Deficiency of Qi (healthy energy) and blood stasis are the basic pathological changes of hepatic fibrosis according to the theories of traditional Chinese medicine. Fuzheng Huayu Capsule, a compound Chinese herbal medicine for hepatic fibrosis, is produced in the light of this pathological mechanism. More than a decade of clinical studies and experimental researches show that this medicine has effects of protecting hepatic cells, relieving liver injury, and controlling the development of hepatic fibrosis. It has definite functional mechanisms on anti-hepatic fibrosis. It is a safe and effective medicine for hepatic fibrosis, and deserves to be well introduced to clinic.

ObjectiveTo summarize the short-term effects o f Symmetry aortic co nnector in off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCAB) operation. MethodsTwo hundreds and four patients suffering from coronary artery d isease underwent OPCAB from September 2002 to June 2003. Among the 204 patients, saphenous vein grafts were used in 167 patients and Symmetry aortic connectors were adopted in 100 of them.ResultsOf 142 connectors used, 2 connectors fai led and manual r epairs were required in 3 cases because of anastomotic leakage, the success rate being 96 5% (137 of 142). The number of proximal anastomosis was (1 4?0 5) per case and the number of distal anastomosis (3 5?0 8) per case. The proximal a na stomotic blood flow was (46 5?22 3) ml/min. The fitting time for connectors w as (4 0?1 1) min, and anastomoses were all accomplished within 10 seconds. The op eration time was (3 2?0 4) hours. The operative death rate was 1% (1 of 100). R e-operation of thoracotomy was required in 1 case because of bleeding but not an astomotic bleeding. No myocardial infarction or stroke occurred in the peri-oper ative period. The postoperative drainage amount was (547?247) ml. The blood tra nsfusion rate was 36 0% (36 of 100). The postoperative hospital stay was (7 8 ?1 6) days.ConclusionsSymmetry aortic connector can be saf ely and effectively used in coronary artery bypass grafting operations, with satisfactory short-term clinical effects. The procedure may shorten operation time, avoid aortic clampi ng, and lower the incidence of stroke.

Objective To summarize the mid-term outcomes of minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass (MIDCAB). Methods A series of 33 patients underwent MIDCAB from November 2000 to April 2003: 29 of them received MIDCAB only and 4 received the hybrid approach operation (combining MIDCAB of the left anterior descending artery with percutaneous coronary intervention of the remaining diseased coronary arteries). Out of the 33 cases, conventional MIDCAB was carried out in 25 cases, 4 underwent thoracoscopy-assisted operation and 4 received the surgery with the assistance of the AESOP robot system. Results No operation-related deaths or complications were seen in the study. The extubation time was (7.5?1.9) hours, the chest drainage volume was (274?197) ml, the blood transfusion rate 9.1% (3/33) and the postoperative hospital stay (6.9?1.7) days. Follow-up in all the 33 cases for (24.3?5.7) months revealed no long-term deaths and the recurrence rate of angina was 9.1% (3/33). Postoperative coronary angiography in 4 cases found 1 case of 50% stricture of anastomosis and 3 cases of anastomotic patency between the anterior descending artery and left internal mammary artery. Postoperative catheter revascularization was required in 2 cases (6%). Conclusions The mid-term outcomes of MIDCAB is satisfactory.

Objective To evaluate the clinical application and mid-term result of Gore-Tex suture as an artificial chordae in mitral anterior leaflet valvuloplasty. Methods 38 patients with the anterior leaflet received surgery. The data of the cardiac function (EF), the diameter of left ventricular and left atria and the degree of mitral regurgitation were analyzed before and after operation. Results The degree of mitral regurgitation decreased significantly after operation. The mean degree of pre-operation mitral regurgitation was (3.76?0.43) +, and after surgery was (1.08?0.99)+,P

