Objective: To assess the clinical application of transabdominal ultrasonography for the diagnosis of achalasia. Methods: The subjects were divided into 3 groups, with 8 patients suffered from achalasia as patient group, 10 normal individuals and 8 patients with cardiac carcinoma as controls. All subjects received water provocative test to study the lower esophagus and cardia. Sonographic findings were compared between the 3 groups. After treatment by administration of drugs, pneumatic balloon dilation, or intrasphincteric injection of botulinum toxin, the 8 patients were re-examined by TAUS for longitudinal comparison. Results: (1)The normal subjects had no dilation of cardia and lower esophagus before drinking water, but their cardias opened rapidly with the drinking action. (2)All the patients of achalasia were found to have dilation of lower esophagus before taking water. During 10 min continuous TAUS scanning, 5 of 8 demonstrated absence of relaxation of cardias and absence of water from the esophagus into the stomach. The other 3 showed slight and intermittent relaxation of cardias with water flow into the stomach. Thirty minutes after water provocative test, all the 8 patients had water retardation within the lower esophagus. (3)The patients of cardiac carcinoma had an ultrasound feature of cardiac ring enlargement and thickening of cardiac wall without dilation of lower esophagus before water provocative test. Water passed the cardia more slowly. Conclusion: TAUS is a readily accepted examination. It can quickly give reliable diagnostic clues to achalasia. TAUS can also be used for making assessment of therapeutic effect on achalasia.

BACKGROUND: Studies on substitute cells of bladder smooth muscle cells are in the early period at present. Mesenchymal stem cell transplantation is an ideal method. Human amniotic mesenchymal cells can differentiate into cardiomyocytes and nerve growth factor and promote local structure repair. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the differentiation of human amniotic mesenchymal cells into smooth muscle cells following transplantation, and the effects on bladder muscle layer. DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING: The cytology in vitro study was performed at the Japan Xinzhou University from October 2006 to April 2007. MATERIALS: Human amnion was obtained from healthy full-term puerperal. A total of 18 clean female Sprague Dawley rats were randomly and equally assigned into normal bladder cell transplantation group, frostbite bladder control group, and frostbite bladder cell transplantation group. METHODS: Amnion was cut and mixed in DMEM containing trypsin. Epithelial cells were removed prior to tissues were incubated in DMEM, supplemented with collagenase and DNA enzyme. Human amniotic mesenchymal cells were harvested for use. Posterior vertex of urinary bladder was frozen using a -70 ℃ iron rod in rats of the frostbite bladder control group and frostbite bladder cell transplantation group. Hematoma appeared at the frostbite region of the bladder three days later. 100 ?L DMEM was injected into the hematoma of the rats of the frostbite bladder control group, while an equal volume of human amniotic mesenchymal cell suspension (105 cells) was injected into the hematoma of the rats of the frostbite bladder cell transplantation group. Human amniotic mesenchymal cell suspension was implanted into the normal rat bladder in the normal bladder cell transplantation group. After three weeks, the bladder tissue including partial urethra was used for bladder sample preparation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Bladder smooth muscle repair was observed using hematoxylin-eosin staining. The differentiation of human amniotic mesenchymal cells in the wall of urinary bladder was detected using fluorescence immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Compared with the normal bladder cell transplantation group, normal wall structure of urinary bladder, few fibrosis and good proliferation of smooth muscle cells were detected in the frostbite bladder cell transplantation group, while the wall of urinary bladder was slowly repaired, and disorder muscle structure, fibrosis, scar-like shape, and inflammatory cells were found in the frostbite bladder control group. Three weeks later, human amniotic mesenchymal cells were not seen in the normal bladder tissue. A large number of human amniotic mesenchymal cells was lived and some of them had differentiated into the smooth muscle cells in the frostbite bladder cell transplantation group. CONCLUSION: Human amniotic mesenchymal cells had the potential to differentiate into bladder smooth muscle cells and promoted self-repair of the wall of urinary bladder.

