Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a typical chronic, progressive fibrosing interstitial pneumonia, which is clinical characterized by progressive worsening of dyspnea and lung function with a poor prognosis. Since the pathogenesis is not clear, there is no efficiency cure for IPF until now. It is discovered that transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), a "master switch" in the formation and development of IPF, plays an important role in the regulation of alveolar epithelial cells apoptosis, and the promotion of epithelial to mesenchymal transition and extracellular matrix synthesis. In this paper, the latest impacts of TGF-β on IPF are reviewed, which may provide the clues and evidence for the development of anti pulmonary fibrotic drugs.

Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of Tiao Shen Jie Jing needling (regulating the mind and release spasm) in treating post-stroke upper-limb spastic palsy. Method Ninety patients with post-stroke upper-limb spastic palsy were randomized into an observation group and a control group, 45 cases each. The observation group was intervened by Tiao Shen Jie Jing needling, while the control group was given ordinary acupuncture. The Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS), short-form Fugl-Meyer Assessment (SFMA) and Barthel Index (BI) were evaluated and recorded prior to the treatment, after 2-week and 4-week treatment and 3 months later after the intervention; the serumγ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) was detected before and after the treatment. Result The total effective rate was 83.3% in the observation group versus 61.0% in the control group, and the efficacy of the observation group was superior to that of the control group (P<0.05). The scores of each scale showed improvements after the treatment in both groups (P<0.05), and the improvements in the observation group were more significant (P < 0.05). The follow-up showed continuing improvements in the scales in the observation group, which were superior to those in the control group (P<0.05); after the treatment, the content of GABA in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion Tiao Shen Jie Jing needling can effectively ameliorate the upper-limb spasm,as well as the motor function of the upper extremities, improve the activities of daily living and maintain a long-term efficacy, better than ordinary acupuncture. The action mechanism is related to the regulation of GABA content in serum.

Objective To investigate the relationship between mean platelet volume(MPV)and saphenous vein graft restenosis in patients receiving coronary artery bypass grafting(CABG),and to analyze the clinical significance of MPV in the prediction of restenosis after CABG.Methods A total of 354 patients admitted into Tianjin chest hospital from September 2009 to September 2014 with suspected myocardial ischemic events 3 to 5 years after CABG treatment was enrolled for a retrospective analysis.According to the coronary angiography(CAG)results,patients were divided into the vein bridge vascular lesion group(saphenous vein graft diseases,SVGD)(n=233)and the venous bridge vascular patency group(saphenous vein graft,SVG)(n=121).Paired t test was used to analyze the relationship between different factors and the bridge vascular patency.The binary logistic regression was used to analyze the effects of MPV and other factors on bridge vascular patency.Venous bridge stenosis ＞ 50％ was considered to be clinically significant and to damage myocardial blood supply.Results The MPV was higher in the SVGD group than the SVG group [(10.2±1.5)fl vs.(9.6±1.5)fl,P＜0.01].The logistic regression analysis showed that MPV(OR =1.268,95％CI:1.053-1.570,P=0.014),age(OR =1.007,95％CI:1.038-1.117,P=0.000),gender (OR=0.452,95％CI:0.250-0.816,P=0.008),diabetes mellitus(OR=2.319,95％CI:1.221-4.405,P =0.010)were the independent risk factors for venous bridge stenosis in the two groups,gender(OR=0.495,95％CI:0.251-0.976,P=0.042),diabetes mellitus(OR =2.237,95％CI:1.105-4.527,P =0.025),MPV(OR=1.334,95％CI;1.050 1.694,P=0.018),fibrinogen(OR=1.654,95％CI:1.020-2.682,P =0.041)were the independent risk factors for venous bridge stenosis in non-elderly patients,and age(OR =1.178,95％CI:1.116-1.244,P =1.178)was an independent risk factor for vein graft stenosis in elderly patients.The restenosis rate was higher in patients with MPV ≥ 12 fl(92.6％ or 25/27) than in the patients with MPV ＜ 12 fl(63.6％ or 208/327).The receiver operating characteristics(ROC) curve showed that the areas under the curve of MPV,age,gender,diabetes,fibrinogen were 0.610,0.657,0.394,0.626,0.654,respectively,and the area under the curve of joint diagnosis was 0.796,showing that joint prediction value was higher than any single prediction value(P＜0.01).Conclusions MPV level is an independent risk factor for vein graft stenosis,and has higher predictive value in combination with age,gender,diabetes and fibrinogen.

OBJECTIVETo probe into clinical value of comprehensive program of acupuncture, moxibustion and massage as main for treatment of cervical spondylopathy of the nerve root type.

METHODSFive centers, single blind, randomized controlled method were used, 660 cases were divided into a treatment group of 317 cases and a control group of 311 cases. They were treated respectively with comprehensive program of acupuncture, moxibustion and massage as main, and comprehensive program of physical therapy as main. Establish syndrome detection scale and multiply dimensional effect assessment indexes, and evaluate the therapeutic effects and safety.

RESULTSThe cured rate, the cured-markedly effective rate were 42.9%, 64.4% in the treatment group, respectively, better than 16.7%, 36.3% in the control group (P<0.01); after treatment of 2 weeks, clinical symptoms improved in the both groups, but the treatment group was better than the control group in the improvement degrees of neck-shoulder-limb pain, neck rigidity, abnormality of cervical anteflexion, etc. (P<0.01 or P<0.05); the treatment group was shorter than the control group in the time of producing the effect and therapeutic course (P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONComprehensive program of acupuncture, moxibustion and massage as main is safe and effective for treatment of cervical spondylopathy, with a better therapeutic effect compared with the comprehensive program of physical therapy.

Acupuncture Therapy ; Humans ; Massage ; Moxibustion ; Single-Blind Method ; Spinal Diseases

Accurate methods for identifying pelvic lymph node metastasis (LNM) of prostate cancer (PCa) prior to surgery are still lacking. We aimed to investigate the predictive value of peripheral monocyte count (PMC) for LNM of PCa in this study. Two hundred and ninety-eight patients from three centers were divided into a training set (n = 125) and a validation set (n = 173). In the training set, the independent predictors of LNM were analyzed using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses, and the optimal cutoff value was calculated by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. The sensitivity and specificity of the optimal cutoff were authenticated in the validation cohort. Finally, a nomogram based on the PMC was constructed for predicting LNM. Multivariate analyses of the training cohort demonstrated that clinical T stage, preoperative Gleason score, and PMC were independent risk factors for LNM. The subsequent ROC analysis showed that the optimal cutoff value of PMC for diagnosing LNM was 0.405 × 109 l