Objective To determine the optimal injection dose of ozone for the treatment of lumbar intervertebral disc protrusion.Methods A total of 240 patients with lumbar intervertebral disc protrusion were randomly and equally divided into four groups,with 60 patients in each group.Under CT guidance intervertebral injection of ozone was performed.The injection dose of ozone(50 ug/ml)used for patients in group A,B,C and D was 10 ml,20 ml,30 ml and 40 ml respectively.Immediately after the procedure CT scanning was made to check the result. A follow-up lasting 6-12 months was carried out.Clinical observation,including the ablation degree of the nucleus puiposus,the therapeutic results and the adverse reactions,was conducted.The results were statistically analyzed and compared among the four groups.Results A significant difference in the therapeutic effect existed between group A(10 ml)and other three groups(P＜0.05),while no significant difference in the therapeutic effect existed among group B(20 ml),group C(30 ml)and group D(40 ml),with P＞0.05.The occurrence of complications was increasing with the injection dose used.Conclusion The optimal injection dose of ozone for the treatment of lumbar intervertebral disc protrusion is 20 ml.

Objective To optimize the conditions of extraction process of polysaccharides from seeds of Toona sinensis; To preliminary determinate the antioxidant activity in vitro. Methods The content of polysaccharides from Toona sinensis was chosen as evaluation index; the extraction time, material liquid ratio, and extraction times were chosen as factors; L9(34) orthogonal design was used to optimize extraction process; antioxidant activity of polysaccharides from Toona sinensis was investigated by the total reducing power and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryhydrazyl (DPPH) method. Results From the statistical data of processing, the optimal extracting conditions were as follows:liquid to material was 1:12, extraction time was 120 min, and extracted for 3 times. Polysaccharides from seeds of Toona sinensis had certain reducing capacity and had better scavenging ability on DPPH? and the scavenging rate significantly increased with the concentration. The effect was simulated by curve equation. Conclusion The process is simple, feasible, stable and reliable and can be used for the small-scale study on extraction of polysaccharides from seeds of Toona sinensis. Polysaccharides from seeds of Toona sinensis have antioxidant activity.

The development of high throughput sequencing technology has promoted the development of many related spheres of research .Many research institutions are studying algorithms of microorganism detection using high throughput se -quencing data .Some algorithms have already been designed and published .In this paper , we investigated the literature re-garding the use of high throughput sequencing data for microorganism detection , studied the function and workflow of four released algorithms of microorganism detection based on high throughput sequencing data , and analyzed their advantages and disadvantages.Finally, we summarized how these detection algorithms were designed and classified them before we proposed ways of improvement .

Objective To observe the risks of hypoxemia after uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS).Methods Forty-six ASA Ⅱ or Ⅲ male patients with OSAS,aged 30-50 yr,with body mass index 27-33 kg/m2,Mallampati Ⅰ-Ⅳ,underwent UPPP under general anesthesia with propofol and remifentanil.O2 was inhaled for 24 h via a nasal catheter starting from the end of surgery.SpO2 was monitored within 24 h after surgery.Oxygen desaturation index (ODI,hourly average number of desaturation episodes in which the decrease in SpO2 ≥4% and duration ≥ 10 s) and the cumulative time percentage with SpO2 ＜ 90% (CT90) from oximetry were recorded.Results Compared with the baseline value before surgery,ODI and CT90 were significantly decreased at 2 and 2-4 h after extubation and on 1 st night after surgery (11:00 pm-6:00 am) (P ＜ 0.05).ODI and CT90 were significantly lower on 1st night after surgery than at 2 and 2-4 h after extubation (P ＜ 0.05).The rate of ODI abnormalities was 100%,48% and 50% before surgery and at 2 and 2-4 h after extubation,respectively.Compared with the baseline value before surgery,the rate of ODI abnormalities was significantly decreased at 2 and 2-4 h after extubation,while increased on 1 st night after surgery (P ＜ 0.05).There was no significant difference in the rate of ODI abnormalities between that on 1 st night after surgery and that before surgery (P ＞ 0.05).Conclusion Although UPPP can significantly improve airway obstruction in patients with OSAS,hypoxemic episodes still occur after surgery,suggesting that UPPP should not be treated as an ambulatory surgery.

