OBJECTIVETo optimize formulas of Quban gel.

METHODThe U6 (6(2) x 3) uniform design was adopted to optimize gel formulas, with rheological parameters, such as viscosity and yield value in room temperature, viscosity and yield value in average temperature of skin, thixlotropy.

RESULTThe optimum proportion of matrix was made of 1.0 g carbomer 940, 5 mL glycerin and pH value 5-6.

CONCLUSIONThe regression model for gel matrix quality and gel rheological parameters was established to directly reflect the impacting effect of various factors, and provide certain preference basis for the screening of gel matrix formulas. Quban gel prepared by the method was evenly distributed, moderately viscous and highly thixotropic

Chemistry, Pharmaceutical ; methods ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; Gels ; Quality Control ; Regression Analysis ; Viscosity

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a clonal B-cell disorder in which malignant plasma cells (PC) accumulate in the bone marrow and produce lytic bone lesions and excessive amounts of monoclonal immunoglobulin. The diagnosis of MM requires the examination of bone marrow, showing PC infiltration, detection and quantification of monoclonal immunoglobulin in the serum or urine and evidence of organ damage (hypercalcemia, renal insufficiency, anaemia or bone lesions). This review discusses the significance of immunotyping for diagnosis and prognosis of MM.
Flow Cytometry ; Humans ; Immunophenotyping ; Multiple Myeloma ; diagnosis ; immunology ; Prognosis

OBJECTIVETo compare the clinical efficacy in the treatment of allergic rhinitis (AR) of lung qi deficiency and cold syndrome between Jin's three-needle therapy and western medication.

METHODSSixty-six patients were randomized into an acupuncture group and a western medication group, 33 cases in each one. In the acupuncture group, acupuncture was applied at three-nose points [Yingxiang (LI 20), Shangyingxiang (EX-HN 8) and Yintang (GV 29); Cuanzhu (BL 2) was added for frontal headache] and three-back points [Dazhu (BL 11), Fengmen (BL 12) and Feishu (BL 13)], once every day. Ten treatments made one session. Two sessions of treatment were required. In the western medication group, desloratadine oral suspension was prescribed, 5 mg each time, once a day, for 20 days. The scores of the symptoms and physical signs in AR patients as well as the clinical efficacy were observed between the two groups.

RESULTSThe total effective rate was 93.9% (31/33) in the acupuncture group, which was better than 72.7% (24/33) in the western medication group (P < 0.05). After treatment, the scores of AR symptoms and physical signs as well as the total score were all reduced compared with those before treatment in the two groups (all P < 0.01). The score of every item in the acupuncture group was lower than that in the western medication group after treatment (score of symptoms: 4.70 +/- 2.07 vs 6.55 +/- 2. 69, score of physical signs: 0.85 +/- 0.67 vs 1.45 +/- +0.62, total score: 5.36 +/- 2.70 vs 8.00 +/- 2.91, all P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONJin's three-needle therapy achieves superior efficacy on AR of lung-qi deficiency and cold syndrome, which is better than desloratadine oral suspension.

Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; instrumentation ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Child ; Female ; Humans ; Lung ; physiopathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Needles ; Qi ; Rhinitis, Allergic ; Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVESTo investigate the clinical effect of sequential therapeutic intervention Yupei Qisun [compensating for weakness by invigorating Kidney (Shen) and Spleen (Pi) in advance] in Chinese medicine (CM) and hysteroscopic endometrial mechanical stimulation on the treatment of infertile patients with repeated implantation failure (RIF); and to study the differences in patients' endometrial thickness and type on the day of embryo transfer, serum hormone levels on embryo transfer day and clinical pregnancy outcomes.

METHODSIn the clinical study, 168 frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FET) cycles for couples with RIF conforming to the research protocol were randomly divided into three groups: a CM group with 56 cycles (CM combined with FET), a hysteroscopy group with 55 cycles (hysteroscopic endometrial mechanical stimulation), and a control group with 57 cycles (conventional FET). Differences in endometrial thickness on the embryo transfer day, levels of serum estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P) on the embryo transfer day, the E2/P ratio on the embryo transfer day, biochemical and clinical pregnancy rates, implantation rate, abnormal pregnancy rate and other indices were compared among the three groups.

RESULTSEndometrial thickness, E2 and P levels, and the E2/P ratio on embryo transfer day and other factors had no significant differences among groups. The biochemical pregnancy, clinical pregnancy, and implantation rates of the CM and hysteroscopy groups were significantly higher than the control group (P<0.05), and there were no significant differences between these two groups. The abnormal pregnancy rate had no significant difference among the three groups.

