Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Moxibustion ; Spondylosis ; therapy ; Treatment Outcome

Objective To study the mRNA expression of HS1-associated protein X-1(Hax-1),an an- ti-apoptosis genc,in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells(PBMC)of patients with systemic lupus erythe- matosus(SLE),and further investigate the roles and significance of Hax-1 in the pathogenesis of SLE.Meth- ods Generation of longer cDNA fragments from serial analysis of gene expression(SAGE)tags for gene identi- fication(GLGI)was applied to identify the gene Hax-1 according to the Long SAGE tag.Then reverse tran- scription-polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR)technique was used to semiquantitatively analyze mRNA ex- pressions of Hax-1 in PBMC from 34 active SLE patients and 25 healthy subjects.Results Compared with healthy controls,there was significant difference between SLE patients in the active stage and the normal controls(Z=-4.556,P＜0.01).The average level of mRNA expression in active SLE group was higher than that in healthy controls.Significant difference was found between the group with mild SLE and either the moderate or the severe one(P＜0.01).Conclusion The mRNA expression level of Hax-1 in active SLE group increase markedly,and to some extent,it is related to the activity of SLE.This provides a valuable basis for the further study on the role of apoptosis in SLE.

Chrysoeriol is a natural flavonoid compound, which is widely present in many kinds of traditional Chinese medicine and medicinal herbs. In recent years, studies of Chrysoeriol on the pharmacological effects and its glycosides have gradually increased, especially in anti-tumor, anti-oxidative damage and anti-inflammatory immune regulation, etc., showing good pharmacological effects, and it has prospective potency as a candidate to develop new drug in those domain. This article briefly reviews the pharmacological effects and underlying mechanisms of chrysoeriol, so that researchers can understand the pharmacological characteristics of this compound, and also provide references for the development of new drugs based on this ingredient.

OBJECTIVETo understand clinical application of syndrome differentiation and treatment of meridians in acupuncture and moxibustion.

METHODSCollect and collate the literature about syndrome differentiation and treatment of meridians in Chinese Acupuncture & Moxibustion, Acupuncture Research, Shanghai Journal of Acupuncture & Moxibustion (Clinic edition B in 2003) and Clinical Journal of Acupuncture and Moxibustion from 2001 to 2003.

RESULTSLess literature about syndrome differentiation and treatment of meridians are involved, only accounting for 5.69% (163/2 864); and the literature about both treatment based on meridians and treatment based on syndrome differentiation of meridians only accounted for 1.22% (35/2 864).

CONCLUSIONAt present, clinically acupuncture and moxibustion do not play attention to treatment based on syndrome differentiation of meridians.

Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; China ; Humans ; Meridians ; Moxibustion

OBJECTIVESTo investigate the effects of antisense oligodeoxynucleotide(ASON) on the cyclic nucleotide monophosphates (cNMP) in smooth muscle cells of human corpus cavernosum, and provide experimental groundwork for the gene therapy of erectile dysfunction.

METHODSPDE5 gene ASON(containing exon 1) was transfected into the corpus cavernosum smooth muscle cells with the presence of liposome DOTAP. Another sense oligodeoxynucleotide(SON) and 1% of bovine serum were also transducted into the cells as controls. Two of cNMP, cAMP and cGMP, were probed and measured by ELISA at 1, 2, 4, 6, 10, 24 and 48 h after transfection.

RESULTSAfter transfection, the level of cGMP(1-6 h) in human corpus cavernosum smooth muscle cells was significantly higher than that in controls(P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONSThe PDE5 gene ASON had been showed to manifest stimulative effect on the cGMP in smooth muscle cells of human corpus cavernosum in vitro, and it provides experimental groundwork for the gene therapy of erectile dysfunction.

3',5'-Cyclic-GMP Phosphodiesterases ; antagonists & inhibitors ; genetics ; Cyclic AMP ; metabolism ; Cyclic GMP ; metabolism ; Cyclic Nucleotide Phosphodiesterases, Type 5 ; Humans ; Male ; Muscle, Smooth ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Oligodeoxyribonucleotides, Antisense ; pharmacology ; Penis ; cytology

OBJECTIVETo study the roles of granzyme B and perforin in diagnosing acute rejection after liver transplantation, and the relationship between their activity index (AI) and Banff's histological grading criteria.

METHODSLiver biopsies were processed as for routine surgical specimens and labeled with granzyme B and perforin monoclonal antibodies. The number of positive cells/mm(2) was determined as activity index (AI) by IPP image analysis software. Histologic findings were used as the "gold standard" in diagnosing acute rejection.

RESULTSOf 41 liver biopsy samples studied, acute rejection was noted in 21 cases, the remaining 20 cases showed no evidence of rejection. The AI of granzyme B and perforin in the acute rejection group was significantly higher than that in the non-acute rejection group (< 0.001). In the acute rejection group, the AI in moderate to severe acute rejection was higher than that in mild to indeterminate acute rejection (< 0.001). Compared with the "golden" histologic criteria, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and accuracy of granzyme B in diagnosing acute rejection were 90.0%, 95.2%, 94.7%, 90.9% and 92.7% respectively. The values of these parameters for perforin were also above 80%.

CONCLUSIONSGranzyme B and perforin are key markers of activated immune cells in acute rejection and highly expressed during acute liver rejection episodes. As ancillary investigations, these parameters demonstrated high sensitivity and specificity in diagnosing acute rejection in allograft post-transplant liver biopsies.

