[Objective]To detect the expression of tumor necrosis factor-?(TNF-?)and interleukin-18(IL-18)protein in herniated intervertebral disc,and discuss the role of TNF-? and IL-18 protein in the course of the intervertebral disc degeneration and to clarify the mechanism of the lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration and herniation. [Method]Forty nine specimens were studied from December 2005 to April 2007 in the First Affiliated Hospital of Shihezi Medical College.Experimental group contained thirty-four herniated intervertebral disc and control group contained fifteen discs,which were collected from the patients with spine fracture or autopsy.The specimens were divided into two parts,one part was fixed in 10% formalin about 24 hours and was embedded in paraffin.Four ?m serial sections and S-P method were used.The sections were stained with TNF-? and IL-18 monoclonal antibodies,and the results were observed by OLYMPUS microscope.Another part was changed into well-distributed liquid,which was determined by Elisa method respectively,in order to detect density of TNF-? and IL-18 protein.Software SPSS 13.0 was used for statistical analysis.[Result]1 TNF-? and IL-18 protein were expressed mostly in cytoplasma.The expression of IL-18 in the experiment group was obviously higher than in the control group.There were statistical significances(P

ObjectiveTo observe the clinicalefficacies of ginger-partitioned moxibustion in three different periods, i.e. the canicular days, the Spring Equinox, and the Autumnal Equinox, in treating allergic Rhinitis.MethodEighty-nine patients with allergic rhinitis were elected and divided into3 groups by using the random number table (canicular group, Spring Equinox group, and Autumnal Equinox group), to receive the same treatment with same point selection. The change of serum IgE and improvement of symptoms were observed after the intervention in the three groups.ResultThe three groups all showed significant decrease of serum IgE and improvement in the symptoms of allergic rhinitis (P<0.05), and the therapeutic efficacy of the canicular group was markedly higher than that of the Spring Equinox group (P<0.05) and the Autumnal Equinox group (P<0.05).ConclusionThe canicular days are the optimal timeperiodfor the treatment of allergicrhinitis.

Diabetic neuropathic pain (DNP) is the most common disabling complication of diabetes. Emerging evidence has linked the pathogenesis of DNP to the aberrant sprouting of sensory axons into the epidermal area; however, the underlying molecular events remain poorly understood. Here we found that an axon guidance molecule, Netrin-3 (Ntn-3), was expressed in the sensory neurons of mouse dorsal root ganglia (DRGs), and downregulation of Ntn-3 expression was highly correlated with the severity of DNP in a diabetic mouse model. Genetic ablation of Ntn-3 increased the intra-epidermal sprouting of sensory axons and worsened the DNP in diabetic mice. In contrast, the elevation of Ntn-3 levels in DRGs significantly inhibited the intra-epidermal axon sprouting and alleviated DNP in diabetic mice. In conclusion, our studies identified Ntn-3 as an important regulator of DNP pathogenesis by gating the aberrant sprouting of sensory axons, indicating that Ntn-3 is a potential druggable target for DNP treatment.
Mice ; Animals ; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental/metabolism* ; Axons/physiology* ; Diabetic Neuropathies ; Sensory Receptor Cells/metabolism* ; Neuralgia/metabolism*