Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of electroacupuncture plus puncturing the thirteen ghost points in treating diabetic gastroparesis.Method Sixty patients with diabetic gastroparesis were randomized into a treatment group and a control group, 30 in each group. The treatment group was intervened by electroacupuncture plus puncturing the thirteen ghost points, while the control group was by electroacupuncture alone. The clinical efficacies were then compared.Result The total effective rate was 93.3% in the treatment group versus 83.3% in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Conclusion Electroacupuncture plus puncturing the thirteen ghost points is an effective approach in treating diabetic gastroparesis.

Objective Increased serum uric acid level is associated with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) through the mechanism of oxidative stress.As the rate-limiting enzyme in the degradation of purines in humans,xanthine oxidoreductase (XOR)catalyzes the final two reactions of purine catabolism,oxidizing hypoxanthine to xanthine,and xanthine to uric acid.The aim of this study is to investigate the association between serum XOR activity and T2DM.Methods A total of 270 patients with T2DM and 140 age-and-gender-matched health controls were enrolled in the study.The clinical examinations such as weight and height were conducted in the morning after an overnight fast.Serum XOR activity and other biochemical parameters like triglyceride,total cholesterol,high density lipoprotein cholesterol,fasting plasma glucose and uric acid levels were measured.Results Serum XOR activity was significantly elevated in T2DM patients compared with that in the controls (31.2 ± 8.91 vs 4.6 ± 0.91 U/L,P ＜0.01).Serum XOR activity was significantly elevated in T2DM patients complicated with lower extremity arterial disease compared to that in patients without lower extremity arterial disease (42.1 ± 8.43 vs 23.7 ± 5.31 U/L,P ＜ 0.01).Conclusion High XOR activity plays an important role in onset and development of T2DM.

Objective To investigate the effect of chloroform extract of Zingiber mioga Roscoe on human dermal microvascular endothelial cell (HDMEC) expression of cell adhesion molecules and adhesivity to lymphocytes.Methods HDMECs were isolated from human foreskin tissue and subjected to subculture.After several passages,some HDMECs were treated with chloroform extract from Zingiber mioga Roscoe (CFMG) of 200 mg/L for 30 minutes before or after 24-hour stimulation with tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α or interleukin (IL)-1α.Subsequently,enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was performed to determine the expression levels of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1),vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) and E-selectin on HDMECs.Both T lymphocytes isolated from venous blood of healthy adults and Ramos Burkitt's lymphoma B cells were labelled with chromium-51 and incubated with the HDMECs for four hours followed by the determination of radiation intensity of lymphocytes adhering to HDMECs using a gamma-counter.Results Compared with 0.2％ dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO),CFMG slightly down-regulated the expression of ICAM-1,VCAM-1 and E-selectin on resting HDMECs (all P ＞ 0.05).In comparison with culture medium,TNF-α enhanced the expressions of ICAM-1,VCAM-1 and E-selectin significantly (all P ＜ 0.01),and IL-1α elevated the expressions of ICAM-1 and E-selectin markedly(both P ＜ 0.01) as well as the expression of VCAM-1 slightly (P ＞ 0.05).The upregulating effects of TNF-α and IL-1α on the expressions of adhesion molecules were notably suppressed by the CFMG treatment prior to the stimulation with TNF-α and IL-1α(all P ＜ 0.01),but not affected by that after the stimulation (all P ＞ 0.05).The adhesivity of HDMECs to T lymphocytes and Ramos cells was slightly decreased by CFMG treatment compared with 0.2％ DMSO (both P ＞ 0.05),but was markedly increased by TNF-α and IL-1α compared with the culture medium (both P ＜ 0.01).Conclusions CFMG may play an antiinflammatory role via blocking the up-regulating effect of pre-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α and IL-1α on the expression of adherence molecules on HDMECs and,hence,inhibiting inflammatory cell infiltration in tissue.

Objective To evaluate the impact of standardized health management and treatment on asthma control and the quality of life of the patients.Methods One hundred asthma patients were recruited in our hospital and were assigned to the health management (n=50) or the control group (n=50).The control group subjects were treated with conventional therapy,while those of the heahh management group received standardized asthma management and health education.The control of asthma and the quality of life were evaluated at baseline and six months after the intervention.Student's t test and Chisquare test were used for data analysis.Results At 6 months treatment,the rate of effective control of asthma of the health management group (56％) was higher than that of the control group (22％) (x2=12.15,P＜0.05).In the control group,the activity limitation,asthma symptoms,mentality asthma,the stimulus response,the personal health concerns and the total score of Quality of life were (47.4±5.8),(35.3±6.2),(28.2±4.3),(22.7±3.5),(17.6±3.9),(151.2±14.7),and they were (38.2±4.5),(27.1±4.8),(23.1±5.7),(18.3±4.3),(13.7±4.2),(121.4± 12.6) in the control group,they were all significantly higher in the management group than that of control group(t values were 6.17,4.42,4.98,5.76,5.43 and 6.35,all P＜0.05).Conclusion The standardized health management and the health education can effectively control asthma and significantly improve the quality of the patient's life.

