AIM: To study the inhibitory effect of the cytotoxin (CTX) from guangxi cobra venom on human nasopharyngeal cancer cell (CNE) and other tumons cells. METHODS: The cytotoxin was isolated and purified from Guangxi cobra venom by successive chromatography on Sephadex G-50 and CM Sepharose CL-6B columns. Its cytotoxic effects and does-effect relationship on human tumors cell lines were examined by MTT assay. RESULTS: The inhibitory effects of CTX CM-5 on CNE, human ovarian carcinoma cell (Ho8990), uterus cervical carcinoma cell (HELA) and lymphoma (YAC) cell lines showed a definite does-effect relationship. The IC50 (48 h in cubation) was 1.84, 2.59, 1.84 and 0.75 mg·L-1 respctively. The inhibitory effects of CTX CM-5 on CNE increased with time. The IC50 (3 h and 24 h cubation) was 4.78 and 1.04 mg·L-1 respctively. CONCLUSION: CTX from Guangxi cobra venom exhibites strong suppressive effect on cultured tumor cells line in vitro.

Objective:To investigate the therapeutic range of tacrolimus and effects of tacrolimus on liver and re- nal functions and blood routine in renal transplant recipients.Method:The whole blood tacrolimus concentration was meas- ured by micro-particle enzyme immunoassay(MEIA).Blood tacrolimus concentrations in 390 cases of renal transplant re- cipients were analyzed.The effects of tacrolimus on liver and renal function and blood routine were also studied.Result: The blood tacrolimus concentrations in 377 of 390 cases were within the range from 3 to 15?g?L~(-1).Their blood tacrolimus concentration differed greatly in renal transplant recipients within 6 months after transplantation.Their blood tacrolimus concentration was gradually decreased as time went on.Tacrolimus with therapeutic dosage had no effects on liver and renal function and blood routine.Conclusion:The therapeutic ranges of tacrolimus with MEIA were as follows:5 to 15?g?L~(-1) within 3 months after transplantation,5 to 10?g?L~(-1)between 4 to 6 months after transplantation,3 to 10?g?L~(-1)6 months after transplantation.The administration of tacrolimus had no effects on the liver and renal function and blood routine in re- nal transplant recipients.

Objective To investigate the accuracy of low-dose dual-source computed tomography (DSCT) coronary angiography in the step-and-shoot (SAS) mode for the diagnosis of coronary artery stenosis in comparison with conventional coronary angingraphy (CCA).Methods Prospective multiple-center study, 46 patients[mean age(58±9) years;bedy mass index(BMI) (25±3) kg/m2]underwent both DSCT in the SAS mode and CCA within 14 days.The inclusion criteria for contrast-enhanced CT: (1) heart rate less than 65 times/rain (bpm).(2) regular sinus rhythm, heart rate fluctuations within the range of 6 bpm. (3) holding breath well, breath-hold time is about 12-15 s.The exclusion criteria:(1) allergy to iodinecontaining contrast medium, nephropathy (serum creatinine level 120 μmol/L), heart failure and serious arrhythmias.(2) patients with coronary stents or bypass grafts.(3) heart rate can not be controlled very well (4)the patient could not take nitroglycerin.(5)BMI 30 kg/m2.(6) other heart disease: carcliomyopathy, valvular disease etc.Sensitivity, specificity, negative (NPV) and positive predictive value (PPV) were determined with CCA as standard of reference.The Kappa value between the two modalities and the two observers was calculated.Radiation dose values were measured.Results Mean heart rate during scanning was (61±6)bpm.99.19% (614/619) coronary segments were depicted with a diagnostic image quality. The vessel-based sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV for the diagnosis of coronary artery stenosis were 96.2% (75/78), 88.2% (60/68), 90.4% (75/83), and 95.2% (60/63), respectively.The Kappa value between the two modalities was 0.848 (P=0.000).The mean effective dose of the SAS-CTCA was (2.95± 0.96) rosy(1.26-4.32 mSy).Conclusion In selected patients, DSCT coronary angiography in the SAS mode have good image quality, which allows for the accurate diagnosis of coronary stenosis at a low radiation dose.

OBJECTIVETo study the change of schisandrin in Shengmaisan (SMS) and decomposed group.

METHODThe HPLC-UV was used to determine schisandrin in SMS and decomposed group.

RESULTTo extract Schisandra chinensis with ginseng, ophiopogon, general ginsenoside or ginsenoside Rg1 could promote the content of schisandrin.

