OBJECTIVETo compare the difference in the clinical efficacy on posterior circulation ischemia between acupuncture at stellate ganglion and conventional acupuncture as well as the impacts on blood pressure.

METHODSEighty cases of posterior circulation ischemia were randomized into an observation group (40 cases) and a control group (40 cases). In the observation group, acupuncture was applied to the bilateral stellate ganglions on the neck, stimulated with reinforcing technique by rotating the needles. In the control group, the acupuncture of reducing technique was applied to Fengchi (GB 20), Baihui (GV 20), Neiguan (PC 6) and Taichong (LR 3) in the excess syndrome. The even needling or reinforcing technique was applied to Fengchi (GB 20), Baihui (GV 20), Ganshu (BL 18), Shenshu (BL 23) and Zusanli (ST 36) for the deficiency syndrome. The treatment was given once every 3 days and 4 treatments were required totally in the two groups. The changes in total syndrome score, peak Systolic blood flow velocity (Vp) of vertebral artery and basilar artery, systolic and diastolic blood pressures were compared before and after treatment in the two groups. The clinical efficacy was compared between the two groups.

RESULTSThe total syndrome score was reduced apparently after treatment compared with that before treatment in the two groups (P < 0.01), and the reducing was more obvious in the observation group as compared with that in the control group (P < 0.01). The total effective rate was 87.5% (35/40) in the observation group, higher than 67.5% (27/40, P < 0.05) in the control group. After treatment, the reduced Vp of vertebral artery was not improved apparently as compared with that before treatment in the control group, Vp in blood velocity abnormality (including vascular spasm, stenosis or reduced velocity) of vertebral artery and basilar artery was all improved as compared with that before treatment in the two groups (P < 0.01), and the improvements in the observation group were more obvious than those in the control group (P < 0.01). After treatment, the systolic and diastolic pressures were reduced as compared with those before treatment in the two groups, and the reduced systolic and diastolic pressures in the observation group were more apparent than those in the control group (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONAcupuncture at stellate ganglion achieves the satisfactory efficacy in the treatment of posterior circulation ischemia and the significant efficacy of reducing blood pressure, more advanced than the conventional acupuncture.

Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Aged ; Blood Pressure ; Brain Infarction ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Stellate Ganglion ; physiopathology ; Treatment Outcome

Objective To explore the characteristics of dipyridamole 201 Tl myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) SPECT in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy. Methods Thirty patients with dilated cardiomyopathy underwent pharmacological stress 201Tl MPI SPECT after intravenous infusion of dipyridamole (0. 56 mg/kg) for 4 min. The early and delayed SPECT images were acquired respectively at 10 and 240 min after 201Tl injection. The images were analyzed and reported by two or three experienced nuclear medicine physicians. Results All patients were found to have abnormal perfusion patterns at delay imaging, however 90.00% (27/30) were also abnormal at early images. Six patients had reverse redistribution. Conclusion Dipyridamole 201Tl MPI SPECT imaging may be of some value for the assessment of patients with dilated cardiomyopathy.

OBJECTIVE: To study ApoB gene genetic polymorphism of Han nationality and Mongolian nationality in midwest area of Inner Mongolia. METHODS: Some unrelated individuals of Han nationality and Mongolian nationality in midwest area of Inner Mongolia were selected. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism technology was used to check the presence of Xba I (X+) and EcoR I (E-) sites of rare alleles. The genotype frequency, allelic frequency and population genetics parameters were calculated. RESULTS: The frequencies of Xba I (X+) and EcoR I (E-) rare alleles were 2% and 4.6% in Han population. There was no Xba I (X+) or EcoR I (E-) rare alleles found in Mongolian nationality. CONCLUSION The allelic frequencies of ApoB gene Xba I and EcoR I sites are very different in different races. These sites may be used in identification of ethnicity.
Alleles ; Apolipoprotein B-100/genetics* ; Asian People/genetics* ; China ; Ethnicity ; Gene Frequency ; Genotype ; Humans ; Mongolia ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of Qianjin Fubao (QJFB) on behavior and estradiol level in femal chronic stress model rats.

METHODTwenty four female Wistar rats (2 month old) were evenly randomized into normal control, animal model and QJFB (0.7 g x kg(-1) x d(-1)) group. The QIFB group and the stress group were exposed to a chronic unpredictable stress for 21 days. Rats of the QJFB group received perfusion of Qianjin Fubao, and rats of stress and control group were perfused with normal saline. The behavior of three groups were determined with the method of Open-field before and after right stress respectively. Serum level of estradiol was detected with radioim munoassay.

