[Objective] To compare the efficacy of Chinese traditional medicine,metformin and cyproterone on reducing insulin resistance,improve metabolic status of glucose and lipid and raise ovulation rate in women with polycysitic ovarian syndrome.[Methods] 100 women with PCOS were divided into three groups:40 patients chosen to be treated by Chinese traditional medicine.The rest were randomly divided into two groups which both contain 30 patients.One group is treated by metformin while another one is treated by cyproterone.Total 87 patients finished the treatment of three months.Basal body temperature(BBT),body mass index,total testosterone,fasting serum insulin and blood sugar levels as well as lipid spectrum were measured and compared among all the patients before and after treatment.[Results] No significant difference is found in the baseline characteristics among three groups before treatment.In Chinese traditional medicine group,90%(36/40)patients finished the treatment,and 33%(12/36)patients ovulated.In metformin group,86%(26/30)patients finished the treatment,and 19%(5/26)patients ovulated.In cyproterone group,83%(25/30)patients finished the treatment,and 16%(4/25)patients ovulated.Ovulation rate was significantly higher in Chinese traditional medicine group than those in metformin and cyproterone groups.There was significant difference between Chinese traditional medicine group and cyproterone group(P

OBJECTIVETo study the radiosensitizing effect of resveratrol on hypopharyngeal carcinoma cell line FADU in vitro.

METHODSHypopharyngeal carcinoma cell line FADU was cultured in in vitro DMEM. Its inhibition on cell proliferation was detected using cytotoxicity test (MTT assay). The cell survival curve was drawn using clone formation to obtain sensitive enhancement ratio (SER). Changes of the cell cycle and cell apoptosis were analyzed using flow cytometry (FCM).

RESULTSResults of MTT showed the inhibition of resveratrol on FADU cells increased along with its concentrations (P < 0.05). Results of clone formation indicated the surviving fraction at 2 Gy (SF2) was 0.717 ± 0.062 in the irradiation group, and 0.426 ± 0.035 in the resveratrol plus irradiation group (with SER ranged 1.684 ± 0.178) with statistical difference (P = 0.007). Results of FCM showed that after radiation of 4 Gy radiation, cells at G2/M phase arrest increased, but cells at G1 decreased. After radiation of resveratrol for 24 h, cells at G1 decreased, but cells at G2/M phase and S phase arrest increased. When 4 Gy radiation combined resveratrol was used, cells at G2/M phase arrest significantly increased, but cells at G1 significantly decreased. The apoptosis rate was 1.94% ± 1.65% in the control group, 4.56% ± 0.92% in the irradiation group, 2.03% ± 1.46% in the resveratrol group, and 23.11% ± 7.22% in the resveratrol plus irradiation group. There was statistical difference between the resveratrol plus irradiation group and the rest 3 groups (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONResveratrol could enhance the radiosensitivity of hypopharyngeal carcinoma FADU cells in vitro possibly by inducing cell apoptosis and causing changes in the cell cycle distribution.

Apoptosis ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Cell Cycle ; drug effects ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; Cell Survival ; Head and Neck Neoplasms ; Humans ; Hypopharyngeal Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; Radiation Tolerance ; Radiation-Sensitizing Agents ; therapeutic use ; Stilbenes ; therapeutic use

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of total flavonoids of astragalus on the expression of endoplasmic reticulum chaperone, calumenin and connecxin 43 (CX43) in suckling mouse myocardium with myocarditis caused by coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3).

METHODSThe primary culture of suckling mouse myocardium cells were randomly divided into control group, CVB3 infected group and total flavonoids of astragalus group. Firstly, to confirm the identity of the suckling mouse myocardium, α-SMA was monitored by immunohistochemistry method. Then the protein expression changes of endoplasmic reticulum chaperone-glucose regulatory protein 78 ( GRP78), calumenin and CX43 were detected by Western blot.

RESULTS(1) Compared with that of the control group, the GRP78 expression level in CVB3 infected group was improved, the expression levels of calumenin and CX43 were all reduced. (2) Compared with that of CVB3 infected group, GRP78 expression level was decreased, and the expression levels of calumenin and CX43 were increased in total flavonoids of astragalus group.