OBJECTIVE: Embryonic Stem Cell (ES) are characterized by totipotency and normal karyotype and provide the theoretical base in the following fields: embryonic developmeut of mammalian, cell differentiation, expres sion of exogenous genes and utilization of Ess to develop animal model for human inherited diseases. The identification of ES therefore is very important to research and utilize ES.DATA SOURCES: The relevant articles to embryonic stem cell between January 1980 and December 2003 were computer searched for in Medline with the key words "embryonic stem cell, embryo, Alkaline phosphatase,Oct-4"in English. Similarly, the relevant articles to embryonic stem cell between January 1980 and December 2003 were computer searched for in China Journal Full-text Database (CJFD) with the key word "embryonic stem cell" in Chinese.STUDY SELECTION: The articles were browsed firstly. The inclusion criteria were for those articles about the identification of embryonic stem cells. The exclusion criteria were for those about repetitive studies, reviews and other similar articles.DATA EXTRACTION: 16 articles about the identification of embryonic stem cells were collected. Then, the full-texts of the articles were looked through.DATA SYNTHESIS: The selected data were summarized in the following order: ①Preliminary identification of Ess based on morphology and growth;②Immunological valuation; ③Chromosome related identification; ④Identi fication of totipotency and pluripotency.CONCLUSION: The identification of embryonic stem cells is not the result of only one identifying method, but a process of identification. During this process of comprehensive identification, it is recommend to conduct AKP test firstly, karyotype analysis secondly, then examination of surface markers and finally identification of Ess totipotency when Ess are sufficient, takingcare to repeat every identification.

Objective Long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) has been identified to regulate DNA methylation, histone acetylation, and gene post-transcriptional regulation in kinds of diseases, including tumorigenesis, obesity and so on.Therefore, lncRNAs might be the potential targets of mesangial cells proliferation.Methods Mesangial cells were exposed to suitable concentration of TGF-β through cell proliferation assay;then the lncRNAs expression levels were detected by microarray in experimental group and control group separately;finally the differentially expressed lncRNAs were identified by RT-PCR;meanwhile, and the expression levels of target genes were also detected by RT-PCR.Results Cell viability assay confirmed that 10 ng/ml TGF-β could promote mesangial cell proliferation significantly.Totally, over 30 000 lncRNAs were detected in TGF-β treated MCs and control group cells separately.Compared to the control group, 5550 lncRNAs differentially expressed in TGF-β treated MCs, including 119 up-regulated and 147 down-regulated over 2 fold.RT-PCR results appeared that uc.60, MRAK079149, MRAK029456, XR_005507, XR_007641, uc.14, and uc.412 were significantly up-regulated in TGF-β treated MCs, and BC088254, DQ402472, BC098733, BC158832,BC098746 were stably down-regulated.Compared to the control group, the mRNA expression levels of AATF and NEK were increased in the TGF-β treated mesangial cells (P ＜ 0.05).AATF and NEK were downstream target genes of uc.412 and MRAK079149 respectively.Conclusion The differential expression of long noncoding RNAs presents in the experimental mesangial cells proliferation induced by TGF-β.

Objective: To investigate the curative effects of Shuanghongtong Decoction (Flos carthami, Radix Ginseng Rubra and Radix Ophiopogonis) diabetic neuropathy peripheral (DPN) and its mechanism.Methods:28 DPN patients were treated with Shuanghongtong Decoction for 3 weeks. The symptom and the peroneal nerve conduction velocity (SNCV) were observed before and after the experiments respectively. The diabetic rats reduced by STZ were treated with the same decoction for 4 weeks, at the end of the experiments the nerve conduction velocity (NCV) and the activity of aldose reductase (AR) were measured.Results: Some symptoms such as acra pain, numbness, asthenia and the peroneal SNCV were significantly improved after treatment with decoction. The animal experiments showed that the NCV were significantly increased and the activity of AR significantly decreased in diabetic rats as compared with the normal rats.Conclusion: Shuanghongtong Decoction could improve the symptom and increase the NCV of DPN. It's mechanism may be through inhibiting the activity of AR then improving the diabetic metabolism disorder.