CONCLUSIONSaponin is propitious to extracting the schisandrin.

Cyclooctanes ; analysis ; chemistry ; Drug Combinations ; Drug Interactions ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Ginsenosides ; chemistry ; Lignans ; analysis ; chemistry ; Ophiopogon ; chemistry ; Panax ; chemistry ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Polycyclic Compounds ; analysis ; chemistry ; Schisandra ; chemistry

Objective Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and endoscopic breast conserving surgery (EBCS) has been developed as a potential means for treating breast tumors with minimal disruption to adjacent soft tissues.The purpose of this study was to evaluate the cosmetic outcomes of RFA assisted by EBCS on patients with early breast carcinoma (T1 -2 N0-1 M0).Methods Twenty-three patients with biopsy proven invasive breast carcinoma ( ≤3 cm in diameter),were treated with ultrasound (US)guided percutaneous-RFA for the local tumors followed by sentinel lymph node biopsy and endoscopic auxiliary node dissection and lumpectomy.The reactions to breast cosmetics were observed and compared to the conventional approaches using the breast asymmetry score for EBCS and a self -assessment questionnaire targeting objective and subjective data about treatment related breast change.Results Twenty-three patients were successfully treated with RFA.Complete coagulation necrosis of the tumor was visualized at US and mammography in 22 of 23 patients (95.6 ％).22 patients being per formed RFA and EBCS presented little scars and the breasts preserved more cosmetically acceptable than the reported results of traditional protocols.Self-assessment acceptable rate was 100 ％,aesthetic outcome as good or excellent rated in 95.5 ％(21/22).Within the follow-up of above 36 months,there were no local recurrence,metastasis,wound infection or necrosis,nerve damage,haematoma,as well as upper limb swelling or lymphoedema,no reduced upper limb mobility and tumor seeding.Conclusions RFA with endoscopic breast conservation therapy for the treatment of early breast carcinoma is more effective and cosmetically acceptable than the traditional approaches.

OBJECTIVETo improve the paramedian forehead flap for nasal reconstruction.

METHODSBased on the findings of the Cutaneous branch of supratrochlear artery, the forehead musculo-cutaneous flap was divided into the musculo-flap and the skin-flap in 3 patients. The musculo-flap were used to reconstruct the septi-bone structure, and envelop silicon nasal-frame, while the skin-flap were used to reconstruct the nose. In 6 patients, the forehead flap was used as a skin-flap just with the muscle pedicle to reconstruct a nose with good appearance of nasal subunits, without the secondary operation.

RESULTSIn all of 9 cases, the cutaneous-branch of supratrochlear artery was found 1.7-2.0 cm above the orbital-rim. Eight patients got good results, only 1 patient had to do the secondary operation to coverage the exposed nasal frame.

CONCLUSIONSThe cutaneous-branch of supratrochlear artery could be an anatomical finding to form the forehead skin-flap and it is a good choice to be used to reconstruct a nose, even in complicated cases.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Female ; Forehead ; Humans ; Male ; Muscles ; transplantation ; Nose ; surgery ; Patient Satisfaction ; Reconstructive Surgical Procedures ; methods ; standards ; Skin Transplantation ; methods ; Surgical Flaps ; Treatment Outcome

To investigate the urination-reducing effect and mechanism of Zhuangyao Jianshen Wan (ZYJCW). In this study, SI rats were subcutaneously injected with 150 mg · kg(-1) dose of D-galactose to prepare the sub-acute aging model and randomly divided into the model group, the Suoquan Wan group (1.17 g · kg(-1) · d(-1)), and ZYJCW high, medium and low dose groups (2.39, 1.20, 0.60 g · kg(-1) · d(-1)) , with normal rats in the blank group. They were continuously administered with drugs for eight weeks. The metabolic cage method was adopted to measure the 24 h urine volume and 5 h water load urine volume in rats. The automatic biochemistry analyzer was adopted to detect urine concentrations of Na+, Cl-, K+. The ELISA method was used to determine serum aldosterone (ALD) and antidiuretic hormone (ADH). The changes in P2X1 and P2X3 mRNA expressions in bladder tissues of rats were detected by RT-PCR. According to the results, both ZYJCW high and medium dose groups showed significant down-regulations in 24 h urine volume and 5 h water load urine volume in (P <0.05, P <0.01), declines in Na+ and Cl- concentrations in urine (P <0.01), notable rises in plasma ALD and ADH contents (P <0.05, P <0.01) and remarkable down-regulations in the P2X1 and P2X3 mRNA expressions in bladder tissues (P <0.01). The ZYJCW low dose group revealed obvious reductions in Na+ and Cl- concentrations in urine (P <0.01). The results indicated that ZYJCW may show the urination-reducing effect by down-regulating the P2X1 and P2X3 mRNA expressions in bladder tissues of rats with diuresis caused by kidney deficiency.
Aging ; physiology ; Animals ; Diuresis ; drug effects ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Female ; Gene Expression Regulation ; Kidney Diseases ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; RNA, Messenger ; analysis ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Receptors, Purinergic P2X1 ; genetics ; Receptors, Purinergic P2X3 ; genetics ; Urinary Bladder ; metabolism