CONCLUSIONCVB3 infection may cause endoplasmic reticulum stress of rat myocardium cells by increasing the expression of GRP78 and decreasing the expression of calumenin and CX43. On the other hand, total flavonoids of astragalus can reduce the expression of GRP78 and increase the expression of calumenin and CX43.The results of this experiment may be closely related to the effects of anti-arrhythmia with viral myocarditis caused by CVB3.

Animals ; Astragalus Plant ; chemistry ; Blotting, Western ; Calcium-Binding Proteins ; metabolism ; Cells, Cultured ; Connexin 43 ; metabolism ; Coxsackievirus Infections ; drug therapy ; Endoplasmic Reticulum ; metabolism ; Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress ; drug effects ; Flavonoids ; pharmacology ; Heat-Shock Proteins ; metabolism ; Mice ; Myocarditis ; drug therapy ; virology ; Myocardium ; cytology ; Myocytes, Cardiac ; drug effects ; virology ; Rats

AIMTo investigate the impact of human urotensin II (hUII) on pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cell (PASMCs) cycle in vitro.

METHODSPASMCs dissected from Wistar rats were cultured in vitro, and incubated with series of concentrations of hUII (10(-7) mol/L, 10(-8) mol/L, 10(-9) mol/L) for 12 hours under normoxia or hypoxia condition, in order to analyze cell cycle progression and sub-G1 of PASMCs by using flow cytometric analysis stain of propidium iodide, which represented the proliferative and apoptotic changes in PASMCs.

RESULTSThe study showed a dose-dependent effect of hUII on PASMCs proliferation, which reflected the increase both in percentage of S phase of cell cycle and proliferative index (PI). The response of PASMCs to hUII was different under normoxic and hypoxic conditions. Compared with the control group, the treatment of 10(-7) mol/L, 10(-8) mol/L and 10(-9) mol/L hUII produced an increase of 175%, 136% and 118% under normoxia, respectively, and 135%, 118% and 103% under hypoxia, respectively. The concentration 10(-7) mol/L hUII played a significant role in PASMCs proliferation both under hypoxia and normoxia (P < 0.01). The results of cell cycle did not show sub-G1 of PASMCs at various concentrations of hUII.

CONCLUSIONhUII may stimulate DNA synthesis in S phase cell cycle of PASMCs and the proliferation of PASMCs under normoxia and hypoxia conditions, which promote cell growth in a dose-dependent manner.

Animals ; Cell Cycle ; drug effects ; Cells, Cultured ; Humans ; Male ; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular ; cytology ; Myocytes, Smooth Muscle ; cytology ; drug effects ; Pulmonary Artery ; cytology ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Urotensins ; pharmacology

OBJECTIVETo study the therapeutic effect and feasibility of rectoclysis with Tuihuang decoction (RTD) in treating hyperbilirubinemia of newborns.

METHODSOne hundred and seventy-five newborns with hyperbilirubinemia were randomly divided into the treated group and the control group. They were treated with western medicine plus double faced blue treatment while the treated group were given RTD additionally. Blood bilirubin was detected by micro-bilirubin detector daily during the treatment course. The time of jaundice regression, the speed of blood bilirubin reducing, liver function, and condition of rebounding were observed.

RESULTSThe 7-day curative rate of jaundice in the treated group was superior to that in the control group, showing significant difference (P < 0.05). The average speed of blood bilirubin reducing daily in the treated group was quicker than that in the control group (P < 0.01). The improvement of liver function, such as AST, ALT and gamma-GT in the treated group was superior to that in the control group (P < 0.01). Rebound rate of blood bilirubin in the control group was significantly higher than that in the treated group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONRTD is an ideal therapy for treatment of hyperbilirubinemia of newborn, it shows obvious clinical efficacy and can effectively prevent the rebound of blood bilirubin.

