We summarized our accumulated clinical and teaching experiences and explored the regularity of acupuncture needling and teaching. It is of great importance in pressing hand during inserting needle. Stroking and pressing are two crucial parts which deserve more attention, and seldom useage of pressing hand should be abolished. Operating hand needs practice before inserting needle, while it should fully relaxed during inserting. Blending "touching", "stretch" "gathering" "erupting" and "advancing" in single moment, applying appropriate dynamic mode of inserting needle such as "join 3 forces as one" "3 points in a line" expertly and naturally. In addition, enough attention should be paid on "altering direction" and "shifting point". Inserting deftly and powerfully, no/slight sensation, deqi when inserting needle are the highest reflection as an acupuncturist.
Acupuncture ; education ; Acupuncture Therapy ; instrumentation ; methods ; China ; Humans ; Teaching

Rutaecarpine (Rut) is a type of indole quinazoline alkaloid exracted from Ruticarpum. Studies showed that Rut has a wide range of pharmacological effects, such as anti-hypertension, anticancer, anti-inflammation, anti-thrombus formation. Currently, many scholars are committed to developing it into a new antihypertensive and anti-inflammatory drug with all new mechanisms. But studies found that Rut is a highly fat-soluble drug with low water and oil solubility. Its high insolubility is the main obstacle in its oral absorption and application, which greatly reduced its bioavailability. Therefore, hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin (HP-beta-CD) was used as the inclusion material to prepare Rut-HP-beta-CD inclusion complex in this experiment, in order to increase its water solubility and bioavailability. In this experiment, the inclusion complex was prepared by the stirring-freeze-dry method. The preparation process was optimized by the orthogonal test, with the inclusion rate as the index, and molar ratio between host and guest molecules, inclusion temperature, time and stirring speed as the impacting factors. Moreover, the inclusion complex was verified by detecting the apparent solubility, thin layer chromatography, microscopic identification, melting point detection and dissolution study. The results showed that under the conditions of the molar ratio between Rut and HP-beta-CD of 1: 1, temperature at 60 degrees C, inclusion time of 4h and stirring speed at 600 r x min(-1), the inclusion rate of Rut-HP-beta-CD reached 91.04%. Therefore, the preparation process of Rut-HP-beta-CD inclusion under the optimum conditions is simple and feasible, with a highest inclusion rate and reproducibility, and could significantly improve Rut's solubility and bioavailability, and provide a reliable experimental basis for its clinical application.
2-Hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin ; Alkaloids ; chemistry ; Chemistry, Pharmaceutical ; methods ; Drug Carriers ; chemistry ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; Rutaceae ; chemistry ; Solubility ; beta-Cyclodextrins ; chemistry

Objective To investigate the effect of recombinant chlamydiaphage phiCPG1 capsid protein Vp1 on Chlamydia trachomatis(Ct) after Vp1 was co-cultured with Ct (reference strains and clinical strains).Methods The recombinant chlamydiaphage phiCPG1 capsid protein Vp1 was expressed and purified.Equal amount of Ct standard strains (E/UW-5/Cx and D/UW-3/Cx) or clinical strains,which had been incubated with Vp1 protein at the concentration of 53 μg/ml for 3 h at room temperature,were inoculated into McCoy.After cell culture,idione stain and transmission electron microscope were used to observe the effect of Vp1 on the Ct.The effect of Vp1 protein on the cell line McCoy was determined by MTT assay,the responses of Escherichia coli BL21 and DH5α toward Vp1 protein were determined using broth microdilution assays.Results Vp1 had obviously inhibitive effect on Ct,the inhibition ratios were about 40％-70％in clinical strains,72％ in reference strain D and 78％ in E,respectively.Abnormally enlarged RBs were observed after Vp1-treatment and Vp1 could arrest chlamydial developmental cycle using electron microscope.There was no effect of Vp1 on McCoy cells or bacteria BL21 or DH5α.Conclusion The recombinant Vp1 from phiCPG1 has obviously inhibitive effect on the growth of Ct,it will be helpful for the treatment of Ct infection in clinic.

