OBJECTIVETo investigate the myocardial protective effect of Rhodiola on patients who received epidoxorubicin (EPI) treatment.

METHODSForty-two patients with myocardial damage who received 3 courses of EPI-contained chemotherapy were randomly and equally assigned to two groups, the Rhodiola treated group and the control group. After 1-month treatment, the changes in serum troponin I (cTnI) level, cardiac integral backscatter (IBS), and left ventricle ejective fraction (LVEF) in patients were observed and compared between groups.

RESULTSLevels of cTnI in the treated group and control group were (0.54 +/- 0.05) mg/L and (0.98 +/- 0.03) mg/L respectively, IBS were 55.23 +/- 5.72 scores and 61.23 +/- 5.96 scores, and LVEF (%) were 68 +/- 3 and 57 +/- 2 respectively, all showed significant differences between groups (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONRhodiola can improve cardiac function, and suppress the increase of serum cTnI level and IBS in patients who received EPI treatment.

Adult ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; therapeutic use ; Breast Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; surgery ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Epirubicin ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Myocardium ; pathology ; Phytotherapy ; Postoperative Period ; Protective Agents ; therapeutic use ; Rhodiola ; chemistry ; Stomach Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; surgery ; Stroke Volume ; drug effects ; Troponin I ; blood

AIMTo investigate the effects of surface modification of lactose carrier on performance of dry powder inhalations (DPIs).

METHODSModified lactose surface was prepared using a "particle smoothing" process to obtain smooth carrier surface and low surface energy with the presence of magnesium stearate, colloidal silica dioxide and talc. Inverse gas chromatography (IGC) was used to assess the surface energy of treated lactose, and the in vitro deposition of carrier-based IFNa-2b DPIs was evaluated with twin stage impinger.

RESULTSThe flowing property of lactose was greatly improved and the surface energy decreased by the "particle smoothing" process. Decreasing surface energy resulted in greater aspiration fraction of IFNa-2b.

CONCLUSIONIGC is a potentially useful tool for rapid formulation design and screening.

Administration, Inhalation ; Chromatography, Gas ; methods ; Drug Carriers ; administration & dosage ; chemistry ; Interferon-alpha ; administration & dosage ; chemistry ; Lactose ; administration & dosage ; chemistry ; Particle Size ; Powders ; Recombinant Proteins ; Stearic Acids ; chemistry ; Surface Properties ; Talc ; chemistry ; Technology, Pharmaceutical ; methods

OBJECTIVETo explore whether there are gene mutations of Tolloid-like 1 (TLL-1) gene in Chinese patients with sporadic congenital heart disease (CHD).

METHODSOne hundred and fifteen patients with sporadic CHD were selected as CHD group. One hundred and two age and gender-matched healthy people were recruited as control group. After amplifying the exon 10 of the TLL-1 gene by polymerase chain reaction, the polymerase chain reaction products were purified, sequenced and analyzed in order to investigate the TLL-1 gene mutation.

RESULTSAn insertion mutation of base A in the exon 10 of TLL-1 gene was identified in 7 out of 115 CHD patients, including 3 patients with atrial septal defect, 2 patients with ventricular septal defect, 1 patients with patent ductus arteriosus and 1 patients with complex CHD, the total mutation rate was 6.1% in CHD group and 0 in control group (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONSTLL-1 gene mutation with an insertion mutation of base A in exon 10 is often in Chinese patients with various CHD. The underlying pathogenesis between TLL-1 gene mutation and occurrence of congenital heart disease in Chinese people remains unclear and warrants further investigations.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; genetics ; Base Sequence ; Case-Control Studies ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Exons ; Female ; Heart Defects, Congenital ; genetics ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mutagenesis, Insertional ; Pedigree ; Tolloid-Like Metalloproteinases ; genetics ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo investigate the management of complicated, severe or recurrent Budd-Chiari syndrome.

METHODSFrom February 2004 to August 2007, 28 patients with complicated, severe or recurrent Budd-Chiari syndrome were treated. In this series, 16 patients relapsed after treated with percutaneous transluminal angioplasty or stent deployment, 2 cases relapsed after surgery; and the other 10 were under severe conditions and hard to treat, including malignancy of the inferior vena cava and right atrium. Meso-cavo-atrial shunt was carried out in 10 cases, meso-cavo-jugular shunt in 6 (capitis medusa was used in one case), cavoatrial shunt in 2 and cavo-jugular shunt in 1, mesocaval shunt in 2, and radical or extended radical correction in 7.

RESULTSOne patient (3.6%) died in 24 hours after operation. Graft infection occurred in 1 case. Excellent, good, fair, poor and death rate were 22.2%, 55.5%, 14.8%, 3.7% and 3.7%, respectively, the overall effective rate was 92.5%.

