Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of Qingre Liangxue Recipe (QLR), a herbal prescription with the actions of clearing heat and cooling blood, for the treatment of gouty arthritis. Methods Sixty-five cases of gouty arthritis patients were randomly divided into treatment group (N=32) and control group (N=33). Both groups were given oral use of colchicine during the acute stage and being suspended when the pain was relieved, and then were given oral use of allopurinol tablets during the remission stage. Additionally, the treatment group was given oral use of QLR all through the acute stage and remission stage. The treatment lasted for 4 weeks in both groups. After treatment, clinical efficacy was evaluated in the two groups. The number of acute relapse cases and the changes of blood uric acid level were observed. Results At the end of the first treatment week, the treatment group had a total effective rate of 96.9%, significantly higher than that (81.8%) of the control group. At the end of the fourth treatment week, the treatment group had a total effective rate of 100.0%, significantly higher than that (90.9%) of the control group. The treatment group had better therapeutic effect than the control group at the end of the first or the fourth treatment week, the difference being significant ( P<0.01). The number of acute relapse cases and the serum uric acid level were lower in the treatment group than those in the control group during 4 treatment weeks or 12 weeks after treatment suspension, the difference being significant ( P<0.01). Conclusion QLR combined with anti-gout medicines can effectively relieve symptoms of gouty arthritis, reduce incidence of acute relapse, and have long-term effect on lowering blood uric acid level.

Non-drug treatment of hypertension has become a research hotspot, which might overcome the heavy economic burden and side effects of drug treatment for the patients. Because of the good treatment effect and convenient operation, a new treatment based on slow breathing training is increasingly becoming a kind of physical therapy for hypertension. This paper explains the principle of hypertension treatment based on slow breathing training method, and introduces the overall structure of the portable blood pressure controlling instrument, including breathing detection circuit, the core control module, audio module, memory module and man-machine interaction module. We give a brief introduction to the instrument and the software in this paper. The prototype testing results showed that the treatment had a significant effect on controlling the blood pressure.
Biofeedback, Psychology ; methods ; Blood Pressure ; Humans ; Hypertension ; therapy ; Physical Therapy Modalities ; instrumentation

[Ab]stract] Objective To investigate, according to core myodynamic theory, the clinical efficacy of electroacupuncture at Huatuo jiaji points in treating motor dysfunction in stroke patients during the flaccid paralysis stage.Methods Sixty stroke patients in the stage of flaccid paralysis were randomly allocated to treatment and control groups, 30 cases each. The control group received basic treatment and conventional acupuncture and the treatment group, electroacupuncture at Huatuo jiaji points in addition. The simplified Fugl-Meyer assessment (FMA) score and the Modified Barthel Index (MBI) score were counted before and after treatment and the clinical therapeutic effects were compared between the two groups.Results There were statistically significant pre-/post-treatment differences in the FMA score and the MBI score in the two groups (P<0.05). There were statistically significant post-treatment differences in the FMA score and the MBI score between the treatment and control groups (P<0.05). The total efficacy rate was 96.7% in the treatment group and 86.7% in the control group; there was a statistically significant difference between the two groups (P<0.05).Conclusion Electroacupuncture at Huatuo jiaji points has a promoting effect on the rehabilitation of limb function in the flaccid paralysis stage of stroke.

BACKGROUND:Previous studies have indicated that resistin stimulates a large set of chemokines in chondrocytes that are known to be important in inflammatory joint lesions.
OBJECTIVE:To further investigate the mechanism of co-regulation roles of transcription and post-transcription in the up-regulation of two chemokine genes CCL3 and CCL4 in chondrocytes in response to resistin.
METHODS:Human chondrocytes, T/C-28a2 and ATDC5 cels were cultured. The function of resistin on the chemokine genes, and the expression of C/EBPβ, nuclear factor-κB isoforms and chondrogenic specific miRNAs were tested by qPCR. The co-regulation of C/EBPβ and nuclear factor-κB was investigated by nuclear factor-κB inhibitor (IKK-NBD) and C/EBPβ inhibitor (SB303580) treatments, and subcelular localization was detected with or without resistin stimulation.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Resistin could increase the expression of chemokine genes independently. Chondrocytes reacted in a non-restrictedly cel-specific manner to resistin; C/EBPβ inhibitor, nuclear factor-κB and some chondrogenic specific miRNAs in a combinatorial manner regulated chemokine gene expression. The activity of C/EBPβ was augmented by a transient increase in activity of nuclear factor-κB, and both transcription factors acted independently on the chemokine genes, CCL3 and CCL4.

