The rate of bone turnover in postmenopausal women accelerates and the newly formed osteoid is poorly mineralized, resulting in the loss of bone mineral content. Meanwhile, the requirement for calcium increases as more bone matrix needs to be mineralized. On the other hand, the reduction of serum estrogen level impairs the absorption of calcium in intestinal tract and the reabsorption in kidney, resulting in the decreased absorption and increased excretion of calcium. Therefore, sufficient calcium intake is critical for maintaining the bone structure in postmenopausal women. The reference intake of calcium differs greatly among different countries. In 2000, China established the adequate intake of calcium for Chinese women aged 50 years and older as 1000 mg/d. Diets provide the optimal source of calcium to prevent osteoporosis. Although calcium supplements have been demonstrated to be beneficial for the bone mineral density in postmenopausal women, its impact on fracture risk and cardiovascular diseases remains controversial. Available evidences suggest that calcium supplements combined with vitamin D are unlikely to increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Objective To evaluate the effect of flurbiprofen axetil pretreatment on the level of central β-endorphin in a rat model of incisional pain.Methods Fifty-four SPF male healthy Sprague-Dawley rats,aged 6-7 weeks,weighing 180-230 g,were divided into 3 groups (n=18 each) using a random number table:control group (group C),incisional pain group (group Ⅰ) and flurbiprofen axetil pretreatnent group (group FA).At 30 min before the model of incisional pain was established,fat emulsion 1 ml was injected via the caudal vein in group Ⅰ,and flurbiprofen axetil 6 mg/kg (diluted to 1 ml in fat emulsion) was injected via the caudal vein in group FA.The mechanical paw withdrawal threshold (MWT) was measured at 1 day before establishment of the model and 1,6 and 12 h after establishment of the model (T1-3).The rats were sacrificed after measurement of pain threshold at T1-3,and the lumbar enlargement segment of the spinal cord and hypothalamic arcuate nucleus specimens were obtained for determination of β-endorphin content (by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) and β-endorphin expression (by immunohistochemistry).Results Compared with group C,the MWT was significantly decreased at T1-3 in I and FA groups,the content and expression of β-endorphin in the spinal cord were significantly decreased at T2,3,and the content and expression of β-endorphin in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus were increased at T1 in group Ⅰ,and the content and expression of β-endorphin in the spinal cord and hypothalamic arcuate nucleus were significantly increased at T1-3 in group FA (P＜0.05).Compared with group Ⅰ,the MWT was significantly increased,and the content and expression of β-endorphin in the spinal cord and hypothalamic arcuate nucleus were increased at T1-3 in group FA (P＜0.05).Conclusion The mechanism by which flurbiprofen axetil pretreatment produces analgesic effect may be related to the increased level of central β-endorphine in a rat modal of incisional pain.

Objective To observe the clinical efficacy and adverse reactions of high-dose methylprednisolone pulse treatment on peritumoral edema induced by supratentorial brain tumors.Methods Thirty-five patients with supratentorial brain tumors and peritumoral edema were treated with methylprednisolone pulse therapy before surgery and the edema index of every patient was calculated by MRI examinations before and after methylprednisolone treatment.Results After methylprednisolone pulse therapy, the edema indexes of the light, medium and severe edema patients reduced by 1.79%, 8.81% and 12.02% respectively. The edema indexes of the medium and serious patients were significantly lower than that before treatment ( P<0.01). But the edema index of the light edema patients was not significantly different with that before treatment ( P>0.05).Conclusion High-dose methylprednisolone pulse therapy has an obvious effect on medium and serious peritumoral edema induced by supratentorial brain tumors and has no serious adverse reactions.