Objective To investigate the role of vitamin D receptor (VDR) in the protection of bufalin on podocyte injury induced by adriamycin (ADR).Methods (1) In vitro:the toxic effect of different concentrations of bufalin (10-9,10-8,10-7,104 mol/L) on podocyte was evaluated by lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) test;Annexin V-FITC and RT-PCR were utilized for podocyte apoptosis and VDR mRNA level respectively.Western blotting was used to analyze the protein expression of VDR and nephrin.SiRNA intervene was also applied to evaluate the role of VDR in bufalin's protective effect on podocyte injury induced by ADR.(2) In vitro:24 SD rats were randomly divided into three groups:control group,ADR group and ADR+bufalin group.TUNEL assay was applied to detect the apoptosis of podocytes in the kidney.Immunofluorescence and transmission electron microscope (TEM) were applied to analyze the expression of VDR and the ultrastructure of the glomerulus.Results Bufalin concentration lower than 10-7 mol/L had no toxicity on normal podocyte.Bufalin reduced the urinary protein excretion (P ＜ 0.05),alleviated the removal of podocyte foot processes and attenuated the changes in nephrin expression in the glomerulus of the adriamycin (ADR) rats (P ＜ 0.05).Bufalin notably inhibited the down-regulation of VDR in protein levels on the glomerulus of the ADR rats.Additionally,bufalin inhibited the down-regulation of VDR in both mRNA levels and protein levels (P ＜ 0.05),nephrin protein expression (P＜ 0.05),and apoptosis induced by ADR in cultured podocytes.Additionally,VDR specific siRNA intervene abolished the protective effect of bufalin in ADR-induced podocyte injury.Conclusion Bufalin can alleviate ADR-induced podocyte injury via enhancing VDR expression.

Objective To identify the association of thyroid stimulating hormone receptor ( TSHR ) gene intron 1 susceptible loci and 4p14 susceptible locus rs6832151 polymorphisms with Graves’ disease ( GD) in Han Chinese population in Bengbu, Anhui, China. The gene-gene interaction among TSHR intron 1 susceptible loci and 4p14 susceptible locus rs6832151 was also investigated. Methods The genotypes of the single-nucleotide polymorphisms ( SNPs) were analyzed by Taqman probe technique on Fluidigm EP1 platform in 611 patients with GD and 555 control subjects, and linkage analysis, correlation analysis, haplotype analysis, and epistasis analysis with them were performed. Results Six SNPs in two candidate genes(rs12101261, rs4903964,rs179247, rs2284722 and rs17111394 in TSHR, rs6832151 in 4p14) were associated with GD (all P<0. 05). The frequency distributions of haplotypes of SNPs in TSHR intron 1 ( AGTA, GGCG, AATA, and CC) were significantly different between GD and control groups(all P<0. 01). There existed the interactions between rs179247 and rs12101261 in TSHR(P=0. 001) and among rs179247(TSHR),rs4903964(TSHR) and rs6832151(4p14) (P=0. 001). Conclusions rs683215 in 14p14 and rs12101261, rs4903964, rs179247, rs2284722 and rs17111394 in TSHR intron 1 were susceptible loci of GD in the Chinese Han population from Bengbu. The haplotypes in TSHR intron 1 were associated with GD. There exists the interaction between the SNPs in TSHR and 4p14,which may change the risk of GD.

AIM:To explore the role of sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) in the dysfunction of vascular endo-thelial cells exposed to high glucose.METHODS: In human aortic endothelial cells cultured under high-glucose ( 22 mmol/L glucose) medium, nitric oxide ( NO) level, polymorphonuclear neutrophil-endothelial cell adhesion rate, protein level of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 ( ICAM-1) , migration of endothelial cells and Akt/endothelial nitric oxide syn-thase ( eNOS) pathway activation were observed after S1P, sphingosine kinase-1 inhibitor and/or Akt inhibitor treatments. RESULTS:S1P decreased NO level, increased polymorphonuclear neutrophil adhesive rate, enhanced ICAM-1 protein level, and inhibited migration of endothelial cells and activation of Akt/eNOS pathway in endothelial cells cultured under high-glucose condition.Sphingosine kinase-1 inhibitor, which reduced S1P content, significantly improved the above endo-thelial cell function indexes and restored the activation of Akt/eNOS pathway.CONCLUSION: S1P promoted high glu-cose-induced dysfunction of endothelial cells probably by inhibiting the activation of Akt/eNOS signal pathway.Targeting S1P is expected to become one of potential treatment strategies to reduce endothelial cell dysfunction.