OBJECTIVE:To improve the drug delivery procedures and reduce the defects occurred in drug delivery.METHODS:The five procedures of six sigma including defining,measuring,analyzing,improving and controlling were applied to improve the drug delivery in our hospital's single dose dispensing(UDD)center.RESULTS:Due to the application of the six sigma method,the defect rate of drug delivery dropped from 25.1%(before the initiation of the six sigma method)to 5%(after the initiation of the six sigma method),which was significant lower as compared before the initiation of the six sigma method.CONCLUSION:Six sigma method contributed to the reduction of defect rate of drug delivery,so it deserves to be widely used in each management link in UDD center so as to improve the quality of dispensing.

Objective:To analyze the expression of circular RNA (circRNA) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of patients with gout and to explore the possible mechanism of circRNA in the pathogenesis of gout.Methods:Peripheral blood samples of 24 patients with acute gout (AG), 24 patients with intermittent gout (IG) and 24 healthy control subjects (HC) were collected. Three cases of AG, IG, and HC were randomly selected, and the differentially expressed circRNA in PBMCs was screened by human circNA microarrays. The 6 circRNAs with large differences between the two comparison groups were selected, and the relative expression levels of 6 circRNAs in all the collected 72 PBMCs of the study subjects were detected by real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The significantly differentially ex-pressed circRNA (fold change>1.5, P<0.05) was analyzed by GO analysis, Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis, and its interaction with microRNA (miRNA) was predicted. The median (interquartile range) was used to describe the data, and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison between groups. Results:(1) The microarray analysis results showed that compared with the HC group, the AG group and the IG group had 116 and 41 significantly differently expressed circRNAs, respectively; com-pared with the IG group, the AG group had 105 significantly differently expressed circRNAs. (2) Among the 6 circRNAs verified by PT-qPCR, the expression trends of 5 were consistent with the microarray results. The expression of hsa_circRNA_105034 in the AG group [5.17(4.60)] was statistically significantly different com-pared to the IG [1.68(2.39)] and HC [0.90(0.73)] groups (AG vs IG: Z=-4.413, P<0.01; AG vs HC Z=-5.052, P<0.01). (3) Bioinformatics analysis: ① GO analysis found that differential circRNA swere mainly involved in DNA transcriptional regulation, positive cell regulation and protein modification, etc. ② KEGG pathway analysis revealed that differential circRNA might be involved in the immune response mediated by the mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway. ③ CircRNA might affect its inflammatory response by targeting molecules such as miRNA-146a, miRNA-302b and miRNA-23a. Conclusion:There are differentially expressed circRNAs in PBMCs of patients with gout, which may be closely related to the occurrence and development of gout.

Objective:To screen for circle RNA (circRNA) differentially expressed in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), and to analyze its expression profile to explore the role of circRNAs in the pathogenesis of AS.Methods:CircRNA microarray chip technology was used to detect the expression of circRNAs in PBMCs of 3 patients with active AS, 3 patients with stable AS and 3 healthy controls (HC), and then screening for differentially expressed circRNAs by fold change (FC) and P value. Then differentially expressed circRNAs among the circRNAs with the highest differential expression were selected randomly to verify the chip results by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR); Differentially expressed circRNAs were subjected to Gene Ontology (GO) analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis, and microRNA (miRNA) target prediction software was used to predict the circRNA/miRNA interaction relationship. Finally, the data were statistically analyzed by t test and Mann-Whitney U test. Results:① Chip text results showed that there were 800 circRNAs with significantly different expression (FC>1.5, P<0.05) in active AS than HC, of which 466 were up-regulated and 334 were down-regulated; the stable AS had a total of 1 149 significantly differentially expressed when compared with the HC (FC>1.5, P<0.05) circRNAs, of which 589 were up-regulated and 560 were down-regulated. 233 circRNAs were significantly differentially expressed (FC>1.5, P<0.05) between active AS and stable AS, of which 145 were up-regulated and 88 were down-regulated. ②The RT-qPCR verification results suggested that the expression trends of the four differentially expressed circRNAs were consistent with the results of the chip. ③ GO analysis results suggested that these differentially expressed circRNAs were mainly involved in nonsense-mediated mRNA decay, Rho GTPase binding and other processes. The analysis showed that the KEGG pathway were enriched in Th17 cell differentiation and chemokine signaling pathways. The results of miRNA target prediction software analysis suggested that differentially expressed circRNAs might play a role by targeting miR-650, let-7b-5p and other miRNAs. Conclusion:Compared with HC group, there were differentially expressed circRNAs in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (PBMCs) of AS patients, The results of this study suggest that these circRNAs may be involved in the pathogenesis of AS.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the feasibility and the mid-term effects of unilateral pedicle screw fixation and transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion in treating lumbar degenerative diseases.