Targeted therapeutic drugs for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are showing immense development, thereby laying a solid foundation for the precise treatment of AML patients. The paper reviews four types of targeted drugs that have progressed rapidly for AML treatment (by targeting genes or signaling-pathway alterations, targeting apoptosis-related pathways, targeting cell-surface antigens, and targeting immune-related substances). We look forward to the future development directions of targeted drugs, providing references for hematologists and developers of new drugs for AML.

UDP-glucose: flavonoid 3-O-glucosyltransferase (UF3GT) uses flavones, dihydroflavonol or anthocyanin as the acceptor and uridine 5′-diphosphate-sugar as the donor to catalyze the production of flavonoid 3-O-glycoside compounds. Based on sequence homology and transcriptome data, we screened and cloned a UF3GT gene named CtUF3GT (GenBank No. OM948976) from safflower. Biological information analysis demonstrate that CtUF3GT has highly conserved PSPG motif. The open reading frame of CtUF3GT is 1 446 bp, encoding 481 amino acids, with a presumed molecular weight of 52.36 kD and a theoretical isoelectric point of 5.33. Multiple sequence alignment indicate that CtUF3GT has a high homology with UF3GT from Asteraceae, and phylogenetic analysis showed that CtUF3GT clusters with functional identified UF3GTs from other species. The purified recombinant protein glucosylated kaempferol and quercetin to biosynthesis of kaempferol 3-O-glucoside and quercetin 3-O-glucoside, respectively. And CtUF3GT prefered to use kaempferol as substrate. qRT-PCR analysis showed that the UF3GT gene was most highly expressed in flowers, followed by leaves, with very low expression in bracts and stems, and no expression in roots. The expression of UF3GT gene showed a trend of increasing and then decreasing at different stages of flower development. The expression of CtUF3GT gene in safflower with different flower color was highly significant (P < 0.01) at S1, S2, S5, S6 and S7 stages of flower development, in which the expression of CtUF3GT in white safflower was 5.3 and 3.1 times higher than that in red safflower at S6 and S7 stages. This study lays the foundation for further exploring the role of CtUF3GT in the mechanism of safflower flavonoid secondary metabolite biosynthesis and accumulation.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the health-related quality of life and postdischarge long-term outcome after severe acute pancreatitis.

METHODSThe hospital records of patients with SAP discharged healthy from January 2003 to December 2003 were reviewed. The Rand 36-item Health Survey with accessory question was mailed to each patient. The means and deviations for each of eight scales scores of SF-36 were calculated, the study population scores were compared with general Chinese population; Univariate analysis was applied to determining the effects of variables such as age, sex, causes of disease, mode of treatment, frequency of surgery, financial burden, length of stay, chronic complications. Accessory questions were analyzed separately.

RESULTSThe means and deviations for each of eight scales (PF, RP, RE, BP, VT, MH, SF, GH) scores of SF-36 in SAP patients were 83 +/- 15, 62 +/- 42, 69 +/- 36, 80 +/- 15, 69 +/- 19, 72 +/- 15, 75 +/- 18, 65 +/- 18, compared with general people. Except RP and SF, the others were similar. In the ANOVA of Physical Component Summary, the three variables mode of treatment, financial burden and length of stay were included (P < 0.05), while in that of Mental Component Summary, the two variables of gender and financial burden were included (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSThe health-related quality of life in SAP patients is similar to that of general people. Greater attention should be given to mode of treatment, length of stay and financial burden to improve quality of life.

APACHE ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Analysis of Variance ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pancreatitis, Acute Necrotizing ; psychology ; therapy ; Quality of Life ; Retrospective Studies ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Survivors ; Treatment Outcome