Objective: To assess the clinical application of transabdominal ultrasonography for the diagnosis of achalasia. Methods: The subjects were divided into 3 groups, with 8 patients suffered from achalasia as patient group, 10 normal individuals and 8 patients with cardiac carcinoma as controls. All subjects received water provocative test to study the lower esophagus and cardia. Sonographic findings were compared between the 3 groups. After treatment by administration of drugs, pneumatic balloon dilation, or intrasphincteric injection of botulinum toxin, the 8 patients were re examined by TAUS for longitudinal comparison. Results: (1)The normal subjects had no dilation of cardia and lower esophagus before drinking water, but their cardias opened rapidly with the drinking action. (2)All the patients of achalasia were found to have dilation of lower esophagus before taking water. During 10 min continuous TAUS scanning, 5 of 8 demonstrated absence of relaxation of cardias and absence of water from the esophagus into the stomach. The other 3 showed slight and intermittent relaxation of cardias with water flow into the stomach. Thirty minutes after water provocative test, all the 8 patients had water retardation within the lower esophagus. (3)The patients of cardiac carcinoma had an ultrasound feature of cardiac ring enlargement and thickening of cardiac wall without dilation of lower esophagus before water provocative test. Water passed the cardia more slowly. Conclusion: TAUS is a readily accepted examination. It can quickly give reliable diagnostic clues to achalasia. TAUS can also be used for making assessment of therapeutic effect on achalasia. [

Object In order to identify the medicine at the molecular level, the internal transcribed spacers (ITS) of Saussurea medusa Maxim and its easily confusable species were sequenced Methods The double stranded DNA was amplified using PCR systems 9 600 kits and sequenced on an ABI 377 automated sequencer from both directions Results The ITS sequences of S medusa of different populations showed no variation, but there existed distinct variation between S medusa and its confusable species Conclusion ITS sequences can be used for the molecular authentication between S medusa and its confusable species

Objective To establish the method and assess the safety，feasibility and clinical efficacies of percutaneous transhepaticcontrast-enhancedcholangio-ultrasonography(PTCECUS).Methods Twenty-one patients aged(58.5±16.65)years(range 27-93)with biliary obstruction or stricture underwent percutaneous transhepatic cholangiodrainage or ch01ecystodrainage.A dose of more than 50 ml of 0.94% Sono Vue(Bracco，Itay)solution was injected into their bile ducts(n=17)and cholecysts(n=4)through the drainage catheter.Their biliary tracts，cholecysts and duodenums were scanned under contrast pulsed sequencing mode(CPS，Sequoia 512，Siemens)to achieve related contrast-enhanced ultrasonograms.Severity of biliary obstruction were assessed according to the PTCECUS findingswith a comparison toconventionalultrasonography(CVUS)，magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography(MRCP)and percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography(PTC)in a part of the patients.Results①PTCECUS gave rise to good-quality contrast-enhanced uhrasonograms of biliary tracts.②PTCECUS was superior to CVUS and in consistence with MRCP and PTC in evaluating the severity of biliary tract obstruction.This method helped to make a proper design for biliary drainage.③PTCECUS was more efficient than PTC in that PTC had the patients receive transhepatic puncture and cholangiography in separated departments.④Neither any complications immediate from transhepatic puncture and administration of SonoVue inall the 21 patients，nor those 1 to 8 months late during ultrasound follow up in 14 patients were found.Conclusions PTCECUS，characterized in bettering the display of biliary tracts，especially the severity of obstruction of biliary tracts，is safe through the procedure and valuable in supervising biliary drainage against obstructive jaundice.

Objective: To study the chemical co nstituents obtained from Hedysarum multijugum . Methods: The compounds were separated by liquid-liquid extraction a nd chromatography, their structures were identified by spectral analyses. Results: Seven compou nds were obtained triacontyl alcohol (1); tetra cosanoic acid (2); 5,7-dihydro xy-6, 8-di-C-prenyl -4′-methoxy -isoflavone (3); 4′-hydroxy-trans-cinnamic acid docosyl ester (4); stigmasterol (5); 5, 7-dihydroxy-6-C-prenyl-4′-methoxy-isofl avone (6, Gancaonin M); caffeic acid tetracosyl ester (7). Conclusion: Compounds 3 and 4 were new natural compoun ds and the rest were obtained from the plant for the first time.

Objective:To observe the effects and mechanism of Xiezhuo Jiedu Decoction on the expression of IL-10,TNF-? and NF-?B in ulcerative colitis rat.Methods:2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid(TNBS)/ethanol solution was administrated by enema to establish ulcerative colitis rats models.Five groups were set up in the experiments:normal control group,model control group,salazosulfamide group,Xiezhuo Jiedu Decoction low-dose group,Xiezhuo Jiedu Decoction high-dose group;Pathomorphological observation was carried out on the rats'colon(DAI scores and CMDI scores).Cytokines IL-10,TNF-? were determined by radioimmunoassay;NF-?B p65 was determined by immunohistochemical staining(SP method).Results:Xiezhuo Jiedu Decoction can significantly reduce the CMDI sores of the rats'colon and the expression of NF-?B p65,increase the content of IL-10,decrease the content of TNF-?.Conclusion:Xiezhuo Jiedu Decoction had good therapeutic effect on ulcerative colitis in rats,its mechanism may be related to reducing the expression of NF-?B p65,increasing the content of IL-10,decreasing the content of TNF-?.