Antimicrobial peptides, a cluster of small peptides secreted by the majority of creatures, have been demonstrated with activity against a wide range of microorganisms including bacteria, protozoa, yeast, fungi, viruses and even tumor cells. These peptides have some features such as broad spectrum , high effi-cacy and stability, little drug resistance. A lack of new antibiotics combined with emerging multi-drug resis-tance issues demands that new antimicrobial strategies be explored for treating these infections. It has been proposed that the antimicrobial peptides might form the foundation for a new class of clinically useful an-timicrobials. We review the advantages of these molecules in construction features and bioactivity, with the focus on the mechanism and clinical applications.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the expression of osteopontin mRNA and its correlation with clinicopathologic features of gastric cancer and elucidate its role in tumor invasion and distant metastasis.

METHODSThe expression of OPN mRNA was detected by semi-quantitive RT-PCR. The relationship between the relative content of OPN mRNA and clinicopathologic features of gastric cancer was analyzed.

RESULTSIn 66 cancer tissue samples, a 330 bp band was detected in 50 cases, the positive rate of OPN mRNA expression was 75.8% (50/66). The expression in all 20 cases of normal gastric mucosa was negative. The expression was associated with the depth of tumor invasion, diameter, lymph node metastasis and but had no correlation with differentiation grades. The 66 patients were followed up for 10 approximately 27 months (mean 16 months). The OPN mRNA expression positive group (50 cases) had recurrence in 15 patients and the negative group (16 cases) had only 1 case with recurrence (P = 0.05); 10 patients died in OPN mRNA expression positive group but no patient died in OPN staining negative group (P = 0.05).

CONCLUSIONOPN mRNA is over-expressed in gastric cancer. It reflects the progression of disease and association with poor prognosis of gastric cancer. OPN may play an important role in the process of distant metastasis in gastric cancer.

Adenocarcinoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Female ; Humans ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Osteopontin ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Prognosis ; RNA, Messenger ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Stomach Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology

BACKGROUNDTo investigate the biological functions of a novel hepatitis B virus e antigen (HbeAg) interacting protein AK026018, and to use cDNA microarray technique to screen genes regulated by the protein.

METHODSThe AK026018 coding DNA fragment was amplified by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) technique from HepG2 cell. The expressive vector of pcDNA3.1-AK was constructed by routine molecular biological methods. The HepG2 cells were transfected with pcDNA3.1 and pcDNA3.1-AK, respectively by using lipofectamine. The total RNA was isolated and reverse transcribed. The cDNA of each sample was subjected to microarray screening with 8,464 cDNA probes and analyzed by bioinformatics.

RESULTSThe expressive vector was constructed and confirmed by DNA sequencing analysis and restriction enzyme digestion. High quality mRNA and cDNA of transfected HepG2 cells had been prepared and successful microarray screening conducted. From the scanning results, there were 122 differential expression genes, of which 36 genes were down-regulated, and 16 genes were up-regulated.

CONCLUSIONMicroarray technique was successfully used to screen the genes trans-regulated by AK026018. The expression of AK026018 protein affects the expression spectrum of HepG2 cells.

Carrier Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; physiology ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Computational Biology ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Hepatitis B e Antigens ; metabolism ; Humans ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis ; methods ; Protein Binding ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Transfection

BACKGROUNDIt is still controversial whether or not the correlation between lipid abnormality and coronary heart disease (CHD) becomes weaker in the elderly, and whether patients above 80 years old still benefit from lipid management for the secondary prevention of CHD. The purpose of this study is to assess the correlation between hyperlipidemia and the risk of CHD events in the elderly, and to determine if it is appropriate to use lipid-lowering drugs in those aged above 80, as prescribed by the recommended guidelines for lipid management.

METHODSOne thousand two hundred and eleven retirees, mainly males (92%), aged 70 +/- 9 years, were enrolled in this study. Lifestyle habits and medical history were recorded via questionnaires. During the period 1986 - 2000, all subjects participated in an annual physical examination with a blood chemistry survey. The mean follow-up period was 11.2 years. Subjects with incidental illnesses, especially cardiovascular diseases, were diagnosed or treated promptly. Serum lipid parameters, including total cholesterol (TC), low and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C and HDL-C) and triglyceride (TG) levels were analyzed according to standardization of lipid and lipoprotein measurements. The association between lipid levels and the prevalence of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) or coronary death was analyzed statistically.

