Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common type of arrhythmia in clinic. At present, the therapies of AF by western medicine are fewer with obvious side effects. It is expected to improve the curative effect and reduce side effects by the combination of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and western medicine. The research progresses of Chinese materia medica (CMM) treatment for AF were summarized, and the biological molecular network was carried out for the analysis of blood components of ginsenoside from the key CMM Panax ginseng in AF treatment. The blood components of ginsenoside in network analysis including targets searching, network construction, and GO biological processes analysis were selected to explore the possible mechanism in treating AF. It indicated that the possible mechanism might be related to apoptosis regulation, cell membrane potassium ion flow, and so on.

Avascular necrosis is a progressively devastating disease and primarily affects weight-bearing joints. The hip is the most commonly affected joint. In early stage, nonoperative (including pharmacologic intervention and biophysical treatments) and operative modalities for protecting hip joint have become the main therapeutic methods. However there is still no satisfied mothod with reasonable effect. According to the treatment of the avascular necrosis of the femoral head of the pre-collapse stage, core decompression with modification of technique is still one of the safest and most commonly employed procedures. Recently there have been attempts to enhance the effect of core decompression with use of various growth and differentiation factors. Which is the hot spot of current research. Early diagnosis is the key to the treatment of the avascular necrosis of the femoral head. Comprehensive treatment which is based on the core decompression is still the main treatment of today.
Biophysical Phenomena ; Femur Head Necrosis ; drug therapy ; physiopathology ; surgery ; therapy ; Humans ; Weight-Bearing

OBJECTIVETo study the clinicopathologic features and immunophenotype of placental site trophoblastic tumor (PSTT) and epithelioid trophoblastic tumor (ETT).

METHODSDuring the period from 1959 to 2005, a total of 1012 cases of gestational trophoblastic disease were diagnosed in Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital. Six cases of PSTT and a case of ETT were retrieved from the archives of Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital. Immunohistochemical study for cytokeratin 18, human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), human placental lactogen (hPL), Mel-CAM (CD146), placental-like alkaline phosphatase (PLAP), epithelial membrane antigen (EMA), inhibin-alpha and proliferative cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) were performed. The morphologic features and immunohistochemical findings were compared with those of the controlled group which consisted of 20 cases of early gestational villi with decidua basalis and 20 cases of hydatidiform moles with implantation site.

RESULTSThe mean age of patients with PSTT was 32.4, while the age of patients with ETT was 36. Major clinical findings included irregular vaginal bleeding and amenorrhea. Preoperative serum hCG level varied from normal to moderately elevated. Serum testosterone level was raised in 1 case. Uterine curettage could achieve an accurate pathologic diagnosis in 60% of cases. ETT involved mainly the lower uterine segment and endocervix. Histologically, PSTT cells permeated between the myometrial fibers and vessels either individually or connecting in cords or sheets in a manner reminiscent of the implantation site reaction. ETT composed of a relatively uniform population of mononuclear trophoblastic cells, clumping together in nests as the cell islets associating with eosinophilic, fibrillary and hyaline material and necrotic debris, forming a "geographic map" like pattern. Immunohistochemical study for hPL, hCG, Mel-CAM (CD146) and PLAP was most helpful for the differential diagnosis. The duration of follow-up varied from 14 months to 19 years. One case of PSTT developed metastasis in pancreas, 5 months after the operation. The remaining patients survived without tumor recurrence.

CONCLUSIONSPSTT is a tumor of implantation site intermediate trophoblasts while ETT differentiates towards chorionic-type intermediate trophoblasts. The different pathologic features and immunophenotype observed were closely related with the difference in tumor cell differentiation. An accurate pathologic diagnosis of the uterine curettage material is important for the clinical management. According to the limited follow-up data available, the clinical behavior of ETT is seemed similar to that of PSTT.

Adult ; Alkaline Phosphatase ; metabolism ; CD146 Antigen ; metabolism ; Chorionic Gonadotropin ; metabolism ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hysterectomy ; methods ; Immunohistochemistry ; Isoenzymes ; metabolism ; Middle Aged ; Placental Lactogen ; metabolism ; Pregnancy ; Prognosis ; Trophoblastic Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Trophoblastic Tumor, Placental Site ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Uterine Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery

ObjectiveTo adapt to the dynamic multidimensional changes in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） constitution， the paths of improving the quality of life through TCM constitution intervention are proposed from a configuration perspective. MethodsFive hundred and nine subjects were included in the study， all of whom voluntarily participated in and completed TCM constitution interventions， and completed 60-item Constitution in Chinese Medicine Questionnaire （CCMQ） （including 9 subscales： neutral type， qi deficient type， yang deficient type， yin deficient type， phlegm-dampness type， damp-heat type， blood stasis type， qi stagnation type， and special constitution type） to evaluate the TCM constitution， and the Short Form Health Questionnaire （SF-36） in Chinese version （including overall， physical component scores （PCS）， and mental component scores （MCS）） before and 6 months after the intervention to evaluate the quality of life. The necessary condition analysis （NCA） and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis （fsQCA） were used to explore the necessary conditions and advantage configurations for improving the overall， physical and mental quality of life of TCM constitution dimension changes. ResultsThe results of NCA showed that the changes in the scores of neutral type and qi stagnation type can serve as necessary conditions for improving the SF-36 overall quality of life scores （P＜0.05）. The changes in the scores of neutral type and blood stasis type can serve as necessary conditions for improving PCS scores. The changes in scores of the other 7 types can serve as necessary conditions for improving MCS scores. The fsQCA results showed that the necessary consistency of a change in a particular physical subscale score alone did not reach to a necessary condition for a change in SF-36 total score， PCS score， and MCS score （consistency ＜ 0.9 for all）， so the results of NCA were considered. The results of configuration analysis found that 6 configurations were included in increasing the overall quality of life scores and PCS scores， and 7 in increasing the MCS scores， with overall consistency ＞ 0.7. Improving the overall quality of life scores required a focus on lowering the qi deficient type scores， or reducing the yang deficient type scores while increasing the neutral type scores； reducing the scores of phlegm-dampness type and qi stagnation type is beneficial for improving the PCS scores； increasing the neutral type scores and reducing the scores of deficient type， yang deficient type， phlegm-dampness type， and stagnation type is beneficial for increasing MCS scores. ConclusionTCM constitution interventions can improve physical， mental and overall quality of life， and its improvement in the mental domain of quality of life is closely related to the paths of overall quality of life. In order to improve the quality of life， in addition to increasing the tendency of the neutral type， more focused and targeted measures should also be taken to decrease the degrees of qi deficient type， yang deficient type， qi stagnation type， and phlegm-dampness type.

