (GC) and precancerous lesions. So, restoring the balance of gastrointestinal microflora is of great significance. Moreover, intervention in gastric premalignant condition (GPC), also known as precancerous lesion of gastric cancer (PLGC), has been the focus of current clinical studies. The holistic view of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is consistent with the microecology concept, and oral TCM can play a two-way regulatory role directly with the microflora in the digestive tract, restoring the homeostasis of gastrointestinal microflora to prevent canceration. However, large gaps in knowledge remain to be addressed. This review aims to provide new ideas and a reference for clinical practice.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Precancerous Conditions/pathology* ; Stomach Neoplasms/pathology*

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is the main regulator of physiological angiogenesis during embryonic development, bone growth, and reproductive function, and it also participates in a series of pathological changes. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), with a history of more than 2000 years, has been widely used in clinical practice, while the exploration of its mechanisms has only begun. This review summarizes the research of recent years on the influence of TCM on VEGF. It is found that many Chinese medicines and recipes have a regulatory effect on VEGF, indicating that Chinese medicine has broad prospects as a complementary and alternative therapy, providing new treatment ideas for clinical applications and the theoretical basis for research on the mechanisms of TCM.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A