Administration, Rectal ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperbilirubinemia ; drug therapy ; Infant, Newborn ; Jaundice, Neonatal ; drug therapy ; Male ; Phytotherapy

Maca as one of the star products in the international health care market in recent years, had a wide range of application value and promoted to all over the world. However, the basic research of Maca was not deep, lack of systematic and clear efficacy studies. Market products hype its aphrodisiac effect, which greatly impact more systematic in-depth research and exploration. Therefore, this paper briefly summarizes advance research in recent years including the status quo of the resources, growth cultivation, phytochemical, pharmacological effect and other aspects, which can provide reference for rational development and utilization of Maca.
Animals ; Biomedical Research ; Humans ; Lepidium ; chemistry ; classification ; growth & development ; Plant Extracts ; chemistry ; metabolism ; pharmacology

Background One of the features of the pathogenesis of primary angle-closure glaucoma(PACG) is anterior synechia of peripheral iris.Goniosynechialysis and combination of phacoemulsification and goniosynechialysis have been applied for the treatment of the disease recently,but the selection of operative types has great impact on clinical efficacy.Objective This study was to investigate the long-term efficacy of goniosynechialysis and combination of phacoemulsification and goniosynechialysis for the management of chronic PACG.Methods A non-randomized clinical controlled trial was designed.This clinical trial complied with Declaration of Helsinki and was approved by Medical Ethic Committee of Nanjing Medical University.Written informed consent was obtained from each patient.One hundred and ten eyes of 110 patients with chronic PACG were assigned to the goniosynechialysis group and combined operative group from March,2008 to February,2011 in Wuxi People's Hospital.180° goniosynechialysis was performed on 34 patients in the goniosynechialysis group,and phacoemulsifieation +intraocular lens (IOL) implantation + goniosynechialysis were carried out in 78 patients of the combination operative group.All the patients were followed-up for 2 years.Vision acuity,intraocular pressure (IOP),anterior chamber depth(ACD),unltrasound biomicroscopy and perimetry were recorded and compared between before and after operation.Results No significant difference was found in vision acuity between preoperation and postoperative 2 years in the goniosynechialysis group ([0.65 ± 0.15] vs.[0.45 ± 0.15]) (t =1.57,P＞0.05),but in the combination operative group,the vision acuity was significantly different between the before and after operation ([0.25±0.15] vs.[0.85 ±0.05]) (t =9.12,P＜0.001).The lOPs at 2 years after operation were (14.2±4.1) mmHgand(13.7±4.8) mmHg,respectively in the goniosynechialysis group and combination operative group and were significantly lower than(47.2 ±6.3) mmHg and(46.9±7.0) mmHg before operation(t =4.95,P＜0.001 ;t=5.03,P＜0.001).The ACD values in the goniosynechialysis group and combination operative group were(3.38±0.02)mm and (3.54±0.03) mm 2 years after operation,which were significantly increased in comparison with (1.33 ±0.24)mm and (1.56±0.37) mm before operation(t=7.65,P＜0.001;t=6.76,P＜0.001).Conclusions Both combination of phacomulsification with goniosynechialysis or 180° goniosynechialysis are effective for the treatment of PACG.Suitable operation should be alternated depending on the indicators of PACG patients.

Objective:To examine the feasibility of using cerebral state index(CSI)for monitoring the sedation depth during target-controlled infusion(TCI)with propofol and remifentanil.Methods:Forty-four consenting ASAⅠorⅡpatients(aged 18-60 years)undergoing elective surgery under general anesthesia were randomly divided into 4 groups(n=11 each)according to the target effect-site concentrations of remifentanil administered by TCI during induction of anesthesia.The target effect-site concentrations of remifentanil of R_0,R_2,R_4,and R_6 groups were 0,2 ng?ml~(-1),4 ng?ml~(-1),and 6 ng?ml~(-1),respectively. Anesthesia was induced by TCI with remifentanil and propofol.CSI and bispectral index(BIS)were used to measure the sedation depth.The initial effect-site propofol concentration(PCe)was 1.5?g?ml~(-1),which was increased by 0.5?g?ml~(-1) every 4 min.The modified OAA/S score(5=alert,1=does not respond to prodding),loss of eyelash reflex(LOR eyelash)and loss of response to electric tetanie stimulation(LOR tetanic)were compared against CSI,BIS and PCe(calculated effect-site propofol concentration).Correlation coefficients were calculated between CSI and other parameters.Results:The 4 groups were comparable with respect to the ages and bodyweights.CSI and BIS values were higher but PCe value were lower at LOR eyelash and LOR tetanic in R_2,R_4,and R_6 than those in the R_0 group(P

