OBJECTIVETo systematically review the clinical efficacy of acupuncture on the patients with low back pain (LBP).

METHODSRandomized controlled trials (RCTs) about pure acupuncture therapy versus other treatments in treating LBP were electronically searched in PubMed, CBM, EMbase, The Cochrane Library, CNKI, VIP and Wanfang Data from January 2004 to May 2014. The observed index on the results were the changed scores of VAS, ODI, JOA and RMDQ. Two reviewers independently screened the literatures according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, as well as the extracted data, and assessed the methodological quality. The results of Meta-analysis was conducted by RevMan 5.2 software.

RESULTSTen RCTs involved 751 patients were finally included. The results of Meta-analysis indicated that the role of pure acupuncture group in improving the VAS score was better than that of the control group, and the combined effect size was RR = -.32, 95% CI (-1.41, -1.22); Z=27.28, P<0.00001; the role of pure acupuncture group in improving the ODI score was better than that of the control group, and the combined effect size was RR = -5.07, 95% CI (-7.50, -2.65); Z=4.10, P<0.0001; the role of pure acupuncture group on improved JOA score was better than that of the control group and the combined effect size was RR=2.83, 95% CI (2.02, 3.63), Z=6.90, P<0.00001. The role of pure acupuncture group in improving the RMDQ score was better than that of the control group, and the combined effect size was RR = -2.80, 95% CI (-3.49, -2.11), Z=7.95, P<0.00001.

CONCLUSIONThe result of meta-analysis demonstrates that pure acupuncture may have a favorable effect on self-reported pain and functional limitations in LBP patients.

Acupuncture Therapy ; Humans ; Low Back Pain ; therapy ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVETo explore the inhibition of Tangtong Recipe (TTR) on proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) in rat model of diabetes mellitus using seropharmacological and modern molecular biological technologies.

METHODSThe drug-serum of TTR was prepared by feeding pure-breed New Zealand rabbits at various doses (18 mL/kg, 13 mL/kg, and 8 mL/kg) of TTR, and used to intervene the VSMCs get from the iliac artery of diabetic model rats cultured by tissue block plantation. The impact of drug-serum on VSMCs proliferation was estimated through measuring tritiated thymine deoxy-ribonucleotide (3H-TDR) incorporation using liquid-scintillation detector, and the cell cycle was detected using flow cytometry.

RESULTSThe 3H-TDR incorporation in cells after intervention with various doses of TTR drug-serum were reduced significantly, in a concentration-dependent manner, to the level lower than that in the normal serum control group (P < 0.01). And the percentage of S and G2/M phase cells in the drug-serum treated groups also were markedly lower than that in the normal control group (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONDrug-serum of TTR could inhibit the proliferation of VSMC of diabetic rat in vitro in a concentration-dependent manner.

Animals ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Cells, Cultured ; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental ; pathology ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Iliac Artery ; cytology ; Male ; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular ; pathology ; Rabbits ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Serum

BACKGROUNDA number of reports based on both animal experiments and clinical investigations have pointed out that total parenteral nutrition (TPN) suppresses the function of the exocrine pancreas. Even though pancreatic hypotrophy and dysfunction resulting from TPN may be explained by several mechanisms, the clinically most important cause is that nutrients in circulation affect pancreatic secretion. The effect of nutrients on the exocrine pancreas is still controversial. The aim of the present study was, therefore, to clarify the influence of intravenous amino acids and hypertonic glucose in TPN solution on the exocrine pancreas.

METHODSThree mixed TPN solutions, consisting of 30% or 50% glucose or of 14% amino acids, were employed. Twenty-four male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups, six rats in each group, including a control group and one group receiving each of the three TPN solutions. All animals were killed after 10 days of TPN. Body weight, pancreatic content, and enzyme levels in the pancreas were measured.

RESULTSCompared with the control group, pancreatic wet weight was lower in all TPN groups. Glucose significantly decreased the content and concentration of pancreatic protein, but amino acids did not alter the concentration of protein. The level of amylase was lower in all parenterally fed groups, with a greater decrease in the groups treated with amino acids and 30% glucose than with 50% glucose. Trypsin levels in all groups receiving TPN were markedly higher than in the control group.

CONCLUSIONTPN results in atrophy of the pancreas, but trypsin levels increase with TPN treatment. Glucose elevates the amylase level in the pancreas, while amino acids suppress pancreatic amylase. Amino acids used as a source of protein maintain normal pancreatic protein levels.

