Adult ; Disease Susceptibility ; complications ; Female ; Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced ; complications ; Humans ; Hypertension ; etiology ; Linear Models ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multivariate Analysis ; Noise, Occupational ; adverse effects ; Occupational Exposure ; adverse effects

BACKGROUND: The pathological changes of osteoarthritis are similar to that of kaschin-beck disease, but the cause of the latter is still unclear,damage is more serious. From the comparison of pathology changes between them, we hope to find out an effective therapeutic method with the assistance of arthroscope basing on the experiences in osteoarthritis.OBJECTIVE: To make comparison of the histomorphological changes between osteoarthritis and kaschin-beck disease with knee arthroscope,which give clues to the diagnosis and selection of operative technique for kaschin-bock disease under arthroscope.DESIGN: Case control study.SETTING: Department of Orthopaedics, Shaanxi People's Hospital.PARTICIPANTS: Thirty-five patients who needed arthroscope surgery due to severer knee osteoarthritis were randomly selected from Department of Orthopaedics, Shaanxi People's Hospital between April 1998 and September 2000; Meanwhile 31 patients with knee joint functional obstacle caused by kaschin-beck disease (epidemic disease area) were randomly selected from Luochuan Hospital of Shaanxi Province in November 2001.METHODS: Japanese made OLYMPUS series color television arthroscope and surgery system were used to carry out knee joint operations in all participants. During the operation, video recording, postoperative editing, photographs, comparison and analysis were conducted, in order to find out the pathological changes of the two groups in knee joint synovium, patella, femur, tibia and meniscus with the assistance of arthroscope.RESULTS: Totally 66 patients were enrolled in this study and all endamage in Kaschin-beck disease and osteoarthritis: Injuries were graded into grade 0, 1, 2 and 3, there were 0,3,5,23 cases and 0,3,16,16cases correspondingly in kaschin-beck disease group and osteoarthritis cartilage damage was presented by big piece of cartilage peeled off, part of them came off leading to bone exposure, the exposed bone surface is uneven; while cartilage damage in osteoarthritis was presented by the wear of cartilage, moreover cartilage island was found remained in the exposed bone with the surface covered with fiber strips and the exposed observed in 24 patients with Kaschin-beck disease, 5 cases with coarse stress point and 19 cases with burr-like damage, amongst which there were 9 cases displayed both medial and lateral meniscus damages; in osteoarthritis group there were 16 cases showed meniscus damages including edge wears in11 cases and breakage in 5 cases.CONCLUSION: Cartilage damage in knee articular was obviously severer in Kaschin-beck disease than in osteoarthritis, although kaschin-beck disease is no matter resulting in serious knee joint damage, but its pathology changes are different from osteoarthritis, we should pay more attention to the peculiarity of big piece of cartilage peeling off during operations.

By using the pharmacophore model of mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists as a starting point, the experiment stud- ies the method of traditional Chinese medicine formula design for anti-hypertensive. Pharmacophore models were generated by 3D-QSAR pharmacophore (Hypogen) program of the DS3.5, based on the training set composed of 33 mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists. The best pharmacophore model consisted of two Hydrogen-bond acceptors, three Hydrophobic and four excluded volumes. Its correlation coefficient of training set and test set, N, and CAI value were 0.9534, 0.6748, 2.878, and 1.119. According to the database screening, 1700 active compounds from 86 source plant were obtained. Because of lacking of available anti-hypertensive medi cation strategy in traditional theory, this article takes advantage of patent retrieval in world traditional medicine patent database, in order to design drug formula. Finally, two formulae was obtained for antihypertensive.
Antihypertensive Agents ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Databases, Factual ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; methods ; Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonists ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Models, Molecular

BACKGROUNDCataracts is considered be formed because of an abnormal glucose metabolic pathway or oxidative stress. We explored the damaging role of ONOO- and antagonism of cholecystokinin octapeptide-8 (CCK-8) in diabetic cataractal rat lenses.

METHODSA diabetic cataractal animal model was established by peritoneal injection of streptozotocine (STZ). Thirty-six normal SD rats were taken as control group; seventy-two were given STZ (45 mg/kg) and then divided into STZ group and CCK-8 group (peritoneal injection CCK-8). STZ induced diabetic rats were treated with CCK-8 for 60 days. Lenses were examined with slit lamp at 20, 40 and 60 days. Immunofluorescent staining and Western blot analysis were used for determining nitrotyrosine (NT, a marker for ONOO-). PT-PCR and gene array analysis were used for determining the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthetase mRNA (iNOS mRNA) in lens epithelium (LEC).