Objective:To prepare a progressive gradient-aperture scaffold composed of silk fibroin(SF)-chitosan(CS)-nano-hydroxyapatite(nHAp)for osteochondral repair.Method:The SF solution, CS solution and nHA suspension were mixed in vitro at equal proportions.The progressive gradient osteochondral(OC)scaffold-1(2%), scaffold-2(3%)and scaffold-3(4%)was respectively prepared by using centrifugation, vacuum freeze-drying, chemical cross-linking and three shaping steps.General conditions, porosity, hot water dissolution rate, water swelling rate, compression water swelling rate, water swelling rate after dissolution, mechanical properties, internal structure observation and pore size were measured.Rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells(BMSCs)were cultured and the scaffold extract was prepared.The effect of scaffold extract on the proliferation of BMSCs was detected by the cell counting kit-8(CCK-8)method.BMSCs were co-cultured with the scaffold, and the distribution and morphology of the cells around the scaffold were observed.Results:The structure of scaffold was regular in each group and the porosity was more than 80%.Along with the increase of the material concentration, the water swelling rate of the scaffold was decreased gradually( P<0.05). Compared with before compression, the water swelling rate of scaffold-1 was decreased after compression( P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the hot water dissolution rate among all groups( all P>0.05), and the complete dissolution of the scaffold-1, scaffold-2 and scaffold-3 in vitro required 65.9, 60.9, and 73.9weeks, respectively.The elastic modulus of scaffolds in above three groups were 0.0955, 0.1762 and 0.3468 MPa, respectively.The examination results of scanning electron microscope(SEM)showed that the internal structure of scaffold was honeycomb in each group, the pore shape was regular, which showed an inter-connected pore network.The pore distribution was gradually dense and the pore diameter gradually decreased from the cartilage side to the osteogenic side( P<0.05), and the nHAp content increased gradually.The scaffold extract had no obvious toxicity to the growth and proliferation of BMSCs in each group.After BMSCs were seeded on scaffolds and co-cultured for 5 days, the cells grew well without obvious cell death or morphological abnormalities. Conclusions:In this study, a progressive gradient pore size OC scaffold is successfully prepared with good physical properties and biocompatibility, which is expected to be a new bio-mimetic composite scaffold material for repairing OC defects.

Objective To investigate the correlation and consistency between the parameters of thromboelastography(TEG)and routine coagulation tests,and to evaluate the application value of the two methods in heparin anticoagulation monitoring and coagulation function monitoring in patients receiving extracorporeal membrane oxygenation(ECMO)therapy.Methods A total of 138 patients who recieved ECMO in the Department of Critical Care Medicine of the People's Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region from October 2021 to December 2022 were selected.A total of 317 pairs of ordinary TEG and heparinase-modified TEG(hmTEG)parameters measured simultaneously were analyzed for correlation and consis-tency with activated partial thromboplastin time(APTT),fibrinogen(Fib),and platelet count(Plt),and the parameters tested when ECMO was established and 24 hours after ECMO operation were compared.Results The correlation coefficient between R values and APTT of hmTEG(r=0.441,P<0.05)was lower than that of ordinary TEG(r=0.547,P<0.05).The parameters α-Angle and K value of ordinary TEG were not correlated with Fib(P>0.05),while as for hmTEG,the correla-tion was 0.359(P<0.05)and-0.343(P<0.05),respectively.The correlation between MA value of hmTEG and Plt was 0.456(P<0.05),which was much lower than its correlation with Fib(r=0.715,P<0.05).APTT and hmTEG had moderate agreement in judging the anticoagulant effect of UFH(P<0.05).Plt at 24 hours after ECMO was significantly lower than that at establishment of ECMO(P<0.05).Fib,APTT and hmTEG parameters were not significantly different between the two groups(P>0.05).Conclusion The parameters of hmTEG can better reflect the real level of coagulation factors in patients receiving ECMO.The results of hmTEG and APTT are complementary to assess whether heparin in ECMO patients is over-dosed,and hmTEG has unique advantages.Routine coagulation tests and TEG cannot replace each other,and the combina-tion of them can achieve better anticoagulation and coagulation management.