RESULTThe behavioral score and the serum level of estradiol of the stressed group were significantly lower than those of the control group after stress (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences of behavioral score and the serum level of estradiol between QJFB group and control group.

CONCLUSIONThe chronic unpredictable stress can induce the stressful change of behavior, and QJFB may recover the rats'abnormal behavior and improve the serum level of estradiol. QJFB may have protective effect on stress.

Animals ; Behavior, Animal ; drug effects ; Drug Combinations ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Estradiol ; blood ; Female ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Stress, Psychological ; blood ; physiopathology

By using Zinc nitrate as precursor and hydraZine hydrate as reducing agent, polydiallyl dimethyl ammonium chloride modified reduced graphene oxide/Zinc oxide composite materials ( PDDA-rGO/ZnO) were prepared by simultaneous reduction of graphene oxide ( GO) and Zinc nitrate.The composite materials were characteriZed by Fourier transform infrared ( FTIR ) spectroscopy, X-ray diffractometer ( XRD ) and transmission electron microscopy ( TEM) , and their electrochemical catalytic activity for uric acid was studied by cyclic voltammetry ( CV ) and linear sweep voltammetry ( LSV ) measurements.The result showed that PDDA-rGO/ZnO modified glassy carbon electrode prepared here was sensitive, reproducible and stable, and had significant electrocatalytic activity for UA.When using linear sweep voltammetry for detection of UA, the responses of modified electrode were linear with UA concentration in the ranges of 0.02-0.1 mmol/L and 0.1-1.0 mmol/L respectively, with detection limit of 15.9 nmol/L (S/N=3).

Aim To observe the effect of interventional therapy of 5-fluorouracil(5-Fu), mitomycin C (MMC) and adriamycin (ADM) on solid malignant turmors in association with aterial infusion of NaHCO3.Methods Patients were randomly divided into two groups.With Seldinger technique,through the femoral atery to tumor atery.The patients in the control group were infused by anticarcinoma agents simply ,and patients in the treatment group were initially infused by NaHCO3,and then by NS 30 ml and anticarcinoma agents seperately. Results Partial remission (PR) in the group treated with NaHCO3 and anticarcinoma agents was significantly higher than in the group treated simply with anticarcinoma agents.Conclusion Aterial infusion of NaHCO3 into malignant tumors can increase the efficacy of ADM,MMC and 5-Fu.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the expression of telomerase in various lesions of adrenal cortex.

METHODSBy autoradiography-based telomeric repeat amplification protocol, telomerase expression was detected in 36 samples of adrenocortical lesions, including 29 cases adrenocortical adenoma (8 Cushing's syndrome, 17 aldosteronism and 4 nonfunctional adenomas), 5 cases of hyperplasia of adrenal cortex (presented with Chushing' syndrome), 2 cases adrenocortical carcinoma, and 4 samples of normal adrenal cortex.

RESULTSOf the 40 samples, 2 cases of adrenocortical carcinomas had telomerase expression, and the others had no telomerase expression detected.

CONCLUSIONSNo significant telomerase expression was found among different endocrine functional benign adrenocortical lesions. Telomerase expression may be used as an important marker of malignant adrenocortical tumor.

Adrenal Cortex ; enzymology ; Adrenal Cortex Neoplasms ; enzymology ; Adrenocortical Adenoma ; enzymology ; Biomarkers, Tumor ; analysis ; Cushing Syndrome ; enzymology ; Humans ; Telomerase ; analysis ; biosynthesis ; genetics

The paper is to report the development of a high-performance liquid chromatographic/tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) method for the determination of icaritin (ICT) in rat plasma. After precipitated with acetonitrile from the plasma, ICT was isolated chromatographically on a Dikma C18 column. The mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile-water-acetic acid (72 : 28 : 1.5, v/v/v). Electrospray ionization (ESI) source was applied and operated in the positive ion mode. Multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode with the transitions of m/z 387 --> m/z 313 and m/z 331 --> m/z 315 were used to quantify ICT and the internal standard, respectively. The linear calibration curve was obtained in the concentration range of 2.5-1,000 ng x mL(-1). The lower limit of quantification was 2.5 ng x mL(-1). The inter- and intra-day precision (RSD) were less than 9.63%, and the accuracy (relative error) was within +/-7.42%. The method was proved to be suitable for the pharmacokinetics of ICT, which offers advantages of high sensitivity and selectivity.
Administration, Oral ; Animals ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; methods ; Epimedium ; chemistry ; Female ; Flavonoids ; administration & dosage ; blood ; isolation & purification ; pharmacokinetics ; Male ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Reproducibility of Results ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization ; methods ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry ; methods