Objective To investigate the effect of controlling blood pressure in treating patients with hypertension by taking quantitative vitamin D to provide support for the clinical treatment of patients with hypertension.Methods 100 cases with hypertension were randomly divided into the two groups voluntarily,50 cases in each group and one group with a simple standard treatment was considered as the control group,and the other one was the study group,25μg/d vitamin D was taken besides standard treatment.Each group content of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25 (OH)D] level were measured by Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and lasted for one year to detect the situation of controlling blood.Mean and variable coefficient of systolic and diastolic blood pressure were calculated and compared each other.Results After treatment,the content level of 25 (OH)D was (110.3 ± 24.5)nmol/L,systolic pressure was (144 ± 16) mmHg,variable coefficient was 11.1％,diastolic pressure was (87 ± 9) mmHg,variable coefficient was 10.3％ in experiment group;while the content of level of 25 (OH)D was (30.1 ± 14.9)mol/L,systolic pressure was (145 ± 26)mmHg,variable coefficient was 17.9％,diastolic pressure was (87 ± 10)mmHg,variable coefficient was 12.4％ ;the content of level of 25 (OH)D,variable coefficient of systolic pressure had statistical difference (t =12.47,x2 =6.72,P ＜ 0.01),variable coefficient of diastolic pressure had no statistical difference (P ＞ 0.05).Conclusion Taking quantitative vitamin D besides standard treatment is benefit for controlling the level of systolic pressure in patients with hypertension but is meaningless to the level of diastolic pressure.

Objective To investigate the guidance of the endoscopic ultrasonography for the surgery selec-tion of patients with low rectal cancerthrough analyzing the accuracy of endoscopic ultrasonography in preoperative TN staging. Methods Eighty-seven cases with low rectal cancer received preoperative endoscopic ultrasonography examination,the preoperative staging and the postoperative pathologic comparison. The EUS accuracy of preopera-tive staging of rectal cancer was evaluated. Results The preoperative staging with endoscopic ultrasonography for patients with low rectal cancer,100% in T1 stage,96.0% in T2 stage,85.7% inT3 stage,and 100% in T4 stage. The preoperative staging and the postoperative pathologic comparison in T stage were consistent(Kappa = 0.903, P < 0.05). The preoperative staging with endoscopic ultrasonography for patients with low rectal cancer ,87.0% in N0 stage,78.6% in N1 stage,and 100% in N2. The preoperative and the postoperative pathologic comparisons in N stage were consistent(Kappa = 0.768,P < 0.05). Conclusion The endoscopic ultrasonography had a certain advantage in the clinical preoperative evaluation for patients with low rectal cancer ,especially for invasion depth and the judgment of lymph node metastasis ,with a higher accuracy.

Objective:To analyze the effect of tanreqing injection on the serum levels of transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) and matrix metalloproteinases-9 (MMP-9) of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).Methods:102 patients with COPD were divided into the control group and the observation group according to random number table method,52 cases in each group.The control group was treated with routine therapy,and the observation group was treated with Tanreqing injection based on the control group.The serum TGF-β,MMP-9 levels,forced vital capacity (FVC),1 s forced expiratory volume (FEV1),partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PaCO2),oxygen partial pressure (PaO2),CD4+,CD86,CD4+/CD8+,syndrome integral,clinical efficacy and incidence of side effects were observed and compared between the two groups.Results:After treatment,the serum TGF-β,MMP-9 levels,PaCO2 and syndrome integral of observation group were significantly lower than those of the control group,the PaO2,CD4+,FVC,FEV1,CD4+/CD8+ and the clinical efficacy of observation group were obviously higher than those of the control group (P＜0.05).There was no significant difference in the incidence of side effects between the two groups (P＞0.05).Conclusion:Tanreqing injection could effectively reduce the serum levels of TGF-β and MMP-9,and improve the arterial blood gas,lung function and immune function in treatment of patients with COPD.