OBJECTIVE:To investigate the effects of NOS1AP rs12742393 A/C gene polymorphism on lipid-regulating re-sponse of rosuvastatin calcium. METHODS:Two hundred and tuirty six patients with coronary heart disease(CHD)were selected from cardiology department of our hospital during Jan. 2014-Jun. 2015,and then given rosuvastatin calcium and other symptomatic treatment for 12 weeks. Polymorphism of NOS1AP rs12742393 A/C was detected by PCR-RFLP. The levels of TG,TC,HDL-C and LDL-C were detected by photoelectric colorimetry before treatment and 4,12 weeks after treatment. The serum relationship of genotype with the level of blood lipid was analyzed. RESULTS:Among 236 CHD patients,there were 131 cases of AA genotype (55.5%),98 cases of AC genotype(41.5%) and 7 cases of CC genotype(3.0%);genotype and allele frequencies met the Har-dy-Weinberg balance(P>0.05). There were 132 patients with normal blood lipid and 104 patients with hypercholesterolemia;there was statistical significance in genotype and allele frequencies (P<0.05). Among 104 CHD patients with hypercholesterolemia be-fore treatment,there was no statistical significance in the levels of TG,TC,LDL-C and HDL-C between AA genotype and AC+CC genotype(P>0.05). 4th and 12th week after treatment,the levels of TG,TC and LDL-C in different genotypes were all de-creased significantly;4th week after treatment,the level of LDL-C in AC+CC genotype was significantly lower than AA genotype, and the change compared to before treatment was significantly more than AA genotype,with statistical significance (P<0.05). There was no statistical significance in the level of HDL-C among different genotypes compared to before treatment;there was no statistical significance in the levels of TG,TC and HDL-C 4th,12th week after treatment and their changes compared to before treatment between AA genotype and AC+CC genotype;there was no statistical significance in the level of LDL-C 12th week after treatment and their changes between AA genotype and AC+CC genotype(P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS:NOS1AP rs12742393 A/C gene polymorphism is associated with CHD complicated with hypercholesterolemia;the C allele of NOS1AP rs12742393 may strengthen the response of CHD patients with hy-percholesterolemia to rosuvastatin calcium through influencing the level of LDL-C.

PURPOSE: Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a prevalent chronic microvascular complication of diabetes mellitus involving disturbances in electrolytes and the acid-base balance caused by a disorder of glucose metabolism. NHE1 is a Na+/H+ exchanger responsible for keeping intracellular pH (pHi) balance and cell growth. Our study aimed to investigate roles of NHE1 in high glucose (HG)-induced apoptosis in renal tubular epithelial cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Renal epithelial tubular cell line HK-2 was cultured in medium containing 5 mM or 30 mM glucose. Then, cell apoptosis, oxidative stress, NHE1 expression, and pHi were evaluated. NHE1 siRNA and inhibitor were used to evaluate its role in cell apoptosis. RESULTS: HG significantly increased cell apoptosis and the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and 8-OHdG (p<0.05). Meanwhile, we found that HG induced the expression of NHE1 and increased the pHi from 7.0 to 7.6 after 48 h of incubation. However, inhibiting NHE1 using its specific siRNA or antagonist DMA markedly reduced cell apoptosis stimulated by HG. In addition, suppressing cellular oxidative stress using antioxidants, such as glutathione and N-acetyl cysteine, significantly reduced the production of ROS, accompanied by a decrease in NHE1. We also found that activated cyclic GMP-Dependent Protein Kinase Type I (PKG) signaling promoted the production of ROS, which contributed to the regulation of NHE1 functions. CONCLUSION: Our study indicated that HG activates PKG signaling and elevates the production of ROS, which was responsible for the induction of NHE1 expression and dysfunction, as well as subsequent cell apoptosis, in renal tubular epithelial cells.
Antioxidants/metabolism ; Apoptosis/*drug effects ; Cation Transport Proteins/*metabolism ; Cell Cycle/drug effects ; Cell Line ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Epithelial Cells/*cytology/drug effects/*metabolism ; Glucose/*pharmacology ; Glutathione/metabolism ; Humans ; Kidney Tubules/*cytology ; Oxidative Stress/*drug effects ; Reactive Oxygen Species/metabolism ; Signal Transduction/drug effects ; Sodium-Hydrogen Antiporter/*metabolism