Dao-di Herbs is specificity and locality, and its unique phenotypic features is closely related to the growth and development of medicinal plants. In addition to traditional genetic, epigenetic play an important role in formation of Dao-di herbs. This paper introduces the concept of epigenetic and the role of DNA methylation in the gene expression regulation. We further prospects epigenetic mechanism in study of Dao-di herbs formation from specific phenotype and regional analysis. And study on the relationship of epigenetic and Dao-di herbs will provide a basis for quality assessment and identification of Chinese drugs.
DNA Methylation ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; standards ; Epigenesis, Genetic ; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant ; Plants, Medicinal ; genetics

Aneurysm, Dissecting ; therapy ; Aortic Aneurysm ; therapy ; Humans

BACKGROUND: It is proposed that elevated serum homocysteine is an important independent risk factor for ischemic stroke (IS), and 5, 10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) is the key enzyme for homocysteine metabolism. The relationship between genetic mutation of MTHFR and IS remains controversial.OBJECTIVE: To examine the association of hyperhomocysteinemia and two MTHFR gene polymorphisms with IS in Northwest Chinese population.DESIGN: Case-control study.SETTING: Department of Neurology, First Hospital Affiliated to Jilin University, and Department of Neurology, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University of Chinese PLA.PARTICIPANTS: Ninety-seven consecutive patients with ischemic stroke (71 males and 26 females) treated between November 2001 and May 2002were recruited, who were diagnosed by CT scan or MRI in the Department of Neurology, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University of Chinese PLA. The control group consisted of 94 subjects (58 males and 36 females) without history of ischemic stroke. All the subjects were free of intracranial hemorrhage, cancer, renal dysfunction, and none used multivitamins or estrogen.METHODS: Serum homocysteine was measured by fluorescence polarization immunoassay. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method was employed to detect the genotype at the two sites of C677T and A1298C in MTHFR gene.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Serum homocysteine levels and the genotypic frequency frequencies of the two mutations of MTHFR.RESULTS: The 677T allele frequency was 59.3% in IS patients and 44.7% in the controls, showing significant differences (P=0.006), but no difference in 1298C allele frequency was detected between the two groups (22.7% vs 19.7%, P ＞ 0.05). Homozygous 677TT genotype was closely associated with hyperhomocysteinemie (P ＜ 0.01). In multivariate logistic regression analysis,677T gene mutation and hyperhomocysteinemie were all associated with the IS, with an OR of 1.870 and 1.031 (P＜ 0.05), respectively.CONCLUSION: Hyperhomocysteinemie is a risk factor of IS, and C677T mutation significantly increases homocysteine levels, and serves also as an independent genetic risk factor of IS.

Objective To explore the histological properties of isolated chondrons and chondrocytes from rabbit knee cartilage,and to determine if these properties vary with age.Methods Three groups of rabbit knees were evaluated according to different age:(1) young (2 months,n=10);(2) adult (8 months,n=10);and (3) old (31 months,n=10).The cartilage structure,proteoglycan,collagen-2,and collagen-6 content were determined by light microscopic using hematoxylin-eosin (HE),Toluidine Blue,and col-2,6 staining.The chondrons were enzymatically isolated using 0.3 g/L dispase and 0.2 g/L collagenase-2 by shaking for 3 hours.The morphology and composition of isolated chondrons were observed by HE and collagen-6 immunostaining staining after overnight coverslip monolayer culture under a microscopy.Results The chondrocytes became sparser and the total content of proteoglycans and collagen-2 were decreased in the articular cartilage with age.Compared to the chondrocytes,the surrounding rim or capsule was more obvious in the isolated chondrons,and they exhibited obvious differences in shape.The cells within one cluster from different age groups were similar to the morphology observed in cartilage in situ.The adult and old chondrons generally possessed a thicker pericellular matrix with more enclosed cells,and the chondrons contained more cells can reach 47％.Conclusion These findings further suggest that the properties of the chondrons and pericellular matrix have an important influence on the biomechanical microenvironment of the knee joint cartilage degeneration that occurs with age.

