Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional

Drug Therapy, Combination ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Phytotherapy ; Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ; drug therapy ; prevention & control

Aging ; genetics ; physiology ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Humans ; Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System ; physiology ; Kidney ; physiology ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Neuroimmunomodulation ; physiology ; Pituitary-Adrenal System ; physiology ; Thymus Gland ; physiology ; Yang Deficiency ; physiopathology

Optogenetics is a novel technique which combines optics with genetics.Using genetic means,a selected opsin protein is ectopically expressed in target neurons,which are then stimulated by light to moderate the neuronal circuit,as a consequence to regulate the animal's behaviors.Retinal degeneration like retinitis pigmentosa and aged macular degeneration causes visual impairment and eventual blindness.Optogenetics techniques have opened the door to creating artificial photoreceptors in the remaining retinal circuits of retinal degeneration retinas via gene therapy.However,there are still limitations in optogenetics technique,for example,potential risk in virus infection,the choice of target cells and the low visual resolution of the experiment animal.It has been reported that vision was successfully restored to a certain extent in animal model using optogenetics technique.With higher photosensitivity of opsin protein,longer activation kinetics and higher transfection efficiency of virus vector,optogenetics techniques' application in ophthalmology will be improved.

Humans ; Integrative Medicine ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; methods ; Retrospective Studies

Objective To define the characteristic values of the pharyngeal cavity by comparing the values of measures and ratios between the patients with obstructive sheep apnea-hypopnea syndrome(OSAS) and controls.Methods Sixty-eight OSAS patients who were diagnosed using polysomnography,and 56 healthy people were scanned by MSCT(multiple slices computed tomography)in the awake state.Then, the values were measured on the reformated images and were compared between two groups.Results Of the 63 values,49 values were different between the two groups,and among those,4 values were entered into the Discriminant Functions.These were the left-right diameter(LR)[OSAS:LR=(9.4?3.7)mm,controls: LR=(20.1?5.0)mm,t=-13.820,P=0.000)and the cross-sectional area(XSA)[OSAS:XSA= (54?27)mm~2,controls:XSA=(164?77)mm~2,t=-10.944,P=0.000]of RP,the heights of tongue [OSAS:(75.4?8.3)mm,controls:(58.4?9.8)mm,t=10.476,P=0.000],the lengths of uvula/the lengths of airway(OSAS:0.139?0.039,controls:0.154?0.048,t=-1.983,P=0.050).Conclusions Many measures and ratios were different between the two groups,but there were overlaps between them. Measures using the Discriminant Functions can help the diagnosis of OSAS.

Objective To investigate the pathologic appearances,immunohistochemical features,and genetic changes of malignant triton tumor(MTT). Methods One case of MTT was studied pathologically and immunohistochemically,and the related literatures were reviewed. Results A huge mass,demonstrated in the thorax by X ray and CT scan was seen in the posterior mediastinum in the surgery.Histologically,the tumor was composed of spindle cells with significant atypia.Some of the tumor cells had dense eosinophilic cytoplasm.Immunohistochemical staining revealed positive for myoglobin,desmin and S-100 in most of the tumor cells.The pathological diagnosis was MTT of the posterior mediastinum. Conclusion Cases of MTT in the mediastinum are very rare,with less specific clinical and imaging manifestations.The diagnosis is mainly made on the basis of pathological examination and immunohistochemical staining.

Objective To study the concentration alteration of serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in patients with primary and secondary glomerular diseases (GD), the effect of immune inhibitors on the concentration, and analyze the relationship between VEGF concentration and some clinical indexes. Methods Serum VEGF concentration of GD patients was determined by sandwich ABC-ELISA. Results All of the GD patients had higher level of serum VEGF than the control group. Of the 5 groups divided according to the clinical classification, patients of chronic glomerulonephritis(CGN) group, latent glomerulonephritis(LGN) group, Henoch-Schonlein purpura nephritis(HSPN) group and lupus nephritis(LN) group had higher serum VEGF level than the control group, respectively, with no difference among the above groups. The patients without taking immune inhibitors had higher serum VEGF level than the control group,while no difference was observed between the patients taking immune inhibitors and the control group.Patients with glomerulonephritis had a significantly lower serum VEGF level after receiving immunosuppression aggressive therapy than before. The serum VEGF level of nephrotic syndrome in nephrotic phase was higher than in remission stage. In membranous glomerulonephritis serum VEGF correlated positively with 24-hour proteinuria excretion. The serum VEGF level correlated positively with anti-dsDNA Ab titer and the concentration of ? globulins in LN. Conclusion Cytokine VEGF is involved in the pathogenesis of glomerulonephritis, and in the occurrence and progression of proteinuria. Immunosuppression therapy can inhibit the expression of VEGF. In LN patients, the serum VEGF level is related to LN activity.

Objective To study the best parameters of low dose MSCT in examining the pharyngeal disease.Methods 20 volunteers were scanned by MSCT using 10 mm collimation,10 mm interval,120 kV,200 mA,100 mA,50 mA,25 mA parameters,respectively.All of the data was reformed(collimation 2.5 mm,interval 1.3 mm) on ADW 4.0 workstation.The image quality in different dose were scored respectively by 4 experienced radiolagists. Results The best appropriate parameter was 10 mm collimation,10 mm interval,120 kV,50 mA.Conclusion In examining the pharyngeal disease,the application of low dose(120 kV,50 mA) scan mode not only can assure the image quality but can decrease the exposure to patients.

Objective To explore the relationship among the severity of coronary disease, c-reaction protein (CRP) and mild renal dysfunction. Methods 64 patients underwent coronary angiography were divided into two groups according to their serum creatinine (cr) levels: normal renal function(cr