METHODSFrom August 2005 to May 2010, 56 patients with lumbar degenerative diseases underwent lumbar posterolateral fusion,their clinical data were retrospective analyzed. The patients were divided into two groups (unilateral group and bilateral group) according to fixation methods,27 patients in unilateral group who were underwent unilateral pedicle screw fixation, including 18 males and 9 females with a mean age of (57.5 ± 7.1) years old (ranged from 41 to 66 years); and 29 patients in bilateral group who were treated with bilateral pedicle screw fixation (on the basis of the above, with contralateral vertebral pedicle screw fixation), including 19 males and 10 females with a mean age of (54.6 ± 5.1) years old (ranged from 43 to 68 years). The clinical data such as operation time, blood loss volume, hospitalization time and cost were compared between two groups. JOA score system was used to evaluate the neurological function. And fusion status and cage-related complication were also analyzed.

RESULTSAll patients were followed up from 36 to 60 months with an average of 45.8 months. No iatrogenic nerve, blood vessels or organs injury were found during operation. Operation time, blood loss volume, hospitalization time and cost in unilateral group were better than that of bilateral group (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in JOA score between two groups (P > 0.05). Two patients in unilateral group developed with cage related complications, 1 case was cage displacement and 1 case was cage subsidence, while 2 patients in bilateral group developed with complications of no-fusion, and there was no significant differences between two groups (P = 0.58).

CONCLUSIONUnilateral pedicle screw fixation is a satisfactory method and can obtain good effects in treating lumbar degenerative diseases in mid-term, however, the indications should be well considered.

Adult ; Aged ; Biomechanical Phenomena ; Female ; Humans ; Intervertebral Disc Degeneration ; physiopathology ; surgery ; Lumbar Vertebrae ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pedicle Screws ; Spinal Fusion ; methods

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of Xianzhen tablet (XZT, a Chinese patent compound recipe) on advanced glycosylation end products (AGEs) and mRNA expression of AGE-specific cellular receptor (RAGE) in renal cortex of diabetic rats in order to explore the mechanism of XZT in protecting kidney.

METHODSThe diabetic rat model with persistent hyperglycemic renal damage was reproduced by streptozotocin. Fluorescent assay and RT-PCR were used to determine the content of AGEs and expression of RAGE mRNA in renal cortex in model rats, which were treated with XZT and controlled by aminoguanidine (AG) administration.

RESULTSThe relative content of AGEs and RAGE mRNA expression in renal cortex of model rats 12 weeks after modeling were significantly higher than those in the normal group (P < 0.05), while those in model rats treated by XZT or AG were markedly lower than those in non-treated model rats (P < 0.05), the effect of the both groups showed insignificant difference (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONXZT could reduce the accumulation of AGEs in renal cortex of diabetic rats, down-regulate the over-expression of RAGE mRNA, with the effects similar to that of AG, the inhibition of XZT on protein non-enzymatic glycosylation might be one of the mechanisms of its effect in protecting kidney.

Animals ; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; Diabetic Nephropathies ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; Down-Regulation ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Glycation End Products, Advanced ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Kidney Cortex ; metabolism ; Male ; RNA, Messenger ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Receptor for Advanced Glycation End Products ; Receptors, Immunologic ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Tablets

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of Wenjingtong Composita (WJTC) on blood glucose and advanced glycosylation end products (AGEs) in sciatic nerve of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats.

METHODSSTZ-induced diabetic rats were randomized to WJTC prevention group and WJTC treatment group. The levels of blood glucose and AGEs in sciatic nerve of the animals were checked after 12 weeks treatment and compared with that of aminoguanidine (AG) treatment group.

RESULTSBlood glucose level in the WJTC prevention and treatment group, and AGEs in sciatic nerve of the WJTC prevention group and the AG group were lower than those of the non-treated group (P < 0.01). Blood glucose level in the AG group was higher than that in the WJTC prevention group (P < 0.05), but was not significantly different from that in the non-treated group (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONWJTC might prevent diabetic peripheral neuropathy by decreasing blood glucose and inhibiting AGEs formation in sciatic nerve in STZ-induced diabetic rats.

Animals ; Blood Glucose ; metabolism ; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental ; blood ; metabolism ; Diabetic Neuropathies ; metabolism ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Glycosylation ; drug effects ; Guanidines ; pharmacology ; Male ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Sciatic Nerve ; metabolism ; Sciatic Neuropathy ; metabolism

AIM: To study the effects of apolipoprotein (apo) A-Ⅰon ATP binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) degradation and cholesterol efflux in THP-1 macrophage-derived foam cells. METHODS: After exposure of the cultured THP-1 macrophage-derived foam cells to apolipoprotein A-Ⅰ for different time, cholesterol efflux, ABCA1 mRNA and protein level were determined by liquid scintillation counting, reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting, respectively. The mean ABCA1 fluorescence intensity on THP-1 macrophage-derived foam cells was detected by flow cytometry. RESULTS: ApoA-Ⅰ markedly increased ABCA1-mediated cholesterol efflux from THP-1 macrophage-derived foam cells. This was accompanied by an increase in the content of ABCA1. ApoA-Ⅰ did not alter ABCA1 mRNA abundance. Thiol protease inhibitors increased the level of ABCA1 protein and slowed its decay in THP-1 macrophage-derived foam cells, whereas none of the proteosome-specific inhibitor lactacystin, other protease inhibitors, or the lysosomal inhibitor NH_4Cl showed such effects. The apoA-Ⅰ mediated cellular cholesterol efflux was enhanced by thiol protease inhibitors. CONCLUSION: Thiol protease inhibitors might provide an alternative way to upregulate ABCA1 protein. This strategy is especially appealing since it may mimic the stabilizing effect of the natural ligands apoA-Ⅰ.