RESULTSSTZ group rats developed lens opacity by 20 days that reached a high level by 60 days after STZ injection. CCK-8 group rats delayed the cataract formation. CCK-8 group rats delayed the cataract formation. There was no distinct expression of NT and iNOS mRNA in control group. In STZ group, there were distinct expression of NT and upregulation of iNOS mRNA; however, CCK-8 group showed weak expression of NT and downregulation of iNOS mRNA.

CONCLUSIONSNT, which may be a new form of oxidative stress, was expressed in diabetic rat LEC although CCK-8 could reverse NT damage in LEC. The results suggested that CCK-8 might be a useful therapeutic agent against diabetic cataract. The antagonizing mechanism of CCK-8 may be related to direct antagonism of ONOO- as well as its inhibition of the expression of iNOS mRNA for production of NO and therefore decrease in the formation of ONOO-.

Animals ; Blotting, Western ; Cataract ; etiology ; prevention & control ; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental ; complications ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique ; Male ; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II ; genetics ; Oxidation-Reduction ; Peroxynitrous Acid ; metabolism ; RNA, Messenger ; analysis ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Sincalide ; pharmacology ; Streptozocin ; Tyrosine ; analogs & derivatives ; genetics

AlM: To investigate the association between the degree of anterioruveitis and related factors including inflammatory markers as well as sacroiliac joint imaging in patients with ankylosing spondylitis ( AS) .
METHODS: Anterior changes evaluated by slit lamp, erythrocyte sedimentation rate ( ESR ) , C - reactive protein ( CRP ) and magnetic resonance imaging of 55 cases with AS associateduveitis were retrospectively analyzed. A modified endotoxin-induced uveitis ( ElU ) clinical standard was used for uveitis grading. SPARCC sacroiliac scoring was used to evaluate bone edema of sacroiliac joint. The correlation between the degree of uveitis and sacroiliitis was assessed.
RESULTS: ln the 55 patients with AS, ElU grading scored 2-10, and SPARCC index scored 0-22. Further analysis showed that the severity of uveitis was significantly correlated with ESR (r=0. 869, P<0. 001) and CRP (r=0. 485, P<0. 001). The degree of anterior uveitis in AS patients was not correlated with inflammation of sacroiliac joint (r=0. 237, P=0. 081).
CONCLUSlON: Local autoimmunity of uveitis and sacroiliac joint inflammation with subsequent bone formation in AS might be mutually independent processes.

AIM To investigate the therapeutic effect of ethyl acetate extract from Pongamia pinnata roots (PREA) on ethanol-induced gastric lesions. METHODS The experimental gastric mucosal injuries were prepared by ig ethanol to rats, and the protective effect of PREA was evaluated by calculating lesion index, observing pathological changes, and measuring the contents of nitric oxide (NO) and malondialdehyde (MDA), and the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) from gastric mucosal tissue. In addition, gastric secretary and gastric wall adherent mucus were studied with the pylorus-ligation rat model. RESULTSCompared with the model control group, PREA (50, 150 and 450 mg·kg-1, ig) dose-dependently prevented the gastric mucosal damages induced by ethanol, its inhibition rates were 28.7%, 57.7% and 78.7 %, respectively. The pathomorphology lesions of mucosal tissue were obviously ameliorated. PREA obviously antagonized the ethanol-induced elevation of MDA content, and reduction of NO level and SOD activity of gastric mucosa. PREA significantly reduced gastric juice volume, free acidity, total acidity and total acid output, but didn′t affect the pepsin activity. Moreover, PREA obviously increased adherent mucus quantity of stomach wall, as well as free mucus quantity dissolved in gastric juice of pylorus-ligation rat. CONCLUSIONPREA has protective effect on ethanol-induced gastric mucosal injuries, which suggests that PREA may be used for protection or treatment of human ethanolinduced gastric lesions.

BACKGROUND:Intermittent negative pressure has been proven to promote the repairing of soft tissue and bone healing, but the effect of negative pressure on the tendon-bone healing after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction has not been reported.
OBJECTIVE:To research the effect of intermittent negative pressure on tendon-bone healing after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction and on the biomechanics of tendon grafts.
METHODS:A total of 24 New Zealand white rabbits were randomly selected to establish the models of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction of autogenous semitendinosus. The hind leg of one side was selected randomly as the negative pressure group, and the joint of the negative pressure side was connected with the micro-negative pressure aspirator through drainage tube and maintained a low-intensity and intermittent negative pressure;the contralateral hind leg was as the control and connected with ordinary drainage tube. Drainage tubes of both sides were removed at the same time after 5 days. At 6 weeks after modeling, the joint fluid was drawn to detect the expression levels of interleukin-1β;femur-ligament-tibia complex was used for tension measurement of tendon graft, and histological observation of tendon-bone interface.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:One rabbit had joint infection, and final y 23 rabbits were included in the study. Tension measurement results showed that maximum load for breakage in negative group pressure was significantly greater than that in the control group (P<0.05). Histological observation found that the number of osteoblasts in the negative pressure group was significantly more than that in the control group, and the difference was statistical y significant (P<0.01). Detection of synovial fluid showed that iterleukin-1βcontent in synovial fluid of the negative pressure group was lower than that in the control group, and the difference was statistical y significant (P<0.01). Intermittent negative pressure may play an active role in tendon-bone healing and modeling of tendon graft after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