RESULTSLipid abnormalities occurred in 2/3 of the 1211 subjects. The most common lipid disorder was high TC and high LDL-C, which was much more prevalent than high TG. Among the subjects, 51.6% had TC levels above 5.2 mmol/L. Mean TC and LDL-C reached peak levels in the 65 - 74 age group without significant decrease until ages over 90. The cumulative total number of deaths due to various causes was 397 in the 15-year follow-up period, with the mortality rate in the high lipid group slightly lower than that in the normal lipid group (30.6% vs 35.3%), although the difference was not significant (P = 0.1931). However, there were more cases of coronary death in the high lipid group than in the normal lipid group (7.9% vs 4.6%, P = 0.0045). When examining AMI survivors, more AMI cases were found in the high lipid group than in the low lipid group (20.9% vs 11.4%, P < 0.0001). The cumulative number of coronary deaths was 89 (with 88 cases above age 70), and the total number of CHD cases was 214 (17.7% of the whole group). Logistic regression analysis reveals that age, hypertension, LDL-C, and HDL-C are important risk factors for CHD. Lifestyle changes were common, but only 45% of the hyperlipidemic cases received drug treatment. Statins were commonly used only in recent years.

CONCLUSIONThe above results show that high TC and LDL-C levels are correlated with a high CHD risk even in people over 80. For elderly patients with clinical CHD and an aggregation of CHD risk factors, cholesterol-lowering therapy might be considered if the general health of the patient makes this permissible.

Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Cholesterol ; blood ; Cholesterol, HDL ; blood ; Cholesterol, LDL ; blood ; Coronary Disease ; blood ; etiology ; mortality ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hyperlipidemias ; complications ; mortality ; Lipids ; blood ; Male ; Risk Factors ; Triglycerides ; blood

Cardiac Catheterization ; Heart Septal Defects, Ventricular ; therapy ; Humans ; Prosthesis Implantation ; instrumentation ; Septal Occluder Device

ZM-1 tissue microarrayer designed by our group is manufactured in stainless steel and brass. It features an easier and faster preparation for tissue microarrays. By means of it, a group of biopsy needles are used to punch the donor tissue specimens respectively, and all the needles with the punched specimen cylinders are arranged into the array-board, where small holes have been digged to fit the needles. All the specimen cylinders arraying and the tissue microarray block's shaping are finished simultaneously. ZM-1 tissue microarrayer with a lower cost of manufacture, is capable of preparing the tissue microarrays conveniently, efficiently and quality-controllably.
Equipment Design ; Tissue Array Analysis ; instrumentation

OBJECTIVETo study the effects of Box-3 region of the leukemia inhibitory factor receptor (LIFR) alpha-chain cytoplasmic domain on the proliferation and differentiation of HL-60 cells.

METHODSExpression vector of gp190CT3 was constructed and expressed in HL-60 cells. The expression level of gp190CT3 was assayed by immunocytochemistry. The growth of wild type and gp190CT3 transfected HL-60 cells were examined under microscope. The PCNA levels were assayed by Western blot, and the levels of CD15 by flow cytometry.

RESULTSThe gp190CT3 transfected HL-60 cells were enlarged in size and their proliferation was slower than that of wild type. The expression level of PCNA was down-regulated while the level of CD15 up-regulated in transfected HL-60 cells as compared with that of the wild type cells.

CONCLUSIONThe Box-3 region of the leukemia inhibitory factor receptor alpha-chain cytoplasmic domain (gp190CT3) participates the LIFR signal transduction in inhibiting the growth and inducing the differentiation of HL-60 cells.

Binding Sites ; genetics ; Blotting, Western ; Cell Differentiation ; genetics ; physiology ; Cell Proliferation ; Genetic Vectors ; genetics ; HL-60 Cells ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Lewis X Antigen ; metabolism ; Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen ; metabolism ; Receptors, OSM-LIF ; genetics ; metabolism ; Transfection