In order to provide a valuable cell model for studying the mechanism of DNA damage to kill tumor cells and enhance the curative effect, an antisense cDNA, which effectively expressed ATM gene encoding carboxyl terminal 100 kD domain fragment, was constructed, and a cell line U937-ASPI3K, which stably expressed the antisense ATM/PI3K cDNA was established through transfection and Zeocin selection. The results showed the constructed ATM/PI3K cDNA is in the opposite orientation in expression vector pZeoSV2(+) through examination of gene sequence. The cell line U937-ASPI3K was total loss of constitutive ATM protein, while the ATM abundance was not influenced in both the control cell lines U937-pZeoSV(-) and U937. The present experiment provided a practical cell model to elusidate mechanism of cell cycle checkpoints in DNA damage signal transduction pathway and search a new approach for tumor therapy.

Cyclic lipopeptide, also named as acylpeptide, which was characteristic with novel structures, was paid more attention in the recent years. Cyclic lipopeptide showed various bioactivities including antibacterial, anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, etc. Cyclic lipopeptide originated mainly from the second metabolites of microorganism, such as Cyanobacterium, Bacterium, Actinomyces, etc. The bacteria included the genus of Bacillus and Pseudomonas. In this account, the review has been made on the development of cyclic lipopeptide.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; pharmacology ; Antibiotics, Antineoplastic ; pharmacology ; Bacillus ; chemistry ; Cyanobacteria ; chemistry ; Daptomycin ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Lipopeptides ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Peptides, Cyclic ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Pseudomonas ; chemistry

OBJECTIVETo investigate the feasibility and safety of the treatment for thoracolumbar fractures with pedicle screw at the fracture level and vertebroplasty via paraspinal approach.

METHODSFrom August 2007 to August 2010, 22 old patients with thoracolumbar fractures were treated with pedicle screw at the fracture level and vertebroplasty via paraspinal approach. There were 14 males and 8 females, ranging in age from 60 to 71 years (mean, 64.6 years). The time from injury to surgery varied from 1 to 4 d (mean,2.7 d). All the patients suffered from single thoracolumbar fractures and located at T11 in 2 cases, at T12 in 5 cases, at L1 in 11 cases and at L2 in 4 cases. According to the Denis fracture classification, there were 6 compression fractures and 16 burst fractures. The mean preoperative load-sharing classification of spine fractures was 5.4 score. The mean preoperative thoracolumbar injury classification and scoring was 5.2. Based on the ASIA neurologic grading system, preoperative neurological function was grade B in 2 cases,grade C in 3 cases, grade D in 7 cases and grade E in 10 cases. The neurological function, vertebral central and anterior height, kyphotic angle of the vertebral fractures by radiographs and visual analog scale were calculated pre-operatively, post-operatively and at the last follow-up.

RESULTSMedian operating time was 60.8 min (ranged from 50 to 95 min) and median blood loss was 84 ml (ranged from 50 to 130 ml). The operative incisions were healed well. The duration of follow-up averaged 21.6 months (ranged from 12 to 48 months). The anterior vertebral body height was corrected from preoperative (52.3 +/- 10.3) % to postoperative (6.1 +/- 4.2) % and (6.8 +/- 5.4) % at the last follow-up. The central vertebral body height was corrected from preoperative (38.9 +/- 11.2) % to postoperative (8.3 +/- 4.7) % and (9.4 +/- 4.5)% at the last follow-up. The Cobbs angle of the injured vertebral segment was corrected from preoperative (19.5 +/- 9.5) degrees to postoperative (4.3 +/- 4.1) degrees and (6.2 +/- 4.7) degrees at the last follow-up. The VAS scores reduced from preoperative 8.56 +/- 0.88 to post-operative 3.48 +/- 0.91 and 3.20 +/- 0.92 at the last follow-up. The postoperative neurologic function of all 22 patients improved 1 to 2 degrees except 10 patients of grade E. There were no instances of instrumentation failure and no patient had persistent postoperative back pain.

CONCLUSIONThe pedicle screw at the fracture level and vertebroplasty via paraspinal approach has the advantages of less invasive and blood loss, and could prevent the development of kyphosis and offers improvement of the spinal cord function. Furthermore, it could decrease the risks of postoperative back pain and the failure of instrumentation.

Aged ; Bone Screws ; Female ; Humans ; Lumbar Vertebrae ; diagnostic imaging ; injuries ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Recovery of Function ; Retrospective Studies ; Spinal Cord ; physiopathology ; Spinal Fractures ; diagnostic imaging ; physiopathology ; surgery ; Thoracic Vertebrae ; diagnostic imaging ; injuries ; surgery ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Vertebroplasty ; instrumentation