Acupuncture Therapy ; Database Management Systems ; Integrative Medicine ; Internationality ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Research Design

The field of integrative medicine (IM) has grown tremendously in the United States over last two decades, in terms of clinical practice, research, and education. Its growing popularity among patients has led to increased need for physicians with appropriate counseling skills and a knowledge base of the efficacy and safety of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies. Family medicine is the first specialty as a whole to embrace IM, which encounters similar ailing conditions and emphasizes similar core values-person centered, evidence based, proactive, and continuous in nature. As integrative family medicine emerges, family medicine educators have developed suggested curriculum guidelines and approved measurable competencies to implement the best of evidence-based CAM and principles of IM. There are currently over 40 family medicine residencies that officially advertise CAM/IM in their programs. Meanwhile, IM centers have also been developing their own primary care programs based on their unique characteristics. This physician-led IM workforce is similar to that of China's IM in the early 1960s. As the Chinese government embarks on repeating its efforts to educate more Western medicine trained physicians in Chinese medicine in primary care training programs, the process and insights related to implementation of their practice in the United States would provide useful food for thought.
China ; Complementary Therapies ; Curriculum ; Education, Medical ; Humans ; Integrative Medicine ; education ; Internship and Residency ; Physicians ; Primary Health Care ; United States

Objective To investigate the serum levels and correlation between macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) and regulated on activation normal T cell expressed and secreted cytokines (RANTES) in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB).Methods Forty-four CHB patients (CHB group)and 30 healthy controls (control group) were enrolled in this study.The venous blood was collected and serum MIF and RANTES levels were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Correlation between MIF and RANTES was analyzed in CHB group.Results The serum MIF and RANTES levels in CHB group were significantly higher than those in control group [(8.48 ± 1.70) μ g/L vs.(1.99 ± 2.38) μ g/L,(3.94 ±2.38) μ g/L vs.(0.33 ± 0.15) μ g/L,P =0.000].There was no correlation between MIF level and RANTES level(r =0.212,P＞ 0.05).Conclusions The serum MIF and RANTES levels are significantly increased in patients with CHB,but there is no correlation.The participation pathogenesis way of CHB is different.

Macrophages are heterogeneous and diversified, and can be polarized into different phenotypes in various microenvironments and physiological or pathological conditions. Major macrophage subpopulations including classically activated(M1) and alternatively activated(M2) macrophages, which represent different surface receptors, secret different cytokines and chemokines, are regulated by different signal paths of transcriptions and epigenetic levels, and play distinctive roles in tumor progress. TCMs may improve the microenvironment by regulating phenotype polarization of macrophages. So far, specific biomarkers and polarized molecules mechanisms generated through the macrophage polarization approach are still unclear. In this article, we merely summarize the advance in domestic and foreign studies on phenotype polarization of macrophages and regulatory mechanisms and look into the future of intervention with TCMs.
Animals ; Cell Polarity ; Humans ; Macrophages ; physiology ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; immunology ; Phenotype

Objective To evaluate the efficacy of entecavir treatment on hepatitis B patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure. Methods Eighty-four hepatitis B patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure were treated with entecavir 0.5 mg daily and Other routine drugs. Another 99 hepatitis B patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure were treated with only routine drugs as control. The survival, liver functions, hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA level, prothrombin time (PT) were observed. The survival rates of patients with early, middle or late stage of liver failure were analyzed. The comparison of rates were done using chi-square test. The numeration data were compared by t test. The survival rates were compared using Kaplan-Meier method. Results Among patients with early stage of acute-on-chronic liver failure, the survival rate in treatment group was 63.3% (31/49), which was significantly higher than that in control group (39.7%, 23/58) (χ2=5.923, P=0.015). Among patients with middle stage of acute-on-chronic liver failure, the surviral rate in treatment group was 63.0% (17/27), which was significantly higher than that in control group (35.1%, 13/37) (χ2=4.854, P=0.028). Among patients with late stage of acute-on-chronic liver failure, four out of eight cases survived in treatment group, while one out of four cases survived in control group. In patients with serum total hilirubin (TBil) level > 342 μmol/L, the survival rate was 56.0% in treatment group, which was significantly higher than that in control group (26.8%) (χ2=9.351,P=0.002). At week 4 of the treatment, the HBV DNA reduction in treatment group was 3. 95 lg copy/mL, which was higher than that in control group (1.78 lg copy/mL) (t=5.847, P=0.001). Conclusions Entecavir treatment could improve the survival rate of hepatitis B patients with early or middle stage of acute-on-chronic liver failure. And the further study with larger population is needed in patients with late stage of liver failure. In addition, entecavir therapy could also improve the survival rate of patients with TBil >342 μmol/L.

Objective: To construct the eukaryotic expression vector pSurp-EGFP regulated by the survivin gene promoter and to detect the specific expression of the promoter in human laryngeal cancer Hep-2 cells by green fluorescent protein assay.Methods: Thesurvivin gene promoter was generated by polymerase chain reaction(PCR) and the CMV promoter of the pShuttle vector replaced by the survivin gene promoter to generate the plasmid pSurp.The three plasmids pShuttle,pSurp and pEGFP-C1 were respectively double-enzyme digested so as to produce the plasmids pCMV-EGFP and pSurp-EGFP carrying the CMV or survivin promoter.The purified pCMV-EGFP and pSurp-EGFP were transfected into Hep-2 cell and vascular endothelial cell ECV304 using liposome transfection reagent and the expressions of EGFP detected by the fluorescent microscope.Results: Thesurvivin gene promoter was successfully cloned by PCR,and thesurvivin gene promoter-regulated pSurp-EGFP was constructed.Green fluorescence was observed in Hep-2 cells but not in ECV304. Conclusion: The high specific activity of the survivin gene promoter in Hep-2 cells that we successfully constructed attributes to the studies of tumor specific gene therapy.