CONCLUSIONTo select personalized treatment according to the disease status brings hopes to difficult, severe, recurrent Budd-Chiari syndrome.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Blood Vessel Prosthesis Implantation ; Budd-Chiari Syndrome ; surgery ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Critical Illness ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Portacaval Shunt, Surgical ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the clinical efficacy and security of super crush-run tong xinluo capsule (SCTXLC) for apoplexy due to energy-deficiency and blood-stasis.

METHODThe randomised controlled double blind non-inferiority trial versus paroxetine, parallel contrast, different Kinds of Techniques and dosage, the clinical trial design was adopted, 144 patients with stroke of convalescent stage were selected by 2 group, which course of diseases was in 2 weekens to 3 months, neurological deficit scores was 8 to 30, grade of acaties of daily living scores was 2 to 5. the treatment group (n = 72) received SCTXLC 0.26 g (a capsule), 4 capsules at a time, three times a day, while that of the control group (n = 72) received common crush-run tong xinluo capsule (CCTXLC) 0.38 g (a capsule), 4 capsules at a time, three times a day, the therapeutic course for both groups was 28 d.

RESULTThe synthesis total effective rates of the stroke in treatment group and control group were 91.3% and 87.3% respectively, showing no significant difference. The Lower Bound Upper Bound of Asymptotic 95% Confidence Interval of the total effective rates difference is -4.57%, over the beforehand Lower Bound of 15%, non-inferiority trial versus paroxetine was eligible. The adverse reactions occurred was 1 patient in the treatment group and 2 patients in control group in clinical trial.

CONCLUSIONSCTXLC has definite effect for apoplexy due to energy-deficiency and blood-stasis, the efficacy in the treated group was equal to that in the control group, and favourable satety for usage.

Activities of Daily Living ; Adult ; Aged ; Animals ; Capsules ; Double-Blind Method ; Drug Administration Schedule ; Drug Combinations ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; isolation & purification ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Materia Medica ; chemistry ; Middle Aged ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Powders ; Stroke ; drug therapy ; physiopathology ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVETo analyze the cause of in-hospital death among acute myocardial infarction patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) in Beijing area to evoke better individualized preventive approach.

METHODSIn-hospital mortality and causes were analyzed based on database from Beijing percutaneous coronary intervention registry study (BJPCI Registry) in 2010.

RESULTSA total of 4660 PPCI patients from 48 hospitals were included. In-hospital mortality was 2.4% (n = 110). Cardiogenic shock (39.1%, 43/110), mechanical complications (28.2%, 31/110) and intervention-related complications [28.2%, 31/110: procedure related (n = 28), drug related (n = 3)] were the leading causes of in-hospital death. Five deaths was attributed to comorbidity related reason (4.5%, 5/110). The in-hospital mortality had no significant difference among hospitals of different grade or total annual PCI (all P > 0.05). In-hospital mortality was slightly higher in hospital with annual PPCI < 300 than in hospitals with annual PPCI ≥ 300 (2.9% vs. 1.8%, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONCardiogenic shock, mechanical complications and intervention-related complications are the main causes of in-hospital death among acute myocardial infarction patients receiving PPCI.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; China ; Female ; Hospital Mortality ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Myocardial Infarction ; mortality ; therapy ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention ; mortality

OBJECTIVETo explore the clinical value of detecting adenosine triphosphate (ATP) level in CD4T lymphocytes (Immuknow ATP) of patients on early stage after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT).

METHODSThe base-line ATP value in CD4T lymphocytes in cases of hematological malignancies and the ATP level in CD4T lymphocytes of acute leukemia patients before allo-HSCT were detected. Allo-HSCT recipients were devided into 3 groups with different level of immunereactivity according to ATP concentraiton in month 3 (day 90±5) after allo-HSCT. The clinical characteristics of patients in 3 groups were analyzed.

RESULTSThe mass concentration of Immuknow ATP in 15 cases of hematological malignancies before allo-HSCT ranged from 56.21-435.71 ng/ml, with a mean of 203.98±112.72 ng/ml. The ATP level in 46 cases after allo-HSCT ranged from 1.69-333.09 ng/ml, with a median of 41.96 ng/ml. Both 91.26 ng/ml (mean-SD) and 316.70 ng/ml (mean+SD) were used as cutoff, and 36 allo-HSCT recipients (78.3%) were assigned to low immunereactivity group, 8 recipients (17.4%) to middle group and 2 recipients (4.3%) to high group. The incidence of infection in low immunereactivity group was significantly higher than that in middle immunereactivity group (86.1% vs 50.0%)(P=0.022), and also significantly higher than that in high immunereactivity group (86.1% vs 0%)(P=0.002). There were no statistical differences in the incidences of severe infection among 3 groups. The incidence of grade II or higher acute graft versus host disease (aGVHD) in high immunereactivity group was superior to that in low immunereactivity group statistically (100% vs 13.9%)(P=0.002). Immune-mediated organ injury occurred more frequently in high immunereactivity group as compared with low and middle immunereactivity groups (100% vs 0% and vs 0%)(P=0.000; P=0.002). There were no significant differences in relapse rates of leukemia among 3 groups. The percentage of patients with increased trough blood concentration of cyclosporine A(CsA) was not significantly different among 3 groups (P=0.720).

