In ancient Egypt, the theory of circulation of blood and qi was preliminarily established on the basis of cadaver dissection, gradually revised and improved following the progress of anatomy and physiology. However, the "Meridian Theory" of circulation of blood and qi in Chinese medicine had never been established on the basis of anatomical and physiological studies. Thus a suspicion was aroused, "whether the meridians really exist, or artificially assumed by imagination"? Therefore, in recent one half of a century, numerous scholars at home and abroad spent countless financial capacities and human power to study the essence of Meridians in order to find their material or substantial evidence, but with no breakthrough obtained. Nevertheless, in the 70th of the last century, studies on mechanisms of acupuncture analgesia and acupuncture anesthesia won an undoubtedly good result. Hence, the therapeutic effect of acupuncture on pain control was admitted by the "Consensus Statement on Acupuncture" at an international meeting held by NIH in Dec. 1997. Then the old Chinese acupuncture won an international acceptance and application. Therefore, the investigation of mechanism of acupuncture analgesia set up a positive model for future scientific researches on acupuncture mechanisms and essence of Meridians, as well as on other Chinese medical theories.
Acupuncture Analgesia ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Medicine, Traditional ; Qi

Anatomy ; methods ; Humans ; Medicine ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional

History, Ancient ; Humans ; Ophthalmology ; history

Hepatitis B, Chronic ; drug therapy ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; methods

The wound healing research in the biliary tree lag significantly behind similar studies on the skin and gastrointestinal tract. This is at least partly attributable to the difficulty to study on the biliary tract. But clinical relevance, more interest in biliary epithelial cell (BEC) pathophysiology, and widespread availability of BEC cultures are factors reversing this trend. In the extra-hepatic biliary tree,ineffectual wound healing, scarring and stricture development are pressing issues. In the smallest intra-hepatic bile ducts either impaired BEC proliferation or an exuberant response can contribute to liver disease. Chronic inflammation and persistent wound healing reactions in large and small bile ducts often lead to hepatic cirrhosis and liver cancer.

The pattern of branching and distribution of the segmental bronchi in the rightlower lobe of 50 adult Chinese lungs were studied and the following results were ob-tained. 1. In 98% of the cases the superior segmental bronchus (B~6) arises as a single stem,which is either divided into 2 branches (86%) or 3 branches (12%). In the formercase, the prevailing pattern (68%) has the formula B_(a+b)~6 and B_6c. In 22% of the cases, the superior segment is obliquely fitted to the basal segmentsof the lower lobe, and in the remaining 76% it caps the basal segments horizontally. Only in one instance (2%), B~6 arises as two separate stems. In 38% of the cases the subsuperior bronchus proper (B~*) is present. In some cases(6%) of this group there are two B~* in the same lobe. The accessory subsuperior bronchus (BX_(10)~*) is found in 86% of the cases. It maybe represented by 1--3 stems. The B~x or BX_(10)~* almost always distributes to at least the posterior section of thelung but it may spread medially to the paravertebral area or laterally to the postero-lateral zone. 2. The percentages of occurrence of types Ⅰ, Ⅱ, Ⅲ and Ⅳ of the medial basal bron-chus (B~7) are 38%, 30%, 16% and 16% respectively. The anterior basal bronchus (B~8) is remarkably constant in occurrence and pattern,80% of B~8 bifurcated into B_a~8 and B_b~8, 18% is expanded by the inclusion of the sub-segmental bronchus of adjoining segments, and 2% is defective. The lateral basal bronchus (B~9) divides typically into B_a~9 and B_b~9 in 82% of thecases. Only 2% of B~9 is expanded, this is due to the inclusion of the displaced B_b~8. Inthe remaining 16%, B~9 is defective. In such instances its two subsegmental bronchiarise independently, one has developed at the usual site of B~9, the other arises as a dis-placed branch usually from main trunk of B~(10). In all specimens, the posterior basal bronchi (B~(10)) divides into B_a~(10) and B_b~(10). Onlyin two specimens, B_b~(10). is expanded by inclusion of the displaced B_b~7. 3. The lengths and the relative levels of the segmental bronchi of the right lowerlobes were measured.

The lengths and diameters of the trachea and bronchi, the angle formed at the bi-furcation of the trachea were measured in 141 Chinese adult cadavers. The length of the trachea measured in 141 specimens was 71--134 mm with110.77?9.94 mm as an average. The internal transverse diameter of the trachea was9.5--22.0 mm, having an average of 16.17?2.61 mm. The internal sagittal diametervaried from 8 to 22.5 mm, with 14.73?2.68 mm as the average. The transverse dia-meter is greater than sagittal. The angle formed at the bifurcation of the trachea variedfrom 35?--92?, averaged 68.09??11.82?. The angle is greater in female than in the malefor about 5?. The left bronchus had a length of 42--63 mm (average, 51.89?4.18 mm),doubled that of the right one (15--36 mm average, 26.18?4.05 mm).

The pattern of branching and distribution of the blood vessels in the right lowerlobe of 50 adult Chinese lungs were studied and the following results were obtained. 1. In 68% of the specimens, the A~6 arose as a single branch, which bifurcated intotwo (50%) or three rami (18%). In 30% of the cases there were two separate A~6arteries and in 2% there were three. 2. The subsuperior bronchus (B~*) might be supplied with 1--3 arteries. Twenty-seven arteries to 22 subsuperior bronchi were found in 19 cases whereas fifty nine arteriesto 57 accessory subsuperior bronchi (BX_(10)~*) occurred in 43 cases. 3. A~7 occurred in 78% as a single branch, among which 34% were branched offfrom the basal artery and the remaining arose in combination with other arteries. A~7occurred in two branches in 22%. A~8 arose as a single branch in 22% and in com-bination with other arteries in 44%. 34% of A~8 was present in two branches, thereforethe variations of A~8 are far greater than that of B~8. The arteries to the lateral basalsegment (A~9) arose as a single branch of the basal artery in 44% of the specimens. Inanother 38% A~9 was of two branches. In the remaining 16%, it was associated withbranches to the neighboring segments. In 98% of the specimens, the artery to the pos-terior basal (A~(10)) divided into A~(10) a and A~(10)b. 4. The veins from the different segments of the right lower lobe were drained intotwo principal pulmonary veins. A superior vein (V~6), which is usually a single branch,occasionally two branches (18%), drained the vein from the superior segment, and alower vein (common basal vein) draining the veins from the basal segments. The com-mon basal vein formed by the union of a superior and an inferior basal veins was foundin 90% of the specimens. The basal veins may be classified into three types; the un-complicated type is the prevailing pattern which occurs in 52%.

OBJECTIVE:To establish a HPLC method for content determination of forsythin in qingreling granules by C 18 solid phase extraction to purify the forsythin in qingreling granules.METHODS:The column of Dikma Diamonsil TM C 18 ,a mob_ ile phase of acetonitrile-water(30∶70),the flow rate of1.0ml/min,the detection wavelength of230nm,and the column temperature of30℃.RESULTS:The calibration curve of forsythin was linear in the range of10.0～200.0?g/ml(r=1.0000),the average recovery was98.1%(RSD=1.91%).CONCLUSION:The present method is accurate,reliable,simple and with good reproducibility,the sample was purified completely,and little interference and it can be used for quality control of qingreling granules.

Drug Therapy, Combination ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Hepatitis C, Chronic ; drug therapy ; Humans ; Interferons ; therapeutic use ; Phytotherapy