Objective To investigate the traffic capacity of ambulances in Beijing,and to explore factors and methods to resolve this problem.Method A survey on all the ambulances on-duty in Beijing from 17th August to 17th September 2006 was conducted by questionnaires.Results The average speed of ambulances in Beijing was 32.07 km/h.There were statistically significant differences in terms of the areas and time, respectively.Conclusions The traffic jam of Beijing was serious.The traffic capacity of ambulances was far from being ideal,which restricted the operation of 120 ambulances.It is difficult to satisfy the needs of Beijing 2008 Olympic games and it is time for the relevant authorities to search for appropriate methods and solve this problem.

Objective To investigate the role and possible mechanism of Chemokine receptor CXCR4 in the drug resistance of sorafenib in renal cell carcinoma.Methods 786-O cells were inoculated into the anterior sciatic region of nude mice subcutaneously,5 × 106 cells per point.The mice were given normal saline and sorafenib intragastric (80 mg/kg,1 time/day) when the transplanted tumor volume reached about 100 mm3.The tumor volume in the saline group was more than 1 500 mm3 at the 5th week,and the tumor was taken as the control tissue.Sorafenib group tumors started to grow accelerately at week 8,and the tumor volume was more than 1 500 mm3 at week 13.The 13th week tumors were used as resistant tissue.The expression of CXCR4 in control tissues and drug resistant tissues was detected by real-time quantitative PCR,western blotting and immunohistochemistry.The pcDNA3.1-CXCR4 plasmid was constructed and transfected into 786-O cells.The expression of CXCR4 was detected by real-time quantitative PCR and western blotting.The drug reactivity of the cells was measured by CCK-8 and monoclonal assay to compare the drug resistance of the control group,CXCR4 overexpression group and CXCR4 overexpression + CXCR4 inhibitor AMD3100 group.The phosphorylation of PKB,ERK and STAT3 in the control group,the sorafenib alone group,the overexpressing CXCR4 + sorafenib group and the overexpressing CXCR4 + sorafenib + AMD3100 group were deternined by Western blotting.Results Compared with the control tissues,the mRNA levels of CXCR4 in the drug-resistant tissues increased (3.22 ± 0.23) times,and the levels of protein expression increased (2.33 ± 0.47) according to western blotting,the differences were statistically significant (P ＜ 0.01).After overexpression of CXCR4,the nRNA expression of CXCR4 increased (78.3 ± 5.3) times,and the protein expression level increased (2.80 ± 0.95) times,and the differences were statistically significant (P ＜ 0.01),indicating that the expression model was established successfully.The drug response curves of the control group,CXCR4 overexpression group and CXCR4 overexpression + AMD3100 group on sorafenib were measured by cck8 method,and the ICS0 was (7.5 ±0.8) μmo]/L,(10.3 ±0.7) μmol/L,(5.7 ±0.6) μmol/L,the differences were statistically significant (P ＜ 0.05);The numbers of clones formed in the above three groups were 26 ± 5,56 ± 12 and 42 ± 9,respectively.The differences were statistically significant (P ＜ 0.05).Sorafenib could reduce the phosphorylation of PKB,ERK and STAT3,and overexpression of CXCR4 could reverse the inhibition of phosphatidylation of PKB,ERK and STAT3 by sorafenib.After inhibition of chemokine receptor CXCR4 activity by AMD3100,PKB,ERK,STAT3 phosphorylation was re-suppressed.Conclusions CXCR4 can promote renal cell carcinoma sorafenib resistance.The expression of CXCR4 increased in secondary resistant tumor tissue increased;CXCR4 may promote drug resistance by activating the cell viable pathway.The inhibition of CXCR4 signaling pathway is expected to improve the therapeutic effect of sorafenib in renal cell carcinoma.