Objective To study the prognostic factors of gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST).Methods A total of 144 GIST patients treated at the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University between January 1996 and December 2011 were analyzed restrospectively.Kaplan-Meier,log-rank test and Cox regression model were used.Results The overall 5-year survival was 59.6％.Log-rank univariate survival analysis showed that the primary location,tumor size,metastasis,operational method,type of tumor cells,invasion of the surrounding organs and tissues,invasion of the smooth muscle,cellularity of the tumor,mitotic counts of the tumor cells,Ki-67 labeling index,P53 expression and targeting therapy were significant prognostic factors (P ＜ 0.05).Cox regression model showed that tumor size,metastasis,operational method,surrounding organs and tissues invasion,cellularity of the tumor,mitotic counts of the tumor cells,P53 and targeting therapy were essential to improve the survival.Conclusions The study suggests that early diagnosis and comprehensive treatment consisting of operation and targeting therapy can significantly improve the survival of GIST.

Objective To investigate the risk factors for ischemic stroke in Uygur population in Xinjiang, China. Methods Using a case-control study mode, 504 Uygur patients with first-ever ischemic stroke and 507 Uygur healthy subjects w ere investigated in accordance w ith the principle of the ethnic, sex, and age matching. The risk factors for ischemic stroke w ere screened. Results Multivariate logistic regres-sion analysis showed that the obesity (odds ratio [OR] 4.82, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.80-12.94;P=0.002), hypertension ( OR 8.20, 95%CI 4.93-13.51; P<0.001), and heart disease ( OR 2.40, 95%CI 1.07-5.39;P=0.033) w ere the independent risk factors for ischemic stroke in Uygurs. While the education level of junior high school or above ( OR 0.38, 95%CI 0.18-0.81;P=0.012), tea drinking habit ( OR 0.22, 95%CI0.06-0.70; P=0.021), siesta habit ( OR 0.38, 95%CI 0.24-0.59; P<0.001), high levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ( OR 0.34, 95%CI 0.20-0.59; P<0.001), and apolipoprotein A ( OR 0.23, 95%CI 0.07-0.77; P=0.017) were the protective factors for ischemic stroke. Conclusions The risk factors for ischemic stroke are more and typical in Uygur population in Xinjiang, China. Adjusting the diet structure of Uygurs, less taking meats and high-salt diet, intaking high fiber foods and fish, and appropriate physical exercise w il play an important role for the prevention of stroke in Uygur population.

To study the mechanisms of total flavonoid from Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma (TFGR) and its ingredient isoliquiritigenin (ISL) on their regulation of M2 phenotype polarization of macrophages. IL-4 (60 μg x L(-1)) induced RAW264.7 cells for 6 h to establish the M2 macrophage model. TFGR and ISL restrained breast cancer cells migration with the aid of M2 macrophages in vitro. TFGR and ISL inhibited gene and protein expression of Arg-1, up-regulated gene of HO-1 and protein expression of iNOS, enhanced the expression of microRNA 155 and its target gene SHIP1, meanwhile down-regulated.the phosphorylation of STAT3 and STAT6. So TFGR and ISL were the bioactive fraction and ingredient in Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma to reverse M2 phenotype macrophages polarization. TFGR and ISL inhibited the promotion of M2 macrophages to breast cancer cells migration in vitro, STAT signal pathways and miR155 were partly involved.
Animals ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Movement ; drug effects ; Cell Polarity ; drug effects ; Chalcones ; pharmacology ; Flavonoids ; pharmacology ; Glycyrrhiza ; chemistry ; Interleukin-4 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Macrophages ; cytology ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Mice ; RAW 264.7 Cells ; Rhizome ; chemistry

AIM: To facilitate the suicide gene delivery into neoplasm, a chimeric gene of HSV-tk and green fluorescent protein (gfp) was constructed. METHODS: Molecular cloning technique was used to construct this kind of eukaryotic vector. The internal ribosome entry site (IRES) of encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV), which could coordinate expression of two genes in a single vector, was optioned. By using liposome-mediated transfection, eukaryotic expression vector tgCMV/hytk-IRES-gfp was transfected into human bladder carcinoma cells EJ. RESULTS: A bicistronic eukaryotic vector carrying gfp and hygromycin phosphotransferase-thymidine kinase fusion (hytk) gene was constructed. The results of PCR and microscopy detection show that the hytk-IRES-gfp gene was successfully transferred into EJ cells. There were no differences in the growth pattern or the morphology between EJ and EJ/hytk-GFP cells. In vitro experiments demonstrated dose- and time-dependent cell killing by transduction of the hytk-IRES-gfp gene followed by GCV treatment. The IC50 (the concentration required to elicit 50% growth inhibition) was 2.16 mg/L in treatment with GCV for 72 hours. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that this new kind of eukaryotic vector could serves as a new tool and method for neoplasm gene therapy.