Objective To analyze quantitatively the safety and efficacy of statin therapy in acute phrase for acute ischemic stroke with the method of meta-analysis.Methods We performed a systematic literature search including the Cochrane Library,MEDLINE and EMBASE for published trials about statin therapy and the outcomes of acute ischemic stroke.Then we performed a meta-analysis with included studies to investigate the association between statin therapy and clinical outcome and mortality.All of the data were pooled and meta-analyzed by Cochrane Collaboration RevMan 5.3 meta-analysis software.Statistical heterogeneity between studies was evaluated by the chi-square and I-square tests.Forest plots were used to summarize study data and Egger tests were used to assess publication bias.Results A total of 27 studies including 52 034 patients,comprising 19 212 statin users and 32 822 non-statin users met the inclusion criteria,4 studies were randomized controlled trials (RCTs),and 23 were observational trials (OTs).Both pre-or post-stroke statin use was associated with reduced mortality.Statin use is associated with favorable functional outcome at hospital discharge and on the ninetieth day regardless of initiation time for pre-stroke group and post-stroke group.The results from observational trials were consistent with randomized controlled trials.There was no evidence of publication bias for all comparisons by Egger tests.Conclusions Statin therapy before or after AIS is safe and effective.

Objective: To evaluate the value malnutrition-inflammation score(MIS) for the nutritional status in patients with maintenance hemodialysis.Methods: Eighty patients with maintenance hemodiaqlysis were selected in this study.MIS was used to access the nutritional status in these patients.At the same time,the laboratory indexes including serum albumin(ALB),transferrin(TRF),hemoglobin(Hb),serum creatinine(Scr),blood urea nitrogen(BUN),C-reactive protein(CRP),serum calcium(Ca) and phosphorus(P) were measured,and Kt/v,urea reduction ratio(URR) and protein catabolic rate(PCR) were calculated.The body composition was also measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis after postdialysis,including body weight(WT),body mass index(BMI),fat mass(FAT MASS),fat-free mass(FFM) and total body water(TBW).Results: The abnormal rates of these nutritional marker were: protein malnutrition(ALB1.8 mmol/L) 70.0%,respectively.All patients were mild or moderate malnutrition by MIS.MIS showed a significant correlation with WT,BMI,ALB,TRF,Hb and CRP(P﹤0.001,P

BACKGROUND:Autologous peripheral blood hematopoietic stem cell transplantation,as the current latest therapy is widely used in the treatment of autoimmune diseases,however,the treatment on myasthenia gravis is still in the primary stage.OBJECTIVE:To create the model of myasthenia gravis with autologous peripheral blood hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in rats and to observe clinical manifestation,attenuation rate of repetitive nerve electric stimulation action potential and titer of serum acetylcholine receptor Ab in the models.DESIGN,TIME AND SETTING:The randomized control animal experiment was performed at the Human Anatomy Laboratory,Medical College of Zhengzhou University between July and December 2007.MATERIALS:Totally 50 female Wistar rats were randomly assigned into four groups,a normal group(n=10),an adjuvant control group(n=10),a stem cell transplantation group(n=15),and a model control group(n=15).METHODS:Rats in the normal group were intact.Rats in the adjuvant group were subjected to the same volume of saline and cyclophosphamide.Rats in the stem cell transplantation group were used to make experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis by intraperitoneally infusing with serum of myasthenia gravis patients.Bone marrow stem cells were mobilized by granulocyte colony-stimulating factor.Autologous peripheral blood stem cells were collected and then were transplanted via tail vein injection after the pretreatment regimen of cyclophosphamide.Rats in the model control group were treated with an equal volume of peripheral blood,and with other procedures as the stem cell transplantation group.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:Swimming time and survival rate of rats from each group after stem cell transplantation;attenuation rate of repetitive nerve electric stimulation action potential and titer of serum acetylcholine receptor Ab were measured at 4 and 9 weeks after stem cell transplantation.RESULTS:The survival rate was higher in the stem cell transplantation group than in the model control group(P