OBJECTIVETo observe clinical effect of integrated Chinese medical (CM) treatment (as maintenance therapy) on the progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after first-line chemotherapy.

METHODSThe study was a prospective, randomized, controlled clinical trial. Totally 69 non-progressive advanced NSCLC patients treated with first-line chemotherapy were randomly assigned to the test group (34 cases) and the control group (35 cases). Patients in the control group were treated with one Western drug chemotherapy (Gemcitabine or Alimta or docetaxel). Those in the test group were treated with integrated CM treatment (CM decoction, CM Intravenous preparation, and point application). Each cycle consisted of 21 days. Treatment lasted till the disease progressed, or intolerable toxic/adverse reactions occurred, or patients refused to continue the treatment. Patients' life spans were regularly followed-up.

RESULTS(1) The median cycle of maintenance therapy was 2 cycles for two groups with no statistical difference (P =0.274). The median PFS was 12.43 weeks in the test group and 10.00 weeks in the control group, showing statistical difference (P =0.025). The middle survival time (MST) was 18.8 months in the test group and 16.73 months in the control group, showing no statistical difference (P =0.437).

CONCLUSIONCM treatment (as maintenance therapy) showed quail effect to one Western drug chemotherapy in prolonging patients' life span.

Antineoplastic Agents ; therapeutic use ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; therapeutic use ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung ; drug therapy ; Deoxycytidine ; analogs & derivatives ; therapeutic use ; Disease-Free Survival ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Pemetrexed ; therapeutic use ; Prospective Studies ; Taxoids ; therapeutic use

The combined application of statins that inhibit HMG-CoA reductase and fibrates that activate PPAR-α can produce a better lipid-lowering effect than the simple application, but with stronger adverse reactions at the same time. In the treatment of hyperlipidemia, the combined administration of TCMs and HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor in treating hyperlipidemia shows stable efficacy and less adverse reactions, and provides a new option for the combined application of drugs. In this article, the pharmacophore technology was used to search chemical components of TCMs, trace their source herbs, and determine the potential common TCMs that could activate PPAR-α. Because there is no hyperlipidemia-related medication reference in modern TCM classics, to ensure the high safety and efficacy of all selected TCMs, we selected TCMs that are proved to be combined with statins in the World Traditional/Natural Medicine Patent Database, analyzed corresponding drugs in pharmacophore results based on that, and finally obtained common TCMs that can be applied in PPAR-α and combined with statins. Specifically, the pharmacophore model was based on eight receptor-ligand complexes of PPAR-α. The Receptor-Ligand Pharmacophore Generation module in the DS program was used to build the model, optimize with the Screen Library module, and get the best sub-pharmacophore, which consisted of two hydrogen bond acceptor, three hydrophobic groups and 19 excluded volumes, with the identification effectiveness index value N of 2. 82 and the comprehensive evaluation index CAI value of 1. 84. The model was used to screen the TCMD database, hit 5,235 kinds of chemical components and 1 193 natural animals and plants, and finally determine 62 TCMs. Through patent retrieval, we found 38 TCMs; After comparing with the virtual screening results, we finally got seven TCMs.
Acyl Coenzyme A ; metabolism ; Animals ; Databases, Factual ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions ; Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Lipid Metabolism ; drug effects ; Lipids ; blood ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Models, Molecular ; Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship ; Technology

Plants in Ainsliaea genus, belongs to Compositae family, are traditional Chinese medicine and widely used in folk. These plants contain various types of chemical components, and main components are sesquiterpene lactone and its glycosides. In addition, there are triterpenoids, flavonoids, steroids, phenolic acid, long chain fatty acid and volatile oils. Recently, much attention has been payed to varlous research of A. fragrans. This paper reviewed and summarized the chemical components to provide the theoretical basis for the use of Ainsliaea.
Asteraceae ; chemistry ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Molecular Structure