CONCLUSIONSSequential therapy of Yupei Qisun could significantly improve the clinical outcomes of rif-fet cycles, being equivalent to hysteroscopic endometrial mechanical stimulation, and provided a reliable method to treat such infertile couples.

Abortion, Habitual ; therapy ; Adult ; Embryo Implantation ; Embryo Loss ; therapy ; Embryo Transfer ; Endometrium ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Female ; Humans ; Hysteroscopy ; Infertility, Female ; pathology ; therapy ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; methods ; Physical Stimulation ; methods ; Pregnancy ; Retreatment ; statistics & numerical data

OBJECTIVEThe activation of N-methyl-D-aspartate(NMDA) receptors plays critical roles in the pathogenesis of diseases of the brain. This study aimed to examine the expression of phosphor-NR1 S897 in the cerebral cortex after NMDA microinjection in vivo.

METHODSForty seven-day-old Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned into normal control and NMDA injection groups. The rats from the NMDA injection group were injected with 10 mmol of NMDA and were sacrificed 1 hr after injection. 2, 3, 5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) and fluorescent immunohistochemical stainings were conducted and the fluorescence intensity OD value between the two groups was compared.

RESULTSTTC staining from the two groups was normal. Expression of phosphor-NR1 S897 in the cerebral cortex of the ipsilateral hemisphere to injection in the NMDA injection group decreased significantly compared with the normal control group, with OD values of 0.366 +/- 0.087 vs 1.364 +/- 0.268 (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONSNMDA microinjection, as a hypoxia-ischemia (HI) insult, significantly decreased the expression of phosphor-NR1 S897. This indicates the importance of the "HI-NMDA-phospho-NR1 S897 dephosphorylation-cell damage" pathway in HI brain damage.

Animals ; Cerebral Cortex ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Female ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique ; Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain ; metabolism ; Male ; Microinjections ; N-Methylaspartate ; administration & dosage ; Phosphorylation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate ; analysis ; drug effects

OBJECTIVETo investigate the secretion patterns of glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) after different dietary loads in subjects with normal glucose tolerance (NGT) and their relation to insulin secretion and plasma glucose levels.

METHODSFourteen subjects with normal glucose tolerance underwent 75 g glucose tolerance test(OGTT) followed by mixed meal tolerance test(MMT) one week later. Blood glucose, insulin, and GIP were measured in the fasting state and at 0, 15, 30, 60, 90 and 120 min after glucose load or mixed meal load.

RESULTSThe first peak value of GIP after glucose load occurred at 15 min (45.09∓4.67 pmol/L). After a brief decline, GIP continued to increase till reaching 59.66∓11.73 pmol/L at 120 min after the load. After the mixed meal load, GIP secretion presented with two peaks: the first peak appeared at 15 min (71.69∓14.19 pmol/L) with a level significantly higher than that at 15 min following glucose load (P<0.05), and the second occurred at 90 min (55.35∓13.19 pmol/L). The area under curve of GIP showed no significant difference between the two loads (P>0.05). Compared with glucose load, mixed meal load resulted in an increase of the first GIP peak and an earlier insulin peak (30 min vs 60 min), but a significant decrease of blood glucose at 15 min (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONCompared with glucose load, mixed meal (containing fat) can strongly stimulate GIP release and cause earlier occurrence of the insulin peak, which might be an important reason for the lower blood glucose after mixed meal.

Adult ; Blood Glucose ; metabolism ; China ; ethnology ; Diet ; Energy Intake ; Female ; Gastric Inhibitory Polypeptide ; secretion ; Glucose Tolerance Test ; Humans ; Insulin ; secretion ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo investigate the reliability of magnetic-activated cell sorting (MACS) combined with multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) in the detection of the molecular cytogenetic abnormalities in multiple myeloma.

METHODSThe bone marrow cells were collected from 29 patients with multiple myeloma. The immuno magnetically sorted and unsorted cells were detected for TP53 and RB1 expressions using MLPA probes and the results were compared with fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH).

RESULTSThe detection success rate was 100% for MLPA, which yielded results with an concordance rate of 99.1% with the FISH results. The positivity rates of MLPA and FISH were both increased after immunomagnetic sorting of the bone marrow cells.