Amino Acids ; administration & dosage ; Amylases ; analysis ; Animals ; Body Water ; metabolism ; Body Weight ; Glucose ; administration & dosage ; Infusions, Intravenous ; Male ; Organ Size ; Pancreas, Exocrine ; metabolism ; Parenteral Nutrition, Total ; Proteins ; analysis ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Trypsin ; analysis

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the intervention effect of diet, exercise and Jiangtang Bushen Recipe (JBR, a Chinese herbal recipe) in preventing the progress of patients with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) to diabetes mellitus (DM) type 2.

METHODSFifty-one patients with IGT, with their diagnosis conformed to the diagnosis standard of WHO, 1999, were randomly divided into the control group (n = 26) and the TCM group (n = 25). Patients in the control group attended to the educational course for DM and received dietotherapy and kinetotherapy, and to those in the TCM group, under these treatments, JBR was given additionally. Oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), body weight index (BWI), levels of blood lipids and fasting insulin of all the patients were examined after 3 months, 6 months and 12 months of treatment. The total observation time was 1 year.

RESULTSExcept the 6 cases out of the 51 patients (11.7%), on whom the observation discontinued, in the control group, as compared with before treatment, levels of fasting insulin and fasting blood glucose after treatment were not changed significantly (P > 0.05), also insignificant difference was shown in levels of total cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride (TG), though the two indexes lowered slightly after treatment (P > 0.05), but significant difference was shown in comparison of OGTT/2 h, blood glucose and BWI (P < 0.05). While in the TCM group, fasting blood glucose was changed insignificantly (P > 0.05), but there was significant difference in comparison of fasting insulin, TC, BWI, OGTT/2 h and plasma glucose levels (P < 0.01) respectively before and after treatment. At the end of the study, the cumulative cases with conversion to diabetes were 3 (13.6%) in the control group, and 1 (4.3%) in the TCM group, chi 2 test showed insignificant difference in comparison of diabetes conversion rate between the two groups (P > 0.05), however, the TCM group showed a better year conversion rate of normal glucose tolerance than that in the control group (chi 2 = 8.31, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONTCM intervention is possibly effective in delaying the conversion of IGT to DM type 2, and plays integrative effeciency in impelling IGT patients to health. The favorable education and treatment of DM controlling, including dieto- and kineto-therapy may also be advantageous in IGT intervention, but could not be effective in blocking the advance of IGT.

Adult ; Aged ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; prevention & control ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Exercise ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Glucose Intolerance ; drug therapy ; Glucose Tolerance Test ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Phytotherapy

Aged ; Cell Dedifferentiation ; Chondrosarcoma ; pathology ; Humans ; Ribs ; pathology

AIMTo demonstrate the specific killing of folate receptor (FR)-positive tumor cells can be achieved by folate-targeted penicillin-G amidase (PGA) combined with its prodrug substrate N-(phenylacetyl) doxorubicin (DOXP).

METHODSFolic acid was covalently linked to PGA and folate content value was determined by quantitative UV spectrophotometry. The ability of folate conjugated PGA to hydrolyze DOXP was measured by RP-HPLC. Visual demonstration of uptake by FR (+) HeLa and SKOV3 cells was detected by using FITC labeled folate-PGA and a fluorescence microscopy. The cytotoxicity of DOXP towards the cells in the presence or absence of folate-PGA was assayed by using MTT method.

RESULTSThe folate-PGA has a specific activity of 29. 8 U x mg(-1) (protein). FR selectivity was confirmed by fluorescence microscopy. The combination of DOXP prodrug with folate-PGA generated higher cytotoxicity towards the FR (+) cells than free doxorubicin. The IC50 was 0.72 micromol x L(-1) for HeLa cells and 0.75 micromol x L(-1) for SKOV3 cells, respectively. Further, the enhanced cytotoxicity reduced greatly with the addition of free folic acid.

CONCLUSIONFolate conjugated PGA did not significantly compromise PGA catalytic activity and enabled binding prodrug-activating enzyme PGA to folate receptor expressing cells, and increased the sensitivity of the cells to doxorubicin followed by administration of its prodrug substrate.