CONCLUSIONDetection of ATP level in CD4T lymphocytes on early stage after allo-HSCT possesses clinical significance for predicting infection, severity at aGVHD and immune-mediated organ injury.

There are 500 species of Viola(Violaceae) worldwide, among which 111 species are widely distributed in China and have a long medicinal history and wide varieties. According to the authors' statistics, a total of 410 compounds have been isolated and identified from plants of this genus, including flavonoids, terpenoids, phenylpropanoids, organic acids, nitrogenous compounds, sterols, saccharides and their derivatives, volatile oils and cyclotides. The medicinal materials from these plants boast anti-microbial, anti-viral, anti-oxidant and anti-tumor activities. This study systematically reviewed the chemical constituents and pharmacological activities of Viola plants to provide a basis for further research and clinical application.
Viola/chemistry* ; Plant Extracts/pharmacology* ; Flavonoids ; Terpenes/pharmacology* ; China

On December 14, 2017, a faculty member of a university in Hunan Province reported that an anthrax vaccine strain might have recovered virulence during an undergraduate experiment and potential exposure could not be ruled out for the students involved. Upon receiving the case report, the CDC, health bureaus, and local governments at the county, prefectural, and provincial levels promptly organized experts in different fields (including epidemiologists, biosafety experts, and laboratory testing experts) for case investigation, evaluation, and response. As the investigation results showed, no virulence recovery was identified in the involved anthrax vaccine strain; and no contamination of Bacillus anthracis was detected at the involved areas. Thus, the university returned to normal functioning.
Anthrax Vaccines ; analysis ; Bacillus anthracis ; pathogenicity ; China ; Containment of Biohazards ; Humans ; Laboratories ; statistics & numerical data ; Virulence

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the univariate heritability of resting heart rate and common chronic disease such as hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia based on extended pedigrees in Fujian Tulou area and to explore bivariate heritability to test for the genetic correlation between resting heart rate and other relative phenotypes. METHODS: The study was conducted in Tulou area of Nanjing County, Fujian Province from August 2015 to December 2017. The participants were residents with Zhang surname and their relatives from Taxia Village, Qujiang Village, and Nanou Village or residents with Chen surname and their relatives from Caoban Village, Tumei Village, and Beiling Village. The baseline survey recruited 1 563 family members from 452 extended pedigrees. The pedigree reconstruction was based on the family information registration and the genealogy booklet. Univariate and bivariate heritability was estimated using variance component models for continuous variables, and susceptibility-threshold model for binary variables. RESULTS: The pedigree reconstruction identified 1 seven-generation pedigree, 2 five-generation pedigrees, 23 four-generation pedigrees, 186 three-generation pedigrees, and 240 two-generation pedigrees. The mean age of the participants was 57.2 years and the males accounted for 39.4%. The prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia in this population was 49.2%, 10.0%, and 45.2%, respectively. The univariate heritability estimation of resting heart rate, hypertension, and dyslipidemia was 0.263 (95%CI: 0.120－0.407), 0.404 (95%CI: 0.135－0.673), and 0.799 (95%CI: 0.590－1), respectively. The heritability of systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, fasting glucose, total cholesterol, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol was 0.379, 0.306, 0.393, 0.452, 0.568, 0.852, and 0.387, respectively. In bivariate analysis, there were phenotypic correlations between resting heart rate with hypertension, diabetes, diastolic blood pressure, fasting glucose, and triglyceride. After taking resting heart rate into account, there were strong genetic correlations between resting heart rate with fasting glucose (genetic correlation 0.485, 95%CI: 0.120－1, P<0.05) and diabetes (genetic correlation 0.795, 95%CI: 0.181－0.788, P<0.05). CONCLUSION Resting heart rate was a heritable trait and correlated with several common chronic diseases and related traits. There was strong genetic correlation between resting heart rate with fasting glucose and diabetes, suggesting that they may share common genetic risk factors.
Blood Pressure ; Chronic Disease ; Female ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pedigree