OBJECTIVETo observe the migration and differentiation of the neural precursor cells (NPCs) that derived from murine embryonic stem cells (ESCs) when they were transplanted into amyloid beta (A beta)-treated rat hippocampus.

METHODSMESPU35, a murine ESC cell line that express the enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP), was induced differentiation into nestin-positive NPCs by modified serum-free methods. The A beta plaques and the differentiation of the grafted cells were observed by immunofluorescent staining.

RESULTSComparing 16 weeks with 4 weeks post-transplantation, the migration distance increased about 5 times; the rate of migratory NPCs differentiating into glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)-positive cells kept rising from (30.41+/-1.45) % to (49.25+/-1.23) %, and the rate of NPCs differentiating into neurofilament 200 (NF200) positive cells increased from (16.68+/-0.95) % to (27.94+/-1.21) %. Meanwhile, the GFAP-positive cells targeting to the ipsilateral side of A beta plaques increased from 60.2% to 81.3%, while the NF200-positive cells increased from 61.3% to 84.1%. The migration distance had significant positive linear correlations to the neuronal differentiation rate (r = 0.991) and to the astrocytic differentiation rate (r = 0.953).

CONCLUSIONEngrafted NPCs migrate targetedly to the A beta injection site and differentiate into neurons and astrocytes.

Amyloid beta-Peptides ; administration & dosage ; metabolism ; Animals ; Cell Differentiation ; Cell Movement ; Embryonic Stem Cells ; cytology ; physiology ; transplantation ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique ; Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein ; metabolism ; Green Fluorescent Proteins ; metabolism ; Hippocampus ; cytology ; physiology ; Injections, Intraventricular ; Male ; Neurons ; cytology ; physiology ; transplantation ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Stem Cell Transplantation

OBJECTIVETo investigate clinical features of the patients with hepatitis B superinfected with acute hepatitis E (AHE).

METHODSTotally 625 consecutive patients enrolled from Dec 2002 to Dec 2006 were studied retrospectively. All of the patients were subclassified into acute hepatitis E group (AHE=437 cases) and Superinfected Group (S=188 cases), and S group was further divided into the group of chronic hepatitis B superinfected with acute hepatitis E (CHB+AHE, 130 cases) and the group of liver cirrhosis and hepatitis B superinfected with acute hepatitis E (LCB+AHE, 58 cases). In 32 of the 188 superinfected patients the effects of HEV on HBV were observed by comparing the levels of HBV DNA in acute vs. convalescence stages.

RESULTSCompared with the patients with AHE, the superinfected patients had a higher level of total bilirubin (TBil), an elevated frequency of fulminate hepatitis, mortality and a longer period of the mean hospital stay for the cured patients but significantly lower levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), serum albumin and prothrombin activity (PA). Furthermore, the group of LCB+AHE had a higher level of TBil and higher incidences of complications such as ascites, peritonitis, hepatic encephalopathy and disturbance in glycometabolism than the group of CHB+AHE. The follow-up for the superinfected patients showed that 20 of 32 patients (62.5 percent) had decreased copies of HBV DNA during the recovery phase compared with the acute phase, and the mean decrease of HBV DNA was 2.1 log10. The HBV DNA was in a persistently undetectable level in 6 of 32 (18.8 percent) superinfected patients. However, 4 of 32 patients (12.5 percent) showed an unchanged levels of HBV DNA and 2 cases (6.2 percent) had a slightly increased HBV DNA levels.

CONCLUSIONSuperinfection with AHE in patients with chronic hepatitis B leads to a more severe hepatic damage and the replication of HBV DNA can be transiently inhibited.

Acute Disease ; Adult ; Aged ; DNA, Viral ; blood ; Female ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; complications ; virology ; Hepatitis E ; complications ; virology ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Virus Replication