CONCLUSIONMLPA can well suit the clinical needs for detecting molecular cytogenetic abnormalities in multiple myeloma, and the samples should be immuno magnetically sorted before the assay.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Chromosome Aberrations ; Female ; Humans ; Immunomagnetic Separation ; In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence ; Karyotyping ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multiple Myeloma ; diagnosis ; genetics ; Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction

Objective To evaluate the dynamic changes of cell mobility of renal tubular epithelial cells in the course of epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT) and their effect on cell cycle.Methods NRK-52E cells were cultured in vitro and treated with 5 μg/L transforming growth factor(TGF)-β1 to induce EMT.The cell mobility was assessed by using Transwell chamber assay and flow cytometry (FCW) after being treated with TGF-β1 for 4 h,8 h,12 h,24 h and 48 h.The proliferative cell cycle of NRK-52E cells were evaluated by using the FCW.Results 1.EMT was successfully induced by TGF-β1.After being treated by TGF-β1 (5 μg/L),the morphological changes of NRK-52E cells were found with loose cell arrangement and elongated fusiform change in cells body.Meanwhile,after getting treated by TGF-β1,the expressions of E-cadherin protein(epithelial marker) of NRK-52E cells were significantly decreased with time-dependent (P ＜ 0.05),while the expressions of α-smooth musle actin (α-SMA) (mesenchymal cell marker)were significantly increased with time-dependent (P ＜ 0.05).2.The Transwell chamber assay showed that compared with the control group,the cell mobility in the group treated with TGF-β1 was significantly enhanced from 12 h after getting treated with TGF-β1 (P ＜ 0.01).3.The proliferative cell cycle of NRK-52E cells showed no significant difference after being treated with TGF-β1 (P ＞ 0.05).Conclusions The migration ability of the NRK-52E cells are increased incessantly in the course of EMT,which is induced by TGF-β1 without the influence of cell proliferation in vitro.

Objective:To evaluate the effect of smoking cessation project run by the Central Subsidy Smoking Cessation Clinic and to explore the related influencing factors on smoking cessation, in order to improve related services and provide better guidance to these smoking cessation clinics.Methods:Practitioners who had been trained to run smoking cessation projects were recruited to conduct face-to-face interview with the smokers. Questionnaires were completed to provide information on related psychological, social and behavioral issues. In these clinics, medications were provided to the patients by the health care takers in the clinic. One month after the first visit, smoking cessation rate (self-reported, 7-day point prevalence abstinence rate at 30-day follow-up) was counted.Results:The overall smoking cessation rate (self-reported, 7-day point prevalence abstinence rate at 30-day follow-up) appeared as 34.1 %. Results from the multivariate logistic regression showed that patients over the age of 60 were the ones most likely to quit smoking. Smokers who showed higher possibility of quitting would include those: not on the daily base, intend to quit within 30 days, with other diseases, or taking varenicline and bupropion. Factors as unemployment, longer history of smoking, bigger quantity of cigarettes consumption per day, dependence on nicotine and urgency on taking up the first cigarette in the early morning etc., were related to the less likelihood of giving up smoking. However, histories of cessation did not seem to affect the possibility of quitting. Conclusions:Data from self-reported 7-day point prevalence abstinence at 30-day follow-up study showed that the smoking cessation intervention programs run by the central subsidy smoking cessation clinic project had been effectively implemented. Advocacy on quit smoking at early stage seemed to have better outcomes, thus should be called for. Since medications as varenicline tartrate and bupropion hydrochloride can increase the possibility of stop smoking, we would suggest that all the hospitals which are with smoking cessation clinics be equipped with these medicines. Professional assistance provided by practitioners is of key importance to help overcome the withdrawal symptoms during the periods of cessation, on these smokers.

Airway remodeling is an important pathological feature of asthma and the basis of severe asthma. Proliferation of airway smooth muscle cells (ASMCs) is a major contributor to airway remodeling. As an important Ca(2+) channel, transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) plays the key role in the cell pathological and physiological processes. This study investigated the expression and activity of TRPV1 channel, and further clarified the effect of TRPV1 channel on the ASMCs proliferation and apoptosis in order to provide the scientific basis to treat asthmatic airway remodeling in clinical practice. Immunofluorescence staining and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were used to detect the expression of TRPV1 in rat ASMCs. Intracellular Ca(2+) was detected using the single cell confocal fluorescence microscopy measurement loaded with Fluo-4/AM. The cell cycles were observed by flow cytometry. MTT assay and Hoechst 33258 staining were used to detect the proliferation and apoptosis of ASMCs in rats respectively. The data showed that: (1) TRPV1 channel was present in rat ASMCs. (2) TRPV1 channel agonist, capsaicin, increased the Ca(2+) influx in a concentration-dependent manner (EC50=284.3±58 nmol/L). TRPV1 channel antagonist, capsazepine, inhibited Ca(2+) influx in rat ASMCs. (3) Capsaicin significantly increased the percentage of S+G2M ASMCs and the absorbance of MTT assay. Capsazepine had the opposite effect. (4) Capsaicin significantly inhibited the apoptosis, whereas capsazepine had the opposite effect. These results suggest that TRPV1 is present and mediates Ca(2+) influx in rat ASMCs. TRPV1 activity stimulates proliferation of ASMCs in rats.