Biomarkers ; Biopsy ; Graft Rejection ; diagnosis ; metabolism ; Granzymes ; metabolism ; Humans ; Liver ; metabolism ; pathology ; Liver Transplantation ; immunology ; Membrane Glycoproteins ; metabolism ; Perforin ; Pore Forming Cytotoxic Proteins ; metabolism ; Sensitivity and Specificity

Adolescent ; Adult ; China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype ; Influenza, Human ; epidemiology ; Travel ; Young Adult

Objective To compare aortic root anatomical characteristics between severe aortic valve stenosis (AS) and aortic regurgitation (AR) patients, and to provide useful information for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) device designs and procedural techniques for treatment of AR. Methods Consecutive patients admitted between April 2014 to May 2016 with severe AS or AR and planned to undergo transcatheter aortic valve replacement were included. There were a total of 57 AR and 113 AS patients. All patients underwent multi-detector computed tomographic imaging and echocardiography examinations. Results The mean aortic annulus diameter in AR patients was slightly but significantly larger than AS patients[ (26.4±3.7) mm vs. (25.2±2.9) mm, P=0.001]. The mean diameters of the ascending aorta[ (38.3±6.9) mm vs. (33.9±6.7) mm, P<0.001]and Valsalva sinus[ (38.9±6.9) mm vs. (32.7±4.5) mm, P<0.001] in AR patients were larger than in AS patients. The left coronary ostia height was of no significant difference between the 2 groups [ (12.5±3.7) mm vs. (13.4±3.2) mm, P=0.08] and the right coronary ostia height was higher in the AR group than in the AS group [ (17.5±5.0) mm vs. (15.3±3.3) mm, P=0.001]. Conclusions The anatomical aortic root data from patients with AS or AR in the present study may provide useful information for transcatheter aortic valve replacement device designs and procedural techniques for treatment of AR.

OBJECTIVETo translate the English version of The Premature Ejaculation Diagnostic Tool (PEDT) into Chinese, evaluate its reliability and validity, and analyze its feasibility in the diagnosis of premature ejaculation (PE).

METHODSFollowing the forward-backward translation procedure, we developed the Chinese version of PEDT, which was then revised by andrologists and bilingual linguists. We enrolled subjects with or without PE from 15 urological or andrological clinics in China and obtained the information about their demographic characteristics, PEDT scores, and intra-vaginal ejaculation latency time (IELT). We evaluated the internal consistency of PEDT using Cronbach alpha, was examined its reliability and stability by test-retest analysis, analyzed its correlation with IELT by Spearman correlation analysis, and tested its sensitivity and specificity by receiver operating characteristic ( ROC) analysis.

RESULTSTotally, 570 PE patients (aged [30.66 ± 7.11] years) and 226 non-PE men (aged [33.01 ± 5.41] years) were recruited, with the mean IELT of (1.34 ± 0.54) min in the former and (11.09 ± 7.5) min in the latter group. The Cronbach's alpha of the Chinese version of PEDT was 0.79, and the test-retest correlation coefficient was 0.75 (P < 0.01). The PEDT score was negatively correlated with IELT (Spearman's p = -0.52, P < 0.01). When the cutoff value of PE diagnosis was defined as 7.5, the sensitivity and specificity of PEDT were 0.80 and 0.78, and when as 8.5, they were 0.72 and 0.89, respectively.

CONCLUSIONThe Chinese version of PEDT was demonstrated to have good internal consistency, reliability, and validity, as well as a high predictability for PE. It can be used as a reliable and convenient tool to screen PE among Chinese men.

Adult ; Aged ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; China ; Ejaculation ; Feasibility Studies ; Humans ; Language ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Premature Ejaculation ; diagnosis ; ROC Curve ; Reaction Time ; Reproducibility of Results ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Translations

Objective To study virulence factors and drug resistance mechanism of linezolid-intermediate Enterococcus faecalis(E.faecalis) isolated from patients with bloodstream infection.Methods Two linezolid-intermediate E.faecalis strains,namely A and B,were isolated from two patients with bloodstream infection,the treatment of two patients was analyzed.The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of linezolid and vancomycin were determined.The virulence genes (esp,asa1,gelE,ace,agg,efaA,cylA,and hyl) and linezolid resistance genes (domain V region of the 23SrRNA,cfr,cfr[B],optrA) were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR).PCR products of domain V region of 23SrRNA gene were sequenced and analyzed.Results Symptoms of two patients who isolated two linezolid-intermediate E.faecalis strains were controlled after accepted linezolid therapy.Strains A and B were both susceptible to vancomycin(MICs were 1μg/mL and 4μg/mL respectively),teicoplain,ampicillin,and nitrofurantoin,while intermediate to linezolid(MIC were both 4μg/mL).Two strains both contained multiple virulence factors,strain A were negative for cylA and hyl,strain B were negative for hyl and esp,but positive for other virulence genes.There was G2621T mutation in domain V region of 23SrRNA in strain A,and no variation was found in strain B.Drug resistance genes of cfr,cfr(B),and optrA were all negative in both strain A and B.Conclusion In the present study,two linezolid-intermediate E.faecalis strains isolated from patients with bloodstream infection were susceptible to vancomycin and ampicillin,although the treatment of linezolid in two patients is effective,the utilization of linezolid therapy in clinical practice still needs to be cautious.The mutation of target site is a significant resistance mechanism,it is necessary for us to pay more attention to these clinical strains which are non-susceptible to such antimicrobial agents,and the treatment strategy needs further study.