With the development of mass spectrometry technologies and bioinformatics analysis algorithms, disease research-driven human proteome project (HPP) is advancing rapidly. Protein biomarkers play critical roles in clinical applications and the biomarker discovery strategies and methods have become one of research hotspots. Feature selection and machine learning methods have good effects on solving the "dimensionality" and "sparsity" problems of proteomics data, which have been widely used in the discovery of protein biomarkers. Here, we systematically review the strategy of protein biomarker discovery and the frequently-used machine learning methods. Also, the review illustrates the prospects and limitations of deep learning in this field. It is aimed at providing a valuable reference for corresponding researchers.
Algorithms ; Biomarkers ; Humans ; Machine Learning ; Mass Spectrometry ; Proteomics

This paper systematically analyzed the understanding of qi from the perspectives of matter， energy， information and relationship reality， introduced the original holistic principle of systematic traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， and considered the latest research results of qi （three-layer material theory）， trying to optimize the structure framework of the qi theoretical system and exhibit the occurrence and development rules of original qi. It emphasizes the hierarchical order of qi transformation following the original holistic principle， and takes this to guide the clinical understanding of “qi diseases”， helping doctors grasp the basic pathogenesis of the disease， that is abnormal qi movement， and helping them establish the awareness of providing systematic TCM treatment to patients by taking qi regulation as the key. At the same time， it discusses people within the structure of time and space， and points out that the treatment of diseases must comply with the principle of “the harmony of heaven， earth， and human beings”.

Anniversaries and Special Events ; Congresses as Topic ; Education, Medical ; Humans ; Learning ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Physicians

Objectives To prepare arbutin phospholipid complex (APC) to improve the skin permeability of arbutin and discuss the formation mechanism of APC. Methods Solvent evaporation method was used to prepare APC. The formation of APC was confirmed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared spectroscopy (IR), 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The solubility, skin permeability and the ability to inhibit tyrosinase of APC were evaluated. Results The analysis showed that the weak interaction between phospholipid and arbutin molecules formed APC. The solubility of arbutin in APC in n-octanol increased from 1.29 µg/mL to 9.54 µg/mL, and the formation of APC effectively increased the lipophilicity of arbutinn. In vitro release study demonstrated that APC exhibited sustained release behavior. Ex vitro penetration studies showed that arbutin was difficult to reach the subcutaneous tissue through the skin, but APC showed strong penetration ability, of which permeation flux was improved from 0.02 mg/cm2 to 0.42 mg/cm2. Enzyme inhibitory activity test showed that the inhibition of APC on tyrosinase activity was 1.85 times of arbutin. Conclusions The formation of the complex improved the bioavailability of arbutin, and the complex held higher application potential for medicinal and cosmetic.

Objective: To establish the quantitative analysis of multi-components by single marker (QAMS) method to determine the content of chlorogenic acid, aesculetin, isochlorogenic acid B, and isochlorogenic acid A in Cichorii Herba (chicory). Methods: Selecting aesculetin as the internal reference substance, the relative correction factors (RCF) of chlorogenic acid, isochlorogenic acid B and isochlorogenic acid A were established respectively, and then the contents of the three constituents were calculated by RCF, to achieve the quality of chicory through QAMS. At the same time, the external standard method was used to determine the content of four constituents in chicory and compare the difference between calculated values and measured values, so as to verify the construction method for accuracy, applicability, and repeatability. Results: No significant difference was observed in chlorogenic acid, isochlorogenic acid B, and isochlorogenic acid A from eight batches of chicory in the quantitative results by these two methods. The validated QAMS method had good precision, reproducibility, and reliability. Conclusion: The established QAMS method is suitable and feasible for the quality control of chicory.

Objective: To study the liposoluble constituents from the rhizome of Dioscoreae hypoglaucae. Methods: The chemical constituents were isolated and purified by chromatographys and the structures were analyzed and identified by physicochemical properties and spectroscopic data. Results: Thirteen compounds including three diarylheptonoids and other types were isolated from the rhizome of D. hypoglaucae, and their structures were elucidated as tsaokoarylone (1), 1,7-bis (4-hydroxyphenyl)-4,6-heptabien-3-one (2), 1,7-bis (4-hydroxyp henyl)-1,4,6-heptatrien-3-one (3), emodin (4), 7-hydroxy-2,6-dimethoxy-1,4- phenanthrenequinone (5), diosgenin (6), ruscogenin (7), kaempferol (8), 3S-6,8-dyhydroxy-3-phenyl-3,4-dihydroisocoumarins (9), 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (10), β-sitosterol (11), stigmasterol (12), and hexacosanoic acid (13). Conclusion: Compounds 4, 5, 7, 8, 12 and 13 are isolated from the rhizome of D. hypoglaucae for the first time. Compounds 1 and 10 are isolated from the species of Dioscoreaceae for the first time.