Antibiotics, Antineoplastic ; pharmacology ; Carrier Proteins ; metabolism ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Doxorubicin ; analogs & derivatives ; pharmacology ; Drug Delivery Systems ; Female ; Folate Receptors, GPI-Anchored ; Folic Acid ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; HeLa Cells ; Humans ; Inhibitory Concentration 50 ; Ovarian Neoplasms ; pathology ; Penicillin Amidase ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Prodrugs ; pharmacology ; Receptors, Cell Surface ; metabolism

Animals ; Carnosine ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Liver ; drug effects ; pathology ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Reperfusion Injury ; prevention & control ; Shock, Hemorrhagic ; complications ; pathology

Our previous work demonstrated that under the conditions of restraint stress and under the control of central nervous system (CNS), an immune suppressive protein of stress (ISPS) was generated in peripheral lymph tissue and released into the blood stream, acting as an immune suppressor. In the present work, a protein similar to ISPS was found in human tonsil (a peripheral lymph tissue). Human tonsil was homogenized and the extract was prepared. It was found that lymphocyte proliferation was significantly suppressed by the extract. The suppression induced by the extract was partially reversed by the monoclonal antibody against ISPS (2C4). In ELISA test, the extract was able to bind to the monoclonal antibody. By immunohistochemistry, many ISPS positive cells were found in human tonsil. The ISPS positive cells were also found in human lymph nodes. Taken together, all the results demonstrate that a protein similar to ISPS may exist in human peripheral lymphoid tissue.
Animals ; Humans ; In Vitro Techniques ; Lymphocyte Activation ; drug effects ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Palatine Tonsil ; chemistry ; cytology ; Restraint, Physical ; Suppressor Factors, Immunologic ; pharmacology ; Tissue Extracts ; pharmacology

In our screening for photosensitizers from natural resources, four alkaloids were isolated from Glycosmis pentaphylla by various chromatography techniques. Their structures were identified as glycoborinine (1), glybomine B (2), carbalexin A (3) and N-p-coumaroyltyramine (4) by spectral analysis. Their photoactivated antimicrobial activities were evaluated by thin-layer chromatography (TLC) agar overlay assay against Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis. It was found that compounds 1 and 4 showed photo-activated antimicrobial activities. Meantime, photo-activated DNA binding activities of these compounds were also assessed by using a specially prepared 1.8 kb DNA fragment and restriction enzymes. Under UVA irradiation, compound 1 showed moderate inhibition on Nde I, Xba I, Nco I and Bcl I which have either 5'-TpA or 5'-ApT and trace or no inhibition on other restriction enzymes. It showed a similar inhibition pattern with the reference 8-methoxypsoralen. However, compounds 2-4 showed no inhibition against any of the restriction enzymes.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Bacillus subtilis ; drug effects ; Carbazoles ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Chromatography, Thin Layer ; Coumaric Acids ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; DNA Fragmentation ; DNA Restriction Enzymes ; metabolism ; Light ; Molecular Structure ; Photosensitizing Agents ; pharmacology ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Protein Binding ; Rutaceae ; chemistry ; Staphylococcus aureus ; drug effects ; Ultraviolet Rays

OBJECTIVETo separate the low abundance protein and establish the 2-DE synthetic map of total protein of human normal spermatozoa by using the 2-DE technology.

METHODSAll the needed human spermatozoa were collected and mixed, and proteins were extracted at one time with the method of urea/thiourea and ultra-sound. 0.8 mg, 0.6 mg, 0.5 mg, 0.3 mg sperm protein extracts were separated with 2-DE. Analyzed with MALDI-TOF-MS, PI and MW of 2 spots were obtained. Then set the 2 spots as the referent spots, different maps were compared and analyzed. At last, a synthetic map enriched with low abundance protein was obtained.

RESULTS1,080 +/- 23 protein spots have been separated on the 2-DE map with standard 0.5 mg loading amount and a synthetic map A was constructed which consist of 889 matched protein spots on the all maps with 0.5 mg loading amount. 381, 50 and 32 new spots were detected individually on the maps with 0.8 mg, 0.6 mg and 0.3 mg protein loading amount. A synthetic map with 1,352 protein spots was obtained.

CONCLUSIONLow abundance protein was separated and a synthetic map enriched with low abundant protein was obtained by changing the protein loading amount.

Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional ; Humans ; Male ; Molecular Weight ; Proteins ; analysis ; isolation & purification ; Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization ; Spermatozoa ; chemistry